Amazon is launching Astro, its first household robot, powered by its Alexa smart home technology. The company said it can be remote-controlled when not at home, to check on pets, people, or home security. It can also patrol a home automatically and send owners a notification if it detects something unusual. Amazon said it was… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Amazon
Amazon is bringing palm-scanning payment system to Whole Foods stores
Amazon is expanding its palm-scanning payment system to a Whole Foods store in Seattle, the company announced Wednesday, the first of many planned rollouts at other locations. Amazon One, which debuted in September and is currently in use at about a dozen Amazon physical stores, allows shoppers to pay for items by placing their palm over… Read more »
Tech trends in 2021: Fast planes and homeworking
Next year could be uncomfortable for the bosses of the world’s biggest technology firms. Efforts are accelerating to curb the power of Facebook, Amazon, Apple and Google owner Alphabet. Authorities, particularly in the US and Europe, are already getting tougher over competition issues and that is likely to be a key battleground in 2021. However,… Read more »
I ordered tea from Amazon, but got a box from Walmart. What happened?
A few weeks ago, I added some chai tea to my cart on Amazon, clicked the buy button, and didn’t think anything more of it. That is, until it arrived a couple days later in a Walmart box. I opened the box, initially not knowing what it was because I don’t usually shop at Walmart…. Read more »
Amazon’s Panorama box lets firms check if staff follow coronavirus rules
Amazon plans to sell companies a way to detect when staff are not wearing face masks or socially distancing. Beyond the pandemic, the system could also be used to track compliance of other workplace rules or to monitor the public – for example, to check the number of customers queuing in a store. It involves… Read more »
Black Friday on Amazon: How to spot fake reviews online
Many shops are still expected to offer deals online for the pre-Christmas sales event on 27 November. It’s been a difficult year for lots of retailers, who will be hoping Black Friday – and its bigger cousin Cyber Monday – will give them a much-needed boost But this all comes with a health warning if you’re buying… Read more »
Amazon’s “most chilling home surveillance product” yet
Amazon’s smart home security division Ring has unveiled a flying camera that launches if sensors detect a potential home break-in.It is designed to activate only when residents are out, works indoors, and is limited to one floor of a building. But one campaign group described the drone camera as Amazon’s “most chilling home surveillance product”… Read more »
Amazon’s new grocery store could change shopping forever
Amazon Prime users are already going to be familiar with ordering from Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods using the website and app. And Amazon first launched small-scale Amazon Go shops in select markets back in 2018. Now, Amazon is diving into a full-on supermarket with the opening of its Amazon Fresh grocery store in Woodland Hills,… Read more »
Why Amazon knows so much about you
I’ve been a customer since 1999, and rely on it for everything from grass seed to birthday gifts. There are Echo speakers dotted throughout my home, Ring cameras inside and out, a Fire TV set-top box in the living room and an ageing Kindle e-reader by my bedside. I submitted a data subject access request,… Read more »
Kids don’t trust Alexa to give the right answer
Picture this: You’re playing a game of trivia with friends. The question is, “How many bones are in the human hand?” Your friend answers 27. You decide to ask Alexa, the smart speaker sitting in the living room, to verify the number. Alexa says, “26.” Everyone agrees that even though your friend’s guess was close,… Read more »
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