Volvo took another step towards its 2030 goal of full electrification on Wednesday with the official unveiling of its new flagship, the all-electric EX90. The three-row, seven-seat SUV, which grew out of the Concept Recharge design, will go on sale alongside its gas-powered sibling, the XC90, in model year 2024.

The EX90 will initially come equipped with a 111 kWh battery pack powering a pair of permanent magnet electric motors for 380 kW (517 hp) and 910 Nm of AWD torque. Per the company, the pack can refill from 10 to 80 percent in under 30 minutes. Volvo has not yet shared performance figures for the vehicle.

The EX90 will be the first Volvo to offer bi-directional charging capabilities, which enable drivers to use their vehicles as home-scale batteries in the event of power outages — similar to what Hyundai's Ioniq 5 and the Ford F-150 Lightning offer. Volvo plans on selling home charging equipment as well including a wall box and energy management system. What's more the EX90 — like the rest of its EV brethren — will enjoy over-the-air software updates, though Volvo has begun expanding that service out to hybrid and ICE models as well. 

The EX90's exterior is optimized for aerodynamics, boasting a drag coefficient of .29, just a touch behind the VW ID.4 and very respectable for a full-size SUV, electric or not. "We’ve taken inspiration from yacht design to outline the Volvo EX90’s beautiful and sleek proportions,” Volvo's head of design, T. Jon Mayer, said in a press release. “If you look at the front, it’s proud and confident – inspired by a sailboat’s ability to shear through the ocean’s slamming waves. But it’s also rounder overall, which enables the air to flow around the car more efficiently.”

Pedestrians will sail around the car more efficiently as well, thanks to the "shield of safety" that Volvo is working on. Using a mix of LiDAR, optical, ultrasonic and radar sensors, the EX90 will offer a 360 degree view around itself to proactively react to other vehicles and pedestrians even if the driver doesn't immediately notice the issue. The EX90's LiDAR sensors can reportedly spot pedestrians up to 250 meters away. The company believes that the system could reduce the rate of all accidents by 9 percent and cut accidents resulting in serious injury or death by as much as 20 percent. 

"No matter how much experience you have or how much competence you have, at the end of the day, we are all still human," Volvo Head of Safety Jim Rowan quips in the walkthrough above. "We want to help people become better drivers by being there when they're not at their very best." The company plans to further incorporate the LiDAR sensors into its future unsupervised autonomous driving system.

But like the oozing garbage bags one finds on the side of the highway, it's what's inside that counts. The EX90's cabin provides a well-lit Scandinavian minimalist design clad in sustainable and recycled materials, such as "Nordico," a fabric made from recycled PET bottles "as well as bio-attributed material from responsibly-managed forests in Sweden and Finland. All of the interior wood panels are FSC-certified sustainable and if you opt for the wool seat fabric, that yarn will come from vetted suppliers "according to strict sustainability standards on animal welfare, environmental and social issues." In all, more than 50 kilograms of recycled plastic are used in each EX90 interior.

“We’ve put a lot of effort into the illumination inside the EX90, trying to create a warm interior and a somewhat colder expression for the exterior,” Mayer noted. “It’s also connected to how people in Scandinavia might be perceived. There’s a calm and understated confidence that can read as cold at first – but once you get to know people, you find that they're really warm.”

The EX90's in-cabin LiDAR is a world-first, designed to detect the presence of occupants and alert the driver if anyone is left behind in an effort to prevent hot car deaths — Volvo notes that more than 900 kids have died in these circumstances in the US since 1998. Where allowed by regulation, the system will prevent the keyfob from locking the doors should a child or pet be detected inside and display a warning icon on the central infotainment screen.

"No one chooses to be distracted or tired, but we know it can happen," Lotta Jakobsson, Volvo senior technical specialist in injury prevention. "We’re all human and distraction is a fact of life. With the help of cutting-edge technology, we’ll support you when you’re not at your best and help you avoid leaving family members or pets behind by accident."

Developing...

IBM's latest quantum computing processor marks a notable step forward for its ambitions in the field. At the IBM Quantum Summit 2022, the company announced Osprey, which has the largest qubit count of any of its processors at 433 quantum bits. That's more than triple the number of cubits that the Eagle chip, which IBM revealed last November, has. IBM said it built on top of the 127-cubit Eagle's architecture by keeping qubits on a single plane with the help of multi-level wiring.

"Unlike classical bits which have to be in a state of either one or zero, qubits can exist in a complex mix of both, tapping into the fundamental quantum nature of matter at subatomic levels," IBM said in a press release. "As a result, quantum computers offer the possibility of vastly increased computing power that can be used to tackle calculations of much greater complexity in fields such as artificial intelligence, and the design of new materials for drug discovery and energy research."

Connie Zhou/IBM

The company is scaling up its quantum computing efforts with the aim of building a system with 4000-plus qubits by 2025. It's currently on target with its roadmap. Next up is a 1,121-cubit chip called Condor that IBM hopes to debut next year.

IBM debuted an elegantly designed functional quantum computer at CES 2019. Last year, it offered a sneak preview of the design for the next-gen IBM Quantum System Two (the machine that will use its quantum processors). Now, the company has revealed more details. It designed the system to be flexible and modular with the ability to house multiple architectures and processors, and claims it will include Osprey starting next year. The company claimed the System Two design "allows for an exponential step up in quantum computing scale and enabling the vision of quantum-centric supercomputing."

Having immense computational power at one's fingertips doesn't mean much if you don't have the right software to get the most out of it. Early last year, IBM said that its Qiskit program execution environment was able to blend quantum and conventional computers to carry out complex computations in hours, when they previously would have taken months. The company said it will offer new features to mitigate and suppress errors, and provide "a fast, efficient and easy-to-use programming model for quantum computers." What's more, these features blend into IBM's goal of integrating quantum computers with classical computers, including supercomputers.

Less than two months after it admitted a million vehicles had faulty window sensors, Tesla is issuing another large-scale recall. This time, the company is flagging more than 40,000 cars after a software defect cut power steering when driving over potholes. A software fix is rolling out, and Tesla said over 97 percent of affected vehicles already have the new code.

This is, however, the 17th recall Tesla has issued in 2022, with issues affecting more than 3.4 million vehicles. It adds weight to Tesla’s critics, too, who say the company’s poor build quality hurts its ability to recruit would-be EV buyers. But despite the number of post-purchase issues, the company hasn’t seen any harm to its bottom line, which saw profits double in the last year.

– Dan Cooper

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Crypto giant Binance is buying its rival FTX following a very public dispute

FTX was once valued at $32 billion.

One of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges has been bailed out by one of its major rivals. FTX, fearing a liquidity crunch and struggling to satisfy customer withdrawals, has thrown itself upon the mercy of major rival Binance. FTX’s rapid collapse raises questions about how well these exchanges are managing clients’ money and cannot quell belief the crypto bubble is about to burst, once and for all.

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Netflix's Triviaverse will test your knowledge with rapid-fire questions

It’s like being in your very own game show.

Netflix

Netflix’s Triviaverse is the streaming giant’s latest foray into the interactive gaming space, and it’s pretty good. It’s a rapid-fire trivia quiz, throwing increasingly difficult questions at you while the clock runs down, adding an extra frisson of tension. There’s a two-player mode, too, and it’s the sort of title you could imagine throwing on when the energy in a party sags. It made me wonder how much fun we’d all have if Netflix bought a company like Jackbox, offering those titles through its platform.

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European Union opens 'in-depth' investigation into Microsoft's purchase of Activision Blizzard

Yet more regulators want to scrutinize the deal.

The European Union has followed the UK’s lead to open its own investigation into Microsoft’s planned acquisition of Activision Blizzard. The bloc is concerned the Xbox owner’s control of such a major games publisher poses a risk to competition the world over. It now has 90 days to complete a thorough investigation of the deal, postponing any completion to mid-March next year.

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Garmin's Instinct Crossover is a rugged hybrid smartwatch with a useful display

This is for serious outdoorsy types.

Garmin

Nice as the Apple Watch Ultra is, Garmin thinks its new Instinct Crossover can do a better job while standing on its metaphorical head. The new watch is a hybrid with a digital display embedded in the whole face and is sturdy enough to cope with the big outdoors. As for battery life, the standard edition will last a month on a single charge, and 110 hours with GPS activated. Opt for the Solar Edition, with PV panels around the bezel, and it’ll run for up to 70 days if there’s enough light.

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Meta is reducing the size of its workforce by about 13 percent and letting more than 11,000 its employees go in the first mass layoffs in the company’s history. Mark Zuckerberg has announced the mass layoffs in a message to employees, which Meta shared on its Newsroom. 

News of the impending layoffs was first reported by The Wall Street Journal, which also reported that Meta’s recruiting and business teams would be hit especially hard.

Mark Zuckerberg has been hinting at cuts for some time. During the company’s most recent earnings call, the CEO said Meta could become “a slightly smaller organization” by the end of 2023.He also has reportedly instructed managers to identify people for layoffs, and has told employees that “realistically, there are probably a bunch of people at the company who shouldn't be here." The company has already halted new hiring and cut some projects within Reality Labs.

Meta has been losing billions of dollars on its investments in the metaverse, with Reality Labs losing more than $10 billion in 2021. The company has said it expects to lose “significantly” more in 2023. Facebook’s ad revenue has also taken a significant hit due to Apple’s changes to apps’ ad tracking abilities.

Though Meta is cutting a significant number of jobs, it’s not the only major tech company to lay off workers in recent months. Snap laid off about 20 percent of its workforce over the summer, and Twitter recently cut about half of its staff following Elon Musk’s takeover.

Developing...

LumaFusion, a well-regarded video editing app for iPhones, iPads and Macs, is finally making its way to Android and Chrome OS devices. Shortly after it won best iPad app of the year in 2021, thanks to its ability to make complex video editing easy to do using just one's fingers, LumaFusion made its Android debut on Samsung's Galaxy Tab S8 devices. According to Android Police, its developer, LumaTouch, promised to put it up for download on the Galaxy Store back then while also working on a release for the Chrome OS. It took some time to make that happen, but now LumaTouch is rolling out an early access version of the app to the Google Play Store and the Samsung Galaxy Store.

The features iOS users enjoy are expected to be on the Android and Chrome OS releases, as well. LumaFusion lets users lay down up to 12 tracks, six of which can be videos, which they can link and unlink. They can use preset transitions or create their own, import media from various sources or edit directly from USB drives, as well as pick from a library of royalty-free music, sound effects, videos and backgrounds. AP says LumaTouch formed a team of Chrome OS developers to make this release happen, so the app has likely been optimized for the platform instead of being a subpar iOS port. 

LumaFusion typically costs $30, but users will be able to purchase it from the Galaxy Store and Play Store for $20 within its early access period. The listing for either platform isn't up yet, from what we can see, but it'll most likely pop up soon enough. 

In 2020, France was the only EU nation not to meet its obligations for the development of renewable energy, as it still relies primarily on nuclear power. Now, the French Senate has approved a bill that should increase that markedly, requiring parking lots with a minimum of 80 spaces to be covered by solar panels, according to Public Senat. 

Parking lots with between 80-400 spaces will have five years starting in July 2023 to be in compliance. Any larger lots will have less time, only three years from the same date. In all cases, at least half the area of the parking lot must be covered with solar panels. The government says the plan, aimed primarily at parking lots off freeways and major routes, could generate up to 11 gigawatts — the equivalent of 10 nuclear reactors.

There are some notable exceptions. When outdoor parking lots have"technical, safety, architectural, heritage and environmental constraints," they may be exempt. Lots shaded by trees over at least half their area may also escape the requirement, as will parking lots for trucks. Finally, when the installation of panels "cannot be met under economically acceptable conditions" (something that could cover a wide range of scenarios), they can also be excluded.

On top of the solar parking lots, the government is looking at building large solar farms on vacant land next to highways, railroad tracks and agricultural areas. National railway operator SNCF also plans to install over a million square meters of solar panels by 2030, in an effort to reduce energy purchases by a quarter.

It's not clear how parking lot operators will pay for these installations, or how much financial aid the government will provide. Still, it looks like a good use of parking lots, as it will provide shade for cars and change what is usually an eyesore into a... more environmentally friendly eyesore.

Parking lots covered with solar panels are not yet that common, with one of the largest examples being the Belgium Zoo parking lot pictured above. Its 7,000 parking spaces are 70 percent covered by 62,000 overhead solar panels that generate 20 megawatts of peak power — much more than is required for the zoo. 

Early this year, President Emmanuel Macron set an objective to increase of solar energy production tenfold to over 100GW and builds 50 offshore wind farms to add a further 40GW. France currently generates 25 percent of its electricity with renewables, less than its European neighbors. It has also seen delays on repairs to nuclear power plants, causing state electricity company EDF to reduce predicted output — exacerbating energy supply issues caused by the war in Ukraine. 

After finally allowing posting last year, Instagram continues to make changes to its desktop web app. The latest update introduces a refresh user interface that takes better advantage of large screens rather than looking like a larger version of the mobile app, TechCrunch has reported. 

Instagram Chief Adam Mosseri announced the update along with the new in-app scheduler revealed yesterday. "We know a lot of people use the web to multitask and we wanted to make sure Instagram was an as great experience as possible online," he said in a video. "So it is cleaner, faster and easier to use and it’s designed now to take advantage of large-screen monitors."

Steve Dent/Engadget

As shown above, the home, search, explore, messages and notification menus were moved to a new side rail that collapses to icons depending on screen size. Stories are shown at the top, while your profile, suggestions and more are off to the right. When selecting any menu option, the left menu bar remains, making navigation quicker and easier. 

The new interface makes Instagram easier to use on web, but there's still no sign of a dedicated iPad app, as 9to5Mac notes. Earlier this year, Mosseri said that iPad was "not big enough" to make a dedicated Instagram app a priority. Now, at least, you could use the web version instead to get a better experience.

Disney+ has welcomed 12.1 million new subscribers for the company's fourth fiscal quarter ending on October 1st, and according to Yahoo Finance, that's 3 million more than analyst estimates. In all, Walt Disney added 14.6 million subscriptions for Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+, bringing its total number of streaming subscribers so far to around 236 million. While Disney+ alone with its 164 million subscribers have yet to reach Netflix numbers, all three of the company's services combined had amassed members that can rival the streaming giant's. Netflix revealed that it has around 223.09 million subscribers during its latest earnings report in October. 

Despite the impressive growth in subscriber number, Disney's operating loss for streaming increased from $0.8 billion to $1.5 billion for the quarter. Disney+ experienced more losses within the period due to higher production and technology costs, as well as an increase in marketing expenses. There were also no Premier Access releases for the quarter, such as last year's Black Widow and Jungle Cruise. That said, the losses were offset in part by higher subscription costs, which will become even higher in December. 

Walt Disney CEO Bob Chapek said that the company expects its streaming losses to narrow going forward, thanks to its price increases and the launch of an ad-supported tier on Disney+. The company even believes that Disney+ is on track to achieving profitability in the fiscal year of 2024, assuming the lack of a "meaningful shift in the economic climate." If you'll recall, Disney is raising its streaming prices across the board this December, and the ad-supported tier for Disney+ is launching on December 8th for $11 a month. 

It turns out Twitter’s new plan for verification will be a two-tiered system after all. Esther Crawford, the twitter VP leading the revamped Twitter Blue subscription confirmed that in addition to the blue checkmarks, the company will also use a separate “official” label for “select” accounts.

The label had previously been spotted on internal builds of Twitter, but it’s the first time anyone at the company has confirmed its existence. Twitter, which recently laid most of its communications staff, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

According to Crawford, the “official” label will be reserved for “government accounts, commercial companies, business partners, major media outlets, publishers and some public figures.” It’s unclear how Twitter will designate which accounts qualify or if they will have to go through an additional vetting process. “Not all previously verified accounts will get the ‘Official’ label and the label is not available for purchase,” Crawford tweeted.

The plan seems like it’s meant to address some of the criticism that’s been leveled at Musk’s plan for Twitter Blue and verification. Namely that paying for verification could open the door for scammers and impersonators to hijack conversations and spread misinformation. Crawford isn’t the first Twitter executive to address the issues. Yoel Roth, the company’s head of integrity, has also said twitter plans to “ramp up proactive review of Blue Verified accounts that show signs of impersonating another user.” Elon Musk also said that Twitter would ban all impersonators without warning after a number of accounts changed their names to Elon Musk to make a point about his plans.

Of course, the new “official” labels also sound a bit like… Twitter’s existing verification system which Musk and others have criticized as unfair. And, the fact that it will only be given out to “select” accounts determined by Twitter, sounds like the company will once again be making a judgment about which accounts are “notable,” something Twitter execs — including Roth — have criticized.

The “official” label and the expanded verification are both expected to roll out in the coming days.

For a project that was divisive among critics and players alike, Death Stranding has done pretty well for itself. With the game celebrating its third anniversary today, Kojima Productions revealed that more than 10 million people have played the studio’s first game. The milestone takes into account all the platforms where Death Stranding is available, including PC Game Pass. “It makes me happy to think that there are over 10 million “Sam one” players around the world, all loosely connected,” creator Hideo Kojima said on Twitter.

It might seem obvious that a game from the creator of Metal Gear Solid would find commercial success, but it didn’t always look that way. By some accounts, Death Stranding was a flop when it first came out. According to one ResetEra post from 2020, Sony was reportedly unhappy with the game’s sales, with the author of the post claiming 3 million copies of Death Stranding were sitting in warehouses as of March of that year. But then the critical reevaluation of the game began, helped first by the pandemic and then its arrival on PC. In Death Stranding, a lot of people found an experience that helped them make sense of a world that had changed overnight and by July 2021, the game had sold 5 million copies.

As for Death Stranding’s future, actor Norman Reedus recently said in an interview that Kojima Productions is working on a sequel. In the past weeks, the studio has also begun teasing a game that will star actors Elle Fanning and Shioli Kutsuna.