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Now it's easy to order food in Google Assistant, Search and Maps
Starting today, you'll be able to order food via Google Assistant, Search and Maps in the US. At the outset, Google is working with DoorDash, Postmates, Delivery.com, Slice and ChowNow, with support for Zuppler and more on the way.
Unroll.me is sorry-not-sorry it sold email data to Uber
When the New York Times revealed that Apple had threatened to drop Uber's app over privacy guideline violations, there was a juicy tidbit tucked inside: Unroll.me's email management service had anonymized Lyft receipts and sold them to Uber to help it gauge the health of its ridesharing rival. Unsurprisingly, Lyft customers weren't happy -- and Unroll.me is apologizing... sort of. Company chief Jojo Hedaya has posted a statement saying it was "heartbreaking" to learn that people were upset after discovering that Unroll.me sells data to make its service free. He believes the company wasn't "explicit enough" in telling users what it does, and that there will be clearer messaging in apps and the web.
Mio's new tracker and health metric may help you live longer
Mio introduced a new fitness tracker called the Mio SLICE at CES Monday and, with it, a new kind of health index called the Personal Activity Intelligence index that supposedly helps practitioners live up to a decade longer. The PAI index is based on the HUNT study, a large scale trial that followed 60,000 people over two decades. By keeping their PAI score above 100 "will increase your lifespan by up to 10 years and provide maximum protection from lifestyle diseases," a Mio statement touts. What's more, it is supposedly personalizable to each individual, rather than more generalized metrics like the Body Mass Index.
Slice shopping assistant now allows you to receive Safari push notifications
One new feature added to OS X Mavericks is the integration of Safari into Notification Center, which allows websites to send you push notifications. Earlier this month, Pinterest added support for this new feature and now Slice, a popular shopping assistant, is adopting this practice as well. These sites are among many that are jumping on the OS X notification bandwagon. With push notifications enabled, Slice will be able to send you shipping notifications so you know when your package is on the way. You'll also be alerted to price drops on items you have recently purchased. Slice recently added recall alerts to its suite of features and these alerts are also included in OS X notifications. To enable this feature, just visit the Slice website with Safari and follow directions to turn on this feature.
Daily Update for October 16, 2013
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
Slice shopping app adds product recalls, improves price drop tracking
Slice is a shopping app that effortlessly tracks your purchases by scanning and logging your shopping receipts as they hit your inbox. The app scans your incoming emails, finds your receipts and parses relevant information about the items that you bought. It identifies both the products you purchased and any shipping information for your order. The version 3.0 update to Slice adds a new product recall feature that compares your purchase history with a list of product recalls provided by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. If a match is found, the app sends you an push notification and directs you to the CPSC website where you can read about the recall. Slice also has been redesigned for iOS 7 and includes a new tracking section that provides easier access to price drop information. Introduced in an earlier version, the price drop feature monitors your purchases and lets you know when an item goes on sale so you can recoup the difference. Slice 3.0 landed in the App Store today and is available for free on your iPhone or iPod touch.
Slice messes with your mind via multitouch circular keyboard for tablets
There's no dearth of Android keyboards on the market, but an entry from new player Slice is bringing the lowly chiclets into a whole 'nother dimension. Depending on which fingers you place on the home buttons, it'll display a rotary wheel of keys that you can reach with your other, free digits, allowing you to touch-type without peeking. At least, that's the theory -- judging by the video after the break, if you happen to look at the trippy graphics during your hunting and pecking, it may induce vertigo instead. The app, which works on 7-inch or larger tablets, also brings "easy access" to special characters, punctuation and a numeric keypad, along with a version of Space Invaders to practice on, appropriately enough -- since you might feel lost in space while using it. Hit the source to shake it out for yourself.
Daily iPhone App: Slice helps you track your online purchases
Slice is for the online shopper who likes to have everything right at his or her fingertips. If you take the time to set it up, the app will quickly become the central hub for your online purchases. You can organize your online receipts, track packages and even monitor recent purchases for price drops so you can request a price match refund. The key to Slice's success is your email account. Once you grant Slice access to your account, it will scan your emails for order invoices and shipping notices. Slice finds your purchases and then stores them in your Slice Purchase History. Using this information, the app can analyze your receipts and allow you to see where you are shopping and what you are buying online with its new "Thingerprint" feature. Slice also tracks your packages and alerts you when an item has been delivered. The Slice service is free, but it does require you to setup an online account. You also have to grant Slice access to your email account, which could make some people uncomfortable. The company says it scans your email only for order and shipping notices; other emails, which may contain personal information, are ignored. If you still have privacy concerns, you can always setup an email address that you use just for purchases. Slice also uses encryption to help keep your invoices safe. The latest version of Slice for iOS brings several new changes including email support for Hotmail, iCloud, and AOL email and a new Facebook Connect login if you're a Facebook user. You can also add shipments manually or by scanning the tracking barcode. I took the app for a test drive and was impressed at how it handled my purchases. I buy a lot of items online and the app did an excellent job picking out the order confirmations and shipping notices from a slew of spam. If you can get past the privacy concerns, Slice soon will become your favorite shopping companion. The Slice app is available for free from the iOS App Store. You can read more about the service on Slice's website.
WowWee Cinemin Slice takes the pico out of your pocket
We can't say we've ever dreamt of a pico projector / speaker dock combo, but we also can't say the idea doesn't make a bit of sense. Continuing its expansion into the projector space with its Cinemin sub-brand, WowWee's Slice is much more than your usual unitasking pico -- it packs six-watt stereo speakers along with a 854 x 480 resolution, 16 lumens DLP projector. As you can see, it's been designed for your choice of Apple products -- its 30-pin connector is compatible with the iPad, iPhone 3G/3GS/4, etc. -- but the back of the device does hold additional VGA, mini-HDMI and AV ports for hooking up whatever other gadget you've been dying to project on a wall. Speaking of that projection, the maximum image size is 60 inches, though you'll have to set it back quite a bit from the projected surface to achieve that viewing size -- WowWee says the viewable range is anywhere between 11 to 125 inches. We caught a look at the Slice at the CES Press Preview event in NYC, and have to say it's not a bad looking dock -- the glowing red LED buttons give it some pizzazz. Obviously, it was hard for us to judge the image and sound quality from the brief look, but we were able to hear Bolt over the event background noise if that counts for anything. The Slice will be priced around $400 but won't be hitting stores until January -- until then you've got the pictures in the gallery below and some more tech specs at the source link. %Gallery-107130%
Kodak Slice touchscreen camera, Pulse WiFi frame, and PlaySport pocket camcorder now on sale... at JC Penney
We're not sure why Kodak is pushing its new Slice touchscreen camera out to JCPenney before any of the usual retail suspects, but there it is, looking radiant in "Radish" and marked up with a $100 premium over the usual $349 list price. If that doesn't make any sense to you, you can also grab the 14 megapixel shooter with the 3.5-inch display, 720p video capture, and built-in search for $349 from JR.com or Kodak. Kodak's also got the seven-inch Pulse WiFi digiframe that pulls photos from Facebook and the new PlaySport 1080p waterproof pocket camcorder up for sale now as well, at $129 and $149, respectively -- and yes, you can buy those from Penney's at a markup if you like, because the very fabric of our relationship to reality is unraveling in a heap on the floor of the Juniors department.
Kodak touchscreen Slice camera, underwater Playsport camcorder, and friends hands-on
Where do you show most of your digital photos to friends? Probably via Facebook or Flickr or the like, but many consumers simply do the most logical thing: turn their camera around and squint at the dinky LCD. That was the idea behind the Slice, announced yesterday and more or less designed around a lovely 3.5-inch touchscreen that may not be quite as big as a 4 x 6 print, but it's far more versatile. The 14 megapixel camera has a solid feel in the hand and looks great. For those feeling a little more adventurous there's the 1080p Playsport camcorder, which looks and feels more or less like a beefy Flip. To prove its disrespect toward moisture, the camera was unceremoniously plunked into a fish bowl, where it seemed hardly perturbed. Finally is the Pulse digital photo frame, a somewhat pedestrian-looking seven-inch, 800 x 600 model that sports the ability to receive photos via e-mail, so you can shoot those pics of the grandkids off to nanna without her having to touch a thing. Pictures of all that and a pair of new EasyShare models in the gallery below. Oh, and a crab, too. %Gallery-81864%
Kodak deals Slice touchscreen camera, Pulse digiframe and Playsport camcorder
Just in case you had any doubts, CES is in full swing. Kodak just blurted out a galleria of new goods, starting with the all-new Slice touchscreen camera (shown above). As you likely expected, this is the outfit's first touchscreen P&S, boasting a 3.5-inch rear display, a search function to sift through "up to 5,000" photos on the internal memory, a direct tag feature, 14 megapixel sensor, 5x optical zoom, built-in optical image stabilization and 720p (30fps) video capture. It'll ship this April in black, nickel and radish (yeah kids, radish) for $349.95. Next up is the April-bound Pulse digital photo frame, which boasts a 7-inch display (800 x 600 resolution), integrated WiFi, 512MB of storage and a $129.99 price tag. Rounding out the bunch is a load of new EasyShare cameras (all detailed in the press release below), as well as a Playsport camcorder, which offers up waterproof 1080p action with electronic image stabilization, a 2-inch LCD, 5 megapixel still shots, smart face tracking technology and an SD / SDHC card slot. There's also an HDMI output and USB connectivity, and you'll find black, blue and purple editions shipping this April for $149.95. You're stoked, aren't you? %Gallery-81639%
Pixelmator 1.5 Spider update out
The Pixelmator team has released another update to my favorite little photo editor. Pixelmator 1.5 Spider brings a host of web exporting and sharing options, including a new "Save for Web" feature and the option to send a picture straight to Mail or iPhoto. Additionally, there's a new Trim tool that will cut off transparent or background pixels, and a new Slice tool that will let you cut an image up into pieces and optimize each for the 'net. There's also the usual round of bug fixes, including support for full compatibility with Snow Leopard.As usual, the new version is available for update from right within the current app. For new users, Pixelmator is available for $59 over on their website, complete with a free trial if you want to check out this photo editing powerhouse before buying. I really enjoy using Pixelmator -- it's lightweight and easy to use, and while it's not quite as full-featured as Photoshop (though with every big version release like this, they get closer), it's a great app to do a little image editing in.
German users claim MacBook Air can cut through bread, flesh
Now, we know that the MacBook Air is one thin laptop, but some Apple forum members in Germany are claiming that the edge of the laptop is not only sharp -- but downright dangerous. According to "Apple Talk" reader Bajuware, his MBA went kill-crazy all over his elbow while he was cold-chillin' on his couch. The details are a little hard to suss out due to the language barrier (and machine translation), but it would appear the Air's bottom edge made nasty work of the human flesh like someone had insulted its mother. Another MBA owner claims his computer is sharp enough to slice bread, though we assume it's not used for buttering. Honestly, we're not sure what kind of danger an innocent MacBook Air could really pose besides causing you to throw out your back constantly plugging in the AC to charge that not-quite-as-advertised battery.
Virgin Mobile intros Super Slice, its first Bluetooth phone
Would ya believe Virgin is just now getting down with that whole Bluetooth fad? No, seriously, it's true, and it has a name: Super Slice. As the moniker implies, the 10.2mm thick candybar is the successor to last year's Slice, a phone also sourced from UTStarcom. Features include a VGA cam, up to 270 minutes of talk time, speakerphone, a fresh user interface, and a refreshing price: $59.99 contract free (Virgin's prepaid, after all) when it rolls out to shelves in the middle of the month.
Xbox, Xbox 360 taken to console heaven by water jet cutter
While there's no shortage of interesting ways to dissect (or completely obliterate) your favorite gizmo, this one came straight out of left field but still manages to impress. If you've never been around a pressure washer and had vivid thoughts of cutting up your precious Microsoft console with it, you're probably in the (vast) majority, but the zany folks over at Waterjets fulfilled their own fantasies. Offered a bunch of malfunctioning Xbox and Xbox 360 consoles, they put their laser water cutting skills to the test by making an "X" out of an original Xbox, carving out Xbox logos from the circuit boards, and creating a hole in the middle of an Xbox 360. Sure, the utility here is questionable, and the methods are most certainly unorthodox, but we can't deny the wow-factor. So if you're interested in seeing just what else happens when that oh-so-powerful jet gets fired up, be sure to hit the read link for the full rundown of slicing and dicing.[Via MAKE]
UTStarcom Slice gets official for Virgin Mobile
Rumor has it the Slice has been floating around a Wal-Mart here and a Radio Shack there for at least a week or two now, but UTStarcom and Virgin are just now getting around to announcing the slimphone's availability all official-like, and the companies are quick to point out the Slice's main selling point: the candybar is now the thinnest phone (10mm) available in the US without contract. Of course, other critical points to make would be the phone's attractive out-the-door price of $50, while feature-conscious users will still appreciate the MP3 ringtone support with 32MB of storage, reasonable 128 x 128 color display, and that endlessly imitated RAZR-style keypad. Look for the Slice now in stores with online available following on November 2.
UTStarcom serves "Slice" to Virgin Mobile
Though it's known simply as the PCS-1400 to UTStarcom, Virgin Mobile has a history of christening its phones with creative names, and the trend continues here: enter the "Slice." The phone looks a bit like UTStarcom's previously seen UT1200 for GSM networks but rocks CDMA instead (obviously), bringing 10mm-thick slimphone goodness to prepaid users on the cheap -- just $50. Specs are pretty much what you might expect for a $50 phone, with a single-band 1900MHz radio, 128 x 128 display, 32MB of internal storage, and a speakerphone, but no camera or Bluetooth to be found. No word on an official availability date for the Slice, but it looks like Circuit City will be happy to sell you one as we speak.[Thanks, Gusto and Jeremy]Read - Circuit CityRead - Virgin Mobile Slice support pageRead - UTStarcom
