Another Amazon patent has appeared at the United States Patent and Trademark Office. In the document, Amazon details a new type of drone designed specifically for its warehouses. Unlike quadcopters and similar drones consumers are familiar with, Amazon's illustrations show a unique bubble-like drone with a claw similar to the one found in crane arcade games.
Amazon is rolling out Hub by Amazon across the US, after its apartment building delivery system began accepting packages in a limited roll-out last year. The computerized lockers are the private version of Amazon Locker, intended to be installed in apartment communities so that deliveries can be secured even when recipients aren't home.
It’s probably quite telling when a feature that was launched with much fuss and fanfare is suddenly being retired without even a whisper. Then again, Amazon’s Mayday video calling customer support feature has been around for five years, which is a long time for something that may have ended up not being that successful beyond its first year. It may also represent a shift in the company’s vision which went away from automated support only to go back to it, this time perhaps with AI involved.
Microsoft is developing its own automatic checkout technology similar to the kind used by Amazon Go stores, according to sources. With this, retailers can equip stores with a system that monitors what consumers put into their basket and automatically bills them for it, eliminating the need to go through traditional checkout lines. Walmart is reportedly interested in Microsoft's platform.
Supposing you've got a father and you're planning on celebrating said Dad with a smartphone gift this weekend, you'll want to have a peek below. Today we've got a gift guide for you which encircles 5 of the most excellent smartphones for fathers, comprised of smartphones on the market right this minute. These devices fit in a number of categories, and within them, you'll likely find a device that your father can use and be glad to make use of.
Amazon's DeepLens AI camera has begun shipping, offering developers a turnkey way to get started on deep learning, computer vision, and more, all packaged into a standalone gadget smaller than an Echo. Announced late last year, the AWS DeepLens camera is in reality a compact computer wearing a camera hat, and designed to be a gateway to using Amazon's various cloud services.
The fact that Snapchat messages are only temporary might make some of us a little more bold with our words than we normally would be. Many Snapchat users know that it's still entirely possible to send a message you regret even with the knowledge that it isn't permanent, and now, Snap is rolling out new tools to help you erase those moments. With the latest Snapchat update, functionality that allows you to delete unread messages is beginning to roll out.
Last night, Bethesda poked fun at its penchant for porting Skyrim to any platform that will play it by announcing "Skyrim: Very Special Edition" for Alexa. The trailer it debuted featured Keegan-Michael Key as he navigated the frozen tundra that is Skyrim using voice commands, and at the time, everyone seemed to think it was a pretty good spoof announcement. As it turns out, however, it wasn't a spoof, and Skyrim: Very Special Edition is an Alexa game that actually exists.
Amazon is debuting a new Alexa-based streaming box today, but this one is a bit more capable than the rest of the company's lineup. Dubbed the Fire TV Cube, this new product will still let you stream content to your TV in 4K while controlling playback with your voice. Where it stands out from Amazon's other Fire-branded products, however, is in its ability to control your TV and other set-top devices, such as cable boxes and sound bars, directly.
Amazon can be credited (or blamed) for creating and pushing for the fast-growing smart speaker market. Lately, it can also be blamed for making people suddenly pause and reconsider their choices. Perhaps Amazon wants to show that it’s business as usual for its Echo devices, the retailer has just announced that its Echo Look device is now available for all US customers. Considering its recent privacy fiasco and what the Echo Look entails, it might just be digging its own grave.
It seems that even after the Cambridge Analytica scandal, Facebook has not yet covered all its legal bases or sorted out any loose ends. Perhaps that’s for the best since it allows even more information about the social networking giant’s practices to surface. A new report has revealed that Facebook may have given partners such as Apple, Samsung, Amazon, Microsoft, and BlackBerry far too much access not just to Facebook users’ data but even those of their friends as well.
A 4K Sony TV has seldom looked so appealing, with upgraders hoping to jump onto the Ultra HD bandwagon getting a tasty Amazon deal today. The Sony XBR55X900E 55-Inch 4K Ultra HD Smart LED TV packs Alexa support as well as a bundle of apps, but it's currently down more than $700 over its usual price.