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Weird Wide Web: Arrested development, Pac-Man post-its and the world's smallest charger

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.

40-year anniversary of the week

Forty years ago the first handheld mobile phone call was made in New York City. We took a look at the four decades of mobile phones, some of which you might recognise… We also fished out this wonderful BBC report from back in day featuring a British prototype for a mobile phone whose trials in 1979 were being “strictly regulated by Home Office”.

(Video:BBC/YouTube)

Manners quiz of the week

How many selfies per month are acceptable on Instagram? What is the proper course of action when your ex announces on Facebook that they just got engaged? All this and more in Buzzfeed’s internet manners quiz. We’re not telling you how we did…

Gadget of the week

(Image: Devotec Industries/KickStarter)

This keyring sized phone charger is likely to save your [battery] life time and time again. It’s the smallest ever emergency phone charger and is designed to give you around 20 – 30 minute extra talk time. The company responsible, which has over $60,000 in pledges on KickStarter, said the charger works with almost any Android, Samsung, LG, Sony, Motorola, Nokia or Blackberry phone.

Netflix announcement of the week

It is time. Netflix has finally revealed the date for the next series of Arrested Development, TechCrunch reports. The 15 new episodes of the Mitch Hurwitz-led series will go live in Ireland, Britain, US, Canada, Latin America, Brazil and the Nordics on 26 May.

Stop-motion animation of the week

Animator Michael Birken spent eleven months working on this bad boy using thousands of post-it notes, just to pay tribute to his two favourite old school arcade games. The animation is based on actual recorded game footage and we love just it. Enjoy!

(Video: Michael Birken/YouTube)

Read all previous Weird Wide Webs>

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8 Comments
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Terry Morgan
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    Apr 7th 2013, 11:47 AM

    Would I be correct in thinking that the battery charger is just a small battery? Why not just a second battery and keep it somewhere handy like work or in your car? Full battery power and will probably cost less than that little dressed up one.

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    Mute Anthony Fitzpatrick
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    Apr 7th 2013, 12:04 PM

    That’s a fair point, but if you have an iPhone or any smartphone, the battery isn’t always very accessible. You’d need a surgeons tool kit & a serious amount of patience to swap the battery. This little gadget would be far handier.

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    Mute Terry Morgan
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    Apr 7th 2013, 12:18 PM

    Most smartphones bar the iPhone you can easily get the battery out. Just another reason not to get an iPhone I suppose.

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    Mute Pat D'Arcy
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    Apr 7th 2013, 5:44 PM

    Remember, there is always money in the banana stand.

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    Mute plato
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    Apr 7th 2013, 12:47 PM

    Wow.. Look at the size of “the battery” for the proto type mobile phone (in the video), and now, we have a charger so small,, it fits on a keyring !! Brilliant :-)

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    Mute Irish Red
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    Apr 7th 2013, 9:34 PM

    That post-it stop motion clip is amazing.

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    Mute Mary Kavanagh
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    Apr 7th 2013, 12:34 PM

    At first I thought that was a gadget for finding car keys. I could do with one of those, now! Bring back the key finding gadget! Good idea, though not if you have a iPhone.

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    Mute Angry Atheist
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    Apr 7th 2013, 8:05 PM

    I want a rotary mobile.

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