Sony just announced North American availability for its unique Mocopi motion-tracking system. The tools allow you to control digital avatars in real-time using full body movement, thanks to six motion sensors and a proprietary smartphone app. In addition to real-time control, this translated body movement can be used in videos and 3D animations, via an SDK that imports motion data into affiliated software.
The obvious use for this is VR, particularly social apps like VRChat, though the technology extends to filmmaking and other creative pursuits. In other words, this is a much easier way to create full-body motion capture footage. If only George Lucas had this when creating the galaxy’s favorite Gungan.
The SDK is now available for major 3D development software suites like Unity, MotionBuilder and Unreal Engine, so expect more CGI characters to begin popping up in indie titles with smaller budgets. Sony says it’s currently expanding the number of partners to develop unique services and features linked to the toolset.
The sensors attach to your head, hip, ankles and wrists, with each tiny sensor weighing just 8 grams. Once attached via Velcro straps, connect to the app via Bluetooth and start recording. Each sensor is completely wireless, thanks to Bluetooth receivers, and includes integrated batteries. The system ships with a variety of avatars to pick from, but you can obviously use your own, just cool it with Sonic. There are already too many animated hedgehogs in VRChat as it is.
Sony’s Mocopi system is available for preorder now, at $450, with shipments starting on July 14. The price is $100 more than when the system was originally announced, though Sony provided no details on the increase. The metaverse must also suffer from inflation.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/sonys-mocopi-avatar-motion-capture-system-is-coming-to-the-us-161543552.html?src=rss
The July 4th weekend is upon us and, among other things, that means there are deals aplenty to be had. If you’re looking for a set of Apple AirPods (perhaps to help drown out those noisy fireworks), there’s some good news as several models are on sale. Some are available for the lowest prices we've seen for them to date, including the most recent AirPods Pro. Both the second-gen and third-gen regular AirPods are on sale as well. Meanwhile, folks looking for a more premium experience may be tempted by the AirPods Max, which are currently $99 off the usual price.
AirPods Pro
Take, for instance, the AirPods Pro. The second-gen earbuds have big improvements over the first model, including better audio quality, an excellent transparency mode and solid active noise cancellation (ANC). They can be all yours for $199. At $50 off, that's a record low price.
AirPods (third-gen)
As for the standard AirPods, those have dropped by $10 to $159 — a more modest discount, but a deal nonetheless. We feel that Apple’s third-gen earbuds have much better audio quality than the previous generation, a more comfortable design and a greatly improved battery life. However, they don't have an ANC mode.
AirPods (second-gen)
Those looking for a less expensive, but still very capable set of AirPods can opt for the previous model. They're on sale for $99, which is $30 off the regular price. While the second-gen AirPods are four years old at this point, they're still a good set of true wireless earbuds. That's more true if you're already invested in the Apple ecosystem, given how well AirPods mesh with the company's other devices.
AirPods Max
Last but by no means least, there's a solid deal on Apple's premium AirPods Max as well. The over-ear headphones have dropped by $99 to $450 as part of the sale. That's close to a record-low price. We feel that AirPods Max have excellent audio quality and great ANC, along with a good battery life. These won't be the ideal headphones for most people (you can certainly find more budget-friendly options elsewhere). But folks entrenched in the Apple ecosystem who are looking for over-ear cans may find this deal worth considering.
A group of bipartisan senators are said to have asked Meta to explain Instagram's alleged failure to prevent child sexual abuse material (CSAM) from being shared among networks of pedophiles on the platform. Lawmakers from the Senate Judiciary Committee also want to know how Instagram's algorithms brought users who want to share such content together in the first place, according to The Wall Street Journal.
In a letter to the company, 10 senators including committee chair Dick Durbin and Republican ranking member Lindsey Graham reportedly said they were “gravely concerned that lnstagram’s failure to prevent this perverse use of its algorithms is not due to a lack of ability, but instead a lack of initiative and motivation." They are said to to be worried that Meta doesn't seem to have made CSAM one of its main priorities, "especially when its platform directly facilitates and bolsters the black market for child sexual abuse material.”
They demanded answers on why Instagram didn't detect that CSAM was being shared and what the platform is doing to prevent the same thing from happening again. The senators also want to know more about a task force Meta says it has set up to tackle these issues. They asked the company to respond by July 12th. Engadget has requested a copy of the letter.
Earlier this month, the Journal reported that Meta's algorithms helped to "connect and promote a vast network of accounts" that propagated CSAM. The report suggested that pedophiles are buying and selling CSAM on Instagram. Meta says it has set up a task force to address the issue. It pledged to take down CSAM networks and says it's trying to prevent its systems from putting potential abusers in contact with each other.
Meta has declined to comment on the letter, instead reiterating its statement on the Journal's initial report. “Child exploitation is a horrific crime,” it said, “We’re continuously investigating ways to actively defend against this behavior.”
A European Union official has also ordered Meta to address CSAM issues quickly, warning that the company may face heavy sanctions otherwise. From the end of August, Meta and other major tech platforms will have to comply with the bloc's Digital Services Act, which has specific rules on how they have to handle issues like CSAM. If a company doesn't comply with the act, it can face fines of as much as six percent of its annual global turnover.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/senators-demand-answers-from-meta-over-how-it-handles-csam-on-instagram-152751882.html?src=rss
Amazon has announced that Prime Day 2023 will begin on July 11th, but you don't have to wait until then to get a good deal. The company has started to roll out a few early Prime Day deals before the two-day shopping event officially commences, including, as expected, several discounts on its own devices and services. We've rounded up the best early access Prime Day deals we can find below. Remember that you'll need to subscribe to Prime to take advantage of many (but not all) of the offers, and that there's always a chance that prices drop lower during the event itself. For those with no interest in Prime, we've also included a few of the best tech deals from this week that aren't explicitly tied to the event. We'll stay on the lookout as Prime Day gets nearer and update this roundup with new offers as they arise.
Amazon's Fire HD 10 tablet
Prime members can save 50 percent on Amazon’s Fire HD 10 tablet right now, which is $75 off its $150 list price, and the lowest we’ve seen for the company’s largest slate. It’s a decent entertainment companion, letting you stream video, browse the web, get sucked into social media and make Zoom calls. It has a 1080p screen resolution, 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. Note that the 50 percent discount applies to the version with lockscreen ads, so you’ll see promotions on both when your device is in sleep mode and at the bottom of your home screen. If you want a Fire HD 10 without ads, you’ll pay $90, which is still a 45 percent discount, but again, only for Prime members
Echo Buds (2023)
The latest generation of Echo Buds just came out in May yet they’re already 30 percent off at Amazon for Prime members. Usually $50, you can get them for $35, which is $15 off and the lowest price we’ve seen yet. For the third generation of Amazon’s buds, the company dropped the starting price $70 lower than the second gen buds, but also removed the active noise cancellation and changed the shape to eliminate the in-ear tip. Most other specs stayed the same, including built-in Alexa assistance and customizable tap controls. The charge capacity of the case actually went up by a few hours, giving you 20 total hours from the buds and case combined.
Amazon Kindle Unlimited 3-month membership
If you're a Prime member who has never subscribed to Kindle Unlimited, you can get a three-month trial to Amazon's e-book service for no extra cost. Normally, the subscription goes for $12 a month after a 30-day free trial. Just note that the membership will be set to auto-renew by default. As a refresher, Kindle Unlimited makes a selection of e-books, audiobooks and digital magazines accessible on-demand. It doesn't include every e-book in the Kindle library, but it may still be worthwhile if you're a particularly avid reader. If nothing else, this deal makes it easier to figure out if it's worth paying for.
Audible Premium Plus 3-month membership
Similar to that Kindle Unlimited offer, Prime members who are new to Audible Premium Plus can get three months of the audiobook service for free. This membership usually costs $14.95 a month after a 30-day free trial, so you're saving about $30. Premium Plus is Audible's upper tier: Like the less expensive Audible Plus, it provides an assortment of audiobooks, podcasts and other audio content you can access on-demand. The main difference is that it also includes a monthly credit that you can use to buy any book in the Audible store permanently. As with Kindle Unlimited, Premium Plus will be most worth it if you burn through audiobooks and podcasts quickly, but this extended trial is a comfier way to see if it's useful. Again, be aware that the subscription will be set to auto-renew by default.
Motorola Razr+
The foldable Moto Razr+, which went on sale just this week, is already getting a 15 percent discount at Amazon for Prime Day. The promo is only for Prime members and you’ll need to request an invite, after which you’ll be able to buy the phone on prime day for the discounted price. While jumping through Amazon’s hoops is mildly annoying, doing so will get you an unlocked Razr+ $850 instead of $1,000.
We spent some time with the new foldable before it came out and gave it a full review upon its debut. The verdict? Samsung’s Galaxy foldables have some serious competition. The Razr+ has a 6.9-inch screen when open and offers a 3.6-inch screen when folded, which is much larger than the 1.9-inch exterior screen on the Galaxy Z Flip 4. The foldable design unlocks different uses, including acting as its own tripod and taking up less space in your pocket. Plus the compact puck has a cool retro vibe, while feeling futuristic at the same time.
Eero Pro routers
A number of Eero and Eero Pro WiFi router packs have been discounted for Prime members ahead of the shopping event. You can pick up one Eero router for as low as $45, or an Eero Pro router for $70. We recommend going for the Eero Pro if you can, since it's a tri-band system that supports speeds up to 1Gbps and covers slightly more square feet than the standard Eero does. Just keep in mind that these are not the latest Eero systems; for WiFi 6 support, you'll have to shell out a bit more money for an Eero 6 set.
Amazon Eero 6+ system + FireTV Stick 4K Max
If you’ve signed up for gigabit internet from your ISP, this might be a good time to get a mesh WiFi system that can deliver those speeds. Right now Amazon is selling three Eero 6+ mesh WiFi routers bundled with a FireTV Stick 4K Max for $195 to Prime members. That’s $160 less than you’d pay for the four devices separately. The streaming device can turn any TV smart and supports not just 4K video, but also the enhanced throughput of WiFi 6. If you don’t need the FireTV Stick, the three Eero 6+ mesh routers alone are selling for the same $195, which is a 35 percent discount off the list price.
Apple AirPods Pro (2nd gen)
Apple's second-generation AirPods Pro are back on sale for $200, which is $50 off their usual rate and a record low. These remain the best true wireless earbuds for Apple lovers, even though the company didn't overhaul their design with the latest update. All of the new features are under the hood, with Apple noticeably improving sound quality, noise cancellation and transparency mode.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is $10 off at Amazon and Walmart, bringing the hit Switch game down to a more traditional price of $60. As our review notes, Tears of the Kingdom doesn't stray too far from Breath of the Wild, but it enriches its landmark predecessor's ideas with a full-size underworld, fantastical sky islands and malleable crafting mechanics. Most importantly, it gets the core promise of a Zelda game right: that sense of being and adventuring in another world.
The 128GB version of Samsung's latest Pro Plus microSD card is down to a new low of $13. That's $6 off its MSRP. If you need more space, the 512GB model is within a few cents of its best price at $43.52. The Pro Plus is the top pick in our guide to the best microSD cards, as it finished at or near the top of all of our sequential and random speed tests. It also comes with a 10-year warranty.
Apple Watch Series 8
Apple’s flagship smartwatch, the Apple Watch Series 8, usually sells for $399 for the 41mm GPS model, but right now Amazon is selling it for $329, which matches its all-time low. The smartwatch has dipped to this discount quite a few times over the last few months and this time it applies to the Midnight, Silver and Starlight colorways, not the Product Red version. The option with the larger, 45mm case is currently $359, or 16 percent off its usual $429, but only in Midnight or Starlight — Product Red and Silver are not on sale. The Series 8 is our top pick in our guide to smartwatches because it combines detailed health and fitness tracking with seamless iPhone integration. New features include temperature sensors, ECG and blood oxygen readings, crash detection, and improved sleep metrics.
Apple iPad (9th gen)
The 64GB model of Apple's 9th-gen iPad is down to $250 at Amazon, matching the lowest price we've tracked. You'll see the price listed as $279 and an additional $29 discount will apply at checkout. Apple normally sells the device for $329, though we've seen it retail closer to $275 in recent months. This is the budget pick in our iPad buying guide: It lacks the accessory support, thinner bezels and laminated display of the iPad Air, but it's by far the most affordable route into iPadOS, and it remains fast and comfortable enough for casual reading, streaming and gaming. It's also the only current iPad with a headphone jack.
Apple MacBook Air M1
Apple's M1 MacBook Air is back on sale for $800, which is a deal we've seen multiple times before but ties the laptop's all-time low. Like the 9th-gen iPad, the M1 MacBook Air is on the older side these days; if you can afford the newest Air with an updated design, better webcam and faster M2 chip, it's worth doing so. But if you just want a competent MacBook to do light work and web browsing for as little cash as possible, the M1 Air remains a solid value at this price. Its keyboard, trackpad and battery life are still excellent, and the M1 chip is still fast enough for the essentials. Just make sure you stick to lighter workloads, though, as this model only has 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD.
Xbox Series X + bonus controller bundle
Microsoft had a big showing at this month's Summer Game Fest, so if you planned on picking up an Xbox Series X before Starfield and Forza Motorsportarrive, note that Verizon is selling the $500 console with a second controller for no extra cost. That isn't anything crazy, but spare Xbox controllers normally go for $50 or so, and discounts of any kind for the Series X have been few and far between. In fact, Microsoft said this week that it's raising the price of the console in much of the world on August 1. The $300 Xbox Series S is still a strong value for those who don't care about top-of-the-line hardware, but if you need a disc drive and more consistent performance, the Series X is your best bet.
Shark RV1001AE
Shark makes some of our favorite robot vacuums and right now the Shark RV1001AE is half price, making it $300 instead of its $600 street price. This model has a bagless, self-emptying base, that you won’t have to empty for quite some time as it has a claimed capacity of up to 45 days. While we didn’t try this exact model, we’ve found vacs from Shark to be easy to set up and appreciate Shark’s easy-to-use companion app. Shark’s mapping function is also accurate and the bagless base will save you money in the long run as buying device-specific bags can get pricey.
Samsung QN90B 55-inch 4K TV
The 55-inch version of Samsung's QN90B, a recommendation from our gaming TV buying guide, has dropped to $998. That's a new all-time low. Most reviews say this TV delivers enough brightness for well-lit rooms, with smooth motion performance and richer contrast than most non-OLED TVs thanks to its Mini LED backlighting. It also has four full HDMI 2.1 ports and can play up to 120 Hz in 4K. It still can't match the contrast, response time or viewing angles of a good OLED TV, but it should be better equipped for rooms plagued by glare. Like most Samsung TVs, however, it doesn't support Dolby Vision HDR. Samsung has replaced this 2022 model with the new QN90C, but the 55-inch version of that set currently costs $600 more, so the QN90B remains the better value for the time being.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 5
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 is down to $229 for a 40mm model and $259 for a 44mm model. Neither deal represents an all-time low, but both are within $10 of their best prices to date. We gave the Galaxy Watch 5 a score of 85 last year, and it's currently the "best for Android users" pick in our smartwatch buying guide. While its battery life could be better, its design is durable and attractive, its OS is easy to navigate and its health tracking is relatively comprehensive. Samsung is expected to announce a Galaxy Watch 6 in the coming weeks, however, so it may be worth waiting to see how that model stacks up if you don't need a new smartwatch right this instant.
Google Pixel 7a + Pixel Buds A-Series
Amazon knocked $100 off a bundle that includes the Google Pixel 7a smartphone and the Pixel Buds A-Series, bringing it down to $499. This is a great bundle if you've needed a phone upgrade but didn't want to spend a ton of money. The Pixel 7a is the best midrange phone you can get right now, thanks to its fast Tensor G2 chipset, smooth 90Hz display, IP67 water resistance, fantastic cameras and support for wireless charging. The Pixel Buds A-Series are almost the earbud-complement to the Pixel 7a — they're not as feature-rich as the Pixel Buds Pro, but they have deep Google Assistant integration, solid sound quality and a comfy fit.
ByteDance, TikTok's Chinese parent company, has debuted a new app designed to make it easier for creators to compose and edit music they could use for their content. The app called Ripple is only available in the US for now, and the company is testing it in a closed beta environment. ByteDance says it can assist creators in the way portable smart digital audio workstations (DAWs) can and is perhaps most useful for beginners and anybody who'd rather not deal with more complex systems. It was also designed to make it easier for creators to add custom soundtracks to their short-form videos for TikTok and other platforms.
Ripple can create songs in various genres based on a melody the user hums. The app prompts them into humming into the phone mic and then generates instrumentals they can use, such as drums, bass and piano. The length of the song output will match the length of the input, though — the app can't generate a full soundtrack from just a few seconds of humming. Also, Ripple can only generate instrumental music, leaving the vocal work to creators.
ByteDance told us that Ripple's model was trained on music it owns and music that was licensed to the company. The company also said that it's committed to respecting the rights of its artists and its rightsholder partners. To note, there have been concerns about the source of data used to train artificial intelligence systems and algorithms. Just recently, a lawsuit seeking class action status was filed against OpenAI, accusing it of violating the copyrights and privacy of countless individuals by using data scraped from the internet to train the model used for ChatGPT.
At the moment, Ripple is invite-only, and ByteDance doesn't have further rollout plans yet. Those who want to check it out before anybody else can visit Ripple.club, where they can find a download link for the app on iOS and from where they can request an invite.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/tiktok-owner-bytedance-debuts-ripple-music-creation-app-130023602.html?src=rss
This episode, Cherlynn is joined by senior writer Sam Rutherford and senior commerce editor at Wired Julian Chokkattu to talk about our reviews of the Pixel Fold. Will the recent spate of foldables by companies like Motorola and Google give Samsung some real competition and motivation to step up its game? We can only wait to find out. Samsung is holding its next Galaxy Unpacked in late July, and we’ll see what it will unveil then. This episode, we also take a look at the latest addition to the Google Graveyard and the state of the podcast industry.
Listen below or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you've got suggestions or topics you'd like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcasts, the Morning After and Engadget News!
Google’s Pixel Fold is the challenger Samsung needs – 1:22
Google has given up on making its own AR glasses, will focus on AR software – 38:50
Automotive organization SAE will create a standard version of Tesla’s charging plug for EVs – 45:19
SiriusXM will shut down widely used podcast app Stitcher on August 29 – 52:11
RIP John Goodenough, inventor of the lithium-ion battery – 54:53
Working on – 56:01
Pop culture picks – 59:02
Livestream
Credits Hosts: Cherlynn Low and Sam Rutherford Guest: Julian Chokkattu Producer: Ben Ellman Music: Dale North and Terrence O'Brien Livestream producers: Julio Barrientos Graphic artists: Joel Chokkattu and Brian Oh
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/engadget-podcast-the-rise-of-foldable-competitors-for-samsung-123016447.html?src=rss
Last year, Twitter sued India over orders to block content within the country, saying the government had applied its 2021 IT laws "arbitrarily and disproportionately." Now, India's Karnataka High Court has dismissed the plea, with a judge saying Twitter had failed to explain why it delayed complying with the new laws in the first place, TechCrunch has reported. The court also imposed a 5 million rupee ($61,000 fine) on the Elon Musk-owned firm.
"Your client (Twitter) was given notices and your client did not comply. Punishment for non-compliance is seven years imprisonment and unlimited fine. That also did not deter your client," the judge told Twitter's legal representation. "So you have not given any reason why you delayed compliance, more than a year of delay… then all of sudden you comply and approach the Court. You are not a farmer but a billon dollar company."
Twitter’s relationship with India was fraught for much of 2021. In February, the government threatened to jail Twitter employees unless the company removed content related to protests by farmers held that year. Shortly after that, India ordered Twitter to pull tweets criticizing the country’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. More recently, the government ordered Twitter to block tweets from Freedom House, a nonprofit organization that claimed India was an example of a country where freedom of the press is on the decline.
Those incidents put Twitter in a compromising situation. It either had to comply with government orders to block content (and face censorship criticism inside and outside the country), or ignore them and risk losing its legal immunity. In August, it complied with the orders and took down content as ordered.
The court order follows recent comments from Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, saying that India threatened to raid employees homes if it didn't comply with orders to remove posts and accounts. In a tweet, India's deputy minister for information technique called that "an outright lie" saying Twitter was "in non-compliance with the law."
Twitter filed the suit around the same time that Elon Musk started trying to wiggle out of buying Twitter. Since then, Twitter has often complied with government takedown requests — most recently in Turkey, where it limited access to some tweets ahead of a tightly contested election won by incumbent president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/twitters-lawsuit-over-censorship-in-india-has-been-dismissed-114031691.html?src=rss
I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again here: There aren't many options left when it comes to true compact smartphones. (RIP, iPhone mini). But ASUS is willing to offer something. The new Zenfone 10 looks like a carbon copy of its predecessor, and even its 50-megapixel main camera has remained unchanged. Still, the company claims that it’s now powered by a new version of 6-axis gimbal stabilization — a combination of hardware optical stabilization, upgraded electronic stabilization algorithm and fast auto-focus. This apparently lets you capture smoother videos and less blurry photos while on the move. ASUS has extended its "Connex" modular case system once again, which lets you snap either a kickstand or a silicone cardholder into the grid of holes on the back of the case. You can even assign an app — YouTube, by default — to auto-launch whenever the kickstand is flipped out. The Zenfone 10 (all details right here) will be available for pre-order in Europe from June 29, starting from €799 (about $870), with US availability TBC.
– Mat Smith
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Virgin Galactic has completed its first commercial flight. After launching aboard the mothership VMS Eve, the spaceship VSS Unity reached an altitude of around 52 miles, or the edge of space. Itss first client was the Italian government, which had the aim of conducting microgravity research. The company's first fully crewed spaceflight took place in 2021, when Unity hit an altitude of 53.4 miles with founder Richard Branson on board. However, commercial service was delayed multiple times for different reasons, most recently due to issues with upgrading the mothership VMS Eve. From a financial perspective, the launch was crucial for Virgin Galactic. With no paying customers until now, the company has lost money for years, with it burning more than $500 million in 2022 alone.
It’s the biggest year for fighting games since the ‘90s.
While fighting games may never have the same mass-market appeal they did in the '90s, 2023 is proving to be a mini-renaissance for the genre. Street Fighter 6 is already on sale, Mortal Kombat 1 is arriving this fall, and there's Tekken 8 still to come. That's without mentioning the upcoming reboot of Dead or Alive or Riot Games' League of Legends spin-off Project L. It's a good time to be a fighting game fan.
The search firm is joining Meta in reacting to Bill C-18.
Meta isn't the only internet heavyweight removing news content in response to Canada's newly enacted Bill C-18 (aka the Online News Act), which requires that tech companies negotiate compensation with publishers for linked material. Google now says it will pull links to Canadian news stories from its search, News and Discover services in the country. It will also stop operating its News Showcase in Canada when C-18 takes effect in six months. As with Meta, Google is using the threat of blocking news as a bargaining tool, but there's no guarantee of a compromise. Politicians drafted Bill C-18 after concerns about a steep drop in ad revenue for publications over the past two decades.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-asus-attempts-the-flagship-compact-smartphone-again-111527675.html?src=rss
Joby Aviation has been cleared by the FAA (Federal Aviation Authority) to start flight tests on its first production prototype air taxi, the company wrote in a press release. It's a large step in the company's aim to start shipping the eVTOL aircraft (electric vertical takeoff and landing) to customers in 2024 and launch an air taxi service by 2025.
"The aircraft will now undergo initial flight testing before being delivered to Edwards Air Force Base, California, where it will be used to demonstrate a range of potential logistics use cases," Joby wrote.
The aircraft can take off and land like a helicopter, then tilt its six rotors horizontally and fly like an airplane at up to 200 MPH. It's designed to carry a pilot and four passengers over a distance up to 100 miles on a charge — enough range for most types of air taxi operations. At the same time, Joby claims it's nearly silent in cruise mode and 100 times quieter than conventional aircraft during takeoff and landing.
Joby's first production prototype recently rolled off the company's assembly line in Marina, California. The plant was built in partnership with Toyota, Joby's largest investor with a $394 million stake. Cementing that relationship, Joby announced that it was appointing Toyota North America CEO Tetsuo (Ted) Ogawa to the board of directors.
With the the FAA's special airworthiness certificate in hand, Joby can perform flight tests of full production aircraft, following tests with full-scale prototypes that began in 2017. In May last year, the company received another crucial permit, the FAA's Part 135 air carrier certificate for commercial operations. It recently teamed with Delta Air Lines to offer travel to and from airports, and its website shows a scenario of flying from downtown NYC to JFK airport in just seven minutes compared to 49 minutes in a car.
Now, Joby must clear the largest hurdle with full FAA type and production certification in order to take paying passengers on commercial flights. That's likely about 18 months away, aerospace engineer and Vertical Flight Society director Mike Hirschberg told New Scientist. Its first customer would be the US Air Force, as part of a $131 million contract under the military's Agility Prime program, with deliveries set for 2024.
Alll that puts the company tantalizingly close to delivering a true air taxi service, something that has eluded numerous other manufacturers to date. Last year, the Kittyhawk aircraft backed by Larry Page shut down, and other companies like Ehang, Archer, Volocopter and even Airbus aren't as far along as Joby. "This first aircraft coming off our pilot manufacturing line is a really, really big deal for the company," Joby CEO JoeBen Bevirt told TechCrunch.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/joby-aviations-first-production-air-taxi-cleared-for-flight-tests-093526681.html?src=rss
Meta is gearing up to debut a new type of Facebook ads that will allow users in the European Union to download apps without having to visit their mobile platform's app store, according to The Verge. Yes, it will offer a direct download option for users, though the capability will likely debut only on Android, because the company is reportedly working with Android developers for its pilot launch later this year.
Android users can already install APKs and sideload apps they download through their browsers. However, those apps still use Google's billing system. Meta's alternative way to download apps is supposedly completely independent of both Apple's App Store and Google Play. It'll be possible to introduce such a feature in the EU due to a new law called the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which will go into effect in 2024. Under the DMA's rules, consumers must be able to download apps from competing app stores. "When a gatekeeper engages in unfair practices, such as... preventing installation of applications from other sources, consumers are likely to pay more or are effectively deprived of the benefits that alternative services might have brought," the European Commission said.
Tom Channick, a spokesperson for Meta, has confirmed the company's plan to introduce app downloads through Facebook ads to The Verge. "We've always been interested in helping developers distribute their apps, and new options would add more competition in this space," he said. "Developers deserve more ways to easily get their apps to the people that want them." We also reached out to Meta for confirmation and more details. Meta reportedly won't be taking a cut from developers' earnings and will allow them to use whatever billing system they want. For now, anyway. That could change as the service evolves, if it ever gets past the pilot testing phase.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/facebook-may-let-eu-users-download-apps-directly-from-ads-084313006.html?src=rss
