Waymo only just reached Los Angeles earlier this year, but that isn't stopping it from expanding further. The company is expanding its Waymo One ride-hailing service to Austin. The first phase starts this fall, with completely driverless operations and public rides coming in the months ahead. The coverage will be "truly useful," Waymo claims — it should cover major stretches of the Texas capital, including the downtown core as well as well-known areas like Barton Hills and Hyde Park. You can join a waitlist today.
The deployment is a homecoming of sorts, as Waymo chose Austin to conduct some of its first self-driving tests beyond its hometown of Mountain View. The company also made history by offering the first completely autonomous ride on public streets in 2015. The Alphabet-owned brand has been testing its self-driving SUVs in the city since the spring.
Austin will represent the fourth city to get Waymo One following Phoenix, San Francisco and Los Angeles. The firm is also operating in New York City, although it hasn't announced plans to offer commercial service in the region. While rides have typically only been available in limited sections of these cities, Waymo recently doubled its operational area to include larger swaths of the Phoenix area and San Francisco.
The announcement reflects Waymo's strengthened focus on ride-hailing. The company recently pushed back its autonomous trucking plans to help it concentrate on passenger service. Waymo wants One to be a commercial hit first, and that means expanding operations as well as securing permission to take paying customers. There's pressure to move quickly when competitors like Cruise and Aurora are testing in Texas.
There are some obstacles to overall growth. Officials want to stop or slow robotaxi deployments in San Francisco over safety concerns, for instance. Vehicles from Waymo and GM's Cruise have blocked traffic, interfered with first responders and otherwise created issues. Other cities and states haven't greenlit self-driving cars, either. Texas' openness to the technology may help, though, and Waymo notes that Austin's rapidly growing economy (the second-fastest for a major US city) could help its chances.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/waymo-is-bringing-its-driverless-ride-hailing-service-to-austin-133949180.html?src=rss
Acura, Honda's luxury and performance vehicle brand, has released a teaser for its first electric vehicle. It doesn't really show much of the the all-electric 2024 ZDX — it's just a silhouette of the car with an illuminated grille in the shadows — but it comes with the announcement that the EV is set to debut on August 17th during the Monterey Car Week.
The 2024 ZDX was designed at the Acura Design Studio in Southern California, and it retains some of the external elements the company used for the Precision EV Concept it showed off during the same event last year. It's based on GM's Ultium battery platform and could perhaps be one of the few, or the only, Acura models to use the modular EV architecture. Honda previously said that future EVs will use its in-house e:Architecture platform instead, with the first models based on it slated for release in 2025.
Acura announced back in June that the ZDX will come with built-in Android Auto and other Google products. Owners will have access to an enhanced version of Google Maps, which can plan optimized routes with charging stations along the way and can estimate the charging time required to reach their destination. They'll also have access to Google Assistant for hands-free controls, as well as to Google Play, so they can download third-party apps to their infotainment system. Acura revealed last month that the EV will be equipped with a Bang & Olufsen audio system, as well.
The automaker will exclusively sell the ZDX and ZDX Type S performance EVs online starting early next year. Emile Korkor, assistant vice president of Acura National Sales, said the ZDX Type S will be "the most powerful and quickest accelerating SUV in the brand's history."
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/acura-teases-the-zdx-its-first-electric-vehicle-130051990.html?src=rss
The following article contains spoilers for “Subspace Rhapsody.”
At some point in the ‘90s, it became law that all genre shows with a certain flexibility in their premise must do a musical episode. Xena, Ally McBeal, Buffy, Psych, Grey’s Anatomy and Scrubs have all done one, as has Supernatural, Once Upon a Time, 7th Heaven, Supergirl and The Flash. Now, it’s Strange New Worlds’ turn to make its characters spontaneously burst into song as it drops “Subspace Rhapsody” as the penultimate episode of its second season.
It’s clear from the start that Strange New Worlds was well-suited to do a musical given how broad its range is. In the last four weeks alone, we’ve had goofy comedy served up back to back with serious meditations on empathy and redemption. This is the first live action Trek of the streaming era to remember the franchise gets better when it allows itself to be goofy. The only surprise is that this is coming so early on its run; this is just the nineteenth episode of the series overall.
Musical episodes serve several purposes: It allows the cast to show off their hidden talents and lets the production crew indulge their latent musical theater nerd. They’re also, in many cases, a useful narrative crucible, forcing characters to reveal secrets they’d otherwise never let out. It’s an old trick to use the primary colors of a rousing number to drop something deep and dark on an audience. This comes in handy given the number of running storylines in the back of each episode, which get resolved more or less all in one go.
Michael Gibson/Paramount+
Uhura’s opening narration informs us the Enterprise has discovered a large subspace fissure. Spock believes it could be used to speed up communication over long distances, but despite several tries, he and Uhura can’t make it work. Not until Pelia suggests they test the system using music, so Uhura fires up Anything Goes and sends it into the ether. Before you can say that’s-a-good-macguffin, a large subspace wave hits the ship and sends everyone singing.
As this is happening, Pike and Batel – who I can’t believe Pike didn’t dump after arresting and prosecuting his first officer – argue about holiday destinations. Chapel has received word she’s been accepted for a prestigious fellowship with a high-profile academic. She’ll be away for a while but declines to share her news with Spock after the fraying of their relationship last week. And, to further complicate matters, James T. Kirk is back on board to shadow Una in preparation for his own promotion. But when they start spouting technobabble as lyrics and feeling the urge to dance, we’re straight into an acapella rendition of the theme tune.
I’ve pointed out, too frequently this year, the confidence Strange New Worlds has in its own execution. This is the second time in three weeks that it’s not just screwed with its format but also its packaging in the form of its opening credits. It’s evidence of a show that knows it has the patience from its audience to play around with its formatting.
Urged on by Pike, stuck firmly in his eyebrow-raising sick-of-this-malarkey mode, the team find they’re trapped in a state of quantum uncertainty. They’re in a universe that follows the rules of a musical, so when emotions are high, people are likely to burst into song. That’s bad for La’an, who is struggling to contain her feelings with her alternate-history beau on board, especially since she’s prohibited from talking about it. Pike, too, starts to confess his misgivings about the holiday he and Captain Batel have been planning. La’an gets a solo about being emotionally shut off from the rest of the crew, followed soon after with a duet with Una talking about why it’s good to open up.
The improbability field starts to expand, encompassing more starships in the area and reaching Klingon territory. They soon dispatch a cruiser to shut it down, but the Enterprise crew discover that shooting the fissure will release enough energy to wipe out the quadrant. Uhura posits that, if they’re in a musical, their behavior might have to follow the tropes of the genre. Armed with a tricorder, she drags Spock to the bar where he bumps into Chapel, who then dumps him with a full-cast song-and-dance number about the importance of her career. He responds by singing his own solo in engineering in which he talks about his abandonment of logic and reason for love, a mistake he won’t make again.
La’an, who has spent more and more time with Kirk, decides to open up a little bit only to find her advances rebuffed. Not because he doesn’t feel similarly, but because he’s in an on-again, off-again relationship with a scientist called Carol. And that Carol is currently pregnant with Kirk’s child, who we might not get to see again until Kirk looks a lot more like William Shatner. (This episode has more than a few moments where it’s consciously drawing attention to its “evolution” into The Original Series.)
Spock’s judgment may be clouded but Uhura, whose awareness of musical tropes has been key all episode, spots the solution. In order to pop the uncertainty field, the whole crew needs to do a big full-cast finale, but not before Uhura gets her own solo. At Pike’s urging, Uhura gets on the ship’s PA and inspires the whole crew – complete with dancing redshirts and balletic starship dances to produce a showstopper climax. We even get a blast of the Original Series’ theme to underpin their victory, while Spock goes off to smooth things over with the Klingons and get over his split with another round of heavy drinking.
Much as the ending is ostensibly happy, with everyone learning the lesson to be more honest and authentic with each other, there’s trouble on the horizon. Batel has to cancel her holiday with Pike, she’s being sent on a top secret mission which, I’m sure, is our lead in to the finale. Spock’s nursing his grief, and the rest of his supersized emotions, while La’an has to deal with the ramifications of her not-quite-requited love.
Michael Gibson/Paramount+
It’s almost pointless to try and judge a musical episode by the standards of its peers given how different it is from the norm. The script, credited to Dana Horgan and Bill Wolkoff, efficiently and effectively works in the musical universe concept without a lot of setup. Demott Downs’ direction blends the closed nature of Strange New Worlds’ standing sets with the necessary scope a musical demands. And the songs, from Letters to Cleo’s Kay Hanley and Tom Polce, are perfectly fine. Musical lovers will have a greater appetite for enjoying each track on a loop, but as a casual enjoyer of the artform, I’m not sure how many would enter my regular Spotify rotation.
Obviously, much of the dramatic weight of the episode hangs on the shoulders of the cast members who can sing. Christina Chong, Jess Bush, Rebecca Romijn, Ethan Peck and Celia Rose Gooding all get showpiece numbers and boy, can they all sing. But that’s not to shade the names not on that list, especially those who are getting by with the help of autotune. It’s hard enough to sing and dance even if you’ve got years of experience behind you, let alone if you’re dropped into the deep end in an acting job. Now, onward to the finale!
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/star-trek-strange-new-worlds-breaks-into-song-130044077.html?src=rss
Felini - The Swiss Army Knife of Electronic Debugging Tools
Chu Tien Thinh, an electronics engineer and enthusiast, has created a highly portable debug and test tool named Felini, designed to provide numerous hardware control and debugging functionalities in a small, cost-effective device. Thinh found inspiration for Felini from his struggle to lug around a backpack filled with various tools essential for general debugging and tinkering.
Smart Concrete for Smart Living: Turning Houses and Highways into Batteries with Futuristic
Scientists from MIT and the Wyss Institute in the US have introduced an innovative energy storage system composed of cement and ancient ink, which could revolutionize renewable energy integration. This novel approach involves the combination of cement, the world's most widely used man-made material, with carbon black, an ancient substance used in historical contexts like the Dead Sea Scrolls.
For all the hype around folding phones, there’s plenty of anxiety concerning how well those bendable screens survive long term. Depending on who you ask, they’re either weaker than spider silk or hardy enough to make your average lumberjack weep with envy. That’s why Sam Rutherford took matters into his own hands, spending the last year running his own durability test. He’s been using his Z Fold 4 without a case, leaving its factory-installed screen protector as the only defense.
At the dawn of the Z Fold 5, Rutherford is now ready to reveal how well he got on with its predecessor. Turns out that while the frame is now chipped and scratched, the screens “still look great,” with Samsung’s work in this area paying off. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for a similar experiment undertaken on a Z Flip 4, the more pocketable handset in the lineup. In that case, it might be wise to make sure you live close to an authorized service center, so you’re not left without a phone for a week at a time.
– Dan Cooper
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It’s another initiative to reduce smartphone addiction.
Draft legislation proposed by the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) would further limit phone use for under 18s. It’s part of the country’s attempts to curb smartphone addiction, which already sees limits on when kids can play games each week. This proposal would see 16- to 18-year-olds get two hours of use per day, while kids from eight to 15 get an hour – hard luck for the under eights, who’ll get 40 minutes a day, plus limits on what they can access.
If you have $25,000 and a passion for nighttime photography then Canon’s new MS-500 is the gadget for you. It’s a camera that, the company promises, can shoot clear color video in light as low as 0.001 lux, which, for the non-technical among us, is pretty darn dark. This particular unit is designed as a security camera for high-security facilities, but the novel sensor that enables its nighttime powers will, surely, come to other hardware as the technology matures.
The platform is taking a stand against the risks of automated plagiarism.
Kickstarter projects submitted on or after August 29th must disclose if they’ve used AI. The platform’s head of trust and safety said the crowdfunding site wants to ensure creators aren’t making bank on the back of stolen work. Creators who are using AI will also have to state they have the proper credit and permission to use those outputs.
An open-source climate model will leverage millions of terabytes of NASA data.
In 2024, NASA expects to generate a quarter million terabytes of data from its Earth science experiments alone. So impossible would it be to wrangle that amount of information that the agency has turned to IBM and HuggingFace for help. The trio has constructed an open-source foundation model, which will form the backbone of an AI to track deforestation, predict crop yields and log greenhouse gas emissions.
Imagine getting so worked up at a fraud-prevention tool you spend $44 billion to undermine its use. Now imagine other people being so worked up about that tool that they spend $8 a month to undermine its use. How darkly funny would it be if, having spent all this time, money and effort to get what they perceived as a badge of honor, suddenly realized it wasn’t at all. You’d probably laugh if they then all opted to hide the badge they craved for so long, wouldn’t you? Wouldn’t you?
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-are-samsungs-folding-screens-sturdy-enough-111557475.html?src=rss
Elon Musk and X, the site formerly known as Twitter, are in more legal trouble. The Agence France-Presse (AFP) is suing X for not engaging in discussions about payment to the French publisher in exchange for its articles appearing on the platform. In 2019, France passed neighboring rights legislation, extending copyright law to content produced by news publishers, such as text and videos, for two years after release. The law requires any sites that share this work to negotiate with the publishers about remuneration instead of sharing it without compensation for its creators.
This is bizarre. They want us to pay *them* for traffic to their site where they make advertising revenue and we don’t!?
In its press release, the AFP stated that it has "expressed its concerns over the clear refusal from Twitter (recently rebranded as 'X') to enter into discussions regarding the implementation of neighbouring rights for the press. These rights were established to enable news agencies and publishers to be remunerated by digital platforms which retain most of the monetary value generated by the distribution of news content."
X isn't the first tech company AFP has gone up against. In 2020, France's competition authority ordered Google to enter negotiations with publishers, and, while it reached an agreement in early 2021, the company was fined €500 million ($546 million) later that year for not reaching a fair agreement. In that case, part of the argument was that Google owns 90 percent of the search market, leaving them in a position where they could abuse their power if an equitable deal wasn't reached. Twitter's influence in this area of the internet isn't nearly as strong, so we'll have to wait and see if it will face the same fight.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/x-sued-by-afp-over-not-discussing-payments-for-news-content-105501199.html?src=rss
No matter the level of success a tech company has seen for certain products, at least one device always fails to meet expectations after launch. Amazon experienced this for its quickly discontinued Fire phone, and Meta is seeing it for everything from disinterest in the Metaverse to, reportedly, Ray-Ban Stories, its smart sunglasses. According to an internal Meta document viewed by The Wall Street Journal, less than ten percent of people with Ray-Ban Stories regularly use the product.
Ray-Ban sold about 300,000 of the glasses between their launch in September 2021 and February 2023 — when Meta conducted the report. At that time, there were only 27,000 monthly active users, with the company citing issues such as poor connectivity and issues with battery life. Yes, these people already bought the sunglasses, so that's something for the companies, but the low retention doesn't exactly instill confidence in continual sales. Meta's Reality Labs division, which the Ray-Ban partnership falls under, isn't doing well either, with an almost $8 million loss over the first half of 2023.
Yet, even with these poor numbers, Meta is set to release a new generation of Ray-Ban Stories in either the fall or spring. Apparently, the new glasses will have improved battery life and cameras and be available as more than the current three sunglass models. While the first generation is available for $299, there's no word yet on how the next version of Ray-Ban Stories will be priced.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/meta-memo-admits-its-ray-ban-stories-smart-glasses-arent-getting-much-face-time-094549256.html?src=rss
IK Multimedia is back with a refresh for its well-regarded Uno Synth Pro flagship keyboard, the Uno Synth Pro X. Just like the original, this is a three-oscillator paraphonic instrument with plenty of bells and whistles, but with some new features to set it apart. The Pro X features an entirely new layout and a unique sound engine. It also ships with some new effects, including true analog overdrive, shimmer reverb and a vibrato/chorus based on the famous Uni-Vibe pedal.
All told, there are over ten “studio-quality” effects and you can stack them for unique sound design options, via three modulation slots. The dual-filter design and three-oscillator sound engine allows for plenty of sonic possibilities, and there’s 256 preset slots to save your creations. Additionally, the Pro X boasts a 64-step paraphonic sequencer, with step and real-time recording options, and a 10-mode arpeggiator with a pattern designer. This arpeggiator allows for your typical legato, mono and paraphonic modes, but even includes a brand-new bassline mode.
One big change over the original Synth Pro is that this version is extremely light, weighing less than a kilogram, and intended for portable use. This is fantastic news for those who like fiddling with synthesizers on airplanes or in the bathroom, but it comes with a cost. There’s no actual keybed here, so you have to use the integrated multi-function buttons or plug it into a MIDI keyboard. There are many more hands-on control options available, however, when compared to the OG model.
On the topic of connectivity, the Synth Pro X offers much to be excited about. There’s USB-C, 5-pin DIN MIDI, balanced stereo outputs and a dedicated stereo headphone out. These connections make it easy to integrate with other synthesizers, effects processors, DAWs and just about anything else. Once plugged into a computer, the expanded sound editor opens up in your DAW of choice for further adjustments.
IK Multimedia’s Synth Pro X can be powered via USB-C or the included standard PSU. You can order one right now directly from the company for $500.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/uno-synth-pro-x-offers-high-end-sound-design-in-a-portable-package-090003950.html?src=rss
Nintendo just announced its highest first quarter profit ever thanks to sales of its latest Zelda title and the Mario movie. The company earned 185.44 billion yen ($1.3 billion) on sales of 461.34 billion yen ($3.2 billion), easily battering its previous fiscal Q1 record of 144.7 billion set in 2020, the company revealed in its latest earnings report.
The numbers on those two properties are impressive. Around the world, 168.10 million people watched the The Super Mario Bros. Movie, netting the company $1.349 billion as of July 26th — the highest ever for an original film based on a video game, and the second-highest for an animated film.
Meanwhile, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has sold 18.51 million since it launched in May, while Mari Kart 8 Deluxe sold 1.67 million last quarter. "Sell-through of this one title [Zelda] constitutes approximately half of the first-party software sold this fiscal year," Nintendo said.
Switch sales were actually up over the same quarter last year to 3.91 million in the last quarter (compared to 3.43 million units last year), with 2.83 million of those being the more expensive OLED model. That rise might be powered in part by Zelda, as buyers sought either a new or better console to play the game. At the beginning of its fiscal year, Nintendo called its sales forecast of 15 million Switch consoles "a bit of a stretch," but is on track to achieve that number so far.
It may be tough for Nintendo to maintain that momentum, though. Upcoming games include the sidescroller Super Mario Bros Wonder (October 20th), Detective Pikachu Returns (October 6th), WarioWare: Move It! (November 3rd) and Super Mario RPG with updated graphics on November 17th. There are no marquee games in that list like Zelda, though, and sales of that game (and movie profits) are bound to keep dropping off.
As for the Switch, it's now six years old, and Nintendo has yet to announce its replacement. Rumors have swirled that a next-gen Switch arrive in 2024, but none have much substance behind them.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/nintendo-sees-record-first-quarter-profit-thanks-to-zelda-and-the-mario-movie-075718094.html?src=rss
