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.
Lyft wants to know about your ride experience before it’s even over
Lyft is so keen to know how your ridesharing trip is going that it wants to ask you about it while you're still in the car. The feature, which is now being tested, is designed to help it hone its carpooling service, with Lyft believing that it can get more thoughtful responses during the ride rather than later on.
Instagram names new boss: Facebook veteran Adam Mosseri
Instagram's new boss is Adam Mosseri, a 10-year veteran of Facebook — the company that owns Instagram. More recently, Mosseri ran Facebook's news feed before moving to Instagram's product division in May. In an online post, he said he was excited to take on the role and promised to maintain Instagram's core values.
‘No-selfie zones’ suggested to prevent fatal accidents at tourist spots
OK, it's highly unlikely you're going to succumb to a nasty accident with your next selfie effort, but the rising number of cases where selfie-takers are putting themselves in unnecessary danger has led researchers to suggest banning the practice at some tourist spots.
Some iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max handsets appear to have charging issues
Some owners of Apple's new iPhone XS and XS Max handsets are apparently having problems charging their devices using the cable. In such cases, the charging process fails to begin automatically when the screen is off, or stops after a short time. Apple has not yet publicly acknowledged the issue.
Nintendo wins battle against Tokyo’s Mario-inspired go-kart tourist attraction
Nintendo has won a copyright case against MariCar, provider of a hugely popular Tokyo tourist attraction that lets you go-kart around the city's streets wearing costumes inspired by Nintendo's famous video game characters. The court's decision may force MariCar off the road, though a hasty rebranding exercise could save it.
Fujifilm’s new SQ20 instant camera is the first to include video
Fujifilm's new Instax Square SQ20 instant camera is a hybrid device offering digital shots as well as instant prints using the Instax film system. It's the first Instax to offer video, though it's mainly for fancy photo effects. The camera starts shipping on October 20 for $200.
Uber agrees to pay $148 million for 2016 hack and cover-up
Uber has agreed to pay $148 million for failing to immediately come clean about a 2016 hack that resulted in the theft of personal data belonging to 57 million of its riders and drivers worldwide. Uber had hoped to cover up the security breach and paid the hackers $100,000 to destroy the stolen data.
Amazon is opening a new brick-and-mortar store with a twist
Adding to its physical book stores and Amazon Go grocery outlets, the online shopping giant is opening a new retail store in New York City that only sells items that have been rated four stars and higher on its site. Amazon 4-star, as it's called, will offer products from across its range, with better prices for Prime members.