Category Archives: Technology

Smartphones: Samsung’s ‘2021 Galaxy S21 5G’ (Video)

During Samsung’s January 2021 Unpacked event, the company unveiled its line of S21 phones, including the S21, the S21 Plus and the S21 Ultra.

Technology Podcast: Covid “Growth”, Magnetic Tape & Herbal Remedies

Covid-19 has catalysed scientific advancement and boosted technological optimism. Could innovation be the answer to decades of slowing growth in Western countries? Also, why magnetic tape still reigns supreme in “cold” data storage. And how effective are traditional herbal remedies at treating tropical diseases?

Home Technology: ‘Top TV’s Of CES 2021’ (Video)

CNET’s David Katzmaier gives us his top TV picks from CES 2021: LG, Samsung, TCL and more! These are the craziest concept TVs, the fanciest TVs money can buy, and the overall best TVs that just might even come to you soon.

CES 2021 Products: ‘BioLite Smokeless Fire Pit’ (Video)

Jeff Bakalar speaks with BioLite, a company that has invented a smart firepit that actually lets you adjust the intensity of the flame and reduces smoke. The camping-focused device also has a full line of cooking accessories and can burn charcoal or wood. And yeah, it can charge your phone too.

FirePit plus all its accessories in one awesome bundle. The BioLite FirePit is an award-winning smokeless firepit that burns standard firewood or charcoal depending on your needs. Patented airflow system injects oxygen to burn off smoke before it has a chance to escape the fire while the X-Ray Mesh body gives you a full view into your flames. Included grill grate works with charcoal to transform your pit into a hibachi-style grill.

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Delivery-Only Dining: ‘How Covid Accelerated Rise Of Ghost Kitchens’

Ghost kitchens are kitchens designed for delivery-only businesses, without dine-in areas or customer facing storefronts. The pandemic has ravaged dine-in eateries, and companies that have focused on delivery could come out on top if the current trends continue. Watch the full video to see why ghost kitchens are taking over the restaurant industry.

Here are some of the top Ghost Kitchens:

Kitchen United

With a $10 million dollar investment from Google Ventures, Kitchen United has been one of the leanest (and fastest-growing) startups in the space. Founder Jim Collins has turned down hundreds of millions of investment dollars to focus on growing more organically. Currently, Kitchen United plans on conquering the global restaurant space — with 5,000 kitchens planned in the next four years.

All in all, Kitchen United offers a turn-key, light-capital model, delivering a complete, code-safe kitchen replete with appliances and cooking implements. All that’s left to do is to…cook.

CloudKitchens

The fastest-growing and most investor-friendly ghost kitchen startup, CloudKitchens, has already taken in over $400 million from investors. $150 million interestingly invested by its founder (former Uber superstar) Travis Kalanick. Like Kitchen United, CloudKitchens offers fully-equipped kitchens (branded as “smart kitchens”) for the delivery-only model. Honestly, you can’t ignore a project that Travis is a part of.

DoorDash Kitchens

Another not-so-surprising entry into the ghost kitchen space is DoorDash, which has already premiered locations in San Francisco and Redwood City. Currently, DoorDash’s model is focused on catering to high-delivery areas for established brands like Chic-Fil-A, but we’re sure they have plans in the works for new locations, as well.

For the time being, DoorDash Kitchens is still in the experimentation phase, with only a few locations. And, like others on this list, it provides everything a restauranteur would need for a single monthly fee.

UberEats

For the moment, we’ll set aside the possible conflicts associated with Uber’s ex co-founder Travis Kalanick — who’s also operating CloudKitchens. We’re sure that bridge will need crossing at some point if Uber expands its operations. For the time being, the ridesharing company has been keeping a low profile in the ghost kitchen space. To date, it has been testing ghost kitchens in a few markets, though it remains curiously reluctant to share the delicious details pertaining to its Paris operations.

Virtual Kitchen Co.

Another new entry is Virtual Kitchen Co. — which already operates several successful ghost kitchens. They plan to open 15 more kitchens over the next few years, driven by $15 million dollar Series A.  Again, Virtual Kitchen Co. offers a similar pricing structure: Restaurants can pay a monthly fee for everything.

The one small difference here is that Virtual Kitchen Co. seems to be targeting existing restaurants that want to enter the delivery space.

Future Transportation: GM Reveals ‘Electric Flying Vehicle’ (Video)

At CES 2021, GM reveals a flying car dubbed eVTOL. The electric flying vehicle is GM’s vision for personal transportation.

January 12, 2021 – General Motors today revealed a futuristic new Cadillac Vertical Take-Off and Landing Vehicle (VTOL) that is designed to ferry city-dwelling business people from rooftop to rooftop.

The Cadillac VTOL is described as an “all-electric, single-seat, well-appointed aircraft,” that can travel between skyscrapers at speeds of up to 55 mph, or 90 km/h. A vehicle such as this could be useful for businessmen and women that need to quickly get from one side of a major metropolitan area to the other for a meeting or another important engagement, bypassing any ground-level traffic that may be bogging the city’s streets down.

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Technology: Opening Day ‘CES 2021’ – Online Demos Of Consumer Electronics

It’s the first day of CES 2021 and CNET is the place to kick off the tech decade with wall-to-wall coverage from inside the Consumer Electronics Show.

Check out more from CES 2021 https://www.cnet.com/ces/

Cell Phones: ‘Why Plans & Bills Are So Costly’ (Video)

The average American spent $1,218 for cell phone service in 2019. That comes out to just over $100 per month. Check out the video to find out why you may be paying so much for your phone service and what you can do to save some money.

Consumers: ‘CES 2021’ – World’s Biggest Tech Show, Jan 10-14 (Video)

As CES goes online for the first time, we preview the most-anticipated products and trends (and what’s missing) at the world’s biggest tech show.