Alphabet - SlashGear

Waymo Jaguar I-Pace delivering 20k self-driving vehicles in the next 2 years

Chris Burns | Mar 27, 2018

Waymo just re-introduced the Jaguar I-Pace SUV, what they call the world's first premium electric self-driving car. Waymo and Jaguar Land Rover are in the mix together on this, bringing this vehicle to the self-driving world of cars - for testing - later this year. With this partnership, in the first 2-years of production, the company will be able to create 20k more vehicles for their self-driving fleet.

Waymo’s early riders are falling asleep in its driverless cars

Chris Davies | Mar 13, 2018

Waymo has shared video of the first experiences of early riders in its self-driving cars, and anybody hoping for horror or white-knuckle excitement will probably find the whole thing fairly anticlimactic. The Alphabet-owned company, spun out of Google's driverless car research, began trials in Arizona last year, but it's only recently that the state has allowed Waymo to do away with the safety driver altogether.

You can ride a Waymo driverless car in this 360-degree video

Chris Davies | Feb 28, 2018

Strap on your VR headsets and prepare to let Waymo take the wheel. Few of us will get to hitch a ride in Waymo's self-driving minivans - at least, not for some time yet - but you can get a taste of how it feels to be chauffeured by a robot with a new Waymo 360-degree experience.

Uber traded a tech audit to lower its Waymo settlement

Chris Davies | Feb 9, 2018

Uber has conceded to allowing an independent audit on its autonomous car technology, it's reported, as part of its lawsuit settlement with Waymo. The two companies reached an agreement to end the lawsuit today, having spent already several days in court. Uber will avoid a jury verdict as a result, but there were apparently fierce wranglings over just what the ride-sharing firm was willing to allow.

Uber v. Waymo driverless car case ends in settlement

Chris Davies | Feb 9, 2018

Uber v. Waymo has been settled, with Uber ending its autonomous car rival's lawsuit by coughing up an equity stake as mea culpa. The case had already begun to be heard in court this week, with Alphabet-owned Waymo alleging that Uber had misappropriated driverless car tech secrets when it brought a former Google engineer onboard to lead its autonomous vehicle team.

Waymo v. Uber trial opens and the sparks are already flying

Chris Davies | Feb 5, 2018

"Uber is cheating" is the simple reason Waymo has spent the past twelve months suing its autonomous car rival, Waymo lawyer Charles Verhoevan told the court as the much-anticipated case ends day one in California. Alphabet-owned Waymo, the self-driving car company spun out of Google's X moonshot division, filed suit against ride-sharing firm Uber in February 2017. Today, its legal team had its first moment in the courtroom.

Alphabet’s X just birthed Chronicle, and it wants to fix cybersecurity

Brittany A. Roston | Jan 24, 2018

Alphabet has announced the launch of a new independent security business called Chronicle. The business arose in Alphabet's "moonshot factory" X, the same one responsible for Project Loon and its Internet balloons. Chronicle is composed of two parts, ultimately helping companies deal with cyberattacks before they become an issue. The business is said to be "inspired by Google's own security techniques."

Google could turn the next Pixel’s touchscreen into a speaker

Chris Davies | Jan 11, 2018

Google has snapped up the tech to make full-screen smartphones without an iPhone X style notch, using the touchscreen itself as a speaker. As phone manufacturers hunt ways to make even greater percentages of the front of their devices display, the trend has forced some creative thinking around how to accommodate the other components that would traditionally be found in the bezels.

Alphabet Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt just stepped down

Chris Burns | Dec 21, 2017

Eric Schmidt just stepped down as executive chairman of Alphabet after 17 years of service to the company. These 17 years of service were to Google, which was what Alphabet is now. Schmidt will continue to roll with the company in a different role: Technical Advisor. "Larry, Sergey, Sundar and I all believe that the time is right in Alphabet’s evolution for this transition," said Schmidt. "The Alphabet structure is working well, and Google and the Other Bets are thriving."

YouTube Remix on-demand music Spotify rival leaks

Chris Davies | Dec 8, 2017

YouTube is preparing to make yet another attempt at getting music fans to pay for streaming, with a new service in the works to try to coax better revenues from the video site. The company has made several attempts over the past 5-6 years to better monetize its content, most recently focusing on videos - including music, but not limited to that - which it offers ad-free to subscribers of YouTube Red.

Waymo driverless taxis in pipeline as safety driver ditched

Chris Davies | Nov 7, 2017

Waymo is beginning completely driver-free testing of its autonomous cars, removing the safety human ahead of a new Waymo driverless service launching. The company announced the move today, after more than eight years of trials on public roads. Until now, those trials have always seen a backup driver ready to take over at the wheel, should something go awry.

Alphabet sends Sidewalk to Toronto to build a smart neighborhood

Chris Burns | Oct 25, 2017

Alphabet's own Sidewalk Labs responded to a request for proposals from Waterfront Toronto, Canada, for innovation and funding partners for Eastern Waterfront. After a "rigorous evaluation process," leadership at Waterfront Toronto selected Sidewalk Labs to develop the area known as Quayside. Now Alphabet's company will begin to create a neighborhood of their own.