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The construction site of the energy storage project at the California Flats solar farm. | Image: Apple Apple announced Wednesday that it’s building a big battery storage project at a Northern California solar farm it spearhead in 2015. But what the company didn’t share is that the battery packs will come from Tesla, The Verge has learned. The newly-announced setup, which will store up to 240 megawatt-hours of energy, was approved by the Monterey County Board of Supervisors in 2020, according to documents submitted last year . It will consist of 85 Tesla lithium-ion “megapacks” and be used to help power the company’s corporate headquarters in Cupertino. Monterey County’s planning chief confirmed that Apple will use the Tesla batteries in an email to The Verge . Apple declined to comment. Tesla did not respond to a request for comment. Tesla... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/31/22360839/apple-tesla-megapack-energy-storage-grid-solar-batteries

Image: Lamborghini Amazon is taking a bigger step into cars today by integrating Alexa into Lamborghini’s Huracán EVO , and not just to ask questions or remotely control your home — it’s giving the assistant the ability to control settings inside the car, hands-free. The partnership was originally announced last year as part of Amazon’s push into cars, but the integration goes beyond Alexa’s usual bag of tricks. Alexa’s integration allows users to control “climate and comfort settings including air conditioning, heater, fan speed, temperature, seat heaters, defroster and air flow direction, as well as lighting,” Lamborghini says. (It can also pull up a screen showing you the car’s torque vectoring and traction control.) Of course, Alexa also has its own... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/31/22360223/alexa-lamborghini-in-car-voice-assistant-huracan-evo

Image: Twitter Twitter is adding stickers to its ephemeral, Snapchat Stories-like Fleets, the social media company announced on Wednesday . Stickers are available for users on both Android and iOS. When you’re making a Fleet, you’ll be able to add stickers by tapping the smiley face icon on the bottom row of your screen. When you do, you’ll see a collection of Twitter-made animated stickers and emoji (the latter of which Twitter calls “Twemoji”). And if you search for something in the search bar at the top of the screen, Twitter will pull up GIFs sourced from Tenor and Facebook-owned Giphy . Your Fleets just got an upgrade. Now you can express yourself in the conversation with stickers. Add GIFs and Twemojis to a Fleet by tapping the icon, on Android... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/31/22361142/twitter-stickers-fleets-gifs-emoji-twemoji-stories

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Ubiquiti, a company whose prosumer-grade routers have become synonymous with security and manageability, is being accused of covering up a “catastrophic” security breach — and after 24 hours of silence, the company has now issued a statement that doesn’t deny any of the whistleblower’s claims. Originally, Ubiquiti emailed its customers about a supposedly minor security breach at a “third party cloud provider” on January 11th, but noted cybersecurity news site KrebsOnSecurity is reporting that the breach was actually far worse than Ubiquiti let on. A whistleblower from the company who spoke to Krebs claimed that Ubiquiti itself was breached, and that the company’s legal team prevented efforts to accurately report the dangers to customers.... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/31/22360409/ubiquiti-networking-data-breach-response-whistleblower-cybersecurity-incident

Image: Yekaterina Lisina / Photography by nikolayshlykov Resident Evil Village is coming on May 7th , but if you have been keeping up with the news surrounding the game, you may have heard about Lady Dimitrescu, a very tall woman who has become very popular on the internet . There have been a few cosplayers who’ve attempted to re-create the iconic villain, but the most recent cosplay from Yekaterina Lisina is arguably the best yet. Lisina, a former Olympian-turned-model , recently shared some content on Instagram of her cosplaying Lady Dimitrescu, even going so far as to re-create a parody of one of the trailers for the game. But don’t take my word for it, just check out the video she shared on her Instagram page: View this post on Instagram A post shared by... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/tldr/2021/3/31/22360065/resident-evil-village-yekaterina-lisina-dimitrescu-cosplay

Microsoft is bringing 16 original Xbox and Xbox 360 games to the company’s Xbox Cloud Gaming (xCloud) service today. Titles like Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind , the original Banjo-Kazooie , and Fallout: New Vegas are all now available to stream to Android devices. Microsoft is also enabling touch controls for Jetpac Refuelled , Viva Pinata , and Viva Pinata TIP . The 16 games will be available to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members and streamable to Android phones and tablets. “We’ve listened to the feedback, going all the way back to our earliest cloud gaming preview, and making games from previous generations available on mobile devices has been one of the most requested features by the community,” says Microsoft . Microsoft is also still... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/31/22360211/microsoft-xbox-360-xcloud-backward-compatible-games

Pepperjam’s experience with the new Journey Acceleration Measurement solution from Madison Logic Please visit Marketing Land for the full article. Via Marketing Land - Internet Marketing News, Strategies & Tips https://ift.tt/2uxGgu1

Photo by Anna Kooris / Sundance Institute Social media has produced plenty of stories that have a ring of truth but are packed with ridiculous twists that seem way too good to be true. Thus it was with #TheStory, a 148-part Twitter thread by Aziah “Zola” Wells King — except her thread turned out to be a relatively true recounting of two women on a nightmare Florida road trip. Last year at the Sundance Film Festival, director Janicza Bravo turned that thread into a film that dramatizes the story without losing Zola’s sardonic charm. A24 is now releasing Zola in theaters this summer, and the first trailer was released online today. It’s a pretty good encapsulation of the movie, starring Taylour Paige as the semi-fictionalized A’Ziah King and Riley Keough as her volatile frenemy... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/31/22360045/zola-a24-trailer-taylour-paige-riley-keough-janicza-bravo

Illustration by William Joel / The Verge Due to a ‘technical issue’ Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/31/22358723/facebook-creators-video-revenue-estimate-tool-pages

Plus, is it martech or technology for marketing? Please visit Marketing Land for the full article. Via Marketing Land - Internet Marketing News, Strategies & Tips https://ift.tt/2uxGgu1

Photo illustration by William Joel / The Verge The rise of assaults on the elderly, captured on security camera footage, raises questions about policing and what really keeps people safe Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/22359080/anti-asian-racism-attacks-surveillance-policing

As it promised, Nintendo will pull Super Mario 3D All-Stars , the Switch compilation featuring Super Mario 64 , Super Mario Sunshine , and Super Mario Galaxy , from shelves at the end of the day — both digital and physical. This final day in March 2021 is your last chance to get the game digitally on your Nintendo Switch, and it could be the last day you’ll be able to find it in cartridge form (that is, without spending more than the retail asking price of $60). If you already got the game or are fine without it, scroll on. But if you’ve even considered picking it up to play in the future, you might as well take the plunge today. There are other pressing deals to share with you, including Nintendo’s Game & Watch handheld console that... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/good-deals/2021/3/31/22359943/nintendo-switch-super-mario-3d-all-stars-game-watch-half-life-alyx-vr-deal-sale

The Crew Dragon capsule poised to fly four civilian astronauts to space this year is getting an upgrade: a glass dome will be added at the top to give space tourists a 360-degree view of the cosmos. Plans for the window were announced on Tuesday as SpaceX and the team managing the tourist mission, Inspiration4, revealed the full crew for the upcoming expedition. The glass dome-shaped window replaces Crew Dragon’s docking adapter at its nose since the spacecraft won’t be docking to the International Space Station. It’s similar to the famed cupola aboard the International Space Station, but Crew Dragon’s appears to be an uninterrupted sheet of glass, with no support structures dividing the window’s view. Probably most “in space” you... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/31/22358313/spacex-crew-dragon-glass-dome-window-space-tourists

Hello Games is releasing a major update for No Man’s Sky today. Called “Expeditions,” it adds seasonal events to the game in which players begin from the same planet and set off on a plotted journey. The developer released a short trailer alongside the news today. Each expedition is themed and is intended to bring the game’s community together in a shared adventure. As players progress, they’ll earn exclusive rewards for their troubles, including parts and ship designs. The update will also include quality-of-life fixes to UI, combat, and more. Hello Games has continued to update the game extensively since its release in 2016. This year marks No Man’s Sky ’s fifth anniversary; the developer has said previously it has more content in... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/31/22358926/no-mans-sky-expeditions-update-hello-games

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge The Pfizer / BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is highly effective in 12- to 15-year-olds, the companies announced today in a press release. None of the children who received the vaccine in a clinical trial developed COVID-19, and they all developed strong antibody responses. There were no serious side effects. The study included 2,260 participants. Around half received the two-dose vaccine, and the other half received placebo injections. There were 18 cases of COVID-19 found in the placebo group and none in the vaccine group. Based on the study, the vaccine was 100 percent effective in this age group. The study was small, though, so it’s difficult to say if that number will hold up in a larger group. “But obviously, it looks good for the... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/31/22359883/covid-vaccine-pfizer-adolescents-effective

Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge The legislation disappeared before a scheduled vote last week, and now it’s likely done for the year Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/31/22357121/arizona-hb2005-app-store-bill-dead-apple-google-big-tech-lobbying

A selection of the new mixes Spotify will generate for you. | Image: Spotify Spotify Mixes are a new family of personalized playlists populated with songs you already like and then supplemented with additional songs Spotify thinks you’ll like, based upon your favorite artists, genres, or music decades. The new Mixes are rolling out globally starting today for both free and premium Spotify subscribers. The music streaming service already offers a similar feature in the form of Daily Mixes, which appear in the same “Made for You” section. However, the problem with Daily Mixes is that it can be a little hard to work out the unifying theme of each playlist based on their vague names like “Daily Mix 1” and “Daily Mix 2.” Sometimes you can work it out from the included songs, but other times it can be more mysterious.... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/31/22359859/spotify-artist-genre-decade-mixes-auto-generation-personalized-music-recommendations

The ‘Hey, Google’ logo appears above the front wheel arches of the new Fiat 500 vehicles | Image: Google / Fiat As vehicles are increasingly defined by their digital features, tech companies are seeking out ever-closer partnerships with carmakers. A new collaboration between Google and Fiat, though, is the most extreme we’ve seen yet. Three new special edition Fiat 500s — the Fiat 500, 500X crossover, and 500L MPV — have been branded with Google livery that extends from using the tech giant’s corporate colors in the cars’ seat upholstery to placing “Hey Google” badges above their front wheel arches. Having this sort of branding inside a car is not unusual, but this is the first time we’ve seen a tech company’s logo appear on a vehicle’s exterior . A press release from the Italian automaker (translated by Google, of course) boasts that the vehicles... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/31/22359851/fiat-500-hey-google-car-500x-500l-branding

Microsoft has started testing a new version of its Edge browser on Xbox consoles. The software giant provided access to the Chromium version of Edge to Xbox Insiders earlier this month , offering an early look at the improved browsing capabilities coming to the Xbox One and Xbox Series X / S. I’ve had a chance to try out this early version over the past few days, and I’ve been able to test Discord, Stadia, and other web services running inside Edge on the Xbox. It’s like having the full version of Edge from PC running on your TV. The Xbox version of Edge looks almost identical to the one you can find on PC or Mac right now. It even includes features like vertical tabs and Collections. Like Edge on PC and mobile, the Xbox version also... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/31/22359838/microsoft-xbox-new-edge-browser-stadia-discord-support-features

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Huawei has released its annual report and financial information for 2020, demonstrating the effect that US sanctions had on its business last year. The report shows that while revenue from North America and Europe has fallen significantly, stronger performance in China has allowed the company to record higher sales and net profit than a year ago. Huawei doesn’t report traditional quarterly earnings, since it’s a private company with an unusual employee ownership structure. Its annual reports tend to be the best look at how it’s actually performing. The company’s revenue for 2020 was 891.4 billion yuan, a 3.8-percent increase on 2019. Net profit was up 3.2 percent to 64.6 billion yuan. 66 percent of Huawei’s sales were in China last... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/31/22359784/huawei-2020-annual-report-earnings-us-sanctions

Image: Facebook Facebook is introducing a handful of new features that will give users greater control over their News Feed, including an easier way to turn off the feed’s algorithmic ranking and display content in the order it was posted instead. The changes build on previous tweaks to News Feed functionality. Last October, Facebook introduced a “ Favorites ” tool that allows users to select up to thirty friends and pages, prioritizing their content or displaying it in a separate feed. The company also offers users the option to sort their feeds by “ most recent ,” but buries these options in obscure menus. Facebook is now making these “Favorites” and “Recent” filters much more prominent, putting them right at the top of the News Feed as separate tabs... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/31/22359782/facebook-news-feed-turn-off-algorithmic-ranking-favorites-most-recent-filter-bar

Photo Illustration by Grayson Blackmon / The Verge Facebook’s VP of global affairs on the platform’s new changes, with Casey Newton Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/31/22359026/facebook-nick-clegg-newsfeed-medium-decoder

Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images President Biden plans to announce a sweeping infrastructure plan Wednesday that includes $100 billion to connect every American to high-speed broadband internet over the next eight years. Biden is scheduled to unveil his $2 trillion “American Jobs Plan” in Pittsburgh later on Wednesday. The long-awaited infrastructure and jobs package contains funding for broadband expansion, semiconductor manufacturing, and slew of other interests like public transportation and helping consumers purchase electric vehicles. On a call with reporters Tuesday, an administration official said that the package would be paid for by changes to the corporate tax rate. Biden’s $100 billion figure for broadband expansion trumps most other efforts Biden’s $100... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/31/22359496/biden-american-jobs-package-broadband-semiconductors-electric-vehicles

Google Meet. | Image: Google Google will not introduce a 60 minute call limit on free Google Meet users at the end of March, the company announced in a tweet . Instead, it will now be begin on June 30th. Until then, anyone using the service’s free version will be able to host calls up to 24 hours in length, which Google refers to as “unlimited.” This is the second time Google has pushed back the introduction of call limits since opening up the service to free users last April . A 60 minute limit had originally been due to come into effect at the end of September , but that deadline was later pushed back to March when it became clear that many of us wouldn’t be able to celebrate the holidays in person with our loved ones. We’re continuing unlimited #GoogleMeet calls... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/31/22359774/google-meet-unlimited-calls-free-users-june-30-60-minute-limit

Photo by Lorenzo Di Cola/NurPhoto via Getty Images It feels like just about every big tech company is working on a Clubhouse-like social audio feature — Twitter’s Spaces feature is rolling out now , Facebook is reportedly building one , Spotify is making one , Mark Cuban has one , even Slack is getting in the game . But now, the idea of the shared audio space, which started on Clubhouse largely as an exclusive club for tech venture capitalists and elites, has come full circle. Professional social network LinkedIn is working on an audio networking feature of its own, the company confirmed to TechCrunch . “We’re doing some early tests to create a unique audio experience connected to your professional identity,” LinkedIn said in a statement to TechCrunch . “And, we’re looking at how we can bring... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/30/22359332/linkedin-clubhouse-clone-social-audio-networking-room

Photo by Walid Berrazeg/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images The ongoing global shortage for electronic components continues, and Foxconn — which handles manufacturing for Apple, among other major tech heavyweights — has announced that it’s starting to see the impact of shortages. According to Young Liu, Foxconn’s CEO, the company won’t be able to fulfill some of its orders due to those shortages, which he expects will last until at least the second quarter of next year, Nikkei reports . “The [supply in the] first two months of this quarter was still ok, as our clients are all very big, but we started to see changes happening this month,” Liu reportedly told investors during the company’s latest earnings call. The impact of the shortages isn’t expected to be large, at least for now: Liu expects... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/30/22358256/apple-supplier-foxconn-parts-shortages-chips-2022

The first generation Snap Spectacles. Snap, the company behind Snapchat, is planning to continue its push into hardware devices with a new pair of augmented-reality glasses and a drone, according to a report by The Information . The Spectacles will reportedly include displays so the wearer can see the AR effects without having to use their phone — a feature that was notably missing from the all the Spectacles that came before. One of The Information ’s sources says that the new Spectacles will be meant for developers and creators, rather than consumers — though you could probably argue that, at $380, the Spectacles 3 are already mostly limited to that market as well. As the article points out, though, the intention is likely to have the developers make lenses and experiences... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/30/22359117/snap-inc-snapchat-spectacles-4-drone-developers-creators

Volvo is partnering with self-driving startup Aurora on a new lineup of fully autonomous semi trucks, the companies announced. The trucks will be deployed in North America on highly frequented hub-to-hub routes. The deal between Volvo Autonomous Solutions and Aurora — which was founded by former executives from Google, Tesla, and Uber — is a “long-term partnership spanning several years,” the companies said. “long-term partnership spanning several years” It’s also the latest partnership between a major OEM (original equipment manufacturer) and an autonomous technology startup, as the industry continues to slowly inch toward a future with more fully driverless passenger vehicles and trucks on the road. Aurora has been testing its... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/30/22358005/volvo-aurora-autonomous-truck-partnership

One of the last visuals from SpaceX’s SN11 before it exploded. | SpaceX Another Starship prototype exploded Tuesday morning during an attempt to nail a tricky landing technique at SpaceX’s test launch facilities in Texas. The landing attempt followed a clean liftoff and a demonstration of the rocket’s autonomous in-flight maneuvers, marking SpaceX’s fourth high-altitude flight since December. The SN11 rocket launched at 9AM ET in foggy weather at SpaceX’s Boca Chica, Texas facilities, soaring roughly 6.2 miles to test the rocket’s three Raptor engines and a number of in-flight maneuvers that steer it back to land. As SN11 neared peak altitude, the engines gradually shut down to begin its free-fall back toward the ground before executing a “landing burn” — when one Raptor reignites to carry the rocket gently... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/30/22358060/spacex-starship-prototype-fail-landing-texas

Apple just announced that its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) will take place on June 7th through June 11th this year, and that like last year it will be an online-only event. The announcement, as is typical for Apple, is opaque when it comes to details, but there might be a tantalizing hint: is the memoji character’s glasses simply showing a reflection from their laptop? Or could Apple finally be gearing up to announce its long-rumored VR headset or AR glasses? “We are working to make WWDC21 our biggest and best yet, and are excited to offer Apple developers new tools to support them as they create apps that change the way we live, work, and play,” said Susan Prescott, Apple’s vice president of worldwide developer relations,... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/30/22320961/apple-wwdc-2021-event-date-software-updates-ios-ipados-macos

Germany’s Lilium will be the latest electric aviation startup to go public via a reverse merger with a special acquisition company, or SPAC. Lilium will merge with Qell Acquisition, a SPAC founded by former General Motors executive Barry Engle. The newly formed company will list on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol “LILM.” As part of the announcement, Lilium unveiled a new, seven-seat electric aircraft that it says will launch as part of an inter-city flying taxi service in 2025. Previously, the company’s prototype was said to have only five seats — so we can assume that Lilium’s ambitions to ferry more passengers are growing along with its financial expectations. It’s the latest deal involving an electric vertical takeoff and landing... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/30/22358027/lilium-flying-taxi-evtol-spac-electric-aviation-gm-engle

Photo Illustration by Grayson Blackmon / The Verge The resale app’s co-founder on stitching e-commerce with social media Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/30/22356854/poshmark-retail-future-tracy-sun-community

Illustration by Grayson Blackmon / The Verge | Video: NBA Top Shot Top Shot is playing the long game in the NFT craze Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/22348858/nba-nft-top-shot-dapper-labs

Pokémon Go developer Niantic has unveiled Codename: Urban Legends , which it describes as “a multiplayer demo experience that offers a glimpse into the future of AR and 5G networks.” The game revolves around casting magic spells to kill monsters and rescue allies. It’s similar to Niantic’s previously released games, but the trailer includes a unique feature: multiple players interacting with the same augmented reality creatures from their own phones. Niantic says it’s just a demo at the moment and not for general consumer use. It’s an exciting shift from Niantic’s previously released games like Pokémon Go , and the company says this is largely thanks to 5G . Although its games have had multiplayer elements, for the most part each player... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/30/22356526/codename-urban-legends-5g-augmented-reality-niantic-pokemon-go

Netflix’s headquarters located on Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood, California. | Photo by Netflix via Getty Images Netflix set out goals today to limit the damage the company does to the climate. By the end of 2022, it wants to reach “net zero” greenhouse gas emissions. That means it plans to reduce some of its emissions and find ways to offset or capture the rest. By 2030, Netflix says it plans to cut emissions from its operations and electricity use by 45 percent. That goal roughly lines up with research from leading climate scientists, who have found that greenhouse gas emissions need to fall by about 45 percent globally this decade. But Netflix will eventually need to ramp up efforts to prevent pollution generated by producing and streaming its movies and TV shows. A strategy with a checkered history To meet its deadline next year, the company... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/30/22353098/netflix-greenhouse-gas-emissions-climate-change-goals

Photo by Michele Doying / The Verge Spotify has invested heavily in prerecorded podcast content, and now, the company is looking to host live audio conversations. The platform announced today that it’s acquiring Betty Labs, the company behind the live sports audio app Locker Room. Spotify didn’t disclose how much it spent on the purchase. As a result of the acquisition, Locker Room will temporarily be removed from the App Store and will relaunch in the future on both iOS and Android under a different name and with a broader focus on music, culture, and sports content. Spotify says it sees live audio as ideal for creators who want to connect with audiences in real time, whether that’s to premiere an album, host a question and answer session, or possibly even perform. G... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/30/22356993/spotify-locker-room-clubhouse-launch-acquisition

Audacy Entercom, a company mostly associated with its hundreds of US radio stations, is losing its old name in an effort to signify its broader interest and investments in audio — specifically, podcasts. Today, Entercom becomes Audacy. The company, which owns podcast networks Cadence13 and Pineapple Street Studios, as well as ad network Podcorn, is looking to keep expanding its work in the digital audio space. Along with the rebrand, the company is announcing a new podcast partnership with Demi Lovato; a partnership with BetMGM to create content around sports betting; and a plan to exclusively debut new, original shows on its Audacy listening app (previously the Radio.com app). “We’ve come to this point where we are really fundamentally... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/30/22356598/entercom-audacy-podcast-network-radio-rebrand

The new Nest Hub is just as good at being a digital photo frame as before, but it’s slow for everything else Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/22357214/google-nest-hub-2nd-gen-2021-assistant-smart-display-review

Xiaomi’s new logo (left) and old logo (right). | Image: Xiaomi / The Verge No one in the world does corporate pomposity quite like tech firms, and Chinese mobile giant Xiaomi is no exception. The company announced its new foldable Mi Mix Fold today , but it also revealed a new logo, spending more than 20 minutes describing the process in which it turned its old square design into... a squircle. (Halfway between a square and a circle.) Xiaomi says the new logo has a new “internal spirit,” too In fairness to Xiaomi, the company is not blind to the fact its new logo is pretty similar in appearance to the old one. “Are you disappointed at this logo, that we just made our original logo rounder?” asked Xiaomi’s CEO Lei Jun, somewhat rhetorically. No worry, Lei explained, as the company “didn’t just change the shape... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/tech/2021/3/30/22358033/xiaomi-new-logo-design-square-round

Lyft and Motional have selected the Hyundai Ioniq 5 for their forthcoming autonomous ride-hailing service. Motional, which is a joint venture between Aptiv and Hyundai, said the Ioniq 5 was chosen because it represents a “convergence of mobility’s two most transformative technologies — electrification and autonomy.” Motional hasn’t said how many vehicles it would acquire, nor where it will eventually deploy them for its robotaxi service. The company is currently testing its fleet of Chrysler Pacifica minivans in Las Vegas, where it is also running an autonomous ride-hailing service with Lyft. The Ioniq 5 was first unveiled by Hyundai last month , and won’t go on sale until later this year. Also, the vehicle won’t hit public roads as part... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/30/22357224/motional-hyundai-ioniq-5-lyft-ev-robotaxi

Bang & Olufsen Bang & Olufsen has announced Beoplay Portal, its first wireless gaming headset. The product maintains the company’s signature sophisticated look, and it has more features than your average headset. These were created with the Xbox ecosystem in mind, and with a push of its pairing button, they can connect to the Series X, Series S, Xbox One, or to a PC that has the Xbox Wireless adapter plugged into it. Additionally, they support a concurrent connection via Bluetooth 5.1 for other devices (including other consoles if you supply the Bluetooth adapter). This way, you can take calls without totally detaching from game audio. Similar to the Bose QC35 gaming headset that released last year, the Beoplay Portal look like high-end wireless... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/30/22356352/bang-olufsen-beoplay-portal-gaming-headset-features-price

VSS Imagine | Virgin Galactic Richard Branson’s space tourism firm Virgin Galactic is unveiling a new space plane dubbed VSS Imagine on Tuesday, the first SpaceShip III addition to the company’s growing fleet of suborbital vehicles. It’s a shiny, chrome-colored ship designed for quicker reuse than SpaceShipTwo, the current centerpiece of the company’s effort to kickstart its space tourism business in 2022. “Imagine will be the first of our SpaceShip III’s to come join the fleet,” Virgin Galactic CEO Michael Colglazier tells The Verge. “It will be followed up by Inspire, which we’re pivoting our manufacturing now.” Functionally, SpaceShip III is the same as the company’s SpaceShipTwo, dubbed VSS Unity . But SpaceShip III is designed in a “modular fashion” that will... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/30/22356889/virgin-galactic-unveils-new-spaceship-iii-three-3

Photo by Andrew Hawkins / The Verge Autonomous shuttle startup Optimus Ride and power sports vehicle manufacturer Polaris are teaming up to co-develop a new lineup of vehicles that will be low-speed, electric, and self-driving. These low-speed vehicles (LSV) will be equipped with Optimus Ride’s full stack of sensors and software to enable “fully autonomous” driving without a safety driver behind the wheel — though the vehicles will also be monitored remotely by a team of engineers who can offer suggestions to the vehicle when things go wrong. The vehicles, which can seat six, will be deployed as a last-mile transportation service in residential communities, corporate and academic campuses, and other “localized environments,” as both a fixed-route shuttle and a more... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/30/22356398/polaris-optimus-ride-av-ev-lsv-shuttle-announce

Image: PayPal We already knew that PayPal was planning to support cryptocurrencies as a form of payment. And now, the online payment app announced US customers can do just that with its “Checkout with Crypto” feature, rolling out today. After rolling out the ability for US users to directly buy and sell cryptocurrency directly from their accounts last November, PayPal’s new “Checkout with Crypto” allows users to instantly convert their Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, or Bitcoin Cash to US dollars (with no additional transaction fees) that PayPal then uses to complete the transaction. If a merchant doesn’t take US dollars, PayPal also converts those dollars into local currency at standard conversion rates set by PayPal. PayPal will... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/30/22357246/paypal-buy-with-bitcoin-litecoin-ethereum-crypto-checkout

Images: Lexus Lexus’ next generation looks a lot like what we have now Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/30/22357789/lexus-lf-z-electrified-concept-car-ev-toyota-electric

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Google is announcing a bunch of new features planned for Google Maps, including a new tool to help with indoor navigation and suggestions for eco-friendly driving routes. The features announced today aren’t rolling out all at once, though; many aren’t available just yet, and it’s unclear when some will be available in some parts of the world. One of the biggest announcements is that Google is bringing its Live View augmented reality directions to airports, transit stations, and malls. Live View directions let you hold your phone up, point your camera at the world around you, and see arrows and icons pointing you where you need to go, and previously, they only worked outdoors. Disappointingly, though, these indoor AR directions aren’t... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/30/22357528/google-maps-directions-indoor-ar-live-view-fuel-efficient-weather-air-quality-layer

Images: Kia The first of a new wave of Kia (and Hyundai) electrics Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/30/22357654/kia-ev6-revealed-specs-photos-electric-car-release-date