Lobbying for Self-driving Cars Takes Quantum Leap; Amazon Prime Now SF Launch With New Guarantee
Posted: April 26, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Amazon, Ford, Google, Lyft, NHTSA, One hour restaurant delivery, Price guarantee, Prime Now, San Francisco, Self Driving Cars, Uber, Volvo Leave a commentA gigantic lobbying group has just been formed to press regulators to allow for self-driving cars. Google, Ford, Uber, Lyft, and Volvo are all involved. It’s called the Self-Driving Coalition for Safer Streets, according to theverge.com, and is headed by David Strickland, a former NHTSA administrator. They will press the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to come up with a clear set of federal standards by this summer.
Amazon has added San Francisco as the 8th city for its Prime Now one hour restaurant delivery service. With over 4000 restaurants packed into 49 square miles, San Francisco may be the restaurant capital of the world, and Amazon has thrown in a new feature…for all markets with Prime Now…a price guarantee. Geekwire.com says if you find a lower price on the restaurant’s in-person menu within 24 hours, you’ll get a refund. 33 zip codes in the City by the Bay will get the service, and there are 117 restaurants to choose from. If you want to try it out, it’s FREE during launch. Regular price for One Hour Prime Now is usually $7.99.
Wild iPhone 7 Rumors; Apple’s Watch Not Such a Flop, Play Store & Android Apps on Chromebooks
Posted: April 25, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Android, Apple, Apple Watch, Chrome OS, Chromebook, Dustproof, Google Play Store, Haptic feedback, iPhone 7, Waterproof Leave a commentWe’ve heard a lot about the ‘boring’ iPhone 7, which won’t change on the outside and won’t have a new, killer feature. Now comes a sketchy rumor out of China that it will have a flush, touch sensitive home button and waterproof, dustproof case. 9to5mac.com says Apple would use haptic feedback to make a flush, capacitive area act like the physical home button. A new, flat black case may join space gray and the golds for a new color choice that echoes of the old iPhones.
Speaking of old iPhones, another Apple product…the Apple Watch…has apparently sold twice as many units as the original iPhone did its first year. Bgr.com reports that a consensus of analysts is that Apple has pushed out between 12 and 13 million Apple Watches. That’s not only twice as many as the original iPhone sold in a year, it’s 61% of the global smartwatch market. Not bad for a flop.
Screen shots posted on Reddit Sunday indicate that the Google Play Store and millions of Android apps may be headed to the Chromebook and Chrome OS. According to cnet.com, arstechnica.com was able to replicate an option in settings on a second generation Chromebook Pixel that says ‘Enable Android apps to run on your Chromebook,’ which shows momentarily, then disappears. No response from Google, of course.
Uber Settlement Keeps Drivers as Contractors; Google I/O Highlights Virtual Reality
Posted: April 22, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Augmented reality, Google, I/O, Independent contractors, Lyft, Settlement, Tips, Uber, Virtual Reality, VR Leave a commentUber has settled a couple class action suits in California and Massachusetts that will eventually play out 100 million to drivers, but keeps them classified as independent contractors, and not employees. Cnet.com says it will also set up a ‘driver association’ to address driver concerns, and a key point is that Uber won’t be able to terminate drivers at will, and they will have to establish appeals panels for those who feel they have been terminated unfairly. Drivers will also be able to post signs to ask for tips. Lyft has already allowed for driver tipping. They also won’t be allowed to terminate drivers for turning down rides when logged in, which was considered a key issue in considering drivers as employees.
Google I/O is a month away, and much of the schedule has been posted. According to arstechnica.com, a large swath of time will be dedicated to virtual reality talks. VR is an entire content track at I/O this year, with 7 sessions dedicated to virtual or augmented reality…including one called ‘Google’s Vision for VR.’ The keynote for this year’s Google I/O is May 18th at 10am Pacific.
Facebook Considering Letting Users Monetize Posts; Apple Patents Folding Telephoto Lens for Smartphones
Posted: April 20, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Apple, Donations in posts, Facebook, iPhone 7 Plus, Monitization, Telephoto lens, Tip Jar Leave a commentFacebook is apparently thinking about letting users accept donations in posts…either to make money or for a charitable cause. According to thenextweb.com, a survey from the social media giant points to this. They are also looking at branded content and sharing earnings from ads on posts. For better or worse, you may be getting your Facebook ‘tip jar’ ready before long!
Apple has patented a super compact folding telephoto lens for mobile devices. Apple insider.com says it resembles a small letter ‘r,’ or a periscope, with part of the lens cluster at the bottom of the upright, and the rest at the end of the top curve….the upright is mirrored. Moving the secondary lens at the bottom up or down gets the telephoto effect, which is passed on to the image sensor. It’s unknown if this will end up in the two camera system touted in the iPhone 7 Plus for this fall, a later model, or like some Apple ideas…be filed away.
Apple Rolls Out New 12” Retina MacBooks; Android App Keeps Screens Away From Kids’ Faces
Posted: April 19, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Apple, Computer vision syndrome, Kids Facial distance, Macbook, Retina, Rose gold, Safety Screen, Samsung, Skylake Leave a commentApple has refreshed its 12 inch Retina MacBook. According to 9to5mac.com, there are new Skylake processors, increased overall performance, and a new rose gold color. They say the updated internals give you an additional hour of battery life. It continues to have the single USB-C port and edge to edge keyboard, and remains $1299. A quibble with Apple: their so-called rose gold is a lot more pink than the rose gold you find in watches, pens, and musical instruments. You can always go space grey or silver, though. Processor speed gets bumped to 1.2 gigs, and it comes with 8 gigs of memory standard, and the graphics are 25% faster. It’s available today at Apple’s website or Apple Stores and resellers.
Samsung has built an Android app that alerts kids….or adults for that matter, when they have mobile device screens too close to their face. According to thenextweb.com, it’s called Safety Screen, and uses facial recognition to calculate if a smart device is too close to the user’s face. If so, a cute animation pops up to let the user know…it disappears when the gadget is moved to a safer distance. The app’s creators say kids are more at risk for developing computer vision syndrome than adults. Parents set it up, and password protect the app, and it’s ready to go.
Amazon Prime Adding Monthly Subscriptions; GoPro Rolling Out VR Camera
Posted: April 18, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Amazon Prime, Facebook, GoPro, GoPro Odyssey, GoPro Omni, Hero4, Monthly subscription, Netflix, Prime Video, Virtual Reality, VR Leave a commentAmazon Prime has been $99, and if you get a lot of stuff from them, it’s a bargain in just the saved shipping, let alone Prime Video. Now, gizmodo.com reports that Amazon is offering Prime for $11 a month, and you can get just Prime Video for $9 a month…undercutting Netflix by a buck. The new pricing is available now.
On the heels of Facebook’s $30,000+ insane virtual reality camera that you’ll have to make yourself, GoPro has launched one you can buy from them for $4999. GoPro’s Omni only has 6 cameras….6 Hero4’s…compared to Facebook’s 17, but GoPro says the rig will capture up to 8K video. It’s available for pre-order at their website now. They have also introduced GoPro VR a website and app for iOS and Android to show off VR content and allow for sharing it. Mashable.com says GoPro will continue to offer its high end 16 camera GoPro Odyssey model for 16 grand.
iPhones to Finally Get OLED Screens in 2017; Huawei VR Headset Coming
Posted: April 15, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Apple, Huewei, iPhone 7S, OLED, Samsung, VR Headset Leave a commentOLED screens are known to have more vivid blacks and better viewing in bright sunlight, and have been used by many smartphone makers for years. Now, according to 9to5mac.com, Apple has cut a deal worth some 2-1/2 billion with Samsung to buy 100 million 5.5 inch panels by 2017. This probably means the iPhone 7S in 2017 will be a major upgrade. Because OLED screens are thinner and require less power, it could be a thinner iPhone.
Huawei has announced it’s putting out its own VR headset. Like rival Samsung, you’ll need a late model Huawei smartphone to use it. According to thenextweb.com, it has a touch panel and control buttons on the back so you can adjust the lenses to suit your eyes. The Huawei VR has a 95 degree field of view, and anti-blue light filter to cut down on eyestrain. They haven’t given the release date or price yet, but did tout 4000 movies and 40 games that will be available free at launch.
Body Scanning Fitness Mirror; Google Hybrid Fiber/Wireless Service to Extend Fast Internet
Posted: April 14, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Fiber, Fiber/wireless hybrid, Google, Naked 3D Fitness Tracker, Naked Labs Leave a commentA San Francisco startup called Naked Labs is taking preorders for something everybody probably needs, but no one really wants. According to techcrunch.com, it’s a 3D body scanning system called the Naked 3D Fitness Tracker. It’s an internet connected full length mirror that plugs into a wall outlet, and a rechargeable scale. The body scans are displayed in grayscale, and show data about how you’re improving or sliding in your quest to get more fit. Scans take about 20 seconds, and the system can store data for 8 users. It’s $499 at naked dot fit, but won’t ship until next March. All it needs now is a voice assistant to say ‘get your butt back to the gym!
Google loves to push tech forward, and now, they are working to create a Fiber/Wireless hybrid service, to extend Fiber’s reach beyond cities. 9to5google.com reports that it involves connecting wireless towers to existing fiber lines, and also experimenting with different wireless tech. It will expand fast connections to areas where it’s not economically practical to run fiber optic lines.
Facebook’s Crazy 360 Degree Camera; New Kindle Out; Apple Owns Teens
Posted: April 13, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: 20 months standby, Amazon, Apple, F8, Facebook, iOS, Kindle, Oasis, Surround 360, Teens, Wearables Leave a commentAt F8, Facebook revealed the “Surround 360”, a 17-lens 3D VR camera yesterday that looks like a UFO on a stick and requires almost no post-production work. They won’t make or be selling the Surround 360. Techcrunch.com says that later this summer Facebook will put the hardware designs and video stitching algorithms on Github. All the parts can by bought online for $30,000.
As expected, Amazon has launched a brighter, smaller, thinner Kindle Oasis for $290, with a leather case increasing battery life to 20 months standby time, It has a funky bump on one side Amazon says helps make it easier to hold with one hand like a book. Theverge.com says it’s available for pre-order today, and ships April 27th.
For decades, it’s been a marketing truism that if you get buyers when they’re teens, you can often keep them for life. Apple seems to be doing this…they did it with the original Macs in schools, and now with iOS and wearables. According to a Piper Jaffray survey picked up by appleinsider.com, only 12% of teens had a smartwatch. Of those, 71% were Apple’s. 69% of teens owned an iPhone, and 64% an iPad. The iPad percentage is up slightly…analyst Gene Munster says probably with the introduction of the 9.7 inch iPad Pro that can use a Smart Keyboard and Apple Pencil. Parents…keep your wallet handy!
HTC 10 Pre-Orders Start Now; Facebook Announces Chatbots at F8 Conference
Posted: April 12, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Chatbots, F8, Facebook, HTC, HTC 10, Messenger, Quick Charge, Tweeter, Woofer Leave a commentAs we reported last week, HTC has dropped the new model 10. It comes with 4GB of RAM and a 5.2-inch 2K display packs 564 pixels per inch behind layered Gorilla Glass. And the fingerprint sensor unlocks the phone in 0.2 seconds. HTC claims the 3,000mAh battery provides 2 days of use, and can charge up to 50 percent in 30 minutes with Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.0 through the new USB-C port. According to geekwire.com, it has a separate tweeter and woofer, on the top-front and bottom respectively, each have their own amp. The camera also got a bump. A new 12MP sensor has improved low-light performance thanks to the bigger “Ultra Pixels.”
Pre-orders start today, April 12, with an expected ship date of early May. The unlocked device will go for $699.
Today at the Facebook Developer Conference…F8…the social media giant officially announced it was adding the rumored chatbots to the Messenger app. Gizmodo.com says the bots can book a hotel, order a meal, find a restaurant, hail a cab, and do much more through text chatting. They also will be a lifeline to smaller businesses who have been depending on sketchy websites and 800 phone numbers. They can basically operate as an app within an app. Facebook’s F8 Conference continues this week…more to come, no doubt.
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