These days, Amazon vacuums up most of the attention when it comes to retail innovation. Voice commerce? Check. Drone delivery? Check. Automated warehouses? Check. But more than any other rival this year, Walmart seems to be challenging Amazon with aggressive efforts meant to show that it, too, is dreaming up new ways for people to …
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Facebook is buying tbh, a social network popular with teens
Facebook is trying again to be cool with teens. The tech giant said Monday it’s buying tbh, a social network popular with teens that lets people send compliments to each other through anonymous quizzes. Facebook didn’t disclose an acquisition price. Facebook will let tbh, which stands for “to be honest,” operate as it did before, similar to how it runs …
Read More »NBA’s new AR app wants you to shoot hoop almost anywhere
A new breed of apps is overlaying computer images on the real world so you can identify constellations in the sky, organize your future living room and even live in a hit music video. So, the NBA says, why not shoot digital basketballs too? On Monday, the NBA released a new free iPhone app called NBA AR, designed to bring …
Read More »Mark Zuckerberg savaged by ‘South Park’
Technically Incorrect offers a slightly twisted take on the tech that’s taken over our lives. Not a nice man. I mean, of course, the cartoon version. Comedy Central screenshot by Chris Matyszczyk/CNET Mark Zuckerberg has become something of a target lately. Which is odd for someone who runs a social network that has so much influence and seems reluctant to …
Read More »Pokemon Go reportedly got played in Russian meddling, too
It’s not just Facebook, Twitter and Google. Even Pokemon Go, the mega-popular smartphone game that became a phenomenon last year, was the target of Russian agents trying to meddle with the 2016 US election, according to a report Thursday by CNN. The effort was allegedly centered on a campaign called “Don’t Shoot Us,” an apparent reference “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot,” …
Read More »With Oculus Go and Rift, Facebook is pushing down VR’s price
Mark Zuckerberg wants to turn you — and another 999,999,999 people — into VR believers. As part of Facebook‘s latest quest to make virtual reality an everyday part of our lives, the company’s CEO is bringing out the biggest weapon he can think of to win over customers: deals he thinks you can’t refuse. The world’s biggest social network, which …
Read More »Oculus Rift VR bundle will stay at $399 forever (for now)
Good news for budget VR shoppers: it’s a good year for discounts. Facebook and Oculus announced that the Rift and Touch, Oculus’ VR hardware for PCs that launched last year, is keeping its summer discount price of $399. That’s roughly half what Rift and Touch used to cost. Hopefully you didn’t buy it when it was more expensive. As we …
Read More »Google gifted me with a ‘Meow Movie’ of my cats
I had almost given up hope. I knew other people in the world had received Google’s unexpected largess in the form of an automatically generated slideshow video of their cats set to the tune of “The Blue Danube” waltz. Now it was my turn. A magic phrase popped up in the notifications on my Moto X over the weekend: “Your …
Read More »OMG! Teens now get more freedom to shop on Amazon
Fidget spinners, sarcasm, Sunny D. These are the hip, cool things teens know and love. Now they can add another item to that list: Buying from Amazon. The world’s biggest online store said Wednesday it has created a new feature for families, allowing moms and dads to give their teens more autonomy to purchase goods on Amazon while still under …
Read More »Facebook announces Oculus Go, $199 VR that doesn’t need PC or phone
What would truly get you to buy a VR headset? How about a $199 price? Facebook just announced Oculus Go, a standalone headset that doesn’t require a PC or a phone to get you into VR, at the company’s Oculus Connect developer conference. It’s coming in early 2018 for $199, or roughly £150 or AU$255 converted. According to Oculus …
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