Independent smartphone maker OnePlus announced a new handset, but people are more excited about the new headphones. Amazon is ready to replace some workers with new automated packing robots. And people are reacting negatively to Amber Alerts on wireless devices in Toronto.
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Trending on Google, the OnePlus Bullets Wireless 2 were announced yesterday. Yes, OnePlus also its new smartphone, the OnePlus 7 Pro. But it’s these new wireless ear buds that are trending. The $99 USD headphones have a architecture that was inspired by nautilus spiral sea shells. I wonder if you listen to them when nothing is playing if you hear the ocean? Anyway, they’re not like AirPods, because they are connected by a cord you drape around your neck. The battery life offers 14 hours of playback on a full charge. And you can get 10 hours of playback with just 10 minutes of charging time.
Trending on Reddit, Amazon is rolling out automated machines that will place customer orders in shipping boxes. Reuters reports the new machines are being considered for dozens of more warehouses. That would displace at least 24 workers at each warehouse, who are currently doing this job. Amazon has become of the largest employers in the U.S. in recent years as its number of warehouses has increased. Recently, it even raised its wages to at least $15 per hour in many jurisdictions. It faces a high turn over rate in its warehouses, where workers are axed to box multiple order per minute for long, 10-hour shifts. The new machines, called the CartonWrap from CMC, can pack much faster than humans – as much as five times the number of packages per hour. There is some good news for Amazon workers – the machine requires 3 people to operate. One to feed it cardboard, one to place products in it, and one to fix any jams that crop up.
Once again our Communications Centre has been receiving a number of calls from citizens using it as a platform to complain about being awaken by the Amber Alert.
REMINDER:
9-1-1 is for EMERGENCIES ONLY. Please help us to keep our phone lines free for real emergencies. Thanks^adc— Toronto Police Operations (@TPSOperations) May 14, 2019
Trending on Twitter, Toronto Police say they were bombarded by phone calls complaining about an early Tuesday morning Amber Alert. People calling 9-1-1 to complain about receiving amber alerts on their smartphones has been a major problem since Canada added wireless devices to its emergency alert system last year. So I’m here to say, first of all, please don’t call 9-1-1 unless there’s an emergency. This is not a customer support service. Second of all, if you really must opt-out of this system, you can turn it off on your Android device. Try searching for “amber alerts” in your settings to find this option. I’ll also post a link to instructions with the show notes on ITWorldCanada.com. Also, I encourage you to not turn it off. Who knows, you might be the person that one day receives one of these alerts and then sees the missing child and alerts authorities. The whole reason we’re doing this is to help save lives.