The Morning After: Friday, December 1st 2017
Who needs a dual-screen phone?
Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.
As this week wraps up, we have updates in the Apple vs. Qualcomm squabble, plus some important news for cryptocurrency traders who use Coinbase.
We don't see enough phones with exciting gimmicks, but fortunately, ZTE is trying to make the dual-screen dream happen with its new Axon. It brings a pair of 5.2-inch screens in a folding design; however, Chris Velazco wasn't too impressed with their quality. While they were great for reading with the Kindle app, they didn't make a big enough difference with video or multitasking and drove up the price on this $725 device.
Elon Musk's Boring Co. to bid on Chicago airport transit link
Chicago is planning a new airport link between O'Hare Airport and downtown, so naturally, Elon Musk's tunneling company wants in. A high-speed option could cut travel time from 45 minutes to just 20, but first The Boring Co. will need to get the bid.
Coinbase must share users' cryptocurrency data with the IRS
After a year-long battle, a California judge decided that Coinbase has to share information about its users with the feds. The data sharing affects every user who has bought, sold, sent or received more than $20,000 through their accounts in a single year between 2013 and 2015 -- which Coinbase estimates to be 14,355 individuals. The company will have to turn over the user's name, date of birth, address and taxpayer ID, plus records of all account activity.
Toyota's FT-AC (Future Toyota Adventure Concept) isn't just an AWD crossover ready to go offroad -- it's also your ticket to social media stardom. That's thanks to detachable infrared cameras on the side mirrors that can upload video to the cloud via its built-in hotspot. It's just a concept, so we're unlikely to see this version on or off the streets, but it is an indicator of features Toyota is considering.
Google Home can now do two things at the same time
Now you can tell your smart speaker to do things like the bump the temperature in your kids' room and start playing Slayer's 'South of Heaven' in there as a lullaby.
The best TVs and media streamers to give as gifts
Unless the person on your list already owns a smart TV, media streamers are almost fool proof as far as gift ideas go, and they're reasonably affordable, too. We put several in our holiday gift guide, including the Apple TV 4K at the high end and the Roku Ultra, which is nearly half the price.
But wait, there's more...
Qualcomm hopes to ban Apple's iPhone X sales with new lawsuit
Best Buy claims Google Home Max will be on sale December 11th
Project Redspace imagines an office-car for megacity traffic
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