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Weird Wide Web: New iPhones, Instagram drug deals and a sandpit game controller

All of your essential tech and social media news for the week in one byte-sized portion.

WELCOME TO THE Weird Wide Web – where we take a look at the week’s best offerings in tech and social media news.

Big news of the week

It was a week dominated by talk of the two new iPhones. They’re bigger, faster with better cameras and they can sense air pressure. But what you all really want to know is, how much will it cost you?

Apple Apple

Hot feature of the week

The smart thermostat Google bought earlier this year is arriving in Ireland. The Nest thermostat, which automatically adjusts temperatures in your house after learning the way you like it, and Protect, a smart smoke and carbon monoxide alarm,  will both be made available here and in a number of EU countries.

Nest Nest

Children’s arcade game of the week

Sega has invented a new arcade machine with a difference, due to be launched in Japan, according to TNW. The difference is that this game uses a sand pit as the controller and projects lights and pictures onto the sand based on what the user creates. It seems to be going down well with the focus groups…

SEGA / YouTube

Online drug deals of the week

It emerged last year that Instagram was being used to advertise and sell illegal drugs. At the time, the site blocked a handful of specific hashtags from appearing in searches. However, Venture Beat has revealed how this abuse of the service continues and just how easy it is to get away with it…

Michelle Hennessy / TheJournal.ie Michelle Hennessy / TheJournal.ie / TheJournal.ie

Funny but completely pointless app of the week

You almost definitely don’t need one of these, but that doesn’t mean you wouldn’t have a bit of fun with it. The iScent allows you to smell your ringtone, using a custom scent. Here it is in ‘party mode’:

iScent iScent

Read previous Weird Wide Webs>

Catch up on the rest of the tech news from the last week>

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    Mute Liam Doyle
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    Aug 9th 2018, 9:16 PM

    The display picture on this article led me to believe I was going to enjoy a new opportunity to see Jason Statham be constantly angry and suspicious while just generally being hard, but charming, and shirtless, often unnecessarily shirtless. I’m therefore disappointed with the options provided.

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    Mute Harry Whitehead
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    Aug 9th 2018, 9:20 PM

    @Liam Doyle: You’d have liked Kevin Bishop’s great idea for a Jason Statham flick called “The Puncher” where he spends the whole film constantly having to swing his fists and hit anything he comes into contact with (including his little girl when he rescues her at the end) – unfortunately the link is blocked by Channel 4.

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    Mute Shougeki
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    Aug 9th 2018, 10:33 PM

    @Harry Whitehead: Crank is his best. And still the ringtone on my phone. Albeit when he see’s jackasses stealing his car and goes out “This is a hurl. From an ancienct gaelic game that is a cross between hockey and murder” was pretty awesome too.

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    Mute Harry Whitehead
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    Aug 9th 2018, 11:47 PM

    @Shougeki: LOL forgot about Blitz.

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    Mute Felicity Hensen
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    Aug 10th 2018, 3:00 AM

    @Shougeki: Thought that quote was so good I had to rewind the film so I could write it down!

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    Mute Ron Noco
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    Aug 9th 2018, 9:54 PM

    Going to cinema these days isn’t special anymore… someone always checking their phone , others arrive late, and no matter where you sit you’ll be annoyed by someone hopping of the back of your seat asking to pass for constant trips to the toilet

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    Mute Luke McDermott
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    Aug 9th 2018, 9:55 PM

    @Ron Noco: too many comic book films as well imo.

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    Mute Seán Domhnall O'Sullivan
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    Aug 9th 2018, 10:30 PM

    @Ron Noco: I have no issue telling people to shush. If u want to chat not in an emergency ,please leave the cinema.

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    Mute shanekeogh
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    Aug 9th 2018, 9:23 PM

    Ha comments closed because the journal doesnt do truth, shame on you lot, a news story needs truth

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    Mute Paul Furey
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    Aug 9th 2018, 11:58 PM

    @shanekeogh: And….the truth is??

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    Mute shanekeogh
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    Aug 10th 2018, 12:04 AM

    @Paul Furey: the traveller woman dragged her 6 kids to sleep in a garda station, while shes on fb last few days with boxes of drink, buying waterford crystal, offer 10,000 few weeks ago for a seven seater, 3 weeks ago she was delighted she got housed in tallaght by the council, but then refused it because it was the hap scheme, and she has a partner

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    Mute Frank O'Connor
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    Aug 9th 2018, 10:57 PM

    How can someone be let out on bail when they are charged with murder? What a country we live in. Absolutely farcial.

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    Mute Seriously stunned
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    Aug 10th 2018, 8:48 AM

    @Frank O’Connor: which movie is that?

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    Mute White Rhino
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    Aug 9th 2018, 8:36 PM

    What happened to great storytelling…all these movies are rubbish. Go to the cinema now it’s “I see stupid people”

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    Mute Conor Paddington
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    Aug 9th 2018, 8:49 PM

    @White Rhino: what’re you talking about? The Meg is this generation Citizen Kane.

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    Mute Conor Paddington
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    Aug 9th 2018, 8:51 PM

    @White Rhino: its only shortcoming is the absence of Rock “the Dwayne” Johnson.

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    Mute Harry Whitehead
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    Aug 9th 2018, 9:35 PM

    @Conor Paddington: You forgot Vinnie ‘I’m the Juggernaut, bitch!’ Jones.

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    Mute Seán Domhnall O'Sullivan
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    Aug 9th 2018, 10:28 PM

    @Conor Paddington: i agree. The world needs these films .while baffling and scientifically absent ,my personal fave is Sam Andreas. Tsunamis, quakes and a bizarre Kylie cameo ..plus when Rocko saved his daughter was actually surprisingly moving. Great mess of a film.

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    Mute Seán Domhnall O'Sullivan
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    Aug 9th 2018, 11:17 PM

    @Harry Whitehead: I met Jones in Kemare Co. Kerry. Rude abrupt and bully ish, I will add that I was just a nipper.

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    Mute Harry Whitehead
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    Aug 9th 2018, 11:50 PM

    @Seán Domhnall O’Sullivan: “Oi, Kemp…you been tellin’ the extras you’re ‘arder than me?”

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    Mute Garrett Colreavy
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    Aug 9th 2018, 10:20 PM

    The meg tommorow afternoon

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    Mute Seán Domhnall O'Sullivan
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    Aug 9th 2018, 10:25 PM

    Totally gonna look up the bizarre and awesome ‘ghost shark,’ ahead of this The Meg business. Could not be more ridiculous than Sharknado but is it remotely on the same level ?

    8
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