Drones may be the answer to increase mobile device coverage at major events; Techweek adds Dallas to its list of cities; and Amazon Prime Day to return next year.
Dallas-based AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) wants to use drones as high-flying towers to enhance the wireless coverage at concerts, sporting events, conferences and other large events. According to a report in the Motley Fool, the problem at these venues is that the large number of people present simply overwhelms the existing infrastructure. AT&T believes the tethered drones could add the boost needed to get your calls, texts and emails where they need to go during the events. Read more here.
Techweek is adding Dallas to its list of cities. Techweek events will be held in some 30 different venues across the city with The Bomb Factory in Deep Ellum serving as a hub. Techweek will be held October 31 to November 6. Admission is free, but lecture tickets start at $75. Digital Dallas, an organization that aims to foster a deeply connected tech ecosystem in Dallas-Fort Worth, will host its signature music technology event in conjunction with Techweek. CapitalOne is the presenting sponsor for Techweek in Dallas. The Dallas Business Journal has more details here.
Amazon Prime Day is set to return next year after the event skyrocketed on Tuesday. Since the first Amazon Prime day in 2015, sales went up 60 percent, with Amazon’s own tech gear sales rising. Prime Day was launched to help gain more members to the exclusive service, and thanks to recent successes, will continue to grow. The Dallas Morning News has more about the big day.
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R E A D N E X T
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43 percent of Texas workers say they'd leave their jobs if another company offered free skills training opportunities. In a tight labor market, Amazon's move could attract talent nationwide—including people like Tory Bias, a Dallas-based Amazon UX apprentice we spoke with today.
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Travelers shopping at Hudson Nonstop stores inside Dallas Love Field Airport will be the first to try Amazon One, a contactless way to enter and pay for items using only the palm of your hand.
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Amazon's custom, electric-powered Rivian vans are rolling to homes and businesses in southwest metro Fort Worth. North Texas is one of 16 regions in the U.S. where Amazon is testing the service this year. One reason they chose our area: our summer heat.
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By creating conversational AI, Alexa could potentially help people who are suffering from anxiety and depression due to loneliness and provide greater accessibility for those who use assistive tech and language translation. Anyone can try out one of the nine teams' socialbots now by telling Amazon's AI, “Alexa, let’s chat.”
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![A NASA illustration depicts the idea of a future air taxi hovering over a municipal vertiport. [Rendering: NASA/Lillian Gipson and Kyle Jenkins]](https://s24806.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DRC-NTCOG-NASA-970-970x464.jpg)
The North Central Texas Council of Governments and NASA are working on long-term transportation plans, from delivery drones to passenger-carrying air taxis. The Advanced Urban Air Mobility NASA partnership is one of many irons NCTCOG has in the fire to improve traffic flow in one of the fastest-growing regions in the nation.
