Snapchat’s New Spectacles
The rumors surrounding Snapchat glasses have finally been confirmed, after a promotional video for the product was leaked. Snapchat has officially introduced Spectacles, a Snapchat connected accessory, that will go on sale later this year. The glasses will be on sale for the low price of $129.99. Unlike the rumors reporting the glasses will be augmented reality products, the glasses are primarily a camera with wireless charging and Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity. The glasses will also come with a mount, camera lense of 115 degrees (which is larger than the iPhone’s camera lense) and can record video for up to ten seconds. The glass with also come in three colors, black, teal and coral. The Spectacles signifies Snapchats involvement in trying to differentiate from their app and copycat apps. (Source: Mashable, BuzzFeed)
Uber Gift Cards
Uber has just announced that they will be selling gift cards in 35,000 U.S. retail locations, like Target, CVS and Walmart, within the next couple of weeks. You can also buy them from Uber.com. The new gift cards will be another way of paying for their ride-sharing service. They can be redeemed on their app and do not expire. You can buy the gift cards in two different pre-set spending limits ($25 or $50 versions) or self-set values (ranging from $15-$200). Uber’s gift cards have been released just after Lyft unveiled their own gift card program. Uber also plans on creating a “business-focused card purchasing program,” but details about the plan have yet to be released. (Source: TechCrunch)
Another Self-Driving Car Crash
Last Friday afternoon, a Google self-driving Lexus RX 450h was in a collision with a van in Mountain View, California. According to police, the van driver ran a red light and crashed into the self-driving Google car. But there is speculation as to whether the self-driving car was “in-control” during the crash or the Google employee manning the vehicle took over the car and applied the brakes. Google’s official statement says that “our light was green for at least six seconds before our car entered the intersection” implying that the self-driving car was in-control, not the human. This crash happened just after the U.S. Department of Transportation made policy announcements regarding autonomous vehicles. (Source: TechCrunch)
