This Drone Flies Without a Battery
Wireless Drone We see drones flying untethered all the time. So what is special about a wireless drone? In this case we mean a drone that flies from energy that comes from waves—rather than battery. Facebook has been working on drones powered by solar energy (perhaps you've seen the commercial.) But this drone, developed by British researcher Sam Aldhaher, is charged wirelessly—a technology that could one day make drones lighter and free of carrying batteries or needing them charged.
Siri Vs. Alexa Alexa is getting competition as Apple is reportedly working on a smart home device that would rival Echo. The device, developed around Siri, may also have facial recognition technology built in, says Bloomberg. But more importantly, the device would dovetail in with Apple products from iPhones to Apple Watches to Apple TV. Apple users can already direct Apple TV through voice by talking to Siri through the device's remote. An Echo-like product would presumably the doors to more actions and options.
Snap4Snapchat Snapchat has changed its name to Snap. But the bigger news around the company is its release of sunglasses—Spectacles, they're called—which can record video each time the frames are tapped. The content can then be shared via smartphone—and presumably, snap. Priced at about $130, the glasses are visually a spectacle in themselves, quite large with a miniature camera at the corner. Expect to see them hit the streets this fall.
Self-Driving Crash Google's Self-driving car got into more than a fender-bender late last week in California when a car ran a red light, and hit the autonomous vehicle. No injuries were reported. The Federal government issues new regulations to help promote the adoption of self-driving cars on the road. And all parties agree that, in this case, the self-driving car was not at fault.
Smart Lock Drama Before you take the plunge and kit your front door with a smart lock, do yourself the favor of reading the tale from our smart home reporter on his misadventures, so to speak. Bottom line? He's still a fan. But you should do your homework.