Apple Maps is Getting a Total Reboot

Apple wants its own Maps app and service to be the best there is, so the company is completely rebuilding everything from the ground up. Apple senior vice president Eddy Cue told Tech Crunch Maps is ditching its dependance on other mapping services and has been working over the past four years to make its own map data. Cue says the new Maps will be built from Apple’s own data and include much more information, get faster updates for new and changing roads, and offer a level of detail not found in other map platforms. Cue said:

We wanted to take this to the next level. We have been working on trying to create what we hope is going to be the best map app in the world, taking it to the next step. That is building all of our own map data from the ground up.

The new Maps is launching in California with iOS 12, and expanding out from there over the next year. I find all of the current map app options lacking in different ways, so bring on the new and better Apple Maps.

Check Out Matt Groening's New Series: Disenchantment

Matt Goening gave us The Simpsons, then Futurama, and now Disenchantment. His new animated series is coming to Netflix on August 17th and it takes us back in time to a medieval fantasy world Netflix describes as “the misadventures of a hard-drinking princess, her feisty elf companion and her personal demon.” Good thing I already have a Netflix subscription because I’m in for anything Groening does.

LEGO Voltron Kit Available August 1

If you’re of a certain age it’s totally fine for you to flip out now: the LEGO Voltron kit is available on August 1st. The kit is a LEGO Ideas project so the fan designer, Len_D69, has to be pretty excited. The kit includes all five Voltron Force lions and they assemble into the full Voltron with sword and shield. The assembled kit is 15-inches tall and includes 2,321 pieces. It’s priced at US$179.99 and looks absolutely epic.

Awesome Tiny House Built in Style of Lunar Lander

Kurt Hughes, in Seattle, has used his boat design experience to construct a 250 square foot (23 square meter) tiny house in the style of the lunar lander used in the U.S. Apollo program. It features a kitchenette, breakfast alcove (with a view), bathroom and sleeping quarters. The home will be used for “weekend trips and creative respites.” The photos are great, so take a look.

Instagram Lets People Add Music to Stories

Instagram announced Thursday that users can now add music to their Stories, the temporary videos borrowed from Snapchat. Users will be able to select a song, searching by name, mood, genre, and other criteria. Once selected, users can scrub through it to find the part that matches their video, and then post it. Users can also choose a song before starting a live video. So far, you can only select from a limited library of songs chosen (and paid for) by Instagram. The company said it was adding more songs to that library “daily.” Go forth. Influence.

Mpow 4-Port USB Wall Charger: $19.99

We have a deal on the Mpow 4-Port USB Wall Charger. Like the name says, it’s a wall charger with 4 USB charging ports. It’s a smart charger, meaning it sends the amount of power each device needs, up to a maximum of 7.2 amps. It’s $19.99 through our deal.