• CNet reports that "Amazon said Friday it'll begin delivering packages to residents of College Station, Texas, later this year, the second location in the United States for its Prime Air delivery service and the latest in an expansion of the technology that emerged this week.
"College Station, about 80 miles northwest of Houston, is home to Texas A&M University, which has a drone research program that's already several years old. The e-commerce giant in June also announced plans to begin drone deliveries in Lockeford, California, near Sacramento."
The story notes that "Amazon helped kick off the drone delivery idea with the 2013 announcement of Prime Air. But abundant challenges slowed the technology's arrival: safety, regulatory approval, autonomous navigation, bad weather, cost, and finding a good way to hand off packages."
Plus, there's tons of competition: "This week, Zipline announced medical package delivery plans near Tacoma, Washington, and Alphabet's Wing debuted new drone designs for larger and smaller packages. With partner DroneUp, Walmart expects to deliver packages via drone in Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Texas, Utah and Virginia for a $4 delivery fee. UPS, Flytrex, Manna and others also are delivering packages around the world."
