Google Maps on Android no longer lets you book Uber rides
Early last year, Google announced that Google Maps would allow customers to book rides straight from the Maps app. Now, however, it seems as though that feature has been removed. It's currently unclear exactly why Google removed the feature from Google Maps, but it could have been Uber's decision rather than Google's.
The Boring Company doesn’t sound so boring anymore
The founder of SpaceX and Tesla is accustomed to flashy enterprises and larger-than-life dreams (that all seem to be coming to fruition), and now, he's turning his attention to a simple problem that plagues all of us:Â Traffic. Now, you can watch a Tesla Model X zoom through a tunnel in LA - the first test.
Manage your time like never before with Zei from Timeular
For everyone who's ever had concerns about their productivity or efficiency, there's a new device for you. Meet Zei from Timeular.
Samsung adds new features to S Health to make exercise more fun
Samsung has launched an S Health app update that hopes to make exercise a bit more fun.
Facebook employees ask if they should act to stop Trump, and Zuck says no
As it turns out, employees within social media giant Facebook have been toying with the notion of preventing a Trump presidency.
Microsoft takes on Google in the classroom with Flipgrid acquisition
Microsoft is strengthening its position in classrooms, and has recently acquired Flipgrid, the video discussion platform currently utilized by more than 20 million teachers and students across the United States and beyond. The acquisition is Microsoft's latest attempt to improve its educational offerings
Volvo has designed a self-docking system for yachts
We're already working on self-parking cars, so why not take things a step further and investigate self-parking boats? Of course, the correct vernacular here isn't "parking," but rather "docking." But semantics aside, Volvo -- an expert on both land and water -- has now designed a self-docking yacht.
Apple HomePod to arrive in Canada, France, and Germany in June
Apple has announced that its HomePod will be launching in Germany, France, and Canada on June 18. The smart speaker marks a major market expansion for the tech giant, and the announcement could be an effort to boost dwindling sales of the HomePod, which will now be available in six countries.
Amazon, Microsoft, Uber donate to oppose the California Consumer Privacy Act
Amazon, Microsoft, and Uber have made large contributions to a group attempting to prevent a privacy act from becoming law in California. As per state disclosure records, the three tech giants join a number of other well-known tech firms all working against the proposed California Consumer Privacy Act.
Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes could face 20 years in prison
Theranos founder and CEO Elizabeth Holmes has been charged with fraud by the SEC. And now Holmes and former president Sunny Balwani have been indicted on criminal charges regarding fallacious statements they made about the accuracy of their blood testing devices. They'll face 20 years in prison.
LinkedIn will tell you exactly how long your new job’s commute will be
LinkedIn's latest feature lets you see the location and commute time to certain employers, which may just help you decide whether or not you want to be its next employee. The feature, aptly named "Your Commute," has now been made globally available on the mobile version of the site, and provides location data.
Say goodbye to Trending stories on Facebook
It may be harder yet to get your news from Facebook. The social media company is continuing its efforts to cut down on the potential for fake news and the possibility of bias and is removing its Trending Topics section next week. But don't worry, they're replacing the section with other news tools.
HelloFresh and Green Chef join forces, and now, meal kits are in stores
On Tuesday, March 20, HelloFresh announced its acquisition of Green Chef, which means the convenient meal preparation service is now also offering vegan, gluten-free, Keto, and Paleo meals. And now, HelloFresh is making bigger moves still by launching a new retail product line available at grocery stores.
Venmo will no longer let you pay or charge your friends on its website
If you're looking to Venmo your friend for that pizza you ate most of, or need to send your monthly rent payment via the PayPal-owned peer-to-peer payments service, you'll now have to do it via mobile. Venmo is phasing out support for its web service, which likely won't affect all that many users.
Let the chaos begin! You can finally create your own Alexa Skills
Who says you need to be a developer to develop skills for Amazon Alexa? Certainly not Amazon. On April 19, it launched Alexa Skill Blueprints, heralded as a new and easy way for anyone and everyone to create customized Alexa functions and responses. In June, Amazon made it easier to share Blueprints.
Google wants to double the number of podcast listeners in the next few years
Google is quietly making changes across its products to change the way listeners discover and listen to podcasts. The changes are part of the tech giant's lofty aspirations to double the number of podcast listeners worldwide within the next few years. Here's how the podcast landscape could change in the near future.
Apple plans on hiring 20,000 people — possibly in North Carolina
Despite rumors just last month that the iEmpire was most interested in Virginia as the location of its newest office, a recent interview with Apple CEO Tim Cook has folks believing that the company may be looking more closely at another southern state -- North Carolina. Apple will also hire 20,000 more people.
Espionage! Fitbit charged with stealing Jawbone’s secrets
On Thursday, U.S. federal prosecutors officially charged six Fitbit employees, both current and former, in an indictment for possession of stolen trade secrets from Jawbone. According to the indictment, these six employees once worked for Jawbone and received these secrets when they left the company.
Developers can now take Google App Maker out for a test drive
About 18 months ago, Google introduced us to App Maker, a tool that as its name suggests, allows you to build and deploy apps (specifically of the business variety) on the web. On June 14, Google announced that App Maker had been made generally available to all developers who want to test the tool.
Amazon designs an A.I. camera to teach computer vision to developers
On Wednesday, November 29, Amazon Web Services launched AWS DeepLens, a video camera designed to teach developers how to program A.I. functions from stylistic transfers to recognizing a hot dog. And now, on June 14, the DeepLens has been made available for order to folks in the U.S. for $249.
The Firefly wireless earbuds give you 2 hours of music for 10 minutes of charge
Meet Firefly, a pair of earbuds that promise premium Graphene sound, an ambient sound feature that actually allows some outside noise to come in to help you remain aware of your surroundings, 16 hours of playtime, and most importantly, fast charging capabilities. They're now seeking funding on Kickstarter.
Insomnia keeping you up? The Reverie Sleep Coach may help
The Reverie Sleep Coach is touted as a personalized sleep consultation platform. While other sleep coaches attempt to utilize a one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to guiding folks to sleep, Reverie instead offers one-on-one guidance, which is apparently an industry first. It all starts with a quiz.
The battle of the smart assistants should definitely include Cortana
For the time being, it may seem that the battle of the smart assistants rages only between two contenders -- Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. But lest you forget that there are, in fact, other A.I.-based helpers in the running. A survey suggests that you certainly shouldn't count out Microsoft Cortana.
Is this the future of medicine? Synthetic blood could buy patients 48 extra hours
Two scientists -- Dr. Andre Palmer of the Ohio State University and Dr. Dipanjan Pan, an associate professor in the department of bioengineering at the University of Illinois -- have now independently developed two synthetic blood technologies. Currently, neither solution can independently sustain life.
No hiring ‘vroom’ at Tesla – car company sharply reduces job postings
Getting a job at Tesla may be harder than ever these days. Not necessarily because they're raising the bar for their new hires, but rather because the company appears to be decreasing the number of new team members it brings aboard. The number of job listings has declined sharply since last month.
Alexa’s basketball clairvoyance now extends to the NBA Finals
Just as she did for March Madness, Amazon's Alexa made a correct prediction about who will come out on top in the NBA Finals. A few months after calling that Villanova University would come out on top a few months ago, Alexa correctly bet on the Golden State Warriors. We'll see what tourney she calls next.
The LeveTop is a cylindrical, vertical drone that looks like a coffee mug
What makes this particular quadcopter particularly interesting isn't necessarily its flight capabilities (though they're impressive) or its camera (though it's more than capable of getting the job done). Rather, it's the fact that the LeveTop almost looks like a thermos when it's packed away. It's on Indiegogo.
Apple Music updates make it a whole lot easier for you to find album release dates
Apple Music is rolling out a few updates that ought to improve the user experience. There's a new "Coming Soon" section, which will allow you to see upcoming albums that are slated to be released in the coming weeks. The new feature is available on both the iOS and macOS version of Apple Music.
From 4 wheels to 2 wheels — Lyft looks to add CitiBike to its fleet
It's not enough to simply dominate the highways. Now, ride-sharing companies are looking to expand their domain to bike lanes and sidewalks. That's evidenced by Lyft, the San Francisco-based transportation giant that is reportedly close to closing a deal to acquire Motivate. Now, Uber is making moves, too.
This app lets Amazon hijack your Apple Watch
If you want to free Alexa from your Amazon Echo and instead find her a home on your wrist, there's a new app that can help with that. Meet Voice in a Can, a new third-party app that allows you to use Alexa on your Apple Watch. No longer will you be tied to Siri when using your Apple Watch.
The new Create+ 3D pen from 3Doodler helps your words jump off the page
Your words will quite literally jump off a page when you're equipped with the right pen. And that writing utensil is none other than the newest 3D printing pen from 3Doodler. It's called the Create+, and it's now available to order for $79. The pen builds upon 3Doodler's previous success with 3D pens.
One mom discovered her baby monitor had been hacked — she’s not alone
Keeping an eye on your baby with your 21st century baby monitor seems like the responsible parent move, but as one South Carolina mother found out, you may not be the only one watching your household. Jamie Summitt discovered that that her baby monitor was being used for nefarious purposes.
A craft beer dispenser in your own kitchen? We’ll drink to that!
The hottest bar in town? It's right there in your own home, thanks to the new SUB Home Beer Dispenser from German kitchen appliance maker Krups. This home draft system promises to let you keep your beer fresh, cold, and most importantly, carbonated for up to two weeks. We'll drink to that.
Connected CloudPets teddy bears blab on owners, leak 2 million voice recordings
In the latest toy scandal, a connected teddy bear has leaked the voice recordings of more than 2 million children and parents. As a result, a number of retailers, including Amazon, Target, and Walmart, have decided to pull the toy from their shelves. Amazon began removing the product on Tuesday morning.
Here everything we know about ‘Mission: Impossible — Fallout’ so far
The sixth installment of the Mission: Impossible series hits theaters July 27, so here's everything we know about Mission: Impossible -- Fallout so far. Most recently, in June, Tom Cruise shared a behind-the-scenes video of the HALO jump stunt, which involved him falling from a height of 25,000 feet.