Amazon’s Internet is a new lightweight browser app for emerging markets
Mobile users in developing nations with slower internet connections don't need to download Chrome or go onto Safari -- instead, they can simply get on Internet. The aptly named app is the latest product to emerge from Amazon, and it's an Android web browser meant specifically for emerging markets.
Hyperloop Transportation Technologies is on its way to the UAE
Just days after announcing that its Hyperloop test track is one step closer to completion in France, Hyperloop Transportation Technologies is breaking ground again and moving forward with the first commercial Hyperloop system in the UAE. It'll be the first such development in the middle east, the two companies say.
Amazon and Best Buy shake hands and team up to sell smart TVs
Amazon and Best Buy are putting aside their rivalry for the time being, and instead teaming up in order to sell smart TVs powered by Amazon's own Fire TV operating system. In total, the duo will sell 11 models of these TVs beginning this summer. The hardware will be provided by Toshiba and Insignia.
Secure your home from your wrist with an August lock and Apple Watch app
First, smart lock companies made it harder for strangers to get into your front door. But now, they're making it easier for you. August is helping remove as many barriers to entry as possible when it comes to locking and unlocking your home. It comes in the form of an all-new Apple Watch app.
LG’s SmartThinQ appliances cook up support for both Alexa and Google Assistant
Whether you're an Amazon Alexa loyalist or a Google Assistant afficionado, you'll be able to control your smart kitchen with your voice. That is, if your smart kitchen boasts LG smart appliances. The company announced that its line of SmartThinQ appliances are now compatible with both Alexa and Google Assistant.
125 million subscribers are paying to ‘Netflix and chill’ these days
Netflix viewers may like to chill, but Netflix itself is hot - it has just reached 125 million subscribers. The milestone was announced in the company's first quarterly earnings call of 2018, where the firm revealed it had added 7.4 million subscribers in the first quarter, a 50-percent increase over last year.
Electrolux partners with Innit to streamline the meal-planning process
Thanks to a new partnership, Innit will provide the brains behind Electrolux's connected cooking experience, helping to create "personalized meal content with visual guidance," allowing home chefs to control their appliances simply by tapping their smartphone screens. Dinner just got a whole lot easier.
Target will deliver your large in-store purchases straight to your door
Whole Foods is delivering, Walmart is delivering, and now, Target is delivering, too. The retail giant is hoping to make things a bit easier for its urban shoppers to get their big ticket items home with a new solution -- same-day delivery of your large in-store purchases.
The Vicis Zero1 ranks highest in NFL and NFLPA testing for second straight year
For the second year in a row, the Vicis Zero1 helmet clinched the top safety rating after the NFL and NFLPA conducted its own independent performance tests. Now, the company can claim the top two positions among the 34 helmets tested, as last year's model also continues to rate highly in terms of safety.
Owner survey suggests Tesla’s batteries see only limited degradation
Tesla's batteries display less than 10 percent degradation of their energy capacity after 160,000 miles. That means, by extension, that their cars could also travel farther than previously believed. That is great news for Tesla, which has received more than its fair share of bad news in recent weeks.
Robot bees on Mars — NASA funding a swarm of drones to explore the Red Planet
The Curiosity Rover has done its share of exploring Mars by land, but now, NASA is looking to take to the skies above the Red Planet. The agency is funding a team of Japanese and American engineers that's hoping to send a team of drones inspired by bees, aptly named "Marsbees."
JVC and Kenwood launch head units with wireless Android Auto
Android Auto is going wireless. JVC and Kenwood unveiled wireless Android Auto receivers at CES 2018, and now, three months later, Google is helping out too, enabling wireless Android Auto for folks this week. If you own a Pixel or Nexus running Android Oreo or higher, congratulations -- no more wires.
Kelly Slater’s ‘Surf Ranch’ will make waves by hosting its first competition
Kelly Slater's Surf Ranch will play host to a World Sure League event with competitors riding artificial waves as part oft he competition. The Surf Ranch will plays host to a World Surf League event with five teams of five riders each taking on the artificial waves that the venue has become famous for.
The amount users spent on iPhone apps in the U.S. rose 23 percent last year
In 2017, U.S. iPhone owners spent nearly a quarter more money on in-app purchases than they did in 2016. The average user spent $58 on in-app purchases -- up 23 percent from 2016. While that's not a staggering amount, it is about a dozen Starbucks lattes. The average iPhone owner had 45 apps installed.
Does your Apple Watch 2 have a swollen battery? Apple will fix it for free
As part of its ongoing mea culpa regarding device batteries, Apple is rolling out a new service policy that should come as great news to a number of Apple Watch Series 2 owners. The iEmpire will now being to repair Apple Watches that do not power on or have a swollen battery for free. A similar policy was enacted last year.
Looking to spice up your Facebook Stories? Try 3D drawing, a new AR effect
It's not just Instagram that's competing against Snapchat -- now parent company Facebook is getting into the action as well. You'll soon be able to take a photo of your surroundings, annotate them using AR technology, and turn them into Instagram Boomerang GIFs using your Facebook Camera.
Real estate juggernaut Zillow is going to start buying and flipping houses
Zillow is no longer playing the middleman in the real estate game. The Seattle-based company announced that it would expand testing of a pilot program in Phoenix, in which it will buy and sell homes directly. It's a feature called "instant offer," and involves some home flipping on Zillow's part.
Gmail to get much-needed visual updates and advanced security features
In an email sent to G Suite administrators on Wednesday, April 11, Google announced plans to roll out a new look for Gmail with a host of other new features, most of which will be outlined in the future. The new features will first be delivered to G Suite via a limited early adopter program.
Sleep cheek to cheek with the bootyful Buttress pillow
The Buttress looks remarkably like your Gluteus maximus (if you do a lot of squatting and working out in general), so even if you don't decide to sleep on or with the butt pillow, it might provide some inspiration for what your rear end might look like. It successfully reached its Kickstarter funding goal.
Apple Music reaches milestone of 40 million paid subscribers
Apple Music has officially surpassed the 40 million subscriber mark. It's an impressive milestone for the music streaming service, which has also just found itself a new leader. Earlier this week, the iEmpire announced that Oliver Schusser will be taking on the challenge of leading Apple Music Worldwide.
Russia bans Popular messenger app Telegram, Kremlin must use new service
On Friday, a Russian court banned the popular messenger service Telegram, a decision that comes a week after Russian communication watchdog Roskomnadzor filed a lawsuit to limit users' access to the app. The showdown began to form when Telegram refused to allow Russian state security services to access user messages.
Law enforcement agencies are buying GrayKey, a device to unlock iPhones
Unlocking an iPhone may no longer be the arduous task it once was for law enforcement officials. It would appear that an increasing number of U.S. authorities are buying a cost-effective device capable of unlocking iPhones without breaking a sweat. It's called GrayKey, and it costs $15,000 to $30,000.
Google is learning to differentiate between your voice and your friend’s
We may be able to pick out our best friend's or our mother's voice from a crowd, but can the same be said for our smart speakers? Thanks to new research detailed in a paper titled, "Looking to Listen at the Cocktail Party," a new AI system is able to identify voices by looking at people's faces as they speak.
Florida mansion is a dream for the Disney lover who has $900,000 to spare
Not all of us have the luxury of living inside a fairy-tale, but for the lucky future owners of this Disney-themed mansion in Florida, dreams really do come true. If you ever manage to make it inside the so-called Mickey-and-Minnie house, you may believe that pumpkins can turn into carriages after all.
Amazon completes its acquisition of Ring, the video doorbell maker
Ring, the company behind the popular video doorbell, now has a new parent and a new price. On Thursday, Amazon announced that it had completed the acquisition of the smart home company, and to celebrate, is offering the video doorbell for the new lowered price of $100.
Uber is stepping up its game on passenger safety features
Uber is taking a closer look at its passenger safety features and working to improve its previously sparse set of tools. On April 12, the transportation giant announced "several new improvements to double down on safety" in the app, including a plan to improve the background screening process for its drivers.
HyperloopTT takes another step toward completing its test track in France
Our dreams of being shuttled around in vacuum tubes are coming yet another step closer to fruition. Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HyperloopTT) has received the first sets of tubes needed to build its test track in Toulouse, France. It will build a 1,050-foot system set to begin operations in 2018.
Apple HomePod sales are hugely disappointing, new reports say
While Apple has said that it's planning on adding more functionality to its Apple HomePod sometime later, it may need to pick up the pace. Because for now, sales are flagging big time. As per a Bloomberg report, the $349 price tag of the HomePod seems to simply be too high for many would-be customers.
A New York Times reporter downloaded his Facebook data – and was terrified
If you think that your minimal presence on Facebook may have exempted you from the social network's now well-publicized data collection tactics, you'll need to think again. The lead consumer technology reporter for the New York Times, Brian Chen, downloaded his data. The results were terrifying.
Cox joins the smart home security game with Cox Homelife Automation
Even your television provider is looking for ways to make your home smarter. Meet Cox Homelife Automation, heralded as a new choice for customers "who want peace of mind to stay connected to loved ones and control their home, but don't feel the need for 24/7 monitored security."
T-Mobile is celebrating Earth Day with $250,000 and a lot of trees
As one of the few truly global days of celebration and recognition (after all, who on Earth doesn't benefit from our planet?), it only makes sense that we mark Earth Day with the gusto it so deserves. And here to help us do just that is T-Mobile, who is promising to make it "easier than ever to make a difference."
Those ‘warranty void if removed’ stickers are illegal, says the FTC
No longer will you have to resign yourself to a life in which you refrain from pulling off stickers that read "warranty void if removed." As it turns out, these stickers are not only ugly, but in fact deceptive and potentially illegal in the U.S., as per the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).