Google's billion-dollar deal to acquire a part of HTC (along with a non-exclusive license for its intellectual property) is done. The two companies announced its completion tonight, and the details appear to be the same as originally announced. While the team behind the Pixel phones is joining Google, HTC says it will continue to make its own-brand mobile device while using its Vive products to compete in VR as well as innovating in AI, AR and IoT technology.
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Google completes its $1.1 billion HTC deal http://ift.tt/2DM5wTD Gadget News via Engadget http://www.engadget.com January 30, 2018 at 12:18AM
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Apple Pay accepted at 1 out of 2 U.S. stores, says Apple VP Jennifer Bailey http://ift.tt/2DLS5Py Speaking at NRF 2018 Retail's Big Show in New York earlier this month, Apple Pay VP Jennifer Bailey presented a speech detailing how iPhone changed the retail landscape, and outlined the tech company's ongoing efforts in the mobile payment marketplace. Gadget News via AppleInsider - Frontpage News http://appleinsider.com January 30, 2018 at 12:16AM Uber Drivers Told How to Spot Traffickers in Their Cabs http://ift.tt/2DJBCvd Gadget News via gadgets - Google News http://ift.tt/2zdEA80 January 29, 2018 at 11:52PM Pentagon Reviewing Security After Fitness Apps Show Locations http://ift.tt/2GtzsBz Gadget News via gadgets - Google News http://ift.tt/2zdEA80 January 29, 2018 at 11:52PM Facebook News Feed to Prioritise Local News http://ift.tt/2Gw9bCW Gadget News via gadgets - Google News http://ift.tt/2zdEA80 January 29, 2018 at 11:52PM
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Waymo strikes a deal to buy ‘thousands’ more self-driving minivans from Fiat Chrysler http://ift.tt/2nleA7D Waymo, the self-driving unit of Google parent Alphabet, has reached a deal with one of Detroit’s Big Three automakers to dramatically expand its fleet of autonomous vehicles. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles announced today that it would supply “thousands” of additional Chrysler Pacifica minivans to Waymo, with the first deliveries starting at the end of 2018. Neither Waymo nor FCA would disclose the specific number of vehicles that were bought, nor the amount of money that was trading hands. The manufacturer’s suggested retail price for the 2018 Chrysler Pacifica hybrid minivan starts at $39,995. A thousand minivans would cost $40 million, so this was at the very least an eight-figure deal. Waymo currently has 600 of FCA’s minivans in its fleet, some of which are used to shuttle real people around for its Early Rider program in Arizona. The first 100 were delivered when the partnership was announced in May 2016, and an additional 500 were delivered in 2017. The minivans are plug-in hybrid variants with Waymo’s self-driving hardware and software built in. The companies co-staff a facility in Michigan, near FCA’s US headquarters, to engineer the vehicles. The company also owns a fleet of self-driving Lexus RX SUVs that is has been phasing out in favor of the new minivans. (The cute “Firefly” prototypes were also phased out last year.) The partnership is non-exclusive, but its a sign that both Waymo and FCA are happy enough to continue working with each other. The Pacifica satisfies Waymo’s need for a vehicle that can be used to move a good number of people at once. (The Pacifica can hold up to 8 passengers.) And FCA gets to look good standing next to one of the world’s biggest tech giants with some of the best self-driving technology around. FCA is also a member of a self-driving technology partnership with BMW, Intel, and Mobileye. “In order to move quickly and efficiently in autonomy, it is essential to partner with like-minded technology leaders,” said the automaker’s CEO Sergio Marchionne in a statement. “Our partnership with Waymo continues to grow and strengthen; this represents the latest sign of our commitment to this technology.” (Of course, the famously quotable Marchionne paints a more realistic portrait in his IRL interviews. For example, he told Bloomberg a few weeks ago, “This business has never been for the fainthearted. The technology changes that are coming are going to make it probably more challenging than it’s ever been.”) Waymo’s self-driving Pacifica minivans have been tested in 25 cities in the US (most of which are in California) and are currently on the road in five main cities: Atlanta, San Francisco, Detroit, Phoenix, and Kirkland, Washington. Last November, Waymo began test-driving its minivans on public roads in Phoenix without a driver at the wheel. And it has said that it will begin offering rides to members of its Early Rider program in its “fully driverless” minivans in the months ahead. Gadget News via The Verge http://ift.tt/1jLudMg January 29, 2018 at 11:06PM
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Volvo's first EV will be a hatchback shooting for 310-mile range http://ift.tt/2EoXxZC In May 2016, when Volvo showed off the concept that previewed the XC40, it also unveiled a hatchback sedan called Concept 40.2. Later in the year, it announced it would electrify every model and introduce full EVs. Now, a report from Autocar claims that Volvo's first all-electric vehicle will be a standalone model based on Concept 40.2, and will arrive in 2019. The car, which will use Volvo's Compact Modular Architecture (CMA) platform, will also borrow the 40-series nomenclature. Volvo R&D head Henrik Green told Autocar that the new EV will have a target range of about 310 miles, considerably more than the concept's 217-mile driving range. "It feels like every month we are updating the requirement," said Green, "trying to add new competitive edges to the car because the technology is moving so fast now on a lot of areas, so it's much more of a moving target." Source: Autocar Gadget News via Engadget http://www.engadget.com January 29, 2018 at 11:00PM
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Experimental tools make Google's VR art app easier to use http://ift.tt/2Gu4Pfv When Google launched its VR drawing app Blocks, the tech titan said it's simple enough that even those with no prior 3D modeling experience can use it. Now, the big G has rolled out new features that apparently make the app "even easier to use." To start with, you can now pick between four environments if you're tired of making 3D models with a virtual desert in the background. You can choose to go with a plain black or a plain white environment, but you can also go for the night version of the desert background if the original one is too bright for you. Google has also refined Blocks' ability to "snap" objects together, as the "behavior was often unpredictable or difficult to control." In addition, the app now gives you access to the prototype versions of its most-asked-for features -- simply click the beaker icon at the bottom of the menu. Under the new "Labs" section, you'll find the early (probably somewhat buggy) versions of tools that will allow you to delete a single edge, face or vertex and to enable grids across the environment so you can measure every piece you create. One of the tools activates rulers when you insert a new object, showing you its precise size, and there's also one that allows you to undo actions on multiple objects. In its announcement, Google linked to three creations -- a retro roller blade, a Google VR 360 camera and even a 3D old-timey photo -- showing what the app can do in capable hands. While these new features won't magically enable you to create something similar if all you're able to make are simple VR objects, they're now available for download from Steam and the Oculus Store. Source: Google Gadget News via Engadget http://www.engadget.com January 29, 2018 at 10:48PM
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Netflix renews ‘Fuller House’ for fourth season http://ift.tt/2FrUXS4 Netflix may be have ushered in the era of streaming, but it is not a completely benevolent savior. Though Netflix does giveth, it also cancels away the underperforming. So the throwback sequel series Fuller House must be doing something right, because the streaming company just renewed it for a fourth season. Viewers can look forward to the whole adult gang (Danny, Joey, Jesse and Rebecca) moving back to San Francisco to be there for Kimmy's pregnancy. (Spoilers?) No word yet on when the fourth season will be added, so stay tuned. Via: Deadline Source: TVLine Gadget News via Engadget http://www.engadget.com January 29, 2018 at 09:48PM HP exec talks about company's target PC audience for 2018 http://ift.tt/2niao8T Gadget News via gadgets - Google News http://ift.tt/2zdEA80 January 29, 2018 at 08:51PM |
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