Apple's AirPods have taken the headphone world by storm. While they weren't the first ever "true wireless" headphones out there, they certainly helped popularize the new trend in headphones, and sparked a slew of alternative options. For the uninitiated, Apple AirPods are Apple's take on true wireless headphones, or earbud-style headphones that have absolutely no wires. In other words, the separate earbuds sit in your ear, connected only wirelessly to each other and to your listening device -- whether it be your phone, computer, tablet, or another device. There are plenty of other options out there, and they each have something a little different to offer.

Match Group, the company that owns Tinder, has bought a controlling stake in Hinge, which was redesigned to cater to individuals seeking relationships instead of the casual dating (and hookup) culture prevalent in other dating apps. This adds the'anti-Tinder' to the company's collection of other online services OkCupid, PlentyOfFish and Match.com, Match Group bought a 51 percent stake in Hinge with the option to buy the rest of the shares in the next year, both companies told Bloomberg. But the former actually started investing in the latter back in September, taking a seat on its board and starting discussions of a potential acquisition. In March, Match Group sued the company behind one of the only other remaining notable dating services, Bumble, for patent infringement. The latter quickly countersued, revealing that Match Group was interested in acquiring it, and Bumble claimed the first lawsuit was intended to drive down the asking price and sully other interested parties.

Virtual assistants can go beyond playing music or buying things on Amazon. And they don't need corps of developers or fancy artificial intelligence technology to do so. Business and society in general have moved a long way towards self-service. Most offices no longer have a secretarial pool, and most managers and even some executives don't have a dedicated assistant. Travel agents and other common jobs of yesteryear still exist but you don't go to a travel agent to book a simple direct domestic flight; you go to a website.

Sure, we may be living in the digital age, but not everything has to sound like it. And with Google's virtual assistant becoming more conversational with every update, you'll want to choose a voice you don't mind interacting with several times throughout the day, every day. Google has programmed eight different voice options in a variety of human-like pitches to give the virtual assistant life. These voices are different than the one you may have heard in real life or TV ads. They're a tad more realistic sounding than the default Google voice, making them a bit more pleasant to interact with because they're so refined.

This week, Google is scrambling to fix a security bug in its Google Home and Chromecast devices that enables malicious third parties to access a device user's precise location via mapped Wi-Fi networks. But the bug itself isn't the only thing that has Slate's Christina Bonnington concerned. The issue highlights just how much Google knows about you, and how insecure our connected homes can be. Moving on to more intentional tracking devices: Think the Health app on your iPhone is only good for making you feel guilty about skimping on steps yesterday? That's because Apple is in the process of transforming the iOS app, which now--in addition to tracking and storing personal health data such as activity, sleep, nutrition, heart rate, and vitals--can also store medical history like test results, prescriptions, and immunizations.

This month's Tech Tracker takes a closer look at stealth AI tech used by TGI Fridays to personalize marketing Thank God, it's AI at TGI Fridays. While most casual-dining brands are betting big on customer-facing tablet technology, TGI Fridays is investing in artificial intelligence to harvest data that will drive diner frequency. Guests of the Dallas-based chain can now use a variety of social media platforms to place an order. From that customer interaction, TGI Fridays is using AI to identify ordering patterns, and that information is used to personalize marketing. If a guest order ribs through any of the platforms, for example, that data can be used to create future invitations based on that customer's food preferences, said Sherif Mityas, Fridays chief experience officer.

Before you get back to constructing your underground chamber to protect humanity from the hordes of death-dealing AI robots, we have a more optimistic view of the future for you. Artificial intelligence won't lead to the demise of the human race but may in fact help us deal with the massive scaling up of communication that the internet has made possible and – gasp – actually help humans understand one another a little better. Speaking at the Intel Capital conference in Palm Desert last week, three AI experts took an altogether more pragmatic and positive view of where we are going. "An artificial intelligence machine won't want to become a person," argued Reza Zadeh, the CEO of Matroid. "It will be content to serve customers."

Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) is in the middle of a massive transition right now, but you may not have noticed. That's because the company is moving effortlessly into the burgeoning artificial intelligence (AI) market -- and it's bringing its legacy products and services along with it. Over the past few years, Microsoft has successfully been building new features into its Office products and launching new AI-powered tools through its Azure cloud-computing service as the company looks beyond its Windows products to the fast-growing AI market. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said recently that AI is the "defining technology of our times," and he's probably right. AI has the capability to alter how we drive our cars, it will help automate our factories, it will both create and kill jobs, it can be used in warfare, and it's already being used to help improve our healthcare.

This Amazon Echo doesn't seem to understand that all I want is a whiskey. I'm seated in the Tribeca offices of marketing firm 360i and the haunting voice coming out of its little speaker just says, "Never heard of it." The problem is that me and 360i's creative director Andrew Hunter both gave the order at the same time and "Rose," our guide at the Mariposa Saloon in this audio play, couldn't make it out. Instead, we opt to take a walk through Sweetwater, the fictional town where Westworld takes place, and eventually wind up at a narrative dead end when we don't know the location of someone that one of the townspeople is looking for. It's over, and soon we'll be, theoretically, sent back to the the Mesa Hub to have our memories wiped and be shoved back out into the Mariposa to run through our loops again. This is what it's like to go to Westworld thanks to a (fairly) smart cylindrical speaker.

Now owned by barbeque maker Weber, the iGrill family of Bluetooth meat thermometers let you see the temperature inside your meat, via an app or small console. Summer officially starts June 21, and with the warmer weather upon us, many will be spending more time on a deck, patio, or in the backyard. But that doesn't mean you need to be without your tech. Oh sure, many will argue this is the time of year we should break free from the gadgets that bind us. But I'd argue choosing the right technology can, in fact, help you get more out of the Great Outdoors.