Tag Archives: startups

Tap payment sunglasses set to make your summer smarter

Sunglasses and contactless payments: They go together like music festivals and contactless payments. At least, that’s the idea behind the WaveShades, a new contactless payment system built into sunglasses and born from a partnership between Australian startup Inamo, sunglasses-maker Local Suppy and Visa. The prototype tap-and-go sunglasses are being rolled out ahead of Australia’s Laneway …

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Nextbit Robin phone will be no more as new owner Razer steps in

Having hatched its cloud-based Robin phone with a Kickstarter campaign, it’s time for hardware startup Nextbit to find its next nest. And it’s a move that may surprise you. On Monday, gaming hardware maker Razer announced that it acquired all 30 members of the Nextbit team. Razer wowed this year’s CES with a gaming laptop fitted with three screens whereas …

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Jon Hamm, hologram: ‘Mad Men’ star gives Sundance a look at augmented reality

Now playing: Watch this: Introducing Jon Hamm, the hologram 1:02 I trudged through a foot of snow to peek at how mixed reality may bring us closer to the stars we adore. OK, really, I trudged through a foot of snow to hold a miniature Jon Hamm in the palm of my hand. But mixed-reality revelations were a bonus. Jon …

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Turn an old laptop into a Chromebook

Common scenario: You buy a new laptop, thinking you’ll sell, donate or hand down the old one… but it never happens. Maybe you don’t want to deal with the hassles of Craigslist or Ebay, not to mention wiping all your data, reinstalling Windows and so on. Whatever the case, now it’s just taking up space. But it doesn’t have to: …

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Apple may give Siri a revamp for 2017

Apple’s Siri voice assistant picks up a few new tricks each year, but in 2017, it may get a lot brainier. The Cupertino, California-based tech titan plans to enhance Siri with artificial intelligence, DigiTimes reports. We’re hoping Siri keeps getting smarter as time passes. Tyler Lizenby/CNET That fits with other rumors that the next iPhone, possibly called the iPhone 8, …

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Bixby Vision trademark hints that Samsung’s AI may take over Galaxy S8 cameras

The rumor that Samsung will bring a new AI assistant named Bixby to the upcoming Galaxy S8 gains more credence with the news that Samsung has trademarked a feature called “Bixby Vision,” according to Dutch site Galaxy Club. When Samsung acquired AI startup Viv Labs last year, people suspected a Samsung assistant wasn’t far from becoming reality. We first heard …

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Meitu denies selling collected user data, blames China

Going viral can be a blessing for some apps, but it led anime-makeover app Meitu to more scrutiny than it may have wanted. Before long, security researchers were taking it to task for dodgy-looking data collecting code. Upon download, the app asks for a suspicious amount of unneeded permissions, such as access to your location and phone number, as well …

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Here’s why we’re not downloading Meitu, the red

Now playing: Watch this: Meitu blazing up the app store charts, but the code makes… 1:36 Meitu is a viral sensation. Who wouldn’t want to instantly give themselves or their favorite politicians and celebs a Japanese-anime inspired makeover, and share the hilarious results with the world? That’s why the face-recognizing photo app is currently rocking the charts. But before you …

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Former Android chief ready to take on the iPhone

The man who created Android, the most popular mobile software on the planet, is preparing his follow up act and it involves going after his longtime nemesis: Apple’s iPhone and its iOS rival software. Andy Rubin, who left Google more than two years ago after selling his startup to the search giant in 2005, is starting Essential, a consumer hardware …

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Google lets imaginations run wild with Toontastic 3D app

Fans of Google‘s kid-friendly Toontastic storytelling app can now create their own cartoons in 3D. The search giant said Thursday it’s launching Toontastic 3D, which lets kids simply “animate and narrate” their own stories by selecting their characters and background using the app’s editor and camera features. “All they need to do is move characters around on the screen and …

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