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Amazon's tablet web browser is getting easier to use
Amazon's Silk may not be the darling of the web browser world, but you should know it's still getting plenty of affection. The internet giant is recapping recent updates that promise an easier-to-use tablet surfing experience. You'll now see your most visited sites as easy-to-read tiles when you visit Silk's home screen, putting your go-to page a quick tap away. Bookmarking a page has been simplified to a single tap, and there's a reading list section on the home screen that offers quick access to your saved articles. Oh, and this is your dream upgrade if you can't help but open sites in new tabs -- you can keep an unlimited number of tabs open instead of the previous 10. All good things to know, especially since it's been nearly a year since we heard any updates on the supercomputer-powered browser project.
Pyro Mini turns your boring old wrists into flamethrowers
In 2014, magic retailer Ellusionist released a device called Pyro that shoots fireballs from your wrist. Now, a year later, the brand is releasing a smaller, more capable version of its predecessor; meet the Pyro Mini. The new device is half the size of the original so it's far less noticeable when strapped to your wrist. It doesn't require disposable batteries either, trading in triple A's for a microUSB charger. Like the original, the mini uses a remote with a 30ft range to trigger individual fireballs or two at once with the new Burst fire feature. Let's face it, two is always way cooler than one. Pyro Mini managed to upgrade almost every feature it offers all the while slashing the price of the unit to $147. If you want to impress friends, family or just to pretend you're a badass supervillain, you can grab a Pyro Mini via the Ellusionist's website.
Drone fights fires by dropping flaming balls
The thought of a fire-starting robot would normally have us fleeing in terror, but we'll make an exception for this one. Researchers are developing a drone, the Unmanned Aerial System for Fire Fighting (UAS-FF), that helps contain and prevent fires by dropping ping pong-sized flaming balls. If you need to burn grass before it fuels an uncontrolled blaze, you just program the drone to drop its chemically-ignited cargo in a specific pattern -- you don't have to send in a costly aircraft or face the risks of starting fires on the ground. It'll be a while before you see UAS-FF in service, but it's already nice to see a drone that helps firefighting instead of getting in the way. [Image credit: Craig Chandler/University Communications]
Amazon Fire review: $50 of incredible value
With every passing year, Amazon finds ways to upgrade its Kindle e-readers and Fire tablets while also lowering the cost of entry. The company's Fire HD 6, launched last October, broke the sub-$100 barrier, and yet it now looks relatively expensive in comparison with the new entry-level Fire. At $50, it's pretty much the cheapest tablet money can buy, but don't let that price fool you. Compromises have been made in the race to the bottom, of course, but the pessimistic idiom "you get what you pay for" doesn't really apply here. The new Fire might only be the cost of a night out, but what you're getting in return is a perfectly capable device that sets a benchmark for budget slates.
Amazon's selling its $50 Fire tablet in six packs
It was rumored and now the 7-inch $49.99 (£50) Amazon Fire tablet is here. The content peddling device is cheaper than dinner for two at a medium nice restaurant (without drinks but probably including appetizers). While it's cheap, it actually looks better than other sub-$100 tablets on the market with an IPS display with a wide viewing angle and a nice rich contrast level. It's powered by a 1.3GHz quad-core processor, 1GB of RAM and has 8GB of storage. But like the new Fire HD tablets it has a microSD card so you can add up to 128GB of space. It's cheap, durable and Amazon offers them in a six pack.
Amazon stops selling the Fire Phone
After roughly a year of dismal sales (and the resulting steep discounts), Amazon's Fire Phone is no more. The internet retailer has confirmed to GeekWire that it sold its remaining stock of the Fire OS-powered smartphone at the end of August. There's no mention of whether or not this is a sign of a sequel -- the more successful Fire TV is also sold out, we'd note -- but you shouldn't count on it. Reports claim that Amazon is chopping both future phones and other hardware projects as a result of the Fire Phone's failure, so this will likely join the annals of one-and-done flops like the HTC First and Microsoft's Kin series.
Drones hindered firefighting efforts in California
The aerial firefighters deployed to put out a large wildfire in San Bernardino County on Friday were forced to jettison their loads and ultimately land their planes and helicopters. Why? Because a handful of drone owners thought it would be a great idea to fly their machines over the affected areas at the same time. We wish we were talking about how a horde of fire-extinguishing UAVs saved the day, but nope -- the five contraptions the responders spotted were nothing but hobby drones. They found those five flying above the burning vehicles on the Interstate 15 freeway at around 3PM, leaving them no choice but to circle the area for around 20 minutes to wait for them to leave. As you can guess, the drones never did, and two even chased the units while they were en route to the county's airport to land earlier than expected.
HBO Now hits Android devices, coming soon to Chromecast and Fire TV
After HBO Now was announced for Apple devices earlier this year, the network promised to bring it to the Android faithful this summer. Well, the time has come. If you own an Android phone or tablet (including Amazon's Fire devices), you can now access the standalone TV streaming option for $15 a month. You'll still have to wait to employ a Chromecast, Fire TV or Fire TV Stick to do your watching, though, but the service is said to arrive on those gadgets soon enough. Apple's 90-day exclusive window has ended, which allows folks who prefer Google's operating system a chance to give HBO Now a shot three months after its debut. And it doesn't require a cable subscription like HBO Go. If you decide to take the leap, you'll get access to shows like Game of Thrones, Silicon Valley and True Detective in addition to a library of older series (The Sopranos, etc.) and movies. However, if you choose to wait until you can stream it to your set-top box or dongle, we can't blame you.
999 services must embrace texts and apps, says report
While technology has helped the UK's emergency services evolve, people in need are largely required to report incidents by calling 999. It's an adequate solution for the majority of cases, but if someone is the victim of a break-in, picking up the phone just isn't feasible. That's why the the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), the world's biggest professional engineering institution, is calling for some modernisation. It argues that in a world where smartphones, messaging apps and social media services are widespread, letting Brits text 999 in a time of need could save more lives by allowing for faster responses.
Apple recalls Beats Pill XL speaker due to overheating battery
While most of the internet was busy oogling the Fallout 4 trailer, Apple delivered some bad news to owners of Dr. Dre's super-sized speaker. The company is recalling the Beats Pill XL, citing the wireless speaker's battery tendency to overheat in rare cases and creating the risk of a fire. In the announcement, Apple points out that the audio gadget was announced in late 2013, long before it acquired the company last year. If you splurged for one, this website will guide your through the process of getting a refund in the form of Apple Store credit or an electronic payment of $325 -- $25 more than the original price tag. The Pill XL is said to be the only product that exhibits that overheats, and there's no word on a new version that remedies the issue going on sale at a later date.
Amazon targets UK parents with its kid-friendly Fire tablet
Over half of UK households now own a tablet, which is no surprise given how popular the devices are with children. Amazon seems to have noticed the trend and will soon be launching its Fire HD Kids Edition tablet in response. It'll be available from June 18th, with either 8GB of storage for £119 or 16GB for £139. The slate is essentially Amazon's cheap Fire HD 6 tablet in disguise -- a colourful "kid-proof" case, which protects it from drops and knocks, is wrapped around the outside for an easy grip. It comes with 12 months of Fire for Kids Unlimited, a subscription service with educational apps, books, videos and games. The tablet also offers "screen time limits," which lets parents control how long their child can spend consuming specific types of content. All of these software and hardware tweaks are then complimented by Amazon's fairly generous two-year guarantee. The deal means that Amazon will happily replace your tablet should it break -- no questions asked.
Fire breaks out at Apple facility in Arizona
An Apple building in Arizona is on fire, and a live stream from local news station ABC 15 shows crews on site, as well as a burning roof full of scorched solar panels. Based on the location, it appears to be the facility Apple purchased from sapphire maker GT Advanced, with an eye towards turning it into a command center for the company's worldwide data networks. There's no information yet about any possible injuries, and it does not appear to be affecting the status of Apple's services -- GT Advanced maintained control of the building through the end of the year and it seems doubtful any major services have been set up there yet. The situation brings to mind images of Samsung's burning data center last spring, which knocked out services around the world for some of its TVs and phones for a few hours. According to the Superstition Fire and Medical District (yes, it's real) right now it appears that solar panels caught fire on the roof. Update: The fire is out, and there are still no reported injuries. The Arizona Republic reports 40 to 50 people were evacuated from the warehouse, but the fire was mostly confined to the roof where it started.
This speaker lights on fire (and it's supposed to)
Your Sonos setup is pretty handy, what with its wireless audio and all that, but you know what it's missing? A mothereffin' open flame that bounces along to your music's beat, that's what. Because seriously, a jammin' stereo is basically useless if it doesn't run the risk of burning down the your house. And before you ask, no The Sound Torch wasn't concocted by The Talking Heads' David Byrne. However! Its Danish designers say that it's perfect for either your next DJ set or family picnic. For the latter you could probably even skip using one of those grody public grills with these feats of pyrotechnics. What's more, the flame pattern and height apparently changes based on the beat and style of music you're playing.
This personal flamethrower is somehow legal in 49 states
The XM42 from Ion Productions is every pyromaniac's dream come true: a personal, portable flamethrower that's (amazingly still) legal everywhere except California. You'll be able to get your own flame on for as little as $700 when the company launches its IndieGoGo campaign on March 23rd.
Amazon's giving more Kindle tablets its Firefly visual search tool
For the few of you that don't regularly check the Kindle Fire product page on Amazon for changes, we've got a little update for you. Firefly, the visual search-slash-shopping tool that uses your camera to identify, and mostly purchase items, is coming to more tablets. Those with Fire phones, and the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 have had the feature from the start, but it was notably absent on the more affordable HD 6 and HD 7 models. There's no word on when the update will land on your tablet (it's rolling out now), but if you're eager, you might want to add this page to your update checker too. Or, you know, just wait for mother nature (aka over the air updates) to take its course. While you do, you might want to start shortlisting friends with solid game collections for you to test it out on.
Shoot fireballs from your wrist with Pyro
Who hasn't dreamed of having the ability to shoot fireballs from our hands? Thanks to a new device from magician Adam Wilber, you can do just that. The appropriately named Pyro is controlled with a remote switch from up to 30 feet away and tucks under your sleeve to remain hidden. Worn on the wrist like watch, the gadget can shoot four fireballs, one from each of its four barrels, a distance of 10 feet before needing to be reloaded with flash paper. Pyro is currently sold out, but shelling out $174 will secure one when the new stock arrives December 17th. If you're not into practicing illusions, at least now you won't have to hold a Roman Candle during those real-life flamewars.
Don't call it a fire sale: Amazon's Phone is now $199
When we reviewed Amazon's Fire Phone, we said that you'd better off waiting for the sequel. That's good advice for you, but not ideal for the company, since it ate a $170 million loss and has $83 million worth of unsold devices piled high in warehouses. It's probably for that reason that the company has, once again, slashed the off-contract price of the handset down from $449 to $199. Technically, of course, since the device comes with a year's free Prime subscription (worth $99), you're only really paying $100, which you have to admit is pretty damn cheap. You're still probably better to wait for the follow-up, though.
Watch an unmanned helicopter put out fires with help from a drone
Fighting wildfires is sometimes a daunting prospect with manned aircraft; pilots can't always fly around the clock or cover every patch of land. They won't have to if Lockheed Martin's efforts pan out. It recently demonstrated a tweaked version of its unmanned K-MAX helicopter that can work in tandem with a quadrotor drone, Indago, to stamp out fires with relatively little human intervention. As you'll see in the clip below, Indago serves as a forward scout that marks any hotspots. After that, K-MAX swoops in with a bucket to douse the flames. It fetches more water on its own, too.
Amazon will develop Fire phone sequels despite the first's failures
Amazon's Fire phone has been doing so badly on the market, that the company took a $170 million hit in the third quarter of 2014 and is currently sitting on $83 million worth of unsold devices. But even all those millions aren't enough to make the retailer throw in the towel -- Amazon SVP of Devices David Limp told Fortune that the execs are moving forward with their plans to develop and release more phones in the future. According to Limp, the company blames the Fire phone's originally steep pricing for its failure to sell. In fact, the 32GB model used to cost $200 on contract until Amazon was forced to drop its price to just 99 cents in September.
Amazon opening second retail store in San Francisco
Seething with jealousy because you live in California and that Amazon retail store in Manhattan is too far out of reach? Well, maybe the news that the online-shopping giant is setting up shop in San Francisco will help allay any envy. Amazon's City By the Bay pop-up shop is set to open in the Westfield San Francisco Centre October 22nd, according to GeekWire. What's on offer? Mostly Fire devices from the sound of it. It's too early to tell if this store will carry the same benefits as the Gotham retail location (pick-up, drop off or a return spot, namely), but, if anything, it shows that Bezos isn't afraid of trying out traditional sales models in more than one spot, either. If you'd rather not traverse into the city, there's apparently a Sacramento pop-up opening, too.
