Weekend Wrap-Up: Amazon Unveils the Fire Phone; Apple Launches Newer, Cheaper iMac

It’s Sunday, folks! That means it’s time once again for our Weekend Wrap-Up, where we catch you up on the biggest tech stories of the week.

Ready? Let’s go.

Amazon Unveils the Fire Phone

Nothing warms the heart of a tech blogger more than when a long-rumored product finally sees the light of day. We weren’t surprised when Amazon showed us the Fire Phone this week, but we were excited to check it out nonetheless. The phone does some neat things, such as the 3D effects it produces using its multiple 3D cameras. Can Amazon sell people on the phone when it costs as much as an iPhone or a Galaxy phone, though? That remains to be seen.

Apple Offers a Lower-Priced iMac

In recent months, Apple has been lowering the prices on some of its entry-level products. The MacBook Air, for instance, dropped from $999 to $899. Apple is now giving the same treatment to its iMac line of all-in-ones, introducing a new 21.5-inch model with some downgraded specs but an improved price — $1099. Previously, the least expensive iMac was $1,299.

Facebook Takes On SnapChat, Again, with Slingshot

Once upon a time, Facebook saw a messaging service called Snapchat growing popular and decided something must be done. So Facebook created Poke. Snapchat only grew stronger. Facebook then decided to try and buy Snapchat for a lot of money. Snapchat said no. Finally, Facebook tried once again to create a Snapchat killer. This brought us Slingshot, the latest project coming out of Facebook that hopes to revolutionize the way we communicate. Our own Brian Rubin has a great write-up on it — check it out.

Yo

Who knew one word could put the tech industry in a tizzy? Yo is a messaging app that does one very simple thing: it pings your friends with a “Yo.” Seriously. That’s it. If you think the app alone sounds ridiculous, the news that it has raised over $1 million from investors will probably take the cake. That said, I do recommend that you download the app, add some friends and try it out. Getting a “Yo” can be a fun little interruption during the day.