Motional, the autonomy-focused joint venture from Hyundai and Aptiv, has chosen its next robotaxi — and it's entirely what you'd expect. The company has revealed that its first commercial robotaxi will be based on the Ioniq 5, adding self-driving hardware (cameras, LiDAR and radar) to the brand new EV. It'll also include in-cabin interfaces to give passengers some options during their ride, such as asking for an extra stop.

The crossover includes "safety redundancies" to keep critical systems running. Motional can also take remote control if the robotaxi doesn't know how to handle a given situation — likely necessary when this is a Level 4 self-driving car that can't quite operate autonomously under all conditions.

The driverless Ioniq 5 will enter service in 2023 through Motional's partnership with Lyft. While it isn't surprising that Motional would pick a Hyundai car over previous examples (such as the BMWs Aptiv used), this might be an ideal fit — it's a roomy, zero-emissions car with a 300-mile range. That might also give Motional a slight edge over other manufacturer-linked robotaxi services, such as GM's Cruise (which currently relies on the smaller, shorter-ranged Bolt EV).

After months of hype, Windows 11 has a release date. Microsoft has announced that Windows 11 will be available on October 5th, both as a free upgrade for qualifying Windows 10 systems as well as new PCs shipping with the OS pre-installed.

Don't assume you'll get the upgrade on day one, though. This is a gradual rollout that will prioritize newer hardware and use "intelligence models" to determine who gets the upgrade first, including reliability and device age. All supporting machines will get the update by mid-2022, but this suggests you may be toward the back of the queue if you're using relatively old hardware. At least some shipping Windows 10 PCs will be on the fast track for Windows 11 updates, including models from Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, Lenovo, Samsung and (of course) Microsoft.

Notably, though, Android app support won't be available on launch. Microsoft now only expects to introduce the feature in a Windows Insider preview build sometime in the "coming months." That's not completely shocking given the challenges of translating mobile apps to a mouse-and-keyboard experience, but this still means one of Windows 11's tentpole features won't be available for a long while.

Developing...

Apple Watch Series 7 might be a more substantial redesign than you think. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman claims Series 7 will come in larger 41mm and 45mm case sizes (up from 40mm and 44mm) with bigger screens to match. As with the Series 4 launch, there will reportedly be new watch faces to take advantage of the added visual real estate. One will apparently include an update to the data-heavy Infograph Modular face.

Earlier leaks on Twitter and Weibo hinted at the larger cases, but didn't come with many details. Gurman, Jon Prosser and 91mobiles have all claimed Series 7 would focus on an overall redesign with flatter edges, flatter screens, thinner bezels and more color options. It might also pack a faster processor and improved ultra-wideband tech, although any advanced health sensors might have to wait until the 2022 model.

Apple has historically released updated smartwatches in September, usually alongside new iPhones. If so, you might not have to wait long to know whether or not the rumors are on the mark.

Peloton's less-than-stellar news isn't limited to its poor financials. As ABC Newsreports, Peloton has revealed multiple federal probes over its reporting of fitness equipment injuries. Both the Justice Department and Homeland Security have subpoenaed the exercise hardware maker for documents and other data related to injury reporting, while the SEC is investigating public disclosures over those injuries.

The news follows a contentious recall for the Tread and Tread+ in May. Peloton recalled roughly 125,000 of the treadmills despite fighting the Consumer Product Safety Commission over the matter — the company insisted its gear was safe to use as long as people followed instructions, while officials weren't convinced the measures would have prevented a child's death and at least 29 injuries. The firm eventually relented, and it's just now shipping a safer Tread with hardware and software updates.

There are no guarantees any of the investigations will lead to crackdowns on Peloton's behavior. They do put pressure on the company to act, though, and they come right as Peloton is turning to price cuts to boost flagging sales. The situation is dire, in other words, and it's not going to improve in the near future.

Amazon might have made your choice of true wireless earbuds a little easier. The internet retailer is running a sale on the second-generation Echo Buds that lowers the price to $90 for the standard version, and $105 for the model with a wireless charging case. That makes them less expensive than many no-frills earbuds, let alone ones with comparable features like active noise cancellation.

These aren't the absolute best-sounding earbuds you'll buy, but they pair solid quality with perks difficult to find even at their normal prices, including ANC, IPX4 water resistance and built-in Alexa support. These may be just the ticket if you're interested in hushing the outside world or adding a soundtrack to your workouts.

The limitations mostly come from a lack of standout performance in other areas. You'll need to manually finesse the audio to get the most out of it, and call quality is unspectacular. The five hours of ANC-enabled listening is healthy, but not much more than that. You're buying the Echo Buds due to their raw value for money — they frequently outshine similarly budget-oriented alternatives.

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Clubhouse revolves around drop-in audio chatrooms, so wouldn't it make sense if they sounded more like rooms? They will now, if you have the right hardware. The company is rolling outspatial audio support to the Clubhouse app for iOS, giving you and participants a more "lifelike" conversation. You might remember who's speaking based on where their voice is coming from, not just what they sound like.

The feature will "slowly" reach all new iOS users starting today, and will be the default experience (you can turn it off if you prefer). Android is "coming soon," Clubhouse said. We've asked the company if you need earbuds or headphones that explicitly support spatial audio, like the AirPods Pro or AirPods Max.

This addition probably won't make you choose Clubhouse over Facebook's Live Audio Rooms or Twitter Spaces. It may give you a reason to stick to Clubhouse, though, and it could be particularly helpful if 'flat' chatrooms feel too detached from reality.

You might not have to wait too long for an iPhone with satellite communication built-in. According to 9to5Mac, well-known analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims the next iPhone (possibly called iPhone 13) will include support for low-Earth-orbit satellite calls and messages. You could get in touch on a remote camping trip without any cell service, and without buying a separate satellite communicator.

The iPhone would supposedly use a modified version of Qualcomm's X60 modem to talk to satellites. It's not certain if satellite support would be limited to certain apps, although we wouldn't be surprised if that were the case. Mobile satellite service is often far slower than conventional cellular data, ruling out many of the internet-intensive apps people take for granted.

There's good reason to be skeptical. A Bloomberg rumor from 2019 had Apple developing satellite technology for the iPhone, but the team reportedly hoped to ship a product within five years — two years might be too early, assuming the leaks were accurate in the first place. There are also logistical questions to address, such as the choice of service providers. Satellite service has historically been expensive, and it might be a tough sell even if you regularly venture beyond cellular coverage.

Many expect Apple to launch the new iPhone lineup in September. It's not certain if this would be limited to Pro models or reach the entire iPhone range.

If there is a satellite linkup, though, Apple might have a stronger hook for the new iPhone than rumored display and camera upgrades. This would be the first mainstream smartphone offering connectivity virtually anywhere on the planet, and competitors might not match the feature for a while.

Now might be a good time to buy an e-reader for school — or that end-of-summer vacation. Amazon has cut the price of the ad-supported 8GB Kindle Paperwhite to an all-time low of $71 in a one-day-only sale, well below the official $130 sticker. That's lower than what we saw just two weeks earlier, and makes it an easy choice compared to the base Kindle (which isn't discounted as we write this). You can buy the ad-free and 32GB variants with substantial discounts, too.

The Kindle Paperwhite is an easy choice if you're either new to e-readers or heavily invested in Amazon's ecosystem. It boasts a high-contrast backlit display, Audible audiobook support and waterproofing for your poolside reading sessions. Pair that with the usual weeks-long battery life of e-readers and you shouldn't have problems taking this with you on vacation.

It's not flawless. This deal doesn't cover the LTE model, so you won't be grabbing books while you're at the beach. You also won't find MP3 playback or text-to-speech support, and you might not be thrilled to see ads on the subsidized models. These limitations are hardly surprises, though, and at this price they're much easier to forgive — you can spend much more on readers with fewer features.

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Google has been accused of playing favorites in its treatment of Android app developers. The Vergereports a newly unsealed consumer lawsuit against Google alleges the company offered to take a "significantly reduced" cut of Netflix's Play Store revenue in order to quell the streaming giant's "displeasure." Netflix, Spotify and Tinder all supposedly tried to get around the requirement to use Play Store's in-house billing system, and deals like this were meant to keep Netflix using Google's payment platform.

The same filing also includes a claim that Google's normal revenue share is arbitrary. Where the company typically asks for a 30 percent cut of Play Store purchases, it apparently determined that it could break even with just six percent. Internal communications suggest Google chose the 30 percent share for no reason "other than copying Apple," according to the lawsuit.

We've asked Google for comment. In a statement to The Verge, a spokeswoman maintained that developers were bound to the same policies as "all other developers," and that there were efforts to back app makers with "enhanced resources and investments." These initiatives were evidence of "healthy competition" in operating systems and app stores, Google said.

If the allegations are true, though, that wouldn't be the case — Google would have given Netflix a sweetheart deal not available to other Play Store developers. The company wouldn't be alone, either. Internal emails also suggest Apple offered Netflix perks it didn't provide to others using the App Store.

Whatever the case, Google might not have much choice but to alter its practices. Apple recently softened the App Store's rules as part of a proposed settlement, going so far as to let developers pitch customers on alternative payment systems — something Google still forbids, as the attorneys behind the unsealed lawsuit point out. Between these latest revelations and other lawsuits, such as those from Epic and state attorneys general, Google faces strong pressure to follow Apple and otherwise make concessions to avoid more serious legal repercussions.

Microsoft might let you install Windows 11 on PCs with older processors, but that doesn't mean you'll get the full experience you'd find on newer machines. The company told The Verge that PCs with unsupported CPUs aren't 'entitled' to get Windows 11 updates, and might not even get driver or security upgrades. You may have to get more recent hardware just to keep your system secure, in other words.

We've asked the company if it can comment further, although it declined to elaborate when The Verge asked for more details. It previously said it would let people install Windows 11 ISOs on older CPUs to help businesses test the new platform.

This wouldn't be a completely unexpected move. Microsoft could get into legal trouble if it offers updates to unsupported hardware — it might not want to risk bricking your PC with a patch, or leading you to believe you're guaranteed technical support. This approach lets the company court enthusiasts (who can install new ISO images instead of relying on patches) without widening its compatibility and introducing other headaches.

You'll still get an inferior take on Windows 11, though, and it's evident Microsoft's core message remains intact. The company wants you using a relatively recent computer with Windows 11, even if that means having to wait until you can justify a PC upgrade.