Tesla is facing allegations that it’s trying to minimize complaints about performance. Reuters sources claim the company had a secret Diversion Team in the Las Vegas area to cancel range-related service appointments.

If a customer complained the range didn’t live up to marketing claims, advisors would tell owners that Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) range figures were just predictions and battery degradation would reduce range. Tesla supposedly began tinkering with range estimates a decade ago to exaggerate figures when an EV was fully charged. Cars would only begin showing more accurate range numbers below a 50 percent charge. The company also used a 15-mile range buffer when the estimate reached zero, much as combustion engine cars still have fuel in the tank when the gauge reads empty.

Tesla isn’t the only EV company accused of inflating its range estimates, but it may be worse than most. The standards body SAE International recently published a study indicating EVs typically fall 12.5 percent short of their official range in highway driving. One of the co-authors, Gregory Pannone, told Reuters Tesla’s shortfall was 26 percent – over double that average. It’s also faced accusations of exaggerating EV driving range in the past.

– Mat Smith

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Nicki Minaj will be playable in Call of Duty

Snoop Dogg is already in the game.

I’m not sure how much the Venn diagram of Barbz and Call of Duty players overlap, but here we are. Call of Duty Season 5 will feature Nicki Minaj as the first ever playable female celebrity Operator character. She’ll appear in Warzone and Modern Warfare 2 as part of CoD‘s “50 Years of Hip Hop Celebration,” along with Snoop Dogg and 21 Savage. She’ll arrive with her own storefront later this year, with items for sale, likely including the hot pink rifle you see above.

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Sony has sold over 40 million PS5 consoles

It may take a long while to catch up to the PS4.

Sony has sold over 40 million PS5 consoles since the system’s debut in November 2020. That’s roughly eight million units sold since the start of the year. That unsurprisingly doesn’t top last year’s holiday sales, when Sony moved 7.1 million PS5s in one quarter, but the company says inventory is finally “well-stocked.” It became Sony’s fastest-selling console to date, but if it wants to beat the PS4, it has a way to go. The company had shipped over 117 million PS4s as of early 2022.

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Microsoft faces an EU antitrust probe over its bundling of Teams

The investigation stems from Slack’s 2020 complaint about Teams’ inclusion in Microsoft 365.

Maybe everything Microsoft does deserves an antitrust lawsuit? The European Commission has announced a probe into whether Microsoft bundling Teams with its product suites violated EU competition rules. Slack, a rival messaging and communications app, filed its own antitrust complaint in 2020, alleging Microsoft’s decision to include Teams with Microsoft 365 or Office 365 is illegal. In April, Microsoft agreed to remove Teams from its Office suite to prevent a probe, but said it was unclear how it would do so. The European Commission said it “is concerned that Microsoft may grant Teams a distribution advantage.”

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Photoshop can now use generative AI to expand images

Text prompts for AI are also available in over 100 languages.

Adobe has updated its Photoshop beta release with a Generative Expand feature that grows an image using AI-made content. Drag the crop tool beyond the original picture size and you can add material with or without a text prompt. This can help when an image is simply too small, of course, but Adobe also believes it can help when you want to change aspect ratios. This is likely just the start: Adobe is teasing more generative AI features arriving this fall.

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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-tesla-reportedly-formed-a-secret-team-to-quash-driving-range-complaints-111516812.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – The Morning After: Tesla reportedly formed a secret team to quash driving range complaints

Ford will take just a bit longer to reach the electric vehicle production goal it set for itself. As The Washington Post reports, Ford CEO Jim Farley now expects the automaker to be able to start producing 600,000 EV units per year sometime in 2024. The company was originally aiming to reach that production level in late 2023 with the help of lithium iron phosphate battery packs, which will help Ford cut manufacturing costs and reduce its dependence on nickel and other materials prone to shortage.

In the company’s earnings report, (PDF) Farley explained that the “[t]he near-term pace of EV adoption will be a little slower than expected,” but that he believes it’s going to “benefit early movers like Ford.” He added: “EV customers are brand loyal and we’re winning lots of them with our high-volume, first-generation products.” The automaker’s all-electric division did well in the second quarter of the year, with revenue from the first generation F-150 Lightning and the Mustang Mach-E vehicles increasing by 39 percent. 

Ford was inundated with pre-orders for the F-150 Lightning after it was announced and had to temporarily stop taking reservations due to the demand. The company has recently slashed the vehicle’s prices citing increased production capacity, though it could also be because it’s looking to entice more customers who are also eyeing models by rivals like Tesla and General Motors. 

Ford CFO John Lawler said “[t]he transition to EVs is happening, it just may take a little longer” and “it will be a little slower than the industry expected.” The automaker was also aiming to manufacture 2 million EVs a year by 2026, but this delay affects that goal, as well. CNBC said Ford now doesn’t know when it can reach that level of production, but Lawler assured that the company will still invest the same amount of money into its EV endeavors. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ford-expects-to-reach-its-ev-production-goal-a-year-later-than-planned-101804539.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Ford expects to reach its EV production goal a year later than planned

Apple will soon start cracking down on Apps that collect data on users’ devices in order to track them (aka “fingerprinting“), according to an article on its developer site spotted by 9to5Mac. Starting with the release of iOS 17, tvOS 17, watchOS 10 and macOS Sonoma, developers will be required to explain why they’re using so-called required reason APIs. Apps failing to provide a valid reason will be rejected started in spring of 2024.  

“Some APIs… have the potential of being misused to access device signals to try to identify the device or user, also known as fingerprinting. Regardless of whether a user gives your app permission to track, fingerprinting is not allowed,” Apple wrote. “To prevent the misuse of certain APIs that can be used to collect data about users’ devices through fingerprinting, you’ll need to declare the reasons for using these APIs in your app’s privacy manifest.”

The new rules could increase the rate of app rejections, some developers told 9to5Mac. For instance, an API called UserDefaults falls into the “required reason” category, but since it stores user preferences, it’s used by a lot of apps. At the same time, it sounds like Apple will basically need to take a developer’s word for reason declarations. If those prove to be false, though, it would certainly have a paper trail for any potential penalties. 

Fingerprinting apps can use API calls to retrieve characteristics of your smartphone or PC, including the screen resolution, model, OS and more. It can then take all this information and create a unique “fingerprint,” so it can identify you when you go to other apps or websites.

Apple effectively declared war on tracking when it released iOS 14.5 in 2021, requiring developers to ask users’ permission before tracking them. Since that feature arrived, only 4 percent of US iPhone users have agreed to app tracking. Now, it’s trying to stop fingerprinting (also called canvas fingerprinting), which first appeared in the digital zeitgeist a decade ago. Back in 2018, Apple said it would address fingerprinting on macOS by limiting the data that websites can access on its Safari browser, and now, it’s addressing the issue with apps as well.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-cracking-down-on-fingerprinting-with-new-app-store-api-rules-080007498.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Apple cracking down on ‘fingerprinting’ with new App Store API rules

NASA is launching its very own streaming platform called NASA+ sometime this summer. While the space agency already livestreams launches and other events on its website, NASA+ will feature not just live broadcasts, but also collections of original video series. A handful of the first shows on the platform will even be new titles launching with the service, and what’s even better is that it will be free and will not be interrupting shows with ads. In other words, it’s where you should go if you want to binge watch NASA and space content. 

The streaming service will be available through the agency’s iOS and Android apps on mobile devices. You’ll also be able to access it on desktop and mobile browsers, as well as stream shows on demand through media players, such as Roku, Apple TV and Fire TV. 

Marc Etkind from NASA’s Office of Communications said:

“We’re putting space on demand and at your fingertips with NASA’s new streaming platform. Transforming our digital presence will help us better tell the stories of how NASA explores the unknown in air and space, inspires through discovery, and innovates for the benefit of humanity.”

Call of Duty Season 5 will feature Nicki Minaj as the first ever female celebrity “Operator” playable character, Activision announced. She’ll appear in Warzone and Modern Warfare 2 as part of CoD’s “50 Years of Hip Hop Celebration,” along with Snoop Dogg and 21 Savage. 

Other celebrities including Lionel Messi, Kevin Durant and Snoop Dogg (multiple times now) have appeared in CoD in the past. Minaj, however is “Call of Duty’s first-ever self-named female Operator,” the developer noted. “Playtime is over; this is not ‘Chill Nicki’; this is Red Ruby Da Sleeze,” it added, referencing Minaj’s track and video released earlier this year. 

Ahead of the final two races of Season 9 in London, Formula E showed off the “unlocked” potential of its Gen3 electric race car. The EV series has claimed the world record for indoor land speed, clocking in at 135.9 MPH (218.71 KPH) in a GenBeta development car. The run took place on a .176-mile straight on the London E-Prix circuit, a portion of which is inside the ExCeL London arena. The car, piloted by NEOM McLaren Formula E driver Jake Hughes, beat the previous record of 102.7 MPH (165.2 KPH) by 33 MPH. 

Hughes went head-to-head with fellow driver Lucas di Grassi (Mahindra Racing) in a modified version of Formula E’s duels format typically used for qualifying. Each one was given a chance to set the fasted speed on the indoor section of track and both bested the former world record on all three of their practice runs before making official attempts. Neither Hughes nor di Grassi had driven the GenBeta car prior to this exhibition. 

Formula E says the GenBeta car has a number of upgrades to make it faster and more powerful than the Gen3 car used in race events. First, it has an enhanced power output of 400kW, up from 350kW in race trim. The added power comes via all-wheel drive for the first time in a Formula E car through “activation of the front powertrain kit” for more traction while accelerating. 

“The GenBeta is the first time that four-wheel drive has been activated in a single-seater race car for both acceleration and braking regeneration,” explains Alessandra Ciliberti, Formula E’s technical manager. “The GenBeta showcases what will be possible for Formula E racing in the near future.”