Airbnb moves to attract wealthier travelers with new offerings

Airbnb is both welcoming hotels into its platform at the same time introducing a new service that will provide its customers with hotel-like amenities. The latter is being called Airbnb Plus, which provides higher-end accommodations that have been “verified for quality” by the service. As explained on Airbnb’s site, “Every Airbnb Plus home is one-of-a-kind, thoughtfully designed, and equipped with a standard set of amenities—whether you’re in a private room or have the entire place to yourself. All Airbnb Plus homes are visited in person to ensure comfort, consistency, and design. They are checked for 100-plus things that guests told us they love, from must-have amenities to the art on the walls.” These hosts will also need to have a 4.8 out of 5-star rating or higher to qualify.

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New Apple AirPods might launch ‘as soon as this year’

Review: Apple AirPods

The next iteration of the Apple AirPods might come sooner than we think. A new report from Bloomberg claims the company might release the next version of these in-ear wireless headphones “as soon as this year.” The next AirPods will reportedly have upgraded wireless chip designed by Apple to keep its Bluetooth connection. This version will also supposedly be able to rouse Siri just by saying the keywords “Hey, Siri.” You no longer need to physically tap on the AirPods to do so.

On top of this, a water-resistant version might come out as early as 2019. But like the new iPhones, these won’t be built for complete submersion. Instead they’ll be able to handle splashes of water and rain. We might also expect a wireless AirPods charging case soon, as Apple has previously said.

Source: CNET

Anki's Cozmo robot is #1 best selling toy of 2017

 Anki, the consumer robotics and artificial intelligence (A.I.) company, celebrated a successful 2017 holiday with Cozmo earning the top spot for the best-selling toy on Amazon U.S. two years in a row, according to One Click Retail (report). The critically acclaimed robot was also the best-selling toy of 2017 on Amazon in the U.K. and France following its global debut this past September.

In addition to making waves on Amazon, Anki was recently recognized by Fast Company in their annual ranking of the World’s Most Innovative Companies for 2018. Anki was named #2 in the Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in Robotics. Anki has had the honor of being featured in Fast Company’s rankings for four consecutive years.

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Payment Source and Canada Revenue launch In-Person Tax Payments at 6,000 Canada Post outlets

Payment Source, Canada's premier alternative payment provider, announced an expansion of its relationship with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) that enables Canadians to make tax payments from any of the country's 6,000+ Canada Post locations. Beginning this year, CRA remittance forms for T1 taxes will contain an embedded QR code, powered by Payment Source's Loadhub technology. When scanned, these codes allow Canadians to make their tax payments in-person using cash or debit at any Canada Post location across the country.

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