Amazon’s rumored hand recognition payment tech might be useful beyond paying for produce at Whole Foods. Wall Street Journal sources say the company is developing hand-based checkout terminals that it would sell to “coffee shops, fast-food restaurants” and other stores that tend to have repeat customers, not just Whole Foods.
Continue reading Amazon may offer hand recognition payments to other stores
Sony’s next-generation console isn’t due to launch anytime this year, but the tech giant has been surprisingly generous with details. During a corporate strategy presentation, the company has listed all the information it has revealed so far, confirming yet again that the PS5 will have backwards compatibility. Since it has a similar architecture to the PS4, it will be able to play games designed for the current-gen console and will also be compatible with the current version of PlayStation VR.
Continue reading Sony just laid out everything there is to know about the PS5
You might have a hard time finding flavored e-cigs outside of vape shops in the future. According to The Washington Post, the Food and Drug Administration plans to announce a ban on the sales of most pod-based flavored e-cigarettes in convenience stores and gas stations across the country. It’s reportedly part of the agency’s efforts to curb sales of e-cigs to minors, since studies show that flavors tend to attract underage buyers. The FDA says that there’s been a 77 percent increase in the use of e-cigarettes among high school students in 2018 — Juul has been particularly popular among teens to the point that vaping with Juul is now commonly known as “juuling.”
Continue reading FDA to ban flavored e-cigarette sales in convenience stores
Magic Leap is known for its secrecy. The company kept its One headsetunder wraps for years, teasing out details with ambiguous conference speeches and restrictive press opportunities. It should come as no surprise, then, to hear that developer units are being shipped out with an unusual caveat: while not in use, they have to be kept in locked safes. The detail comes from Bloomberg alongside confirmation of a “limited” developer roll out (a larger batch of units will be sent out later this year.) It’s safe to assume that the company wants to avoid the fabled iPhone 4 incident.
Continue reading Magic Leap developer units must be kept in locked safes
Amazon’s next move in the fashion world could be a mirror that shows how outfits will look on you without you having to actually put them on. GeekWire reports that the company has been granted a patent describing just that sort of technology. Using mirrors, screens, displays, projectors and cameras, the system is able to combine a person’s likeness with virtual images and present a blended-reality reflection that shows them in a variety of virtual background settings and wearing virtual outfits.
Continue reading Amazon patent describes mirror for trying on virtual clothes
Luxury vehicles from the 1930s were nearly aircraft carrier-long. It was the art deco era dominated by seemingly never ending clean lines. So it’s no surprise that the Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 Cabriolet is over six meters long (about 20 feet) and has a single line that runs the length of the vehicle. Hell, the back the car is inspired by yachts and called a “boat tail.” In other words, it’s going impossible to find parking for it.
Continue reading Mercedes uses art deco inspiration for electric car concept
The Department of Homeland Security is considering banning all carry-on laptops on flights from Europe to the United States. This rule change would represent an expansion of previous regulations banning carry-on laptops and tablets on flights from some Middle Eastern and African countries.
Continue reading US considers banning laptops on all flights from Europe
The Fat Cat Collective 