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Amazon just introduced a new feature for Alexa called Greetings. This lets Alexa answer the doorbell and converse with visitors, which certainly sounds futuristic in a "gated community as dystopia" kind of way.
There are several caveats here. First of all, it only works with certain newer Ring video doorbell models. Customers also have to pony up for a Ring Premium Plan and have access to the Alexa early access build. It's available in the US and Canada and only in English.
If you meet those criteria, this could be a fairly useful little feature. Amazon says it "transforms your Ring doorbell into an intelligent assistant capable of determining who's at your door, understanding what they need and responding conversationally." The company promises that the tool operates whether people or home or out doing errands.
How does this work? It's an AI algorithm that "determines who's there based on what they're wearing, holding or their actions." It will use "visual context, any information the visitor shares and the instructions it's been given to help manage interactions on your behalf."
Amazon says that it can, for instance, distinguish if a person is wearing a delivery uniform and tell them to leave the package at the back door. Most of my delivery drivers don't come to the door in full uniforms because it's winter and that would be ridiculous. I don't even expect that during the summer. In other words, this is modern AI and mistakes will happen.
The company gives other examples of how this could be used, like gathering messages from friends who stop by and telling door-to-door salespeople to (politely) bug off. Amazon also says Alexa will be able to direct visitors to water and snacks that have previously been laid out. Finally, there's a way to avoid those pesky cute k
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 While it appears that the iMac will not be updated in 2025, rumors indicate that Apple is planning some big changes for the all-in-one desktop computer.
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 The Ultrahuman Ring Air now has the capacity to track snoring and general respiratory health. This is thanks to proprietary technology called Respiratory Health PowerPlug, which is basically a suite of audio analysis tools along with some "advanced biomarker tracking" and AI tomfoolery.
All of this results in "one of the most comprehensive consumer tools ever built for understanding nighttime respiratory stability." It details snoring sessions, of course, but also delivers a holistic and "actionable sleep picture." The company says this "reveals patterns, trends and changes in respiratory health over time."
Ultrahuman
To that end, it can also detect coughing and respiratory disturbances. This data is cross-referenced with movement patterns, sleep fragmentation patterns and resting heart rate to "show exactly how breathing issues shape sleep quality." The company says this can be a good resource when experimenting with interventions, like switching to a new pillow or taping up the nose.
More health data is never a bad thing, but this information isn't free. Ultrahuman is charging $4 per month for access to the tool, though folks can pick up an annual subscription for $40.
The Ultrahuman Ring Air made our list of the best smart rings, and that was before the company introduced this new software. It tracks an impressive amount of data and integrates with third-party devices like glucose monitors.
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The Federal Trade Commission has sent Instacart a civil investigative demand, seeking information about its AI-powered pricing tool, according to Reuters. This comes after a recently published pricing experiment study showed that the online grocery delivery app gave different users different prices for the same items from the same store location at the exact same time. Some of the testers saw prices up to 23 percent higher than what the other testers saw, though the average difference for the same list of items was around 7 percent. Those higher prices could cost customers over $1,000 more in expenses for the year.
"The Federal Trade Commission has a longstanding policy of not commenting on any potential or ongoing investigations," the FTC told Reuters in a statement. "But, like so many Americans, we are disturbed by what we have read in the press about Instacart's alleged pricing practices."
When the study came out, Instacart told Engadget that the pricing variances were caused by some of its retail partners doing "limited, short-term and randomized tests" to better understand consumers. Those randomized pricing tests were enabled by Instacart's AI pricing tool called Eversight developed by a company it purchased in 2022. Instacart told
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The big ticket tech gifts may get the lion's share of attention during the holidays, but it's surprising how much people appreciate small and thoughtful accessories and gadgets. We picked out a dozen such stocking stuffers for under $50 — perfect for a little something extra for a loved one or a welcome gift for a coworker. Just be sure to check the shipping windows to make sure these handy gizmos will arrive in time. Here are some of our favorite techie gift ideas that come in at $50 or less.
Best stocking stuffers for $50 or less
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