June 2015

Streaming Music Services:

Two streaming music services have made headlines recently. Google Music now enables people to listen for free, with intermittent interruption by ads, similar to Pandora. This service lets you choose the type of music you’d like to listen to by the activity you’re completing and the genre of music you would like to hear. You can learn more about the service from Wired or you can simply check it out for yourself.

Another streaming music service released in June is Apple Music. While it is a paid service (similar to Spotify), Apple is currently offering a three-month free trial. Paying for the service will allow you to download albums and playlists for offline listening. You can read more about it from The Verge.

Drone Delivery:

The Federal Aviation Administration has approved the first use of drones for deliveries beginning July 17th. Specifically the drones will be delivering pharmaceuticals to a free clinic in West Virginia. You can read more about it here.   

From Amazon:

New Kindle Paperwhite -

Amazon updated their most popular e-reader with a higher resolution screen, and compatibility with their new font Bookerly. You can read more about it here or check out the product page.   

Amazon Echo Now Available for Regular Purchase -

Back in February Amazon announced Echo, a smart bluetooth speaker complete with a siri-like assistant named Alexa. At the time purchase was limited to prime customers by invitation only. Amazon has now begun shipping those orders and the general public can now purchase Echo. Read more about it from Yahoo Tech, or check out the Amazon Product page.  

Device to let the blind ‘see’ with their tongues:

The FDA recently approved a device that will allow the blind to ‘see’ with their tounges using a glass mounted camera that interprets visual objects as electronic pulses. You can read more about it from Yahoo Tech.

Gmail’s Undo Send Option:

Ever regret an email the moment you send it? With Gmail’s “Undo Send” option which has been released for the web, you can now have up to 30 seconds to take it back. You can read a bit more about it, and learn how to turn the feature on from Forbes.

OS X El Capitan:

During Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference in early June, in addition to showcasing Apple Music, they also gave everyone a look at their new operating system - El Capitan, which will be a free upgrade for existing Mac users when it is released in the fall. Changes include updates to the spotlight search, the ability to view two windows at once in full screen mode, and enhancements to the notes application. You can read more about El Capitan from CNET.

New Tech to Stop Drunk Driving:

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently announced two new technologies that will determine blood alcohol content. One monitors the alcohol content in the air within the car, and the other through near-infrared tissue spectroscopy. You can read more about both from Yahoo Tech.