Patent App- Amazon Drones May Stalk You With Delivery

Posted: May 8, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

With the range limited by battery power, Amazon is working overtime, trying to develop their drone delivery system. Thenextweb.com reports that FAA rules may not be in place for something to work in the next couple years, but meanwhile, Amazon is pressing ahead. One patent just granted lets them get data from a smartphone to determine the best place to deliver your item…in other words, that Amazon drone will stalk you until you get that item!

A little late to the mobile party, but Nintendo’s first smartphone game should be out by late this year. Macrumors.com says they expect to release 5 games by late 2017. Nintendo claims none are ports of existing franchises, but are all tailored for the smaller screen experience. Earlier, the company announced a partnership with Universal for Nintendo characters to be used in a theme park.

FAA Drone Study May Bring Good News For Amazon

Posted: May 6, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Federal Aviation Administration is beginning a study regarding drone flights beyond the pilot’s line of sight. Both Amazon and Google have clamored for this, and the Europeans are already getting ready for it. Geekwire.com notes that the present FAA policy-just set in February- limits drones to the pilot’s line of sight.

Home Depot is upgrading its point of sale equipment, and working towards accepting Apple Pay at all of its 2000 stores. Bloomberg.com says that would make the chain the largest retailer to accept Apple Pay. Home Depot doesn’t yet have an agreement with Apple, but already accepts PayPal, and is looking at including other kinds of mobile payment, too. This would presumably include CurrentC, the still developing pay system from the Merchant Customer Exchange.

New Technology Recaptures Phone Energy and Extends Battery Life

Posted: May 5, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

One of the most ingenious gadgets ever is in the pipeline. Nikola Labs has cooked up an iPhone 6 case that harvests electricity from the cellular, wi-fi, and Bluetooth transmitters in your phone. According to techcrunch.com, they will launch a Kickstarter by the end of the month for $99, and have a case out by September. Nikola claims they can recycle enough RF energy to give you 30% more battery life! The tech can be used in other devices that have little RF transmitters like smartwatches and tablets.

Dropbox is going to drop an update for iOS in the next few weeks that will let you create Microsoft Office files from scratch online…not just edit them. Engadget.com reports that it will also bring commenting functionality. No word on when an Android release is coming, but you can bet it’s in the pipeline, too.

Apple Watch Battery Strap Will Tap Apple’s Diagnostic Port

Posted: May 4, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

It didn’t take long…the hidden port that lives where one of the straps attaches to the Apple Watch is being eyed by accessory makers…especially for straps with built in batteries. 9to5mac.com says attaching directly to the diagnostic port will allow for faster charging than the magnetic inductive method used by Apple to charge the watch. The upcoming Reserve Strap will tap the port…and will ship with a tool to access the hidden diagnostic point. Reserve strap is up for preorder for $249.

Some once said text-speak was killing the English language, and now that chatter has swung to emoji. Interestingly though, emoji seem to actually be extending the language, as opposed to killing it. According to thenextweb.com, emoji, which were just standardized in 2011 by Unicode numbering some 722 then. In 2015 we have an additional 250, not counting the skin tone modifier! Instagram just reported that nearly half the texts on their service contain an emoji!

Twitter Angling to Buy Mobile News App

Posted: May 2, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

Twitter is in acquisition talks to buy mobile news app Circa, according to Businessinsider.com. Circa produces brief news stories for mobile devices. If the deal goes through, it would be a new direction for Twitter, which hasn’t produced any of its own content up to now.

With reports that Uber is branching out…experimenting with delivery of goods, here’s a different wrinkle on extending online shopping. Nordstrom is testing curbside pickups. You order online, then call or text when you’re outside the store, and a staffer brings your purchase right out to your car. Engadget.com says everal Nordstrom locations, including their Seattle flagship store are involved in the test option. If you’re in a hurry for an item, and can’t find parking, it could save both time and money.

Uber Testing a Huge Delivery Program

Posted: April 29, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

On the heels of the roll out of UberEats food delivery in 4 cities, word is out that Uber is stealthily testing a gigantic delivery program. According to techcrunch.com, Uber is testing same day delivery with both UberRush couriers and Uber drivers. Talks are underway with Neiman Marcus, Louis Vuitton, Tiffany, Hugo Boss, and others. They are partnering with Spring…the mobile shopping app…for part of the testing. Apparently, part of the plan includes Uber drivers being able to take both passengers and Uber Merchant orders simultaneously using an intelligent routing system.

Here’s a forward looking area of college study…UAS…unmanned aircraft systems…drones, to the rest of us. Kansas State University, University of North Dakota, and Embry-Riddle now all offer a bachelor’s degree in UAS operations. Arstechnica.com says grads from North Dakota and K-State receive Commercial and/or Private Pilot Certificates…Embry-Riddle students can as well with a course option. All of the programs started with a handful of students, but are now up to triple digits.

Amazon & Uber Both Launch Added Services

Posted: April 28, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

Amazon has launched Amazon Business Marketplace, claiming ‘hundreds of millions of products.’ The service has business-only pricing and selection, and free two day shipping on orders of $49 or more. Amazon says it works with purchase orders and third party purchasing systems. Check geekwire.com for more details.

Uber’s experiment with food delivery has been expanded, and is now live in 4 cities. According to engadget.com, the newly branded UberEats is available in the former trial cities of Los Angeles and Barcelona, and also New York and Chicago. The service takes the place of pickup orders…you choose from curated restaurant menus, and an Uber driver shows up in a few minutes with your grub. No word if there’s surge pricing for meal times!

Tesla’s Home Batteries Could Be Leased

Posted: April 27, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The poorly kept secret Tesla home batteries may be leased instead of sold. Engadget.com picked up a report from the Guardian that says some have already been leased to a few SolarCity customers. SolarCity is, of course, run by Tesla boss Elon Musk. The 10 year deal has been test run at $1500 down and $15 a month, or $27.50 a month, making the decade lease cost $3300. Subsidies from energy companies could drop the price even lower. Whatever the deal will be should be revealed in a few days.

A new app is out for renters, that works like Venmo for shared meal tabs. Splittable lets housemates divvy up rent and expenses evenly…a big help in places like the Bay Area and New York City, where house and apartment sharing are common. It was already given a trial run in London for 1000 renters, and is available on Android, iOS, and the web. TEchcrunch.com says you can invite housemates over email, Facebook message, or WhatsApp.

Testing the First Real Drone Delivery System

Posted: April 24, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

No, it’s not Amazon! The first actual test of drone delivery is being launched by Swiss Post, the Swiss postal service. They’ll use the service of Matternet starting this summer. The Matternet One drone can deliver about 2.2 lbs 12 miles on a charge. Swiss Post thinks that’s enough to deliver light packages such as documents, medical supplies, and parts. Check out tech crunch.com for more.

The widely used Dropbox cloud synced storage system has already expanded into photo storage and mail. Now, they are beta testing Dropbox Notes, a collaborative note taking function. It sports a similar interface to Google Docs, and competes with that as well as Evernote. The verge.com reports that so far, it looks like a corporate focused beta, not yet available to individuals.

A Car Parks Itself…Without You In It!

Posted: April 23, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A number of cars have had self-parking for a while now. BMW just took it up a notch, with the 7 Series. The latest version of BMW’s tech-heavy Display Key lets you park the car by remote control, while you’re outside the car…valet parking without the valet!If you have the change to buy the car, now you can grab that parking space that’s a little too tight at the airport! Check geek.com for more details.

With the first Apple Watches on the way to excited buyers, the wearables market continues to heat up. LG’s all metal Watch Urbane will be available late this month at the Google Store in the US and 10 other countries. The price will be revealed when it goes on sale, but it’s expected to be a premium compared to other Android smart watches. Hit 9to5google.com for more info.

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