Amazon's streaming service Twitch will be the home of some NBC Olympics coverage, the network has announced. Following last year's unprecedented cancellation, the Olympics will return this summer with the 2020 Tokyo Games, a 17-day event that will include various safety measures in light of the SARS-CoV-2 virus's continued presence.
As more and more businesses and events are shutting down because of the COVID-19 outbreak, one major question mark has been the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. A lot of planning and money goes into hosting the Olympics - whether its the summer or winter Olympics - so we expected the International Olympic Committee to take its time in making a decision. It seems that such a decision is right around the corner, if one IOC member has it right.
A senior member of the International Olympics Committee spoke this week about the possibility that the 2020 Tokyo Olympics would be cancelled due to novel coronavirus (nCoV-2019). According to Olympics Committee member Dick Pound, there was a 3-month window in which the 2020 Tokyo, Japan-based sports event's fate would be decided. He apparently "did not sound alarmist", but did acknowledge a real possibility that the Tokyo Olympics for 2020 could be affected by nCoV-2019 in one way or another.
Japan is most famous for its sushi, anime, and, of course, robots so it's only natural that those will have a big presence in next year's biggest international sports events. It's also not surprising that Toyota, who has branched its robotics out into the mobility market is playing a big role in mixing the 2020 Olympics and robots. Don't expect giant mechas and Gundams, though, as Toyota's army of non-frightening robots will work to let people experience the event in a unique way, even from afar.
Toyota has introduced its new 'Accessible People Mover,' a shuttle featuring a futuristic design that will transport visitors during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Referred to as the APM, this vehicle was designed specifically for the Olympic Games, offering staff and visitors a last-mile transportation option that'll take riders to venues and events. The vehicle resembles a large, futuristic golf cart.
In a little over a year, Japan will be hosting one of the biggest sporting events in the world. But more than just the technical preparations for the Olympic Games 2020, there's also the promotion of the event. Samsung is part of the latter, having been chosen as one of the partners of the event, and what better way for it to drum up the hype than by selling a very limited edition Galaxy S10+ with the 2020 Olympics logo etched on its back.
Japan has nearly hit its goal for collecting e-waste that will be used to create the 2020 Tokyo Olympics medals, officials have announced. The nation announced plans to make the medals primarily from metal harvested from old smartphones and other gadgets back in early 2017. In its most recent update, officials said that nearly 100% of the needed metals have been collected.
The 2020 Tokyo Olympics will be powered entirely by renewable energy, the organizing committee behind the event has announced. In addition, the organization has committed to using services that will ultimately result in 99-percent of goods from the games being either reused or recycled. Assuming these ambitious goals are fully met, it will be an unprecedented change for the Olympics.
The 2018 Winter Olympics kicked-off in Pyeongchang, South Korea yesterday, and like any Olympics event, it began with a big, flashy opening ceremony. This time around it included a light show performance from Intel that used a record-setting 1,218 drones, all flying in sync to create imagery including the interlocking Olympic rings and sports events like snowboarding.
DJI is making it difficult for drone owners to fly their UAVs during the 2018 Winter Olympics Games. Such drone use is forbidden during the Games, but that's not likely to stop everyone from trying to sneak a couple aerial shots or videos. Though Olympics security officials have their own plans in place to deal with unwanted consumer drones, DJI is planning to release a software update that will put the brakes on usage near the facilities.
Dish Network customers will have access to 4K High Dynamic Range (HDR) coverage of the upcoming Winter Games in South Korea, the company has announced. The NBCUniversal content will be available in Ultra HD quality to anyone with a TV that supports the resolution, as well as HDR for those watching with a television that supports high dynamic range. Overall, Dish customers will get access to 2,400 hours of content.
AT&T has announced its own perk for customers attending the 2018 Winter Olympics: a free International Day Pass starting on February 1 and lasting through March 20. This announcement follows T-Mobile's own Olympics perk announcement during which time it revealed that customers will get free unlimited high-speed data and calls while in South Korea.