Rest of the Day: Amazon Will Add Dash Functionality to More Smart Home Devices
Amazon is partnering with a large number of companies to add Dash button functionality to smart home devices. Gadgets like washing machines and coffee makers will be able to automatically order items when you run out. About this and much more in today’s news.
- Amazon is working with companies like Honeywell and Nestle on devices that will automatically order things like air filters, baby food, coffee, and pet food when you run out of supplies. That’s fine if you don’t mind being a cog in Amazon’s consumable machine. Already there are connected devices from Whirlpool, GE and other companies with similar functionality , although there are still problems with security IoT devices that should be taken into account. [Amazon]
- In other news, Microsoft Windows 10 virtual reality displays will have fairly modest PC requirements. The headsets they announced at their Creator event last month are aimed at a broader market than the more expensive Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. They only need a PC with 4GB of RAM, a DirectX 12 graphics card and a quad-core processor. Most VR systems require high-performance PCs because maintaining a high and stable frame rate is essential for VR experience. [The Verge]
- Video floats around causing iPhone to crash on playback. The video itself appears to be a corrupted file and not intentionally malicious code. So if any of your friends are trying to prank you with a suspicious MP4, you probably shouldn’t play it. Although after rebooting the phones are fine. [The keeper]
- Facebook is testing a feature to help you find the closest Wi-Fi. They recently asked owners of physical location pages like cafes to indicate their Wi-Fi availability, and a new section in the app maps that information to a map. [The Next Web]