Google recently started letting you try on clothes from the comfort of your home by uploading a photo and letting AI take care of the rest — and if you’re in the US, you can now do the same thing with shoes. Fortunately, the process isn’t nearly as creepy as Google needing a close-up of your bare feet. Rather, when you’re browsing shoes, you tap the pair you want to try on and upload a full-length photo of yourself in any old outfit.

Google will then swap out whatever shoes you’re wearing in the original photo for the ones you’re interested in buying, so you can see how they look with a particular outfit. For the best results, it advises that you stick to solo photos in which you’re standing upright, with good lighting and a background that isn’t too busy. Your clothing shouldn’t be too baggy either. And naturally, Google warns to only use photos of yourself or those you have permission to use from someone else. It won’t accept photos of children, either.

Google points out that the image it generates is designed to help you see how an item might look, but doesn’t guarantee that it’ll actually fit you in real life. It’s an approximation, then, rather than an image that perfectly takes into account your body shape and personal features. This is probably more of a catch when you’re for clothes than shoes, though. Just don’t walk into a store and blame Google when the sneakers you tried on virtually aren’t manufactured in your real-world size.

Google says that no biometric data from the photo you upload is collected or stored, nor will it use the image for training purposes. It won’t share it with other Google apps or third parties either, but you can delete both the original photo and any generated images if you’d rather not let it hang onto them.

Google has been gradually improving the capabilities of its AI as a virtual shopping assistant. When you use AI Mode to help you find a particular item now, such as a pair of jeans, you can make more specific queries about their style and ask follow-up questions to the chatbot to narrow down the visual results further.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/google-wants-to-see-your-feet-for-virtual-shopping-purposes-165446054.html?src=rss

If you were considering the purchase of a Synology NAS but were leery of the unreasonably high cost of populating it with special Synology-branded hard disk drives, you can breathe a little easier today. In a press release dated October 8, Synology noted that with the release of its latest Disk Station Manager (DSM) update, some of its 2025 model-year products—specifically, the Plus, Value, and J-series DiskStation NAS devices—would “support the installation and storage pool creation of non-validated third-party drives.”

This unexpected move comes just a few months after Synology aggressively expanded its “verified drive” policy down-market to the entire Plus line of DiskStations. Prior to today, the network-attached storage vendor had shown no signs of swerving from the decision, painting it as a pro-consumer move intended to enhance reliability. “Extensive internal testing has shown that drives that follow a rigorous validation process when paired with Synology systems are at less risk of drive failure and ongoing compatibility issues,” Synology previously claimed in an email to Ars.

What is a “verified” or “validated” drive?

Synology first released its own brand of hard disk drives back in 2021 and began requiring their use in a small but soon-to-increase number of its higher-end NAS products. Although the drives were rebadged offerings from other manufacturers—there are very few hard disk drive OEMs, and Synology isn’t one of them—the company claimed that its branded disks underwent significant additional validation and testing that, when coupled with customized firmware, yielded reliability and performance improvements over off-the-shelf components.

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Amazon Big Deal Days end tonight, Oct. 8, and until then, Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it’s over. 

• Follow our live blog to stay up to date on the best sales we find.

• Browse our editors’ picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more.

• Subscribe to our shopping newsletter, Add to Cart, for the best sales sent to your inbox.

• New to Prime Day? We have a primer on everything you need to know. Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.

Once you start trying to handle your own home maintenance and repairs, one thing you quickly learn is that you need way more tools than you think. When you’re renting, you can scrape by on a basic hammer and screwdriver, but the moment you own a home and attempt your first DIY project, it will truly dawn on you how many different kinds of tools exist, and how many of them you’ll need to use.

Buying tools individually is shockingly expensive and research-heavy, however, especially if you’re starting off with zero tool knowledge. That makes a tool set an ideal first purchase: you can get a relatively comprehensive set of hand tools for a reasonable amount of money.

KingTool 325-Piece Home Repair Tool Kit

$85.48
at Amazon

$112.99
Save $27.51

$85.48
at Amazon

$112.99
Save $27.51

If that sounds like a plan, jump on this Prime Day deal from KingTool: A 325-piece tool set that comes in its own storage case, for less than $90—a 24% discount. This kit has everything a DIYer or homeowner might need, from hex keys to a hammer, an adjustable wrench to needle nose pliers, screwdrivers, and a socket set. There’s even a small hacksaw.

This also makes a terrific gift if you know someone who’s just bought a house, or who has expressed interest in DIY projects but doesn’t have the necessary tools. Compared to smaller tool sets, the comprehensive nature of the KingTool set means you’ll be prepared for a wider range of projects, saving you a lot of future trips to the hardware store.

Looking for something else? Retailers like Walmart and Best Buy have Prime Day competition sales that are especially useful if you don’t have Amazon Prime.

• Walmart’s Prime Day competition sale runs from Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. ET through Oct. 12 and includes deals up to 50% off. It’s an especially good option if you have Walmart+. 

• Best Buy’s Prime Day competition sale runs from Sept. 27 through Oct. 12, and has some of the best tech sales online. It’s an especially good option if you’re a My Best Buy “Plus” or “Total” member.

Target’s Prime Day competition sale runs from Oct. 5 through Oct. 11, and it has deals going up to 50% off. You can become a Circle member for free.

American companies have begun cutting middle management positions at rates not seen in years. Google eliminated 35% of managers overseeing teams of fewer than three in August. Fiverr announced in September it would shed managers to focus on AI. Amazon trimmed its management ranks throughout the year and cut positions at its cloud-computing division in July. Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg has complained about managers managing managers since 2023.

Phrases relating to reducing management layers appeared 98 times on earnings calls of companies in the S&P global index this year, twice the frequency of all of 2022. The cuts stem partly from an uncertain economic environment and President Donald Trump’s tariff regime, Economist writes. The pandemic created the conditions for the current retrenchment. Companies furloughed staff during Covid-19 and then hired rapidly to meet demand for e-commerce and digital services. They promoted employees to management positions to retain talent even when those managers supervised only one or two subordinates. Between 2019 and 2024, five of the ten fastest-growing job categories were management roles. Since November 2022, listed American companies have cut middle-management positions by around 3% on average.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Verizon is buying the smaller broadband carrier Starry for an undisclosed sum. The acquisition is expected to close by the first quarter of 2026, but is subject to FCC approval. Verizon has already done some work to appease the US government by ending DEI initiatives, so the FCC is likely to give this merger its stamp of approval.

This acquisition should help Verizon expand its wireless broadband footprint throughout the country. Starry specializes in delivering high-speed internet to multi-dwelling units (MDUs) and urban communities. These environments are difficult to adequately cover, as urban settings present some unique challenges.

Starry gets around this by employing its proprietary millimeter wave technology, which Verizon will now own. Simply put, the company installs nodes throughout populated areas that broadcast concentrated radio waves that are picked up by receivers outside of apartment buildings and the like. This allows for a service that rivals a fiber connection when it comes to downloads, but everything is done wirelessly.

The company has experienced rapid growth these past several years, with more than 100,000 customers in cities like Boston, Los Angeles, New York City, Denver and Washington DC. “Starry has demonstrated a unique and efficient approach to delivering high-speed internet in complex MDU environments,” said Joe Russo, executive vice president of Verizon. “By integrating their technology and expertise, we will accelerate our fixed wireless access capabilities.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/verizon-buys-starry-to-expand-its-wireless-broadband-footprint-163557816.html?src=rss

If you’re a creator in the market for a good-quality wireless microphone, DJI has not just one but two of its best products on sale for October Prime Day. The Mic Mini, which is already a good deal at the regular $169 price, is marked down to just $99 for a savings of 41 percent. And DJI’s Mic 2, which offers features like 32-bit float recording and support for external microphones, is currently available for $269 or $80 off the regular price. 

DJI’s Mic Mini bundle includes two mic transmitters and a receiver that can be connected to a camera or phone, along with a charging case. The mics weigh just a third of an ounce and attach easily to subjects via magnets or clips. Everything pairs automatically and they offer high quality 24-bit, 20Hz to 20K Hz recording. They also connect easily to smartphones over Bluetooth and other DJI devices like the Action 5 Pro and Osmo Pocket 3 cams using DJI’s OsmoAudio direct connection. With a range of 1300 feet and 48 hours of battery life with the charger case, they’re an excellent addition to a creator’s bag of tricks.

DJI’s wireless Mic 2 can not only be connected to a mirrorless camera via a 3.5mm cable, but also supports Bluetooth audio to easily pair with a smartphone as well. It can transmit at a range of up to 820 feet (less with a Bluetooth connection) and automatically reduces background noise like wind, city sounds and even drone noise. Sound quality is exceptional thanks to the 20 to 20K Hz frequency response and up to 32-bit float recording internally. And for professionals (and unlike the new Mic 3), you can connect external microphones from Shure, Sennheiser and others if you want. This deal includes two mic transmitters, a receiver for your camera, a charging case and wind muffs.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/djis-popular-wireless-mic-mini-kit-is-discounted-to-99-for-prime-day-163220479.html?src=rss

“AI doesn’t care,” a vandal scrawled on a New York subway ad promoting a wearable AI pendant called Friend, which was designed to monitor a user’s everyday conversations and serve as a companion “who listens, responds, and supports you.”

“Human connection is sacred,” the vandal wrote, emphasizing, “AI is not your friend.”

This act of vandalism is now part of a huge online archive collecting defaced ads that the Friend campaign inspired, as many New Yorkers responded with vitriol to marketing claims that the AI “friend” would never “bail on dinner” or abandon you to ride the subway alone.

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A Pew Research Center survey, released today, found that TV remains the dominant screen for American children aged twelve and younger. 90% of parents reported that their child watches TV. Tablets are used by 68% of children in this age group. 61% use smartphones.

The survey of U.S. parents also documented emerging technology patterns. About one in ten parents said their child between five and twelve years old uses AI chatbots such as ChatGPT or Gemini. Roughly four in ten parents reported that their child uses voice assistants like Siri or Alexa. YouTube appeared in 85% of households. Half of parents said their child uses gaming devices. About four in ten reported desktop or laptop use. The survey found that 62% of parents said their child under two watches television. 42% of parents said they could be doing better at managing screen time for their children.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

Amazon Big Deal Days end tonight, Oct. 8, and until then, Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it’s over.

• Browse our editors’ picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, and more.

• Follow our live blog to stay up to date on the best sales we find.

• Subscribe to our shopping newsletter, Add to Cart, for the best sales sent to your inbox.

• New to Prime Day? We have a primer on everything you need to know. Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.

You don’t need to be a fitness enthusiast to appreciate everything a good Apple Watch has to offer. Right now the Apple Watch Series 10 is available for $309 for October Prime Day, a 28% discount off its list price of $429. That’s for the 46mm case—if you opt for the smaller 42mm, the watch is available for as low as $279 in some colors. That’s a 30% discount off a list price of $399.

Apple Watch Series 10 GPS 46mm with Jet Black Aluminium Case with Black Sport Band

$309.00
at Amazon

$429.00
Save $120.00

$309.00
at Amazon

$429.00
Save $120.00

The Series 10 is last year’s Apple Watch, but this year’s Series 11 is only a minor upgrade. As such, our editor Michelle Ehrhardt crowned the 10 best Apple Watch for most people: You’re only missing out on tougher glass, a 5G modem, and a somewhat improved battery life. Unless you really depend on those extra perks, the Series 10 is probably the choice for you.

For more deals on fitness trackers and smartwatches, check out more of our top picks from Amazon’s Big Deal Days here.

Looking for something else? Retailers like Walmart and Best Buy have Prime Day competition sales that are especially useful if you don’t have Amazon Prime.

• Walmart’s Prime Day competition sale runs from Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. ET through Oct. 12 and includes deals up to 50% off. It’s an especially good option if you have Walmart+.

• Best Buy’s Prime Day competition sale runs from Sept. 27 through Oct. 12, and has some of the best tech sales online. It’s an especially good option if you’re a My Best Buy “Plus” or “Total” member.

• Target’s Prime Day competition sale runs from Oct. 5 through Oct. 11, and it has deals going up to 50% off. You can become a Circle member for free.

The polymers around us are basically a disordered mess, with long chains of atoms tangled around each other. But starting around 1990, chemists began developing techniques that allow us to build polymers with precisely defined structures. These polymers, called metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), have distinct chemical properties: large pores that can be used to filter or store gases, catalytic centers within the polymer, and more.

On Wednesday, the Nobel Prize Committee honored three researchers for their role in developing MOFs: Richard Robson for demonstrating the first MOF, and Susumu Kitagawa and Omar Yaghi for developing them to their full potential.

Building a structure

Most polymers are built from individual molecules that are linked together by flexible bonds, allowing the molecules to flop around. As a result, in their final form as something like a plastic bag or a bike tire, the polymers are a complicated tangle, with molecules wrapped around each other in no particular order. We can still control some aspects of the resulting polymer by manipulating its bulk properties or changing the molecules it’s built from, but there’s not a lot of chemistry we can do beyond that.

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We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

Amazon Big Deal Days end tonight, Oct. 8, and Lifehacker is sharing the best bargains, based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it’s over.

• Follow our live blog to stay up to date on the best sales we find.

• Subscribe to our shopping newsletter, Add to Cart, for the best sales sent to your inbox.

• New to Prime Day? We have a primer on everything you need to know. Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.

If you’re in the market for headphones that allow you to hear your surroundings, without sacrificing too much on audio quality, you’re in luck. Right now the Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 are available for $124.95 for October Prime Day, a 31% discount off their list price of $179.95.

Shokz OpenRun Pro 2

$124.95
at Amazon

$179.95
Save $55.00

$124.95
at Amazon

$179.95
Save $55.00

I’m a recent convert to the world of bone conduction headphones (BCH). Now, whenever I’m running around Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens, I absolutely rely on BCH technology to keep my ears open to traffic, other runners, and deranged cyclists. As my colleague Daniel Oropeza reviews in-depth here, the Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 are the best set of BCHs that either of us have ever tried.

With these Shokz, I’ve experienced little to no ear fatigue, even during 18+ mile runs. Their IP55 rating has proven true for me, having worn these headphones during humid summer runs and unexpected downpours. Most important for me, their battery life holds up, lasting even my longest training runs. Even if I forget to charge the night before a run, a quick five-minute charge gives me around 1.5 hours of listening time.

Maybe they’ll never match the bass response of traditional in-ear monitors, but they’re more than good enough for podcasts, audiobooks, and music during my runs.

Looking for something else? Retailers like Walmart and Best Buy have Prime Day competition sales that are especially useful if you don’t have Amazon Prime.

• Walmart’s Prime Day competition sale runs from Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. ET through Oct. 12 and includes deals up to 50% off. It’s an especially good option if you have Walmart+.

• Best Buy’s Prime Day competition sale runs from Sept. 27 through Oct. 12, and has some of the best tech sales online. It’s an especially good option if you’re a My Best Buy “Plus” or “Total” member.

• Target’s Prime Day competition sale runs from Oct. 5 through Oct. 11, and it has deals going up to 50% off. You can become a Circle member for free.

Blue Origin rolled the first stage of its massive New Glenn rocket from its hangar on Wednesday morning in Florida, kicking off the final phase of the campaign to launch the heavy-lift vehicle for the second time.

In sharing video of the rollout to Launch Complex-36 on Wednesday online, the space company did not provide a launch target for the mission, which seeks to put two small Mars-bound payloads into orbit. The pair of identical spacecraft to study the solar wind at Mars is known as ESCAPADE.

However, sources told Ars that on the current timeline, Blue Origin is targeting a launch window of November 9 to November 11. This assumes pre-launch activities, including a static-fire test of the first stage, go well.

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The French RPG Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has officially sold five million copies across all platforms. That’s a fantastic metric for an original IP, even one that has garnered stellar reviews.

Developer Sandfall Interactive is currently prepping a fairly substantial update as a “thank you” to fans, according to a report by Eurogamer. There’s no release date yet on this, but it will be free DLC. We also know there will be a new story that focuses on the fan favorite character Esquie.

The update will include new boss battles, a brand-new location, updated costumes for all party members and “even more surprises fans can look forward to.” Finally, there will be some quality-of-life additions and localization to several new languages.

“We want to prepare an update to say a big thank you to our players, because it’s thanks to our players that we are in such a comfortable situation now,” game director Guillaume Broche said. “They brought us so much emotion and gave us so much love in return for the game that we want to address that and make a big thank you update with new content, new enemies, new stuff to do for every type of player.”

For the uninitiated, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a well-regarded RPG that we called “a beautiful game with dramatic heft and satisfying combat.” It features some well-known voice actors, including Charlie Cox and Andy Serkis.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/clair-obscur-expedition-33-has-sold-five-million-copies-153148952.html?src=rss

South Korea’s government may have permanently lost 858TB of information after a fire at a data center in Daejeon. From a report: As reported by DCD, a battery fire at the National Information Resources Service (NIRS) data center, located in the city of Daejeon, on September 26, has caused havoc for government services in Korea. Work to restore the data center is ongoing, but officials fear data stored on the government’s G-Drive may be gone for good. G-Drive, which stands for Government Drive and is not a Google product, was used by government staff to keep documents and other files. Each worker was allocated 30GB of space.

According to a report from The Chosun, the drive was one of 96 systems completely destroyed in the fire, and there is no backup. “The G-Drive couldn’t have a backup system due to its large capacity,” an unnamed official told The Chosun. “The remaining 95 systems have backup data in online or offline forms.” While some departmers do not rely on G-Drive, those that do have been badly impacted in the aftermath of the fire. A source from the Ministry of Personnel Management said: “Employees stored all work materials on the G-Drive and used them as needed, but operations are now practically at a standstill.”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

Amazon Big Deal Days is ending tonight, October 8, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it’s over.

• Follow our live blog to stay up to date on the best sales we find.

• Subscribe to our shopping newsletter, Add to Cart, for the best sales sent to your inbox.

• New to Prime Day? We have a primer on everything you need to know. Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.

After 20 years in the tech journalism business, I’ve honestly lost count of the number of tablets (and tablet/laptop hybrids) I’ve reviewed through the years. When it comes to these devices, I know something about what separates the duds from the diamonds. As the second day of the Prime Day sale rolls on, these are my picks for the best tablet deals.

11-inch Google Pixel Tablet

If you’re fully invested in the Google ecosystem, then the Google Pixel Tablet makes a lot of sense—especially as it’s now available with a discount of more than a third for Prime Day. The price currently stands at $309 rather than the original $499, and it’ll cater to all your key tablet needs—from videos to web browsing.

11-inch Google Pixel Tablet

$309.00
at Amazon

$499.00
Save $190.00

$309.00
at Amazon

$499.00
Save $190.00

Along with the 11-inch screen (with 2,560 x 1,600 pixel resolution), this model gives you 256GB of storage space, a Tensor G2 processor, and the latest Android 16 software. Add in the official dock (sold separately) and you can turn it into a smart home hub, and get extra volume for your videos and audio, while the tablet is charging.

11-inch A16 Apple iPad

Apple updated its entry-level tablet for 2025 with this 11-inch iPad model, powered by the A16 processor, and even at the original price of $349, the 128GB model represents excellent value for money. You can now knock $70 off that price: Amazon is now selling it for $279 in honor of Prime Day.

11-inch A16 Apple iPad

$279.00
at Amazon

$349.00
Save $70.00

$279.00
at Amazon

$349.00
Save $70.00

There are more expensive iPads out there, but the cheapest one is perfectly good at doing all the tasks you would commonly use a tablet for: checking emails, posting to social media, browsing the web, watching movies, etc. With four colors to choose from, many people aren’t going to need to pay more.

12.4-inch Samsung Galaxy Tab S10+

If you’re a fan of tablets, Samsung, or Android (or all three), the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10+ is worthy of your attention. It’s like an iPad Pro for those who prefer Android, with a superb 12.4-inch OLED screen, a Mediatek Dimensity 9300+ processor, 12GB of RAM, a dual-lens rear camera, lots of Galaxy AI features, and an included S Pen stylus.

12.4-inch Samsung Galaxy Tab S10+

$824.99
at Amazon

$999.99
Save $175.00

$824.99
at Amazon

$999.99
Save $175.00

It’s an impressive device all around, and you can now get the 256GB version of this tablet for $824.99 rather than $999.99.

13-inch M4 Apple iPad Pro

The entry-level iPad gets a mention further up on this page, but if you want the most powerful Apple tablet on the planet, then you want the 13-inch M4 iPad Pro. The 256GB model is currently available for $200 less—so you can pick it up for $1,099 rather than $1,299.

13-inch M4 Apple iPad Pro

$1,099.00
at Amazon

$1,299.00
Save $200.00

$1,099.00
at Amazon

$1,299.00
Save $200.00

It’s difficult to find anything new to say about the iPad Pros: As you no doubt already know, they’re super-powerful, incredibly elegant devices that can replace your laptop and then some. They have great cameras and speakers, they’re very versatile, and they work with a range of accessories (including keyboard covers and the Apple Pencil).

11-inch Amazon Fire Max 11

This deal on the Amazon Fire Max 11 is my favorite of the Amazon-brand offers available on the site. The price on the 64GB model has been discounted from $229.99 to $139.99, which means you save $90—and the device was already pretty cheap to begin with.

11-inch Amazon Fire Max 11

$139.99
at Amazon

$229.99
Save $90.00

$139.99
at Amazon

$229.99
Save $90.00

Don’t let the low price fool you into thinking this is a sub-standard tablet. It’s perfectly fine for browsing websites and your email, for watching movies and shows, and for some lightweight mobile gaming. With an 11-inch screen size it’s also nice and compact, and easy to carry around anywhere.

Looking for something else? Retailers like Walmart and Best Buy have Prime Day competition sales that are especially useful if you don’t have Amazon Prime.

• Walmart’s Prime Day competition sale runs from Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. ET through Oct. 12 and includes deals up to 50% off. It’s an especially good option if you have Walmart+.

• Best Buy’s Prime Day competition sale runs from Sept. 27 through Oct. 12, and has some of the best tech sales online. It’s an especially good option if you’re a My Best Buy “Plus” or “Total” member.

• Target’s Prime Day competition sale runs from Oct. 5 through Oct. 11, and it has deals going up to 50% off. You can become a Circle member for free.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said Wednesday that he’s surprised Advanced Micro Devices offered 10% of itself to OpenAI as part of a multibillion-dollar partnership announced earlier this week. From a report: “t’s imaginative, it’s unique and surprising, considering they were so excited about their next generation product,” Huang said in an interview with “CNBC’s Squawk Box.”

“I’m surprised that they would give away 10% of the company before they even built it. And so anyhow, it’s clever, I guess.” OpenAI and AMD reached a deal on Monday, with OpenAI committing to purchase 6 gigawatts worth of AMD chips over multiple years, including its forthcoming MI450 series. As part of the agreement, OpenAI will receive warrants for up to 160 million AMD shares, with vesting milestones based on deployment volume and AMD’s share price.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Amazon’s quest to become a genuine all-in-one healthcare solution has already seen it commit to same-day prescription deliveries, but visitors to its One Medical offices can now pick up their medication from a vending machine right after an appointment.

Amazon Pharmacy Kiosks will start rolling out in December, initially in One Medical practices in the greater Los Angeles area, with plans already in place for an expansion into other locations in the near future. Amazon says it intends to combat the high percentage of people who never file their prescriptions by making them immediately available at the point of care. The idea is that if people don’t need to make a separate trip to a dedicated pharmacy to pick up their prescription drugs, they’re more likely to get them, while clinicians won’t have to worry about their patients’ conditions going untreated.

One Medical customers can request pickup for a prescription at an on-site Amazon Pharmacy Kiosk in the Amazon app as soon as it’s handed to them, with the company promising that most medications will be available to collect within minutes. You’ll need to already have an Amazon Pharmacy account and attend an appointment at a participating One Medical location to make use of the service.

Upfront costs and any available deductions will be displayed in the Amazon app before you check out, and if needed you can also connect to an Amazon Pharmacy pharmacist via the app for a video or phone consultation. Medications that will be stored in the vending machines include antibiotics, inhalers and blood pressure medications, but not controlled substances or anything that requires refrigeration.

One Medical subscriptions usually cost $9 per month of $99 annually for Prime members, or $199 for everyone else, although Amazon is currently offering memberships to its Prime customers for $30 off. You can also schedule virtual appointments for a one-off fee without a membership, but to use an Amazon Pharmacy Kiosk during the launch period you’ll need to visit an in-person One Medical office. Amazon says there won’t be any added fees to use the machines, whether you’re a Prime member or not.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/amazon-will-start-dispensing-prescription-drugs-through-vending-machines-144555105.html?src=rss