Pod racers: SpaceX’s Hyperloop competition pits concepts head-to-head

A working hyperloop system may be quite a few years off, but a competition held by Elon Musk’s SpaceX marked part of the genesis of transportation’s future.

Ever since SpaceX CEO and founder Elon Musk published his white paper concept on Hyperloop technology back in 2013, the idea of creating a genuine high-speed transportation solution has fueled the minds of engineers all over the world. While it’s not affiliated with any specific project, SpaceX (and Musk) still wanted to help stoke the collective excitement over Hyperloop tech by setting up a series of competitions focused on the design, manufacturing, and operation of working pods — the latest of which took place on the last weekend in January.

Simply dubbed the Hyperloop Pod Competition, Musk’s original call to arms transformed itself not just into a handful of ambitious startups, but also into an extracurricular activity for colleges, universities, high schools, and (if you could believe it) Redditors. Though it spurred the event created solely to forward the advancement of Hyperloop tech, SpaceX largely stays out of the limelight — aside from the occasional words from its head honcho — and instead seeks to prop up the teams participating, and to steer all of the (deserved) media attention their way.

Musk’s transportation dilemma

What the publishing of the white paper, sponsorship of the Hyperloop Pod Competition, and his latest underground tunneling scheme underscore is that Musk has a transportation problem. That is, the current modes of transportation — be it driving on a traffic-heavy Los Angeles freeway, jetting across the country, or simply hunkering down in a less-than-speedy train — tend to be a series of bland, inefficient, time-consuming solutions to something people do every day. Like literally everyone else, Musk has reached a boiling point in regard to his patience for transit.

“If you’ve got tall buildings, they’re all 3D, and then everyone wants to go into the building and leave the building at the same time to go on a 2D road network.”

“Fundamentally, you have to go 3D in a city,” Musk said during his opening remarks. “If you’ve got tall buildings, they’re all 3D, and then everyone wants to go into the building [for work] and leave the building at the same time to go on a 2D road network. This obviously doesn’t work. So, you have to go 3D either up or down, and I think probably down. Then for longer distances, [you’ll have] things like the Hyperloop or other ideas.”

A man with many irons in the fire — SpaceX, Tesla, Solar City, the Hyperloop white paper, etc. — Musk’s solutions often see themselves through to fruition, either by his doing or the collective efforts of those who agree with his vision. With the SpaceX-created Hyperloop Pod Competition, which began in January 2016 with Design Weekend at Texas A&M, Musk and his aerospace venture were able to nurture this 21st century take on high-speed travel by urging external innovation outside of previously established outfits such as Hyperloop One or Hyperloop Transportation Technologies. Though the creation of such a contest won’t solve Musk’s transportation conundrum overnight, it’ll certainly help get the ball rolling.

Competition breeds innovation

The impact of SpaceX’s Hyperloop Pod Competition, a three-part effort spanning almost two full years, is a sum of its parts. That is, despite each stage’s winners and losers, the overall goal of such an ongoing event isn’t to amass Elon Musk-signed trophies, but rather to dramatically advance a solution that has every opportunity of changing the entire landscape of travel. This concept of Hyperloop as a disruption was on full display during SpaceX’s Competition Weekend I, with even Musk himself stressing the importance of innovation as it relates to the tech.

“So what this is really intended to do is encourage innovation in transport technology,” Musk pointed out. “To get people excited about new forms of transport, things that may be completely different from what we see today, but really just to get people to innovate and think about doing things in a way that’s not just a repeat of the past but to explore the boundaries of physics, and to see what is really possible. I think we’ll find it’s way more incredible than we ever realized.”

Rick Stella/Digital Trends

Rick Stella/Digital Trends

Rick Stella/Digital Trends

Rick Stella/Digital Trends

The participating teams spent the better part of the last year and a half theorizing, researching, testing, and manufacturing their entries. U.S.-based teams hail from such places as the University of Washington, the University of Wisconsin, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (among many others). The competition also showed its international spirit, most notably with high-achieving teams from the Netherlands (Delft) and Germany (Warr). For most of the teams, simply having the ability to descend on SpaceX’s campus was rewarding enough for their hard work.

“It’s really important [to be here]. We started one and a half years ago with nothing, and then we started designing,” Delft Hyperloop testing specialist Quint Houwink, told Digital Trends. “We are a team of 30 people, and we put so much time and so much effort into it that it’s become part of ourselves. Just being here is a result of one and a half years of really hard work.”

To the victor goes the modesty

Many of the teams shared Houwink’s sentiment about participating in SpaceX’s event, which created an atmosphere of humbleness throughout the weekend — even for those teams that left Los Angeles as decorated winners. To Delft’s credit, the team took home what’s considered the weekend’s top prize, the trophy for best overall score. Based on the team’s final pod design, its relative safety, and measured speed inside the mile-long testing tube, the Dutch reigned supreme. Outside of some well-deserved and joyous song and dance, the Delft University of Technology team was mostly humble and felt honored just to participate.

“We wanted it to go faster, way faster, than this.”

Delft Hyperloop wasn’t the only team celebrating come closing ceremonies, nor was it the only one taking the win in relative stride. Munich-based Warr captured the number two prize for building the fastest Hyperloop pod experiment — its entry traveled down the test track at roughly 58 miles per hour. Although the final, passenger-ready Hyperloop system hopes to run pods at around an astonishing 650 miles per hour, Warr’s accomplishment shouldn’t be diminished. An unnamed SpaceX employee (none were available for official comments) said there was an expectation that the pods would have some difficulty simply moving down the track at all, let alone traveling more than 50 miles an hour.

“Many of us worked full-time on this project and [running it on the test track] finally happened,” Thomas Ruck, Warr’s braking system specialist, told Digital Trends. “It’s very nice to see all the hard work that you put into the project come together like this finally. To be honest, it even could have gone better. We wanted it to go faster, way faster, than this. We could have done about three times that speed, or even a bit more, but it’s something where we learn.”

If there was a certain work ethic Musk targeted in his initial white paper, it was exemplified by Ruck and Houwink, who seemed to echo every participant’s experience at the event. While some of it is about designing and bringing to life the best Hyperloop concept, there exists a sort of camaraderie in merely sharing an innovative stage with so many brilliant teams.

This attitude was most evident in the sheer excitement each team had for the others as the final awards were announced. Applause rung out for competition favorites such as MIT, but perhaps the largest cheer from the attending crowd was when the lone high school team — team Hyperlift from St. John’s High School in Texas — was recognized as an honorable mention winner in the category of performance and operations. It’s no small feat to have been chosen as one of the 27 teams competing during Competition Weekend I, let alone overcoming the obstacle of being a high school team challenging those from universities and colleges.

The next step

While Delft and Warr are now heading back to Europe as Competition Weekend I champions, SpaceX’s involvement in advancing innovation doesn’t end. Due in large part to the enormous amount of initial submissions, the company already has plans for a Competition Weekend II this summer. Similar in substance to the first go-round, SpaceX plans on sifting through what will likely be hundreds of interested participants in order to field the cream of the crop. Unfortunately, some teams — namely MIT, who took home the top prize at last year’s Design Weekend — will be absent from Round 2.

“It’s ultimately going to be something that inspires the world and results in real transportation technologies that help make people’s lives better.”

“This has been a longer project for all of us than we had originally intended,” Chris Merian, MIT Hyperloop’s chief engineer, explained to Digital Trends. “As it currently stands, we aren’t planning on going to Competition II. The hope is that this will go back to MIT and sit on display as another project that MIT has been able to put forward. Unfortunately, we looked for interest to continue the work but there wasn’t enough to field a full team. About half the people on the team now are graduated, so there just wasn’t enough carryover. What will likely happen is that the team will go into hibernation until someone decides to pick it up.”

Despite the absence of a stalwart like MIT, SpaceX’s next competition weekend figures to be just as fiercely innovative as the first. With teams all over the world heeding Musk’s request to literally pour their heart and soul into the future of transportation, the well of competent participants is hardly dry. If anything, the success of such a competition should only bolster the ambitious spirit of universities, engineering firms, and (lest we forget) even high schools. As the competition plods on, the importance of ongoing trials and experimentation isn’t lost on the tech’s mastermind.

“I think it’s just going to get better and better every year,” Musk said. “It’s ultimately going to be something that inspires the world and results in real transportation technologies that help make people’s lives better.”

It’s almost time: February 8 may be Android Wear 2.0’s big release day

Why it matters to you

Your Android Wear smartwatch is about to get way better than it is at the moment

Excited for Google’s Android Wear 2.0 software? You should be, it’s going to reinvigorate the platform designed for wearable tech, ready to catch up with improvements made to Apple’s WatchOS and Samsung’s Tizen platform. A number of companies and fashion brands have already pre-announced Android Wear watches with the new version, and they’re set to release later this year

Google’s highly anticipated update will arrive in “early February,” according to a Google+ user, who posted a screenshot of an email from the Google Play Developer team, urging developers to publish their apps for Android Wear 2.0. “Android Wear 2.0 is launching in early February 2017. It includes a new on-watch Play Store to help users discover apps right on their wrist.”

More: Expect more smartwatches and wearables this year, Qualcomm executive says

When exactly will it arrive? Google hasn’t said precisely, but Twitter-based technology leaker @evleaks has given us two hints. In mid-January, he said Android Wear 2.0 would launch on February 9; but has since tweeted the date has been moved forward to February 8.

Update: the launch of both the watches and the platform have been moved up a day, to February 8th.

*checks dumbwatch*

Hey, that’s soon! https://t.co/dzG6YPc4kp

— Evan Blass (@evleaks) February 4, 2017

Which watches will use Android Wear 2.0?

If you own an Android Wear device, the following watches will receive the update: Asus ZenWatch 2, Asus ZenWatch 3, Casio WSD-F10, Moto 360 Gen. 2, Moto 360 Sport, Tag Heuer Connected, LG Watch Urbane 2nd Edition LTE, LG Watch Urbane, LG G Watch R, Polar M600, Fossil Q Wander, Fossil Q Marshal, Fossil Q Founder, Michael Kors Access Bradshaw Smartwatch, Michael Kors Access Dylan Smartwatch, Nixon Mission, Huawei Watch, and Huawei Watch Ladies.

At CES 2017, Casio announced a new watch that will be released in April with Android Wear 2.0, as did New Balance. Swarovski said it is also collaborating with Qualcomm and Google on a smartwatch “for her,” and Qualcomm’s director of wearables says more smartwatches from fashion brands are to be expected this year — especially at Baselworld 2017, an annual jewelry and watch trade show.

Google is also expected to announce two Android Wear smartwatches, and according to Evan Blass in his tweet regarding Android Wear 2.0’s launch date, they will both arrive on the same day as the software: February 8.

More: Swarovski partnering with Qualcomm, Google on an Android Wear smartwatch

What features are new?

Apart from design changes, Android Wear 2.0 introduces watch-face “Complications,” which act like miniature widgets for notifications on your watch. The update also adds an on-watch Play Store and standalone apps, meaning you won’t need to be connected to your phone all the time. The OS will also recognize activities and can begin tracking them automatically — something many fitness trackers can do already.

You’ll also find improved input options for responding to texts and messages — namely, a keyboard, swiping through letters, scribbling, and smart replies that now make it easier to type. The update will also enable support for Android Pay, though you’ll need a device with NFC, as well as the Google Assistant.

For more details about Android Wear 2.0, here’s our hands-on from Google’s developer conference last year.

Article originally published on 01-11-2017 by Julian Chokkattu. Updated on 02-06-2017 by Andy Boxall: Added in a second, revised possible launch date for Android Wear 2.0

Google, Apple, and Microsoft among 97 companies to legally oppose Trump’s travel ban

Tech companies unite to take on Trump’s immigration ban.

97 tech companies — including Google, Apple, Microsoft, Facebook, and Uber — have signed an amicus brief in opposition to Donald Trump’s recent executive order on immigration. The legal brief highlights the role played by immigrants on America’s economy, stating that the travel ban will negatively impact businesses in the country:

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 tremendous impact of immigrants on America—and on American business—is not happenstance. People who choose to leave everything that is familiar and journey to an unknown land to make a new life necessarily are endowed with drive, creativity, determination—and just plain guts. The energy they bring to America is a key reason why the American economy has been the greatest engine of prosperity and innovation in history.

The Executive Order abandons those principles—and inflicts significant harm on American business, innovation, and growth as a result. The Order makes it more difficult and expensive for U.S. companies to recruit, hire, and retain some of the world’s best employees. It disrupts ongoing business operations. And it threatens companies’ ability to attract talent, business, and investment to the United States.

Trump’s travel ban drew widespread criticism from several quarters, with Washington state mounting the fiercest opposition. The state’s attorney general called the order “unlawful and unconstitutional”, stating that it would “cause irreparable harm” to the entire state. A federal judge in Seattle was able to temporarirly block the immigration ban, and the government’s request to have it reinstated was denied earlier today.

The tech sector also voiced strong opposition of the executive order, calling it “unconstitutional.” Last week saw protests at several prominent tech companies, with several donating huge sums of money to human rights organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit in San Francisco — where the legal brief was filed — is expected to make its decision shortly. Here’s the full list of companies that are fighting the executive order:

• AdRoll
• Aeris Communications
• Airbnb
• AltSchool
• Ancestry.com
• Appboy
• Apple
• AppNexus
• Asana
• Atlassian
• Autodesk
• Automattic
• Box
• Brightcove
• Brit + Co
• CareZone
• Castlight Health
• Checkr
• Chobani
• Citrix Systems
• Cloudera
• Cloudflare
• Copia Institute
• DocuSign
• DoorDash
• Dropbox
• Dynatrace
• eBay
• Engine Advocacy
• Etsy
• Facebook
• Fastly
• Flipboard
• Foursquare
• Fuze
• General Assembly
• GitHub
• Glassdoor
• Google
• GoPro
• Harmonic
• Hipmunk
• Indigogo
• Intel
• JAND d/b/a Warby Parker
• Kargo
• Kickstarter
• KIND
• Knotel
• Levi Strauss & Co.
• LinkedIn
• Lithium Technologies
• Lyft
• Mapbox
• Maplebear d/b/a Instacart
• Marin Software
• Medallia
• Medium
• Meetup
• Microsoft
• Motivate International
• Mozilla
• Netflix
• Netgear
• NewsCred
• Patreon
• PayPal
• Pinterest
• Quora
• Reddit
• Rocket Fuel
• SaaStr
• Salesforce
• Scopely
• Shutterstock
• Snap
• Spokeo
• Spotify
• Square
• Squarespace
• Strava
• Stripe
• SurveyMonkey
• TaskRabbit
• Tech:NYC
• Thumbtack
• Turn
• Twilio
• Twitter
• Turn
• Uber
• Via
• Wikimedia Foundation
• Workday
• Y Combinator
• Yelp
• Zynga

Best Android apps for learning to code

• Best First Overall
• Best Free
• Best for Kids
• Best for Beginners

Best overall

Udacity

See at Play Store

Learning to code can seem daunting, but with lessons created by industry experts at Google and beyond, you can be confident that you are learning from the best. There are hundreds of free courses that can help you learn the basics or beef up your existing skill sets.

Each lesson in broken down into pieces to make everything easier to digest. Whether you want to follow a track to learn coding and programming, or you have specific coding languages you are interested in, it’s easy to jump right in. There are several different difficulties for lessons, from beginner to advanced.

Udacity is the best app for learning to code by virtue of the amount of content available, all of which is backed up by industry experts. Knowing that you are learning from the best means that you can be confident as you add coding skills to your repertoire.

Bottom line: Udacity delivers excellently curated lesson plans taught by experts in the industry. You can find the right lesson for your skill level, and explore more advanced lessons as you master the basics.

One more thing: You can download lessons if you’d prefer to complete them offline.

Why Udacity is the best

Udacity delivers excellent lessons that make learning to code easy and bite-sized.

Finding a lesson in Udacity is as easy as scrolling through the lessons for a given category. There are five main categories with plenty of lessons in each one. Once you’ve chosen a lesson and you open it up you get all the information that you need to properly complete it.

That information includes a summary of the course explaining what you’ll be learning, what prior knowledge you need to successfully complete the course, and a syllabus with a breakdown of each lesson in the module. Additionally you’ll also be able to see who developed the course, and what tracks it is useful in. For instance, Intro to Java is useful for Software Engineering, and Android programming.

It’s also easy to jump into more advanced courses, provided you already know what you’re doing. If you access Udacity online, you can also enroll in Nanodegrees, which do have a hefty price tag, but it contain a full syllabus that can teach you things like fully learning how to build apps for Android or VR.

Best Free

Khan Academy

See at Play Store

When it comes to learning for free, Khan Academy is definitely at the head of the pack. They have a massive library of content for you to peruse and educate yourself with, and absolutely all of it is available for free. You will need to do go searching for the lesson that you want to learn, which can be a bit frustrating when you are first getting started.

Once you have found the lesson you’re looking for you can open it up. Each lesson is a little bit different, and they aren’t all of the same quality. However when you’re learning on a budget, Khan Academy is definitely an excellent way to get the job done. Their catalog is so extensive that the sheer number of lessons can be a bit daunting, but using filters you can find and access whatever you are looking for.

Bottom line: Khan Academy offers a gigantic catalog of lessons for teaching yourself new skills, including coding. Even better, absolutely everything that they offer is accessible for free.

One more thing: You can bookmark your favorite articles from within the app, making it easy to find them again and again.

Best for kids

Lightbot

See at Play Store

Our world is changing as a ridiculously fast pace, and helping children to be as prepared as possible for their future is a solid choice. Lightbot is a game developed for children to teach them the basics of coding by playing a game. As they play, the game introduces the fundamentals of programming like sequencing, procedures, and loops.

Getting kids interested and engaged with a topic like coding and programming can be difficult. That’s why this is a game that has them use programming concepts in order to learn. It makes things much easier for them, and gives them a leg up on their future.

Bottom line: Lightbot makes learning programming fundamentals fun and easy.

One more thing: The free version of the app delivers 20 levels, and by upgrading to the full version there are 50 levels.

Best for beginners

Encode

See at Play Store

Learning to code can be a daunting task when you don’t even quite know where to start. Encode makes that easy by breaking down everything into lesson modules that are small and easy to digest, starting at the absolute fundamentals. Each subsequent lesson builds off of what you have already learned, and introduces new concepts for you to master.

In each lesson module, there are multiple steps. Each of them gives you details instructions on what you are doing, and includes an interactive element. By having you read and then perform the action, you’re able to better absorb the lesson. This means that it’s more concrete in your head, and that you won’t have to repeat lesson just to remember the basics.

Bottom line: Encode delivers great lessons on learning to code, starting with the absolute fundamentals. By having you immediately use the skill you are learning, everything cements better making it easy to quickly progress from fundamental to advanced programming.

One more thing: Encode does have a Pro mode which will allow you to unlock even more content than the free version already offers.

Conclusion

While there are plenty of apps out there that can help you learn to code from home, Udacity does the best job. They have an emphasis on learning to code, unlike many other apps that have a more varied catalog of lessons to be learned. With input from industry experts, you get access to know-how from professionals in their field.

While you do have to pay for more advanced courses, there is tons available for free and it is excellently curated. Finding the right lesson is also a breeze, thanks to the navigation setup.

Best overall

Udacity

See at Play Store

Learning to code can seem daunting, but with lessons created by industry experts at Google and beyond, you can be confident that you are learning from the best. There are hundreds of free courses that can help you learn the basics or beef up your existing skill sets.

Each lesson in broken down into pieces to make everything easier to digest. Whether you want to follow a track to learn coding and programming, or you have specific coding languages you are interested in, it’s easy to jump right in. There are several different difficulties for lessons, from beginner to advanced.

Udacity is the best app for learning to code by virtue of the amount of content available, all of which is backed up by industry experts. Knowing that you are learning from the best means that you can be confident as you add coding skills to your repertoire.

Bottom line: Udacity delivers excellently curated lesson plans taught by experts in the industry. You can find the right lesson for your skill level, and explore more advanced lessons as you master the basics.

One more thing: You can download lessons if you’d prefer to complete them offline.

Audi MMI explored: A deep dive into Audi’s in-car infotainment systems

Of all the car brands out there, Audi is known for offering one of the most expansive and integrated information and entertainment systems you’ll find in a car.

There’s whole range of options available, from Wi-Fi hotspots, to live traffic, there’s Virtual Cockpit, Audi Smartphone Connection, Phone Box and more.

So strap in, hold tight, as we dive deep into Audi’s in-car tech.

Audi MMI

Audi MMI – multimedia interface – is a general term that’s used around a range of Audi technologies related to the in-car information and entertainment system. At its core, MMI is the user interface and the controller that works with it. Where this was once a dial and a display, there are also touchpads, touch-enabled dials, buttons, voice and steering wheel controls, all feeding into the same system.

Pocket-lint

The car model you choose changes the MMI experience you’ll get, but the experiences are broadly aligned across cars. The position of the screens is different, there are different levels of features available in packages and individual upgrades, but much is presented and operated in the same way, from the A1 right up to the R8. 

Driver display: Virtual Cockpit or standard?

There are essentially three different types of driver display. There are the analogue dials with a small digital window in the centre, there are analogue dials with a much larger central display and then the full Virtual Cockpit.

Pocket-lint

The digital parts of Audi’s driver display is basically divided into four sections: car information, music, phone and navigation, whether that’s the 3.5-inch central display of the A1 or the full glory of the R8’s Virtual Cockpit, although what information you get to see depends on your car and package selected. 

What is Audi Virtual Cockpit?

Audi’s Virtual Cockpit is a fully-digital driver display. The 12.3-inch display was launched on the 2015 Audi TT, allowing a full range of dynamic interactions without the need for a central display too, meaning a cleaner dashboard design. 

On the Audi TT and the Audi R8 the Virtual Cockpit is standard, and it’s available as an upgrade option on the majority of Audi’s other models, from the A3 through to the Q7. We love Virtual Cockpit, because it brings a lot of flexibility and it’s one of the most techy interfaces you’ll find on a car.

Pocket-lint

The display as standard will show you speed and RPM dials, but you can change the size of these dials with a press of a steering wheel button (marked “view”), making them smaller and letting more of your other information get displayed. The Audi R8 also has a performance mode with a central rev counter, flanked with other customisable details, like torque and power meters. 

The big thing here, in reality, is navigation. You can have full navigation mapping spread right across Virtual Cockpit for a wider view than you’ll get on a standard central display – it’s also closer to your eye line, so very easy to follow.

Pocket-lint

Aside from those major phone/car info/music/satnav options, you can also open other menus to access all of the car’s settings, as you can on the central display fitted on most cars, giving access to things like settings for various driving elements, preferences and so on.

Central display

Audi offers a range of central display options and almost all are mounted toward the top of the dashboard. Some retract (Audi A3), some have a manual spring-loaded opening (the A1), but in more recent car designs (Audi A5), the displays have been fixed in position, similar to BMW and Mercedes, front and centre on the dash.

Pocket-lint

Audi doesn’t offer touchscreens, instead using that MMI controller and various buttons to navigate the user interface. At a basic level it uses a radial design, letting you use the navigation wheel to rotate around the icons and make your selection, be that to change the media source, setup a new Bluetooth connection, alter the interior lighting or turn up the bass. 

Satellite navigation

One of the most sought after aspects is GPS route mapping, or satnav. This is available on all Audi models, but comes at various levels with various options. 

It’s included as standard on some trim levels and it’s worth looking at this: it’s not standard on SE until you get to the A6 (SE Executive), for the A3 you’ll need the SE Technik trim, on the A4 you’ll need at least Sport. Partly this comes down to the included tech you’ll need – like the MMI controls, SD card slots and so on.

Pocket-lint

Generally speaking, Audi’s mapping is good. There are good pictographic maps and the option to use Google Maps satellite images for the background instead, if you have an internet connection (either through a connected smartphone or from a SIM card). This lends familiarity, especially if you use Google Maps on your phone, although we find the added detail can be distracting – you don’t need photographic maps when driving.

There are clear visual directions offered. It you don’t have Virtual Cockpit, some models will transfer these directions into the centre of the driver display, as well as sharing with the heads-up display if you happen to have that option fitted (it’s expensive), along with clear voice instructions. You can also change the relative volumes of media or nav instructions.

Pocket-lint

Voice can be used to control the satnav but it’s rather clunky compared to Google for example so we can’t really recommend it; however, if you have a touch-enabled MMI controller, you can scrawl letters to enter a postcode. This might sound a little alien, but it’s very easy to do without looking, so works well, especially for postcode entry – much better than using a click dial to get through a menu.

Whether you pay for a navigation upgrade, of course, will also depend on what smartphone connection options you also have.

Smartphone connectivity

Bluetooth is standard on almost all models of Audi, offering a smartphone connection. About the only model that doesn’t get Bluetooth as standard is the A1 on SE trim, the cheapest Audi on offer. Then it’s only a £250 upgrade, so well worth the cash, but this only supports basic calling functions. 

Bluetooth supports calling, can be used to supply data-dependent functions in the car, as well as allowing media streaming depending on your smartphone – Android users are better served here as the car can then dive into your stored music for playback, whereas the iPhone needs a wire connection to enter “iPod” mode, although on some car models you’ll need the connectivity package to enable wider functions.

A physical smartphone connection provides a number of benefits, not least for charging the battery, and convenient USB ports provides this function.

With standard Bluetooth you get calling features and access to your contacts, so you can scroll and place calls with very little effort, using steering wheel or MMI controls.

Pocket-lint

On some of the larger Audi models there is also the option for an in-car Bluetooth handset. This is more focused on passenger calling, so that it’s not broadcast over the car’s speakers. For those in the back of an Audi A8, that might make sense, although we imagine that in the age of smartphone dominance, it’s a less important consideration.

Audi Phone Box

A clever option is the Audi Phone Box. This is a special compartment designed for your phone. It supplies USB for connection to the car and charging, as well as coupling up the phone’s antenna to the car’s roof antenna for improved reception.

Pocket-lint

On some models, Qi wireless charging is also offered – for the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge for example – meaning you can just dump your phone on the mat and it will charge inductively.

Audi Phone Box is usually in the centre of the car, inside the armrest for example, and is an option on most models.

Audi Smartphone Interface: Apple CarPlay and Android Auto

Things get a little confusing here, but Audi Smartphone Interface really means Android Auto and Apple CarPlay and is a recent evolution of the phone connection. Older cars also have “Audi Smartphone” which is where you’d go to manage your connection to your phone and as we’ve just said, that Bluetooth connection will do a lot without these more advanced systems.

For Android Auto and Apple CarPlay you connect your (compatible) phone via cable and you’ll be asked if you want to use that respective system. A few steps later, you’ll be presented with that system on your central display.

Pocket-lint

Both CarPlay and Android Auto sit over the top of Audi’s system, which runs underneath, the display just mirroring the information that’s being churned out via the application on the phone.

The advantage this brings is a more seamless integration with Apple or Android systems, support for Google voice controls or Siri and use of native app options. That means you can play Spotify through your phone, or music from your phone’s memory with very little effort, get to your playlists and call history, navigate to the location of your next appointment and so on.

Pocket-lint

You can still do everything you might normally want to do, like access the car’s settings, but once connected the default view is that of Apple or Android. You’ll notice in the Apple display there’s a link to Audi MMI and on Android there’s an option to exit to MMI too.

The exception in all this is Virtual Cockpit. You can still have both these connections in cars with Virtual Cockpit, the only real indicator being that you have an Android Auto notification in your media display, for example. In this situation, the driver could be looking at Virtual Cockpit, while the passenger can browse music on a connected phone. 

When using these systems, there’s also a seamless integration with navigation, so you can say “Ok Google, navigate home” and Google will enact that instruction.

There’s also the chance here to use your phone’s mapping functions and not pay for the upgrade to Audi’s navigation – so long as you have the smartphone interface option. That could potentially save you money on your options list – an Audi A3 SE gets the Smartphone Interface as standard, but MMI Navigation is an extra £495.

• Android Auto explored: Taking Google on the road

Sound, music and television

Speakers

Entertainment in cars very much revolves around one main aspect: audio. Audi offers a number of different speaker options for its cars: standard, Audi Sound System, Bose, Bang & Olufsen.

Pocket-lint

The basic breakdown of these is as follows, using the Audi A6 as an example:

• Audi Sound System: 10 speakers including a subwoofer, 6 channel amplifier, 180 watt – included
• Bose Surround Sound: 14 speakers including a subwoofer, 12 channel amplifier, 600 watt – £1000
• Bang & Olufsen Advanced Sound System: 15 speakers including a subwoofer, 15 channel amplifier, 1200 watt – £6300

There is additional Bose branding on Bose speakers and the B&O system has tweeters that raise from the dash when turned on (depending on the car). Obviously, there’s a big price to pay for those B&O speakers, but the Bose system is often included in S line trim.

Worth noting is that the Audi Sound System isn’t standard, it’s an upgraded option (it’s £255 on the A3 for example), but what you get changes very much on the model you buy and how far up the scale it is. If you’re opting for an Audi RS6, you get Bose as standard, for example.

Music services and options

Generally speaking, the source for much of your music will come from the radio, but there are options galore to enhance the number of sources you have for your media.

We’ve mentioned your smartphone already and if you have the Smartphone Interface, there’s a good chance that you’ll use your Apple or Android device to power music: services like iTunes, Spotify or Play Music can then be accessed via MMI – and you can stream your music or play it from the phone’s storage.

Some models also offer a music connection designed to be used with iPods or MP3 players (including USB based MP3), but as time moves on, it seems to be the phone that’s the centre things.

Pocket-lint

Audi also includes an SD card reader on many of its cars. This will let you fill that card with music (MP3, WMA, AAC) so you could just transfer all the music on your PC’s hard drive to an SD card, put that in your car and away you go with your music collection.

Some packages also include a hard drive Jukebox in the car. This is often part of the Technology Pack and varies in size depending on the model, but also gives you the option of storing your digital music in the car. 

Then there’s the standard CD player or multi-disc changer for those who want to carry more CDs.

Television

If you really want to get involved with in-car entertainment, there’s also the option for digital television in some larger models. This is often bundled into other packages – Entertainment package – as well as needing the Technology package too. This will equip your car with a DVB tuner, allowing you to watch TV through the MMI display when your car is stationary.

For those in the rear seats, two headset-mounted displays are provided, along with headphones. Those will also play media from other sources, like USB or SD card, giving plenty of options.

However, there are limitations on the seats you can have, as not all seats can accommodate the mounts for the screens.

Audi Connect online apps and services

Audi Connect is a suite of options that aims to link your car to the outside world, either through your phone, or through a SIM card in the car. A range of other technologies get bundled in – like creating a Wi-Fi hotspot from that connection so that others can get online.

Pocket-lint

Audi Connect will give you fuel prices, reports on traffic, connect you to social media, as well as give you weather. Audi Connect isn’t something we’ve made great use of however. With all that information so readily available through your phone – and with Audi Smartphone Interface now offering CarPlay and Android Auto, it’s easy to see that many of the services that Audi Connect offers could be a duplication.

Summing up

Of all the technologies that Audi offers around the infotainment system, our top pick is the Virtual Cockpit, as this is something that will bring a lovely experience to your drive all the time. We’re also fans of the integration of smartphone interfaces for Apple and Android – although if you choose Virtual Cockpit, you’ll also have to have Audi’s navigation as part of that bundle.

With so many models, trim levels and options available, it’s easy for every Audi to see to be configured slightly differently. At the core, many of these systems are the same, however. The big ticket upgrades like Bose or B&O speakers obviously boost the audio experience massively, but with Bose appearing in a number of trim options, there are a lot of these models on the road.

Pocket-lint

There’s a whole lot more Audi technology we’ve not covered here that relates to driving safety – adaptive cruise control, presense city, lane guidance – as well as handy options for things like parking, including the excellent 360 camera, reverse parking guide and corner cameras.

If there’s anything else you’d like us to talk about, be sure to let us know in the comments below.

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
Discuss this article in our forums