Amazon Go Goes Into Beta-Shop & Just Walk Out; Google Trusted Contacts Launches
Posted: December 5, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Amazon, Amazon Go, Android, Checkerless shopping, Google, Just walk out, Ping, Tracking, Trusted Contacts Leave a commentAmazon is launching a checker free ‘just walk out’ store in Seattle. Techcrunch.com reports that initially, it will be just for Amazon employees. The Go app gets you into the 1800 square foot store, and from there, sensors, computer vision, and ‘deep learning’ track what you take off the shelves and keep in a virtual cart. When the shopper walks out, their Amazon account is charged, and they get a receipt. As presently configured, the store is more like an old-school automat than a full blown grocery store, or even convenience store. It does offer ready to eat meals in addition to shelved items…they are prepared by humans in store, by the way, not robots! The store will open to all Amazon customers early next year.
Google has a new Trusted Contacts app for Android. The app allows you to keep tabs on family and close friends. According to thenextweb.com, a ‘trusted contact’ can ping you, and if they don’t hear back in 5 minutes, the app sends your location to them. For kids walking hime from school, it can be set to follow as they travel, with a banner popping up when they get home they can touch, and the tracking stops. It’s not integrated with Google Maps yet, but you can see that coming. Big Brother is watching…or Big Sis, Mom, or Dad.
Apple-10 Prototypes for iPhone 8; Google Should Sell 3 Million Pixel Phones; Premium Amazon Alexa Coming; Cyber Monday Sets Record
Posted: November 29, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Alexa, Amazon, Apple, Best selling electronics, Best selling toys, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Echo, Google, India, iPhone 8, OLED, Pixel Phone, Prototypes, Touch screen, Wireless charging Leave a commentThere’s lots of buzz about what next year’s iPhone 8 will be like. Some may be true…but Apple is testing more than 10 prototypes of the anniversary handset right now, according to businessinsider.com. A curved screen is a consistent rumor, as is an OLED display with darker blacks and less power hogging. Of course, there’s the glass back and possible wireless charging. Apple was supposed to get OLED screens this year, but dropped them due to supply problems, so stay tuned.
Preorders for Google’s Pixel phone have blown the doors off what was expected. 9to5google.com reports that, based on preorders and Verizon activations, they should sell 3 million phones by the end of this year. The Pixel is already 10% of the premium market in India…benefitting from Samsung’s collapse over the fiery Note 7. Apple has also benefitted there, grabbing 66% of the premium phone market!
Amazon apparently has a premium Echo speaker with Alexa in the works with a large touch screen and higher grade speakers. Bloomberg.com says it may be out first quarter of 2017. The speaker and screen with be angled and on top, so a person standing can use it when it’s sitting on a counter or table. The present Echo sells for $180 when not discounted, so expect the higher line one to be over $200.
Cyber Monday was the biggest online shopping day, ever. According to zdnet.com, analysts say US online spending topped $3.39 billion, and that’s a 10.2% increase over last year. It’s also slightly more than Black Friday, which notched $3.34 billion. Interestingly, mobile revenue was a little lower than Black Friday, but it was still up 48% over last year’s Cyber Monday. The five best-selling toys in terms of quantity sold on Cyber Monday were Lego, Shopkins, Nerf, Barbie, and Little Live Pets. The five best-selling electronic products were Sony PlayStation 4, Microsoft Xbox, Samsung 4K TVs, Apple iPads, and Amazon Fire tablets.
Samsung Clones ‘Jet Black;’ HTC May Leave Smartphone Biz; Amazon’s Clarkson Show Has Big Debut; Electric VWs to be Made in USA
Posted: November 22, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Amazon, Amazon Prime, Apple, Electric vehicles, Galaxy S7, Google, HTC, Jeremy Clarkson, Jet Black, Leaving market, Mexico, Netflix, Pixel, Samsung, Smartphones, The Grand Tour, Top Gear, USA, Volkswagen Leave a commentIn the past, when Samsung has just plain poached Apple ideas and designs, it’s been a big hit for them. (It’s also hit them in the wallet sometimes, as Apple has sued and won.) Now, Samsung is going to clone Apple’s hot “Jet Black” color. According to bgr.com, they aren’t even waiting for the Galaxy S8….they will roll out Jet Black S7 models as soon as next month. Hey, it’s hard to get sued for using the same color!
HTC has made some really cool phones, and I have several friends that have had them and loved them. They haven’t really caught fire…figuratively…not in the Galaxy Note 7 way, however. Digitaltrends.com says rumors are flying now that HTC will bail out of smartphones completely by this coming spring. They have quietly been shopping the division around, but nothing so far. It wouldn’t be out of the question for Google to snap them up, since the success of the new Google Pixel phones.
Yesterday, Netflix snarked that Amazon hadn’t really paid $160 million to produce their ‘Top Gear’ type show titled ‘The Grand Tour,’ saying it was more like $250 million. The show, starring Jeremy Clarkson, and his former Top Gear colleagues, debuted Friday. It was the biggest premiere ever on Amazon Prime Video, according to businessinsider.com, eclipsing ‘The Man in the High Castle.’ Not only that, it was the top rated show on IMDB with a 9.6 and got 97% on Rotten Tomatoes. Amazon says it got the second most one day sign ups for Prime ever last Friday. Sounds like a hit!
Volkswagen says they will begin building electric vehicle models in North America,and even the US by 2021. Techcrunch.com picked up a report from Automotive news, citing VW brand lead Herbert Diess. Vee Dub will also build large SUVs and limos here. The Mexico factories will also crank out EVs for the North American market.
Next MacBook Pros May Be the Real Deal; Apple Patents Foldable Smartphone; Amazon Rules the Cloud; Mobile Web Passes Desktops; Facebook Extends Longevity
Posted: November 1, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Amazon, Amazon Web Services, Apple, Carbon nanotubes, Ceramic, Cloud, Facebook, Foldable smartphone, Fox Mulder, Google, IBM, Intel, Longevity, Macbook Pro, Microsoft, Mobile internet, X Files Leave a commentWith the continued griping that the new MacBook Pros aren’t all that ‘pro,’ here’s an interesting tidbit…9to5mac.com reports that KGI Securities says Apple was constrained by a late release of new Intel chips that are more powerful but use less juice. If the next Intel chips are more timely, 2017 may see faster, more powerful MacBook Pros with 32 gigs of ram!
Meanwhile, Apple has patented a bendable or foldable smartphone. Patentlyapple.com says this is different than Samsung’s designs…it uses advanced carbon nanotube structures. This could be done with a ceramic case…something the top Apple Watch uses, and rumored for the iPhone 8. the iPhone 9 or 10 could fold up and slip into a shirt pocket if this is put into use.
Synergy Research Group has crunched numbers, and Amazon Web Services is truly the 800 lb. gorilla of public cloud infrastructure…at 45%, they have more than Microsoft, Google, and IBM combined. According to Geekwire.com, this remains true even though Microsoft and Google are growing cloud revenue at over 100% per year. IBM does lead in managed private clouds, however.
Mobile internet use has passed desktop use for the first time, according to techcrunch.com. Mobile is now at 51.2%, with 48.7% of use still on desktops. Mobile is a whopping 75% in emerging markets like India!
Shades of ‘I want to believe’ from “X Files,” thenextweb.com has picked up a report that moderate Facebook use can lead to longer lives. It has been long known that people with strong social networks live longer, but what about online friends? A study of 12 million Facebook users by UC San Diego says yes. One of the researchers has ties to Facebook, but they claim the social media giant didn’t have a hand in determining the results. The average Facebook user is allegedly 12% less likely to die than non-users. Fox Mulder is using Facebook to look for aliens, and thinks you’re one.
Pixel Preorders Outstrip Demand; Microsoft VR Headset Partners; Surface Book i7; Renewables Pass Up Coal
Posted: October 26, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Acer, Apple, Asus, Dell, Galaxy Note 7, Google, Hololens, HP, iPhone, Lenovo, Microsoft, Pixel, Renewables, Samsung, Solar, Surface, Surface Book i7, VR headsets, Wind Leave a commentSince the sputtering flameout of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7, Apple has increased production of iPhones, expecting to pick up new customers. According to 9to5google,com, they aren’t alone. Google Pixel phone preorder deliveries have now slipped to mid-November. Some phones originally slated for delivery this week will now be shipped November 18th!
At their event today, Microsoft announced they are working with partners to release standalone VR headsets starting at $299. Dell, HP, Lenovo, Asus, and Acer are all involved. Thenextweb.com says Redmond also showed off a ‘HoloTour’ app that was initially developed for the HoloLens that lets you take Street View like trips around the globe.
Microsoft adds the Surface Book i7 to the Surface family. It contains a number of internal upgrades according to arstechinca.com, including a welcome 16 hour battery life! More from the Microsoft event-which is going on now-tomorrow.
Noting a major milestone, slashdot.org reports that renewable energy sources like solar and wind have passed up coal as the world’s largest source of power capacity! The International Energy Agency says a million solar panels were installed every day last year, and two wind turbines were added every hour last year in China alone.
Samsung Offers $$ To Keep Note 7 Owners in the Fam; Chipmaker Revenue Shows iPhone 7’s Selling Well; Google Pixel Phones on Verizon Get Android Updates With Unlocked Phones
Posted: October 13, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: 100, A10, Apple, Galaxy Note 7, Galaxy S7 Edge, Google, iPhone 7, Pixel, Samsung, Trade in, TSMC, Verizon Leave a commentSamsung is making the extra effort to hold on to customers burned (some literally) but the burning and exploding Galaxy Note 7. They will give $100 credit to exchange one for a Galaxy S7 Edge or other Samsung device. Engadget.com says this comes on the official Consumer Product Safety Commission recall of all Note 7’s. There have been 96 battery issues in the US alone since mid-August when the Note rolled out.
Chipmaker TSMC is reporting record profit and sales in Q3, and has raised its forecast for 2016 revenue. Yeah, so? This points to strong iPhone 7 sales, according to 9to5mac.com. After crunching the known numbers, like what percentage of TSMC business comes from the A10 chip in the new iPhones, it looks like Apple shipments of iPhone 7 models will be around 82 million…notably higher than earlier estimates. In other words, it’s not the boring dog of an iPhone a lot of the tech press predicted!
Contrary to earlier reports, Google says Pixel phones on the Verizon system will get Android updates simultaneously with unlocked phones. 9to5google.com reports that this indicates Google will be pushing out the updates like Apple does on iOS, not delivering them to Verizon, who many feared would sit on them.
Oculus Connect 3 Headlines; Where NOT to Buy Your Google Pixel Phone
Posted: October 7, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Best Buy, Connect 3, Google, Oculus, Oculus Touch, Pixel, Target, Verizon, VR, Walmart, Zuckerberg Leave a commentMark Zuckerberg was front and center yesterday for Oculus Connect 3. The VR company is working on a standalone headset that will tuck into the lineup between the expensive, PC tethered Oculus Rift and a Gear VR. It will have position tracking.
There’s a drop date for the very late Oculus Touch motion controllers…they’ll be out December 6th, and run $199. They do include an extra camera sensor for tracking. You can also add a 3rd sensor for an additional $79 for room scale VR, according to theverge.com.
Another December present….$49 in-ear Rift headphones to complement the on ear models the Rift comes with.
More games are on the way, and they have partnered with Disney on some original short films based on classic characters.
If you are lusting for a new Pixel phone from Google, here’s a tip…don’t buy it through Verizon, unless you want to wait and wait for software updates. According to arstechnica.com, Verizon will control when updates get pushed out, not Google, on the phones they sell. Although they are the ‘exclusive’ provider, you can buy the phones unlocked from the Google Store, Best Buy, Target, and Walmart. The phone will work with any carrier. If you want to ensure that your software gets updated in a timely way, don’t buy it through Verizon.
New Galaxy ‘Bomb’ 7; Salesforce May Be Last Suitor Standing for Twitter; Stealth Job-Hunting Mode from LinkedIn
Posted: October 6, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Apple, Disney, Exploding, Galaxy Note 7, Google, Job-hunting, LinkedIn, Salesforce, Samsung, Stealth, Twitter Leave a commentSamsung had a terrible turn of events when Galaxy Note 7’s began catching fire and exploding just days before the iPhone 7 rolled out. Having recalled and replaced all those phones…some 2 million… in record time, the Note 7 was again flying off the shelves…until now. Yesterday, one of the new ones with the supposedly ‘good’ battery exploded and caught fire on a Southwest flight getting ready to take off. Bgr.com, which had, among others, touted it as the best ever Android phone, is now saying don’t buy one under any circumstances…and the executive editor has one! Word to the wise…wait!
It’s far from a secret that Twitter has been trying to sell itself. Now, according to recode.net, Google, Apple, and Disney have all signaled that they won’t be making an offer on the social media platform. This leaves Salesforce as the last one standing that’s known to be interested. Let’s all hope that Salesforce or some unknown white knight rescues the popular but financially disappointing social media company.
If you are wanting or needing to look for a new gig, but…like pretty much everybody…don’t want the boss to know….LinkedIn has just made it a little easier. Engadget.com reports that the widely-used site has launched Open Candidates, to let job hunters let recruiters know on the down low that they’re looking. Click on the Jobs tab at the top, then preferences, and slide the big button that says ‘let recruiters know you’re open.’ Wait for inquiries to start rolling in. That’s all there is too it!
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