Every year on April 1st, many technology companies and other related businesses put out a press release or a video about their new product or service they have came out with. The result, creativity and effort put into these products vary every time. For companies, April Fools Day is a day not only to do whatever you feel would be funny, but also to attract potential worker by showing how fun and relaxed these companies are. None of these are real, of course, but they all try to be humorous, just for the fun of it. Here are some of the best pranks by notable tech giants or startups:

iStragetyLabs’ BeardSwipe

After all the recent talk of Apple’s TouchID and other biometric products, BeardSwipe is a good channel into mainstream technology. basically, BeardSwipe is an app that would allow you to answer calls, buy apps, and unlock your phone by just swiping your phone across your jaw and beard. Like Google Nose, BeardSwipe is based of a absurd gesture with a phone and seeing how many people would actually do it. If the technology to make a “beardprint” was available and made, I’m sure this app would actually be a success. As BeardSwipe’s website says, if you have a beard, it says with you. You can’t just “lose it”. Funny and practical.

AirBnb’s AirBrb List Your Desk

Airbnb, the living space rental service app, has taken their service one step further for this April Fools. They have made Airbrb, an “app” that would let people rent out their desk for anyone to use. For some reason, if you need to work and don’t have a desk (a seemingly rare situation) you can just go to Airbrb and rent out a desk while the usual user is at break or lunch. Unlike BeardSwipe, Airbrb is a more of a joke than a potential service, but fun all the same.

Orbotix’s #Selfiebot

Have you ever been in a situation where you want to take a selfie, but your arm isn’t long enough? or you get into the right position? Or even worse, you forgot your phone? Orbotix, the company behind Sphero, has made a solution to your problems: #Selfiebot. #Selfiebot is a flying orb-like drone with a big camera on the front. The #Selfiebot follows you around, and based of the video below, I am guessing it recognizes that your are looking at it and takes a selfie. Obviously, if you watched the video, the “#selfiebots” are animated, though it is a funny and intriguing concept.

LinkedIn CYMK

Everyone knows LinkedIn, the social media site for business people. Like Airbnb, LinkedIn has expanded their service, now tapping into a social media craze to draw traffic to their site: cats. You might have been wondering what CYMK stands for. Well, it’s Cats You May Know. LinkedIn’s new “feature” will allow cats to make profiles highlighting their skills such as “speed napping”, friend other cats and even endorse other cats. A perfect cat social network.

Cats-You-May-Know-01

Google’s Pokemon Challenge

Last but certainly not the least is Google’s Pokemon challenge. The Google Maps team does something every year, and this year the theme was the fantastical card game Pokemon. (product placement much?) The team sprinkled little Pokemon all over the mobile Google Maps, which if you found, you could click on and collect, then go back and look at your amazing collection. (they took it down already) There were 150 Pokemon possible to find, and supposedly, whoever got the most Pokemon would start working for Google as their official “Pokemon Master”. Of course this is all fictional, but it would sure excite the younger generation.

Every year on April Fools Day, these companies stop their drab, boring workload and work on something fun and creative, which must be a breath of fresh air for them. And of course, nobody could enjoy it more than the public. If you want to see last years April Fools Day pranks, click on this highlighted word: sasquatch.