Elon Musk’s Boring Company hits setback, abandons L.A. tunnel project
Elon Musk's Boring Company has ditched plans to build a test tunnel in Los Angeles for its ambitious high-speed transit system following a dispute with local community groups that were opposed to the project. It's a disappointing setback for the company, and also an indication of the kind of challenges that lie ahead.
Apple aims to get kids into coding with free classes at its stores worldwide
Apple is offering free coding classes for students at Apple Stores globally from December. Kids aged between 6 and 12 can explore coding with robots, while those aged 12 and above can learn Swift, Apple's programming language that's used by professional developers to build some of the world's most popular apps.
Dangle no more: Window-washing drone for towers could replace human cleaners
The maker of a window-washing drone for tall buildings claims it can do the job 20 times faster than humans and is much safer than using workers in cradles. The 12-rotor flying machine draws power and water from sources on the ground, and is tethered to the top of the building for safety.
USPS fixes online flaw that exposed the data of 60 million customers
The United States Postal Service has patched an online security flaw that allowed anyone with an account at usps.com to view the account details of any of the 60 million people signed up to the service. In some cases, the flaw even allowed for changes to be made to information held by the accounts.
Lovot is a cute companion robot that wants to give you affection
It won't do the housework or cut the grass, but it might make you happy. We're talking about Lovot, a new companion robot out of Japan. It's been designed by Tokyo-based Groove X, whose CEO Kaname Hayashi worked extensively on SoftBank's Pepper robot before he left to set up his own company.
Twitter makes it easier than ever to switch between latest and top tweets
Twitter has finally delivered on its promise to give users more control over their timeline. It comes in the form of a new button on the main screen that lets you switch between an algorithm-generated timeline or, as some people like to have it, a timeline that shows the most recent tweets first.
Google’s new Street View backpack offers better imagery in a lighter package
Higher-quality imagery is coming to Street View thanks to a new design for Google's Trekker backpack. The kit, which enables Street View to capture imagery from more places, now has better-quality camera sensors and is lighter than before. Google rebuilt the kit after listening to feedback from users.
Google to expand New York City presence with $1 billion campus
Google is following in Amazon's footsteps with its own plans to significantly expand its presence in New York City. The company announced on Monday, December 17 that it's investing $1 billion on three sites in Manhattan for more than 7,000 workers. The first buildings will be open for business by 2020.
High-tech dancing robot turns out to be a guy in a costume
A Russian TV audience was impressed recently by an adult-sized "robot" that could dance and talk. But when some viewers began pointing out that the android's actions were a little bit weird, and that it had no sensors, the truth finally emerged ... it was a fella in a robot suit.
Delivery robot goes up in flames while out and about in California
A small meal-delivery robot suddenly caught fire in Berkeley, California, on Friday. The robot's maker, Kiwi, said the incident was caused by a faulty battery. The blaze was quickly extinguished and no one was hurt, but the episode is still a troubling one for the fledgling robot delivery industry.
Postmates’ to roll out Minion-like autonomous delivery robots in 2019
On-demand delivery firm Postmates is about to employ a cute little robot to work alongside its human delivery personnel. Called Serve, the wheel-based bot can carry items weighing up to 50 pounds and has a range of 30 miles. It'll hit the streets first in Los Angeles, with more cities welcoming the robot next year.
Netflix is testing an instant scene-replay feature, but would you use it?
Netflix has confirmed that it's testing a feature that lets you skip back to the beginning of the scene you just watched. The pop-up message only appears for certain stand-out scenes, though Netflix subscribers who've seen it seem to find it annoying more than anything else.
Cops go after porch pirates with dummy Amazon boxes and GPS trackers
The fight against those pesky porch pirates has begun in earnest after Amazon teamed up with police in Jersey City to catch the thieves. It involves dummy Amazon boxes and GPS trackers, and within just minutes of the operation's launch this week, cops nabbed their first criminal.
Puma revives its classic 1986 smart shoe, complete with high-tech heel hump
More marketing stunt than serious effort to dominate the smart shoe space, Puma is about to re-release its classic RS-Computer Shoe. The high-tech footwear from 1986 was a breakthrough at the time, allowing runners to measure time, distance, and calories expended, before uploading the data to a PC.
Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ becomes the most-streamed 20th-century song
Queen's iconic Bohemian Rhapsody has become the most-streamed 20th-century song. Knocking Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit off the top spot, the British band's 1975 classic has now been streamed more than 1.6 billion times globally. Its popularity was given a boost by the recently released Queen biopic.
Uber Eats is testing a system for cheaper meal delivery
In an effort to make its service more competitive while at the same time increasing its efficiency, Uber Eats is looking at ways of encouraging customers located in a specific area to order from the same restaurant so that a single driver can deliver multiple meals in one journey.
Broadway actor tells Kanye West to get off his phone during opening night
During the opening night of the new Broadway production The Cher Show on Monday, one of the lead actors spotted Kanye West using his smartphone mid-performance. Jarrod Spector, who plays Sonny Bono in the musical, called him out via a tweet during the show, prompting West to offer an apology.
Walkie-talkie voice messaging finally comes to Instagram
Instagram has added walkie-talkie-style voice messaging to its app. Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Snapchat, and iMessage, among others, already offer the feature. To send a voice message, simply tap on the app's messaging icon and then press and hold the microphone button inside the text box -- and speak!
Full-fledged drone delivery service set to land in remote Canadian community
Some drone delivery operations seem rather crude in their execution, but Drone Delivery Canada is building a comprehensive platform that's aiming to take drone delivery to the next level. Part of its work includes the imminent launch of a service between two remote communities in northern Canada.
Leica targets street photographers with a pricey camera bundle
Described by the camera company as "your perfect companion in the city," Leica's Street Kit for street photographers comprises a Leica CL camera body, a Leica Summicron-TL 23mm (35mm full-frame equivalent) F2 lens, two batteries, a black handgrip, and a Leica-branded black leather carrying strap.
Lime’s dockless electric bikes land in London, but its scooters aren’t allowed
Lime has landed in London with its dockless bikesharing service. The pedal-assisted electric bikes are unlocked using Lime's smartphone app and can reach speeds of 15 mph. It plans to have 1,000 bikes on the streets of the capital before the end of the year, with more planned for 2019.
Google’s updated Santa Tracker entertains and teaches coding throughout December
Google's Santa Tracker is in its fifteenth year and is back again with even more features. You can have fun with more than 20 games, learn about different holiday traditions around the world, and enjoy some festive animations. There's also a chance to learn some basic coding, all Christmas-related, of course.
Elon Musk to unveil tunnel elevators and autonomous pods on December 18
We'll soon learn if Elon Musk's high-speed tunnel plan is a serious effort to relieve traffic congestion or little more than a fancy theme park ride. Musk has announced a big unveiling event for December 18 that will show off not only a tunnel but also a ground-to-tunnel car elevator and an autonomous passenger pod.
Robot janitors will soon be scrubbing the floors at your local Walmart
Hundreds of robot janitors will soon be working at Walmart stores across the U.S. The company says the autonomous floor scrubbers will free its human staff from monotonous tasks, giving them more time to focus on customers. The rollout follows in-store testing of the technology over the last year.
Apple’s first iPhone XR case lets you show off your handset’s color
Apple has released its first case for the iPhone XR. Costing $39, it has a clear back to let you show off the color of your phone, whichever of the six options you chose. The case comprises a blend of polycarbonate and flexible TPU materials, and includes a scratch-resistant coating inside and out.
NYPD has added a bunch of quadcopters to its crime-fighting kit
The New York Police Department is to start using quadcopters in its crime-fighting work. Trained cops will have access to various models — all made by DJI — for use in particular situations such as search-and-rescue missions, hostage situations, and hazardous material incidents.
SpaceX’s latest Falcon 9 rocket launch set multiple records
SpaceX embarked on its latest mission on Monday, December 3, setting four new records in the process, including one for the most satellites deployed by a single rocket in a U.S.-led operation. There was one disappointment, as its recovery ship couldn't catch the rocket fairing as it returned to Earth.
Hotel chain offers an Instagram ‘sitter’ who will post photos for you
If the pressure to post stunning Instagram photos is ruining your vacations, then better take your next trip in Switzerland. A hotel chain there is offering the services of a local Instagram influencer to take control of your account and post great images to it while you go off and enjoy yourself.
7 insane roads that will push self-driving cars to their very limits
Self-driving cars are getting better all the time, but we won't ever be convinced of their readiness for prime time till we see them comfortably handle a full range of challenges. So, ask yourself, would you be happy climbing into a driverless car for a ride on THESE insane roads?
Lyft pumps $100 million into major expansion of New York City’s Citi Bike
Lyft will more than triple the size of Citi Bike, NY City's bikesharing service. A $100 million investment will see the service grow from 12,000 bikes to 40,000 over the next five years. The news comes as Lyft confirmed its acquisition of Motivate, North America's largest bikesharing operator, which runs Citi Bike.
Beautiful space station time-lapse takes us on a tour of the world
International Space Station astronaut Alexander Gerst has released a beautiful time-lapse as part of the station's recent 20th anniversary celebrations. Comprising more than 21,000 images, the video takes us on a breathtaking journey around Earth as day turns to night, and night to day.