Every Alexa and Echo device Amazon announced this week in one handy list

Amazon hosted a massive hardware event this week, announcing a cavalcade of new Alexa-enabled and IoT devices. Make no mistake: Amazon wants to find a way into your home or pocket one way or another. But there’s a lot to be excited about too, especially as Amazon‘s pricing often undercuts similar competition. Let’s get right to it then, starting with the myriad of Alexa-compatible devices in the Echo family. Echo Studio The Echo Studio is Amazon‘s challenger to the likes of Sonos and Apple’s HomePod. We wrote about it at length here, but it promises serious audio chops and is…

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New top story on Hacker News: Detailed Analysis of Dungeon Master and Chaos Strikes Back Atari ST Floppy Disks

Detailed Analysis of Dungeon Master and Chaos Strikes Back Atari ST Floppy Disks
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Mired in crime controversy, Uber reveals new safety features

Uber revealed a number of new safety features for its app, including 911 texts, rider PIN numbers, and on-trip reporting. All of this sounds like it’s designed to help keep the rider safe, but recent reports suggest Uber is less interested in protecting the customer than it’d want you to believe. The ridesharing company outlined many planned changes for its ecosystem, including joining its main app with UberEats so users only have to make requests from one place. Most of the features look well enough — the partnership with Feeding America which helps restaurants move uneaten food to banks via…

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Yes, there will be macaroni and cheese on Mars

A team of scientists at Washington State University have developed a unique packaging method that effectively triples the shelf life of ready-to-eat macaroni and cheese. Now we know what’s on the menu for the Mars voyage. By our current best estimates, the trip to Mars will only take about seven to nine months. That’s not so bad, but the astronauts will likely want to return. And they also have to account for the fact that Earth and Mars have two different orbits. This means that the shortest route (per the Hohmann transfer plan) to Mars only happens once every 26…

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Indonesia’s ride-hailing giant Gojek enters the streaming fray with GoPlay

Leading Indonesian ride-hailing operator Gojek is now in the video streaming business. Yep, you read that right. Dubbed GoPlay, the on-demand service is the latest to join the company’s ongoing quest to transform its single purpose app into a multi-functioning super app. GoPlay — which it calls a “movie/series streaming and download service” — costs IDR 89,000 a month ($6.27), over a dollar less than its rival Netflix, which costs anywhere between IDR 109,000 ($7.68, basic plan) and IDR 169,000 ($11.91, premium plan). A second plan for IDR 99,000 ($6.99) will also provide users with access to GoFood delivery vouchers. The…

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CHEAP: $600 off a Sony A7 II camera kit (with a lens included)? Yes, please

Welcome to CHEAP, our series about things that are good, but most of all, cheap. CHEAP! I’m obsessed with the latest and greatest tech available. As much as I want to deny it, I’m a sucker for specs. So when I heard about Sony’s new A7R IV mirrorless camera with a monstrous 61-megapixel sensor, I had to remind myself that I don’t need to spend a small fortune on a camera to snap good pics. Especially when there are much more financially viable alternatives on the market — like its older sibling, the A7 II. There’s currently a succulent discount on…

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New top story on Hacker News: Whistleblower complaint says Trump abused power

Whistleblower complaint says Trump abused power
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Facebook needs to delay Libra’s launch — if it really wants to work with regulators

Facebook, the American tech behemoth known for its “move fast and break things” motto, the mishandling of customer data, and interference in democracy, may not launch its ‘cryptocurrency’ Libra in time after all. “In the last few years, there are a lot of important social issues that Facebook and the other big internet companies are really at the center of in society,” Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg told Nikkei, while highlighting his desire to take a “look before-you-leap approach” before launching any new technologies.  Prior to scandals, such as the Cambridge Analytica data fiasco, the tech billionaire said Facebook’s approach had consisted…

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This $800 mini projector is on sale for only $280 today

Should we be surprised that you can now get full 1080p HD resolution projected up to a whopping 240 inches? Or that it’s available from a 2-inch by 2-inch cube you can slip into your pocket and take anywhere? That’s the power of the wickedly cool PIQO 1080p Mini Projector. You can check it out for yourself right now at a big savings of the retail price, now 64 percent off to just $279.99 from TNW Deals.

Know the difference between story and argument to boost your presentations

Few words have more power – and baggage – than “story.” It describes everything from novels, movies, and TV shows to news reports, histories, and podcasts. In business, we love to borrow the power of “story,” even when it’s probably the wrong word choice. Often, we think we’re storytelling when, in fact, we’re arguing. We’re more like lawyers in the courthouse than old-fashioned storytellers glowing in front of a campfire.  Rather than tell a story, we use stories to back up our arguments. Stories supply evidence, emotion and imagery that a purely logical argument lacks.  Most of us do business…

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New top story on Hacker News: Dropbox exposes personal details of viewers of publicly shared Paper documents

Dropbox exposes personal details of viewers of publicly shared Paper documents
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New top story on Hacker News: AI becoming so expensive it is freezing out universities

AI becoming so expensive it is freezing out universities
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Facebook scores big, gets rights to air highlights from major cricket tournaments

The International Cricket Council (ICC), the governing body for the sport, announced today it’s partnering with Facebook to show exclusive digital content for ICC tournaments hosted in the Indian sub-continent until 2023. The social network will also show post-match recaps for ICC events hosted elsewhere in the world. The governing body had partnered with Facebook earlier this year for the 2019 cricket world cup hosted in England. ICC claims people watched 1.2 billion minutes of videos related to the tournament on the platform. While Facebook won’t be able to stream the matches live, it might gain a lot of traction from…

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