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Crunch Network
The drone race is off and running, with Israel in the lead
Audiences around the globe enjoyed all the action of the 2016 Summer Olympic Games thanks in large part to the drones hovering above the events (or below them), capturing every movement, from every angle. Athletes and spectators didn’t give a second thought to the presence of these drones — which shows how rapidly they’ve become commonplace. Indeed, drones can be found in… Read More
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Raspberry Pi finally offers an official starter kit after passing 10M sales
The Raspberry Pi Foundation has finally put out an official starter kit for its low cost microcomputer — offering what it dubs an “unashamedly premium” bundle for the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B, complete with optical mouse and keyboard in a very Apple-looking shade of white, plus all the cables you need to get up and running. The only thing missing is a screen. Read More
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You can now pre-order the iPhone 7 and Apple Watch Series 2
When Apple announced the iPhone 7 and Apple Watch Series 2 earlier this week the company said pre-orders would start Friday September 9th, which in recent years has meant as early as 12:01am Pacific Time or 3:01am Eastern Time on the 9th. This year is no different, as the company just flipped the switch on its retail website as well as in the Apple Store app, so customers can now start… Read More
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Peak Design and building a company on the Kickstarter platform
Most startups toil away in stealth mode on new products with an Apple-esque fear of news leaking before its time. Peak Design decided to go to the other extreme, building a company in full view of its audience — and in the face of its competitors. Eschewing traditional investors in favor of a series of Kickstarter campaigns, I decided to take a closer look at how the team makes it work. Read More
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Chipotle to test burrito delivery by drone with Project Wing at Virginia Tech
Alphabet’s innovation lab X has a drone-focused team called Project Wing which has just announced a plan to commence aerial burrito delivery, in partnership with Chipotle, on the campus of Virgina Tech next week. Project Wing’s mission it to make fully autonomous, or self-flying drones, that can deliver anything to anyone. But the X team is focused, for now, on delivering… Read More
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AirPods and the rise of snackable audio
In just 30 seconds, you can enjoyably consume a viral video or a few Facebook stories. But until now, the shortest thing you could typically listen to was a three minute song, especially when you factor in the time to get your headphones untangled, on, and playing. Hearing anything shorter was more trouble than it was worth. Yet with wireless earbuds going mainstream thanks to the unveiling… Read More
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Amazon’s Fire HD 8 gets upgraded with better specs and Alexa, for $90
If I were Amazon, I would definitely lead with the whole $90 bit. Granted, there are a few key upgrades to talk about here, but price point has always been a major selling point for Amazon devices (thanks in no small part to the fact that it makes most of its money on content), and it’s pretty tough to argue with a sub-$100 price point. Just under a year after receiving its last… Read More
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Playing around with the Apple Watch Series 2
Maybe there’s a theme emerging here — behind-the-scenes tweaks while maintaining aesthetic consistency with past generations. Like the new iPhone, the Apple Watch Series 2 is pretty much aesthetically indistinguishable from its predecessor. Heck, even the new AirPods look nearly identical to the company’s EarPods, albeit with their wires snipped off. But while the Series 2… Read More
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Trying out Apple’s fully wireless AirPods
The AirPods were as close as we got to an honest-to-goodness hardware surprise at today’s big Apple event in San Francisco — though anyone who heard tell of the untimely demise of the headphone jack probably could have seen this coming. Pre-Beats, at least, headphones have traditionally been something of an afterthought for the company, as anyone whose ear canals have smarted from… Read More
Latest Crunch Report
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Up close with the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus
Here we are in a post-headphone jack world. I don’t know about you, but I expected thing to feel different, like that part in the Wizard of Oz when Dorothy sees color for the first time. But there you have it. These things take time. And we’ll see whether other companies follow suit – though the company certainly has a pretty strong track record for ushering out other… Read More
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No, Apple, digital zoom still sucks
Apple continues to dance a sexy dance for photographers all over the world, launching better cameras with more features and higher quality. But when Phil Schiller, VP of marketing at Apple stands on a stage saying that digital zoom is a good thing, real photographers won’t listen to him. Neither should you. Here is why. Read More
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Apple stays in school, donating 54,500 iPads to students and teachers
Ever since Steve Jobs brought the Apple II to the classroom, Apple has created and distributed tech to win over young users where they first learn about computers and coding, their schools. The company announced a continuation of that legacy today at a press event in San Francisco. There, CEO Tim Cook announced that Apple is donating an iPad and a Mac to 4,500 teachers, and iPads to more… Read More
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Mercedes-Benz and Matternet unveil vans that launch delivery drones
Mercedes-Benz Vans and drone tech startup Matternet have created a concept car, or as they’re calling it a Vision Van, that could change the way small packages are delivered across short distances. The Vision Van’s rooftop serves as a launch and landing pad for Matternet’s new, Matternet M2 drones. The Matternet M2 drones, which are autonomous, can pick up and carry a… Read More
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Crunch Network
3D printing technologies explained
If you’ve ever been lost in the midst of all the 3D printing technologies, you know how hard it is to get a grip on the different machinery, applications and companies involved. Many “new technologies” — actually trademarks — are presented as revolutionary, when they are in fact similar or the same as existing systems. Read More
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The Coros LINX is a smart bike helmet that makes sense
While cycling apps are thick on the ground, a full gadget ecosystem is hard to come by. Seattle startup Coros is looking to change that with the Linx, a helmet-app combo (with handlebar controller) that lets you listen to music, take calls, get turn-by turn directions and track progress made along your route. I’ve tried it, and this thing actually seems like a good idea. Read More
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Michael Kors brings really, really big design to Android Wear
At their heart, most smartwatches really aren’t all that far removed from those calculator watches from the 80s. The height of geek chic. Big and bulky pronouncements to world that the wearer is unafraid to wear his or her nerd cred quite literally on their sleeve. But wearables aren’t one-size-fits-all in any sense of the term. And along with increased competition comes a slew… Read More
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WTF is crowdfunding?
You can’t swing a lightly inebriated jaguar by its tail without hitting half a dozen crowdfunding campaigns these days. Looking at some campaigns, it seems like it could be the ultimate get rich quick scheme. Running a successful Kickstarter or Indiegogo campaign is a lot more complicated than that, though. In this video, we take a closer look at some of the common pitfalls. Read More
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The thing that makes IFA a hard show to cover is also its best feature
Today concludes my fourth IFA. Or maybe my fifth. These tech conferences tend to blend together after a while. The first time I attended the show, I hadn’t really heard of the thing, to be honest. Even this year, a number of my colleagues still hadn’t. In the U.S., IFA hasn’t risen to the ranks of a CES or even an MWC, somehow. It has, however, become of show of… Read More
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Samsung’s smart belt is now on Kickstarter, and it’s still called WELT
In Berlin, it means “world.” There’s probably something to be read into that, but I’ve been here covering IFA for several days now and quite frankly, I’m coming up short. The gadget made its debut back in CES in January and now it’s kind of, sort of ready for prime-time. Along with its appearance on the show floor, the product has just hit Kickstarter with… Read More
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Crunch Network
What cities need to know about drones
As drones increasingly fly through our cities in the coming years — delivering our latest order from Amazon or other on-demand retailers — the regulation of our airspace and the environment in which we co-exist with flying robots becomes more and more present and real. Read More
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