Month: March 2023
Waymo brings its fleet of new self-driving SUVs to Austin
Waymo is bringing a fleet of driverless cars to Austin, Texas as a test of its new fifth-generation automated driving system. The vehicles will be tested all over the city, including downtown, the Capitol, Market District and other locations. The vehicles that Waymo is testing in Austin are new all-electric Jaguar SUVs, a switch from the hybrid Chryslers it previously used.
Waymo, a subsidiary of Google’s parent company Alphabet, chose Austin as its next city for testing as an homage, of sorts, as it hosted the first prototype driverless car in 2015. Back then, the tests were conducted on Waymo’s retired Firefly prototype vehicle, which ran the first generation of Waymo’s Driver system. Nowadays, they use a fifth-generation system that has been refined and adjusted throughout the past seven years.
We’re headed back to Austin—this time with our fifth-generation Waymo Driver! Read about our latest testing efforts in the city that keeps it weird. ?? https://t.co/lKeCrUrLyWpic.twitter.com/4bLI9bS2Mk— Waymo (@Waymo) March 31, 2023
Another likely reason they chose Austin? A Texas state law passed in 2017 dictates that cities cannot regulate self-driving cars. To that end, the city already hosts a couple of competitors. Ford started testing its Argo driverless system in Austin last year and GM-backed startup Cruise has also set up shop. The city also plays host to plenty of autonomous delivery bots.
Waymo will also take advantage of its presence in the city to make connections with and provide services for local community organizations, such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired.
This is a technology test and not a full-fledged rollout of a self-driving taxi fleet like the company already operates in Phoenix and San Francisco. Still, if the test goes well, Waymo could eventually bring legitimate driverless ride-hail services to Austin.
Update, 1:35PM ET: This story has been updated to reflect that Waymo will not be picking up passengers in its cars in Austin. Instead, they’re doing testing to improve and evaluate their self-driving technology in more locations.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/waymo-brings-its-fleet-of-new-self-driving-suvs-to-austin-165720284.html?src=rss
Waymo is bringing a fleet of driverless cars to Austin, Texas as a test of its new fifth-generation automated driving system. The vehicles will be tested all over the city, including downtown, the Capitol, Market District and other locations. The vehicles that Waymo is testing in Austin are new all-electric Jaguar SUVs, a switch from the hybrid Chryslers it previously used.
Waymo, a subsidiary of Google’s parent company Alphabet, chose Austin as its next city for testing as an homage, of sorts, as it hosted the first prototype driverless car in 2015. Back then, the tests were conducted on Waymo’s retired Firefly prototype vehicle, which ran the first generation of Waymo’s Driver system. Nowadays, they use a fifth-generation system that has been refined and adjusted throughout the past seven years.
We’re headed back to Austin—this time with our fifth-generation Waymo Driver! Read about our latest testing efforts in the city that keeps it weird. ?? https://t.co/lKeCrUrLyWpic.twitter.com/4bLI9bS2Mk
— Waymo (@Waymo) March 31, 2023
Another likely reason they chose Austin? A Texas state law passed in 2017 dictates that cities cannot regulate self-driving cars. To that end, the city already hosts a couple of competitors. Ford started testing its Argo driverless system in Austin last year and GM-backed startup Cruise has also set up shop. The city also plays host to plenty of autonomous delivery bots.
Waymo will also take advantage of its presence in the city to make connections with and provide services for local community organizations, such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired.
This is a technology test and not a full-fledged rollout of a self-driving taxi fleet like the company already operates in Phoenix and San Francisco. Still, if the test goes well, Waymo could eventually bring legitimate driverless ride-hail services to Austin.
Update, 1:35PM ET: This story has been updated to reflect that Waymo will not be picking up passengers in its cars in Austin. Instead, they’re doing testing to improve and evaluate their self-driving technology in more locations.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/waymo-brings-its-fleet-of-new-self-driving-suvs-to-austin-165720284.html?src=rss
XGIMI’s cheaper auto-calibrating projectors now available for mobile movie nights
Backpack-friendly new Mogo2 and MoGo2 Pro beamers with clever calibration system are now available to buy
Two of the more buzzworthy devices from this year’s CES are finally available to buy, with the XGIMI MoGo 2 and MoGo 2 Pro portable projectors officially set to be released into the wild.
First shown off in Las Vegas back in January, the compact and lightweight devices are the Chinese brand’s latest all-in-one cinema system offerings, and look like strong contenders for our list of the best portable projectors. Both are also represent a less pricey alternative to the XGIMI Halo+, though neither matches that model’s comparatively high peak brightness.
Both models feature built-in stereo speakers and can be powered from a not-supplied mobile battery bank via their new USB-C port, allowing them to be used in a wide variety of different locations both indoors and outdoors.
Supposedly designed with young families and busy urban professionals in mind, the key difference between the two models is the Pro’s Full HD resolution, with the base MoGo 2 fixed at a lesser 720p HD.
The Pro model also boasts XGIMI’s brand new Smart ISA (Intelligent Screen Adaptation) 2.0 technology, which detects when the unit has been moved, and automatically fixes the picture without interrupting playback. The system also handily dims its output when it senses someone standing in front of the projector as an eye protection measure.
(Image credit: XGIMI)
The cheaper MoGo 2 unfortunately doesn’t boast those Smart ISA 2.0 features, but does include the earlier 1.0 system, which automatically corrects keystone corners and resizes the image to work around objects, which the company claims still allows setup to be completed in mere seconds.
Both models run off Android TV 11, giving access to a wide range of streaming apps from the Play Store (although the official Netflix app is not yet supported), while brightness has been boosted from the original MoGo projectors range, with the two new models able to pump out a claimed 400 lumens – not too shabby for a projector this small, with 90 per cent of the wide DCI-P3 color gamut supported.
The pair both come with 16 GBs of onboard storage and 2 GB of RAM, while there’s Bluetooth 5.0, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, and Chromecast connectivity, plus single HDMI 2.0 and USB 2.0 ports.
The built-in Dolby Audio supporting sound system comprises of two 8-W speakers that XGIMI say offer a wide stereo field with four EQ presets to choose. There’s also a 3.5-mm audio out socket for headphones should you not want to disturb anyone.
Both models are now available to order from the XGIMI website, with an expected shipping date of April 25. The MoGo 2 is priced at $400 / around £325 and AU$600, while $600 / around £485 and AU$895 will get you the MoGo 2 Pro.
If you’re after a bigger, brighter beamer that stays in place, you might prefer something from our list of the best 4K projectors you can buy today.
FTC chair refused Musk’s meeting request, told him to stop delaying investigation
Khan “troubled by Twitter’s delays” in providing documents and depositions.
Enlarge / FTC Chair Lina Khan speaks during the Spring Enforcers Summit at the Department of Justice in Washington, DC, on Monday, March 27, 2023. (credit: Getty Images | Bloomberg)
Twitter owner Elon Musk requested a meeting with Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan late last year, but he was rebuffed and told to stop dragging his heels on providing documents and depositions needed for the FTC investigation into Twitter’s privacy and data practices, a New York Times report said yesterday.
“In a Jan. 27 letter declining the meeting, Ms. Khan told a Twitter lawyer to focus on complying with investigators’ demands for information before she would consider meeting with Mr. Musk,” the NYT wrote.
Twitter has to comply with conditions in a May 2022 settlement in which it agreed to pay a $150 million penalty for targeting ads at users with phone numbers and email addresses collected from those users when they enabled two-factor authentication. Last year’s settlement was reached after the FTC said Twitter violated the terms of a 2011 settlement that prohibited the company from misrepresenting its privacy and security practices.
Google Bard is Switching To a More ‘Capable’ Language Model, CEO Confirms
People haven’t exactly been impressed in the short time since Google released its “experimental conversational AI service” Bard. Coming up against OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Microsoft’s Bing Chat (also powered by OpenAI’s GPT-4) users have found its responses to not be as knowledgeable or detailed as its rivals. That could be set to change, however, after Google CEO Sundar Pichai confirmed on The New York Times podcast “Hard Fork” that Bard will soon be moving from its current LaMDA-based model to larger-scale PaLM datasets in the coming days. From a report: When asked how he felt about responses to Bard’s release, Pichai commented: “We clearly have more capable models. Pretty soon, maybe as this goes live, we will be upgrading Bard to some of our more capable PaLM models, so which will bring more capabilities, be it in reasoning, coding.” To frame the difference, Google said it had trained LaMDA with 137 billion parameters when it shared details about the language-based models last year. PaLM, on the other hand, was said to have been trained with around 540 billion parameters. Both models may have evolved and grown since early 2022, but the contrast likely shows why Google is now slowly transitioning Bard over to PaLM, with its larger dataset and more diverse answers.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
People haven’t exactly been impressed in the short time since Google released its “experimental conversational AI service” Bard. Coming up against OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Microsoft’s Bing Chat (also powered by OpenAI’s GPT-4) users have found its responses to not be as knowledgeable or detailed as its rivals. That could be set to change, however, after Google CEO Sundar Pichai confirmed on The New York Times podcast “Hard Fork” that Bard will soon be moving from its current LaMDA-based model to larger-scale PaLM datasets in the coming days. From a report: When asked how he felt about responses to Bard’s release, Pichai commented: “We clearly have more capable models. Pretty soon, maybe as this goes live, we will be upgrading Bard to some of our more capable PaLM models, so which will bring more capabilities, be it in reasoning, coding.” To frame the difference, Google said it had trained LaMDA with 137 billion parameters when it shared details about the language-based models last year. PaLM, on the other hand, was said to have been trained with around 540 billion parameters. Both models may have evolved and grown since early 2022, but the contrast likely shows why Google is now slowly transitioning Bard over to PaLM, with its larger dataset and more diverse answers.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
How the Internet killed E3
Direct online marketing, distribution made an expensive annual show unnecessary.
Enlarge (credit: Aurich Lawson)
This year’s edition of the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) has been canceled. The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) and show promoter ReedPop announced late Thursday that the planned June event—which was set to be the first in-person E3 since 2019—”did not garner the sustained interest necessary” from major publishers and potential attendees to justify a massive convention.
At this point, the cancellation of the 2023 show wasn’t a huge surprise. All three major console makers had already confirmed that they wouldn’t be attending, and major publishers Ubisoft and Sega publicly abandoned the show more recently. In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, ESA president and CEO Stanley Pierre-Louis cited economic headwinds, digital marketing opportunities, and COVID-related game development timeline changes as reasons the companies backed out.
But the decades-long decline of E3 was also apparent well before this year’s problems—and even well before COVID forced the cancellation of the 2020 show (and every show in subsequent years). Part of me will miss the glitz and spectacle of the 15 E3s I’ve attended since 2004. But a larger part recognizes that E3 is a show that was built for a very different game industry and which has utterly failed to change with the times.
GM is phasing out Apple CarPlay and Android Auto in EVs
Many car makers tout smartphone connectivity as a selling point, but GM won’t in the future. In a Reutersinterview, GM digital chief Edward Kummer and executive cockpit director Mike Himche say GM will phase out Apple CarPlay and Android Auto with upcoming electric cars, beginning with the 2024 Chevy Blazer EV. Instead, you’ll have to rely on Android Automotive and its apps.
Users will get eight years of free Google Assistant and Google Maps use at no extra charge, GM says. The company doesn’t mention what you’ll pay if you still need those functions afterward. We’ve asked GM for comment. It will still offer CarPlay and Android Auto in combustion engine models, and you won’t lose access on existing EVs. GM plans an all-electric passenger vehicle line by 2035.
The company argues that Android Automotive provides more control over the experience. There are upcoming driver assistance technologies that are “more tightly coupled” with navigation features, Himche says, and GM doesn’t want them to require a smartphone. Kummer also acknowledged that there are “subscription revenue opportunities.” Don’t be surprised if you’re paying a recurring fee for certain features like you already do with some brands.
Android Automotive has a growing footprint. On top of GM, companies like BMW, Honda, Polestar, Stellantis, Volvo and VW are adopting it with or without Google apps. However, the platform doesn’t preclude support for CarPlay or Android Auto. GM is deliberately dropping those features. While this could lead to some innovative driver aids, it could also force you to mount your phone if there’s an app or function the EV’s infotainment system doesn’t support.
The decision is a blow to Apple. Its services may not have native support in GM EVs. The iPhone maker is also developing a next-gen CarPlay experience that can take over the entire dashboard — GM just ruled itself out as a potential customer. If Apple is going to have more control over your drive, it will have to turn to other marques.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gm-is-phasing-out-apple-carplay-and-android-auto-in-evs-163104494.html?src=rss
Many car makers tout smartphone connectivity as a selling point, but GM won’t in the future. In a Reutersinterview, GM digital chief Edward Kummer and executive cockpit director Mike Himche say GM will phase out Apple CarPlay and Android Auto with upcoming electric cars, beginning with the 2024 Chevy Blazer EV. Instead, you’ll have to rely on Android Automotive and its apps.
Users will get eight years of free Google Assistant and Google Maps use at no extra charge, GM says. The company doesn’t mention what you’ll pay if you still need those functions afterward. We’ve asked GM for comment. It will still offer CarPlay and Android Auto in combustion engine models, and you won’t lose access on existing EVs. GM plans an all-electric passenger vehicle line by 2035.
The company argues that Android Automotive provides more control over the experience. There are upcoming driver assistance technologies that are “more tightly coupled” with navigation features, Himche says, and GM doesn’t want them to require a smartphone. Kummer also acknowledged that there are “subscription revenue opportunities.” Don’t be surprised if you’re paying a recurring fee for certain features like you already do with some brands.
Android Automotive has a growing footprint. On top of GM, companies like BMW, Honda, Polestar, Stellantis, Volvo and VW are adopting it with or without Google apps. However, the platform doesn’t preclude support for CarPlay or Android Auto. GM is deliberately dropping those features. While this could lead to some innovative driver aids, it could also force you to mount your phone if there’s an app or function the EV’s infotainment system doesn’t support.
The decision is a blow to Apple. Its services may not have native support in GM EVs. The iPhone maker is also developing a next-gen CarPlay experience that can take over the entire dashboard — GM just ruled itself out as a potential customer. If Apple is going to have more control over your drive, it will have to turn to other marques.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gm-is-phasing-out-apple-carplay-and-android-auto-in-evs-163104494.html?src=rss
When ‘The Night Agent’ works in the day, it feels like a personal betrayal
The Night Agent has one job. It’s literally written on the tin. But the titular protagonist of Netflix’s latest action series refuses to keep work-life balance a priority, spending most of the series working in the day. And I’m concerned for him.
I’ll admit it, there’s plenty more about The Night Agent series to focus on: There’s a mole in the White House? Who set up the Night Agent as a deep state accomplice and ruined his reputation? Who are all these shady characters, and why do they want a former tech CEO dead? But it’s the principle of the thing: The Night Agent working during the day is all the evidence we need that capitalism is well and truly fucked.
Call this professionally vampiric man’s manager. The Night Agent needs time to sleep, regardless of how work-life balance looks at the White House.
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Based on Matthew Quirk’s novel and created by Shawn Ryan, The Night Agent follows low-level FBI agent Peter Sutherland (Gabriel Basso) who works in a windowless room in the basement of the White House. He’s part of what’s known as the “Night Action” team, which always makes me point finger guns at the screen whenever it’s named aloud. Under the command of White House chief of staff Diane Farr (Hong Chau), Peter sits around processing paperwork and waiting for hotshot Night Agents to call the secret landline if they’re in need of assistance — something he fails at the first time we see the phone ring. Three rings, Peter? You picked it up after three rings? Sir, this is the FBI. One ring.
On the end of this call is cybersecurity entrepreneur and ex-CEO Rose Larkin (Luciane Buchanan), whose connection to two Night Agents drags Peter out of the basement and into the field. Now he’s a Night Agent! And he can kiss his sleeping hours and the title of the show goodbye, as he’ll be required to be a Dayman ah-ah-ahhhhh! too. Which is great, but not ? what ? we ? are ? here ? for.
This man has been awake for multiple days at this point, still working.
Credit: Dan Power/Netflix
Does the Night Agent ever sleep?
Friends, I’m concerned for the wellbeing of our eponymous hero. FBI agents need sleep like the rest of us. Dana Scully and Fox Mulder snoozed in The X-Files. Clarice Starling napped in Silence of the Lambs. Dale Cooper loved a post-memo kip in Twin Peaks.
The Night Agent sees Peter staying awake for his job over several nights, keeping watch over Rose in his apartment, outside her family’s cabin, just everywhere. Peter insists on staying awake; he’s used to the 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. shift after all. But the thing is, Peter always seems to do something in the day after his night shifts, which means he goes straight from an eight-hour shift to a full-on pursuit by assailants, without so much as a nap. Peter does accidentally take one nap, on the White House chief of staff’s couch but it’s unclear how long he’s been lying there. This man needs a good night’s sleep!
The Night Agent is now streaming on Netflix, all day and all night.
The Night Agent has one job. It’s literally written on the tin. But the titular protagonist of Netflix‘s latest action series refuses to keep work-life balance a priority, spending most of the series working in the day. And I’m concerned for him.
I’ll admit it, there’s plenty more about The Night Agent series to focus on: There’s a mole in the White House? Who set up the Night Agent as a deep state accomplice and ruined his reputation? Who are all these shady characters, and why do they want a former tech CEO dead? But it’s the principle of the thing: The Night Agent working during the day is all the evidence we need that capitalism is well and truly fucked.
Call this professionally vampiric man’s manager. The Night Agent needs time to sleep, regardless of how work-life balance looks at the White House.
Based on Matthew Quirk’s novel and created by Shawn Ryan, The Night Agent follows low-level FBI agent Peter Sutherland (Gabriel Basso) who works in a windowless room in the basement of the White House. He’s part of what’s known as the “Night Action” team, which always makes me point finger guns at the screen whenever it’s named aloud. Under the command of White House chief of staff Diane Farr (Hong Chau), Peter sits around processing paperwork and waiting for hotshot Night Agents to call the secret landline if they’re in need of assistance — something he fails at the first time we see the phone ring. Three rings, Peter? You picked it up after three rings? Sir, this is the FBI. One ring.
On the end of this call is cybersecurity entrepreneur and ex-CEO Rose Larkin (Luciane Buchanan), whose connection to two Night Agents drags Peter out of the basement and into the field. Now he’s a Night Agent! And he can kiss his sleeping hours and the title of the show goodbye, as he’ll be required to be a Dayman ah-ah-ahhhhh! too. Which is great, but not ? what ? we ? are ? here ? for.
Credit: Dan Power/Netflix
Does the Night Agent ever sleep?
Friends, I’m concerned for the wellbeing of our eponymous hero. FBI agents need sleep like the rest of us. Dana Scully and Fox Mulder snoozed in The X-Files. Clarice Starling napped in Silence of the Lambs. Dale Cooper loved a post-memo kip in Twin Peaks.
The Night Agent sees Peter staying awake for his job over several nights, keeping watch over Rose in his apartment, outside her family’s cabin, just everywhere. Peter insists on staying awake; he’s used to the 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. shift after all. But the thing is, Peter always seems to do something in the day after his night shifts, which means he goes straight from an eight-hour shift to a full-on pursuit by assailants, without so much as a nap. Peter does accidentally take one nap, on the White House chief of staff’s couch but it’s unclear how long he’s been lying there. This man needs a good night’s sleep!
The Night Agent is now streaming on Netflix, all day and all night.