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."
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.
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.