Tech News

Hoverboards are fun, sure, and many a kid has begged his or her parents for one. But we are hearing more and more stories about plugged in hoverboards crackling, sizzling, throwing sparks and starting fires. And this problem isn’t only related to cheap or counterfeit boards, either. Even top-of-the line products can ignite in a heartbeat. Last Monday, one of those hovercrafts completely destroyed one town house and damaged the attached dwellings, displacing some 13 residents in the process. Thankfully, there were no deaths or injuries, but this incident goes to show just how dangerous these devices can be – and unfortunately for the family of 8 who owned the hovercraft, they have lost absolutely everything in the fire.

The 12 year old owner of the hovercraft plugged it in to the wall and immediately noticed crackling, sizzling and smoke. By the time she alerted her mother, the fire had already taken hold, forcing the family to evacuate their home, leaving everything behind. In just a few minutes, the whole structure had fallen down and was a complete loss.

It’s important to note that more than 500,000 hovercrafts from a variety of companies were recalled by the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission last year because their lithium-ion batteries are prone to overheat and either catch fire or explode. Earlier this year, another family lost their $1 million home and most of their belongings to a house fire started by a charging hoverboard they had purchased on Amazon. They are now in the process of suing the retail giant for allowing a dangerous product to be sold and distributed without so much as a warning.

Amazon has since banned all sales of hoverboard citing safety concerns, and has also offered full refunds on all hoverboard sales through their site. Hoverboards aren’t the only battery operated devices that can cause fires or explosions, but as they are notorious for their malfunction and charging hazards, I would highly recommend not acquiring one, and getting rid of them if you already bought one. They might be fun for a while, but no amount of fun is worth losing your home or, indeed, your life or that of your loved ones.

Amazon seems to be branching out in a lot of directions as of late. Its acquisition of Whole Foods earlier this year is but one example of the e-retail giant’s growth, and its newly announced in-home delivery service goes to show just how fierce a competitor it really is. Now, it seems that Amazon might be looking into delivering prescription drugs, too, although no one at Amazon has actually confirmed anything. The telltale sign is that public records show that Amazon has obtained licences that allow it to act as a wholesale drug distributor in at least 12 states, 11 of which have already approved its application ( Nevada, Arizona, North Dakota, Louisiana, Alabama, New Jersey, Michigan, Connecticut, Idaho, New Hampshire, Oregon and Tennessee). The twelfth is Maine, and it seems  to not have come to a decision as of yet.

There have been rumors going on about this for a while, but Amazon’s intentions aren’t as of yet clear. Is Amazon hoping to ship medicine directly to customers, or are they planning on partnering up with a pharmacy benefits manager instead? Of course, as of now, all this is speculation, but Amazon apparently needs to make a decision by Thanksgiving, so we should have more information on its intentions soon. One thing is for sure, though, you won’t be able to order your meds from Amazon anytime soon, because it will first have to get a pharmacy license as well as build a pharmacy team to properly handle orders.

Still, it’s interesting to note that ever since Amazon’s acquiring of the licenses for those twelve states, many big pharmacy’s stocks (including CVS’s) have gone down considerably, even before we know exactly what Amazon’s intentions are. One thing is sure, though: if Amazon really intends to enter the big pharmaceutical market, the sky will be the limit and I expect that those other pharmacy giants’ stocks will go down even further. As we’ve seen in other markets, Amazon certainly isn’t shy about pushing its way through and is generally very successful in its new endeavors. All we (and the pharmacy industry) can do for now is sit tight and await further news.

WhatsApp is an extremely popular social app that is used daily by more than a billion people all over the world. It’s a great app – comprehensive, it allows you to communicate via text, voice, or video, it supports sending videos and images through text and, as most all other communicating apps, allows users to create groups in which a bunch of people can have a collective conversation. The biggest problem, at least until today, was that messages sent by mistake to the wrong group or person could not be recalled for all recipients – only for the person who sent it. So misdirected messages, or messages containing errors, could still be seen by whoever they were sent to.

Not anymore. WhatsApp announced today that the app now has a new option: ‘delete for everyone’. by selecting this option, wayward messages will be removed for every intended recipient and instead be replaced with “This message was deleted”, which will be visible to all – senders and recipients alike. This is a huge improvement for WhatsApp, and one that was long overdue. The company finally decided to listen to user requests, which is a great thing. Unfortunately, users will need to stay on their toes, because they will only have seven minutes to delete messages – past that time, the messages will be staying for good. Still, most people realize their mistake fairly quickly, and seven minutes is better than none at all.

As of now, the new feature is still being rolled out so not everyone can use it yet. It’s also important to note that the feature will only work with the latest version of WhatsApp, so users who have not updated their app recently will not be able to use it, and those who have and use it will not be able to delete messages from older versions. So it might be a good idea to tell your friends and connections to upgrade to the latest version of WhatsApp so that all of you can take advantage of its new functionality. You can read more about the update on WhatsApp’s FAQ page.

We love our pets. Heck, some people like their pets more than they like human beings. Pet accessory and necessity manufacturers know this to, and for years now have made pet owners’ wallets lighter with products ranging from unfortunate outfits to diamond studded collars. And in this ere of technology, the new best thing is a pet cam, some of which are more intricate and have more function than baby cams and monitors. Here are some of the best ones out there for all you pet lovers.

Furbo Treat

True to its name, this nifty pet cam will disperse treats to your dog while you’re not home. The Furbo Treat is also WiFi enabled and can capture as well as stream video for your viewing pleasure (and to make sure that your fur-baby is behaving). It also features two-way audio, night vision, and it even lets you know when your dog is barking through its mobile app, compatible with both Android and iOS devices. You can get it here for $199 ($50 off regular price) and they’ll even through in $45 worth of treats at no charge to you.

Petcube Play

The Petcube Play may be one of the best pet cameras available (for now, at least). It allows pet owners to watch their pet through a wide angled lens. Equipped with Wi-Fi, it can stream video that owners can watch through its sleek mobile app. It also allows for two way communication, and while it doesn’t allow you to give your pets a treat, it does allow you to play with them via its neat laser pointer. I’m of the opinion that keeping your pets active instead of giving them treats all day is a good thing. It comes in three colors (Matte Silver, Rose Gold and Carbon Black) and is currently available here at a $20 discount for a total of $179.

Logi Circle 2

This camera is super simple to set up, features an easy to use mobile app and can stream Full HD video. It also comes with free 24 hour Cloud storage, ultra wide lens, dedicated night mode and two-way audio – and it’s waterproof. It’s basically all you need to keep an eye on your beloved pet and hear his cute little purr or bark while away from home, and it’s a Logitech product, a brand we already love and trust. It is available here for $180.

We’re all guilty of it. Whether we’re hurrying to a meeting while trying to text a client or just watching a video on Facebook while making our way to the store, we let our attention slip and cross the street without so much as a glance to the left or right. My parents taught me to look both ways – as most parents do – and for most of my life I’ve been careful not to forget the lesson. But ever since mobile devices made their appearance, remembering to watch for cars before crossing the street has started to slip my mind. I’m lucky, I live in a relatively quiet area and I’ve never had an issue – to date. But Honolulu has had enough.

As of yesterday, a new law is in effect that allows law enforcement to fine anyone seen crossing the street with their eyes glued to their mobile device up to $35. It might not seem like much, but increase the number of offences and the fines could stack up quickly. City officials are of a mind that the responsibility for injury and death should not be shouldered my motorists alone; pedestrians also need to share this responsibility by not walking blindly into traffic. Brandon Elefante, the city council member who first proposed the bill, declared that “This is really milestone legislation that sets the bar high for safety”. And it’s not only texting or looking at your phone that’ll earn you a fine: Honolulu officials also include in the list of infractions simply speaking on the phone, so that very important conversation will have to be paused until you safely reach the opposite curb.

According to The New York Times, “People who text and walk, for example, are nearly four times as likely to engage in at least one dangerous action, like jaywalking or not looking both ways, and take 18 percent more time to cross a street than undistracted pedestrians”. It’s not hard to believe, but I’m still surprised by that percentage. I’m sure most people never really think about how much longer it takes them to cross while distracted – no more than they think about looking both ways before doing it. Honolulu might be on the right track here, and while they are the first known major city to pass this law, but I have a feeling it will not be the last.