Tesla to roll out a paid Premium Connectivity package for in-car internet access
While the ability to connect to the internet has always come standard for Tesla owners, that could soon be changing. The car company is rolling out a paid "premium connectivity" package in order to boost the internet features of its ever-burgeoning fleet. Premium Connectivity will likely cost $100 a year.
Researcher claims to bypass iPhone security limits, but may have spoken too soon
For a brief moment, it seemed as though a security researcher had found a way to get past the security limits on iPhones and iPads by entering an infinite number of passcodes in order to hack into a device. But after Apple disputed the findings, it seems the results may have been erroneous after all.
The Purple PowerBase adjustable bed frame lets you rest and work in comfort
While the idea of having a robot in the bedroom may seem odd, when that robot comes in the form of a powerful PowerBase for your bed, all that machination and automation really comes in handy. Meet the Purple PowerBase, a new fully adjustable bed frame that promises to give you uniquely customized comfort.
The NookDesk offers three levels of workspace and one-touch adjustments
Standing at your desk has never felt so roomy. That is, if that standing desk is of the NookDesk variety. The recently launched flagship product is a power-adjustable height desk with a triple-level workspace to ensure that even the busiest of desks never feel cluttered. It starts at $499.
GoFundMe debuts Team Fundraising to let groups raise money for the same cause
GoFundMe is capitalizing on the social aspect of its cause-based fundraising platform by launching GoFundMe Team Fundraising, a new initiative that lets multiple people raise money for a single entity. This, the service hopes, will make it easier for groups to create fundraising campaigns.
Tesla’s software update brings Summon, Wi-Fi, and more to Model 3 vehicles
Tesla is updating its software once again, and Model 3 owners should be particularly pleased with these latest developments. With update 2018.24, Model 3 cars are now capable of accessing the Autopilot Summon feature, as well as cabin overheat protection and Wi-Fi. These features were already on other Tesla cars.
Apple quietly dumps Modern Buckle Watch band
If you're looking to accessorize your Apple Watch, your roster of options just shrank a bit. The iEmpire has quietly removed the Modern Buckle Apple Watch band from its lineup, marking the first time that the company has completely eliminated an entire material. It's still available in other countries.
Now you have less of an excuse to not tip your Uber driver with in-app tipping
For the first time in its history, Uber finally allowed riders to tip their drivers after a ride, straight from the Uber app last June. In the year since then, drivers have made $600 million in tips. Last month, Uber also debuted mid-trip ratings and tips, and has purportedly seen a 30 percent rise in tipping.
Velociraptors and Alexa take over family game night with Jurassic World Revealed
Family game night is about to get a lot louder, and a lot more prehistoric. While you may have grown up playing cards and charades, the 21st century is bringing a bit more excitement to your friendly competition now that Universal Brand Development and Earplay have released Jurassic World Revealed.
Tinder’s parent company Match Group swipes right on Hinge
Already under the Match Group are Tinder, OkCupid, and of course, Match, and now that the company has acquired a 51 percent stake in Hinge, it's added to its portfolio once again. Under the terms of the deal, Match Group retains the right to acquire the rest of Hinge's shares within a 12-month window.
Google Street View cars will help to map out the air quality in London
Google Street View will be taking stock of more than streets, neighborhoods, and houses in the next month or so. Beginning in July, two Google Street View cars will be tasked with the important responsibility of monitoring the air quality in London. The results could lead to improved air quality.
Money can’t buy you love, but it may buy you more compatible picks on Tinder
Tinder wants to graduate from its purely physical profiling reputation, and perhaps add a bit more substance to online dating. It's trialing a new feature called "Tinder Picks," which is meant to help users find matches who are not only attractive but also more compatible when it comes to education, job, and interests.
Brew the perfect cup of chai with the push of a button, thanks to the Chime
If you'd rather kick it with something a bit more spicy and a bit less bitter in the morning (afternoon or evening), what you really is a chai machine. Meet the Chime Chai Maker, an automated chai machine that delivers the perfect cup of chai every time. Because dunking a tea bag isn't the same.
MoviePass rolls out surge pricing for ‘high-demand’ titles and showtimes
The summer blockbuster season is fast approaching, and so too are changes to your MoviePass subscription. Unfortunately, they're not all quite as exciting as the titles we're expecting to see in theaters, as MoviePass will soon be introducing its own version of surge pricing for 'high-demand' films.
Get a warrant before tracking cell phone users, Supreme Court rules in privacy win
In the 5-4 decision, the highest court in the United States determined that police departments across the nation must first attain a search warrant before tracking mobile device users. This decision could have enormous implications, given that around 95 percent of Americans have a cell phone.Â
Alexa reportedly says, ‘Every time I close my eyes, all I see is people dying’
We'll take Amazon Alexa's creepy laugh any day over her latest bizarre antic. On Monday, an Amazon Echo device apparently made an unprompted and terrifying statement. The owner claims that the smart assistant suddenly activated herself and said, "Every time I close my eyes, all I see is people dying."
Your Overstock purchases can now be installed by professionals from Porch
Thanks to the Porch Retail Service technology integration, Overstock buyers can now access experts for tasks ranging from furniture assembly to product installs. Porch will offer Overstock's customers access to a national network of more than 300,000 vetted home service professionals.
Processed pies: Silicon Valley’s Zume Pizza ready to offer you dinner made by a robot
Even the food in Silicon Valley is getting high tech. No, we're not talking about meal-replacement shakes or coffee with butter in it - we're talking good, old-fashioned pizza. The pies from Zume Pizza are made by robots. And to help it reach new heights, the company is adding arms into the mix.Â
Facebook outlines plans for combating false news
Over the past year, Facebook has been forced to confront a number of issues on its platform including the rise of fake news. Using a combination of machine learning and human fact checkers, Facebook hopes that it will be able to reduce the spread of false news stories on its platform.
Why can’t your Instagram upload? OpenSignal explains the upload speed gap
To help you better understand why some carriers can help you get your pics onto Instagram and Snapchat faster than others, OpenSignal has published a new explainer to help clarify why there's such a huge discrepancy between the fastest and slowest 4G upload speeds. Hint: Sprint is in last place.
Landmark Supreme Court decision lets states force online stores to pay sales tax
The online marketplace now looks a lot more like its offline counterpart -- at least, when it comes to taxes. A contentious case has reached a rather contentious ruling in the Supreme Court today, and the highest court in the U.S. ruled that states can indeed collect sales taxes from ecommerce retailers.
Sick of sleepless nights? Bose wants to help with noise-masking earbuds
Bose has now presented a solution to the noise problem in the form of its "noise-masking sleepbuds." After first introducing these guys via an Indiegogo campaign late last year, these Sleepbuds are now widely available for everyone. You can buy them for $249 in the United States, and they're coming soon elsewhere.
This has not been an easy year for Tesla and its Model 3
Production woes have delayed delivery of Tesla's Model 3, its new entry-level vehicle aimed at bringing more consumers into the carmaker's electric fold. Now, it's finally nearing its goal of producing 5,000 units per week (which it was supposed to hit last year), but it still has a ways to go.
Minneapolis is the most bikeable city in the US, according to the Redfin Company.
Redfin Company looked across 10,000 neighborhoods and 154 cities in the US to determine which cities were the most bike-friendly
Assistant’s Continued Conversation feature lets you drop all the ‘Hey, Googles’
We first learned that Google would be bringing a Continued Conversation feature to Assistant at Google I/O, when the tech giant unveiled a whole host of exciting new features. And now, Continued Conversation has been launched, and promises to make your interactions with Assistant more natural.
Amazon, JPMorgan, Berkshire Hathaway name new CEO in quest to fix health care
Amazon, JPMorgan, and Berkshire Hathaway are taking the next step in their U.S. employee health care business by naming a new chief executive officer. On Wednesday, the powerhouse trio announced the appointment of Atul Gawande as the new leader of the business, which does not have a name yet.
Americans believe that 40 percent of the news is fake
In 2016, our vocabularies grew to include the term "fake news," and the concept has since taken root in the collective American psyche. A new survey conducted by the Gallup/Knight Foundation found that overall, Americans believe that 39 percent of the news they see, heard, or read is misinformation.
You might soon be watching a lot more video on Instagram
Instagram lets you post videos of up to 60 seconds, but the social media company is reported to be considering extending the limit to a whopping 60 minutes. Longer videos from users, as well as brands and professional creators, would take the app ever further from its roots, and even allow it to target YouTube.
Bamboo Music is a new Alexa Skill that makes learning music fun for the family
While there's no promise that Bamboo will turn your child into the next Chopin, there's still plenty of reason to teach your tot music from an early age, as research has shown that a music education also boosts learning and memory capabilities. And with the new Bamboo Music, learning music can be fun.
Uber is paying drivers a bit extra to drive electric vehicles instead of gas guzzlers
Uber is going electric, and it's not afraid to spend the money to do so. On June 19, the ridesharing giant unveiled a new program that provides drivers will financial incentives to use electric vehicles rather than traditional gas guzzlers. In addition, Uber is building specific features into its app.
TP-Link’s new Deco M9 Plus Mesh router is also a smart home hub
TP-Link's newest mesh router not only purports to provide fast internet connections to more than 100 devices throughout your home, but also serves as a smart home hub for all of your connected devices. Meet the Deco M9 Plus Mesh Wi-Fi System, the latest multitasker in your life. A one-pack costs $180.
China speeds up its subway with palm scanners and facial recognition
The Chinese capital of Beijing is now considering the introduction of "bio-recognition technology" to its subway stations. This technology would include palm scanners and facial recognition scanners, and would purportedly increase efficiency and decrease gridlock in key stations during rush hour.Â
Pair your smart mattress with Eight Sleep’s A.I.-powered Sleep Coach
For something so important, it can really be quite hard to get. We're talking, of course, about a good night's sleep. Back in 2016, Eight Sleep launched the Smart Mattress to help us get some shut-eye, and now, two years later, it's back with an A.I.-powered personal sleep coach, available for both iOS and Android.
No doorman to receive your delivery? With Hub by Amazon, that is not a problem
Meet Hub by Amazon, a container that allows for the storage of packages so that they're not just strewn about a lobby, or worse yet, potentially stolen. Really, the Hubs look just like traditional Amazon lockers, but rather than being located in businesses, are located in apartment complexes.Â
Fix upcoming for Google Home, Chromecast bug that can tattle on your location
Your trusty Google Home speaker may not be all that trustworthy after all -- at least, not for now. Security researcher Craig Young from the firm Tripwire discovered a bug that allows both the Google Home and the Google Chromecast TV stick to share user location, which needless to say is less than ideal.
Google’s A.I. tools can predict death risks more accurately than hospitals
Google is beating hospitals at their own game -- at least when it comes to death risk assessment. Google’s Medical Brain team has begun training its A.I. system to evaluate the risk of death among hospital patients, and the results so far are more accurate than the prediction rates in hospitals.
A.I. can now learn how to solve a Rubik’s Cube, researchers claim
Researchers at the University of California believe they've created an algorithm that can solve the Rubik's Cube on its own. It depends on "autodidactic iteration" which is a "novel reinforcement learning algorithm that is able to teach itself how to solve the Rubik's Cube with no human assistance."