Gadgets

Category: Gadgets

Wearable technology to be developed in secretive Amazon hardware lab

Julie Campbell | October 1, 2014

There, various types of tech to be used as household devices is also going to be creation.

Amazon will soon be growing the size of its mysterious Lab126, its hardware operations unit, so that it will be able to develop and test out various wearable technology and household devices that will be created with the Internet of Things in mind.

The massive online marketplace will be boosting its hardware development hiring by 27 percent.

Reuters reported that this will bring nearly 4,000 additional people to the company and will direct $55 million more in funding to the company’s Lab126 division over the next half decade. That media source stated that it had discovered Amazon’s intentions through a “little known government document.”

Lab126 has been the source of a range of highly popular mobile technology devices sold by Amazon.

amazon - wearable technology For example, that department was what created the exceptionally popular Kindle ereader device, as well as the much more recent release of the Fire Phone smartphone. The media reports on this expansion of the company’s Lab126 reflects a very strong focus that it is placing on the Internet of Things, and that it is even in the midst of coming up with a WiFi connected gadget that would give consumers the ability to order everyday household items from Amazon, simply by pressing a button.

According to Reuters, the government document that it found also reveals Amazon’s intentions to come up with a range of different connected products that would, for example, alert consumers that it is time to schedule regular maintenance for various household appliances, or that they should be replacing their filters (which can, of course, then be ordered from the online marketplace).

As the company has seen a drop of nearly 20 percent in its shares, this year, and following disappointing sales figures of the Fire phone, Amazon appears to be looking to other mobile technology efforts to help it to remain relevant and to keep up its competition against Google and Apple, which are also looking into smart devices to be used in the average household for the Internet of Things.

Data plans from AT&T are now offering double the plan size

Lucy | October 1, 2014

Users of mobile devices are always looking for promotions with the best offerings.

As consumers use their mobile devices on an increasing rate for various daily online activities, data plans have become a critical part of their ability to access the internet when they are not within range of a WiFi connection.

This has created massive competition among the mobile service carriers across the country.

AT&T has now announced its latest promotion which doubles the size of its largest data plans. At the moment, the 15, 20, 30, 40, and 50GB Mobile Share Plans will all be doubled so that they will provide their subscribers with 30, 40, 60, 80, and 100GB respectively, for the same price. This promotion is already in effect and is generating a massive amount of interest for consumers who already adore their mobile internet and for those who have been looking to connect for the first time.

Considering the use of mobile devices, these days, it is easy to burn through data plans in one month.

At&T - Data Plans This has given consumers every reason to sign their mobile devices up for shared plans with friends or family in order to be able to save money on their internet usage while outside of WiFi range. The plan that appears to be drawing the largest amount of interest, at the moment, currently costs $130 for 30GB. It costs only $30 more than the AT&T standard price for 10GB.

This means that on the promotion for 30GB, the consumer would pay $4.33, instead of paying $25 per GB on the off-promotion standard 10GB plan. That said, if consumers are interested in taking advantage of this opportunity, then they are urged to contact the company now because it is running the promotion only until Halloween. That said, once signed up, as long as the plan is not changed, it will be grandfathered for life, so this could be a deal worth checking out.

AT&T is offering these data plans not only to new customers, but they have also made the noteworthy move of offering their customers who already have one of these plans the opportunity to sign up for the improved pricing for double the data, provided that they contact the company within the required period of time.