consumer-tech / 17 posts found
Robot cat tail is the strange answer to your end-of-day anxiety
Qoobo may be the perfect cat. It’s soft, responsive, and will never scratch, dismiss, or leave you. It’s also a robot. SEE ALSO: This super strong artificial muscle may bring us closer to lifelike robots Qoobo, which was unveiled this week by Yukai Engineering Co., Ltd. at the CEATAC trade show in Japan is only marginally a cat. Its wagging feline tail is attached to a 2-pound ball of fur. There’s no purring face, no head or whiskers, no legs, feet, or claws. The name is a combination of the French word for “tail” and “robot.” The plush toy rests […]
13 hidden tricks to get the most out of iOS 11
Image: Lili Sams/Mashable You don’t need to buy an iPhone 8 (or an iPhone X for that matter) to get that shiny, new-iPhone feeling. All you need to do is upgrade to iOS 11, which Apple dropped yesterday, to get in on tons of new features, access to the brand-new App Store, and a fresh coat of paint for the whole experience. SEE ALSO: iOS 11 review: Great on iPhone, extraordinary on iPad Though iPad users got a lot of love this time around, iOS 11 includes all kinds of new features for iPhone owners, too — from a one-handed […]
Buying a new car made me despise Apple
Apple Maps? Nooooooo!Image: Christopher Mineses/Mashable The day I bought my Chevy Bolt EV, I was excited to plug in my iPhone and use Apple CarPlay to run my favorite apps on the dashboard’s huge infotainment screen. My enthusiasm quickly disappeared, though, when CarPlay forced me to use Apple Maps for navigation. Nooooooooo! I took a deep breath and thought to myself, “Surely Apple Maps can’t be as bad as it used to be. Maybe this will be OK?” SEE ALSO: Samsung and Apple should be worried about Xiaomi’s luxurious Mi Mix 2 But after a few weeks of giving Apple […]
Music tech rewind: 7 modern inventions that change the way we listen
Image: pixabay/xs2anurag When you’re sitting in the park listening to music on your wireless speaker, you’re probably too busy enjoying the vibe to pontificate on the science and innovation that brought music and technology to where it is today. Music has come a long way from the time when dropping a new song literally meant dropping a record onto a turntable. Now, we’ve got devices that can download songs in seconds and sound systems that give you full control over the jams you pump. To celebrate and explore the path it took to get where we are today, […]
SoundCloud is saved with a new round of money
No problem.Image: NOAM GALAI/GETTY IMAGES We almost lost another great one. SoundCloud, an online network for sharing and enjoying music, had been crashing. The website was unable to pull in enough money to meet its costs. Last month, the company was forced to lay off 173 employees, which was about 40 percent of its workforce. The move caused an uproar, online. SoundCloud’s future appeared in serious doubt. Chance the Rapper, one of many artists who frequently uses the platform to share his work, tweeted that he was on the case. Just had a very fruitful call with Alex Ljung. @SoundCloud […]
For $400, you can be an Instagram influencer
Image: Getty Images/Cultura RF If you’re on social media, you’ve most likely heard of the side-hustle. Work your 9 to 5, sure, but you also should be making yourself known in the world. Definitely don’t just sit down and watch “fucking House of Cards,” as entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk tweeted. Well, here’s one side-hustle you can probably manage while binging all of Netflix’s originals: Be an Instagram influencer. Don’t have a foodie lifestyle or a cute dog? Don’t worry. Just fake it, and you could be taking in hundreds of dollars per week via brand deals. SEE ALSO: We’re more addicted […]
Download this: Plotagraph will help you level up your Instagram game
Who doesn’t want to level up their Instagram game? While many apps that let you add special effects to your photos end up looking gimmicky, Plotagraph’s app lets you add elegant animations that will make your want to revisit your favorite photos. SEE ALSO: How Sarahah became one of the most popular iPhone apps in the world The idea is kind of like a Live Photo, but instead of photo with a bit video tacked on, Plotagraph’s app takes a still image you already have and enables you to add animations to specific areas. The result is a kind of […]
Let this fitness tracker motivate you to get moving
Just to let you know, if you buy something featured here, Mashable might earn an affiliate commission. Theres nothing better than being in shape. It prolongs your life, it makes you feel better, and it can even boost your mood. Unfortunately, its really hard to get in shape, and even harder to maintain it. Luckily, there are some great fitness trackers that can help you achieve your goals like the Moov Now Personal Coach & Workout Tracker. This award-winning tracker actively monitors your bodys motion to ensure that you get the most out of every workout. It even gives you […]
Enter to win a OnePlus 5 for free
Just to let you know, if you buy something featured here, Mashable might earn an affiliate commission. If we learned anything from 2016, its that two-party systems sometimes end in chaos. The same principle applies to smartphone shopping. Why must we choose between Apple and Samsung as our predominant options, when both have their shortcomings and, for some, deal-breakers? SEE ALSO: Learning to code might be the best (and cheapest) career choice you could make For those fiercely independent smartphone shoppers who refuse to walk the party line, theres the OnePlus 5. With a click of your mouse and a […]
Sprint ruthlessly trolls Verizon’s prices with a fake pop-up shop
Image: sprint/business wire Things are getting ugly in the battle of the wireless carriers. In its latest shot at competitor Verizon, Sprint decided to open up a unique pop-up shop in Queens called “Twice the Price,” which essentially trolls Verizon’s prices by overcharging for all of the featured items. SEE ALSO: Amazon Alexa is so not ready to be your phone’s digital assistant Sprint explained in a press release that at “Twice the Price” shoppers can find items like “potato chips, party supplies, boogie boards, makeup mirrors, mops, bottles of water, and more” for twice their regular price. Because, as […]