Let the right one in. The Verge: "Amazon Key is a new service that lets couriers unlock your front door."

The service is called Amazon Key, and it relies on a Amazon’s new Cloud Cam and compatible smart lock. The camera is the hub, connected to the internet via your home Wi-Fi. The camera talks to the lock over Zigbee, a wireless protocol utilized by many smart home devices.

When a courier arrives with a package for in-home delivery, they scan the barcode, sending a request to Amazon’s cloud. If everything checks out, the cloud grants permission by sending a message back to the camera, which starts recording. The courier then gets a prompt on their app, swipes the screen, and voilà, your door unlocks.

Amazon Key is a new service that lets couriers unlock your front door https://t.co/s5J8RnZXa7 pic.twitter.com/rEQ3cEeCvL

— The Verge (@verge) October 25, 2017

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Tens of millions of Americans have had packages stolen from their porches and mailboxes. Now major online retailers are looking at novel ways to deliver packages to car trunks, lockboxes, and even inside locked homes. Read the rest

Convenience always carries costs. In the case of e-commerce, the surge in residential deliveries is causing in urban gridlock. Citylab goes out on delivery routes for their interesting report: Read the rest

Amazon.com says it has entered into a partnership with the British government to get the nation's aviation authority approval for deliveries via small drones. Read the rest

Stephanie Pakrul created a flowchart for getting what you want delivered, like food, drink, clothes, drugs, and things that "cannot be categorized." Read the rest