Battery pack suspected cause of recent Virgin Atlantic aircraft fire
A recent fire on board a Virgin Atlantic plane flying from the U.S. to the U.K., appears to have been caused by an external battery pack. The power packs are popular among smartphone owners who use them to keep their handset’s battery topped up, but poorly made or damaged packs can sometimes catch fire.
The humble cassette player gets a modern-day makeover, sort of
If you've been wondering what it was like to live in the 80s, or want to experience for yourself the joys of owning a portable cassette player, then this modern-day effort from Ninm Lab may be of interest. Now on Kickstarter, the maker claims it’s the first portable cassette player in the world to come with Bluetooth.
Amazon can be held liable for third-party sales, court rules
A court ruling in Pennsylvania this week means that Amazon could in future be held liable for goods sold on its site by third-party vendors. Amazon has always claimed that it merely offers a platform for vendors and is not the actual seller of their goods, thereby absolving it of any responsibility.Â
Lyft reveals how it intends to help in the event of a major disaster
Joining the likes of Airbnb, Facebook, and others, Lyft has revealed how it intends to use its ridesharing operation to assist relief efforts in urban areas hit by a natural disaster. Lyft’s Disaster Relief Access Program includes offering free rides and sharing important information through its social channels.
SpaceX rocket fairing creates a spectacular light show on return to Earth
SpaceX has posted a video showing a beautiful light show created by its rocket fairing as it returned to Earth. The video was shot from the fairing itself during last month's Falcon Heavy mission, which also saw its marine vessel catch a section of the fairing for the first time.
Photos of damaged MacBook Pro highlight the need to respond to Apple’s recall
Apple issued a recall for some MacBook Pro machines in June over concerns that the battery could overheat and present a safety risk. The recall came at about the same time that an owner of one of the affected Pros saw his machine go up in flames. Florida resident Steven Gagne posted pictures of the damage online.
Canon’s crowdfunded clippable camera has a very unusual viewfinder
Canon is turning to Indiegogo to help fund its latest product: A camera the company describes as a “clippable, go anywhere" device. And that clip is an important part of the design because it helps you frame your shots. If the camera makes it to market, early-bird backers are promised 30% off the retail price.
Uber Eats Dine-in option targets folks who want to eat at the restaurant
If you thought Uber Eats was all about meal delivery, think again. The company is testing a Dine-in option that lets you order your meal via the app and then eat it at the restaurant. Currently available in several U.S. cities, the feature could suit time-pressed folks, and may bring in more orders for restaurants.
Robo-taxis take another step toward commercial use in California
Waymo is now allowed to take passengers in its self-driving cars in California as the company takes another step toward launching a robo-taxi service similar to the limited one it already offers in Arizona. Until now only safety drivers and Waymo engineers have been allowed inside its autonomous cars during test rides.
Uber puts its bike- and scooter-sharing services front and center in main app
As part of its efforts to become your one-stop shop for city transportation, Uber is starting to add information for its bike and scootersharing services to its main ridesharing app. It means users in some cities will be able to see the availability of nearby two-wheelers on the map in the Uber app.
Revenge porn using deepfakes can now result in jail time in Virginia
Lawmakers in Virginia have amended the state's revenge porn law to include deepfakes. It means that anyone convicted of sharing nude or sexual content of a person without their consent could be hit with a hefty fine or even sent to jail -- regardless of whether the content is real or fake.
Here’s how you can watch Tuesday’s total solar eclipse over South America
By all accounts, the 2017 total solar eclipse was spectacular. There’s another one on Tuesday, but this time it's not passing over the U.S.. Thankfully, NASA has stepped in to offer a live-stream of the celestial event so you can still enjoy it -- and from the comfort of your own armchair, too.
Electric cars are about to become a bit noisier in the EU
A new EU safety law means that from today, new electric car models must come fitted with a noise generator to alert cyclists, pedestrians, and the visually impaired to their presence. Car models now in production won’t need to fall in line until 2021. A similar law will go into force in the U.S. in 2020.
U.S. Army takes its pocket-sized reconnaissance drone to Afghanistan
The Black Hornet drone from Oregon-based FLIR Systems is a pocket-sized flying machine with advanced features designed to assist soldiers' reconnaissance missions. Having already undergone extensive testing, the twin-rotor, camera-equipped device is about to make its debut in Afghanistan.
NASA’s restored Mission Control lets you relive the historic 1969 moon landing
After two years of painstaking work, the Johnson Space Center has finished work restoring its Apollo Mission Control Center to precisely how it looked when Neil Armstrong became the first human to set foot on the moon in 1969. Even better, it opens to the general public from July 1, 2019.
VW’s new carsharing service aims to be a little different from the rest
Volkswagen has entered the carsharing market with the launch of its WeShare service in Berlin, Germany. Hoping to appeal to environmentally minded folks, it's the first such service to offer a fleet made up entirely of electric vehicles. WeShare will expand to other European countries in 2020, and possibly beyond.
NASA’s eight-rotor Dragonfly drone is heading to Saturn’s largest moon
NASA is sending a drone to Titan, Saturn's largest moon, in an ambitious mission that could unlock the mystery of how life began on Earth. Launching in 2026, the dual-quadcopter will reach Titan eight years later, whereupon it’ll spend several years gathering data from locations of interest.
If Amazon crashes again on Prime Day, eBay has your back
Remember how Amazon's site crashed at the start of Prime Day last year? Well, eBay says it'll add a slew of extra bargains to its own sale if another outage occurs on this year’s Prime Day. Even if Amazon’s site runs smoothly on July 15, visitors to eBay can still find plenty of deals on the site throughout July.
A big rig just hit 55 mph on a Florida highway without anyone in the cab
A big rig recently motored along the Florida Turnpike at 55 mph without anyone behind the wheel. Fortunately, it was supposed to be that way, as the vehicle was part of a carefully controlled test drive involving a remote driver and autonomous technology created by high-tech trucking company Starsky Robotics.
Flying taxis: Kitty Hawk and Boeing team up on urban mobility
The day when we can hop into a compact, electric, autonomous flying machine to zip across town edged a little closer this week when Boeing announced a new partnership with Kitty Hawk, a California-based startup backed by Google co-founder Larry Page that's been working on such an aircraft.
SpaceX launches Falcon Heavy but loses core booster in crash landing
SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy blazed through the Florida sky early Tuesday local time as the world’s largest operational rocket embarked on its third and most challenging mission to date. The two side rockets landed back at Cape Canaveral after liftoff, but the core booster missed the drone ship and crashed into the sea.
U.S. firm plans to power soccer stadiums using aging Nissan Leaf batteries
We've heard of aging EV batteries being repurposed to power homes, street lamps, and other facilities, but how about an entire sports stadium? An American firm is already doing just that, and now has plans to expand its system to multiple soccer venues across Europe using old EV batteries from Nissan’s Leaf vehicle.
Airbus-backed Voom could take on Uber’s on-demand flying taxi service
Airbus-backed Voom says it's planning to take its on-demand helicopter taxi to more U.S. cities this fall. Currently operating in San Francisco and two cities in Latin America, Voom goes with the tagline: "Book in seconds, fly in minutes." Uber is about to launch a similar service between NY City and JFK airport.
The guy who invented USB finally admits it’s annoying to plug in
Why is it that despite flipping around a USB plug, it still doesn’t want to slot in? The man behind the team that created USB has finally acknowledged that the design has caused plenty of frustration over the years. But he insists there was a good reason for building it in the way that he did.
Walmart using A.I.-powered cameras to spot dodgy shoppers at self-checkouts
Walmart is using computer vision technology at some of its stores in an effort to spot sneaky behavior at its self-checkout counters. The A.I.-powered cameras automatically identify any dodgy activity before alerting staff, who can then intervene to confirm the situation.
Nissan’s high-tech ice cream truck removes the fumes from your order
Nissan has given the traditional ice cream truck a modern makeover to create a cleaner, greener, high-tech alternative. The prototype design gives a new lease of life to aging electric-vehicle batteries by using them to power the truck’s equipment, including the serving machine, freezer drawer, and drinks fridge.
Google Maps insists it’s doing what it can to weed out business scammers
Google Maps has a problem with bogus businesses populating its listings, with some unsuspecting users falling victim to scams. The company says it's doing everything it can to sort it out, while insisting that the fake entries comprise only a tiny percentage of the total number of businesses held on its database.
Microsoft teams up with Kano to create a DIY Windows 10 PC for kids
Microsoft and Kano have collaborated on a build-it-yourself Windows 10 PC aimed at making computing fun for kids. The Kano PC features an 11.6-inch touchscreen and attachable keyboard, and comes bundled with a range of software aimed at demystifying technology and making learning about it fun.
Drone delivery services may prove too noisy for some in Australia
Numerous companies are lining up to deliver stuff by drone, but the machines still make quite a racket when they fly nearby. In Australia, where Google sister company Wing recently launched a drone delivery service, locals complained about the noise. And now the government is getting involved.
Check out this clever robot dishwasher, designed for busy restaurants
If you thought we were years away from seeing a restaurant staffed only by robots, then think again. Robot wait staff and robot chefs are already a thing, and now, to complete the setup, we have a high-tech robot dishwasher offering a fast, reliable, and environmentally friendly service.
Best Buy focuses on fitness with new range of high-tech gym equipment
Best Buy is focusing on fitness with the launch of new in-store spaces featuring a range of connected health-boosting equipment. Coming to 100 Best Buy stores this year, the collection includes everything from exercise bikes and rowing machines to treadmills and fitness recovery systems.
Waymo at last fires up the self-driving smarts of the Jaguar I-Pace
A year after inking a deal with Jaguar to use the I-Pace crossover for its self-driving program, Waymo has started testing the modified electric vehicle in driverless mode. The plan is to use the I-Pace for autonomous ridesharing services such as the one it’s already operating in Phoenix, Arizona.
This futuristic driverless pod will soon be delivering pizza in Texas
Pizza delivery using driverless pods is about to become a thing. Domino's has partnered with autonomous-tech specialist Nuro to use the futuristic pods for a trial delivery service starting later this year. Customers place their order on an app and then tap in a code to grab the pizza from the pod when it arrives.