Wrath adds retail
The popular sneaker bot has held its ground on sites like Yeezy Supply, Shopify, and Finish Line for months upon end. Wrath AIO has decided to add retail sites to its available modules to combat the recent shift in the sneaker market to raffle-based releases. Wrath now supports AMD and BestBuy to buy graphics cards, consoles, and other electronics. The bot has already amassed thousands of checkouts across these two sites, making Wrath one of the only true AIOs. We expect other mainstream sneaker bots to follow the trend, which may negatively affect the retail-only bot market.
Humanoid robots
At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, British development firm Engineered Arts revealed Ameca to the public. Ameca is a fully functioning humanoid robot, complete with cameras for eyes, advanced facial expressions, a speaker in its chest, and high-quality microphones in the ears. Ameca can also reply to most questions and conversations somewhat naturally. The company plans to release a version that walks within the next eighteen months. Would you want a humanoid robot walking around your house?
Jordan 1 Zoom CMFT
This variant of the original Air Jordan 1 High has gained a lot of traction in recent months. In a similar colorway to the AJ1 Patent Bred released on December 30th, the Patent Red features a bright, glossy red finish. The rest of the shoe is filled with black and white tones, reminiscent of some of the most classic Jordan models. While Nike released official images of the hot pair this week, an exact release date is still to be announced. Expect the pair to release within the next few months, so stay tuned to the Nike SNKRS app for updates.
BMW E Ink
As technology has evolved, car manufacturers have had an ever-increasing presence at the Consumer Electronics Show. This year was no different when BMW demonstrated its new color-changing paint technology. Using the same E Ink technology found in Kindle e-readers, the car’s color shade and design can be instantly adjusted. While the visual effects are excellent eye candy, the technology could have grand implications on vehicle efficiency. By dynamically changing the shade to a white or dark surface, the car could either reflect or absorb sunlight to cool or heat the cabin. BMW doesn’t have any current plans to include the technology in production vehicles.
Gamestop revival
The troubled video game store has had a rocky few years since online shopping and a shift to digital purchases has curtailed their business. In an attempt to modernize and set the company on a path for a successful future, GameStop has launched a new division for NFTs and cryptocurrency. Initial plans include a public NFT marketplace where people can buy and sell virtual video game items, primarily cosmetics. The new team of 20 working on the division is attempting to persuade companies to integrate their games into the marketplace. Despite the news, GameStop had a greater loss in Q4 2021 compared to the same period the year prior. If this new tech-focused vision doesn’t pick up soon, GameStop’s days might be numbered.
China digital currency
Tencent, a Chinese technology company, has decided to add support for the country’s central bank digital currency into the WeChat Pay wallet. Over a billion people will be able to pay using digital yuans. China has been at the forefront of CBDC implementation, with testing for the currency starting almost a year ago. By the end of October of 2021, the network had settled $9.7 billion worth of transactions. While the United States is far off from such a system, European countries may gravitate towards the technology.
Looks like this week is going to be pretty clear. Keep an eye on those restock monitors for random retail and sneaker drops.
