Author Archives: Brittany A. Roston

Roku got a jump on the budget smart TV market, but Amazon's own platform is ready to battle for top spot. The company first introduced its media box product in the form of the Fire TV and then the Fire Stick, and now that same system has been built into select televisions to bring the same features (and more!) without the actual dongle or box. Chief among these televisions is Westinghouse's new 4K lineup.

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Fitness app Pact wants to help users reach fitness goals by using a cash incentive...or at least it says it wants to. The app works by charging users if they don't meet their weekly fitness goals and rewarding them with money if they do meet their goals. Allegations made by the FTC allege that things have worked differently in reality, and Pact will pay $940,000 as a result.

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A tidbit found within the YouTube v12.37 apk indicates that Google's video service may be preparing to launch yet another subscription option, this one called 'Plus.' The subscription seemingly would be a companion to the existing YouTube Red subscription option, but details about it are slight. There doesn't appear to be any sort of information or documentation about the subscription tier online.

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Cambridge Consultants has demonstrated an artificial intelligence system that takes simple sketches and transforms them into artwork that look like something created by Vincent Van Gogh or other famous painters. The system, which is nicknamed Vincent for obvious reasons, serves as a deep-learning demonstration for the company, which recently showcased the AI's abilities on video.

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Going to the dentist is a scary experience for many, but obviously not for the brave person who volunteered to undergo oral surgery performed by a robot. The procedure took place in China, where the robotic dentist successfully implanted a pair of teeth into patient's mouth. No human took an active role in the surgery, according to a local report.

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Target has expanded its next-day delivery service into 8 new cities, all of them major metro regions like Chicago and Los Angeles. This is done as part of Target's Restock service, a way for anyone to order certain goods online and have then arrive the next day. If that sounds familiar, that's because it is: Amazon does something similar with Prime Pantry.

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Nintendo is teasing SNES fans with its Classic Edition, a modern version of the retro console that includes wired controllers for a more authentic experience. If you're not so keen on having an authentic experience, Nyko has the controller you probably wish Nintendo would have used: a wireless SNES controller. This model looks just like the original (with the purple and lavender buttons), but it sheds the cable in favor of a small dongle.

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Netflix is facing a trademark dispute with the family of Pablo Escobar, the subject of its popular series Narcos. Escobar's brother Roberto De Jesus Escobar Gaviria is seeking a billion-dollar payment from Netflix over its alleged intellectual property violations. In return, and based on a legal letter that recently leaked, it seems Netflix's own lawyers are threatening to slap the Escobar family with its own lawsuit.

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The remains of a young Neanderthal boy are helping shed light on how Neanderthals developed such large brains (larger than that of modern humans, in fact). According to the study, these larger brains were likely due to longer growth periods. Such a conclusion was made by analyzing the largely complete and well-preserved skeletal remains of a Neanderthal child estimated to have been 7 or 8 at the time of death.

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LIFX has announced that its current Lifx and Lifx+ lineup of WiFi smart bulbs now work with Apple HomeKit. Thanks to this new support, current and future Lifx smart bulb owners are able to control their home or office's lighting using their iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, or other Apple product. The new support is available now.

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It appears Instagram will finally add a 'follows you' feature that makes it possible to see whether another user is following you on the social network. This feature has popped up in testing for users in the Android app, though it doesn't seem to be widespread at this time. The new 'follows you' tag appears on the the Instagram user's bio page, though if you're not seeing one now, the feature simply may not be available to you yet.

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Netflix has just expanded its HDR and Dolby Vision support, announcing that these videos are now available on the iPad Pro, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and the iPhone X. It was a quiet announcement, as with the other devices that get Netflix HDR support, but represents a big expansion to its still-small list of supported mobile devices.

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