Every year on April 1, pranksters get the chance to take advantage of the gullible and flex their creative humor muscles. Don’t believe everything you read on the Internet today, seeing as April Fool’s Day is the one time during the year where everyone has an excuse to be a little silly. Here’s our roundup of five chuckle-worthy tech industry gags that cropped up on the Web today.
We’re accustomed to Google’s sense of humor when it comes to hidden Easter eggs and Google Doodles, so it’s no surprise that the company went all-out on April Fool’s Day. The search engine giant launched a series of gags on the national pranksters’ holiday, the biggest of which is Google Nose. “Coming to your senses: go beyond type, talk and touch for a new notation of sensation,” the company posted to its website on Monday. Click the “Try Google Nose” button to smell it for yourself.
It’s already difficult enough to squeeze your thoughts into 140 characters, and Twitter’s latest prank would make that task even harder. On Sunday night, the company “launched” Twttr, which allows basic Twitter members to send tweets only using consonants. Advanced users would pay $5 per month to include vowels in their tweets. “We’re doing this because we believe that by eliminating vowels, we’ll encourage a more efficient and ‘dense’ form of communication,” Twitter wrote on its blog.
More: How To Earn Money Through Likes on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram
Airbags do a great job at protecting the passengers inside a vehicle, but how about the car itself? On Monday Volvo “announced” its External Vehicle Protection (EnVeloP) system, which would essentially encase your car in a giant bubble. “In case of an unavoidable collision, whether it is with another car, a roadside object or even when coming into contact with surface water, the balloon unfolds within the blink of an eye around the car,” the company wrote in a statement.
More: 10 Best High-Tech Cars of the 2013 New York Auto Show
Netflix decided to poke some fun at the TV industry today with its recommendation engine, which usually suggests shows based on the viewer’s taste. However, when logging into your account today you may be surprised to find parody categories such as “Reality TV About People With No Concept of Reality” or “TV Shows Where Defiantly Crossed Arms Mean Business!”
More: 10 Best iPhone Apps You're Not Using
If you’ve ever dreamed about going on a treasure hunt as a kid, today is your lucky day. Google added a Treasure Map feature to its widely popular Maps app that re-imagines your local neighborhood in the style of an old-fashioned treasure map. Under the features list, Google lists “Explore 2D hand drawn landmarks,” “Find hidden treasure chests,” and "Beware of pirates!”
