Last week was a little bit calm in the tech world, but this week is sure to be a bit more eventful.
From the latest rumors for CES to the tech used during New Year's Eve celebrations, the week ahead is sure to be a busy one.
Apple Lucky Bag on Offer Once Again
Apple will once again be offering the "Lucky Bag" at Apple Stores in Japan, allowing customers to buy a surprise bag of goodies for around $300.
The bag could include a number of products, and will always be worth more than the $300 price. In previous years, the bag has been known to include products such as the iPad Air 2 and even the MacBook Air.
The offer is part of the Fukubukuro tradition in Japan, in which shops all over the country offer similar deals. The bags will go on sale Jan. 2, will be limited to one per customer per day, and will not be refundable except in the case of a defective product.
LG and Samsung Feud Rages On
LG and Samsung are at each other's throats, with Samsung accusing LG employees and executive Jo Seong-jin of intentionally damaging Samsung washing machines at two electronics stores ahead of the IFA trade conference in September. Because of the incident, Samsung has sued LG. Jo is president and CEO of LG Electronics Inc.'s home appliance company.
LG has publicly refuted these claims and has counter-sued Samsung, despite paying for the damaged machines in full.
The feud is likely to continue, with Jo being given a travel ban for not responding to prosecutor's summons. Jo, however, has said that he will respond to the summons after CES 2015 in January, provided the travel ban is lifted for him to get to Las Vegas for the Jan. 6-9 event. It is likely that we will find out this week if the travel ban is being lifted or if Jo will remain grounded, leading to an even more difficult situation.
New Year's Eve Tech in Full Swing
New Year's Eve is a time to celebrate the past year and look forward to the year ahead, but some might not know that technology is an integral part of celebrations around the world.
In New York City, for example, a massive ball of light is lifted over Times Square, being built from different materials over the years, from light bulbs inside a wooden and iron framework to wrought iron to aluminum decorated with rhinestones to its current incarnation of 2,688 Waterford crystal triangles backed by more than 30,000 LED lights. The descent of the nearly 6-ton ball is the focal point of celebrations ringing in the new year.
Sydney, Australia, is famous for its huge fireworks displays on New Year's, with the display in 2013 including a whopping 1,000 specially designed fireworks. This year, the theme of the event is "Inspire" and it has a massive $7.2 million budget to light up the harbor.
