Happy Monday, Austin. Hope your weekend was a good one.
As you settle into the work week, here's a look at some of the technology stories building a buzz around the Interwebs this morning:
Passenger carrying drones? Yes, please!
In Dubai, government leaders have an idea for battling traffic jams: a passenger-carrying drone. Yes, seriously.
Dubai officials say they hope to have the passenger-carrying drone -- which is a Chinese-made device known as the EHang 184 -- buzzing through the skyline of the city-state as soon as July.
The craft can carry a passenger weighing up to 100 kilograms (220 pounds) and a small suitcase. After buckling into its race-car-style seat, the craft's sole passenger selects a destination on a touch-screen pad in front of the seat and the drone flies there automatically.
It’s hard to know if the egg-shaped, four-legged craft will really take off as a transportation alternative in this car-clogged city.
"This is not only a model," said Mattar al-Tayer, head of Dubai's Roads & Transportation Agency. "We have actually experimented with this vehicle flying in Dubai's skies.”
Here’s hoping it works. And that we can get a fleet of them for Austin.
New features for Google Maps
Google Maps is rolling out a new feature that lets you create Spotify-like "playlists" of favorite local spots on Google Maps that you can then share with friends. The idea is, obviously, pretty similar to Foursquare, but with Google's size and reach, the idea is a huge network of lists can be created that gives users "a speed-dial-like network of places if you're trying to figure out where to dine or visit on short notice," Engadget writes. TechCrunch and The Verge also weigh in on the new Google feature and its possible uses, with The Verge piece wondering if Google Maps is trying to step into the social network space.
New tech might mean better Wi-Fi
We'd all like better, more consistent Wi-Fi networks, right? Well, Qualcomm on Monday rolled out some new technology that some tech experts say could make your home Wi-Fi a lot better. Mashable's Raymond Wong has a piece on how the new Qualcomm tech works, and what it might mean for you.
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