The Morning After: Monday, February 6 2017

Welcome to the week. We saw Amazon’s brief and disgusting teaser for its delivery drones, China becomes the biggest producer of solar energy in the world, Windows Cloud (unrelated) and how Elon Musk scratches his Minecraft itch.

The country doubled its solar capacity last year.
China is now the biggest producer of solar energy

China might not have the image of a clean energy champion, with air pollution issues and a continued dependence on coal power, but it’s also moving forward with renewable energy. The country’s National Energy Administration has revealed that its solar energy production more than doubled in 2016, hitting 77.42 gigawatts by the end of the year. That said, it only covers just one percent of the country’s total energy output.

‘Call an audible’ for more chips.
Amazon flashes Prime Air drone delivery in its Super Bowl ad

Stop licking your fingers, you monster.

It’s expensive, but also one of the best keyboards you’ll ever use.
Microsoft’s Surface Ergonomic Keyboard makes typing a pleasure

Looking for an ergonomic keyboard to soothe your aching digits and wrists? Microsoft has been at the forefront of the ergonomic arena for the past few decades with its “Natural” keyboards, which split the QWERTY layout into two halves to make typing easier on our journalist joints. The new wireless Surface Ergonomic Keyboard might be Microsoft’s best ‘board yet.

Apparently flying robots can work alongside jet planes.
Drones help expand the world’s busiest airport

Atlanta’s air hub has formed a partnership with 3DR, Autodesk and engineering firm Atkins that has drones mapping Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport as part of a planned expansion. The key to making it work was 3DR’s autonomous data capturing tech, where drones could capture 2D mosaics and 3D point scans while staying well away from the airliners — no mean feat when they’re hovering around the busiest airport in the world.

Tunnels are sexy now.
Elon Musk plays ‘Minecraft’ differently than you do

Since December, Elon Musk has discussed plans to build a tunnel to help avoid LA traffic problems, although it’s been hard to tell if he was serious about “The Boring Company”.
There is however, a test trench was already under construction somewhere in the vicinity of SpaceX’s headquarters. Musk tweeted that he would start digging on January 27th, and true to his word, he’s digging… somewhere. He uploaded the photo above on Twitter, showing some massive mining machinery ready for work.

Like Windows 10, but with tighter restrictions on what you can run.
‘Windows Cloud’ looks like Microsoft’s answer to Chrome OS

Leaks of Windows Cloud (or Windows 10 Cloud, depending on who you ask) appear to show a spin on Windows 10 that’s focused on beating Google’s Chrome OS. It largely behaves the same as Windows 10, but its stand-out feature is what it doesn’t do — namely, run conventional Windows apps. (Not sure we’d call that a feature.)

But wait, there’s more…

• Lenovo’s latest Android tablet is really a budget laptop
• ‘Stranger Things’ Season 2 is coming Halloween 2017

Nature documentary ‘Planet Earth II’ is coming to Snapchat

Planet Earth II was probably the BBC’s best piece of TV programming last year. The documentary series captured and, more importantly, explained the natural world with nuanced narration and breathtaking cinematography. Now, the show is coming to Snapchat. A deal between Snap Inc and the British broadcaster will see a modified version released through the social network. It’ll have six episodes and, of course, be optimized for vertical viewing. Snap says the series will also use “binaural recording,” a dual-microphone setup that’s meant to imitate 3D stereo sound. It’s not clear exactly how long each episode will be, however.

The regular Planet Earth II will debut in the US and Canada on February 18th. Snapchat’s show, however, will be available from February 17th. It’s an intriguing exclusive that will, undoubtedly, serve as a marketing tool for the main event as well. That’s important for both Snap Inc and the BBC as they look to broaden their respective audiences. In the UK, Planet Earth II attracted a huge number of viewers aged 16 to 34 — ideal for Snapchat and its mostly millennial audience. Adapting the series is also proof that the app can host “premium” TV content, not just sports and reality TV shows.

To coincide with the announcement, Snapchat is giving its ‘Snapcode’ system a minor upgrade. Scanning the special icon for Planet Earth II will unlock a teaser trailer and the option to subscribe ahead of the show’s release. Capturing the Snapcode will also give you access to the most recent previous episode, should you fall a little behind. While exclusive to the BBC, it’s safe to assume these additions will be available to other brands and content producers in the future. While small, they show the ephemeral messaging app’s flexibility and potential. For Snapchat, that can only be beneficial as it courts investors ahead of its long-awaited IPO.

Facebook and Google tackle fake news ahead of French elections

Fake news on Facebook and Google reached millions of people during US elections, and France wants to make sure its own presidential contests aren’t disrupted. Compounding the risk, a lot of fake US news reportedly came from Russia, and Marine Le Pen’s far right National Front party is funded by Russian banks friendly with Vladimir Putin. As such, Facebook has teamed with eight major news organizations including Agence France Presse (AFP), LeMonde and Les Echos to curb false information during France’s April elections.

If users report an article, it’ll be sent to a special portal manned by media experts. Once verified as fake by at least two organizations, users will be alerted by a warning, and eventually, fact-based articles will be proposed instead. Both Facebook and Google will dramatically reduce the web exposure of repeat offenders.

Another separate effort is called CrossCheck, launched by Google News Lab, the First Draft news coalition and 17 media partners. The initiative will “help the public make sense of what and who to trust in their social media feeds, web searches and general online news consumption in the coming months,” according to the site. The latter effort will require considerable manpower, so the French media groups have enlisted journalism students to help.

Because of the labor needed to check numerous stories, French media groups were reluctant to go along with Facebook first. However, the company said that algorithms would weed out most fake posts, and they can even tweak them to catch new cheating techniques. “That’s the part that convinced us to join with Facebook,” said LeMonde Director Jérôme Fenogliov. “For the first time, we can give feedback on the algorithms if there are editorial issues with articles.”

French media groups have created their own, separate projects to combat fake news. Le Monde has a series called “Les Décodeurs,” for instance, letting users submit stories for verification. In the example above, the site explains how presidential candidate François Fillon was photoshopped next to Marion Maréchal-Le Pen, making it seem like he was sympathetic to the far-right movement. Both Le Monde and Libération are also creating databases of suspect websites and false stories.

While the effort is targeting French election news, Google and Facebook aim to carry it on during the upcoming German elections, too. “It’s the first time we’ve tried such an initiative for such a long period of time,” said First Draft’s Jenni Sargent. “If it works, we’ll keep doing it.” The first round of France’s elections takes place on April 23rd, with a likely second round scheduled for May.

Source: Reuters

UK electric car sales reach a record high

Electric car sales are slowly rising in the UK. Fresh figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show that 7,279 “alternatively fuelled vehicles” were registered in January. That’s a 19.9 percent increase from the 6,072 reported last year. The category is still dwarfed by traditional gas guzzlers — more than 78,000 diesel cars and 88,000 petrol cars were registered last month — but progress is being made. Electric and hybrid vehicles made up 4.2 percent of new cars in January, beating the previous record (3.6 percent) set in January and November last year.

The interest in electric vehicles is growing. Most manufacturers are developing ‘green’ cars now, which is giving British customers more options to choose from. The number of electric chargers is also increasing — following Tesla and Ecotricity, Shell has announced plans to launch a small charging network in the UK. That should help solve the long-standing ‘chicken and the egg’ problem. To persuade people to buy cars, you need more chargers. But to justify new chargers, you need more people buying cars. Thankfully, the situation is improving on both sides. Fingers crossed a certain Tesla accelerates the process later this year.

Via: The Guardian

Source: SMMT

Apple Hits Out At Australian Banks For ‘Trojan Horse’ Argument Over Mobile Payment System Access

Apple has fired the latest salvo in its continuing battle with Australia’s banks over the future of mobile payments, accusing the industry of continually trying to obstruct the expansion of Apple Pay into the country (via Bloomberg).

In a submission to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) published on Monday, Apple said the banks’ attempts to delay or even block the expansion of Apple Pay was damaging to consumers and smaller card issuers who could use the system “as a means of securing a digital presence in competition with the big banks”.

In July of last year, Commonwealth Bank, Westpac, National Australia Bank (NAB), and Bendigo and Adelaide Bank sought to enter into group talks with Apple to negotiate access to the NFC hardware in the iPhone so they could offer their own mobile payments services using the iPhone’s NFC chip. Apple argued that giving the banks such access would “undermine the security and simplicity” of its system. The ACCC later drafted a ruling that refused to grant the banks permission to negotiate collectively.

In its latest submission to the ACCC, Apple argued that the banks’ argument over access to the iPhone’s NFC chip was a “Trojan horse” and that their wish to have the ability to charge consumers for using Apple Pay was “logically inconsistent”, given that competition from other issuers like ANZ who do not charge for using Apple Pay would prevent them from doing so.

“Perhaps the explanation might be that this is perceived by the applicant banks as a way of introducing and then proliferating a new revenue stream in the digital payments age. It may well be that the applicant banks have taken the view that customers may be more willing to pay fees to use Apple Pay because of the ease and security of using Apple Pay and, on that basis, see an opportunity to introduce and condition the market to transaction fees for the use of Apple Pay, with the longer term view to setting a precedent for charging for mobile payments on other digital wallets, in the future, including the banks’ own proprietary wallets.”

The banks responded later on Monday with a statement claiming Apple’s interpretation was wrong:

The application has never been about preventing Apple Pay from coming to Australia or reducing competition between wallets. It has always been about providing real choice and real competition for consumers and facilitating innovation and investment in the digital wallet functionality available to Australians. Apple’s statement that the application is fundamentally about an objection to the fees that Apple wish to be given rather than NFC access, is incorrect and unsupported.

According to the banks, the applicants will soon provide a response to the ACCC’s draft decision that would further demonstrate the net public benefits of the application.

Related Roundup: Apple Pay
Tag: Australia
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Snapchat to Stream Six Exclusive Mobile Episodes of BBC’s ‘Planet Earth II’ This Month

Snapchat has secured the rights to stream six exclusive mini episodes of hugely popular BBC nature documentary series Planet Earth II (via The Verge).

The short run of mobile episodes is due to start on February 17, one day before the full series is scheduled to begin broadcast on BBC America.

The 4-6 minute episodes accessible to Snapchat users will consist of content shown on the BBC in late 2016 – Islands, Mountains, Jungles, Deserts, Grasslands, and Cities – but will also feature exclusive content not seen before on TV.

However, the episodes won’t include presentation and commentary from Sir David Attenborough, with actress Sophie Okonedo the narrator instead. Snap says the episodes will also feature binaural (3D) audio. The episodes will appear weekly in the Discover section of the app alongside the regular daily content created by other publishers. Users interested in the episodes can subscribe using the app’s QR-style Snap codes.

The announcement indicates Snapchat’s continuing attempt to kickstart growth of its user base, which is currently at 158 million daily active users but has slowed significantly in recent months. Snap recorded $514.6 million in losses last year and faces stiff competition from Instagram, which continues to successfully ape its features. In addition to its push into original content with mobile versions of shows like The Voice, Snap filed for an IPO on the New York Stock Exchange last week, hoping to raise $3 billion from investors.

Snapchat is a free download for iPhone available on the App Store. [Direct Link]

Tag: Snapchat
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Polar M200 review: A running all-rounder that’s nice to your wallet

It used to be that the only wearable tech you could pick up for around the £100 marker was a barebones step tracker. Prices have tumbled though. Those steps counters are now available for less than £30, and dedicated running watches, such as the new Polar M200, are edging closer to that magical £100 price point.

Available for around £120, the M200 is more affordable than most. Impressively, its affordable positioning doesn’t mean a limited array of features either. Instead of cutting corners, this fitness wearable packs in everything you’d expect from a dedicated running watch including GPS for accurate activity tracking and an integrated heart-rate sensor for improved fitness monitoring.

There is a catch though: this barebones price does mean a uninspired look and feel to the design. Is such a compromise worth making or has just too much been skimmed off the top to make the Polar M200 a running watch worth living with?

Polar M200 review: Design

• 12mm thick; 40g
• Available in black or red
• Interchangeable wristbands available in a range of colours

In terms of design, the Polar M200 is classic running watch. Big, bulky and lacking in any sort of finesse. It’s comfortable but not particularly attractive. The Apple Watch Nike+ this is not.

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Instead of sleek curves and easy-on-the-eye materials, the M200 is fat, crafted from a robust combination of rubber and plastic, with a thin metal base and physical buttons that stick out of either side. At 12mm thick it’ll dwarf smaller wrists and its small screen is engulfed by plenty of plastic framing. At least it’s round though, unlike the Garmin Forerunner 35 and its square form that catches the eye for all the wrong reasons.

The Polar’s circular style is only a minor design win though. The watch’s round, unassuming form might not be the most stylish, but it’s not offensive either. You won’t win any style points rocking it away from the running track, but neither will you stand out. At a push, and in more relaxed work environments, you could wear it on a daily basis.

Despite its size, the M200 is lightweight, with its 40g form sitting comfortably on the wrist whether sat at a desk or running a 10K. This comfortable fit is enhanced by a strong metal buckle that keeps the watch locked firmly in place.

The hard-wearing thick silicone strap can stand up to some serious abuse, but the watch itself doesn’t feel that sturdy. That’s because the two aren’t really connected. Instead, the watch is a pod that clips into the strap. It locks in well and never feels loose, but there’s no strong seal.

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Instead, despite being waterproof to 30 metres and capable of being worn during a swim, the watch has a notable gap between the screen and strap. This quickly gets filled with fluff and dirt and further makes the watch feel a bit cheap.

Although straps aren’t as easy to change as on the Apple Watch or most Android Wear devices, you can switch the band out for different colours – red, black, white, yellow and turquoise options are available. As the strap is the body of the watch though, you’ll have to get these directly through Polar for £16.90 a pop.

Polar M200 review: Screen

• 1-inch circular screen
• Basic dot matrix display

From the Apple Watch 2 to the FitBit Blaze, most smartwatches – even the running-focused ones – now sport bright, detailed, LCD displays. The Polar M200 is more basic though. Instead of going big on wrist-based graphics and detailed displays, it keeps things old school.

There’s no touchscreen, there are no colours. Heck, there’s no detail. Instead, the Watch’s dated, basic dot matrix display features large, individual LEDs that form blocky, angular images and text. Highlighting just how basic this screen is, its most advanced feature is its backlight, triggered by pressing the watch’s left button.

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Although the M200’s display is far from the sharpest – it features just 1,342 pixels, total – it doesn’t need to be any more visually superior. It’s used to display little more than the time and your run and fitness metrics. Scroll through the menu and there are some rudimentary graphics, but nothing that needs more detail than what you’re given.

While the Polar M200 has a large circular front, its actual screen is tiny and dwarfed by the surrounding plastic frame. The 1-inch display in the middle accounts for just half of the watch’s face. This makes it a little tricky to see, especially when you’re running and your wrist is bouncing around. A larger screen would make this watch a much more engaging option.

Polar M200 review: Features & performance

• Integrated GPS with SiRFInstantFix technology
• In-built optical heart-rate sensor
• Smart notifications

Despite its affordable price tag, the Polar M200 isn’t lacking on the features front. Like so many smartwatches and fitness trackers today, it does away with the need for uncomfortable chest-based heart-rate monitors, instead moving the biometric sensor to your wrist. Unlike some rivals, though, the M200’s integrated heart-rate sensor is faultless.

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Whether checking our resting heart rate sat on the sofa or tracking our biometrics during a sprint session, it was responsive and accurate, showing even minor fluctuations in exertion levels.

Sadly the same can’t be said for all of the watch’s features, namely its integrated GPS. Although for the most part the M200’s GPS skills were on point – accurately tracking our runs, offering more accurate step counts and distance data, as well as relaying map to the accompanying app – we also had issues.

On one run, a GPS misstep cost us a significant chunk of our activity. With the GPS lock failing to kick in, we set off confident that the integrated accelerometer would track our step count and rough distance until the SiRFInstantFix-enhanced GPS caught up a few seconds later. Sadly, this wasn’t the case. Despite the run duration ticking along, not a single footfall was tracked without the GPS.

Had we walked, the watch would have tracked our steps no problem – it managed that for a couple of weeks – but being in training mode caused it to trip over itself. What’s worse, it didn’t just take a few seconds for the GPS to secure a lock. It didn’t even take a few minutes. Scrolling through the in-app run data post run, we can see it took 7minutes 41seconds for the GPS to kick in despite running in an open park with no obstructions. This meant our entire run metrics were massively thrown out and that day’s and week’s activity tracking rendered all but useless. Although an isolated incident – we had other runs that were fully tracked even if GPS was slightly sluggish to kick in – the extent of the issue was troubling.

When the watch was up and running with us, however, there was no drop-outs in GPS nor issues with its heart-rate sensor. What’s more, the watch also detects your stops and pauses your fitness tracking accordingly. For the most part this is pretty accurate, although there were a few instances of it being slow to pick up once we’d started moving again.

Your inactivity is tracked, too, with the watch able to monitor your sleep sessions. Unlike the Garmin Forerunner 35, the M200 isn’t fooled by the watch being taken off and placed on the side. Its sleep monitoring is pleasingly accurate, even breaking down time of deep and restless sleep.

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This watch isn’t just about tracking your runs either, as smart notifications let you see incoming texts, calls and email alerts without taking your phone out of your pocket. Given the screen’s limited skills, however, these aren’t much use. You can see who has messaged you, but not more than the first few letters of what they’ve said. You can’t even see what sort of message it is you’ve received. Expect to keep getting your phone from your pocket.

Polar M200 review: Software & app

• Polar Flow app compatibly with iOS and Android
• Requires manual sync
• Depth to available data

All this captured data has to go somewhere, and that place is the Polar Flow app. This is where the M200 comes into its own. It’s a detailed, stylish app, albeit one that feels a bit clinical. On the surface it’s like every other fitness app, complementing your steps and time active counts with a variety of charts and graphs. Delve a little deeper, however, and it’s filled with features to make the most our of your fitness data.

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As well as charts of your daily activity, clicking on individual training sessions brings forth a wealth of additional information. As well as pace graphs and KM splits, your heart rate is mapped out for you. Making this information even more useful, it’s shown in zones, highlighting when you were in prime fat-burning range, when you’re taking it too easy and when you’re pushing too hard.

This can be used to better attune your training sessions to your specific exercise goals. At least it can when your date is transferred across – something you’ve got to do manually every time you open the app – which is achieved by holding the left button when near your phone. It’s a bit of a faff, but one that will save your battery in the long run.

As nice as the app is, navigating on the watch itself is a bit of a chore. Its two button interface and lack of touchscreen make working your way through the multiple menus and options a slow, laborious process and one fraught with mispresses and restarts.

Pressing the right button will cycle you through the menu options while holding the button makes selections. The left button takes you back. It’s slow, and switching through the various menus while on the run is so tricky your pace will inevitably suffer.

There are some issues though. Although there are three activity goal levels to choose from, each ramping up the daily exertion efforts, you can’t create your own custom targets. If you want to work towards a daily goal of 12,500 steps, you can’t – instead you’ll have to select the closest level (Level 2) and cut things back.

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Whichever level you choose, the watch’s ability to breakdown your remain requirements in jog and walk time – making it easier to know how much you’ve still got to work – is a great feature.

Although the watch comes with a couple of activities pre-installed, including running, dozens more can be added through the app. These range from aqua fitness to yoga, pilates and roller skating. These can better attune the data being captured to the true exertion.

Polar M200 review: Battery life

• 180mAh battery
• Full week battery life per charge
• USB charging (not bespoke charging)

Worried about a need for nightly charges or necessary trips to the mains after each and every run? Don’t be, the Polar M200’s battery life is one of its standout features. It’s 180mAh battery might not sound the biggest, but in a fitness tracker, that’s plenty.

Polar claims that it will manage six full days on a single charge with an hour’s GPS-boosted run tracking per day. While that’s good, we found this to be a little conservative. With regular runs and smart notifications enabled, we managed to eke a full week out of the device with a little left in the tank.

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When it does come time to recharge, there’s no need to faff. Instead of magnetic cradles, clip-on chargers or bespoke docks, the M200 features its own integrated USB connection as part of its pop-out body.

It’s far from an elegant option, but what it lacks in style, it more than makes up for on a practicality front, being able to be connected to any traditional USB port and compatible plug. That means you can take one less bespoke charger the next time you go for a weekend away, or, given the M200’s impressive battery life, a full blown holiday.

Verdict

The Polar M200 is a solid running watch that, for the price, packs in far more than you’d expect. There’s no escaping its oversized design that thanks to its tiny screen always looks larger than it is, but this is just one slight against an otherwise accomplished device.

Some gadgets combine to be greater than the sum of their parts. The M200 isn’t one of them. You get what you see, with the whole package never really melding together seamlessly.

Thanks to a solid app though, impressive heart-rate tracking and, for the most part, decent GPS, it’s a watch perfect for those looking to increase their running efforts without breaking the bank.

Buy the Polar M200 on Amazon UK for £120, or on Amazon US for $150.

Polar M200: The alternatives to consider

Garmin Forerunner 35

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Yes, it’s ugly, but looks aside this is an accomplished running watch with capabilities that exceed its affordable asking price.

• Garmin Forerunner 35 review: An affordable, effective running watch
• Buy the Garmin 35 from Amazon UK for £170, or Amazon US for $200

Apple Watch Nike+

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You don’t have to compromise on style. If you’re willing to pay the price, you can get fitness tracking and smart notifications in a watch you won’t want to take off.

• Apple Watch Nike+ review: Great smartwatch just not a perfect runner’s watch
• Buy the Apple Watch Nike+ from Amazon UK for £495, or Amazon US for $509

Apple Joins Nearly 100 U.S. Firms to File Legal Brief Opposing Trump’s Immigration Ban

Apple has joined 96 other companies in filing a legal brief opposing President Donald Trump’s executive order on immigration, Bloomberg reported on Monday.

Other technology companies named in the amicus brief include Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Netflix, Snap, Uber, Twitter, and Intel, with consumer goods companies like Levi Strauss and Chobani also named in the brief. Amazon wasn’t listed, with the company’s CEO Jeff Bezos already backing the original lawsuit brought by Washington state’s attorney general that brought a temporary halt to the immigration ban on Friday.

The brief was filed late Sunday in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, highlighting the importance of immigrants to the economy and for society as a whole, and arguing the unlawfulness of the ban. According to the report, the filing of the brief was originally planned later this week, but the companies involved accelerated efforts over the weekend following other legal challenges to the order.

“The Order represents a significant departure from the principles of fairness and predictability that have governed the immigration system of the United States for more than fifty years,” the brief stated. “Immigrants or their children founded more than 200 of the companies on the Fortune 500 list.”

“Immigrants make many of the Nation’s greatest discoveries, and create some of the country’s most innovative and iconic companies. America has long recognized the importance of protecting ourselves against those who would do us harm. But it has done so while maintaining our fundamental commitment to welcoming immigrants — through increased background checks and other controls on people seeking to enter our country.”

The brief comes in support of a lawsuit from Minnesota and Washington states, brought against Trump’s controversial executive order temporarily barring citizens of the predominantly Muslim-countries Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen, from entering the U.S.

“Of course, the federal government can and should implement targeted, appropriate adjustments to the nation’s immigration system to enhance the Nation’s security,” the filing continued. “But a broad, open-ended ban – together with an indication that the ban could be expanded to other countries without notice – does not fit the goal of making the country more secure. Instead, it will undermine American interests.”

The filing went on to criticize the Trump administration’s handling of the travel ban, claiming that it sows confusion and threatens companies’ ability to attract skilled workers in the long run.

Last week, Tim Cook said that Apple was considering its legal options as a way to pressure the Trump administration into rescinding the executive order. Reports later emerged that Apple was involved in collaborative efforts with other tech companies to draft a letter opposing Trump’s order, but those discussions rapidly developed into the amicus filing, after Washington state’s lawsuit on Friday. The amicus is currently being heard in the ninth circuit court of appeals, a federal court in San Francisco.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Tag: Donald Trump
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Drone flights at the world’s busiest airport? What’s going on?

Why it matters to you

The FAA’s green light shows its willingness to relax the rules under certain circumstances, giving more businesses the confidence to make full use of this fast-expanding technology.

Any drone owner with an ounce of common sense knows full well that taking their bird to the airport will likely result in a run-in with the authorities, or, in a worst case scenario, a downed aircraft and global news headlines.

That’s why you don’t see quadcopters buzzing around airports.

However, if visitors to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport catch sight of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or two in the sky, there’s a good chance they’re being flown with special permission. Very special permission.

The drone flights are among the first to be greenlit by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) at a major airport, in this case the world’s largest in terms of passenger numbers.

So what’s going on?

It’s all to do with upcoming expansion work at the airport, which handles more than 100 million passengers a year, according to the most recent data.

British design and engineering firm Atkins has been hired to work on the construction of a new airport hotel for which several parking facilities will need to be demolished. To help with its work and to minimize disruption at the airport, Atkins has partnered with California-based robotics and drone specialist 3DR, and software and engineering firm Autodesk, to carry out drone flights for 3D modeling of the area.

Of course, obtaining permission to fly drones at the airport was a tricky proposition for the team, especially when you consider that some of its work was taking place between runways.

After demonstrating precisely how it intended to do its drone-related work, and outlining the specific safety measures that it had in place, the FAA granted permission for several flights, the first of which took off last month.

“Part of the requirement for the authorization was that the flight team was in radio contact with the [airport’s] control tower at all times during the flight and performed all operations under the control tower’s authority,” 3DR explained on its website.

Seven data-gathering drone flights have so far been carried out at the site, with no issues reported.

More: This drone-photo firm just paid a massive fine over alleged illegal flights

The FAA published a new set of rules for commercial drone operators last year, but for some flights, like 3DR’s, special permission is required. The FAA’s decision to allow 3DR to proceed demonstrates the agency’s willingness to relax the rules under certain circumstances, and augurs well for other businesses looking to make full use of this fast-expanding technology.

Prime Air delivery drone buzzes into Amazon’s Super Bowl ad

Why it matters to you

It’s Amazon’s way of showing us that it’s not giving up on its drone delivery idea, though when the service actually lifts off is anyone’s guess.

With a Super Bowl ad costing around $5 million for a 30-second slot, it’s always interesting to see which companies cough up the cash and how they use their time.

Amazon, for example, split its input into three 10-second segments on Sunday, each one promoting its Echo speaker and its incorporated personal assistant called Alexa.

The last of the three ads also included a surprise cameo from its Prime Air delivery drone, a move notifying the masses that the company is still working tirelessly on developing the flying machine and that, yes, it really does want to use it to deliver stuff to your home. One day.

The ad (below) shows a guy watching the game while messily wolfing down a load of Doritos. Next to him, a woman, looking a little put off by his boorish behavior, asks Alexa to “reorder Doritos from Prime Air.”

“OK, look for delivery soon,” Alexa says, her response teasing Amazon shoppers with the prospect of an imminent launch of its Prime Air drone. However, a disclaimer shown at the bottom of the screen serves to dampen expectations: “Prime Air is not available in some states (or any really). Yet.”

At the end of the slot, Amazon’s drone buzzes into view, the ordered chips presumably packed safely inside an on-board compartment.

Doritos. Drones. Drama. The perfect recipe for the big game. #JustAsk Alexa #SB51 pic.twitter.com/5sMvM5O6mU

— Amazon Echo (@amazonecho) February 6, 2017

More: DT’s review of DJI’s first-ever foldable drone

The company better known for its gargantuan ecommerce website than unmanned aerial vehicles has been working on its delivery drone for around four years. Designed first as a quadcopter, the machine was radically overhauled toward the end of 2015 to include not only propellors, but wings, too, a change that helped to increase its speed, stability, and maneuverability. And with a 15-mile range, it can also fly five miles further than the original design.

While a number of U.S.-based businesses are looking to launch similar drone delivery services, strict rules for commercial operators laid down last year by the Federal Aviation Administration mean such a system could still be a ways off.

Meanwhile, in the U.K., Amazon recently managed to launch a very limited delivery service using its drone. And in New Zealand, Domino’s is dropping off orders of its doughy delights to “select customers” in a community north of Auckland.