Author Archives: Chris Davies

Of all the things I expected from the 2021 Rolls-Royce Cullinan Black Badge - an SUV with a near half-million-dollar price tag - a reminder of the value of simplicity was not among them. Launched in 2018, the Cullinan is as luxurious, as excessive, and as attention-grabbing as you'd think, particularly in Black Badge form. Look beyond the glitter, though, and there's something more important there too.

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Google has revealed more details on Wear OS 3, its freshly-named unified smartwatch platform, and we could forgive Android wearable fans for being mightily unimpressed by the news. Announced back in May, the collaboration between Google and Samsung was billed as a way to combine Wear and Tizen into a single OS. Problem is, that sort of big change comes with some big issues, too.

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The birth of a distant, alien moon has been spotted by astronomers, the first time what's still a little-understood phenomenon has been observed. Although moons - like our own - are not rare, actual opportunities to watch as they, and planets, form have proved elusive.

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Alexa Skills may have proved popular for adding new functionality to Amazon's virtual assistant, but the company is aiming to make the chatty smart home tech clever enough that users don't need to go out looking for third-party add-ons. Currently, there are more than 100,000 Alexa Skills - effectively apps for the voice-first assistant - available, and with that comes confusion.

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Mercedes-Benz will go all-electric from 2030, the automaker has announced, revealing an aggressive EV roadmap and insisting that its Vision EQXX capable of 621 miles on a charge is still on track. The commitment comes amid renewed focus on squeezing out internal combustion engines in Europe, as the EU confirms it'll clamp down on CO2 emissions over the next decade.

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Thunderbolt external drives may be fast, but they're not typically sturdy, something OWC aims to change with its new super-durable Envoy Pro SX. On the inside, there's a big chunk of high-speed SSD storage; on the outside, there's a ruggedized case which OWC promises is dust, drop, and water-proofed to IP67.

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Verizon has revealed its own Smart Display, an Alexa-powered screen that packs its own LTE connection as well as WiFi. Built in collaboration with Amazon, it's the first example of a smart home product made with the Amazon Custom Assistant, meaning Verizon Fios customers will be able to ask for specific account details and get service support.

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GMC is on a roll right now, and Denali is a big reason for that. The luxury sub-brand - success elevating it from being anything so pedestrian as a mere trim - has helped make SUVs like the 2021 GMC Yukon XL Denali so popular, dealers can't even get them in through the door before they're already sold.

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NASA's Perseverance may have been on Mars since February, but the rover is only now preparing to take its very first sample of red planet rock. It's taken more than a month of exploration in Jezero Crater, the location NASA selected to land Perseverance for the strongest chance of discovering ancient signs of life, to identify the best candidate spot for a multi-stage sampling process.

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Evernote has launched a new range of plans, with four tiers now including Evernote Free, though some users may find themselves frustrated by what has been left out of their paid subscription. The note-keeping and organization tool is adding Tasks, Calendar integration, better search, and a long-requested Linux beta, in addition to bringing back some previously removed functions.

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Tesla plans to open up its Supercharger network to other automaker's electric vehicles, Elon Musk has confirmed, a huge change in strategy that risks infuriating owners of Tesla cars. The decision to make more broadly available what has, so far, been exclusive to Tesla drivers reflects the significant changes electric automakers face, particularly in the face of new subsidies and incentives.

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Apple's new AirPods are about to go into production, insiders say, though hardcore users of wireless earbuds looking for the most advanced features may still want to wait until 2022. Apple is believed to have at least two different AirPods upgrades in the pipeline, with the entry-level models set to get refreshed first.

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