Amazon is planning to launch its own full delivery service later this year

Amazon is planning to take even more control over the journey your purchased products take to your door, according to reports – the giant retail and tech company is said to be plotting to launch its own full-scale delivery service at some point during 2018.

The Wall Street Journal says the new service will take on the likes of UPS and FedEx by picking up packages from businesses who sell on its site and delivering them to customers. It's not the first time such a rumor has surfaced, but it seems Amazon is now ready to start putting the plan into practice, starting with a limited roll out.

Apparently the scheme has already begun operating in London, and will arrive in Los Angeles next. It follows on from the service Amazon already offers of delivering products for companies that store goods in Amazon warehouses en route to customers.

Wait by the door

Shipping With Amazon, or SWA, as the service is said to be called, will give Amazon full control over pretty much every step of the process of getting goods from A to B, whether or not they pass through its warehouses.

As yet there's nothing official from the company itself but we know Amazon is keen on making the delivery process as smooth as possible. Jeff Bezos and his team are already way down the line in testing drone deliveries, and there are also plans afoot to bring boxes to your front door with the help of self-driving cars.

For customers, not much will really change – you'll still click through to confirm your purchase on the Amazon site and get whatever it is you've bought turn up at your home – but it's another step forward in Amazon's bid to control every aspect of its deliveries.

• The cost of Amazon Prime is about to go up for some users

source http://www.techradar.com/news/amazon-is-planning-to-launch-its-own-full-delivery-service-later-this-year

Intel's drones broke a world record at the Winter Olympics opening ceremony

If you were watching the opening ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea yesterday then you might have noticed a swarm of Intel-made drones lighting up the night sky at various points – and those intelligent packs of drones broke a Guinness World Record along the way.

The record-breaking segment shown at the ceremony was actually pre-recorded, and featured a total of 1,218 drones flying together in sync, more than ever before. A smaller swarm of 300 drones also entertained the crowds live in PyeongChang.

We've seen these Shooting Star drones from Intel in action several times before, and their latest outing is part of a deal between Intel and the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The partnership covers VR tech, 360-degree videos, and of course the drone shows that wowed the audience last night.

The sky's the limit

The previous record for "most drones flown simultaneously" was also set by Intel's Shooting Star fleet. They followed up a show with 100 drones in Germany in 2015 with a performance featuring 500 of the bots the next year – obviously this tech is just getting smarter and smarter.

Every drone fleet performance is controlled by just one pilot. The Unmanned Aerial Vehicles themselves are fitted with LED lights to produce a virtually unlimited number of color combinations, with each 384mm x 384mm (15.1 inch x 15.1 inch) quadcopter weighing in at 330g (0.73lbs).

"The Olympics are a time when the sports and entertainment industries are buzzing with record-setting performances, so it was the perfect stage for Intel Shooting Star drones and our team to set their own kind of record," said Intel's Natalie Cheung in a press statement.

• These were the best drones we saw at CES 2018

source http://www.techradar.com/news/intels-drones-broke-a-world-record-at-the-winter-olympics-opening-ceremony

New standards for the Indian online market as Google gets sued

 

Today is not a good for Google. Globally, it’s being sued for the 2016 Pixel’s microphone problems and in india, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) has imposed a fine of Rs136 crores on the company for infringing ‘anti-trust conduct’.

A probe was issued to explore the problem back in 2012 after multiple complaints by services such as Bharat Matrimony and a non-profit called Consumer Unity and Trust Society. It was speculated that Google was abusing its dominant position in the market with respect to online searches by indulging in search manipulation and search bias among other things. 

These actions were causing harm, not only to its competitors, but to the millions of users that use the search engine as well. 

For instance, Google Flights would be the primary search result if you were looking for air travel options, though they may not necessarily be the most popular.

Google’s statement cites the CCI’s concerns as 'narrow', stating that - "The CCI has confirmed that, on the majority of the issues that it examined, our conduct complies with Indian competition laws."

So why the fine? 

The CCI says that Google, through the design of its search engines, has not only placed its own commercial flight unit at a prominent position, it has also allocated disproportionate online space to these services leading to a disadvantage towards other veritcales who’re trying to gain market access. 

Simply put, it was done in bad taste. It violates the basic competitive nature of a capitalistic market.

On top of the fine, which, by the way, is just 5% of the average annual revenue that’s generated by Google’s Indian operations, the CCI has directed Google not to enforce any of the restrictive clauses that it may have with its Indian partners, effective immediately. 

Specifically, with reference to Google Flights, the company now has to present a disclaimer that clearly indicates that the ‘Search Flights’ link at the bottom will lead to a Google Flights page so that users aren’t being misled.

All in all, this isn’t the first time that Google has been accused of 'anti-trust' practices but this is only the second time that it has lead to a penalty. The decision shows the turning tides of the online market with the CCI establishing itself as a trend setter. 

• Astonished by the turn of events? Google did try and reduce the amount of fake news floating around out there. Check it out.
• Nothing can stop Google's reign as Apple sidelines Bing preferring Googles search results.

source http://www.techradar.com/news/new-standards-for-the-indian-online-market-as-google-gets-sued

Vodafone rolls out 4G VoLTE in Mumbai, Gujarat and Delhi

First of all, if you don’t live in these three cities, don’t worry! Vodafone has plans of launching in Kolkata and Karnataka really soon before rolling out the service pan-India.

With connectivity at a higher level and access to new possibilities of what can be accomplished on a smartphone, Vodafone is looking to empower the user by offering 4G VoLTE. If you’re already a Vodafone customer, you can have access to this without any extra charge. All you need is a Vodafone 4G SIM card and a compatible phone.

First off, make sure that your phones operating system is up to date and if you own a dual SIM phone, then your Vodafone SIM should be in the primary slot. 

Next, just access your network setting from your phone’s menu and change your ‘Preferred Network Mode’ to ‘4G LTE/ 3G / 2G (Auto)’. Now all you have to do is restart your phone and you’re good to go.

Word of caution: Your smartphone manufacturer needs to have enabled VoLTE for your operator, which is normally done with a software update. 

• Don't have a 4G VoLTE enabled phone? Here's where you can get one on a budget.
• 
  

source http://www.techradar.com/news/vodafone-rolls-out-4g-volte-in-mumbai-gujarat-and-delhi

DJI institutes no-fly zones for its drones around Winter Olympic arenas

SpaceX's powerful Falcon Heavy rocket launches with a Tesla onboard

The best e-commerce platform of 2018