Daily Tech Headlines – January 22, 2018
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| Daily Tech Headlines – January 22, 2018 | |
| Number | 421 |
| Broadcast Date | JANUARY 22, 2018 |
| Episode Length | 3:54 |
| Hosts | Tom Merritt |
Amazon gets rid of checkout clerks, Microsoft has cheap laptops for schools and Facebook has more thoughts on news.
Headlines
- Amazon Go, a convenience store with no checkout clerks opened for the public on the ground floor of Amazon's 7th avenue building in Seattle Monday. Shoppers must have the Amazon Go app and scan a QR code from it to enter the store. From there cameras and a machine learning system will track the shopper and automatically add or subtract items from their bill as they pick up or put back items and then automatically charge them when they walk out. Amazon has no plans to expand the technology outside the test store at this time.
- At the Bett education show in London, Microsoft announced new Windows 10 and Windows 10 S devices with the cheapest being Lenovo's $189 100e laptop. Microsoft is also partnering with the BBC, LEGO, NASA, PBS, and publisher Pearson to bring Mixed Reality and video to schools. Microsoft also plans to add a free Chemistry update for Minecraft: Education Edition this spring.
- Facebook will use information gathered from its ongoing quality surveys to determine which news sources people in general trust the most. Facebook will surface news deemed more trustworthy higher in user's news feeds. Facebook also made three posts Monday sharing its findings on how social media affects government including one by Cass R. Sunstein, a professor at Harvard Law School that argues Facebook increases political divisions.
- Uber Eats has acquired Ando, the delivery-only restaurant founded by Momofuku chef David Chang. Ando will shut down its New York service and integrate with UberEats. Ando had focused on developing food and packaging suited well to delivery.
- Opera has added cryptojacking protection to its Opera for Android and Opera Mini browsers. Cryptojacking is when websites mine cryptocurrencies without a visitors knowledge using the visitor's device. Opera added the protection to its desktop browser earlier this month. The protection can be turned on in settings by engaging the built in ad blocker.
- A report from US Childcare professionals has reached a similar conclusion to British academics, that parents should not limit children's screen time. Instead parents should guide that time to be used actively in creative activities rather than passive viewing.
- More clues are popping up that Apple's HomePod may be launching soon. AppleInsider notes that the Apple HomePod has gained FCC approval. MacRumors reports that Filipe Espositio discovered that iOS 11.2.5 contains images hidden in Apple's Home app suggesting users can create Scenes in HomePod for various activities like muting Siri during a party.
- 9to5 Google reported that a banner appeared in the Google Play Store Friday promoting Audio Books, though tapping the banner led to a 404 error. The banner mentioned 50% off the first purchase.
- Yuji Naka who lead programming on the original Sonic the Hedgehog has joined Square Enix. Naka left the Sonic Team in 2006 to start his own studio called Prope. Naka will join game development for Square Enix.
- Science reports scientists at the University of Glasgow have created a process that can produce pharmaceuticals using a $2,000 off the shelf 3D printer. Four different vessels carry out chemical reactions in 12 steps like evaporation and filtering. Chemicals are kept in self-contained cartridges. The researchers created the muscle relaxant baclofen, an anticonvulsant and an ulcer drug. Regulations and abuse-prevention still need to be worked out.
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| Preceded by: "Daily Tech Headlines – January 19, 2018" |
Daily Tech Headlines – January 22, 2018 |
Followed by: "Daily Tech Headlines – January 23, 2018" |