Meet Google Duplex, AI that sounds human when it calls to book appointments
Calling a doctor's office, hair salon, or plumber for an appointment is often necessary when no online booking system is available. Google Assistant, using Google Duplex technology, may soon be able to do it for you and still sound like a human on the phone.
Voice assistant-enabled Deebot N79S robot vacuum cleans up competition
The Ecovacs Deebot N79S, the follow-up to the wildly successful Deebot N79, is more powerful and quieter than its predecessor and adds Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant compatibility. Ready to make cleaning easier than ever, this voice-enabled bot will vacuum your home on spoken command or via its smartphone remote app.
Amazon offers refunds for fake solar eclipse glasses, faces related lawsuit
Amazon is now having to issue refunds and is facing a lawsuit for potentially fallacious solar eclipse glasses.
SimpliSafe and August Lock integrate smart locks with security systems
Security firm SimpliSafe announced a new partnership with smart lock maker August Home that will integrate SimpliSafe's offerings into these 21st century locks.
Vivint smart home products are now all voice-enabled with Google Assistant
Your smart home is becoming increasingly talkative, thanks to a new collaboration between Vivint Smart Home and Google. On Tuesday, Vivint announced a new partnership with Google that makes all of its smart home devices voice-enabled by way of Google Assistant. They'll be packaged with two free Google Minis.
Face ID on your iPhone X giving you grief? The fix may surprise you
Apple has already issued instructions to its stores and authorized service providers on how to repair iPhone X devices with faulty Face ID. But what's most curious about the repair process is that it involves a part of the phone that has nothing to do with Face ID at all -- the rear camera.
Facebook suspends 200 apps following audit as Cambridge Analytica scandal grows
Facebook is sharing several changes to how third-party apps access data as the platform ups the estimate of users impacted by Cambridge Analytica. As a result of an app audit begun on March 21, Facebook has now banned 200 apps from its platform, and will continue to audit thousands more.
This collectible book about Ferraris likely costs more than your actual car
$30,000 won't buy you a Ferrari, but it will get you a perfectly nice alternative car. Or, a perfectly nice coffee table book -- about Ferrari. That's right, friends. If you're just swimming in hundred dollar bills and are looking for ways to spend that hard-earned cash, we have found you an option.
Whirlpool may dip its toe in the sous vide space, new patent suggests
Whirlpool could soon be selling you a sous vide machine. Earlier this month, the home appliance maker was granted a patent for the cooking device. The proposed sous vide cooker will be comprised of an induction cooktop, a cooking vessel, a wireless temperature probe, and a magnetic stirring plate.
This high-tech cooler keeps food for over a week — and it makes margaritas, too
Meet the Infinite Cooler, a new portable refrigeration solution that comes complete with Bluetooth speakers, a blender, phone charger, touch screen, LED lighting, and more. Just a day into its campaign, the cooler has already raised over $100,000, and the team behind the smart appliance hopes this is just the beginning
Neato D7 Connected robot vacuum just got better memory — and a whole lot smarter
Here to begin making amends for these less than clever machines is Neato Robotics, who has recently announced a free update to its D7 Connected robot vacuum. As of this week, owners of this smart vacuum will have access to two new features – Multiple Floor Plan Mapping and Quick Boost charging.
WhatsApp expands its capabilities with a slew of new features
On Tuesday, May 1, Mark Zuckerberg announced that WhatsApp would be bringing group video calling to the app, making it possible for folks to have face-to-face conversations with multiple people at once. Starting on July 31, support for four-person video calls is rolling out for iOS and Android.
23andMe announces $300M deal for your DNA with giant drug company GSK
23andMe will soon be doing a lot more with your DNA than providing a family tree. The home genetics company has teamed up with pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline with hopes of designing new drugs that could treat diseases. Given that 23andMe has 5 million customers, it could provide plenty of data.
Tommy Hilfiger’s Xplore line of smart clothing is … not so smart after all
Tommy Hilfiger is the latest to offer so-called smart connected clothing, but rather than designing apparel that will track your heart rate, control your music, or offer navigational assistance like other products, Tommy Hilfiger's clothes will reward you for ... buying Tommy Hilfiger clothes.
Amazon’s facial ID incorrectly identifies members of Congress as criminals
A facial recognition tool Amazon currently offers developers made quite the mistake in a test conducted by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Rather than identifying 28 members of Congress as members of the country's legislative branch, the tool instead classified these individuals as police suspects.
Chill your wine to the right temperature quickly with this smart wine cooler
Even if you're aware of the effects that a too warm or too cold environment can have, it may be difficult to adjust the temperature as needed. Enter the QelviQ, a smart wine cooler that claims to know the ideal serving temperature for a bottle of wine, and subsequently adjust temperatures as needed.
You can now search the Apple Store app using your voice
Need to find something on the Apple Store app? Apple is making that a bit easier for you. The app has been updated to version 5.1, and finally, is beginning to look more like the App Store and iTunes Store. The brand new search interface displays trending searches, and also allows for voice search.
Toyota goes big on hydrogen fuel cell vehicles with cheaper, mass-market options
Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are the future for Toyota. The Japanese automaker is reiterating its commitment to its FCVs by designing cheaper, mass-market passenger cars and SUVs, with goals of bringing the technology into buses and trucks as well. The next generation of its Mirai hydrogen FCV could be coming soon
LinkedIn lets you send voice messages that probably no one will listen to
If sending out an unprompted LinkedIn message to a connection you barely know isn't awkward enough, don't worry -- there's more where that came from. The job-focused social network has now made it possible for users to send voice messages to connections, effectively the 21st-century answer to the cold call.
Google’s updated events search feature will keep your boredom at bay
Here to ensure you're never bored this summer is Google, who has rolled out a new and improved way to search for events in your neck of the woods. After introducing a card interface for event-related searches last year, the internet giant is ramping up its techniques yet again, simplifying your hunt for things to do.