The Dangers of Drones

A drone is an unmanned aircraft that can be controlled remotely or can fly automatically through software embedded into the system. Amazon has recently been using Amazon Air, a form of delivery using drones. The CEO of Amazon, Jeff Bezos announced a few years ago that he wanted to use drones for fast deliveries. They also are used for military purposes when a situation is too dangerous for human flown aircraft  to enter. But, there has been some controversy over the potential safety hazards that come with them.

Drones can be very useful but really dangerous when they fly too low in the sky and come close to pedestrians. They also are known for interfering with aircrafts and causing pilots to worry. Since many of them are preprogrammed, they don’t change course when they need too. I feel that drones really are unsafe because when say an Amazon package is delivering to your house, it could hit a mailbox, house, or even a child. These drones are like flying robots and people want to allow them to just fly around in the air uncontrolled. That’s crazy! There are also no licenses yet for people who want to individually fly them and illegal drones are being flown all around the country.  Do you think drones should turn into the next delivery service?

~Molly

Amazon: American Hero or Over-Powerful Dynasty?

Amazon. 10 years ago, if you looked this up, you’d see results for a beautiful rainforest located in Brazil. But now go ahead and google “Amazon”. You will have to click through not 1, not 2, not even 3 or 4 pages of search, but 5 to see a first result for this “sacred” rainforest. The word Amazon now represents a billion dollar online shopping company, used by millions daily. This company supplies everything you need, from books, to toys, electronics, food, and more, often at a lower price. With fast 2-day shipping, you usually don’t blink twice about checking out your cart. This is all good… right? Maybe not. Let’s take a closer look into what you’re really buying.

Amazon sells everything, and fast. You probably think this is great and very convenient, so why not use it?  You are just proving my point. Amazon, as it has grown to power is able to do these things like fast delivery, putting small businesses out of the picture. It is so easy for you to order off Amazon, that they don’t stand a chance. Amazon has taken away thousands of retail stores and small businesses across the United States, and will continue to do so as they grow in power. Although they currently aren’t the only store currently doing this, they will keep growing as our world keeps becoming more technology oriented (and we get lazier), until they monopolize, well, retail fully. Although you may think this is an exaggeration, think of how they have already put big companies out of business such as Borders, and soon enough Walmart, just because Amazon is so much easier. Whatever happened to living the American dream? America is not supposed to be run by an all powerful company. Yet, there is Amazon. So next time before you add an item to your cart, think again.

~ Jackson

Amazon…Smartphone?

Amazon is famous for their delivery services. Many people prefer to do all their shopping online to avoid the hassle of getting to a store. Each year, Cyber Monday is as big on sales as Black Friday. Amazon does have other services however. Prime deals with faster delivery, Reality TV, Movie streaming, and Music. Some people even prefer Amazon to giants like Netflix and Hulu Plus. Kindle is a big contender in eReading. But, smartphones? Amazon has recently released the Amazon Fire Phone. Much cheaper than other smartphones on the market, it runs Fire OS, and Android based OS. There are 3 classic models of 16, 32 and 64 GB. The size of the phone is on the larger side at 5.48 x 2.62 x 0.35 in. The phone supports a whopping 2 MB of RAM, on a phone!!! The processor is a quadcore 2.2 gHz Krait processor. Max battery life on stand-by is 285 h. The max talk time is 22 h, and the max music play is 65 h. This video is the actual press conference where the Fire phone was released.

The Fire Phone isn’t a bad start for Amazon. With some improvements, it may come to be a major contender in the smartphone market. A first impression shows the OS very similar to Android. However, the cheaper prices may appeal to many people, especially those looking for a first major phone. Personally, I like the look of the phone. Swivel dynamic shortcuts look extremely useful and quick. The “Firefly” button looks intriguing as well. I like the idea of a home button that has many more functions. And of course, like the Kindle Fire, the “Mayday” button. For someone who isn’t tech-savvy and doesn’t like figuring everything out, live helpers can be really helpful. Amazon is also amping the deal with many added offers. Buying the Fire phone will grant a free year of prime, as well as 1000 coins of Amazon gold, roughly a $10 value. For those who like games on their phones, and addicting infinite runner games, etc., this phone might not be the thing. The Amazon app  store isn’t as appealing to developers as much as Google Play or The iOS App Store. All considered however, I think the Fire Phone is a brand new perspective to smartphone, and an interesting addition to the market. We’ll have to see how the sales play out by the end of the year.

~Ayan