Daimler will fight Tesla with ‘at least’ six electric cars

It looks like Daimler’s plans to fight Tesla are even more ambitious than first thought. Reuters sources understand that the German automaker is working on “at least” six electric cars, and might introduce as many as nine. The exact roster isn’t public, but Daimler’s central Mercedes-Benz brand had previously talked about making two sedans and two SUVs. Automobilwoche tipsters claim that the focus will be on crossovers and SUVs, although there would also be compact cars and sedans.

The Reuters scoop also hears that there will be a plug-in hybrid SUV that relies on a hydrogen fuel cell when its 30-mile electric range runs out. That would theoretically give you the added range of a fuel-based car without the environmental impact of gasoline.

You may have to wait a while to see many of these vehicles when the Automobilwoche leak suggests that these EVs might arrive between 2018 and 2024. Having said this, it appears that Daimler has already anticipated the next phase of Tesla’s strategy (as well as those of rivals like Audi). Like its American counterpart, it’s not content to rely on one or two niche models anymore — it knows that electric cars have to pervade its lineup if it wants to thrive.

Source: Reuters

Juno sends back an unfamiliar view of Jupiter’s north pole

When someone mentions the planet Jupiter, you probably think of the image we’re all familiar with: that one with a view of its equator, bands and the Great Red Spot. That’s why the photos above and below the fold might look like an alien world, when in reality, they’re snapshots of the gas giant from a different angle. NASA’s Juno spacecraft captured the planet’s north polar region on cam two hours before its closest approach in late August. It was 120,000 miles away when the JunoCam took these pics, but it got as close as 2,600 miles above Jupiter’s surface. The last time we caught a glimpse of the gas giant’s polar region was back in 1974 when the Pioneer 11 probe passed by.

Besides sending back new images of the planet, Juno has also beamed back radio emissions associated with its dramatic auroras. NASA had to shift the emissions’ audio rendition to a lower register since they’re way above the range our ears can hear. The whole thing still sounds shrill, but if you want to hear Jupiter’s auroras sing, hit play on the video below.

Source: NASA (1), (2)

Play it safe and swap your Note 7 because of the recall

Unless you think you know better than the people who built your Note 7, not getting it replaced is stupid.

I’m seeing a disturbing trend in forums and social media — people are saying they aren’t going to return their recalled Note 7 and get a new one. Don’t be that person.

Some of the reasons I’m seeing for not returning a Note 7 for a new one do make sense on some level. Nobody wants to take the time to set up a new phone, or people are worried that the replacement might not be as “perfect” as the one they are using now. I feel ya. I hate setting up phones and I know getting the perfect piece from a giant mass-produced manufacturing pile can be tricky sometimes. But other things I’m reading have me a little concerned.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 recall: Everything you need to know

“Only (insert you own made-up number here) phones have been found defective” or “I only use a (put the name of your favorite brand here) charger and everyone knows they are safe” and other assorted nonsense not only defies logic but shows how far people will reach to escape the obvious: You need to swap your phone under the recall.

Yes, only a small percentage of the phones that were boxed up and sent to stores or homes have burst. Odds say yours isn’t one of them. Odds also say that sex without birth control won’t necessarily lead to pregnancy, too. Both cases here, as well as countless others, like not wearing a seatbelt because I never had an accident or nobody needs to know Calculus are equally wrong. Some people do need to know Calculus, and some Note 7s are going to explode in a ball of dragon fire.

The same smart people who designed your Note 7 are now advising you to return it for replacement.

There are two things about this situation we know to be true. The only people who know all the details aren’t telling them to us, and that they never will. Put all the speculation and imaginary numbers away for a moment and consider that every Note 7 not made for China uses the same battery. Samsung is concerned enough to recall all of them without being forced to do so by any entity with the power to force companies to do things. If you toss out everything else and consider these two simple things, you’ll realize that you really should return your Note 7 and get a new one.

You have an opportunity to be 100% certain that you have a phone without the issue causing the batteries to blow up. The same smart people who designed the Note 7 are advising you to do just that. Samsung has done an excellent job working with all the businesses around the world selling the Note 7 to make it as painless as possible. Not taking advantage of that is, frankly, pretty damn stupid.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7

• Galaxy Note 7 recall: Everything you need to know
• Samsung Galaxy Note 7 review
• The latest Galaxy Note 7 news!
• Here are all four Note 7 colors
• Complete Galaxy Note 7 specs
• Join the Note 7 discussion in the forums!

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A VR massage chair made me both happy and sad

One of the delights on show here at IFA was Medisana’s VR massage chair, which pairs one of its high end devices with an Oculus Rift. Rather than sitting in a shopping mall and viewing your fellow patrons as a robot paws at your back, you can be transported somewhere more romantic. The VR headset is used to play 180-degree videos of beautiful foreign locations that correspond to a pre-programmed massage routine. The five-minute demo loop that I experienced was moderately relaxing, although I worry about its implications for the future.

As soon as I was seated and the headset strapped to my face, I was asked to pick a language and choose if I wanted to be massaged by a man or a woman. Once my choice was made the video begins, placing me on a beach in Normandy on France’s Atlantic Coast. I’m seated upright, watching and listening to the waves as they crash against the coast. Soon after, the “masseuse” walks into frame and begins to talk, telling me to relax and breathe deeply. Once they finished speaking, they moved behind the camera, waving their hands into frame as a warning that the program is about to kick in.

From there on in, it’s basically the sort of gentle massage that you normally receive if you’ve ever used one of these chairs. Motors kick into action, pushing and pulling your muscles in the hope of wringing out the tension. But instead of the hustle and bustle of IFA, I was watching noisy waves and trying to relax a little during this busy trade show. The system is just a demo for now, but Medisana is hoping to offer this as a product for various businesses and individuals that can afford such gear.

I did ask how much it’d cost to take this platform home right now, and the figure comes to around €4,000 ($4,350). The company is hoping that, should interest be there, to offer a wider variety of VR programs, all developed in-house. In addition, it’s considering building an API that would allow third-parties to produce their own movies and massage routines. That would enable people to bring a smartphone-based VR platform to a public massage chair and enjoy a more tailored routine.

But here’s the thing: as I watched people line up for a go in the VR massage chair, I suddenly felt oddly sad. I think it’s because, fundamentally, it’s another step on the road to a future that the movies told us would be dystopian. Take Total Recall, for instance, in which people too poor to travel on their holidays have artificial memories of vacations implanted into their brains. Rather than being able to enjoy real experiences, we could wind up in a world where the only thing available to us are artificial facsimiles.

But then, on the other hand, given how our precious planet’s resources are being squandered, it makes sense to discourage people to travel unnecessarily. Imagine the thousands of carbon-intensive journeys that future generations of this technology could spare. Even then, it just feels as if we could be led down a road towards a world where we’re encouraged never to travel, or even aspire to travel, in favor of this sort of creation. So long as everyone agrees that VR massage chairs aren’t a substitute for a real trip to Normandy, then I think we’re okay… aren’t we?

We’re live all week from Berlin, Germany, for IFA 2016. Click here to catch up on all the news from the show.

OurMine ‘hack’ bombards Variety readers with email

It’s already irritating when a group of self-proclaimed hackers (really, account takeover pranksters) hijack a website… it’s another when they flood your inbox. The OurMine collective managed to not only compromise Variety’s website through a post of their own on September 3rd, but blast the entertainment site’s email subscribers with messages steering them to a post bragging about the intrusion. As usual, the group doesn’t really explain its motivations. It claims it’s “just testing [Variety’s] security,” but that’s not exactly believable.

Variety has removed the post in question and, as I write this, is fixing the email assault. However, this is only going to increase the pressure to shut down OurMine. You can safely ignore a defaced website or out-of-character Twitter updates, but email is decidedly more intrusive.

Lovely. Looks like @Variety was hacked and now they are sending tons of emails over and over… pic.twitter.com/5dJ43Z2ZuV

— Gerry D (@GerryDales) September 3, 2016

Source: Variety (Twitter), Gerry Dales (Twitter)

Android and chill: Samsung’s nightmare moment

How you handle a product safety issue is important. Samsung handled it right.

Samsung just faced the worst nightmare any type of product design team could have on Friday. They realized that the Note 7 had some sort of flaw, and one that could hurt people, so they’re pulling it off the shelves.

I’m not going to try and hash out all the different theories about why or how many or anything like that. We can either accept what Samsung’s PR tells us and move along or realize that we’ll never know the whole story and move along anyway. Instead, I’m going to talk about reactions.

We’ll start with Samsung. I like to point fingers at Samsung for the stupid things they sometimes do because they are capable of so much better. That can’t be said about the way they handled the Note 7 recall. When numerous reports of Note 7 explosions started creeping in, they could have pointed the finger at someone else or the user, or just ignored them as if they weren’t happening. Instead, it’s obvious that they started looking into the issue right away. And when faced with the horrifying idea that they just sold a couple million products that could hurt people or their property, they acted swiftly and did exactly the right thing — they recalled every single one of them and told everyone they were doing it. I don’t think there’s any better way something like this could be handled.

Not doing the right thing has consequenses. Just ask Toyota.

Of course, part of the reason they acted so quickly is a liability thing. If you or I buy a Note 7 and it goes boom then burns our house down or we lose a finger or something, Samsung will be shelling out the cash to compensate us. If that happens to 10 or 20 or 100 people, it moves from a matter of liability to something that can ruin a company’s image. Remember when we all laughed at Toyota? That’s what can happen when you don’t do the right thing. Samsung did the right thing. GoodGuySamsung,

The flipside is the way the internet of turds tries to turn this into a dick-measuring contest. Thumping your chest and showing everyone that tattoo of your favorite brand of electronics manufacturer because their phones don’t blow up really only makes you look like a jackass. You know who you are. And if this would happen to your favorite smartphone team you should hope they handle it as well as Samsung did. And not just the “other” team is guilty. Stop trying to blame cables or users or Bin Laden’s ghost for the problem and appreciate the way it’s being addressed. Saying it’s the user’s fault is like saying “You’re holding it wrong” and means you’re just as much of an asshole. Just stop, all of you.

Other stuff happened this week, too, because Android stuff happens every week.

• A whole lot of bloggers were in Berlin to look at stuff. IFA is always a crapshoot and you never know how good the stuff is going to look until you see it. This year was no different. We’ll take a closer look at the real jewels, and probably miss one we should have looked it. We’re human. You’ll tell us when we miss one.
• NotNexus happened. Goodbye coolest name for a phone ever. Handling rumors can be hard. We sat on this for ages until we were as sure as we could be, and we are still sitting on a pile of other rumors. In the end, this particular one is fun to talk about, but a name change doesn’t mean much. Especially from Google who isn’t afraid to let go of anything. The other things that could be changing will mean more.
• Acer’s new Chromebook has me interested. The R13 convertible hits a lot of things on my list — touch screen, big enough but not too big, and USB-C 3.1. It has the things it needs to be a good Chromebook that runs Android apps. I’m also interested how the Chrome team deals with Mediatek’s less than stellar track record for security.
• The new Galaxy Gear looks pretty nice. This is going to be one of the best Gear watches that nobody buys. The people who do get one all seem to love them, but nobody has found that one killer feature that makes them necessary. That goes for smartwatches in general. I do hope Samsung keeps trying and finds that feature I didn’t know I couldn’t live without. That’s how the best stuff happens.
• Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 821 is official. We wrote this off earlier in the year as just an 820 improvement. People are still doing it. Now that we know the details, we’re all wrong. Forget 10% faster and know that the 821 supports the very latest advanced graphics APIs, and we know what happens when a chip doesn’t support them. Because one chip maker essentially controls the smartphone market, we just suck it up and buy new things.
• I found out Dan is a coffee lover. Next get-together calls for a Death Wish dark and RedBull cup of freedom.

More cool stuff will happen next week, too. And we’ll be here to talk about it. Adios amigos!