Nike’s 3D-printed uppers take weight off your feet
Nike is no stranger to innovation when it comes to crafting the perfect shoe. Now, it has taken its quest to a new level. This week, the athletic company introduced Flyprint, a 3D-printed textile upper for your sneaker. It's the first of its kind and may just bring about a new standard in performance shoes.
Wikipedia is making it easier to explore the internet with page previews
Far be it from us to tell you to read less Wikipedia, but now, the online encyclopedia is making it a bit easier to stay on track and not get too distracted by the plethora of knowledge available on the internet -- page previews. It's the biggest change Wikipedia has made to its platform since 2010.
Amazon and Best Buy shake hands and team up to sell smart TVs
Amazon and Best Buy are putting aside their rivalry for the time being, and instead teaming up in order to sell smart TVs powered by Amazon's own Fire TV operating system. In total, the duo will sell 11 models of these TVs beginning this summer. The hardware will be provided by Toshiba and Insignia.
Hyperloop Transportation Technologies is on its way to the UAE
Just days after announcing that its Hyperloop test track is one step closer to completion in France, Hyperloop Transportation Technologies is breaking ground again and moving forward with the first commercial Hyperloop system in the UAE. It'll be the first such development in the middle east, the two companies say.
Secure your home from your wrist with an August lock and Apple Watch app
First, smart lock companies made it harder for strangers to get into your front door. But now, they're making it easier for you. August is helping remove as many barriers to entry as possible when it comes to locking and unlocking your home. It comes in the form of an all-new Apple Watch app.
Amazon’s Internet is a new lightweight browser app for emerging markets
Mobile users in developing nations with slower internet connections don't need to download Chrome or go onto Safari -- instead, they can simply get on Internet. The aptly named app is the latest product to emerge from Amazon, and it's an Android web browser meant specifically for emerging markets.
LG’s SmartThinQ appliances cook up support for both Alexa and Google Assistant
Whether you're an Amazon Alexa loyalist or a Google Assistant afficionado, you'll be able to control your smart kitchen with your voice. That is, if your smart kitchen boasts LG smart appliances. The company announced that its line of SmartThinQ appliances are now compatible with both Alexa and Google Assistant.
125 million subscribers are paying to ‘Netflix and chill’ these days
Netflix viewers may like to chill, but Netflix itself is hot - it has just reached 125 million subscribers. The milestone was announced in the company's first quarterly earnings call of 2018, where the firm revealed it had added 7.4 million subscribers in the first quarter, a 50-percent increase over last year.
Electrolux partners with Innit to streamline the meal-planning process
Thanks to a new partnership, Innit will provide the brains behind Electrolux's connected cooking experience, helping to create "personalized meal content with visual guidance," allowing home chefs to control their appliances simply by tapping their smartphone screens. Dinner just got a whole lot easier.
JVC and Kenwood launch head units with wireless Android Auto
Android Auto is going wireless. JVC and Kenwood unveiled wireless Android Auto receivers at CES 2018, and now, three months later, Google is helping out too, enabling wireless Android Auto for folks this week. If you own a Pixel or Nexus running Android Oreo or higher, congratulations -- no more wires.
The amount users spent on iPhone apps in the U.S. rose 23 percent last year
In 2017, U.S. iPhone owners spent nearly a quarter more money on in-app purchases than they did in 2016. The average user spent $58 on in-app purchases -- up 23 percent from 2016. While that's not a staggering amount, it is about a dozen Starbucks lattes. The average iPhone owner had 45 apps installed.
Does your Apple Watch 2 have a swollen battery? Apple will fix it for free
As part of its ongoing mea culpa regarding device batteries, Apple is rolling out a new service policy that should come as great news to a number of Apple Watch Series 2 owners. The iEmpire will now being to repair Apple Watches that do not power on or have a swollen battery for free. A similar policy was enacted last year.
Real estate juggernaut Zillow is going to start buying and flipping houses
Zillow is no longer playing the middleman in the real estate game. The Seattle-based company announced that it would expand testing of a pilot program in Phoenix, in which it will buy and sell homes directly. It's a feature called "instant offer," and involves some home flipping on Zillow's part.
Looking to spice up your Facebook Stories? Try 3D drawing, a new AR effect
It's not just Instagram that's competing against Snapchat -- now parent company Facebook is getting into the action as well. You'll soon be able to take a photo of your surroundings, annotate them using AR technology, and turn them into Instagram Boomerang GIFs using your Facebook Camera.
Gmail to get much-needed visual updates and advanced security features
In an email sent to G Suite administrators on Wednesday, April 11, Google announced plans to roll out a new look for Gmail with a host of other new features, most of which will be outlined in the future. The new features will first be delivered to G Suite via a limited early adopter program.
We’re getting our first look at the all-new 2020 Chevy Silverado
It's only been a couple months since we got our first look at the 2019 Chevy Silverado, but here to prove that you can never have too much of a good thing is the all-new 2020 Chevy Silverado. The American carmaker has confirmed that it will debut the all-new 2020 Silverado HD sometime in 2019
Apple Music reaches milestone of 40 million paid subscribers
Apple Music has officially surpassed the 40 million subscriber mark. It's an impressive milestone for the music streaming service, which has also just found itself a new leader. Earlier this week, the iEmpire announced that Oliver Schusser will be taking on the challenge of leading Apple Music Worldwide.
Russia bans Popular messenger app Telegram, Kremlin must use new service
On Friday, a Russian court banned the popular messenger service Telegram, a decision that comes a week after Russian communication watchdog Roskomnadzor filed a lawsuit to limit users' access to the app. The showdown began to form when Telegram refused to allow Russian state security services to access user messages.
Law enforcement agencies are buying GrayKey, a device to unlock iPhones
Unlocking an iPhone may no longer be the arduous task it once was for law enforcement officials. It would appear that an increasing number of U.S. authorities are buying a cost-effective device capable of unlocking iPhones without breaking a sweat. It's called GrayKey, and it costs $15,000 to $30,000.
Google is learning to differentiate between your voice and your friend’s
We may be able to pick out our best friend's or our mother's voice from a crowd, but can the same be said for our smart speakers? Thanks to new research detailed in a paper titled, "Looking to Listen at the Cocktail Party," a new AI system is able to identify voices by looking at people's faces as they speak.
Florida mansion is a dream for the Disney lover who has $900,000 to spare
Not all of us have the luxury of living inside a fairy-tale, but for the lucky future owners of this Disney-themed mansion in Florida, dreams really do come true. If you ever manage to make it inside the so-called Mickey-and-Minnie house, you may believe that pumpkins can turn into carriages after all.
Amazon completes its acquisition of Ring, the video doorbell maker
Ring, the company behind the popular video doorbell, now has a new parent and a new price. On Thursday, Amazon announced that it had completed the acquisition of the smart home company, and to celebrate, is offering the video doorbell for the new lowered price of $100.
Uber is stepping up its game on passenger safety features
Uber is taking a closer look at its passenger safety features and working to improve its previously sparse set of tools. On April 12, the transportation giant announced "several new improvements to double down on safety" in the app, including a plan to improve the background screening process for its drivers.
HyperloopTT takes another step toward completing its test track in France
Our dreams of being shuttled around in vacuum tubes are coming yet another step closer to fruition. Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HyperloopTT) has received the first sets of tubes needed to build its test track in Toulouse, France. It will build a 1,050-foot system set to begin operations in 2018.
Apple HomePod sales are hugely disappointing, new reports say
While Apple has said that it's planning on adding more functionality to its Apple HomePod sometime later, it may need to pick up the pace. Because for now, sales are flagging big time. As per a Bloomberg report, the $349 price tag of the HomePod seems to simply be too high for many would-be customers.
A New York Times reporter downloaded his Facebook data – and was terrified
If you think that your minimal presence on Facebook may have exempted you from the social network's now well-publicized data collection tactics, you'll need to think again. The lead consumer technology reporter for the New York Times, Brian Chen, downloaded his data. The results were terrifying.
Horizon Robotics’ smart security camera uses A.I. for serious facial recognition
The smart cameras of 2018 are getting smarter still.Startup Horizon Robotics has debuted a new HD smart camera that boasts serious artificial intelligence capabilities and can identify faces with an accuracy of up to 99.7 percent, the company claims.That's probably better than most humans.
Cox joins the smart home security game with Cox Homelife Automation
Even your television provider is looking for ways to make your home smarter. Meet Cox Homelife Automation, heralded as a new choice for customers "who want peace of mind to stay connected to loved ones and control their home, but don't feel the need for 24/7 monitored security."
T-Mobile is celebrating Earth Day with $250,000 and a lot of trees
As one of the few truly global days of celebration and recognition (after all, who on Earth doesn't benefit from our planet?), it only makes sense that we mark Earth Day with the gusto it so deserves. And here to help us do just that is T-Mobile, who is promising to make it "easier than ever to make a difference."
Those ‘warranty void if removed’ stickers are illegal, says the FTC
No longer will you have to resign yourself to a life in which you refrain from pulling off stickers that read "warranty void if removed." As it turns out, these stickers are not only ugly, but in fact deceptive and potentially illegal in the U.S., as per the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
Deezer is now available on your Google Home if you’re in the U.K.
It's been just over a month since Amazon announced that its Echo devices would provide full support for music streaming service Deezer, and now, Google is making sure that it's not left in the dust. If you have a Google Home device and are in the U.K., you can now control Deezer with your voice.
Walmart makes good on its grocery delivery promise in North Carolina city
On Tuesday, Walmart announced that thanks to the company's burgeoning army of personal shoppers and Postmates' delivery network, "thousands of Charlotte customers will be able to shop for and have fresh groceries delivered to their doorsteps."
After adding Hindi language support, Google Home launches in India
After recently adding Hindi language support, Google Home and Home Mini have made their debut in India. The announcement comes about a month after Google Assistant rolled out language support for Hindi, and will help Google compete with Amazon.
Instagram is working on another Snapchat copycat: Nametags
Even though it seems as though the Facebook-owned platform takes many of its cues from Snapchat, Instagram continues to pull out in front. The latest example of a copycat move comes in the form of Nametags, which looks a whole lot like Snapchat's QR Codes, or Snapcodes.
Instagram tries to ban drug hashtags, with mixed results
In the midst of parent company Facebook's privacy scandal, Instagram is doing everything it can to ensure that it doesn't run into any scandals of its own. For the last several years, a woman named Eileen Carey has "regularly reported" Instagram accounts peddling opioids.
Seven months after being acquired by Comcast, Stringify is back with new features
It's been a quiet few months since Stringify, the cloud-based Internet of Things company, was acquired by Comcast. Now, it's making some noise.
