Amazon stopped selling Dash buttons, saying Alexa shopping killed any need for them. But if you already owned a Dash button, it still worked. But that’s changing as Amazon will stop fulfilling Dash orders after August.
When Amazon discontinued Dash button sales earlier this year, the company promised to continue supporting existing buttons so long as customers used them. It may come as a surprise then to hear that Amazon has changed course and will stop taking Dash orders after August 31st.
An Amazon spokesperson told CNET that Dash orders have “significantly slowed” which led to the decision to shut down the service. That’s no surprise in some ways; Dash buttons proved to be inconvenient since you couldn’t be sure of the price of an order, and the company stopped pushing the service.
In the meantime, Alexa shopping took over as Amazon’s face of instant shopping. You benefit because Alexa can confirm the price of an item before you order and can add a variety of different items to your cart, unlike Dash buttons. Amazon also benefits because Alexa gives the company a better foothold in your home. [CNET]
In Other News:
- StockX resets user passwords after suspicious activity: StockX, a site for buying and selling sneaker apparel, sent out password-reset emails after it received notification of suspicious activity on its systems. The cautious move wouldn’t be so unusual if it hadn’t initially told users the password reset was due to “system upgrades.” Upfront transparency is always better. [TechCrunch]
- Pixel Phones will talk to 911 for you: One of the main issues with 911 is the system relies on your ability to talk. If you are too injured to speak, problems ensue. Pixel and other select Android phones will soon be able to contact 911 and speak simple messages for you (such as fire, medical, etc.). Additionally, it can share more information about your location. [Geek.com]
- Apple will stop sending Siri audio to contractors for grading: Like Amazon and Google, Apple had been sending audio recorded by Siri to human contractors. The humans would listen and submit feedback on whether Siri understood correctly or corrections if Siri failed to understand. Sometimes that included audio recordings when no one spoke to Siri. Apple says it is suspending the program, will reexamine the process, and introduce a feature to opt-out later. [9to5Mac]
- Some Windows 10 users are stuck in S Mode: If you buy a Surface Go or some other laptops, your device will initially start on Windows 10 S. That OS can’t install programs outside the Microsoft Store. Switching to Windows 10 is supposed to be easy, but users have been unable to change for several days now. Microsoft says it is investigating. [How-To Geek]
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Once they’ve grown in, children typically have 20 teeth while adults usually have 32. The use of the words “typically” and “usually” is apt here because, in India, a young boy’s dental x-rays revealed he had 526 teeth. That’s not a typo; he had over 500 teeth. A sac buried in his jaw contained the vast majority of the teeth. The extra teeth were also tiny, ranging in size between 0.1 mm and 0.3 mm.
Shockingly, the boy wasn’t in much pain, only complaining of the occasional toothache. Surgeons removed the sac, and now the boy has just 21 teeth. All of this really gives you something to chew on the next time you visit the dentist, doesn’t it? [The Guardian]
