DT Daily: Amazon is planning to build Alexa-enabled home robots

Amazon’s latest bid to take over the world? An in-home robot! If you think Alexa listening is little creepy, then you’re not gonna like our lead story today.

First reported by Bloomberg, Amazon has a top-secret project at work brewing up a domestic robot. Code-named Project Vesta – that’s the Roman Goddess of Hearth, Home, and Family if you’re not up on your mythology – the robot could end up being a super early predecessor to a fully-functioning robot Butler or maid … like Rosie from the Jetson’s cartoon.

If you think this is a far-off idea, think again, people close to the project say they hope to see robots inside Amazon employee homes by the end of this year, potentially invading your domicile as early as 2019. Early versions of the robot, should it ever see light of day, could be a sort of mobile Alexa which can move room to room and follow you as needed. We could be looking at a Roomba meets Echo speaker here, with more functionality coming down the road. No matter what it does, though, it’s sure to blow up the internet when Amazon trots its bot out for the first time.

In case you missed the news last December, Apple has an agreement in place to buy up music discovery service, Shazam. That pending purchase has European authorities concerned enough that an investigation into the deal has been launched. At the heart of the matter is UK-based Shazam’s data, say European regulators.

They’re concerned Apple could use that data to target its competitors’ customers and coerce them to switch over to Apple Music. Given Spotify – Apple Music’s biggest competitor – is based in Sweden, it’s not surprising that European regulators would rush to protect an open and fair market, as music streaming is now the dominant way to listen, but still has lots of room to grow.

And finally, today, if you recently bought a Macbook and its performance has been a little dodgy, maybe it struggles to make it through the day on a full charge? You may have a battery problem, and Apple is ready to fix it, for free. The affected Macbook laptops are few – it has to have been made between October 2017 and October 2017 and not all of the Macbooks made in that time period qualify.

First, it’s got to be the version without the taskbar at the top, and the serial number needs to match up with a list Apple has at its website. If yours does qualify, though, set up an appointment at the Apple store, find yourself and authorized Apple service center, or mail the laptop in to Apple, and the fix should be done in 3-5 business days – way less time than it takes to get an iPhone battery replaced these days.

Don’t worry if your Macbook IS affected, though, as there’s no risk of fire, even though the problem does involve the battery expanding a little bit.

Editors' Recommendations