Volvo plans to sell an autonomous car in 2021, with the Level 4-capable SUV promising to chauffeur snoozing riders at least some of the way to their destination. Highway Assist, as the technology is expected to be branded, will allow a considerable portion of the typical commute to be automated, though it won't be a cheap option.
At the beginning of the month, Amazon unveiled a new streaming device we already knew was in the works: the Fire TV Cube. Among Amazon's streaming lineup, the Fire TV Cube is the generalist device, as it's capable of doing quite a bit. It's available beginning today too, so if you have the cash for it, you can order one and have it here in time for some Sunday binge watching (assuming, of course, that you also have a Prime subscription).
With Google working its way into many different facets of every day life, it can be pretty difficult to keep tabs on all of the data it has on you. Perhaps brought on by controversy that has hit Google's competitors in recent months, such as Facebook's Cambridge Analytica scandal, or the EU's new laws on data privacy and protection, the company is looking to make it easier to access the wealth of information in your Google Account. Among other things, this means a redesigned Account page aimed at ease of navigation.
Conversations with the Google Assistant will involve less "Hey Google" and more chat moving forward, with one of the big features previewed at I/O 2018 arriving on smart speakers today. Continued Conversation allows users to have multi-part interactions with the voice-driven AI, without having to say the "Hey Google" or "Ok Google" trigger each time.
Intel CEO Brian Krzanich has unexpectedly resigned, after it was revealed that he had previously had a relationship with another employee. That relationship, Intel points out, was consensual; however, the chip-maker has a strict "non-fraternization policy" which forbids employees from having romantic relationships.
Apple's AirPower wireless charger could launch in September, sources claim, after the challenge of making a multi-device charging pad proved more of a technical headache than the Cupertino firm expected. The accessory was announced alongside the iPhone X, iPhone 8, and iPhone 8 Plus last year, as Apple finally embraced wireless charging in its smartphone.
If you’re a hardcore, key-mashing typist who must feel the key travel at each and every press, you really don’t have much choice as far as smartphones go. Fortunately, now you have a new choice, depending on the design, specs, and price that you find most convincing. The BlackBerry KEY2 definitely changes the game a bit and BlackBerry’s third Android QWERTY smartphone will finally be available to US buyers in just a few weeks.
Alexa is coming for your living room and, just like the Borg cube that the Amazon Fire TV Cube might remind you of, resistance is futile. Amazon's virtual assistant may not be an entirely new addition to the TV experience, thanks to integrations into early Fire TV adapters and dongles, but the Fire TV Cube ousts buttons completely in favor of end to end voice control.
One of the things that Tesla is most famous for is providing new features and fixes for complaints via over the air updates. The most famous of uses cases for this sort of upgradability was when Tesla sent out a brake update that managed to wow Consumer Reports enough to give the Model 3 its coveted Recommended rating after denying it on initial tests. Tesla has now rolled out another OTA feature that allows the speed to be limited remotely.
Researchers from the University of Tokyo have developed a flying robot meant to be used indoors called DRAGON. That stands for Dual-Rotor embedded multilink Robots of multi-deGree-of-freedom aerial transformation." They really wanted to use that DRAGON name.
The Pikes Peak International Hill climb is going on this weekend and racers from around the world are on the mounting practicing right now. We have talked about the VW I.D. R Pikes Peak racing car before and it has been doing extremely well so far. VW has announced that the I.D. R Pikes Peak has set the fastest time in qualifying.
The year is half over and we’ve mostly seen all that year has to offer as far as smartphones go. Except, of course, for Apple new iPhones and Samsung’s last hurrah for the year. We already took a look at the premium phones that landed in the market in the first few months of the year and was admittedly at a loss for which one came out at the top. This quarter has its own roster with seemingly interesting personalities. Will a winner finally stand out? Let’s take a look.