The After Math: Go faster
It’s been a week filled with 30 to 40-year-old movie franchises, but other stuff happened, I swear. There is a new Cheap, cheap Segway pretender, a high-speed asteroid fly-by and more! Time may be relative, but TAM still comes in weekly installments. Halloween special? We didn’t say that.
Amazon Echo links with Yelp to find info on local restaurants
It’s such an obvious feature it’s hard to believe it wasn’t already there, but the latest update for Amazon’s Echo lets it pull up Yelp recommendations for restaurants and other local businesses. Just ask about info on where to get Chinese food or pizza delivery, and it will send the Yelp-powered results to the Echo app on your phone or tablet. For it to work you’ll need to have your local address set up in the Echo app, but that’s it. Amazon says more local search results are coming soon, but for now you should also know it can help you easily stock up on Halloween candy. Just ask the speaker to “order Halloween candy” or “order Halloween chocolate” and it will — provided you have voice purchasing enabled (read: disable voice purchasing before your kids find out about this feature).
Source: Amazon
On-demand package delivery service ‘Doorman’ goes live in Chicago
Doorman, a San Francisco startup founded in 2013, is bad news for whoever makes those “Sorry we missed you!” sticky notes. Doorman allows subscribers to schedule deliveries for times that fit their own schedules, for $4 per package or up to $30 per month, and it’s live in Chicago right now with a New York roll-out incoming. The service attempts to eliminate missed or stolen packages for people who don’t have doormen themselves — send your order to a personal Doorman address (a spot in the service’s warehouse) and schedule a convenient time for it to be delivered, any day between 6PM and midnight. Doorman sends a push notification to users when their packages have arrived and are ready for scheduling. It’s “ding” rather than “ding-dong.”
[Image credit: Shutterstock]
Source: TechCrunch
Fallout Beer is a real thing
Miss out on the special edition of Fallout 4? You know, the one that comes with a real-life, smartphone-enabled Pip-Boy? Never mind, you can always drown your sorrows with some Fallout Beer instead. That is, if you live in the UK anyway. Developer Bethesda has teamed up with Carlsberg for the promotional beverage, which it says is inspired by Vault-Tec Industries and the rest of the post-apocalyptic game franchise. A 12-pack will set you back £29.99 on Amazon, with delivery expected around November 5th. Fallout 4 arrives five days later, meaning you should have the perfect brew ready for your inaugural adventure in Boston. Bethesda describes it as a “pilsner lager, with a refreshing zesty hoppy taste and a floral aroma” — we’ll let you decide if that’s better than an ice-cold Nuka-Cola.
Source: Fallout Beer (Amazon UK)
Amazon’s one-hour deliveries expand to San Francisco, San Antonio
Amazon continues to expand its Prime Now one-hour deliveries. The online retailer has announced that the service is now available in San Jose, San Francisco and other places around the Bay Area, including Mountain View and Cupertino — Google and Apple’s home, respectively. Prime Now’s also hitting San Antonio, which joins Austin, Dallas and, most recently, Houston as the Texan cities where Amazon’s ultra-fast delivery offering is live. In case you’re not familiar with Now, it lets Prime members receive select orders in less than 60 minutes for a $7.99 fee, with an app that’s available for iOS, Android and Kindle devices. Or, if you’re not in a rush to get the items, they can be at your doorstep in about two hours free of charge.
Via: TechCrunch
Source: Amazon
Harmonix caught posting five-star Rock Band 4 reviews on Amazon
When is it a good idea for employees to post reviews of their own company’s game? Most people would probably say “never,” but that didn’t stop Harmonix employees working on Rock Band 4 from doing it. A suspicious Reddit user found at least seven 5-star reviews by Harmonix employees, including from one user who said she was a “new fan,” but is actually the company’s “legal and music coordinator.” Others including a project manager, consultant and senior designer also gave it top marks. Amazon ratings are crucial for such a family-oriented game, given that the online retailer may be the only place casual buyers will look for them.
Harmonix confirmed to Destructoid that its employees did post the reviews, but said “we believe (they) were sincere and without ill intentions.” It added that “as a studio, we don’t believe these are appropriate actions,” and asked that employees either identify themselves or take down the reviews. One employee said that “I’m confident that if I didn’t (work for Harmonix) I would still give the game five stars.” However, he’s not actually allowed to do that by Amazon’s rules, and as some Redditors pointed out, it’s odd that so many Harmonix employees put them up independently.
The game has actually received decent notices by users and critics. Still, there’s a lot riding on it, especially for Mad Catz, the company that co-publishes the game and makes the guitar and drum controllers. In a recent financial statement, it said that its ability to avoid defaulting on debt “depends on (our) ability to increase net sales and gross profit considerably,” especially “from anticipated sales of products related to… Rock Band 4.”
Via: Destructoid
Source: Reddit
Deal: Aukey Quick Charge 2.0 power bank and chargers discounted on Amazon
Smartphone batteries are slowly getting bigger (with the occasional exception), but battery tech is still nowhere close to keeping up with the latest power-hungry processors and displays. Quick charging can help though, and it’s good to see that more and more phones support some sort of fast charging technology.
If you need some quick charging in your life, Amazon has some good deals on Aukey power products supporting Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 2.0 standard.
For maximum portability, you may want to look at the Aukey 15,000 mAh Quick Charge 2.0 Portable Battery Pack. This best-selling power bank charges your QC 2.0-compatible device up to 75% faster than a standard charger, meaning you can get that essential juice in just a few minutes. Normally going for $34.99, the battery can be yours for $21.99 if you use the promo code “VLS2CENC” at checkout. Not bad for a big, yet compact power bank.
Get the Aukey 15,000 mAh QC2 power bank for $21.99 with promo code “VLS2CENC”
If you have multiple devices, the Aukey 5-Port 54W Quick Charge 2.0 USB Desktop Charger may be of interest to you. You get 4 normal ports and a QC2.0 port, for $18.49, if you use “MC3SDI9R” as promo code.
Get the Aukey 5-Port 54W Quick Charge 2.0 Charger for $18.49 with promo code “MC3SDI9R”
Finally, for longer trips or your daily commute, the Aukey Quick Charge 2.0 30W 2-Port Car Charger gives you two charging ports for $7.99 if you use the “ZXPJ655P” promo code.
Get the Aukey Quick Charge 2.0 30W 2-Port Car Charger for $7.99 with promo code “ZXPJ655P”
Note that you will need a QC 2.0-compatible device to get the full charging speeds, though the power bank and chargers will work with any device at regular speeds.
This promo may be limited, so you better make up your mind fast. Happy shopping!
Merge VR is simple, comfortable, affordable and ready for pre-order
There’s no shortage of VR headsets these days. You can find some for very affordable prices, and a few others are actually free. Most of these are pretty much the same thing re-bundled with different materials and unique designs, though. Google Cardboard made it possible to proliferate virtual reality glasses, but now we are itching for products that actually do something different.
Today the company is announcing availability of the Merge VR, a headset that is definitely unique. It will be become available on November 15th through Amazon, with pre-orders starting today.
Though it is still powered by your smartphone, the Merge VR manages to differentiate itself from the competition by using different materials, including a remote and introducing added functionality. In fact, you may remember it from our coverage at E3 2015, where we got a chance to demo it and filmed our initial impressions for you.
Aside from being fully compatible with Google Cardboard, it will also have its very own ecosystem of apps and games, which you can control with the included remote. And the cool thing about this peripheral is that it’s much like the Wii remote, as it can be controlled by moving and swinging it around.
Also read:
- 7 best Google Cardboard VR apps and games
- How to make your own Google Cardboard
- Merge VR demonstration at E3 2015
And because this gadget is made of a high-quality foam, it is both durable and comfortable. It’s also surprisingly affordable at only $79, which is a lower price than we expected to see (we were told at E3 it would be about $130).
Those interested can click the button below to pre-order the Merge VR from Amazon. Are any of you signing up? Check out he video to see what the product is all about.
Pre-order the Merge VR from Amazon!
“We’re thrilled to offer our product on Amazon.com to deliver a high-quality, easy to use headset to consumers this year,” said Dan Worden, Executive Vice President. “Virtual reality is here and has a very bright future. There are already so many VR games, 360 videos and other fun experiences available, with more being developed all the time. We are providing consumers with a comfortable, durable and affordable virtual reality headset that works with the mobile phones they’ve already got in their pockets.”
Created with soft, flexible foam, the durable Merge VR Goggles are made to be tossed in a bag, taken on the go, and easily shared among friends. Innovative dual input buttons allow users to explore and interact in ways not possible before; you can run AND jump, or move forward AND backward while fully immersed in virtual reality. Additional features include adjustable custom lenses, anti-fog ventilation channels, audio ports, camera access for augmented reality, and an optional top strap for added comfort.
Merge VR will soon be launching Merge Start, where users can find the latest and greatest in high-quality, curated VR content. The Merge VR Goggles also work with the hundreds of VR apps and 360 videos already available in the iOS App Store and Google Play.
With adjustable lenses, comfortable head straps, and lightweight foam that fits the contours of any phone and any face, Merge VR Goggles makes virtual reality available to anyone, anywhere.
About Merge VR
Founded in 2013, Merge Labs, Inc. is a Texas-based startup focused on mobile virtual reality and immersive entertainment. Compatible with iOS and Android devices, the Merge VR Goggles, wireless hand-held VR Controller, and Merge Start app are built to be accessible, affordable, portable, durable and easy to use. The privately funded company and its team is led by Founder Franklin Lyons and Co-founder Andrew Trickett, who have backgrounds in gaming, technology, design, content development and hardware creation.
Amazon slams report criticizing its working conditions
Do you recall that New York Times report which claimed that working at Amazon is brutal? Amazon sure does… and it’s not happy. The company’s Jay Carney (formerly the White House’s Press Secretary) has posted a scathing rebuttal that aims to discredit the attack on its working conditions. To start, it says that talk of people crying at their desks comes from Bo Olson, who confessed to defrauding vendors. He might have an “axe to grind,” Amazon claims. It also maintains that at least some of the stories of harsh conditions didn’t tell the whole story. For example, a woman who went four days without sleep now says she wasn’t pressured to do so.
The internet giant also insists that it was mislead about the nature of the story. It was told this would be a “nuanced” story that shows how Amazon’s workplace is “exciting and fun,” but it allegedly got a hatchet job instead. It adds that it confronted the newspaper weeks ago with no response.
The countering story does raise some valid points, and it’s always important to remember that anecdotes by themselves aren’t evidence of systemic problems. However, it’s clear that this is damage control — Amazon doesn’t like how it’s portrayed, and it’s highlighting whatever troublesome points it can to make you doubt the overall story. Just because someone committed fraud doesn’t mean that he’s looking for revenge, and it’s not clear that every nightmarish tale should be dismissed out of hand. It’s fair to take the NYT report with a grain of salt in light of these revelations, but remember that Amazon has its own agenda here.
[Image credit: AP Photo/Ted S. Warren]
Source: Jay Carney (Medium)
Amazon sues 1,114 people offering fake product reviews
Amazon isn’t just content to chase down the larger outfits offering fake reviews on its store… it’s pursuing individuals, too. The internet retailer has sued 1,144 people who used Fiverr’s gig marketplace to peddle bogus Amazon reviews. They’re only mentioned in the lawsuit by their user names, but it’s clear that Amazon wants to get their real info from Fiverr’s logs. Moreover, it suspects that there’s more to the story than some unscrupulous writing — it wants these sellers’ client lists.
There’s a real chance that Amazon will take down at least some of its targets, since Fiverr has cooperated on takedowns in the past. Still, the sheer scale of this latest case underscores the problems with keeping a lid on fake reviews, especially on gig sites where it’s not always easy to spot shady dealings. It may take a long, long while before these false authors are forced to go elsewhere.
[Image credit: David Ryder/Getty Images]
Source: TechCrunch
AIVAnet 