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The Drum’s top 10 tech disruptions of the week - Tesla unveils solar battery, ink irks Apple Watch & 'Absolutely Anything' debuts on Snapchat

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By John McCarthy, Opinion Editor

May 1, 2015 | 4 min read

It’s been a busy week in technology. Here The Drum has rounded up 10 of the top tech innovations that have been touted this week as capable of disrupting the world as we know it.

1. Elon Musk’s Tesla has unveiled a range of solar-charged batteries in a move which could supplement under-pressure power grids during periods of high demand. The ‘Powerwall’ batteries are capable of generating 7kWh and will retail for £1,954.

2. Apple’s smartwatches are failing to function for users with wrist tattoos and other skin impediments. The company announced on Friday that a number of inked users noticed that the wearable was failing to register heart rate.

3. On the Apple Watch’s profit margin, IHS Technology speculated that the Apple Watch Sport 38mm costs a total of $83.70 to produce while its retail price is $349. The company stated that hardware costs only account for 24 per cent of the RRP.

4. Additionally, Apple took the unique position of issuing a statement banning fart apps on the Apple Watch. It claimed: “We do not accept fart apps on Apple Watch.”

5. PayPal has introduced ‘One-touch’ payments to online transactions meaning users remain signed in after entering their username and passwords on devices. Despite the feature’s name, transactions would actually need two clicks to be completed.

6. Facebook added video calling to its Messenger app allowing users to turn text conversations into video chats by hitting an icon in the top right corner of their mobile screen. The announcement is the latest in a string of updates Facebook has implemented to its Messenger function, including the ability to send money to friends.

7. The Internet Archive created a plugin making it possible to embed MS-DOS games like Wolfenstein 3D, Doom II & Prince of Persia in tweets. Over 2,600 titles can now be shared and played on the social network, helping to preserve them in the fabric of the net.

8. AT&T, Sprint, Verizon and T-Mobile announced they will not charge customers for phone calls or texts to Nepal. Google Voice also reduced its call rate to Nepal from 19 cents a minute to one cent a minute. Meanwhile, Skype and Viber also offered free calls in the wake of the disaster.

9. E-commerce giant Kindle is piloting ad opportunities on its Kindle e-reader. The company announced that it enlisted British author William Boyd pen an adventure story ‘The Vanishing Game’ - that was commissioned Land Rover and distributed for free on Kindle.

10. Lionsgate used Snapchat to air the trailer of Robin William’s last ever movie. Through MTV’s Discovery feed, the studio is set to share ‘Absolutely Anything’ with users of the photo-messaging app 2 May.

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