Weekly Rewind: Translating headphones, tech flops, Tesla trucks, and more
A lot can happen in a week when it comes to tech. The constant onslaught of news makes it nigh impossible for mere mortals with real lives to keep track of everything. That’s why we’ve compiled a quick and dirty list of this week’s top tech stories, from what happened at Google’s October 4 event to how one chef is looking to get us off our phones — it’s all here.
The Pixel 2 looks amazing. So why did Google bother with all the other nonsense?
The Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL are well thought-out, feature-rich, and highly desirable sequels to the already excellent Pixel and Pixel XL. We predict they will be two of the best Android phones released this year and next, and we’re not exactly going out on a limb to say it. They formed the centerpiece of Google’s October 4 event, but were joined by quite a lot of other, far less interesting products. Imagine if they weren’t.
Read: The Pixel 2 looks amazing. So why did Google bother with all the other nonsense?
Here’s how one chef is encouraging diners to ditch their phones at the table
Restaurants can be quiet places these days. The sight of an entire table of diners gazing at their smartphones rather than their lovingly prepared food is a common one, and has led some restaurateurs to take matters into their own hands. The latest effort aimed at getting diners to engage with one another rather than with their handsets comes from award-winning chef Marco Canora. Based at Tuscan-American restaurant Hearth in Manhattan, Canora has placed special boxes on each table. On the box reads a note: “Open me!” while inside another one says, “We’d like to invite you to unplug during your meal here at Hearth. Feel free to use this box to put your phone away and connect with your fellow diners.”
Discussing the novel idea with dining guide Eater, Canora said, “If there’s one time in the 24 hours in your day that’s a time to engage with the person you’re with, it makes sense to me that it’s around the dinner table.”
Read: Here’s how one chef is encouraging diners to ditch their phones at the table
‘Titanic’ star Kate Winslet will reunite with James Cameron for ‘Avatar 2’
It’s been almost a decade since James Cameron’s Avatar hit theaters, but filming is currently underway on Avatar 2, the long-awaited sequel to the highest-grossing film of all time worldwide. The cast of the film is also filling out, with Academy Award winner Kate Winslet recently joining the project in a starring role.
Winslet will play a character named Ronal for the film, but little is known about her role other than the character’s name. However, the film will reunite Winslet with Cameron for the first time since the actress starred in 1997’s Titanic.
Read: ‘Titanic’ star Kate Winslet will reunite with James Cameron for ‘Avatar 2’
The Whitepod luxury eco-lodge is located in the heart of the Swiss Alps
The Swiss Alps have been a popular destination for active travelers for decades, offering opportunities to ski, hike, climb, and mountain bike their way across some of the most stunning landscapes on the planet. But, just because those adventurous souls might like to rough it during the day, doesn’t mean they can’t enjoy a bit of luxury in the evening. There are plenty of swanky mountain chalets and lodges available, but for a unique experience, consider a stay at Whitepod instead.
Located near Les Cerniers, Switzerland, Whitepod is a luxury eco-lodge that features a set of geodesic domes that have been custom-built to accommodate travelers. These unique suites are fully outfitted with a number of amenities designed to provide comfort and relaxation following a day of adventure in the mountains, while also fully immersing visitors in the culture and cuisine of the region.
Read: The Whitepod luxury eco-lodge is located in the heart of the Swiss Alps
Android Nougat jumps to more than 17 percent of active devices
According to the Android Developer Dashboard, Nougat devices now accounting for 17.8 percent of active Android devices together. Marshmallow is still the reigning king with an API level at 32 percent — with Lollipop still trailing close behind at 27.7 percent. Following the release of Oreo in August, the latest operating system is already on 0.2 percent of devices.
In contrast, Apple’s iOS 10, which was released in the middle of September, was installed on 89 percent of devices as of September 6.
Read: Android Nougat jumps to more than 17 percent of active devices
Tesla electric semitruck unveiling delayed until October
Earlier in 2017, Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced that the company’s much-discussed electric semitruck would be unveiled in September. The world will have to wait a little longer for the first official look at this electric big rig, but an image posted to Reddit could give us an early glimpse at the vehicle’s design.
As you would expect from the all-electric automaker, the semitruck looks aerodynamic, futuristic, and downright elegant. The truck appears significantly shorter than the official teaser photo at first glance, but keen-eyed Redditors theorized that the silver cap on the left could be the truck’s fairing and promptly photoshopped it on. Looks pretty close, doesn’t it? Tesla hasn’t officially commented on the photo thus far, so we may have to wait until the unveiling on October 26 for confirmation. For what it’s worth, Musk said on Twitter it will be “worth seeing this beast in person. It’s unreal.”
Read: Tesla electric semitruck unveiling delayed until October
8 Infamous tech flops that were way ahead of their time
Not every tech product can be a winner in the marketplace, but some failures don’t deserve to be thought of as disasters. Whether it’s a good idea executed badly, a great product that was too expensive, or simply a futuristic idea which was way ahead of its time; here are eight tech flops which were later revisited more successfully.
Noble failures of tech, we salute you!
Read: 8 Infamous tech flops that were way ahead of their time
These goofy-looking earbuds are actually real-time in-ear translators
These earbuds aren’t meant for playing music or podcasts, but rather for communicating with people who speak a foreign language. Because not being a polyglot shouldn’t stop you from having a conversation with just about anyone in the world.
Rather than talking past one another in your respective languages, the WT2 claims to allow for real-time translation. That means that you can speak face-to-face with your fellow human, and immediately decipher his or her message without the need for a mediator. Promising natural, hands-free communication, the WT2 seeks to enable conversations in two different languages via two earphone translators and one app. Simply don one of the earphones, speak in your language, and your interlocutor will hear in theirs.
Read: These goofy-looking earbuds are actually real-time in-ear translators
Google Home Mini and Home Max shrinks and supersizes smart speaker offerings
If you’ve been keeping an eye out for leaks before today’s Google event, then chances are you know a lot about the new Google Home Mini, the puck-like Amazon Echo Dot equivalent, and Google Home Max, a Sonos-esque speaker. The two new additions to the Google Home lineup were formally unveiled at the event, confirming much about what we’d already heard.
Read: Google Home Mini and Home Max shrinks and supersizes smart speaker offerings
Weekly Rewind: Translating headphones, tech flops, Tesla trucks, and more
A lot can happen in a week when it comes to tech. The constant onslaught of news makes it nigh impossible for mere mortals with real lives to keep track of everything. That’s why we’ve compiled a quick and dirty list of this week’s top tech stories, from what happened at Google’s October 4 event to how one chef is looking to get us off our phones — it’s all here.
The Pixel 2 looks amazing. So why did Google bother with all the other nonsense?
The Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL are well thought-out, feature-rich, and highly desirable sequels to the already excellent Pixel and Pixel XL. We predict they will be two of the best Android phones released this year and next, and we’re not exactly going out on a limb to say it. They formed the centerpiece of Google’s October 4 event, but were joined by quite a lot of other, far less interesting products. Imagine if they weren’t.
Read: The Pixel 2 looks amazing. So why did Google bother with all the other nonsense?
Here’s how one chef is encouraging diners to ditch their phones at the table
Restaurants can be quiet places these days. The sight of an entire table of diners gazing at their smartphones rather than their lovingly prepared food is a common one, and has led some restaurateurs to take matters into their own hands. The latest effort aimed at getting diners to engage with one another rather than with their handsets comes from award-winning chef Marco Canora. Based at Tuscan-American restaurant Hearth in Manhattan, Canora has placed special boxes on each table. On the box reads a note: “Open me!” while inside another one says, “We’d like to invite you to unplug during your meal here at Hearth. Feel free to use this box to put your phone away and connect with your fellow diners.”
Discussing the novel idea with dining guide Eater, Canora said, “If there’s one time in the 24 hours in your day that’s a time to engage with the person you’re with, it makes sense to me that it’s around the dinner table.”
Read: Here’s how one chef is encouraging diners to ditch their phones at the table
‘Titanic’ star Kate Winslet will reunite with James Cameron for ‘Avatar 2’
It’s been almost a decade since James Cameron’s Avatar hit theaters, but filming is currently underway on Avatar 2, the long-awaited sequel to the highest-grossing film of all time worldwide. The cast of the film is also filling out, with Academy Award winner Kate Winslet recently joining the project in a starring role.
Winslet will play a character named Ronal for the film, but little is known about her role other than the character’s name. However, the film will reunite Winslet with Cameron for the first time since the actress starred in 1997’s Titanic.
Read: ‘Titanic’ star Kate Winslet will reunite with James Cameron for ‘Avatar 2’
The Whitepod luxury eco-lodge is located in the heart of the Swiss Alps
The Swiss Alps have been a popular destination for active travelers for decades, offering opportunities to ski, hike, climb, and mountain bike their way across some of the most stunning landscapes on the planet. But, just because those adventurous souls might like to rough it during the day, doesn’t mean they can’t enjoy a bit of luxury in the evening. There are plenty of swanky mountain chalets and lodges available, but for a unique experience, consider a stay at Whitepod instead.
Located near Les Cerniers, Switzerland, Whitepod is a luxury eco-lodge that features a set of geodesic domes that have been custom-built to accommodate travelers. These unique suites are fully outfitted with a number of amenities designed to provide comfort and relaxation following a day of adventure in the mountains, while also fully immersing visitors in the culture and cuisine of the region.
Read: The Whitepod luxury eco-lodge is located in the heart of the Swiss Alps
Android Nougat jumps to more than 17 percent of active devices
According to the Android Developer Dashboard, Nougat devices now accounting for 17.8 percent of active Android devices together. Marshmallow is still the reigning king with an API level at 32 percent — with Lollipop still trailing close behind at 27.7 percent. Following the release of Oreo in August, the latest operating system is already on 0.2 percent of devices.
In contrast, Apple’s iOS 10, which was released in the middle of September, was installed on 89 percent of devices as of September 6.
Read: Android Nougat jumps to more than 17 percent of active devices
Tesla electric semitruck unveiling delayed until October
Earlier in 2017, Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced that the company’s much-discussed electric semitruck would be unveiled in September. The world will have to wait a little longer for the first official look at this electric big rig, but an image posted to Reddit could give us an early glimpse at the vehicle’s design.
As you would expect from the all-electric automaker, the semitruck looks aerodynamic, futuristic, and downright elegant. The truck appears significantly shorter than the official teaser photo at first glance, but keen-eyed Redditors theorized that the silver cap on the left could be the truck’s fairing and promptly photoshopped it on. Looks pretty close, doesn’t it? Tesla hasn’t officially commented on the photo thus far, so we may have to wait until the unveiling on October 26 for confirmation. For what it’s worth, Musk said on Twitter it will be “worth seeing this beast in person. It’s unreal.”
Read: Tesla electric semitruck unveiling delayed until October
8 Infamous tech flops that were way ahead of their time
Not every tech product can be a winner in the marketplace, but some failures don’t deserve to be thought of as disasters. Whether it’s a good idea executed badly, a great product that was too expensive, or simply a futuristic idea which was way ahead of its time; here are eight tech flops which were later revisited more successfully.
Noble failures of tech, we salute you!
Read: 8 Infamous tech flops that were way ahead of their time
These goofy-looking earbuds are actually real-time in-ear translators
These earbuds aren’t meant for playing music or podcasts, but rather for communicating with people who speak a foreign language. Because not being a polyglot shouldn’t stop you from having a conversation with just about anyone in the world.
Rather than talking past one another in your respective languages, the WT2 claims to allow for real-time translation. That means that you can speak face-to-face with your fellow human, and immediately decipher his or her message without the need for a mediator. Promising natural, hands-free communication, the WT2 seeks to enable conversations in two different languages via two earphone translators and one app. Simply don one of the earphones, speak in your language, and your interlocutor will hear in theirs.
Read: These goofy-looking earbuds are actually real-time in-ear translators
Google Home Mini and Home Max shrinks and supersizes smart speaker offerings
If you’ve been keeping an eye out for leaks before today’s Google event, then chances are you know a lot about the new Google Home Mini, the puck-like Amazon Echo Dot equivalent, and Google Home Max, a Sonos-esque speaker. The two new additions to the Google Home lineup were formally unveiled at the event, confirming much about what we’d already heard.
Read: Google Home Mini and Home Max shrinks and supersizes smart speaker offerings
The best tech-focused documentaries of all time
Why it matters to you
These tech-themed documentaries will entertain and inform in equal measure.
Do you love tech? Enjoy documentaries? Then, boy, are you going to love our round-up of the best tech documentaries available for your viewing pleasure. (If you hate technology and non-fiction films, on the other hand, you’ve probably come to the wrong place.)
From underdog video game stories to films which explore what the internet is doing to us, here are our picks for the tech-related documentaries you need to see right now.
The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (2007)
Probably the most obviously “fun” documentary on this list, King of Kong follows a narrative you’ll have seen in everything from Rocky to Karate Kid: an underdog hero’s journey as they battle against the odds to make it in the world.
In this case, the world our hero — a high school teacher named Steve Wiebe — wants to make it in is competitive videogaming, by securing the high score for arcade classic Donkey Kong. Against him is lank-haired arcade legend Billy Mitchell, who turns out to be a deliciously underhanded movie villain.
Lincoln Ruchti’s Chasing Ghosts: Beyond the Arcade is another great exploration of the golden age of arcade gaming, but it’s hard to match King of Kong when it comes to sheer nostalgic exuberance.
We Are Legion: The Story of Hacktivists (2012)
We Are Legion is a documentary about “hacktivist” collective Anonymous.The film puts the Guy Fawkes mask-wearing hacktivists into a historical context, by tracing their more modern 4chan incarnation back to the protest culture of the 1960s.
Director Brian Knappenberger manages to get some interesting interviews with real life Anonymous members, and poses the right moral and ethical questions. With both large scale hacks and protests only having gotten bigger since 2012, We Are Legion remains incredibly timely viewing.
The Man with the Movie Camera (1929)
It’s easy to think that the world we live in now — with the arrival of drones, robots, AI and 3D printing — is seeing profound change than at virtually any other point in history. This documentary, the oldest on our list by more than half a century, will challenge that belief.
A highly experimental film shot directed, written and edited by the Soviet filmmaker Dziga Vertov, The Man with the Movie Camera sets out to depict what was then the modern city, freshly transformed by mechanization and electrification.
High on Marxist propaganda this film may be, but there’s something exhilarating about seeing a largely cynicism-free dream of human and machine working side by side to create something bigger out of individual pieces. You know when folks say “they don’t make them like this any more?” Well, they don’t make them like that any more.
All Watched Over By Machines of Loving Grace (2011)
A sprawling, 180-minute documentary that was screened in three separate parts, 2011’s All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace is the work of British filmmaker Adam Curtis. Far more of a personal nonfiction essay than a fly-on-the-wall documentary, its central premise is that computers have singularly failed to liberate humanity in the way their countercultural forefathers promised.
With that overarching argument, AWOBMOLG (the unwieldy title comes from a 1967 poem) veers from analyzing Ayn Rand’s influence on Silicon Valley to exploring the ecological dreams of Buckminster Fuller to cybernetics and evolution; somehow stitching them together into a cohesive whole.
You may or may not agree with everything this documentary says, but you’ll come away feeling like you’ve just read one of the most thought-provoking New Yorker articles in years.
We Live in Public (2009)
The notion that, to some degree, social media has made our private lives public isn’t really up for debate here in 2017. But the idea that this was possible — or desirable — wasn’t quite so clear in the 1990s. Step forward Josh Harris, one of the first dot-com millionaires, and a man described as “the greatest internet pioneer you’ve never heard of.”
An eccentric individual pitched somewhere between artist, entrepreneur, and troll, Harris managed to burn through his personal fortune by putting together weird social experiment projects like one in which 100 artists lived together in a webcam-filled underground bunker in New York, or a similar endeavor in which he and his girlfriend lived in a similarly surveilled apartment — with the world able to tune in to watch their every move.
Edited from more than 5,000 hours of footage, shot over 10 years, We Live in Public is a fascinating, funny, and sometimes disturbing document of dot-com era excess, which also manages to ask some probing questions about our connected world today.
Downloaded (2013)
This documentary, directed by Alex Winter, a.k.a. “Bill” from the Bill & Ted movies, tells the story of Napster and the rise of file-sharing services in the 1990s. It’s a slick production about an important chapter in internet history, with some impressive names among the interview list.
It may not have too many surprises if you followed this story closely at the time, but Downloaded is an intriguing enough tale to warrant a place on this list. Since it’s about the challenges of copyright in the age of the internet, it would go very well with the next documentary on our list…
The Internet’s Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz (2014)
The Internet’s Own Boy tells the story of Aaron Schwarz, a computer programmer and copyright activist who committed suicide after being charged with a maximum of $1 million in damages and 35 years in prison for downloading large numbers of academic journal articles to make them freely available.
Filmmaker Brian Knappenberger is firmly on Schwarz’ side, but it’s hard not to be when you hear about the extent to which Schwarz was hounded by the U.S. Justice Department.
Indie Game: The Movie (2012)
The second game-related documentary on our list, Indie Game focuses primarily on the independent game developers behind Super Meat Boy and Fez as they struggle to make their dream projects a reality.
If you’ve never dipped a toe into the world of gaming outside of the big AAA Call of Duty-style franchises, being introduced to the deeply personal world of indie gaming is like discovering the world of independent movies and alternative music (back when both labels meant something) for the first time. If you are familiar with indie gaming titles — either as a player or a creator — Indie Game presents a compellingly relatable take on a familiar story.
For All Mankind (1989)
If you’re like a lot of folks, you hear about a documentary concerning the Apollo mission and man landing on the moon and think a) what a spectacular achievement that was and b) I already know that story. That’s kind of the point in this instance. By now, footage of the moon landings is one of those things we’ve seen so many times that it loses some of its impact. Director Al Reinert pulled no punches when, in 1990, he brutally told one interviewer that the story has, “been covered and treated as news to the point where it bores everyone to tears.”
What makes For All Mankind so special was the discovery, by Reinert, of a massive archive of unseen NASA footage of the missions. Compiling beautiful celluloid footage from all six successful Apollo lunar landings, Reinert presents a documentary that (one imagines) captures the sheer majesty and transcendence of what space travel must feel like at its best. Oh, and there’s a wonderfully ethereal score by Brian Eno.
The Motion, TCL’s first full-touchscreen Blackberry, due later this year
Why it matters to you
The BlackBerry Motion, which could be the first BlackBerry phone without a physical keyboard since the Storm, might launch before the year’s end.
BlackBerry might not design phones anymore, but its largest licensee, TCL, wasted no time in filling the old guard’s shoes. In 2016 alone, the Chinese holding company launched no fewer than three devices — the DTEK50, the DTEK60, and the flagship KeyOne featuring BlackBerry’s signature chiclet keys, enterprise software, and soft-touch plastic. If the rumors are true, a fourth phone — the BlackBerry Motion (or BlackBerry Krypton, depending on who you ask) — might be around the corner.
The BlackBerry Motion is said to be an all-metal, high-end Android phone that’s radically different from TCL’s existing lineup. It reportedly has a bezel-less touchscreen, a fingerprint scanner, and a 3.5mm headphone jack, and it could launch as soon as late 2017.
Here’s everything we know about the Blackberry Motion so far.
Design and display
Goodbye, Krypton.
Hello, BlackBerry Motion pic.twitter.com/lBsdpORHW4
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) October 5, 2017
The BlackBerry Motion’s specifications remain a mystery, for the most part, but we have a pretty good idea of what the phone will look like.
VentureBeat’s Evan Blass leaked a render of the BlackBerry Motion in early October, and it’s a departure from TCL’s previous BlackBerry smartphones. A chamfered metal band wraps around the phone’s outer edges and houses two ports, a USB-C port and a 3.5mm headphone jack, and three buttons. One might be a Convenience key, a physical switch (and holdover from the BlackBerry KeyOne) that can be programmed to an app, setting, or routine.
Then there’s the screen. Assuming the render is accurate, the BlackBerry Motion will boast an edge-to-edge display, which would make it the first BlackBerry handset without a physical keyboard since the BlackBerry Storm. Beneath it appears to be a touch-sensitive, BlackBerry-branded button that reportedly serves as a fingerprint sensor.
Cameras
The BlackBerry KeyOne wasn’t known for its picture quality, but the BlackBerry Motion might be different. According to WinFuture’s Roland Quandt, it has a Sony IMX378 sensor — the same 12-megapixel, 4K-capable sensor as the Google Pixel and Pixel XL. Quandt says the front camera is a Samsung S5K4H8 8-megapixel model with a 1.12 sensor size and a 1080p/30 frames per second shooting mode
Specs
The BlackBerry Motion’s hardware is shrouded in mystery, but a leaked profile page on TCL’s servers hints at the specs.
According to the webpage, the BlackBerry Motion has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 or 626 processor and 4GB of RAM. The aforementioned touchscreen is reportedly Full HD (1,920 x 1,080 pixels) in resolution, and the battery is 4,000mAh (about 500mAh larger than the BlackBerry KeyOne’s power pack).
It’s also said to be waterproof. The BlackBerry Motion’s metal-and-glass casing is reportedly IP67 certified to withstand up to three-and-a-half-feet of water for 30 minutes.
Price and release date
The BlackBerry Motion is expected to launch by the end of this year, but we don’t know exactly when.
Recent regulatory filings hint at a release date, though. In late August, a phone with the model number BDD100-2 — or BlackBerry Krypton — passed through the Wi-Fi Alliance, and subsequently the Federal Communications Commission. When it comes to phones, that’s usually a sign of an impending launch.
Whenever the BlackBerry Motion does arrive, it’ll likely be widely available. Quandt reports it’ll launch on AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon later this year, with Dual-SIM variants in China to follow soon after.
The world’s most precise clock keeps time within quadrillionths of a second
Why it matters to you
New atomic clock will help answer some fundamental questions about quantum physics. And maybe stop us being late for meetings, too!
Think your internet-connected smartwatch or expensive Rolex is the best way of keeping time? An international team of physicists want to challenge that assertion, courtesy of their new atomic clock — which is capable of measuring time down to a couple quadrillionths of a second.
Atomic clocks have been around since 1948, but the new design puts a fresh spin on the technology. It packs strontium atoms — used for carrying out the time measurement — into a tiny three-dimensional cube at 1,000 times the density of previous one-dimensional atomic clocks. Doing so allows the researchers to then use ultra-stable lasers to harness the behavior of so-called ‘quantum gas’ to create a practical measurement device. The result is, in essence, the most steady metronome ever built, with a tick rates six times more precise than the now hopelessly imprecise former record holder.
“Our measurement precision and accuracy should be limited only by the fundamental laws of nature, quantum mechanics,” physicist Jun Ye, from the National Institute of Standards and Technology, told Digital Trends. “Atoms involved in this generation of atomic clocks are prepared in fully controlled quantum mechanical states, including both internal and external degrees of freedom. The more atoms we use, the clearer the clock signal that enable a more precise measurement.”
The big difference between this and previous work in the area is the arrangement of the strontium atoms. Prior optical lattices were liable to lose rhythm because of the looser formation of the atoms. In the new clock, these atoms are kept much closer together in a tight grid-like structure, similar to how you might see egg cartons stacked up in a grocery store. This more rigid configuration means they can’t bump against one another.
So what is such an accurate clock going to be used for? “Explore the frontiers of measurement science and quantum physics, and see where they can lead us,” Ye said. “You can say that this is more on the fundamental research front, exploring our intellectual curiosity.”
Ultimately, he says, the goal is to solve unanswered conundrums, such as the exact connection between quantum physics and gravity, as well as aiding in the search for things like dark matter. “Along with the scientific quest, we [will also] continue to develop new technologies such as quantum-based sensors that can have a wide range of applications in society,” Ye continued. “A more precise and accurate atomic clock will be part of the foundation of physical units and standards that modern societies rely on. They will play important roles in advanced communications and future space missions.”
A paper describing the work was recently published in the journal Science.
Elon Musk wants to overhaul Puerto Rico’s outdated electrical grid
Why it matters to you
Elon Musk could be about to get the opportunity to show what Tesla’s solar energy technology can do on a large scale.
In the wake of the devastation wrought by Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico is still without power. The island’s infrastructure was due for an upgrade even before the recent natural disaster, and now it seems that one of the biggest names in the technology industry might be taking on the mission to make that happen.
SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk has already sent hundreds of its Powerwall batteries to Puerto Rico as a stopgap. On Thursday, October 5, he took to Twitter to state that his company has the means to provide the necessary support to rebuild its power grid.
“The Tesla team has done this for many smaller islands around the world, but there is no scalability limit, so it can be done for Puerto Rico too,” tweeted Musk. He went on to stress that the company would need the blessing of the Puerto Rican government, the Public Utility Commission, any commercial stakeholders, and the island’s residents.
Puerto Rico’s governor Ricardo Rossello responded to Musk just hours later, according to a report from the Huffington Post. He suggested that the island could be a “flagship project” for Tesla’s technology, giving the company an opportunity to demonstrate just how effective its methods of harvesting and storing solar power can be.
Last year, Tesla subsidiary SolarCity led a project that installed a microgrid system on the island of Ta’u in American Samoa. As a result, the company stated that almost 100 percent of its power needs would be catered to by renewable energy.
This new technology obviously has some major benefits from an environmental perspective. It’s also much more reliable, and would likely be more resilient when future storms roll in — not to mention cheaper to run than the current system, which relies on imported oil.
There are big questions to be asked about the timescale of the project, as there is a pressing need to return power to residents. It took a year to install the microgrid system on Ta’u, an island that spans just 17 square miles. Puerto Rico is much larger, at 3,515 square miles.
Musk is confident that scalability won’t be an issue, but for residents of Puerto Rico, such a dramatic overhaul of the power infrastructure might take too long to come to pass.
Best Portable Bluetooth Speakers
Take your music with you with a portable Bluetooth speaker.
Portable Bluetooth speakers are one of the best ways to take those excellent audio waves with you everywhere. Compatible with practically every device out there, Bluetooth speakers will make sure that, as long as your phone, tablet, or laptop is around, your music is loud!
We’ve rounded up some of the best portable Bluetooth speakers that you can take with you just about anywhere!
- Sony SRS-X5
- Bose Soundlink Mini II
- UE Boom 2
- UE Roll 2
- Riva Turbo X
- Anker SoundCore
- Amazon Tap
Sony SRS-X55
Sony has a whole line of Bluetooth speakers that vary in size, but, if we are talking about the best portable speakers, it would be a shame to forget about the SRS-X55.
Let’s get to the most important part of any speaker: the sound quality. It works on a 2.1 channel system, meaning it has a dedicated driver for bass to deliver a great low-end without muddling the rest of the sound at all, which, from this 2.5-pound machine, is impressive, to say the least.
We aren’t the only ones who think the Sony-X5 is worth your $160, CNET gave it 4 out of 5 stars:
“For a relatively compact wireless speaker, the simple but classy-looking Sony SRS-X5 offers excellent sound with strong bass.”
Sony clearly had functionality on the brain when designing the SRS-X5. Not only does it work with Bluetooth, but it also has NFC compatibility and a standard 3.5-millimeter jack, so you should have no problem getting all your favorites devices to play through it. On top of what you can plug into it, Sony has also thrown in a USB port for charging your phone or tablet on the go, making the SRS-X55 one of the most versatile Bluetooth speakers in its class.
See at Amazon
Bose SoundLink Mini II
The Bose Soundlink Mini 2 is an incredibly well-rounded wireless speaker, offering top-notch audio quality and portability for about $200. It only weighs about 1.2 pounds making it perfect for carrying it around wherever you go.
The Wirecutter has extensively tested Bluetooth speakers and enjoys the performance of the Soundlink Mini II
“It’s shocking to hear how much better the SoundLink Mini II comes across than most competitors, with clearer voices and a fuller sound closer to what you might expect to hear from a decent small stereo system.”
A charging base keeps it going while you’re home. Meanwhile, a big battery provides up to 10 hours of tunes while you’re away. Plus, you can pair two devices simultaneously to bring in your calls and music from anywhere.
See at Amazon
UE Boom 2
Living up to its onomatopoeic name, the UE Boom 2 is an impressive speaker, offering 360-degree sound in a truly portable package.
The Boom 2 has a very high water-resistant rating, allowing it to be submerged in three feet of water for 30 minutes and emerge just fine. It’s also protected against dirt and mud, but you can hand-wash the speaker with warm, soapy water just in case it gets messy.
UE Boom 2’s battery will last you approximately 15 hours of playing time and has a Bluetooth range of 100 feet, giving you more than enough time and space to enjoy all the sounds you want to hear. Plus, if you find yourself lacking the volume you want from just one UE Boom 2, you have the option to set up another one to make a stereo pair and raise the roof.
The UE Boom also has the added pleasure of a controller app that you can use to skip songs, adjust volume and pause music without having to touch the speaker at all. You can pick up a UE Boom 2 in a wide variety of colors for about $200.
See at Amazon
UE Roll 2
The UE Roll 2 has a cool design meant to follow you wherever you go. It has a great waterproof rating, meaning it can even follow you to the beach and the convenient strap allows you to hang it from anywhere. Plus, it also comes with a little life preserver that allows it to float, meaning you can bring this speaker to a pool party.
This is Wirecutter’s top pick in their portable Bluetooth speaker roundup, citing its versatility and portability as key selling points.
“The UE Roll 2 sounds full, with smooth reproduction of everything from bass notes to cymbals, and it plays loud enough to fill a hotel room or a spot at the beach with sound.”
Volume on this little guy is impressive and can be even more impressive if you pair another UE Roll 2 with it. It has an app you can download, which allows you to completely control playback from afar. The UE Roll 2 will cost you about $100.
See at Amazon
Riva Turbo X
The Riva Turbo X is often overlooked due to its slightly higher price point (about $280), but fans of the Riva Turbo X will tell you to look twice.
When it comes to portability, the Riva Turbo X is a tad on the big side; however, when it comes to power, the Riva Turbo X is the real deal. The Wirecutter was quick to mention how sleek and sturdy the design was, citing it as “refined and elegant-looking.”
If you’re looking for a Bluetooth speaker to blow the doors off your place, the Riva Turbo X will have you smiling — and probably covering your ears.
See at Amazon
Anker SoundCore
Although Anker is usually praised for its battery banks, the Anker SoundCore is a surprisingly good little speaker.
With only five buttons atop this rectangle, the SoundCore is pretty minimalist in its design. It won’t look out of place anywhere, and it’s only $70, which is a big hit with its fans.
Battery life is where the Anker SoundCore stands out above all the rest; a full charge will last you roughly 24 hours of playback, which is perfect for taking it camping or on a road trip away from wall outlets.
See at Amazon
Amazon Tap
I couldn’t leave the Amazon Tap off this list because you’re not going to find a more useful Bluetooth speaker, especially at its $130 price point.
On top of being powered by Dolby Audio and offering 306-degree sound, the Amazon Tap has Alexa. You simply have to tap the speaker and ask Alexa to play Spotify, Pandora, iHeartRadio, you name it, and it starts playing instantly. Plus, if you’re using the Tap at home (or anywhere with a Wi-FI connection) Alexa becomes even more useful.
The Amazon Tap will give you nine hours of playback time on a single charge, and it comes with a nice charging cradle that keeps it upright and looking great even when it’s refilling its tank.
See at Amazon
How do you take your music with you?
Are you constantly listening to your favorite jams on a portable Bluetooth speaker? Why do you love it and what kind do you have? Let us know in the comments below!
Updated September 2017: We’ve taken the Bose Soundlink III off our list because of lack of availability.
Google Pixel 2 will automatically enable Do Not Disturb if you’re driving
The Pixel 2’s Driving mode will enable Do Not Disturb when it detects you’re in a vehicle in an effort to cut down on distractions.
The Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL feature a lot of improvements and new features compared to their predecessors, but perhaps one of the coolest additions is Pixel Ambient Services. This is the application that allows the Pixel 2/Pixel 2 XL to automatically identify songs that are playing in the background, but that’s apparently not all it’ll be able to do from day one.
Google listed the Pixel Ambient Services app on the Play Store right ahead of its unveiling for the Pixel 2, and while this offers a handful of screenshots for how the music ID feature will work, there’s another screenshot that reveals a feature Google didn’t mention at its big event – automatic Do Not Disturb while driving.
According to the screenshot, this new “Driving” mode “automatically turns on Do Not Disturb while you’re in a moving vehicle, determined by device motion and Bluetooth connections.” It appears that your Do Not Disturb profile is set to Total Silence by default, but there should be the option to change it to either Alarms Only or Priority Only if you’d like.
It can be far too easy these days to get distracted while on the road, so it’s nice to see that Google is including a small touch like this to hopefully encourage people to leave their phone alone while zipping along at breakneck speeds. However, if you’re a passenger in a vehicle and want to make sure that your phone doesn’t think you’re driving, you do have the option to toggle this Driving mode off to ensure you don’t miss any notifications.
Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL
- Google Pixel 2 and 2 XL hands-on: Act two is great
- Google Pixel 2 specs
- Google Pixel 2 vs. Pixel 2 XL: What’s the difference?
- Pixel 2 vs iPhone 8: Camera Showdown
- Pixel 2 FAQ: Everything you need to know!
- Join our Pixel 2 forums
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Verizon
We could see a T-Mobile and Sprint merger by the end of October
T-Mobile and Sprint could announce a merger before the end of October, bringing the U.S. carrier number down to three.
If it seems like talks of a T-Mobile and Sprint merger have been going on for years, that’s because they have – either officially or just murmurings in the rumor mill. Informal discussions between SoftBank and Deutsche Telekom (Sprint and T-Mobile’s biggest shareholders respectively) began in May, and a new report suggests that we could see a merger between the two carriers by the end of October.
According to people that are familiar with the matter, Sprint and T-Mobile are working with one another to finalize the merger so that an official announcement can be made at the end of the month when each carrier presents its quarterly earnings to shareholders. The deal is expected to be an all-stock one, and the last major step that needs to be made is for a final valuation to be placed on Sprint.
T-Mobile currently has a market valuation of $52 billion, and with Sprint’s stock price falling two-percent on Friday, it currently has a value of around $29 billion. Sprint’s been trying to play catchup to T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon for a number of years now, but apparently, the carrier’s numerous attempts haven’t been enough.
T-Mobile will be avoiding the same mistake that AT&T made six years ago.
Assuming the merger goes through, there reportedly won’t be any sort of breakup fee. AT&T tried to acquire T-Mobile back in in 2011, but when it failed to do so, had to pay the carrier a breakup fee of $4 billion – effectively giving T-Mobile a nice financial boost for working its way up to the number three largest wireless carrier in the United States.
With no breakup fee in place between T-Mobile and Sprint, neither carrier will face any sort of financial penalties if the deal fails to go through for whatever reason.
The United States has had four major phone carriers for a number of years now, so it’ll be interesting to see how the marketplace changes (if at all) with only thee companies to choose from. We still have a way to go before the end of the month to find out what happens for sure, but either way, we’re anxious to see what ends up happening.
T-Mobile announces #HR4HR to donate $1 million or more towards hurricane relief
Win tickets to an exclusive LG event at the New York Film Festival!
Android Central and LG are partnering to give away tickets to a special NYFF event!
Are you interested in the future of film and content creation? Want to attend a special event at the New York Film Festival showcasing video shorts shot on the LG V30? If you live in or near New York City and that sounds like you, keep reading for your shot at winning two passes to attend!
LG Mobile has a big event coming up at the New York Film Festival on Friday, October 13. As a premier sponsor of the New York Film Festival, LG is hosting an exclusive evening of cocktails, food, and film screenings at the Lincoln Center, brought to you by the LG V30, THE phone for video. They’ve selected videographers to create inspiring video shorts, shot on the LG V30, and will be screening them for the first time that evening! There will also be a keynote panel discussing the future of film and content creation.
The evening will consist of:
- 7:30pm to 9pm: Cocktail Reception at Walter Reade Theater’s Furman Gallery
- 9pm to 10pm: Screening & Keynote panel at Howard Gilman Theater Film screenings
LG has given us a pair of tickets to this event to pass on to our readers! The ideal winner would live in or near NYC as they will not be provided with transportation or other accommodations. As there will be alcohol at the event, the winner will also need to be over 21 years of age on or before October 13.
If you are interested in attending and meet that criteria, leave a comment on this blog post with your favorite movie quote (and the movie it’s from), and tell us why you’d like to attend!
We will pick the winner Wednesday, October 11 and announce the results on this post.
Good luck!
LG V30
- LG V30 review: The no-BS flagship
- Top LG V30 camera features
- Full LG V30 specs
- LG V30 vs. G6 vs. GS8
- The V30 is the first phone to support 600MHz spectrum
- Join our LG V30 forums
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