Airbnb's been struggling with numerous legal issues for a while now, and one of the biggest complaints against the service is that hosts have been using it to set up illegal hotels to avoid paying taxes....
Airbnb to collect taxes in more big cities
Saturday, January 31, 2015
'Tron'-like headphones, virtual reality at Sundance and other stories you might've missed this week!
We get it. It's been a busy week. Luckily, we're here to catch you up on the release date of the Apple Watch, VR headsets in Hollywood and all the other cool stuff you may have accidentally glossed over...
Amazon's Echo lets you control iTunes, Pandora and Spotify with your voice
If you accepted an invitation to buy Amazon's Echo speaker, you've noticed that the device didn't have a vast musical vocabulary at first -- you could tell it to play iHeartRadio or Prime Music tunes,...
Marriott is no longer fighting for permission to block WiFi hotspots
Marriott wants you to know that it's completely done trying to block guests' personal WiFi connections -- it has even given up convincing the FCC to give it permission to do so, a spokesperson told...
The Pirate Bay comes back weeks after a police raid
We're starting to wonder if it's nigh-on impossible to keep The Pirate Bay down. Just weeks after Swedish police raided the bootleg file site and knocked it offline, it's back -- TorrentFreak reports...
The poetry of my tweets
I'd like to think my tweets offer some cultural value and promote a better world. I consume plenty of brilliant films and scholarly articles, then reflect my learnings on Twitter multiple times a day....
HTC's Lollipop update won't reach every One phone on time
HTC hasn't always had success upgrading One users to the latest version of Android within its promised 90-day window, and history is unfortunately repeating itself with Android 5.0 Lollipop on the way....
Casio's new iOS app turns your whistling into full-length tunes
Apps have done wonders for music creation, and now there's mobile software from Casio that aims to make it even easier. The Chordana Composer app for iPhone creates a track basked on a melody that you...
Recommended Reading: Reliving virtual reality in the '90s
Recommended Reading highlights the best long-form writing on technology and more in print and on the web. Some weeks, you'll also find short reviews of books that we think are worth your time. We hope...
Your BMW just downloaded a security patch
Have a BMW, Mini or Rolls Royce with the ConnectedDrive feature parked in your driveway? Maybe all three? Well, it turns out there was a bug that allowed ne'er-do-wells to manipulate it -- entirely...
Friday, January 30, 2015
Daily Roundup: Tesla Model X, DARPA YouTube robots and more!
Tesla's Model X has been spotted in the wild; a new DARPA technology lets robots learn from YouTube videos; and Verizon is changing its policy on "supercookies." Get the details on these stories and...
Nest is losing its tech VP and the CEO of Dropcam
Google's plan for a connected home including Nest and Dropcam lost a few family members today. Nest's Vice President of Technology Yoky Matsuoka and Dropcam cofounder Greg Duffy have left for other...
Google makes Earth Pro available to virtual travelers for free
While we're sure Google Earth works just fine for your daily virtual 'round-the-world travels, the Pro version comes with some really useful features -- even better, it's now completely free. Google...
Chicago's subways are getting speedy LTE data
Just because you have cellular service in the subway doesn't mean you have good service -- in many cases, your data goes in the dumps when your train ventures underground. That won't be a problem in...
Aziz Ansari's new Netflix stand-up special debuts March 6th
If you're a big fan of comedy specials that are unique Netflix, the latest from the man behind Parks and Recreation's Tom Haverford is on the way. On March 6th, Aziz Ansari: Live at Madison Square Garden...
This art dealer wants to hang an indie game on your wall
Dutch art dealership and gallery Cook & Becker has been selling fine art prints from video games for a few years now. Thanks to partnerships with companies like Capcom, Naughty Dog, DICE and BioWare,...
Woman in India rape case sues Uber
A woman who claims she was raped by an Uber driver in New Delhi last month has filed suit against the US-based car-sharing company. In a civil complaint filed yesterday in California, the unnamed woman,...
ESPN offers standalone subscription for the Cricket World Cup
Talks of ESPN's standalone options are nothing new, and for the 2015 Cricket World Cup, the network is offering a cable-free standalone subscription. Access to the event's six-week slate of 49 matches...
Google Now finally pulls in data from your favorite apps
At long last, Google Now will now support third-party apps. That means that in addition to serving you helpful information like when your next appointment is and how long it'll take you to get to the...
Uber gets a thumbs up on data security from privacy auditors
The results from Uber's six-week-long external privacy audit, spurred on by several high profile security controversies, are in. And, surprisingly, the final report looks positively rosy for the on-demand...
'Heavy Rain' creator's earliest cinematic game gets remastered
If you missed out on the cult classic Indigo Prophecy (("Fahrenheit" in Europe), the first stab at a pseudo-cinematic game from Heavy Rain developer Quantic Dream, you've now got a good reason to give...
Google's 3D-sensing Project Tango is no longer an experiment
Yet another project is graduating from experiment to proper part of Google. Only two weeks ago, Glass left the confines of the Skunk Works-like Google X and became its own division headed up by Nest...
Vine Kids delivers family-friendly video loops
Let's be honest: Kids are really easy to entertain. Give 'em something that makes noise and flashes some pretty colors and they're set. And that's pretty much what Vine does, ad infinitum. There's sounds,...
Verizon Wireless will let you dodge those sketchy 'supercookies'
Living a wholly private life on the internet is getting to be impossible, but months of thinkpieces and public outcry finally seem to have done a little good where one company is concerned. According...
Tesla's long-delayed Model X SUV is testing in California
It may look like a Prius that's been vomited on by Mad Max, but the vehicle you see in the clip below is probably Tesla's long-delayed Model X SUV. You see, when companies begin stress-testing vehicles,...
Tesla doubles the size of its Supercharger network in the UK
The last time we checked in with Tesla's UK roll-out, the company had opened three new Superchargers in London, bringing its grand total for the British Isles up to nine. It promised that within six...
Soundcloud's latest iPad app is good for listeners, bad for creators
Soundcloud likes to keep its apps looking sharp -- this much we know. It was only just recently that the music service gave its iPhone app a bit of spit and polish. This time it's the iPad version's...
Microsoft's white space internet aims to improve education in Ghana
Microsoft has long been championing TV white space internet for use in places conventional types of connections don't reach, even in places that don't even have access to electricity. After a pilot...
British thieves stole DVDs from a supermarket by mailing them home
Before we start, we know that crime is wrong and that theft is a serious issue. That said, the lengths some people will go to steal a few DVDs is pretty entertaining. Thieves at a Walmart-owned ASDA...
Google agrees to make its privacy policy clearer in the UK
Three years ago Google merged more than 60 privacy policies into one gargantuan document, in the hope it would be simpler and more readable for its customers around the world. Some people were skeptical...
