Daily Inbox

Amazon's already burst into the media selling, publishing and smartphone markets, and now it's looking to expand it's empire into mobile point-of-sale solutions. Though it'll go up against many POS providers jostling for dominance, it's generous pricing model for first-time users may give it an advantage.On Wednesday, Amazon released a mobile card reader called Amazon Local Register, which will compete with similar devices from companies like Paypal, ROAM and Square. Like the other products, the device works in tandem with apps for Google Android and Apple iOS, as well as the FireOS on the new Amazon Fire. Merchants running Amazon Local Register can access the funds from transactions within one business day, though they'll be able to spend them within only a few minutes on Amazon.com. ...

Many companies are looking into new technologies to make bill payment at restaurants waiter-free through the use of smartphone apps and mobile payment systems that connect to restaurant POS systems.Capitalizing on this trend are PayPal's 'Pay at Table' service and it's partner MyCheck in Tel Aviv as well as start-ups like Dash, Tabbedout and Cover in the US and Flypay in the UK. Now, Ukranian start-up Settle is looking to throw it's hat in the ring.Settle recently got a $1.5 million funding injection from a venture fund called Life based in Moscow. The funds will be used to roll out the new technology in Eastern Europe, starting in Kiev and followed by large releases in Moscow and Warsaw. Settle will provide customers at restaurants with a mobile payment service that allows you to order...

The City of Copenhagen, located in Denmark, has decided to use their city as a huge experiment, in order to figure out whether energy efficient street lamps -- also called smart lights -- will actually help cut carbon emissions on a measurable level. According to Denmark's official website, the city plans to be a "role model for many of the world's cities when it come to sustainable town development." Copenhagen has been making extensive efforts to become known as a leading city for green technology. Along with the smart light experiment, they have announced a citywide climate change plan that has the lofty goal of making the city "carbon neutral" by 2025. This means that carbon emission levels will be cut so dramatically as to be essentially insignificant and completely negated by o...

X Factor and former American Idol judge Simon Cowell recently posted on Twitter the most adorable selfie with his six month old son Eric Cowell. The two sported Cowell's favorite iconic designer Ray Ban sunglasses on his luxury yacht on Wednesday August 13 as he and his girlfriend Lauren Silverman enjoyed the scenery. Cowell just recently became a first-time father when little Eric was born this past Valentine's Day. The 54 year-old British music critic sensation enjoys his privacy, but this picture was too cute to keep to himself and had to share it with his followers. Cowell is usually spotted wearing his Ray Bans while on the go and seems to be teaching his son Eric how to be a suave Hollywood star. Sunglasses first become popular during the 1930's when actors and actresses would ...

How often should you be reapplying bug spray? The U.S. government is rolling out new product labeling for bug spray in order tohelp Americans reduce their likelihood of developing the illnesses that insects like mosquitoes and ticks spread from person to person. The updated graphic will indicate just how long consumers should expect bug spray to protect them from biting outdoor insects. It was developed by the Environmental Protection Agency, and will start showing up in stores next year, giving bug spray companies time to adjust accordingly. Although bug-spray manufacturers are not required to change their labels, if they do want to showcase the new graphic, they will need to submit data to the government showing that the product will actually work for as long as the graphic claims ...

If you haven't checked out your homeowner's policy within the last six months, you may be in for a less-than-pleasant surprise from a potentially expensive new deductible sneaking it's way into many policies.Most homeowners write one deductible into their policy, set anywhere from 250$ to $1,000 depending on how much the homeowner is willing to pay. However, homeowners who request insurance quotes are finding out that many large insurance providers are slipping in a new deductible for hail, wind, and other types of damage that seems to be particularly focused on conditions that can damage roofs. Unfortunately, these deductibles aren't set dollar amounts, and they aren't determined by homeowners. They're set by large companies like Farmers, Allstate and State Farm and they deduct a perce...

Each year, thousands of people visit hospital emergency rooms for dental maladies that aren't life-threatening emergencies. In fact, a quarter of Americans who have health insurance don't have dental insurance -- which prompts them to go to an emergency room when they have a dental concern. The resulting effect is longer wait times at emergency rooms and skyrocketing costs for emergency room visits -- which the Affordable Care Act is looking to reverse by offering grants to help fund the construction of emergency dental clinics. According to an August 7 Asbury Park Press article, one such dental clinic that has received this funding is Asbury Park, N.J.'s Dr. Barry D. Elbaum Dental Center at the Monmouth Family Health Center, which will open its expanded practice and emergency den...

If you drive to and from work every day and have to commute through a densely-packed highway, you're probably all too familiar with that feeling of envy as drivers in the HOV lane whiz by you (or, if you carpool with others, you may be one of those lucky passengers who gets to smile at all of those unfortunate souls as you casually drive by). But there may be a new way to get a coveted pass for the HOV lane, and no, we aren't talking about a life-sized doll that looks uncannily human. In many urban areas, fuel-efficient and hybrid-electric vehicles are being allowed into these lanes. High occupancy lanes are pretty standard these days on busy highways, and the purpose of HOV lanes is to reduce traffic congestion and fuel emissions by only allowing cars with two or more passengers, motor...

A macaque monkey stole the camera of British nature photographer David Slater back in 2011 and inadvertently took a series of selfies. Now, the photographer is struggling to get the Wikimedia Commons, the organization behind Wikipedia, to remove the photos. The problem? Wikimedia claims that Slater shouldn't own the photos' copyrights, because he technically was not the photographer -- the monkey was. The organization argues that the monkey is responsible for the photos because the monkey was the one who actually pressed the shutter button, whereas Slater contends that "A monkey pressed the button, but I did all the setting up." Wikimedia's stance on the copyright issue has been clear. In the licensing conditions they put beneath the monkey selfie, Wikimedia put, “This file is in the...

Being able to navigate city sidewalks isn't something that most city residents and visitors have to worry about, but as a new lawsuit points out, disabled pedestrians often find the streets of New York City to be largely inaccessible.The advocate group Disability Rights Advocates recently filed a lawsuit against the city, noting that visually impaired pedestrians and residents struggling with mobility have an unreasonably difficult time navigating the city's sidewalks -- if the sidewalks are accessible at all for the disabled -- and that this is a fundamental violation of federal disability laws. The dangers that too many pedestrians encounter on a daily basis include steep curbs without ramps at crossings, raised concrete barriers, and broken surfaces on paved streets which make mobility ...