FAA's proposed drone regulations have Amazon grounded
Tech Industry
The FAA's rules for flying small drones have arrived, but don't expect a delivery drone to bring you a fresh pizza anytime soon.
I'm Dan Graziano filling in for Bridget Carey, and this is your CNET Update.
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Amazon previously revealed that it was developing a fleet of unmanned aircraft that could deliver packages right to your doorstep.
These plans have essentially been grounded, thanks to a new set of rules proposed by the FAA.
The agency's proposal states that unmanned commercial aircrafts must only operate in daylight and weight less than 55 pounds.
These aircrafts would also be required to stay below 500 feet and go no faster than 100 miles per hour.
Under the proposed laws, commercial drone operators will have to be at least 17 years old and pass a knowledge test in order to obtain an FAA drone operator license.
Now the big problem for Amazon is that operators must maintain a visual line of sight with the drone and they're never allowed to fly over people who aren't directly involved with the flight.
The company has said that it is committed to making its Prime Air service a reality but there are still major hurdles that it must overcome.
In other news, Sony has announced that the developer edition of its smart eye glass will be available soon.
The glasses are similar to Google Glass.
They have a transparent screen in the lenses that show you emails and notifications floating right in front of your very eyes.
It also is very cool, but the glasses still aren't ready for your average joe.
They are rather bulky and the battery only lasts around two and a half hours.
Oh, did I mention that they also cost a whopping $840?
In related news, Apple's first smart watch is expected to arrive in the next few months.
And it could be the best selling smart watch so far.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Apple has asked suppliers in Asia to produce up to six million units.
The latest rumors claim we will be seeing a smart watch around April but it may not be a telephone.
As we once thought.
Sources have told the journal that Apple had to remove certain features for tracking things like blood pressure, heart activity, and stress levels.
Some features were said to be too complex, and others would have required the company seek FDA approval.
But the Apple watch isn't going to be the only luxury smart watch on the market.
LG has announced a new watch with a circular display, an all metal body and a leather strap.
The LG Watch Urbane as it's called will also be powered by Android Wear which allows it to show things like calls, emails, texts and other notifications from your smartphone right on your wrist.
Pricing and a release date wasn't announced, but don't be surprised if it debuts around the same time as the Apple Watch.
That's your tech news update and there's always more over at www.Cnet.com.
From our studios in New York I'm Dan Graziano.
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