Hyperloop One shows how its first routes could work
Hyperloop One’s plans for super-fast tube transportation are shaping up. The company, partnering with the city of Dubai, has introduced a concept that illustrates how an autonomous Hyperloop system would work in the United Arab Emirates alongside existing infrastructure. There would be several Portals (read: stations) strung across Dubai proper (including at the Burj Khalifa), as well as a connection between Dubai and Abu Dhabi that would drastically reduce the time it takes to travel between cities — you’d get from one to the other in 12 minutes instead of the usual 2 hours by car.
The concept also includes preliminary designs for Pods (aka vehicles), and it’s clear that Hyperloop One would be catering to the UAE’s wealthy crowd. There would be posh interiors and optional seating arrangements that would accommodate groups (for those on-the-go meetings, naturally) as well as solo luxury travelers.
It’s important to remember that this is a concept, not a firm production plan. Hyperloop One is working with partners on a “detailed feasibility study” to see how well it can implement this system in real life. You may not see this version in practice, and any finished Hyperloop system (assuming there are no obstacles) is years off. Still, between this and manufacturing getting underway, it’s evident that the company has an idea of how to make its vision become reality — the big challenge is following through.
Source: PR Newswire, Hyperloop One
It sounds like Microsoft has shelved its Xbox streaming stick
Prior to Microsoft’s keynote at E3 this year, a raft of rumors were swirling about. Microsoft’s answer to the PlayStation 4 Pro (which we now know as Project Scorpio) and the Xbox One S garnered most of the attention, but loose lips also suggested an Xbox-branded streaming dongle was in the works as well. The Chromecast-like device would’ve streamed Windows 10 apps and “light Universal Windows Platform” games in addition to content from an Xbox One. It would cost $99 according to Windows Central. Not anymore, however.
“Project Hobart” (apparently the cool sounding codenames are reserved for gaming hardware), was pushed under the rug ahead of E3 to focus on the Xbox One S and revealing next year’s high-end Xbox One, Project Scorpio. As WC tells it, Microsoft was going to order 300,000 units of the device and it’d release shortly after E3. Furthermore, Microsoft was apparently forced to prematurely reveal Scorpio after Sony spilled its guts to the Financial Times about PlayStation 4 Pro, just ahead of gaming’s grand gala.
That last bit makes a lot of sense considering Microsoft has said close to nothing about the console in terms of real information, and chose to rattle off system specs and video of a motherboard instead of a console and games in June.
But this isn’t all. The company apparently scrapped a few non-Xbox devices ahead of last month’s Surface Studio event as well, according to The Verge. CEO Satya Nadella reportedly cancelled a Surface Mini tablet at the last minute, in addition to an Amazon Echo-like device that would feature the Cortana digital assistant.
Again, these are all reports with no official confirmation from Microsoft, so there’s still the chance that we could see any of the aforementioned devices at some point in the future.
Via: The Verge
Source: Windows Central
GoPro recalls all Karma drones over safety concerns
If you recently picked up one of GoPro’s long-in-the-works Karma drones, you should probably return it. The company has issued a recall for all devices (around 2,500 according to internal estimates) because “in a very small number of cases” the Karmas lost power while in use. Exchanges won’t be offered, and GoPro says to take your device back to the point of purchase for a full refund. Once the issue has been worked out, shipment and sales of the drone will resume.
GoPro’s FAQ page for the recall offers a few more details. No, you don’t need the original receipt. Yes, every part of the drone needs to be returned (including the Hero5 Black and Karma Grip, which aren’t affected) for the refund. You can get your money back on a GoPro Care purchase in addition to any Karma accessories. Even if yours is acting normally, GoPro still wants it back.
“Safety is our top priority,” CEO Nicholas Woodman said in a statement. “A very small number of Karma owners have reported incidents of power failure during operation. We have moved quickly to recall all units of Karma and provide a full refund while we investigate the issue. We are working in close coordination with both the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission and Federal Aviation Administration. We are very sorry to have inconvenienced our customers and we are taking every step to make the return and refund process as easy as possible.”
This comes at a particularly unfortunate time for GoPro. The company was banking hard on the Karma and Hero 5 cameras bringing it back in the black following a drop off in its stock prices. “Looking forward to 2017, we expect a return to profitability, driven by the strength of our new products,” Woodman said on an investor’s call last month. Production issues and an almost $160 million drop in year-over-year sales caused the stock to trade below $10 per-share (it topped out around $80 per-share two years ago).
The market already seems to be reacting. At 4pm Eastern, it was trading for $10.86 per share, but it’s dropped over six percent already, down to $10.13 per-share.
Source: GoPro
Vespa is making an electric version of its iconic scooter
Electric scooters aren’t hard to find, but you haven’t had any luck if you wanted the most recognizable scooter of them all, a Vespa — the Italian machine has run on fossil fuels since its inception. At last, though, the brand is catching up with the times. It recently unveiled a Vespa Elettrica project that, to no one’s surprise, runs on an electric motor. You’d still have the style and maneuverability of a classic Vespa, the company claims, but you’d get a cheaper-to-run, eco-friendly powerplant. There will also be “innovative connectivity solutions.” It’s not certain what those are, but it’s easy to envision checking on your scooter with your smartphone.
The Elettrica should be ready sometime in the second half of 2017. Vespa hasn’t divulged pricing. As Gizmodo comments, though, there’s a good chance that this could sit on the higher end of Vespa’s price spectrum at several thousand dollars or more. Electric vehicles are costlier as a rule, and Vespa might have little trouble charging premium prices for the combination of cutting-edge tech with its famous badge.
Via: Gizmodo, Hypebeast
Source: Piaggio Group
Apple Pay in Australia Expanding to 31 Small Banks and Credit Unions
Apple recently inked a deal with Cuscal Payments Group, which will see Apple Pay expand to more than 30 small banks and credit unions in Australia in the near future. Apple Pay is expected to be available for up to four million Australian customers through the partnership.
Some of the banks and credit unions that will accept Apple Pay include Credit Union Australia, Bank Australia, Beyond Bank Australia, QT Mutual Bank, and Central West Credit Union, with a full list available on the Cuscal website. In a statement, Apple Pay vice president Jennifer Bailey said Apple is eager to expand the payments service in Australia.
“We want as many Australians as possible to be able to use Apple Pay,” she said.
“Today more than 3500 banks across 12 countries already support Apple Pay and we think Cuscal’s customers will really love using Apple Pay for everyday purchases in stores, apps and on the web.”
While Apple Pay has been available in Australia since November of 2015 through partnerships with American Express and ANZ, other major banks in Australia have not signed on to accept Apple Pay and are embroiled in a dispute with Apple.
Three of Australia’s largest banks, including Commonwealth Bank, National Australia Bank, and Westpac, have filed an application with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) to collectively negotiate with Apple to gain access to the NFC hardware in iPhones.
The banks want customers to be able to use already-established bank-run digital wallets rather than being limited to Apple Pay, but Apple does not allow third-party services to access the NFC chip built into the iPhone.
The banks have argued that Apple’s refusal to allow access to the iPhone’s hardware is an anti-competitive restriction, while Apple has told the ACCC that allowing the banks to “form a cartel” to dictate the terms of new business models would “set a troubling precedent,” delay the introduction of “potentially disruptive technologies,” and compromise security.
Related Roundup: Apple Pay
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Kenu’s ‘Stance’ creates a portable tripod for USB-C phones (review)
USB Type-C is really awesome stuff and it’s one of those technologies we wish would have been here sooner. Further, we hope that other device makers embrace the standard as soon as possible. Not only is it nice to have quicker charging, but there’s something just too convenient about not worrying about which direction you plug your cable in.
Another, albeit, lesser feature of Type-C that bears mentioning is that it provides for flexible accessories. Not just cables and chargers, but things like the Stance, a tripod designed by Kenu. We’ve had one of these in our possession for a few weeks now and are ready to offer up our takeaway.
First and foremost, this unit is compact and very portable. We’re talking key-chain accessory size. In fact, it comes with a small ring just for the very sake of adding to your keys. And, once you use it for some time, you’ll be glad to have it with you at pretty much all times.
The Kenu Stance is a tripod that is built with video, video calls, selfies, and time-lapse photography in mind. Simply plug it into the bottom of your phone and expand the legs and you’re all set. One can adjust and pivot the head to various angles so you get the exact degree you need.
Shooting some time-lapse photos of clouds or the ocean? The Stance lets you set your phone down so it can get the perfect footage, free from bumps and movement.
The tips of the legs have a nice rubber coating on them so your phone and stand don’t slide around on the surface. Moreover, the overall design allows for you to plug your phone in and use the Stance in portrait and landscape modes. The tips work well in any angle.
There’s nothing in the actual head that touches or interferes with your phone so don’t worry about goofing up your connection. And, because it’s Type-C, you can plug it in quickly and without looking.
If you’re looking at the Stance and notice that one of its legs is a little bit different from the rest, that’s by design. Indeed, it is created so that you can use the unit as a bottle opener. Now you have two reasons to carry this guy around.
We’ve enjoyed having this guy around the office as it’s a good way to do video calls on Google Hangouts. Additionally, a quick adjustment lets us turn the phone sideways to take in some YouTube videos. In a related note, this was one of the first items we packed for a recent flight as it let us prop up the phone for Google Play Movies.
If you are wondering whether the Stance works with your existing phone case, the answer is yes. Whatever normally works with your car and home chargers is the same here. There is no reason to take your phone out of the case in order to take advantage of the Stance’s features.
The Stance runs $24.95 and can be purchased directly from Kenu’s website. Should you not have a USB Type-C phone you can also order a micro-USB and iPhone version; both are the same price. Kenu also makes a wide variety of other smartphone accessories so feel free to look around its website. Also, head to Amazon and check out some of the products there, too!
2016 Subaru WRX STI review – Roadshow
The Good With an all-wheel drive system and 305 horsepower, you can have fun almost anywhere in the Subaru WRX STI. The old-school hydraulic power steering system offers plenty of road feel and feedback, making for an engaging drive.
The Bad No Apple CarPlay or Android Auto and the ride can only be described as harsh and uncomfortable. The six-speed manual transmission takes a bit of muscle to manipulate.
The Bottom Line If you like your cars like you like your coffee, namely hot, you’ll enjoy the Subaru WRX STI.
When I first glanced at the rearview mirror of the 2016 Subaru WRX STI, I wondered what the hell was following me so closely. It takes a while to get used to the massive wing fixed to the rear of this little speed demon.
In fact, there is a lot to get used to in the STI, but when it all comes together, the aggressive Subie, with its serious rally racing technology, is a kick and a half.
Emme Hall/Roadshow
In Subaru-land this model starts off as the sedate Impreza. Add 120 horsepower and it’s a WRX. Add nearly 40 more ponies, a giant wing and Brembo brakes and you’re looking at the Subaru WRX STI.
Driving the STI is a bit like riding the Oregon Trail in a covered wagon. It’s a stiff and harsh ride; great for the track, not so great for daily driving. The comfortable seats help, but you’ll have to get used to feeling every bump and divot in the road. Other track-ready street cars have multiple driving modes that soften up the suspension. While the STI has SI-Drive, which adjusts the throttle and transmission mapping, it does not cushion up the ride. Deal with it.
The STI really comes into its own on the track. I wasn’t able to find a proper dirt rally course, but I spent the day on the pavement at Thunderhill Raceway, a short drive from Roadshow HQ in San Francisco. The 2.5-liter turbocharged engine, four horizontally opposed cylinders, pumps out 305 horsepower and 290 pound-feet of torque, plenty for the twisties at Thunderhill. Power gets to the pavement through a six speed manual gearbox. Subaru doesn’t offer an automatic, as God intended.
Subaru
The all-wheel drive system inspires much confidence when the road goes bendy, enough that I found myself carrying a near ludicrous amount of speed through the turns. The suspension, perfect for the track, keeps the STI flat and neutral through twisties. Sport and Sport Sharp tighten up the throttle mapping, and there is an adjustable center differential. Keep it in Auto for daily driving, or switch to Auto Plus to tighten up the limited slip differential, improving traction on slippery surfaces like snow or gravel. Auto Minus shifts the torque bias to the rear and opens the center differential, optimizing the STI for track driving.
And if that’s not enough, you can manually adjust the center differential six different ways, varying the torque distribution from front to rear for a personalized track experience. Having said all that, I kept the car in Sport Sharp with the diff control at Auto Minus while on the track. The throttle response was nearly instantaneous and I could downshift and power out of the turns with little turbo lag and a whole lot of thrills.
The STI has one of the best steering systems I’ve experienced in a car at this price point. While many cars now sport electric power steering, including the venerable Mazda Miata and even the Porsche 911, the STI still gets the job done with a hydraulic set up. It’s very quick and offers an incredible amount of feedback. I felt every pebble on the track, every stripe of paint on the road. It lets you place your tires exactly where you want them, resulting in precise turn-in and an engaging drive.
2017 Nissan 370Z Nismo review – Roadshow
The Good The 2017 Nissan 370Z Nismo’s performance upgrades transform the sports coupe into a street-legal race car. The firm suspension offers great track feel and the wide, sticky tires give plenty of grip when cornering. SynchroRev Match makes every shift a perfectly timed one.
The Bad The $3,500 Tech package adds outdated navigation and an eight-speaker audio system. You could do better with a smartphone. The firm ride and narrow seats are punishing over rough roads and for longer trips and the shallow trunk makes the Z impractical as a daily driver.
The Bottom Line After experiencing it at the track, I’m seeing the 2017 Nissan 370Z Nismo in a totally new light. However, as the competition continues to refine, the Z is a tough sell for all but the most hard-core.
I can admit it: I was wrong…sort of. The last time I saw the Nissan 370Z Nismo, I didn’t love it. The ride was harsh on the street, the boy-racer aerodynamics were just obnoxious, the tech felt a decade old and the performance bump didn’t feel like it was worth the significant price bump over the standard Z.
This time, after spending a week with the 2017 Nissan 370Z Nismo, I caught myself considering buying one of my own. This car’s not so different from the one I drove before, so what gives?
Handling upgrades
The laundry list of Nismo upgrades is of the old-fashioned sort: big wheels, meaty tires, stiff suspension and naturally aspirated power. It’s not the first car that I’ve described as Japanese muscle, but it’s probably the one that fits the description best.
Working from the ground up, the Z Nismo’s upgrades start with a set of sticky Bridgestone Potenza S001 high-performance tires. The rubber is wrapped around 19-inch forged alloy wheels built for Nismo by Rays, a manufacturer of high-end racing and tuner wheels. The wheels feature a staggered fit with 9.5-inch wide rollers up front and even wider 10.5-inch wheels out back.
The Z Nismo has more contact patch on its rear axle than many cars have at all four corners.
Antuan Goodwin/Roadshow
On display behind the wheels’ spokes are bright red sports brakes. The Nismo uses four-piston aluminum calipers on 14.0-inch discs and two-piston calipers on 13.8-inch discs for the front and rear axles, respectively. But Nissan’s tuning division didn’t stop there; it also upgraded the brake lines with rigidity hoses and filled the system with R35 Special II brake fluid to reduce fade at high temperatures such as those you’d experience at the track.
Still working up, the chassis is suspended over the rolling stock with a Nismo-tuned suspension with stiffer springs, dampers and stabilizer bars. In the engine bay, the strut towers are tied together and to the body with a reinforced 3-point brace. After all of that stiffening, Nismo has also installed front and rear chassis dampers to help cut down some of the vibration and harshness over rough surfaces. Even with the chassis dampers the Nismo is a pretty loud and rough ride over uneven pavement and city streets.
One of my biggest nitpicks with the previous iteration of the Z Nismo was that the aerodynamics package was just a bit too boy-racerish, too attention grabbing and just plain goofy looking. The 2017 370Z Nismo has a smaller rear spoiler that no longer blocks what little rear visibility the Z has to offer. The GT-R-inspired body kit is plainly more attractive than the old catfish fascia.
Trackside with the 2017 Nissan 370Z…
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Inside the cabin, the driver and one passenger wedge into a set of Nismo/Recaro racing seats with Alcantara inserts. The racing buckets are gorgeous but too tight and uncomfortable on the street. On the track, however, the tall bolstering did an exceptional job of keeping my butt in place during cornering. I’d go as far as to say that they actually get more comfortable the harder the Z is pushed at the track; because I didn’t have to brace myself with my knees I was freer to see to the business of actually driving closer to the limits…either that or I was too amped up on adrenaline to notice that my bottom was aching.
Meanwhile, the steering wheel and shift lever also both get the Nismo treatment and are wrapped in Alcantara and leather, respectively.
If it ain’t broke: Powertrain upgrades
Not much has changed in the engine bay, which is just a teensy bit of a disappointment. I can continue to wish for a factory-installed and warrantied twin-turbo system, but I don’t realistically expect any drastic powertrain changes this late in the 370Z’s life cycle.
The heart of the Z Nismo is essentially the same naturally aspirated, 3.7-liter VQ-series engine (VQ37VHR) V6 engine that powers the standard 370Z. It’s basically a tweaked and higher displacement version of the VQ35DE that’s powered the Z since the 2003 launch of the 350Z. Nissan puts some variant of the VQ into everything from the Frontier pickup to the Maxima sedan; it’s a proven and reliable powerplant if nothing else and Nissan seems to be taking an “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” approach to this element of the Z Nismo’s performance.
The VQ-Series V6 engine can be found under the hood of many Nissan cars and trucks. Here, it makes a respectable 350 horsepower.
Nissan
In the Z Nismo, output has been massaged to 350 horsepower and 276 pound-feet of torque (up from the standard 370Z’s 332 horsepower and 270 pound-feet of torque) thanks to more aggressive tuning. Fuel economy is stated at 26 highway mpg and 18 city mpg.
The 370Z Nismo comes standard with a six-speed manual transmission with a feature called SynchroRev Matching. When shifting up or down range, the Z’s computer can hold or automatically blip the throttle, matching the engine speed with your new transmission speed for smooth shifting. It’s sort of like an electronic heel-and-toe. If you don’t like the computer intervention, the SynchroRev Matching system can be defeated with a single button press, but I actually found that I liked it. The Rev Matching made me feel like a racing god without getting in my way.
There’s also a seven-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters available, but people will laugh at you when they peek into your Z and only see two pedals.
Rounding out the Nismo upgrades is a viscous limited-slip differential on the rear axle that makes sure that both of the Z’s meaty rear tires share the load under stress and effectively do their job when accelerating out of a corner.
NASA plans to launch swarms of small satellites to study Earth
NASA announced its plans to deploy multiple swarms of tiny weather-sensing, climate change-observing satellites over the next few months during a teleconference held on Monday. The satellites will not only help advance climate science but also enable them to build the next generation of “small-satellites” for far less than they do today.
The space agency plans to launch three such missions, two by the end of the year: The Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) mission, which is slated for December 12th, will put eight identical “cube satellites” into orbit where they will monitor tropical storms and improve weather forecasting efforts.
The Radiometer Assessment using Vertically Aligned Nanotubes (RAVAN) project, on the other hand will launch in late November, launching three satellites which will monitor greenhouse gasses. NASA hopes to eventually launch an Earth-covering array of RAVAN satellites to assist in climate change research.
A third program, for which a launch date has not yet been set, is Time-Resolved Observations of Precipitation structure and storm Intensity with a Constellation of Smallsats or, if you squint real hard, TROPICS. These satellites will measure the temperature and water vapor concentration of storms.
NASA hopes that these missions are just the start. The space agency inaugurated the CubeSat Launch Initiative last year. Eventually, these miniaturized satellites could be deployed to the moon, Mars and beyond.
Source: Space.com
Alphabet’s drone service reportedly nixes Starbucks delivery deal
It looks like Alphabet is walking back its Project Wing drone delivery initiative. Some employees are being told to seek other jobs within the company formerly known as Google, and the outfit even killed a partnership with Starbucks, according to Bloomberg. Wait, Starbucks? Apparently, there were talks of using the drones to deliver coffee, much in the way that Chipotle was going to fly burritos to Virginia Tech students. Google provides WiFi at some of the coffee chain’s locations. “Those plans were nixed largely over disagreements about the access to customer data that Alphabet wanted,” according to Bloomberg’s sources. Sounds like classic Alphabet.
It follows some belt-tightening around Mountain View, with the search juggernaut “pausing” the rollout of its Fiber internet service, and a few key departures from the mysterious X Lab. The company announced it was making marginal strides to not losing money recently, so more moves like this shouldn’t come as a surprise.
Source: Bloomberg
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