FaceTime bug: A teen and his mom spent a week trying to warn Apple
News of a serious FaceTime bug that let iPhone users eavesdrop on the person they were calling went viral on Tuesday. It now appears that a teen and his mom tried to warn Apple about the flaw multiple times, but the "poorly set-up" bug-reporting process made it difficult to make contact.
Cool or creepy? Panasonic floor lamp has a ‘secret’ security camera built in
Panasonic's new HomeHawk floor lamp comes with a smart security camera built in. The lens sits at the top of the stem, just below the light, so you wouldn't even know it's there. Yes, it's a design that may well send a shiver down the spine of Airbnb renters everywhere.
Crowdfunding campaign enables high-tech search for missing pro soccer player
A successful crowdfunding effort has helped launch a high-tech ocean search for the plane carrying professional soccer player Emiliano Sala and his pilot after it disappeared during a flight to the U.K. earlier this month. Blue Water Recoveries says there's an excellent chance it will find the plane.
Airbnb expands into meeting-space rentals after snapping up Danish startup
In its ongoing quest to diversify by targeting the business market, Airbnb has acquired Gaest, an online marketplace focused on helping companies and workers find meeting and event spaces for short-term use. Just like Airbnb, hosts can list their spaces to quickly reach thousands of businesses and professionals.
Bank robbery suspect uses Jump scooter as getaway vehicle, gets caught
A man accused of robbing a bank reportedly fled the scene on an electric scooter operated by Jump. Trouble is, the suspect used his regular Jump account to rent the two-wheeler, making it a whole lot easier for cops to track him down. Uber, which owns Jump, is believed to have helped in the investigation.
A robot called Stan aims to take the stress out of airport parking
Stan is an autonomous valet parking robot that not only saves drivers lots of time at an airport, but also helps parking lots to significantly increase capacity. A trial of the technology -- developed by Paris-based Stanley Robotics -- will take place this summer at Gatwick, one of the U.K.'s busiest airports.
Apple has just added a cash incentive to its ‘Shot on iPhone’ contest
Following complaints that Apple's "Shot on iPhone" contest offered no payment to the winning photographers, the firm has now reworded its terms and conditions to indicate that it will offer compensation. Ten winners will have their photos used on billboards and inside Apple Stores around the world.
Twitter testing ‘original tweeter’ label so you know who started a thread
Twitter is testing an "original tweeter" label to make it easier for users to identify who started a thread. The idea is to help clear up confusion about who began a conversation, and to reduce the impact of imitators. The test is currently running with a select group of Twitter users on iOS and Android.
Science attempts to settle a long-running dispute among Brits
It's an issue about which every Brit has a strong opinion; one that can lead to lively conversations and even heated arguments. In a worst-case scenario, it can descend into a slanging match full of expletives. In a bid to settle the dispute once and for all, a BBC show recently called on a scientist.
Blue Origin’s latest mission shows how space tourism might look
Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin rocket company is aiming to launch a space tourism service, and on Wednesday its latest successful test mission gave us a look at how the thrilling 10-minute ride might look. The mission also carried with it eight NASA-sponsored R&D experiments that activated during the flight.
Did Newark airport incident really involve a drone? DJI isn’t so sure
New Jersey’s Newark Liberty International Airport was forced to suspend operations for a while on Tuesday after reports of drone sightings made by pilots on two incoming aircraft. But now questions are being raised over whether the objects, spotted at an altitude of around 3,500 feet, were in fact drones.
Starbucks coffee delivery lands in 6 more cities via Uber Eats
Starbucks is expanding its coffee delivery service beyond Miami to stores in six more cities. Available via the Uber Eats app, the service launched in San Francisco on Tuesday, January 22, with Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and Washington, D.C. all hopping aboard in the coming weeks.
Hyundai has created the ‘world’s first multi-collision airbag system’
Around 30 percent of vehicle accidents involve multiple collisions, a reality that prompted Hyundai to develop what it claims is the world's first airbag capable of deploying in a multi-impact traffic accident. The South Korean automaker plans to fit the system into future Hyundai and Kia automobiles.
Once again, a drone has reportedly caused a shutdown at a major airport
Reported drone sightings near New Jersey's Newark Liberty International Airport forced flights to be halted early Tuesday evening. One drone reportedly came within 30 feet of an aircraft. The incident comes a month after drone sightings at one of the U.K.'s busiest airports led to a 36-hour shutdown.
Royal fans bid big money as Prince Philip ‘car crash parts’ hit eBay
A couple of days after a car crash that involved the 97-year-old husband of Queen Elizabeth II, debris apparently from the scene of the accident showed up on eBay. Nearly 140 bids pushed the highest offer for the collection of broken bits to $85,000 before the online auction site decided to pull it.
Facebook hasn’t given up on the idea of building an internet drone
Facebook's efforts to provide internet connectivity from the skies using solar-powered drones suffered a blow last year when the company abandoned its "Aquila" drone project. But it clearly hasn't given up on the idea as it's now working with Airbus to attach internet technology to its Zephyr drone.
‘Tech vest’ prevents Amazon workers from colliding with robot co-workers
Amazon workers at the online shopping company's fulfillment centers are using "tech vests" to help protect them from accidental collisions with their robot co-workers. The robots already have obstacle avoidance sensors, but the tech belt offers another layer of safety.
Pilotless planes are on their way, but would you fly in one?
Airbus says advances in A.I. can help it build a plane capable of fully autonomous flight, though whether passengers can be persuaded to travel on one is another matter entirely. Airbus has been looking into the idea for some time, with the technology predicted to save the industry billions.
Is Uber planning to put its self-driving tech into bikes and scooters?
Uber may have its eye on building autonomous e-bikes and scooters for its two-wheeled rental services. A rider could summon a bike or scooter with an app, with the vehicle also able to return by itself to a depot for recharging. The tech could also be used to make vehicles safer via obstacle sensors.
Busted: Facebook Portal gets 5-star reviews from company employees
It's fair to say that Facebook's Portal smart displays received a tepid response at launch, so it was a surprise to see glowing reviews of the device on Amazon. It turns out some were written by Facebook employees. The company says it has told the reviewers to remove their work from Amazon's site.
Twitter suffers privacy scare as bug reveals tweets of protected accounts
If you set your Twitter account to private and you have an Android device, you'd better check your privacy settings now. Twitter says it's just fixed a four-year-old bug that flipped the privacy switch to make the account public, though it couldn't say how many users had been affected.
Glowing space billboards could show ads in the night sky
Look up at the night sky in 2020 and you might see an ad for McDonald's floating among the stars. A startup is planning to use a constellation of tiny satellites to create glowing ads. The satellites would light up different messages for up to six minutes at a time at about 250 miles above Earth.
Robomart’s self-driving grocery store is like Amazon Go on wheels
Robomart's driverless vehicle is like an Amazon Go store on wheels. You summon the store to your home using an app, and then grab what you need from a range of everyday items. Sensors track your selections, with your purchases automatically charged to your account. A trial starts soon in Boston.
Airbnb says sorry to guest for how it dealt with undisclosed security camera
An Airbnb guest recently found a surveillance camera in his rental apartment that hadn't been properly disclosed in the listing. The company's initial response was less than adequate, though Airbnb has since apologized and clarified its policy on such devices being placed inside its properties.
YouTube to crack down on dangerous stunts like the ‘Bird Box’ challenge
YouTube already bans content showing dangerous activities, but new rules published by the site on Tuesday go into greater detail regarding potentially harmful challenges and pranks. The company said it's giving creators two months to review and clean up their content, after which they could face penalties.
Apple’s iPhone battery offer was reportedly way more popular than expected
As many as 11 million iPhone owners reportedly made use of Apple's cheaper battery replacement offer that launched in 2018 in response to the iPhone throttling debacle. The program proved so popular that Apple CEO Tim Cook said recently it hit its bottom line as fewer people upgraded to one of the new iPhones.
Twitter extends its new timeline feature to Android users
Twitter has launched a new feature for Android that gives users more control of their timeline by letting them quickly switch between an algorithm-generated timeline and one that shows the most recent tweets first. The new feature landed for iPhone users in December 2018.
Short film celebrates New Yorker’s amazing robot costumes
New York City resident Peter Kokis creates stunning robot costumes out of household trash. His designs are huge, heavy, and extremely intricate, and never fail to turn heads when he's out and about. A new documentary short offers a fascinating look at Kokis and his Transformers-inspired creations.
Drones: New rules could soon allow flights over people and at night
The U.S. government is looking to loosen restrictions on drone flights with a set of proposals that would allow the machines to fly over populated areas and also at night. The news will be welcomed by commercial operators keen to use the technology for a range of tasks.
Cathay Pacific messes up first-class ticket prices — again
A recent error on Cathay Pacific's website resulted in first-class seats selling for a tenth of the price. On Sunday the airline made the error again, selling "a very small number" of premium seats at an absurdly low price. The good news for those who snagged a ticket is Cathay will honor all bookings.
No yolk! A photo of an egg has become the most-liked post on Instagram
Until this weekend, the most-liked post on Instagram was of Kylie Jenner's baby daughter, which has around 18 million likes. It's now been knocked off the top spot not by a stunning sunset or cute cat, but by an egg. An egg called Eugene that was gifted to the world by a hen called Henrietta ... apparently.