Ring is just one part of Amazon’s annual devices and services event this year, but they’re bringing a lot of updates, including a new Pro Alarm suite that includes refreshed hardware and integrated Eero Wi-Fi 6 router capabilities. They also have a new service offering called ‘Virtual Security Guard’ that basically keeps an eye on […]
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Ring’s home security drone is now available in the U.S. via invite only
Last year, Ring announced at futuristic (slightly dystopian?) take on in-home security with its Always Home Cam, a drone equipped with sensors and a camera that can navigate the interior of your home along custom paths laid out by a user, in response to triggers including Ring Alarm sensors, or a manual command from the […]
Hospitals/clinics patient platform Heydoc raises $8.3M Series A led by Smedvig Capital
Heydoc, a system for managing the medical data and admin tasks in medical practitioners, has closed a $8.3m Series A round led by Smedvig Capital with existing investors Hambro Perks, Triple Point Ventures and InHealth Ventures also participating. This brings the total amount raised to date by Heydoc to $12m. Heydoc mainly operates in the UK but plans to expand internationally. It competes mostly with […]
Amazon takes on Fitbit with the $80 Halo View
A year after launching its original exercise band, Halo, Amazon just dropped the follow up, Halo View. The company’s not quite ready to go full bore into the smartwatch category just yet, but it clearly has the Google-owned Fitbit brand directly in its sights with the newly announced Halo View. The device doesn’t quite challenge […]
New Amazon Echo devices will have local voice processing, giving users more privacy
When you speak to an Amazon Echo device, so far in its history, Alexa would connect to the internet to process requests and deliver a response. Of course, this has sparked concerns among some consumers, since it might feel worrisome to have a Wi-Fi-connected smart device listening for you to say a wake word at […]
European shares fall 2% to one-week lows on tech tumble, China woes
September 28, 2021 By Sruthi Shankar and Shreyashi Sanyal (Reuters) -European stocks sank to their lowest in a week on Tuesday as a surge in government bond yields knocked high-growth technology shares, with fresh signs of a slowdown in China’s economy weighing on investor sentiment. The pan-European STOXX 600 index was down 2.2%, its biggest […]
Stellantis criticised by unions in France over furlough scheme to cushion chip shortage
September 28, 2021 By Gilles Guillaume PARIS (Reuters) – Two leading trade unions at Stellantis on Tuesday criticised the way the carmaker is implementing a furlough scheme aimed at mitigating the impact of a fall in output brought on by a global chip shortage. Stellantis and other carmakers have been hit by a series of […]
Netflix rolls out mobile games to users in select European markets
September 28, 2021 (Reuters) – Netflix on Tuesday rolled out five mobile gaming titles to its subscribers in select European markets, as part of its efforts to diversify revenue sources amid intensifying competition in the booming video-streaming space. The company has introduced “Stranger Things: 1984”, “Stranger Things 3: The Game”, “Card Blast”, “Teeter Up” and “Shooting […]
U.S. Senator Cruz vows to block new Democratic debt ceiling ploy
September 28, 2021 WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Republican U.S. Senator Ted Cruz vowed on Tuesday to block Democrats from obtaining consent to suspend the federal debt ceiling through a simple majority vote. (Reporting by David Morgan, Editing by Franklin Paul) Source Link U.S. Senator Cruz vows to block new Democratic debt ceiling ploy David Barret
Jordan’s state carrier to resume flights to Syria for first time in decade
September 28, 2021 By Suleiman Al-Khalidi AMMAN (Reuters) -Jordan’s state carrier, Royal Jordanian, will soon resume direct flights to Damascus for the first time in nearly a decade, in the latest step to restore extensive business ties with Syria hurt by conflict in the latter, government officials said on Tuesday. Flights have been suspended since […]
Top U.S. general Milley staunchly defends calls with China
September 28, 2021 By Phil Stewart and Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) -General Mark Milley, the top U.S. military officer, on Tuesday defended calls with China that have raised Republican demands for his resignation, saying he had been aiming to ease tension with Beijing and not to “usurp authority.” The remarks were Milley’s first detailed defense […]
Labour’s Starmer calls on UK government to protect key workers
September 28, 2021 LONDON (Reuters) – Opposition Labour leader Keir Starmer accused the government on Tuesday of leading Britain “from crisis to crisis”, saying it should offer key workers priority at the petrol pumps to ease a fuel crisis ministers had failed to plan for. At his party’s annual conference in the southern English seaside […]
Kazimir: no automatic expansion of bond-buying programme when pandemic stimulus ends -Bloomberg
September 28, 2021 PRAGUE (Reuters) – The ECB will not automatically expand it Asset Purchase Programme when its 1.85 trillion euro pandemic emergency stimulus scheme ends, ECB policymaker Peter Kazimir told Bloomberg on Tuesday. The ECB’s Pandemic Emergency Purchase Programme is expected to end next March and investors expect the ECB to ramp up other […]
Amazon introduces Amazon Glow, an interactive, video calling device for kids and families
Amazon today introduced Amazon Glow, a new, interactive device aimed at families that allows kids to interact with family members and other remote loved ones over video calls. While something of a competitor to Facebook’s line of Portal devices, which are also largely aimed at connecting families over video, Amazon Glow differentiates itself by providing […]
Disney and Amazon partner on a custom voice assistant, ‘Hey, Disney!’ and Echo rollout to Walt Disney World Resort hotels
Amazon, for the first time, is making another voice assistant available on Echo devices. The company at its fall event today announced a new voice assistant, “Hey, Disney,” developed by Disney and built on top of Alexa technology. The assistant will have its own unique voice and over 1,000 custom interactions for fans to explore, […]
Germany’s TÜV Süd “shirking responsibility” over 2019 Brazil dam burst, court hears
September 28, 2021 By Alexander Hübner MUNICH (Reuters) – German industrial inspector TÜV Süd was on Tuesday accused of evading its responsibilities over its alleged role in the 2019 deadly collapse of a dam in Brazil, as Brazilian claimants kicked off the first civil lawsuit in Germany over the disaster. The municipality of Brumadinho and […]
Alexa’s new features will let users personalize the A.I. to their own needs
Amazon is preparing to roll out a trio of new features that will allow consumers to further personalize their Alexa experience by helping train the Alexa A.I. using simple tools. In a few months’ time, consumers will be able to teach Alexa to do things like identifying specific sounds in their household, such as a […]
Amazon’s newest Echo Show is a 15-inch, wall-mounted digital picture frame
Amazon just took the wraps off the latest — and largest — addition to the Echo Show family. The Echo Show 15 takes the company’s smart screen technology to the wall in the form of a 15.6-inch 1080p display that doubles as a massive digital picture frame. The $250 device is certainly a novel approach […]
Amazon launches a $60 smart thermostat
Amazon kicked off its big hardware event today by announce a new smart. The company worked with Honeywell to create the device, but is keeping its own branding on the product (rather than, say, Ring, Blink or any of the other smart home companies it owns). The device runs $60, though the company notes that […]
Carbon tax to hit people’s pockets if used poorly, ECB warns
September 28, 2021 FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Higher taxes on carbon will hit people’s pockets and make it harder for the European Central Bank to reach its inflation target if governments don’t use the extra revenue well, European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde said on Tuesday. The European Union has unveiled plans to cap CO2 emissions […]