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Police & Fire
Westchester Woman Scammed Out Of $80K By Fraudsters Posing As Amazon Workers Westchester Woman Scammed Out Of $80K By Fraudsters Posing As Amazon Workers
Westchester Woman Scammed Out Of $80K By Fraudsters Posing As Amazon Workers A New York woman was bilked out of $80,000 by fraudsters posing as Amazon employees as part of an elaborate computer and phone scheme, police said. Last week, investigators in Westchester County with the Scarsdale Police Department received a report from a Greendale Road resident, who said that she believed she was the victim of a scam involving fraudsters portraying Amazon employees. Police said that the woman received an email from “Amazon” earlier this month asking if she had purchased a computer for $800, which she had not. When speaking with the scammers on a phone number provided in …

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by Zak Failla
Lifestyle
Google To Monitor Sleep Patterns, Breathing Google To Monitor Sleep Patterns, Breathing
Google To Monitor Sleep Patterns, Breathing Google is stepping up its smart home technology game with a new, next-generation feature that will have the ability to monitor users sleeping and breathing habits each night. This week, Google unveiled the second-generation Nest Hub, a smart display and speaker that has the ability to track users’ sleep and breathing using a built-in sensor. Google follows in the footsteps of Amazon and Facebook with its new smart hub, though it is the first to offer sleep tracking. Without requiring a device to wear in bed, the Nest Hub monitors the breathing and movement of whoever is next to the screen…

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by Zak Failla
News
Here's Why Amazon Changed Controversial App Logo Here's Why Amazon Changed Controversial App Logo
Here's Why Amazon Changed Controversial App Logo Change has come following complaints about Amazon's app logo. The online retail behemoth just unveiled an updated version of its classic “smile” box logo. Artists added a torn piece of blue packaging tape at the top of the box. Many people took a look at the new logo and saw a Hitler mustache. Explaining the logo choice, Amazon said the tape was meant to remind people more of the anticipation and excitement of getting a package delivered, the Verge reported. Wry observations pinged across the Twitter-verse in response. Then in March, Amazon unveiled an update of the updated logo, whic…

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by Kristin Palpini
Lifestyle
Tech Industry Eyes Next Big Thing Amid Drop In Smartphone Sales Tech Industry Eyes Next Big Thing Amid Drop In Smartphone Sales
Tech Industry Eyes Next Big Thing Amid Drop In Smartphone Sales Now that more than 80 percent of American adults own smartphones, tech industries are developing the next big thing. Prompted by a drop in smartphone sales over the past two years, many technology companies - including Apple, Microsoft, Google, Facebook, and Amazon - to get back to research and development, CNBC reported. So what will the next big thing be, according to tech companies? Augmented reality or AR is otherwise known as mixed reality. Here is a still from a video by Apple showing how its new AR (augmented reality) platform will display on a smartphone.Apple This isn’t the…

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by Kristin Palpini
Business
Amazon 'Gig' Drivers Win $61 Million Settlement On Tip-Stealing Complaints Amazon 'Gig' Drivers Win $61 Million Settlement On Tip-Stealing Complaints
Amazon 'Gig' Drivers Win $61 Million Settlement On Tip-Stealing Complaints Amazon has settled accusations that it stole millions of dollars in tips from Amazon Flex Delivery “gig” drivers. Amazon settled the charges and the deal was announced by the Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday, Feb. 2. To comply with the settlement, Amazon will have to pay back $61.7 million to drivers, provide only accurate information about tips and pay to both customers and drivers, and get drivers’ consent before changing how it handles tips in the future, the FTC said. The FTC said that mega online-retailer Amazon had kept drivers’ tips for years despite numerous job ads touting th…

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by Kristin Palpini
Business
Numerous Internet Outages Reported Throughout Northeast Numerous Internet Outages Reported Throughout Northeast
Numerous Internet Outages Reported Throughout Northeast Mass Internet outages were reported throughout the Northeast, impacting some of the nation’s largest companies, some local businesses, and schools. Outages were first reported at approximately 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 26 when websites including Amazon, Verizon, Zoom, Slack, and others that have become essential during the pandemic went down. According to reports, there were outages reported from Washington D.C. to Massachusetts. It is unclear what caused the outages, though Verizon reported on Twitter that there was a cut fiber in Brooklyn. There was no estimated time of restoration provi…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
COVID-19: Face-Mask-Fog Solution Developed In Western Mass COVID-19: Face-Mask-Fog Solution Developed In Western Mass
Covid-19: Face-Mask-Fog Solution Developed In Western Mass Since the start of the pandemic, people with glasses have had a legitimate problem with face masks - wearing them fogs up eyewear. But a Western Massachusetts company thinks it has come up with a solution - literally and figuratively. Kyttarinic Technologies is working to get an updated version of its premier product FogKicker out to the glasses-wearing public. With a new office in Springfield, the formerly Amherst-based company has been selling vials of the spray and has tested a new product, wipes, that clean and prevent fog on glasses and dive masks. FogKicker is not the first anti-f…

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by Kristin Palpini
News
COVID-19: At-Home Test For Virus Now Available On Amazon COVID-19: At-Home Test For Virus Now Available On Amazon
Covid-19: At-Home Test For Virus Now Available On Amazon You can now test yourself for COVID-19 from the comfort of your own home. Online retailer Amazon recently started selling COVID-19 kits that test saliva for evidence of the virus. They cost $110 each or a 10-pack for $1,000. The test kit offered for sale is the “DxTerity COVID-19 Saliva at-Home Collection Kit with Prepaid Express Return Shipping and Laboratory PCR Testing.” Results can be returned in 24-72 hours, according to Amazon. The kit is not returnable once purchased and must be used within 60 days of the purchase. The test received emergency approval from the federal Food and Dru…

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by Kristin Palpini
News
Not Another Milford: Residents Skeptical Of Amazon Distribution Center Plan Not Another Milford: Residents Skeptical Of Amazon Distribution Center Plan
Not Another Milford: Residents Skeptical Of Amazon Distribution Center Plan Now that Amazon has officially recognized intentions to build a distribution center in Worcester, residents have a lot to say about it. For one thing, they don’t want to have an experience with Amazon like the situation unfolding in Milford. On Wednesday, Dec. 9, during a Planning Board meeting, residents voiced concerns about the project to demolish Greendale Mall and build an Amazon distribution center in its place. In recent weeks, speculation had made its way across the city that plans submitted to Worcester for a large warehouse looked an awful lot like other schematics online retail…

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by Kristin Palpini
News
100,000-Van Parking Lot, Warehouse Proposed For Fading Mall 100,000-Van Parking Lot, Warehouse Proposed For Fading Mall
100,000-Van Parking Lot, Warehouse Proposed For Fading Mall Owners have proposed demolishing the Greendale Mall. If plans are approved by city officials, the largely empty mall on Neponset Street in Worcester would be torn down apparently in order to build a warehouse for Amazon, according to the Worcester Business Journal. Prior to this, Boston-based owner Finard Properties had proposed turning the structure into a mixed-use building with retail, light manufacturing, and residential spaces. While official word that the warehouse would be used by Amazon has not been made, WBJ noted that building plans are similar to those filed in other communitie…

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by Kristin Palpini
Business
COVID-19: Amazon Enters Online Prescription Drug Market COVID-19: Amazon Enters Online Prescription Drug Market
Covid-19: Amazon Enters Online Prescription Drug Market The world’s largest online retailer is getting a little larger. After much speculation, Amazon announced it is dipping its toe in the retail pharmacy market, allowing more consumers to purchase their prescriptions online and have them shipped directly to their homes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Amazon Pharmacy will work through desktop computers or through the Amazon app on mobile devices, with current or new drug prescriptions sent directly to the retailer to be shipped to customers. “We designed Amazon Pharmacy to put customers first – bringing Amazon’s customer obsession to …

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by Zak Failla
News
Amazon Subsidiary Recalls 350,000 Doorbells After Reports Of Them Catching On Fire Amazon Subsidiary Recalls 350,000 Doorbells After Reports Of Them Catching On Fire
Amazon Subsidiary Recalls 350,000 Doorbells After Reports Of Them Catching On Fire Hundreds of thousands of Amazon’s “Ring” video doorbells are being recalled due to concerns they could overheat or catch fire. Amazon announced that it is recalling approximately 350,000 of its 2nd generation video doorbells after the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) received 23 reports of doorbells igniting, causing minor property damage and eight reported burns from users. Ring’s website says affected doorbells do not need to be returned, but that users should follow their updated instructions. Doorbells that are installed correctly pose no risk to homeowners. The…

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by Zak Failla