Holodeck Takes One Small Step Towards Reality

HoloLens Holodeck Given Microsoft's HoloLens, it only fitting the company would play with the idea of building a Star Trek-like Holodeck—and patenting the technology. The problem, notes Microsoft, is current AR glasses offer a field of view limited to a 40-degree angle—normal eyesight is about 180 degrees. But by projecting some images directly in a space, such as walls, and making sure they were someone distorted to mirror what you saw through the HoloLens, Microsoft says you can expand the AR world around you. Maybe not exactly a holodeck yet, but certainly a step in that direction. (Via MSPowerUser)

Alexa Policing Police are hoping to access recordings made by an Amazon Echo device in helping them solve a murder in Arkansas. Amazon received a warrant for the recordings from an Echo that belonged to a man charged with first degree murder. The victim was found dead in the murder suspect's hot tub. (Via The Information)

iPhone Battery Chances are if your iPhone battery is working fine, you likely know someone whose battery has suddenly crashed. Although Apple has acknowledged issues with the iPhone 6s battery and even run an iPhone 5S battery replacement program, many people are having unexpected shutdowns who are eligible for either program. Apple won't address the issue other than saying that a small number of people are being affected, and that it's not a safety issue. But a battery suddenly shutting down can be a safety issue if the phone, say, is a parent's sole connection to child who travels alone during the day on public transport. Just saying. (Via Fortune)

Norway Roads The Norwegian government is just the latest European entity to look at self-driving cars, and how to allow them on the roads. Norway is looking to draft a bill that would let anyone in the country drive a self-driving car—but only those that featured technology that was "mature," according to a story in The Local, a Norwegian English-language newspaper. Ford has already announced plans to test its self-driving cars in both Germany and the United Kingdom in 2017.

Asus Zenfone 3 Curious if an Android smartphone might make sense for you? We spent some time with the Asus Zenfone 3—and our iPhone user had an unexpected experience.