Articles by Don Melanson
Google Finds More Uncharted Territory For Street View With El Capitan Climb
Google's latest Street View trek offers a virtual ascent of Yosemite's El Capitan. Google's Street View has long since left the confines of streets, offering ground-level views of national parks, landmarks and remote destinations from around the world, but the company still has a long ways to go before it runs out of "firsts" to capture.
iPhone Users Cramped For Space Will Get Help Installing Updates in iOS 9
A new feature in iOS 9 will automatically delete and reinstall apps to make room for software updates.
Instagram's Latest Update Is Designed To Pull You From Your Feed
The latest Instagram update introduces some big changes to the app's search and explore features.
Amazon Drops The Invitations, Makes Echo Smart Speaker Available To Everyone
You can now order Amazon's Echo speaker / personal assistant for $180, with it set to ship July 14th.
Hoverbike-maker Malloy Aeronautics Now Developing Vehicle For The US Military
Malloy Aeronautics is now working with a US-based company to develop a hoverbike for the Department of Defense.
New NASA Images Gallery Collects Over 130,000 Space Photos For Easier Browsing
Luna Imaging brings NASA's various image collections together into a single, searchable gallery.
American Standard's Elaborate New 3D-Printed Faucets Are Real, But Expensive
American Standard brings 3D printing to kitchen and bathroom faucets with some impressive results. If you're looking for a glimpse of how 3D printing could change the kitchens and bathrooms of the near future, you don't need to look much farther than American Standard's latest line of faucets -- although only a select few will be able to actually take one home today.
EFF Report Ranks WhatsApp And AT&T Worst In Dealing With Government Data Requests
Nine big tech companies come out on top in the EFF's latest report, but three fail to make the grade.
BMW Shows Off Plan To Turn Street Lights Into EV Charging Stations
BMW shows off its Light and Charge system that turns street lights into electric vehicle chargers. It's no secret that we're going to need a lot more charging stations for electric vehicles to be adopted in really large numbers, and BMW is hoping that its new solution will provide a way for cities and towns to upgrade existing infrastructure without having to find spots for dedicated chargers.
Former Nokia CEO Stephen Elop Leaves Microsoft Amid Reorganization
Elop is out as Microsoft combines its operating system and devices divisions and reorganizes its leadership team.
Amazon Updates Kindle Paperwhite E-Reader With Sharper Display, New Fonts
Amazon's mid-range Kindle Paperwhite gets a little closer to the Voyage with a screen upgrade. It looks like Amazon's once top-end Paperwhite e-reader is about to become an even more attractive mid-range option in the company's Kindle line.
Nintendo Confirms 'Super Mario Maker' Release Date, Announces New 'Mario Tennis' And 'Paper Jam' Games
Nintendo marks Mario's 30th anniversary with 'Super Mario Maker,' new 'Mario Tennis' game, and 'Mario and Luigi: Paper Jam.'
Spotify Taste Rewind Offers Up Tailored Playlists From Decades Past
A new service quietly rolled out by Spotify promises to expand your music library with playlists from each decade.
Google Looks To Challenge Twitch With YouTube Gaming App And Website
YouTube Gaming will offer live game streaming and other Twitch-like features this summer. YouTube has long seemed like a natural fit for the now massively popular activity of video game streaming, but it's Twitch that's managed to capture most of the ground in recent years (which resulted in a nearly billion dollar acquisition by Amazon last year).
Parrot's Latest Swarm Of MiniDrones Will Allow A Foray Out Into Water
Parrot's new MiniDrones include models that can handle heights, water, and darkness. Consumer drone-maker Parrot is either not messing around with its latest batch of drones — or it's throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks.
FTC Takes On Its First Crowdfunding Case, Settles With Kickstarter Project That Scammed Backers
The Federal Trade Commission has settled its first case with a fraudulent Kickstarter project. In a move that could have widespread implications for the crowdfunding industry, the Federal Trade Commision announced today that it has taken on its first case involving a crowdfunding platform, and settled with a Kickstarter project that failed to deliver on its promises.
Terry Gilliam's 'Don Quixote' Will Start Shooting Next Year With Amazon's Help
Gilliam confirms 'Don Quixote' is part of his deal with Amazon Studios If there's ever been a movie that seemed intent on not being made, it's Terry Gilliam's The Man Who Killed Don Quixote.
Elon Musk Finally Catches A Break In The Video Game Business With Rediscovered 30-Year-Old Game
A video game created by a 12-year-old Elon Musk can now be played online. The early video game efforts of the likes of Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak during their time at Atari, and Bill Gates with his racing/donkey avoidance game DONKEY.
Researchers devise new method to use Wi-Fi for head counts
A team of researchers has found a way to count people using Wi-Fi, without relying on mobile devices.
WWDC15: Apple Pay Coming To UK Next Month, Passbook Becomes Wallet
Apple details updates to its mobile payment service. It remains to be seen if Apple Pay will become the norm for payments that Apple hopes it will be, but the company is at least well on its way to expanding its base of potential customers.
