Here’s a look at the week that was in the world of technology.

Lots riding on BlackBerry’s new Passport mobile device

BlackBerry had a pretty good first week with its new Passport. The company claims it sold 200,000 of the passport-sized devices in its first week, which outstripped supply. That, combined with a narrower loss than was predicted by financial analysts, helped the share prices of the Canadian tech company to jump a bit.

This week, the Passport launched in India, the territory where BlackBerry CEO John Chen says is critical to the revival of the company.

Concern over bending iPhone 6 Plus

Among the other important topics of discussion last week was whether Apple’s new iPhones were subject to bending. To my horror, a new hashtag was born: #bendgate.

First, a bending mobile device is not even close to being the same level of importance as something like the break-ins at the Watergate office complex in 1972, and to co-opt that term is offensive.

Second, aluminium is pliable, and will bend when enough force is applied to it. People who want to be able to carry a mobile in their front pocket should probably choose a smaller device.

Third, it’s not even a big deal, as Consumer Reports proved using the scientific method.

Hooray for science.

Social networks for the rest of us

There’s a new social network that, as with all social network things these days, became all the rage in just a few days last week. Part of the appeal is the fact to to join Ello you need to be invited. A similar strategy has been used by many other companies to drive demand. Remember when Google first started handing out email addresses?

The thing that sets Ello apart is it’s manifesto. An excerpt:

Your social network is owned by advertisers…. We believe there is a better way. We believe in audacity. We believe in beauty, simplicity and transparency. We believe that the people who make things and the people who use them should be in partnership.

Ello is not to be confused with Netropolitan, “the world’s most exclusive online community” where it costs US$9,000 to join and another $3,000 annually to be a member.

For the record, I’m not a member of either network. Yet.

Self-driving cars are coming

Google’s been experimenting with driverless cars, and now Elon Musk claims that his company, Tesla Motors, will have “autonomous vehicles” available within six years. He also told the Wall Street Journal that they will be “a factor of 10” safer than when people are behind the wheel. The biggest hurdle to overcome? The legal issues.

I’m all for autonomous cars. As long as everybody’s using them. Even blind people can use them. Just watch.

According to Wu-Tang Name Generator I am Intellectual Pupil.

According to WuName I am Detective Ventriloquist.

They are both cool.

Right?

This week, Drex and I talk about the new Blackberry Passport, the new Karma hotspot and why it’s so good for data roaming in the U.S., and how a hamster wheel in your office is better than a stand-up desk.

I’m in right at the beginning.

Here’s what’s been going on in the world of technology. Rats, clouds, and mountains.

All I do at work all day is go around in circles

Forget asking your boss for a stand-up or treadmill desk. Who among us doesn’t want to spend their work day on a hamster wheel Brings new meaning to the term “rat race”.

Hey, you, get onto the cloud

Cloud storage is all the rage, and there are many different services available that give you gigabytes of storage space that you can access online, from anywhere, and from any device.

• Apple’s iCloud gives you 5 GB of space for free
• Box gives you 10 GB of space for free
• Copy gives you 15 GB for free
• Dropbox gives you 2 GB of space for free
• Google Drive gives you 15 GB for free
• Microsoft OneDrive gives you 15 GB for free

Untll the end of September, though, Microsoft is doubling the amount of free storage space it’s offering to new and existing users who enable the automatic upload feature for photos on your mobile device. And you can get an app for OneDrive for all mobile operating systems, including Android, iOS, and Windows Phone.

Travelling to the U.S.? Get Karma

I travel to the U.S. regularly, and the best solution I’ve found to racking up roaming charges on my mobile devices is Karma. It’s a wireless hotspot that works throughout the U.S. and you can connect all of your gadgets to it at the same time: computer, smartphone, tablet, PlayStation Vita, Nintedo 3DS.

With Karma there’s no contracts or data plans. It’s pay-as-you go, and it’s cheap at US$14 a gigabyte (even cheaper during the semi-regular sales). That data never expires, so I can load up whenever and know that when I cross the 49th parallel I’ll be able to connect to the world anyway.

It’s called Karma because you can earn data by letting others connect through your hotspot. They have to have their own account, so you’re not actually sharing your account and you’re not on the hook for what others may be doing with their connection.

In December, the company is releasing a new, LTE version of the hotspot called Karma Go. And until the end of October, you can get $10 off

Lighting up a mountain

In 1865, the last peak in the Alps was conquered by climbers, and this year marks the 150 anniversary of that first ascent of the Matterhorn.

To mark the occasion, Swiss mountaineering equipment manufacturer Mammut lit up the route that was taken by the team back in 1865 with a string of red LEDs.

Four climbers fell to their deaths during the 1865 Matterhorn ascent. But the technological advances in clothing (breathable fabrics to wick away moisture) and equipment (crampons instead of boots with nails in them, for example) make it much easier for today’s climbers. Not to mention head lamps, GPS, and altimeters.

Certainly is a majestic peak.

This week with Drex, U2 haters gotta hate, why Drex won’t line up for an iPhone 6, and getting ready to welcome our robot overlords. I come in right at the top.