Walmart & The Metaverse-Oh, Boy; Google’s Foldable; iPad Pro-Glass Apple Logo for Charging; Ukraine Says Russia Behind Cyberattack

When I first read a headline about Walmart getting serious about the Metaverse, the first thing that popped into my mind was a virtual reality world populated with ‘People of Walmart’ . Well, that may or may not be a thing, but according to CNBC, in a story picked up by theverge.com, some trademark applications by the retail giant indicate they are looking at doing their own NFTs and cryptocurrency. Think of it…you’ll be able to buy virtual goods and pay for it all in crypto, while shopping online in whatever state of dress or fashion is befitting a Walmart shopper! Walmart has had its eye on crypto for some time, having advertised last summer for a cryptocurrency product specialist. Now, they appear ready to cash in on NFTs, virtual kicks, and virtual attire. You can take your bare ass to Walmart in your new virtual duds, and pay with Bitcoin from your phone…is this yet another sign of the end times?

Whether we like it or not, everyone is joining Samsung and a couple others in working on foldables. Now, it looks like Google is in the mix. 9to5google.com has detected a possible future gadget dubbed the ‘Pixel Notepad,’ with what they say is a lower price than expected. The less catchy ‘Logbook’ was also a name tossed around for what looks like a folding device. The only hints of pricing so far are that a Pixel Notepad would sell for less than the princely $17899 Samsung Galaxy Fold 3. 

The next iPad Pro will probably allow wireless charging. Macrumors.com says Apple has looked at a glass back for that, but they feel it’s just too much glass on the device, and would lead to and explosion of people breaking their tablets, and needing service, being angry, etc. The latest rumor is that Cupertino is thinking about a glass Apple logo on the back. You would have to center the device over the charger so it would line up with the charger, but Apple makes that pretty simple with their MagSafe system, where the magnets, pull the device into the proper alignment. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman predicts the new iPad Pro will hit this year, possibly as early as this spring. 

Over the weekend, Ukraine accused Russia of the cyberattack that hosed a number of government websites, and they are calling it a ‘hybrid war’ against their country. AP reports that a statement from the Ministry of Digital Development said “All evidence indicates that Russia is behind the cyberattack. Moscow continues to wage a hybrid war and is actively building up its forces in the information and cyberspaces.”  Microsoft had posted in a blog on Saturday that the first picked up malware in Ukraine on Thursday, when some 70 government sites were temporarily taken off line. The US is working with Ukraine on beefing up its defenses.