Google Maps brings its real-time journey-tracking feature to iPhone
It's been available on Android since last year, and now Google Maps has brought its real-time journey-tracking feature to iOS. The useful feature, which lets you choose who to share a journey with, can be enabled in just a few taps, and tracking ends automatically when you arrive at your destination.
Eat your way to a limited-edition Xbox One X in new Taco Bell contest
If you like the idea of a limited-edition Xbox One X that makes Taco Bell's famous "bong" sound every time it starts up, then you need to enter a new contest without delay! Your best chance of winning comes via codes offered with orders of Taco Bell's double chalupa box, but there's also a way to enter for free.
Tumblr promises it fixed a bug that left user data exposed
Tumblr said on Wednesday that it acted quickly to fix a bug on its blogging site that left user data exposed. The New York-based company added that it couldn't be sure which users were affected by the bug, but said there's no evidence that any data was stolen by hackers.
Twitter has sorted out those weird notifications it was sending
Twitter started churning out weird notifications of seemingly nonsensical letters and numbers to many of its users on Tuesday morning. The bizarre incident even prompted Twitter's CEO to get involved. The issue has now been sorted out, but the company still isn't entirely sure why it happened.
YouTube is back after crashing for users around the world
It's rare to see YouTube suffer serious issues, but the site went down around the world for a period of time on October 16. It's back now, and we can confirm it's loading normally on desktop and mobile. Naturally, fans of the site went to Twitter to complain about YouTube going dark.
Tokyo robotic warehouse needs almost no human workers
Uniqlo has unveiled its first robot-powered warehouse that requires 90 percent fewer human workers and can operate around the clock. The Japanese clothing giant plans to invest close to $1 billion dollars to convert all of its warehouses worldwide into high-tech shipping hubs.
This intelligent parachute system can bail out clumsy drone pilots
Parachutes can save drones from damage — and prevent injuries on the ground — when they unexpectedly fall from the sky. Among a number of such systems, Austrian company Drone Rescue is this week showing off its latest design that automatically deploys when it senses trouble.
Kodak’s ‘Digitizing Box’ service saves precious memories stuck on old media
Fading family photos and aging videotapes with home movies on will be lost forever if you don't set about converting them to digital media. While conversion services already exist, Kodak claims its new offering removes the effort, keeps it simple, and won't break the bank.
Boston Dynamics is trying to make fetch happen with its new working robot dog
Boston Dynamics wants to see Spot in the workplace, but not as part of take-your-dog-to-work days. Quite the opposite, in fact, as the Massachusetts-based technology company believes its extraordinary robo-dog is now ready to start work, and a new video shows exactly why.
Instagram is testing a new way for you to look through your feed
Instagram is always tweaking its app to give users the best experience possible, so how do you like the idea of tapping — instead of swiping — to look through your feed? The feature, which could make it easier to view content and reduce finger strain, is being tested by a select group of users.
PayPal will soon let you withdraw cash at Walmart, but there’s a catch
PayPal has teamed up with Walmart to let its account holders withdraw and deposit cash at the store. The service launches at all U.S. Walmart stores in early November and is available to members with the PayPal mobile app or a PayPal Cash Mastercard. The downside? Each transaction will cost $3.
This high-tech shopping cart from Walmart could save your life
Walmart has an idea for a high-tech shopping cart that can detect your heart rate, temperature, and how tightly you're gripping the cart's handle. The data could help Walmart to improve the shopping experience, as well as respond quickly to any accidents or health-related problems among its customers.
Singapore reclaims longest flight, but could you sit on a plane for that long?
Singapore Airlines has reclaimed the record for the world's longest commercial flight with a 19-hour service between Singapore and New York. Aware that few people would want to sit in economy for almost a day, it's done away with cattle class entirely and instead offers only business and premium economy seats.
Going my way? Waze takes its carpooling service nationwide
Following a tentative rollout over the last two years, Waze is launching its carpooling service in all 50 states, offering drivers a chance to fill their spare seats with riders heading in the same direction. Waze says it hopes its service will help reduce congestion in the nation's cities and beyond.
Space tourism: Virgin Galactic ‘weeks’ away from first test flights in space
Virgin Galactic chairman Richard Branson said on Tuesday, October 9 that test flights for its space tourism service will take crew into space for the first time "within weeks," with the first commercial flights coming "in months and not years." A seat on the spacecraft costs a wallet-melting $250,000.
A projection onto Sydney Opera House causes huge rumpus in Australia
An idea to project an ad for a big-money horse race onto the iconic sails of Sydney Opera House recently sparked a fierce national debate in Australia. The boss of the Opera House clashed with politicians and radio hosts over whether it should go ahead, with some 300,000 people signing a petition in a bid to stop it.
Instagram says its A.I. can track down bullying in photos
Instagram is turning to A.I. to root out bullying on its platform. Following similar efforts to target bullying in comments, the company now has systems in place that can detect bullying in photos, too. It's the first initiative under the leadership of Adam Mosseri, who recently replaced former CEO Kevin Systrom.
Vespa Elettrica: Piaggio’s first all-electric scooter is about to hit the road
Italian scooter manufacturer Piaggio has launched online pre-orders for its first all-electric scooter, with shipping starting in Europe toward the end of the year and in the U.S. in early 2019. The Vespa Elettrico features a 4-kW motor, has a range of 62 miles, and takes four hours to fully charge.
This is the result when a quadcopter strikes the wing of an aircraft
Responding to increasing concern over drone flights near airports, researchers in the U.S. have conducted lab tests to see what happens when a quadcopter collides with an aircraft wing at high speed. Launching a DJI Phantom drone at the wing of an airplane, the results of the experiment may surprise you.
Google Slides now auto-transcribes verbal presentations for real-time captions
A new feature for the Google Slides presentation software uses a PC's built-in microphone to transcribe the words of a speaker in real time, displaying them for everyone to see. While aimed at those with hearing loss, the feature could also prove useful in noisy rooms or when the speaker fails to project their voice.
Amazon may be prepping its first checkout-free store overseas
Amazon is reportedly looking to take its cashier-free store to its first overseas market. It already has four Amazon Go stores operating in the United States with many more to follow in the next three years, and is now believed to be looking for potential sites in the United Kingdom.
Banksy artwork self-destructs after it auctions for $1.4 million
Banksy pulled a spectacular stunt on Friday by shredding one of his most famous works just seconds after it fetched $1.4 million at a Sotheby's auction. The secretive street artist said later he built a shredding machine into the frame in case the artwork — Girl With Balloon — was ever put up for auction.
There are now vending machines in London that dry-clean your laundry
Londoners who have neither the time nor inclination to do their own dry-cleaning can now shove it in a vending machine and collect it, all ready to wear, within 24 hours. The new machines are heading to 200 locations across the capital, with the first ones opening at a number of its subway stations.
Twitter’s new Data Saver feature does what it says on the tin
If you want to use less data with Twitter, a new feature rolled out for the app on October 3 has your back. Called Data Saver, it prevents videos from auto-playing and loads lower-resolution images. Should you want to view a higher-resolution image in Data Saver mode, you can do so in a couple of taps.
Uber’s first electric-scooter service takes on Lyft in Santa Monica
Though still arch-rivals in the ridesharing space, Uber and Lyft are expanding their respective services to other modes of transport. Besides bike-sharing schemes, both companies are also getting into scooters, with Uber launching its first such service this week in Santa Monica, California.
Disney takes to the air with an autonomous paint-spraying drone
Look what has just flown out of Disney Research's workshop. It's an autonomous spray-painting drone that can apply colorful designs to 3D objects as well as flat surfaces. The PaintCopter, as Disney is calling it, offers "accurate and fast painting results" and could be useful in industrial settings.
Freewrite Traveler is a portable writing device for the easily distracted
The Freewrite Traveler is a better looking, more portable device than its somewhat clunky predecessor. The bare-bones machine is aimed squarely at those who are easily distracted, its lack of features enabling users to focus purely on the writing task in hand. At least, that's the idea.
Google’s Voice Access app gives Android users total hands-free control
Aimed at those with mobility issues, Google's free Voice Access app offers Android users hands-free control of their device in a way that builds on the functionality already offered by Google Assistant. It has just come out of beta and is usable with English commands, with more languages on the way.
