The dog days of summer are well underway and the tech world is bringing some fire announcements to go along with ‘em, which can only mean one thing. That’s right gang, it’s time for another “BIGnews in the Tech World” roundup. Here’s what we have for you this week:

Amazon Prime Day
Maybe someday we’ll write a post that doesn’t feature Amazon upfront and center, but that is not this day – Amazon Prime Day was simply too big to ignore. On its own self-proclaimed shopping extravaganza day, the tech giant grew its sales over 60% from last year’s event and raked in figures surpassing its Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales.
While this may seem like good news, Amazon has recently come under scrutiny, with growing concerns that it’s simply getting too big. How serious are these concerns? Well, U.S. lawmakers have requested a hearing that would look into Amazon’s acquisition of Whole Foods. Now, we’re not saying we think one company should be able to monopolize every industry imaginable (which, more and more, it seems like Amazon is capable of doing) but come on, how great would Amazon Prime food delivery be?
Be sure to check back here next week for a more in-depth look at what brands can learn from Amazon Prime Day.
Brandless
On Wednesday, tech newbie Brandless entered the scene (do we sense an Amazon rival here?). While we’re not holding our breath that these guys will disrupt Amazon the way Amazon disrupted Borders (RIP), Brandless does has investors shelling out millions.
What’s everyone so excited about? This online platform owns, creates, and sells all of its own products for only $3. No matter what. And while these products are not brand name (see what they did there?) they do promise quality ingredients. Users can refine their search with filters such as certified organics, gluten free, non GMO and more.
The platform currently offers 6 categories of products (food, household supplies, beauty, personal care, home & office, and health) but there’s no telling where they could go from there. With $50 million in funding, these guys are going to be ones to watch.
Hyperloop
Oh Elon Musk, your brilliance and wildly futuristic name never cease to amaze us. This Wednesday, Musk’s brain child, Hyperloop One, announced that it completed the first full-scale test of its hyperloop technology in a vacuum environment on May 12th. While the vehicle only reached 70mph, it was nevertheless an exciting step towards the ultimate goal of warp-speed transit.
Hyperloop One is now hoping to reach their next goal of achieving 250 mph speeds. And of course, Musk’s ultimate vision is to transport passengers or cargo in aluminum pods through a nearly airless tube at speeds of up to 750 mph. While this may seem insane, just imagine what people thought when the Wright Brothers were testing their first airplanes…
Google
Google’s artificial intelligence company, DeepMind, developed an AI that learned how to walk, run, jump, and climb without receiving any prior information about these activities. The model does have virtual sensors which allow it to receive information about its context, but it was never taught what “running” looks like, which makes what it came up with pretty interesting. We’re mostly including this tidbit for the video, which is lowkey all of us on a treadmill. We feel you, little man. Keep doin’ you.

Apple
Apple is allegedly working on a new iPhone that will feature a 3D laser to enhance augmented reality experiences on your device. This technology will enable better depth detection and lend itself to more accurate autofocus for photography.
The iPhone 8 arrives on the 10th anniversary of the iPhone, and is rumored to have some pretty impressive features such as wireless charging, an edge-to-edge OLED display, and could potentially be waterproof.
That’s all well and good Apple, but where are you at with improving battery life?

 
That’s all for this week! Let us know your favorite tech stories in the comments below! If you missed last week’s roundup, be sure to check that out here. And to stay up to date on all the latest tech and PR news, follow us on Twitter @BIGfishPR!