Skip to main content

The context you need, when you need it

When news breaks, you need to understand what actually matters — and what to do about it. At Vox, our mission to help you make sense of the world has never been more vital. But we can’t do it on our own.

We rely on readers like you to fund our journalism. Will you support our work and become a Vox Member today?

Join now

Re/wind: Microsoft’s Fancy New Holographic Headset Thing, Saving Deleted Photos and More

And Box’s IPO went just fine, thanks for asking.

Supannee Hickman / Shutterstock.com

Hello there!

If you missed some of the big headlines in tech this week — no stress! Re/code has you covered:

  1. On Wednesday, Microsoft held an event at its Redmond, Wash., headquarters and gave us a bunch of new stuff to gawk at. This includes a sneak peek at the Windows 10 operating system that will be out later this year, all the Xbox stuff Microsoft worked into Windows 10 and, of course, the new HoloLens holographic computing headset. We even took a test run of the device to Mars. It seems pretty neat!
  2. If you’ve ever accidentally deleted a bunch of photos from a smartphone or memory card, then you know that feeling of dread that courses through your whole body once you realize what you’ve done. Avoid the misery (and the R-rated tirade that’s sure to follow) with this handy guide to getting those precious memories back after you’ve deleted them.
  3. After pricing its shares at $14 apiece, Box’s IPO went just fine, thanks for asking. The company’s shares rose 65 percent after one day of trading, pleasing the market and Box’s leadership. Hey, maybe next they’ll turn a profit!
  4. Facebook said it’s going to get rid of fake news and other social media detritus that’s accumulating in your News Feed. Also, globally popular messaging service and Facebook mega-acquisition WhatsApp is coming to a desktop computer near you.
  5. Trivia Crack is the most-downloaded paid and free app in Apple’s U.S. App Store. Read about how that happened, and how this app is making big money for its makers.
  6. HBO will begin offering a Web-only TV subscription (probably in April) and in the process will probably gut the rest of its competition. How badly? Seven million subscribers could get rid of their cable TV, according to recent findings.
  7. T-Mobile CEO John Legere said the wireless carrier will now give its best-priced offers to all customers, regardless of their credit scores. Also, Google waded into the phone carrier business this week — and it doesn’t really seem like that great of an idea.
  8. How did the U.S. government know so quickly that it was North Korea behind the massive Sony hack that began in late November? NSA penetration of Chinese networks favored by North Korean hackers apparently did the trick.
  9. Ouch — 2014 was the worst year for job cuts in tech since the middle of the Great Recession back in 2009. A lot of this was due to “corporate restructuring” at big firms like HP or Microsoft, but still, not great news.
  10. SplashData’s annual worst passwords list is here, and a lot of people really need some help coming up with a remotely safe password. Two new 2014 entrants to the list: “696969” and “batman.”

This article originally appeared on Recode.net.

More in Technology

Technology
The case for AI realismThe case for AI realism
Technology

AI isn’t going to be the end of the world — no matter what this documentary sometimes argues.

By Shayna Korol
Politics
OpenAI’s oddly socialist, wildly hypocritical new economic agendaOpenAI’s oddly socialist, wildly hypocritical new economic agenda
Politics

The AI company released a set of highly progressive policy ideas. There’s just one small problem.

By Eric Levitz
Future Perfect
Human bodies aren’t ready to travel to Mars. Space medicine can help.Human bodies aren’t ready to travel to Mars. Space medicine can help.
Future Perfect

Protecting astronauts in space — and maybe even Mars — will help transform health on Earth.

By Shayna Korol
Podcasts
The importance of space toilets, explainedThe importance of space toilets, explained
Podcast
Podcasts

Houston, we have a plumbing problem.

By Peter Balonon-Rosen and Sean Rameswaram
Technology
What happened when they installed ChatGPT on a nuclear supercomputerWhat happened when they installed ChatGPT on a nuclear supercomputer
Technology

How they’re using AI at the lab that created the atom bomb.

By Joshua Keating
Future Perfect
Humanity’s return to the moon is a deeply religious missionHumanity’s return to the moon is a deeply religious mission
Future Perfect

Space barons like Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk don’t seem religious. But their quest to colonize outer space is.

By Sigal Samuel