In a US federal court in Seattle, Chinese tech firm Huawei pleaded not guilty to several charges that allege the company engaged or attempted to engage in theft of trade secrets, the Associated Press reported. US District Judge Richardo S. Martinez,…
Source: Engadget – Huawei pleads not guilty to stealing US trade secrets
Monthly Archives: February 2019
The Huawei Mate X Is Even More Exciting Than You Think It Is
By now, anyone even remotely interested in tech has probably heard about the Mate X—Huawei’s fantastically expensive bendable phone that despite launching second, somehow managed to steal the spotlight from Samsung’s Galaxy Fold.
Source: Gizmodo – The Huawei Mate X Is Even More Exciting Than You Think It Is
Tesla Launches Base Model 3 For $35,000 With Shorter Range, New Interior
In a call with reporters Thursday, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said the company is finally launching the long-promised standard Model 3 with a base price of $35,000. “The automaker is now making several new versions of the Model 3 available with a shorter range and new interior options,” reports Electrek. From the report: Today, Tesla sent an email to its retail stores the details of the announcement of the new options being available to order in the U.S. today and available as soon as next month. All the details are expected to become available in the next hour, but here’s what we know so far: Customers are now able to order the $35,000 Model 3 with a standard interior and standard battery pack enabling 130mph top speed and 5.6s 0-60s acceleration. Tesla is also making a new “Partial Premium Interior” with better seats than the standard interior available with a different “standard range plus” battery pack for a $2,000 premium. The Model 3 Standard Range Plus results in 240 miles of range, a top speed of 140mph, 0-60mph acceleration of just 5.3 seconds. Tesla says that deliveries are starting within the next 2 to 4 weeks depending on the configuration in the U.S. In Europe, Musk said it will be available to order within the “next 3 to 6 months.”
Slashdot reader Rei provides additional details: The new unveiling introduced a whole slew of variants, including (price, range, top speed, 0-60, premium):
SR: $35K, 220 miles, 130mph, 5.6 seconds, non-PUP
SR+: $37K, 240 miles, 140mph, 5.3 seconds, partial-PUP
MR: $40K, 264 miles, 140mph, 5.2 seconds, PUP
LR: $43K, 325 miles, 140mph, 5.0 seconds, PUP
AWD: $47K, 310 miles, 145mph, 4.5 seconds, PUP
P: $48K, 310 miles, 162mph, 3.2 seconds, PUP
Pricing, ranges, and features have by and large significantly surpassed initial promises. For example, the Long Range (LR) variant was supposed to be a $9K premium over SR, with the Premium Upgrades Package another $5k, but now PUP is included in LR and the price difference is only $8K. Range and performance specs have been upgraded not just on new vehicles, but will also be upgraded on existing vehicles, where applicable, via software update. The price for Autopilot has dropped from $5K to $3K, and some features once planned to be premium-only — including the glass roof and auto dimming, power folding, heated side mirrors — are now standard. The Model S and X product line has also been modified, with higher performance at the top end and lower prices at the bottom.
To achieve cost savings, in addition to production optimizations and the recent layoffs, Tesla announced an unexpected strategy: they’re closing most of their stores. Sales will only be conducted online. Instead of test drives, cars can be returned within 7 days or 1,000 miles at no charge. “Quite literally, you could buy a Tesla, drive several hundred miles for a weekend road trip with friends and then return it for free,” Tesla said in their blog post.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot – Tesla Launches Base Model 3 For ,000 With Shorter Range, New Interior
Fallout 76 Players Will Soon Be Able To Drink Even More Of Their Problems Away
There are lots of bottles of beer, whiskey, and other instruments of intoxication already scattered throughout the rolling hills of Fallout 76’s West Virginia, but on March 12 players will be able to start making their own.
Source: Kotaku – Fallout 76 Players Will Soon Be Able To Drink Even More Of Their Problems Away
Tesla announces $35,000 Model 3, is closing its stores to pay for it
Enlarge (credit: Xinhua via Getty Images)
On Thursday afternoon, Tesla announced that it’s finally ready to start selling the cheapest versions of its Model 3 electric vehicle. For $35,000—before any federal or local tax incentives—you can now order a rear-wheel drive Model 3 Standard Range. This car gets black paint and the as-yet unseen standard interior, which means manual (not power assisted) seat and steering adjustment, cloth trim, and a stripped-down audio system. Tesla says the cheapest Model 3 will have 220 miles of range, will hit 60mph (96km/h) in 5.6 seconds before topping out at 130mph (209km/h).
The company is also now offering a $37,000 Model 3 Standard Range Plus. This upgrades the performance slightly—now it’s got 240 miles (386km) of range, shaves 0.3 seconds off the 0-60 time, and adds 10mph (16km/h) in top speed. And you get a “Partial Premium” interior, which restores the power seats, vegan synthetic leather, and a better audio system, among other features.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that anyone in the US who orders one of the new Model 3s should take delivery before June (when the IRS tax credit halves again), but priority will go to reservation holders.
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Source: Ars Technica – Tesla announces ,000 Model 3, is closing its stores to pay for it
The Orville Season 2 Has Been All About the Characters, and the Show's Never Been Better
The Orville’s first season obviously spent time introducing us to its quirky ensemble, but it also focused a lot on the crew’s wild and often perilous space adventures. Season two, by contrast, has devoted far more energy to developing its characters—and it’s really paid off in rewarding ways for the series.
Source: io9 – The Orville Season 2 Has Been All About the Characters, and the Show’s Never Been Better
Tesla starts charging $7,000 to add Full Self-Driving features
Tesla is splitting its self-driving function into two tiers — Autopilot and Full Self-Driving Capability — and charging a few thousand extra dollars for Navigate on Autopilot, Autopark, Summon and other features coming out later this year.
Source: Engadget – Tesla starts charging ,000 to add Full Self-Driving features
Google Workers' Fight to End Forced Arbitration Heads to D.C.
In a bustling room inside the U.S. Capitol on Thursday afternoon, a group of survivors wearing black pins stand behind a podium that reads #EndForcedArbitration. They are all waiting to share their stories—of sexual harassment, of sexual assault, of racial discrimination, of unfair labor practices, of consumer…
Source: Gizmodo – Google Workers’ Fight to End Forced Arbitration Heads to D.C.
The real reason that Microsoft is already testing a 2020 Windows release? Azure
Enlarge / Windows is now perpetually under construction. (credit: David Holt / Flickr)
The release earlier this month of a preview Windows 10 build that isn’t due until 2020 was a little strange. At the time, Microsoft said vaguely that it was because of features that “require a longer lead time,” with no indication of what those features are.
The well-connected Mary Jo Foley tells a different story: the release is actually a consequence of parts of Windows’ development moving to the Azure group.
The core parts of Windows—the kernel, file system, networking stack, hypervisor, security subsystem, and so on—underpin a wide range of Windows variants, including Windows 10, Windows Server 2019, HoloLens, Xbox One, and Azure. According to Foley, Microsoft makes two releases of these core parts each year, in June and December. The various Windows variants build on these dual releases.
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Source: Ars Technica – The real reason that Microsoft is already testing a 2020 Windows release? Azure
Ain't That A Kick In The Head?
Today on Highlight Reel we have Pathfinder flying kicks, trigger happy Metro characters, undying fishermen, and much more!
Source: Kotaku – Ain’t That A Kick In The Head?
Elon Musk: Expect a cheaper Tesla in '2 – 3 years'
While Elon Musk just announced that Tesla’s Model 3 is available for the $35,000 price he’s been promising for years, the plan isn’t to stop there. On a call with the media to announce the move, as well as its new policy of selling cars exclusively o…
Source: Engadget – Elon Musk: Expect a cheaper Tesla in ‘2 – 3 years’
The Volvo Polestar 2 Is the First Google-Powered, All-Electric Car
The Polestar 2 is the first all-electric car from Volvo, and the first car to feature Google’s new native version of Android Auto. Billed as a competitor to Tesla’s Model 3, “the Polestar 2 should be able to travel up to 275 miles (about 443 kilometers) on a single charge thanks to a 78kWh battery that makes up the entire floor of the car,” reports The Verge. “It will be quick, too; Polestar says there’s 300kW (about 408 horsepower) to play with, spread across dual electric motors. That all-wheel drive power should help the car get from 0 to 60 miles per hour in under 5 seconds.” From the report: All this will eventually cost about 39,900 euros, or about $45,000, at the cheapest. Polestar will sell versions of the car that cost as much as 59,900 euros, or about $68,000. But none of that will happen until the second year of production. The version available when the car launches later this year will cost $63,000, and Polestar will make only that “launch edition” car for the first 12 months. Pre-orders are open now, and production begins next year in China (where Volvo’s Chinese parent company Geely is headquartered). Polestar’s launching the car with in an ambitious slate of markets, too: China, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and Belgium.
[…]
[T]he Polestar 2’s interior looks more fully developed and coherent than the one in the Polestar 1, to my eyes at least. The centerpiece is an 11-inch portrait oriented touchscreen where the company’s Android-based infotainment system lives. Car companies have built infotainment systems on Android in the past, but they essentially had to fork the open source operating system and build their own solution on top. What’s more, Google wasn’t involved in those efforts. This meant the cars would wind up with outdated versions of Google’s operating system, which complicated upgrades and security. […] A big benefit to this embedded approach is customers will have instant access to Android Auto-approved apps like Google Maps, or Play Music, or Google Assistant without needing to use their smartphones. Another is that it will have access to the car’s functions, meaning it can control climate settings, or send you maintenance alerts. This native version of Android will also be updatable, meaning Polestar and Google can push over-the-air software updates to improve the car’s functions long after it’s sold.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot – The Volvo Polestar 2 Is the First Google-Powered, All-Electric Car
Honestly, Momo Scares the Shit Out of Me
Last night I woke up at 3:00 a.m. heaving and sweating. A bug-eyed, banged and beaked entity was haunting my mind’s eye. Online, she’s just known as Momo.
Source: Gizmodo – Honestly, Momo Scares the Shit Out of Me
Save a Few Gold Coins On the Official Super Mario Encyclopedia
Gaming’s most iconic mascot got the encyclopedia he always deserved late last year, and you can pick up a copy for $20 today, within a couple gold coins of an all-time low. It features 256 full color pages with content from all 17 mainline Super Mario games, so this price should have you triple jumping for joy.
Source: Kotaku – Save a Few Gold Coins On the Official Super Mario Encyclopedia
The 10 Best Deals of February 28, 2019
We see a lot of deals around the web over on Kinja Deals, but these were our ten favorites today.
Source: Kotaku – The 10 Best Deals of February 28, 2019
Japanese Scientists Blow Up Lab While Creating The World's Strongest Indoor Magnetic Field
This is a very short video from the University of Tokyo of scientists briefly creating the world’s strongest indoor magnetic field (1,200 Teslas), and blowing the door off their lab in the process. *shrug* It happens. You can’t make an omelet without setting your house on fire, that’s what I always say. Some more info while my mom insists I make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich instead:
the Japanese researchers dumped a massive amount of energy–3.2 megajoules–into the generator to cause a weak magnetic field produced by a small coil to rapidly compress at a speed of about 20,000 miles per hour. This involves feeding 4 million amps of current through the generator, which is several thousand times more than a lightning bolt. When this coil is compressed as small as it will go, it bounces back. This produces a powerful shockwave that destroyed the coil and much of the generator.
To protect themselves from the shockwave, the Japanese researchers built an iron cage for the generator. However they only built it to withstand about 700 Teslas, so the shockwave from the 1,200 Teslas ended up blowing out the door to the enclosure.
“I didn’t expect it to be so high,” Shojiro Takeyama, a physicist at the University of Tokyo, told IEEE Spectrum. “Next time, I’ll make [the enclosure] stronger.”
When reached for comment about the incident, I could only hear Magneto breathing heavily on the other end of the line as I described it to him. “And how did that make you feel?” Like I should have been charging him $3.99/minute for my services.
Keep going for the video (although the gif is really it). And remember: there’s always a very fine line between dying and gaining superpowers.
Source: Geekologie – Japanese Scientists Blow Up Lab While Creating The World’s Strongest Indoor Magnetic Field
The Next Pokémon Might Be Set In The UK, And Scottish Twitter Is Thrilled
The prospect of the new Pokémon game being possibly set in the UK has amused some fans, and I’m laughing along with them.
Source: Kotaku – The Next Pokémon Might Be Set In The UK, And Scottish Twitter Is Thrilled
Tesla's car sales are going online-only
Along with launching its long-awaited $35,000 Model 3, Tesla announced that it is taking car sales to the internet — exclusively. That shift is apparently a part of why it’s going to be able to lower prices by a claimed 6 percent on average, as it w…
Source: Engadget – Tesla’s car sales are going online-only
VDPAU Library 1.2 Released With HEVC 4:4:4 Support
While NVIDIA may be divesting from the Video Decode and Presentation API for Unix (VDPAU) in favor of their NVENC/NVDEC APIs that are part of the NVIDIA Video Codec SDK, they do continue maintaining the VDPAU library (libvdpau) at least for the time being…
Source: Phoronix – VDPAU Library 1.2 Released With HEVC 4:4:4 Support
Mozilla Updates Common Voice Dataset With 1,400 Hours of Speech Across 18 Languages
Mozilla wants to make it easier for startups, researchers, and hobbyists to build voice-enabled apps, services, and devices. From a report: Toward that end, it’s today releasing the latest version of Common Voice, its open source collection of transcribed voice data that now comprises over 1,400 hours of voice samples from 42,000 contributors across 18 languages, including English, French, German, Dutch, Hakha-Chin, Esperanto, Farsi, Basque, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, Welsh, and Kabyle. It’s one of the largest multi-language dataset of its kind, Mozilla claims — substantially larger than the Common Voice corpus it made publicly available eight months ago, which contained 500 hours (400,000 recordings) from 20,000 volunteers in English — and the corpus will soon grow larger still. The organization says that data collection efforts in 70 languages are actively underway via the Common Voice website and mobile apps.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot – Mozilla Updates Common Voice Dataset With 1,400 Hours of Speech Across 18 Languages