technology

Phil's 1stPix

Car Dealers Aren’t Great At Explaining New Safety Features To Buyers, Claims New Study

If you’re buying a new car, you expect the salesperson will hit you with all the impressive-sounding lingo and tech phrases that could possibly apply to a vehicle. However, a new report suggests that when it comes to informing car-buyers about new vehicle safety technologies, dealership sales staff might not have all the information.  [More]

Razer

Razer CEO: Two Prototype Devices Stolen From Company’s CES Booth

If you happened to walk away from CES in Las Vegas with a few bits of Razer tech that don’t belong to you, the CEO of the company would like to have a word about two prototype devices that have gone missing. [More]

Jeepers Media

Verizon Executive: Company Still Doesn’t Know If It’ll Go Through With Yahoo Deal

It’s been a few months of “will-they-won’t-they?” with everyone (okay, some people) wondering whether or not Verizon will go through with the $4.8 billion deal to buy Yahoo after not one, but two massive email breaches. Now, a Verizon executive is admitting that the company isn’t sure what’s going to happen. [More]

.sanden.

Algorithm Creates Beer Recipes, Adjusts Them As User Feedback Comes In

What do computers know about beer? They can create recipes, it turns out, and a new startup plans to sell beer recipes created by artificial intelligence, adjusting subsequent batches based on feedback from customers. [More]

Open Grid Scheduler / Grid Engine

Airbnb Won’t Be Held Liable For Law-Breaking Listings In NYC

Back in October, the state of New York passed a new law specifically aimed at micro-hoteliers who rent out one or more New York City apartments to tourists. Airbnb immediately sued the state and the city over how the law will be enforced, and now the case has been settled. [More]

Nike Makes End-Run Around Retailers By Selling $720 Self-Tying Sneakers Itself

Nike Makes End-Run Around Retailers By Selling $720 Self-Tying Sneakers Itself

If you’re looking for Nike sneakers with self-tying laces, don’t go to FootLocker or Dick’s Sporting Goods: In an attempt to move away from relying on sports retailers to peddle its wares, Nike is cutting out the middleman and selling its new, pricey HyperAdapt shoes directly to consumers. [More]

Ben Schumin

Walmart Plans To Track Fresh Produce Like Bitcoin

Blockchain is a type of secure database that serves as an unchangeable ledger of information about an object. It was invented to track the movements of the cryptocurrency bitcoin, creating records that are anonymous but can’t be tampered with. Blockchain has applications outside of electronic currency, though, like tracking where your pork and vegetables have been. Wait, what? [More]

AT&T Customers Can Now Use Amazon’s Alexa To Send Text Messages

AT&T Customers Can Now Use Amazon’s Alexa To Send Text Messages

Amazon is adding another feature to make life easier for Echo users, well, at least those with AT&T wireless plans: AT&T customers can now tell Alexa to send text messages. [More]

Adam Fagen

Apple Is Reportedly Thinking About Developing Digital Glasses

With all the millennials lining up to snag a pair of Snapchat’s new smart sunglasses from a vending machine, it seems other tech companies are paying attention: according to a new report, Apple is apparently thinking of developing digital glasses. [More]

Alan Rappa

McDonald’s Launches iOS App To Find McRib, Immediately Invite Your Friends

Have you ever wanted to invite a friend out for a McRib, but aren’t sure where they’re available? This is probably an extremely rare problem, but McDonald’s has solved it nevertheless with a new app. The bad news: it’s only available for iPhone so far, and it’s not especially useful. [More]

DownDetector.com

Is Gchat Down? Yes, And Everyone Is Freaking Out

UPDATE: As of around 1:00, Gchat appears to be returning sporadically for some. The company’s G Suite Dashboard is also showing no disruptions in Google Hangout service. [More]

Apple Reportedly, Maybe, Possibly Thinking About Bringing iMessage To Android Devices

Apple Reportedly, Maybe, Possibly Thinking About Bringing iMessage To Android Devices

If there’s one feeling that many iOS users share, it’s the anticipatory rush you get when you see those three blinking dots in the iMessage app that means someone is typing (unless they just stop and destroy you entirely). Android users may someday share that distinct emotion, according to renewed buzz. [More]

(josepqr)

Report: Apple Taking A Big Step Back From Electric Car Plans

A little over a year ago, Apple was speeding up its quest to join the electric car market, announcing that it hoped to have a vehicle ready by 2019. Fast forward to today, and the company is reportedly putting the brakes on that plan. [More]

Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 Debacle Will Likely Cost Company $3B

Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 Debacle Will Likely Cost Company $3B

Surprise! All the trouble Samsung has had with its Galaxy Note 7 — the non-recall, the official recall, scrapping the production of the devices, and finally, the recall of replacement phones — is going to hit the company where it hurts: right in the piggy bank. [More]

Snapchat Has Reportedly Hired Itself Some Bankers Ahead Of Rumored IPO

Snapchat Has Reportedly Hired Itself Some Bankers Ahead Of Rumored IPO

The wheels of the rumor mill are busy turning once again, with a new report saying that Snapchat is hunting around for bankers in preparation for an initial public offering. [More]

Oculus Developing A Lower-End, Standalone Virtual Reality Device

Oculus Developing A Lower-End, Standalone Virtual Reality Device

If you’re one of those people who was perhaps interested in buying the Oculus Rift, only you don’t own a computer powerful enough to handle it, the Facebook-owned company says it’s got a new virtual reality product in the works that won’t require a Windows PC or even a mobile phone to use it. [More]

MITCSAIL

Researchers Develop Device That Can Detect Emotions With Wireless Signals

“Hey, buddy. You seem a little down, how about I order you a cheeseburger?” In the future, you could find yourself responding to that kind of a pep talk from your smartphone: a new device created by the bright minds at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a device that can detect emotions by reading wireless signals bouncing off a person. [More]

Byron Chin

Lenovo Says It’s Talked With Amazon About Bringing Alexa To PCs

We’ve gotten used to Amazon’s voice assistant Alexa adding new capabilities to her repertoire, like buying Prime-eligible products, paying credit card bills, ordering pizza, and then leading workouts to exercise off said pizza, but thus far she’s done it all from within the Amazon’s line of devices like the Echo and Echo Dot. That might be changing. [More]