$1,300 PowerEgg drone

$1,300 Flying Robotic Egg Drone Is a Real Thing

Gear up on five IoT news bites for Thursday

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Egg Drone Remember that crystal egg Tom Cruise cracks in the classic "Risky Business?" We can't help but see that in our mind when we saw the new PowerEgg, a white plastic flying drone that Transformer-style pops out four rotors to take flight. The nearly $1,300 drone has video, a return to home feature, plus a 3.1 mile flight radius. And certainly there's a robotic flair for a drone that appears as one thing, and can then take off into the air like a digital secret agent delivering a hidden message. Still, even the video below has a bit of a sinister feel—like the flying egg could spin into something else besides a drone. Finally, professional drones cost four-figures, so a novelty item like this at that price point may have some trouble taking flight.


Facebook Politics No surprise: Facebook knows how you're going to vote. It doesn't matter if you took a recent quiz on Hillary Clinton or posted about Donald Trump. Your political leanings are already front and center—and determining which ads you're seeing on the social media site. This is, people, how you gets ads everywhere online. But Facebook has taken it to a new level, stamping you with a political moniker from liberal to conservative. The New York Times first reported the discovery. Yet you can get these details removed—just by clicking a button on the site (It's hidden away under that little upside triangle on the upper right of your page, where you then find "Settings," then "Ads," then "ads based on my preferences," then "Edit," and finally "Visit Ad Preferences." But reviewing your ad preferences is worth a read. You may just find out you have a preference for roller skates, kimchi and crayons. And then wonder why you get ads for nut butter instead.

Holiday Rush Best Buy apparently believes that Oculus Rift will be the big ticket item this year for the holidays, putting the VR headset in 500 stores so buyers can demo. At $600, that's definitely a big ticket item, and doesn't even include the price of a supercharged Windows PC. Sony's PlayStation VR will also be available, but in just 200 locations. That headset isn't due until October. (Via Bloomberg)

Woz Says No Steve Wozniak, Apple's co-founder, has decided to weigh in on the news that the next iPhone will not have a headphone jack. Rumors around the iPhone 7 are easy to hear. One is that Apple will link headsets through Bluetooth connections. Woz says that's a mistake and told The Australian Financial Review that sound coming across Bluetooth is not his choice, and not great quality. Anyone at Apple listening?

Water Leaks Water is a dangerous little devil, capable of turning up anywhere once a leak starts. Before you're basement is a flooded mess, or waterfalls cascade down your front stairs, consider an IoT alternative: smart leak detectors. Don't know about them? Good thing we do.


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