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Verizon is putting a price tag on a feature iPhone users already own. The carrier will charge ten dollars a month to use Apple's Handoff functionality, which lets a single phone number work across two devices. It's a reminder that carriers have long found ways to monetize what the hardware already does for free.
Shifting gears, MapQuest — yes, MapQuest — is having a genuine moment. The app has added a Surveillance Layer that shows users where Flock license plate scanning cameras are located across the country. It follows the company's decision to defy federal lake renaming mandates, and together these moves are earning the old-school mapping service a surprisingly loyal new audience.
And in a story that blurs the line between home repair and data collection, an AI lab called HUMXN is offering free plumbing, electrical, and HVAC work in three cities — no charge to homeowners, in exchange for letting workers wear recording equipment inside their homes to train AI robots. It's a fascinating trade-off: real savings today, with real questions about what gets captured along the way.
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