SlideShow: Amazon.ca's Holiday Showcase Event

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Amazon.ca showed off various product categories in Toronto today as curated examples of what they believe to be great gift ideas for the holiday season. Here are some picks from the event in various categories. The selection ran the gamut from various educational toys, home appliances and cookware, tools, pet supplies and even a rechargeable electric Razor scooter. Sadly, there was no mention of the Amazon Echo line of voice-powered A.I. devices coming to Canada.

I also got to see the new lineup of Kindle eReaders including the impressive new Oasis and the premium Voyage which features a leather case which doubles as a rechargeable battery. Amazon.ca is well primed to offer subscribers a range of gift ideas come December.

RECO is Indigo's new curated book recommendation app on iOS

RECO, the first iOS mobile application that provides users with access to a  global community of friends and influencers to  discover, share, capture, and discuss books through an easy-to-use and beautifully designed mobile experience.  RECO’s book recommendations are curated and shared by a trusted community of friends and experts rather than through the impersonal suggestions of an algorithm, as is widely used by other services.

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Meet Mercedes-Benz’s semi-autonomous bus

While there are ride-hailing apps and self-driving cars, there is still a need for public transport, especially since these can fit more people in. But there’s also a need for it to evolve and that’s what Mercedes-Benz is trying to do with the semi-autonomous Future Bus program. It follows a route from Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport to the town of Haarlem, which is a route that has a number of bends, traffic lights, and tunnels. The Future Bus was able to navigate this route of over 20 kilometers. It has a top speed of 70km/h and promises to drive gently and smoothly so it’ll still be a safe ride for standing passengers. Yes, it still has a human driver ready to take over in case of an emergency. But Mercedes-Benz believes the technology called CityPilot in the Future Bus makes the ride both safe and efficient.

CityPilot technology is adapted from the software they use for their autonomous trucks made under the Daimler name. The bus can detect objects on the road and bus stops. And it can connect to the city’s infrastructure network so it can get information like when traffic lights will change as well as collect data for the city using its cameras to see things like road wear and tear. Inside of the bus gets so tech upgrades too as there are things like wireless charging spots in them.

Source: Daimler

Smart thermometer doesn’t need to touch your skin to take your temperature

One of the hardest things to do when your baby is sick is trying to take their temperature. The most accurate way to get their temperature is using a rectal thermometer. What if we told you there’s now an alternative to that? Withings introduced back in CES 2016 the Thermo, a device that just needs to do a forehead sweep to check if you or anyone else has a fever. It recently got FDA clearance in the U.S., which means they consider it safe and an accurate tool to measure temperature with. The Thermo has an array of infrared sensors in it that’s designed to measure your temporal artery, which runs up your temple and across your forehead.

Your temperature will show up on the screen on its other end after around two seconds or so. It takes into consideration things like the room temperature. And if you want to find out what your body temperature means, it’s a must to use the smartphone app that goes with it. The app also keeps track of past temperatures so you can see how a fever is going. It can also keep track of temperature readings for you and your family so it’ll know if your current temperature reading means you have a fever. It runs on two AAA batteries rated at having two-year life span. It retails for US$100 or around CA$130.

Source: Gizmodo