Quick reminder: Most old cellphones can still call 911 even without a plan. Federal law requires all cellphones to connect to emergency services, even if they don’t have active service. A 2-year-old in Oklahoma put this to the test by calling for an emergency donut delivery. The dispatcher played along, and the police showed up with Dunkin’ treats.
📲 Whaddaya want? Soon, you’ll know why a business is calling — at least if you use an Android on the AT&T network. Maybe you’ve already noticed official logos pop up when a company calls. Now you’ll see what they want, with no extra app required. Options include appointment and refill reminders, delivery service, and upcoming visits. This is neat, but, of course, now I’m worried when someone will hack this …
Turn 10 seconds into $30K
Those short clips for TikTok? They’re super lucrative. Plus, Auntie Anne’s takes to the skies with new drone delivery, why Amazon is now selling used cars, and how one woman got a real engagement ring from her AI boyfriend.
🪓 He DoorDashed zip ties, bleach and a hatchet: In Sweetwater, Texas, a delivery driver got an order that didn’t exactly scream “movie night.” Instead of shrugging it off, they called the police and probably saved a life. When officers arrived, 42-year-old Neil Cooper had barricaded himself inside a motel room, claimed he was armed and refused to come out. A hostage managed to escape before negotiations began, and Cooper eventually surrendered. He’s now facing kidnapping and drug charges. Here’s the twist: The hostage was also arrested on an outstanding warrant after failing to identify themselves. Wow.
September 30
The last day to take delivery and still score the $7,500 EV tax credit. Tick, tick, tax. Forget order dates. The feds only care when it hits your driveway. So if you’re waiting eight to 10 weeks for delivery, as is the case for most Teslas, you’re cutting it real close. Better hope your dream car is already on a lot somewhere.
Get to the point: Cut to the chase if you’re adding special instructions to your online order. If there’s a gate code, for instance, start the message with “Gate code 1234” (or whatever your code is). Often, those notes get cut short for the delivery person, so put the important stuff right up front.
On a wing and a snack: This is the start of something huge! Auntie Anne’s, Jamba and Schlotzsky’s are going airborne. DoorDash and Alphabet-owned Wing are piloting drone delivery in three Texas cities, promising pretzels and smoothies in just under three minutes, if you live within 4 miles. And get this. Delivery costs only $3.99. The mall food court just learned to fly.
95%
That’s how much of the U.S. Walmart plans to cover with three-hour delivery by year’s end. The race isn’t who sells it cheaper, it’s who gets it to your couch faster. With Gopuff, Disney and Starbucks joining in, your impulse buys might arrive before your buyer’s remorse does.
13
The number of autonomous vehicle companies Uber now has deals with. It currently counts companies like Waymo, Motional, Baidu, even delivery bots like Nuro, in its Infinity Gauntlet. Uber’s building the whole arena. Baidu alone ran 1.4 million robotaxi rides last quarter in China.
Tesla’s ghost delivery: This is something. Tesla just delivered a car from its factory to a customer with zero humans inside, not even a remote operator. The car just snuck home like a teenager after curfew. Elon says it’s the first true hands-off highway drive. I wonder: If you miss a few car payments, will it also drive itself back to the dealer?
🚚 Amazon’s getting faster: Same or next-day delivery is coming to over 4,000 small towns and cities by the end of the year. It’s part of a $4 billion plan to triple the size of the company’s rural network. Bonus: Prime Day runs July 8 to 11. Click here to snag early deals.
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📦 Walmart’s expanding drone delivery: It’s coming to five more cities, including Atlanta, Charlotte, Houston, Orlando and Tampa. If you’re in one of them, you can sign up on Wing’s site to get notified when it goes live near you. FYI: That brings the service to 100 stores. At this rate, we’ll be living like the Jetsons in no time.
Alexa’s on the case: Wondering where your Amazon package is? You could hit this link or just say, “Alexa, where’s my stuff?” or “Alexa, track my order.” She’ll give you a quick update on your delivery status. Hands-free and hassle-free.
We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.
🤖 Humanoids at your doorstep: Amazon’s testing humanoid robots that might literally leap out of delivery vans. The company’s building a “humanoid park” to train these robot couriers to drop packages while dodging pets, toddlers and possibly your Ring camera judgment. Humans may still drive the vans, for now.
61%
That’s the share of parents who use DoorDash. More than half of families with kids are ordering delivery at least once a week. Because between soccer practice and homework meltdowns, no one’s got time to sauté. Basically, Uber Eats is the new family dinner.
🪖 Welcome to drone country, soldier: The Army just launched its biggest makeover since the Cold War, and it’s all about drones. Think 1,000 drones (paywall link) per combat division, replacing aging gear with swarms of flying surveillance bots, delivery drones and attack craft that would make a Call of Duty dev blush.
Staying in is the new going out
Friday night celebration? Nah. We’ve got food delivery and streaming. You can thank Wi-Fi for that.
📦 “Help me”: A brave woman in Florida whispered that to her Amazon delivery driver, who saw marks on her neck and called 911. The police arrested her ex-husband, Frank Mandolini, for allegedly choking her. He still lives with her and their daughter. His excuse? He told the cops he didn’t “cause her to lose her breath.” Sound familiar to you? Call 911 or 800-799-SAFE (800-799-7233), text START to 88788 or go here. I care about you.
🥷 Another gold bar scam: A Florida woman lost over $280,000 after scammers tricked her into thinking her Social Security number was compromised. A fake federal officer told her to protect her assets by buying gold from a bullion store. They arranged a delivery, gave her a secret “password” and then vanished. PSA: No legit agency asks for gift cards, crypto or undercover missions.
$70
Total price of a $20 order on DoorDash. It’s not just delivery fees and tips. DoorDash now lets you split your bill into four payments with Klarna. Miss a payment? That’s a $7 late fee and maybe overdraft charges from your bank. The other day, I ordered DoorDash and got this message, “Jesus is on his way.” I thought, “He sure is!”