Yahoo has launched its latest Mail app with a number of updates designed to help users track receipts, shipments, gift cards and “free trial” subscriptions that need to be cancelled by a certain date. A new design also aims to make navigation easier, with “top-of-inbox” contextual filters, one-tap unsubscribe, attachment organization and more.
If you’re one to sign up for free trials, the free trial tracker could help. It puts reminders at the top of your inbox to let you know when a free trial ends, so you can decide whether to keep or cancel it without panicking about the date. It also offers updated package tracking alerts to inform where your package is or if it’s ready to be picked up.
Another new view lets you see receipts of all your orders in one place, helping you track spend or easily make returns. And finally, the gift card view shows all your unused gift cards in one place, so you can use them before they expire.
Mail also get some new design features, particularly the updated top-of-inbox navigation that lets you toggle between inbox, attachments, starred and productivity reminders. It also now includes one-tap unsubscribe, group by sender and “email to myself” message you’ve sent as reminders. Finally, there’s a new “attachments” filter that lets you display and filter all your attachments by type (PDFs, docs, photos) so you don’t have to search every email.
While it doesn’t get the attention of a Gmail or Outlook, Yahoo Mail is just behind those two services in popularity with around 225 million users as of 2020. The update is now rolling out to iOS and Android today, though it may take awhile to reach you
Wisk Aero has unveiled its 6th-generation semi-autonomous air taxi, calling it the “first-ever candidate for type certification by the FAA of an autonomous eVTOL.” The design looks like a substantially updated version of the “Cora” air taxi we first saw fly and hover in New Zealand back in 2018. However, the company didn’t show any flight or detail the certification progress.
According to Wisk, the four-seat aircraft can cruise between 110 and 120 knots (138 MPH) at a height of 2,500 to 4,000 feet above ground level. It’s a VTOL (vertical takeoff and landing) aircraft with a 12-propeller design, featuring tilting propulsion units in front and fixed units aft for lift. It offers up to 90 miles of range and has improved control and efficient energy management over previous versions, according to the press release.
The promotional video (above) shows passengers buckling in with shoulder harness-style seatbelts and going through a safety procedure demonstration using touchscreens. Wisk says there are “fewer moving parts, no hydraulics, no oil and no fuel,” promising a safer flying experience. It also notes that it’s “designed to exceed today’s rigorous aviation safety standards of a one-in-a-billion chance of an accident.”
The company emphasized the autonomous technology, saying they believe that it’s the “key” to air mobility. To that end, they aim to have improved sensors to detect and avoid obstacles, along with “multi-vehicle supervisors that provide human oversight of every flight,” and can take control if needed.
Wick said the new vehicle is a candidate for FAA certification that would allow it to fly passengers in the US. However, getting that coveted piece of paper is an arduous chore even for established airplane manufacturers like Boeing using standard aircraft designs — let alone a new company with a brand new type of aircraft that’s never flown passengers before.
Aviation company Kittyhawk founded by Google co-founder Larry Page recently announced that it was shutting down, a strong indication of the challenges in this sector. Wick essentially sprang from that company, after Kittyhawk partnered with Boeing on the 5th-generation Cora aircraft.
Wick isn’t the only company determined to see this air taxi thing through. Joby received FAA authorization for its air taxi services earlier this year, allowing it to operate commercially. However, that only allows it start testing its services — it still needs FAA certification for its prototype aircraft before it can actually transport people.
The University of Illinois (UIUC) has partnered with Amazon, Apple, Google, Meta, Microsoft and nonprofits on the Speech Accessibility Project. The aim is to improve voice recognition for communities with disabilities and diverse speech patterns often not considered by AI algorithms. That includes people with Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS), Parkinson’s, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome and other diseases that affect speech.
“Speech interfaces should be available to everybody, and that includes people with disabilities,” UIUC professor Mark Hasegawa-Johnson said. “This task has been difficult because it requires a lot of infrastructure, ideally the kind that can be supported by leading technology companies, so we’ve created a uniquely interdisciplinary team with expertise in linguistics, speech, AI, security and privacy.”
To include communities of people with disabilities like Parkinson’s, The Speech Accessibility Project will collect speech samples from individuals representing a diversity of speech patterns. The UIUC will recruit paid volunteers to contribute voice samples and help create a “private, de-identified” dataset that can be used to train machine learning models. The group will focus on American English at the start.
The Davis Phinney Foundation (Parkinson’s) and Team Gleason (ALS) have pledged support for the project. “Parkinson’s affects motor symptoms, making typing difficult, so speech recognition is a critical tool for communication and expression,” said The Davis Phinney Foundation’s executive director, Polly Dawkins. “Part of [our] commitment includes ensuring people with Parkinson’s have access to the tools, technologies, and resources needed to live their best lives.”
Based on a successful feature on TikTok’s sister app in China, Douyin, the social network is reportedly planning to launch a live shopping TikTok Shop in the US later this year. According to the Financial Times, Douyin hosts nine million live shopping broadcasts a month and sold over 10 billion products in a single year, from May 2021 to May 2022. That’s triple what it sold the previous year. The technology will supposedly be provided by the US company TalkShopLive and support livestreams hosted by influencers and brands. The agreements are still under discussion, however.
The report comes just a day after Facebook announced it was abandoning its own Live Shopping feature. Facebook is now suggesting merchants showcase products via Reels. TikTok has had mixed success with the method already. Last year, it launched in the UK – the only country with availability outside Asia. TikTok Shop hasn’t fared especially well so far, and TikTok postponed plans to expand elsewhere in Europe.
– Mat Smith
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This time: band designs, watch faces and Fitbit integration.
It seems an Amazon listing for the Pixel Watch went live early in Germany. The smartwatch is due to go on sale just after Google’s October 6th event. There will be several colors in at least four band designs, including silicon, braided and leather. The Amazon listing, which has been removed, suggested users will receive six months free Fitbit Premium access, including deeper fitness metrics and other exercise goodies.
Getting rid of certain names may not make a huge difference.
The group that oversees USB wants to make it easier for you to understand what various cables and ports actually do. The USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) wants cable makers to use “USB 10Gbps” instead of “SuperSpeed USB 10Gbps” and “USB 20Gbps” instead of “USB4 20Gbps.” USB-C cables certified by the USB-IF will need to list both data transfer speeds and charging wattage. Knowing which cable you need is already complicated enough. Thunderbolt 3 and Thunderbolt 4 connectors and ports look exactly the same as USB-C ones, for instance. The updated guidelines don’t clarify whether a cable supports DisplayPort or certain fast-charging standards, either.
After pandemic-related disruptions in Q2, Tesla ramped up its manufacturing capacity again last quarter, leading the company to make a record number of deliveries between July 1st and September 30th. The company built 365,923 electric vehicles during that period. That marks a year-over-year production increase of nearly 54 percent.
Magic Leap has started selling Magic Leap 2 in 19 countries, including the US, UK and EU nations. The glasses are still for developers and pros, with a design 50 percent smaller and 20 percent lighter than the original. This should ensure they’re more comfortable to wear over long periods. Magic Leap also promises better visibility for AR in bright light (think a well-lit office) thanks to dynamic dimming, which makes virtual content appear more solid. The Magic Leap 2 Base model costs $3,299, and developers who want extra tools will have to pay $4,099 for the Developer Pro edition.
NASA and SpaceX have signed an agreement to study the possibility of using a Dragon spacecraft to lift the Hubble telescope to a higher orbit. The Hubble telescope’s orbit decays over time due to atmospheric drag, and boosting it to a more stable one could add years to its life.
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The Pixel 7 is being unveiled this week, but if you’re looking for a new but more budget focused phone, Amazon has an excellent deal on the Pixel 6a. You pick one up at just $349 for a savings of $100 (22 percent off) — $21 cheaper than the lowest price to date. That’s a significant savings on a smartphone that only came out a couple of months ago.
If you’re in the market for a mid-range smartphone, the Pixel 6a is a top pick. It offers the same Tensor chip as the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, while giving you the purest Android experience possible. At the same time, you get excellent camera quality for the price, thanks to the two 12-megapixel rear cameras and 8-MP front sensor delivering bright, colorful pictures and video. It also comes with a distinctive design, sharp 6.1-inch OLED screen covered with Gorilla Glass 3, long-lasting battery, IP67 water/dust protection and more.
You don’t get everything available in the flagships, of course. The 60Hz refresh rate isn’t as smooth as the higher-end Pixels or Samsung’s A53. Storage is limited to 128GB, there’s no wireless charging and Google dropped the headphone jack we loved on the Pixel 5a — so you’ll need a dongle for wired audio. Still, at this new low price, there aren’t many other phones that can match it.
Maserati has finally revealed its electric GranTurismo in earnest, and the most interesting part may be what you don’t notice. The GranTurismo Folgore coupe offers plenty of power with a tri-motor 760HP system, but it’s also as low-slung as the gas versions (the Modena and Trofeo) with a 53.3-inch height. This is the lowest-sitting EV on the market, Maserati claims, with the improved agility to match. If it weren’t for the aerodynamic wheels and the lack of exhaust pipes, you might not know it was an EV — even Porsche can’t quite manage that.
The Italian brand hasn’t detailed range, but the electrified GranTurismo includes a 92.5kWh battery with an 800V architecture that allows up to 270kW charging. You can get 62 miles of range in five minutes, Maserati says. The two-door also beats its combustion engine counterparts’ performance with a claimed 0-62MPH time of 2.7 seconds (versus 3.5 for the Trofeo and 3.9 for the Modena) and the same 198.9MPH top speed as the Trofeo.
Stellantis
As with the Grecale Folgore SUV, the GranTurismo’s cabin tech represents as much of an upgrade over previous models. You’ll find a 12.2-inch digital dash, a 12.3-inch central infotainment screen and an 8.8-inch “comfort display.” A heads-up display keeps your eyes on the road, and a digital rear-view mirror can use the back camera to help with tricky parking maneuvers. Alexa, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are available. And while this is a sports car, you’l find driver aids like active lane assist, a 3D road view (including nearby vehicles) and a 360-degree view to help navigate tight spots.
Maserati didn’t mention pricing or exact availability, although it’s safe to presume the GranTurismo Folgore will be expensive. Not that the company necessarily minds. In some ways, this is a shot across the bow of local sports car rivals like Ferrari and Lamborghini. While both those brands have offered hybrids like the SF90 Stradale and Sian, they’ve been reluctant to embrace full EVs. Maserati is effectively the only option if you want an Italian exotic without the massive emissions and equally large fuel bills.
Amazon’s Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition is the best e-reader for the money bar none, and you can now pick one up at the lowest price we’ve seen. It’s back on sale at its Prime Day price of $135, for a savings of $55 (29 percent). Amazon has also knocked 29 percent off the regular Kindle Paperwhite and Kindle Oasis devices, so if you’re in the market for an e-reader, it’s a great time to pick one up.
The Paperwhite Signature Edition scored an exemplary 97 in our Engadget review thanks to a number of nice features. With smaller bezels, it has a big and responsive 6.8-inch E Ink touchscreen, with gentle backlights you can turn on and off or adjust to suit your reading conditions. It offers USB-C and wireless charging (with up to 10 weeks of reading on a single charge), 32GB of storage, waterproof reading, automatic brightness and warm light options. The only complaint we had was the $190 price, but it’s an easy decision at the $135 sale price.
If you don’t need quite that much storage, the regular Kindle Paperwhite is also on sale with 8GB of memory ($100, or $40 off) and 16GB ($105, or $45 off). You get most of the features of the Signature Edition, like the warm light, 10 weeks of battery life and waterproof reading, though it lacks the wireless charging and extra storage.
Also on sale is the Kindle Oasis, available at $200 for the 32GB model instead of the regular $280 price. We called it “the perfect e-reader for the 1 percent” in our review because although it’s insanely thin and light and comes with a charging case, $280 is quite expensive. The sale goes a fair way to mitigating that problem by knocking $80 or 29 percent off the price, making it a far more affordable indulgence.
Disney stations including ABC, ESPN, FX and Disney Channel are back on Dish and Sling TV after the two parties reached a tentative agreement, Deadline has reported. A total of 17 Disney channels disappeared from the services on Friday, October 1st over…
Coinbase users were unable to carry out US bank account transactions for around six hours on Sunday. An issue with the Automated Clearing House Network, which is used for electronic transfers between bank accounts in the country, emerged just before 7AM ET. The company said on its status page that it identified the problem, described as a “major outage,” by 8:23AM and resolved it by 12:41PM.
During the outage, users were still able to buy cryptocurrency with a debit card or PayPal account, as Decrypt noted. However, they weren’t able to make withdrawals to a US bank account.
We’ve fully resolved this issue and ACH transfers are now processing. We apologize for the inconvenience. https://t.co/dezVgcaagm
“We’ve fully resolved this issue and ACH transfers are now processing. We apologize for the inconvenience,” Coinbase wrote on Twitter. The company said users’ funds were safe during the outage (at least if you don’t factor in the volatility of the crypto market).
As Web3 is Going Great points out, Coinbase is the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the US. It’s in seventh place worldwide in terms of trading volume, per CoinCecko. At the time of writing, Coinbase users had traded $572 million over the previous 24 hours.
TikTok plans to bring its live shopping “TikTok Shop” feature to North America using outsourced technology, according to The Financial Times. It’ll reportedly be launched “over the next month with large brands” to take advantage of holiday shopping.
TikTok Shop is based on a similar, successful feature on TikTok’s sister app Douyin in China, and is available in Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, the Philippines and Indonesia. Last year, it launched in the UK — the only country with availability outside of Asia.
A similar feature on Douyin has reportedly hosted 9 million live ecommerce broadcasts per month, selling over 10 billion products in a single year from May 2021 to May 2022 — triple what it did the previous year. However, TikTok Shop apparently hasn’t fared as well in the UK, and because of that, TikTok postponed a planned launch elsewhere in Europe.
The underlying technology will supposedly be provided by the US company TalkShopLive, which will also support livestreams hosted by influencers and brands. The agreements are still under discussion and “no contracts have been signed,” according to the FT.
TikTok didn’t deny or confirm upcoming US availability. “When it comes to market expansion for TikTok Shop we are always guided by demand and are constantly exploring new and different options for how we can best serve our community, creators and merchants in markets around the world,” the company told the FT. “These efforts include exploring partnerships which further support a seamless ecommerce experience for merchants, which is an important part of our ecosystem.”
The report comes just a day after rival Facebook abandoned its own Live Shopping feature. Facebook is now asking merchants to showcase products via Reels, Reels ads and product tagging on Instagram Reels. Last year, TikTok started testing a Shopping tab, letting business users add their profiles, sync their product catalogues and link to their online stores. It has also previously piloted live shopping in the US, most notably with Walmart.
