April Fool’s Day Tech Roundup

It’s that time of the year again. 1st April might be a regular Monday but it’s also April Fool’s Day.

If you enjoy having a chuckle at pranks once in a while, you’re not the only one. In fact, some of the world’s most renowned companies have embraced the spirit of April fools with some trollish posts and announcements online, or even tweaked their apps to include an April Fool easter egg. Here are seven of the examples of which companies pulled off for April Fools.

Google Maps

Google has announced that you can play Snake in the Google Maps mobile app. Both Android and iOS users will be able to experience this feature and users can select to play based on geographical themes including Cairo, Sao Paulo, London, Sydney, San Francisco, Tokyo or the world. If you’re a fan of this game, you’ll be happy to know that the game will still also available as a standalone site after the week.

redONE Mobile 6G Trial

If you think 5G is fast, redONE has posted on their Facebook page that they’ll be running the first 6G trial in the world. They’ve even posted a news release on the matter, stating that with 6G, it’s so fast that you can send a HD movie file completely even before you hit send.

Emirates

If you think playing with a drone is fun, Emirates has posted on Facebook that you can fly from Dubai International Airport to any location in Dubai in a self-driving drone starting from April 2020. Although many of us would want to believe that it’s true, I’ll not buy the idea if it’s posted on the first of April. Well, at least is looks better than the so-called flying vehicle mockup.

Grab Food Copter

A few days ago, Grab has announced that they’ll be delivering food by helicopter starting from the 1st April 2019. Forget about flying cars, who wouldn’t want their food to be delivered on a copter?

Those who are interested in the air delivery service were invited to sign up as beta tester. The beta test is limited to 1,500 respondents only.

AirAsia

What is the first thing to pops out from your mind when you think of AirAsia? Other than affordable flight tickets, you’ll probably remember its red round logo with its name written in the center. On the 1st April 2019, AirAsia has announced on Facebook that the low-cost airline will be changing its logo into ­­­­a QR code that links to AirAsia.com.

Personally, I don’t get the funny side of this logo change. If it was true, AirAsia would probably be the first Airline to have a logo that looks like a QR code. Imagine having a QR code on the tail of their Airbuses.

Sony Playstation

Are you fans of adding a keychain with your door keys or bags for decoration?

If you are, Sony has just announced that they’ll be releasing life-sized PS1 and PS2 keyrings for Playstation’s 25th anniversary. It is released under the “Limited Collectors’ Edition Merchandise.”

Not only that, they’ve also released a video showcasing the keyrings in daily usage. In one particular scene, a girl with her smartphone was seen talking on her phone with a keyring attached on it, she then got tired and put her hands down while talking on her phone.

Would you buy a life-sized PlayStation keyring?

OnePlus

We have always thought that electric supercars are the way to go in the future. No longer are we confined to petroleum-powered cars. On 1st April, OnePlus has announced that they’re building a Warp Car. Basically, it’s an electric supercar that’s inspired by their latest Warp Charger. Imagine 0-60mph in 3.0 seconds and you can get a 270 miles range with an instant 20-minute charge.

They seem to be quite serious, noting that the Warp Car has been printed in SLS 3D and ABS 3D. It allows users to design the car at home, adding new features and replacing old ones themselves. Not only that, they’ve stated that the car will not have a steering wheel. Instead, you’ll have to control the car through your smartphone (I want one too).

Did you fall for any of them? The Snake game in Google Maps is at least a legitimate game that you can try. But for the others, I would say that they probably aren’t true. A gentle reminder to all of you folks, stay sharp during April fools season and try to take a joke well. Which is the best April Fool’s joke you’ve seen so far? Let us know in the comments down below.

[ IMAGE CREDIT ]