Toyota’s upgraded safety system detects pedestrians at night

Toyota is among the swarm of automakers promising a safer driving future in the shape of autonomous vehicles. But, seeing as we’re still stuck in the present, it’s adding another notch to its safety advancement belt with its next-gen SafetySense (TSS) tech for regular cars. The upgraded suite — a mix of tweaks to existing safety systems and brand-spanking new functions — will roll out on “select vehicles” in mid-2018. Toyota is not explicitly stating the models that will get it first. But, if its near-standard automatic braking is anything to go by, the tech should spread rapidly.

Among the enhancements is the pre-collision system’s ability to detect pedestrians at night and cyclists during the day — and slow down faster. The lane departure alert will also get improved road edge detection to assist you in keeping to your lane. And, adaptive cruise control is adding full-speed functionality and enhanced recognition.

Meanwhile, the new stuff will include road sign assist (displaying road sign info on the dashboard or head-up display). Plus, there’s a second lane-keep system that pairs up with adaptive cruise control to offer steering support. Like the current-gen TSS, its successor will come as standard and not as a costly add-on.

Source: Toyota

Deliveroo offers £6 restaurant ‘Lunchbox’ service in London

It’s midday, your stomach is growling and you haven’t brought a packed lunch. You could go outside and queue for some Pret a Manger, or — if you live in east London — you could try Deliveroo’s new Lunchbox service. It’s a £6 meal deal from various restaurant partners including Motu, Yoobi Sushi, Franca Manca, BabaBoom and Mother Clucker. The service is available between 12 and 3pm, Monday to Friday, and the menu changes at the start of every week. Food is prepared in “Editions” — delivery-only kitchens built by Deliveroo — and can be dropped off almost anywhere in “The City” or Canary Wharf. (More places will be added over time.)

The food delivery business is hugely competitive in the UK. Deliveroo is up against UberEats — which already offers breakfast, McDonalds and scheduled deliveries in the capital — Amazon, and the combined might of Just Eat and Hungryhouse, which was recently allowed to merge by the Competition and Markets Authority. Deliveroo is growing rapidly because of its prices and, more importantly, brand recognition — it was one of the first companies to offer lyrca-clad bicycle couriers in the UK. That’s no guarantee of future success, however. To keep its rivals at bay, Deliveroo will need more ideas like Editions and its subscription-based Plus service.

Andy Rubin reportedly left Google after ‘inappropriate’ relationship

Android co-founder Andy Rubin left Google in 2014 on his own accord — at least that’s what the former Google exec said upon his departure. But, a new report claims that there was more to the exit than we were led to believe. Specifically, Rubin left after an internal investigation determined he’d carried on an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate, according to three sources that spoke to The Information.

The people familiar with the matter claim Google kickstarted its investigation after a female employee from Rubin’s Android division lodged a complaint with the firm’s HR unit about their relationship — although, details of the complaint have not been divulged.

The inquiry reportedly found that Rubin conducted in improper behaviour and showed bad judgement. Rubin left Google in October 2014 — by which time he was in charge of robotics at the company, having handed Android duties over to Sundar Pichai — after learning of the results of the investigation.

Citing personal reasons, Rubin is currently on a leave of absence from Essential (the handset-maker he founded after leaving Google), according to a spokesperson that spoke to The Information.

The revelations come in the wake of sexual assault and harassment accusations against individuals in the entertainment and tech industries. As recently as last month, Amazon underwent an exec shakeup in its TV and film unit after its head of programming Roy Price resigned following sexual misconduct allegations.

Meanwhile, Uber’s internal turmoil regarding its toxic company culture dominated headlines this year. In the midst of that crisis, the ride-hailing firm asked SVP of engineering Amit Singhal to resign, after reports emerged that he’d been involved in a sexual harassment case at his former workplace — which just so happened to be Google.

Source: The Information

Legendarily boring ‘Desert Bus’ is playable in VR

Back in the late 90s, comedic magicians Penn Jillette and Teller made a mini-game collection for Sega CD that was never released and quietly forgotten. Unfortunately for anyone with taste, one of those was the intentionally awful Desert Bus, which Internet sketch group LoadingReadyRun unearthed during a charity stream in 2007. They turned it into their annual program Desert Bus For Hope, which has raised $4 million in the last decade while they’ve subjected themselves to one of the most boring games ever made — and now they can do it immersively with Desert Bus VR.

The old 16-bit version belted players into the driver’s seat for an eight-hour real-time trip simulating the route from Tucson, Arizona to Las Vegas. To keep things interesting, the titular bus veers to the right ever so slightly, requiring constant attention. Desert Bus VR refreshes the concept for virtual reality — now you can explore a completely mundane station and bus interior as you roll along your mind-numbing eight-hour journey.

Studio Dinosaur Games added a few other features, including several radio stations, one of which has Jillette himself chattering away. You can honk the horn, open the door and flick the air freshener. Immersion! And if you veer far enough off the road, a tow truck will take you back to the start. Realism! If you want to take the longest virtual ride of your life, Desert Bus VR is available for free on Steam.

Via: Mashable

Source: Desert Bus VR (Steam)

Amazon Echo Dot – who is it for, should you buy it?

While the Amazon Echo Dot (2nd gen) has been on the market for quite a while now, it seems that now than ever is the right time to take a look at this gizmo here on Android Authority — especially with the Google Home and Amazon Echo wars heating up hardcore thanks to Google’s big Assistant announcements from Google I/O 2017.

What is the Amazon Echo Dot exactly? You’ve probably seen it in a commercial or maybe at the store, but why would you buy this little guy when the Echo Dot or Google Home have bigger, fuller sound? Good question. That’s exactly what we aim to address in this post. Keep in mind that while this does serve as an Amazon Echo Dot review of sorts, we aren’t going to stick to traditional formatting. Instead we want to answer the questions – what is it, who is it for, and do we recommend it.

See also – Amazon Echo vs Dot vs Tap vs Show

What exactly does the Echo Dot do or not do?

Pretty much everyone these days is familiar with the Amazon Echo, thanks to Amazon’s major marketing efforts both on the web and via TV. In short, the Echo is a smart assistant powered by Alexa that lets you order items from Amazon, play music, ask questions, set timers, look up recipes, control your smart home — and more. Oh, it’s also a pretty high quality speaker system for your tunes, to answer those questions, etc.

Meanwhile, the Amazon Echo Dot does everything we mentioned the Echo does, but there isn’t that high quality speaker. Instead there is a tiny speaker that’s good enough if you are right next to it and aren’t too particular about audio quality.

Why would you want to sacrifice sound? For one, it’s small and can be placed just about anywhere in your home without distracting the overall decorum of that room. Also, it has Bluetooth and a physical audio jack so you can connect your existing speakers to it.

Design, ease of use, and so forth

As for the design? It’s small, easy to use with a few physical buttons on top.. And that’s about all there is to say about it. You can get it in black or white, though I personally favor the black version.

Not a lot to say about the software or how to use it either. You set things up with the Alexa app on your phone (Android and iOS support), then after that you hook it to Wi-Fi and from then out — you can listen to music, control stuff, and more right from the speaker.

Of course any time you need to add new functions (skills, etc) — you do have to go back into the app. All in all, it doesn’t get much easier to use than the Echo Dot.

So who should buy the Echo Dot?

Is the Echo Dot for you? Very likely, especially if you fall into one of these situations:

Those with a quality audio setup already in their homes

If you have an expensive traditional speaker setup, a living room audiotainment system, or just a solid Bluetooth speaker — the Amazon Echo Dot can default to those speakers when plugged in. That makes this a no brainer accessory, considering the Echo Dot is only $50!

Those who are simply curious about the whole ‘smart speaker’ thing

At $50, the Echo Dot is pretty much in impulse buy territory for many of us. In fact, that’s how I got started with it. Was curious if I’d use a smart assistant more in a speaker than I do on my phone. And the price was low enough for me to give it a go.

I liked it so much I ended up buying a higher-end model for the living room, while keeping the Amazon Echo Dot in use as a bedroom speaker.

Those who already have an Echo and just want to ‘extend’ its functions to more room

If you have a smart home setup, in particular, Echo Dots make a lot of sense for bedrooms, common areas in the house that your main speaker won’t be able to hear well, and so forth. If the room isn’t going to be used for high quality music — why pay high dollar just so you can say “Alexa” and ask your lights to go on/off, etc.

Amazon Echo Dot – Wrap up

At $50, the Amazon Echo Dot is perfect for those that want to try a smart assistant without making a big investment. It’s also great for those with a quality speaker setup already. If you fit into either of those categories, YES BUY IT NOW. You won’t regret it.

That said, if you are more of a Google Assistant guy, Google Home or Google Home Mini will make more sense. What do you think of the Amazon Echo Dot? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments.

Get it on Amazon!

Next: Smart speakers – what are your options?

Extend your Wi-Fi range with one of the best Wi-Fi extenders

If your Wi-Fi router lacks enough oomph to reach all your devices or leaves you with dead zones around the home or office, you’ve got a problem. As much as a decent router can alleviate that problem, Wi-Fi extenders can push your signal even further. They take your current wireless signal and amplify it so that it reaches the furthest corners of your home while offering a host of other useful benefits in the process.

For the most affordable solution to the problem, we’d suggest learning how to convert a old router you have lying around into a Wi-Fi extender of your own. Tinkering around isn’t for everyone,  but it’s a good way to save some money.

Otherwise, we’ve put together a list of the best Wi-Fi extenders you can buy, whether you’re looking for a feature-packed beast or merely an affordable device for your home or office.

Our Pick – Netgear EX6200 (AC1200) ($85)

Netgear‘s powerful Wi-Fi extender has the ability to create dual-band Wi-Fi speeds up to 1200Mbps and spread them throughout your house with a powerful 700mW range booster. So far, so good – but it’s the extra features that really make this powerhouse stand out from the crowd and the reason that we consider it our best pick for a Wi-Fi extender.

First, there are useful tracking features that check your Wi-Fi strength where you set up the extender, which allows you to pinpoint the precise spot in your home or office to put the satellite device for maximum range. You can also measure channel interference to help locate any serious problem areas. Perhaps even more interesting, you have the ability to use a dedicated Fastlane band to create an extra-powerful signal, which is ideal for demanding tasks such as HD streaming or online gaming.

There are also features here more suited for offices or complex entertainment setups, such as the ability to directly connect up to five wired devices into the extender using its Gigabit Ethernet ports, which ultimately gives you a more reliable connection.

Note that this extender uses a Wi-Fi connection to amplify the signal – it does not need to be plugged directly into your router to function (though it does need a wall outlet for power). This is a common type of setup these days. If you buy a Netgear router and specifically format it to be an access point, then you can attach the EX6200, but there’s not usually a good reason to do so.

It might not be as understated as the plug-in Wi-Fi extenders on this list, but it’s still our pick as the best of the bunch.

Buy it now from:

Amazon Best Buy Netgear Walmart

Best router with touchscreen – Amped TAP-EX3 (AC1750) ($170)

The Amped TAP-EX3 is a very different model from our top Netgear pick, but is still one of the best Wi-Fi extenders we found, especially for larger homes and families that want an easy solution. We’re talking about a lot of range here, around 12,000 extra square feet of coverage for your network and some of the highest speeds we’ve seen in an extender with its AC1750 rating. The TAP-EX3 contains 12 amplifiers in all, designed to broadcast a dual-band Wi-Fi signal powerful enough to stream 4K content and play demanding online games without a stutter.

The standout feature here, however, is the touchscreen. While small, it allows for easy and obvious setup procedures (oddly enough, with an included, unnecessary stylus). If anything goes wrong, the touchscreen makes a great focal point to locate the problem, reset, or find a resolution. There are also five Gigabit Ethernet ports for directly connecting devices like smart TVs or gaming consoles for a more straightforward connection – these setups are handy if you don’t mind putting the extender right by your TV and the router at the other end of your house, a placement that may seem counter-intuitive at first.

On the downside, the price for the TAP-EX3 may be a little high for some homeowners, and its capabilities are overkill for a typical family home.

Buy it now from:

Amazon

Best portable router – D-Link DCH-M225 ($43)

On the opposite end of the spectrum we have a far more affordable model, suitable for smaller homes or offices where the primary problems may be interference instead of range (although of course range will also be boosted). The D-Link DCH-M225 is a direct plug-in model that fits into the outlet like a little adapter.

The small size, plus the low price, make this the most portable offering on our list and means you can take it with you if you’re heading somewhere that you expect to have poor Wi-Fi reception. You will still have to download the QRS mobile app to complete installation though.

Notably, this model also offers AirPlay support if you are an Apple fan and really don’t want to buy another AirPort device.

On a less positive note, this D-Link model only provides up to a 300Mbps, single-band connection. That’s certainly okay, but it’s not enough for high demand situations like lots of HD streaming, or gaming from multiple devices. You’ll need a stronger device for the more demanding tasks, but the portability of this one make it worth the mention.

Buy it now from:

Amazon Newegg Walmart

Best middle ground – Linksys RE6500-FFP (AC1200) ($80)

If you want a Wi-Fi extender that covers almost all of the bases of the bigger boys without the heftier price tags, the Linksys RE6500-FFP is a solid choice. It’s not quite out top-pick, but it’s not far off either.

This 10,000 square foot, dual-band extender is a strong middle-of-the-road offering, letting you retain the ability to speed things up a bit, this time with crossband tech that takes data from one band and delivers it using the other band for a higher rate of efficiency and speed. Other unique features include an audio jack for connecting music devices, four Gigabit Ethernet ports, and varied security options that offer WEP, WPA, and WPA2 encryption to choose from.

Buy it now from:

Amazon Newegg Walmart

Best budget router – D-Link Wi-Fi DAP-1520 (AC750) (from $20)

This affordable, outlet-based model does provide dual-band extension – in fact, it can turn an older single-band router into a dual-band signal. This is a handy option if you have one of those single-band routers and still like it, but just wish it had more range and could handle more devices without faltering.

At $20, this budget offering is the most affordable way to expand your wireless network and is certainly a less expensive solution than buying an entirely new router! However, the network speed is fairly low, so this is most suitable for low-key Wi-Fi connections that don’t need to stream the very latest ultra HD content.

Buy it now from:

Amazon Newegg Walmart

Best alternative – Eero ($203)

If you are considering the possibility of buying a new router entirely, take a look at Eero. Eero is part of a growing number of next-gen routers that have evolved into multiple device setups (another example is Luma). Instead of being a single router placed in one central location, these routers are made of several different parts that work together simultaneously. Eero, for example, is made of three hubs that you spread throughout your house.

As you can see, these routers tend to be much more expensive than traditional versions, at least for now. But they also have multiple advantages. Notably, the multi-device setup essentially eliminates problems with range and dead zones, and allows you to re-adjust on the fly to fix any particular issues. It may be the future of routers, and if you can afford one of these solutions you can kiss your typical range issues goodbye.

Buy it now from:

Amazon

Updated by Jon Martindale on November 28, 2017 with updated formatting and copy.

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• The best iPad cases and covers for the new iPad (2017)

Extend your Wi-Fi range with one of the best Wi-Fi extenders

If your Wi-Fi router lacks enough oomph to reach all your devices or leaves you with dead zones around the home or office, you’ve got a problem. As much as a decent router can alleviate that problem, Wi-Fi extenders can push your signal even further. They take your current wireless signal and amplify it so that it reaches the furthest corners of your home while offering a host of other useful benefits in the process.

For the most affordable solution to the problem, we’d suggest learning how to convert a old router you have lying around into a Wi-Fi extender of your own. Tinkering around isn’t for everyone,  but it’s a good way to save some money.

Otherwise, we’ve put together a list of the best Wi-Fi extenders you can buy, whether you’re looking for a feature-packed beast or merely an affordable device for your home or office.

Our Pick – Netgear EX6200 (AC1200) ($85)

Netgear‘s powerful Wi-Fi extender has the ability to create dual-band Wi-Fi speeds up to 1200Mbps and spread them throughout your house with a powerful 700mW range booster. So far, so good – but it’s the extra features that really make this powerhouse stand out from the crowd and the reason that we consider it our best pick for a Wi-Fi extender.

First, there are useful tracking features that check your Wi-Fi strength where you set up the extender, which allows you to pinpoint the precise spot in your home or office to put the satellite device for maximum range. You can also measure channel interference to help locate any serious problem areas. Perhaps even more interesting, you have the ability to use a dedicated Fastlane band to create an extra-powerful signal, which is ideal for demanding tasks such as HD streaming or online gaming.

There are also features here more suited for offices or complex entertainment setups, such as the ability to directly connect up to five wired devices into the extender using its Gigabit Ethernet ports, which ultimately gives you a more reliable connection.

Note that this extender uses a Wi-Fi connection to amplify the signal – it does not need to be plugged directly into your router to function (though it does need a wall outlet for power). This is a common type of setup these days. If you buy a Netgear router and specifically format it to be an access point, then you can attach the EX6200, but there’s not usually a good reason to do so.

It might not be as understated as the plug-in Wi-Fi extenders on this list, but it’s still our pick as the best of the bunch.

Buy it now from:

Amazon Best Buy Netgear Walmart

Best router with touchscreen – Amped TAP-EX3 (AC1750) ($170)

The Amped TAP-EX3 is a very different model from our top Netgear pick, but is still one of the best Wi-Fi extenders we found, especially for larger homes and families that want an easy solution. We’re talking about a lot of range here, around 12,000 extra square feet of coverage for your network and some of the highest speeds we’ve seen in an extender with its AC1750 rating. The TAP-EX3 contains 12 amplifiers in all, designed to broadcast a dual-band Wi-Fi signal powerful enough to stream 4K content and play demanding online games without a stutter.

The standout feature here, however, is the touchscreen. While small, it allows for easy and obvious setup procedures (oddly enough, with an included, unnecessary stylus). If anything goes wrong, the touchscreen makes a great focal point to locate the problem, reset, or find a resolution. There are also five Gigabit Ethernet ports for directly connecting devices like smart TVs or gaming consoles for a more straightforward connection – these setups are handy if you don’t mind putting the extender right by your TV and the router at the other end of your house, a placement that may seem counter-intuitive at first.

On the downside, the price for the TAP-EX3 may be a little high for some homeowners, and its capabilities are overkill for a typical family home.

Buy it now from:

Amazon

Best portable router – D-Link DCH-M225 ($43)

On the opposite end of the spectrum we have a far more affordable model, suitable for smaller homes or offices where the primary problems may be interference instead of range (although of course range will also be boosted). The D-Link DCH-M225 is a direct plug-in model that fits into the outlet like a little adapter.

The small size, plus the low price, make this the most portable offering on our list and means you can take it with you if you’re heading somewhere that you expect to have poor Wi-Fi reception. You will still have to download the QRS mobile app to complete installation though.

Notably, this model also offers AirPlay support if you are an Apple fan and really don’t want to buy another AirPort device.

On a less positive note, this D-Link model only provides up to a 300Mbps, single-band connection. That’s certainly okay, but it’s not enough for high demand situations like lots of HD streaming, or gaming from multiple devices. You’ll need a stronger device for the more demanding tasks, but the portability of this one make it worth the mention.

Buy it now from:

Amazon Newegg Walmart

Best middle ground – Linksys RE6500-FFP (AC1200) ($80)

If you want a Wi-Fi extender that covers almost all of the bases of the bigger boys without the heftier price tags, the Linksys RE6500-FFP is a solid choice. It’s not quite out top-pick, but it’s not far off either.

This 10,000 square foot, dual-band extender is a strong middle-of-the-road offering, letting you retain the ability to speed things up a bit, this time with crossband tech that takes data from one band and delivers it using the other band for a higher rate of efficiency and speed. Other unique features include an audio jack for connecting music devices, four Gigabit Ethernet ports, and varied security options that offer WEP, WPA, and WPA2 encryption to choose from.

Buy it now from:

Amazon Newegg Walmart

Best budget router – D-Link Wi-Fi DAP-1520 (AC750) (from $20)

This affordable, outlet-based model does provide dual-band extension – in fact, it can turn an older single-band router into a dual-band signal. This is a handy option if you have one of those single-band routers and still like it, but just wish it had more range and could handle more devices without faltering.

At $20, this budget offering is the most affordable way to expand your wireless network and is certainly a less expensive solution than buying an entirely new router! However, the network speed is fairly low, so this is most suitable for low-key Wi-Fi connections that don’t need to stream the very latest ultra HD content.

Buy it now from:

Amazon Newegg Walmart

Best alternative – Eero ($203)

If you are considering the possibility of buying a new router entirely, take a look at Eero. Eero is part of a growing number of next-gen routers that have evolved into multiple device setups (another example is Luma). Instead of being a single router placed in one central location, these routers are made of several different parts that work together simultaneously. Eero, for example, is made of three hubs that you spread throughout your house.

As you can see, these routers tend to be much more expensive than traditional versions, at least for now. But they also have multiple advantages. Notably, the multi-device setup essentially eliminates problems with range and dead zones, and allows you to re-adjust on the fly to fix any particular issues. It may be the future of routers, and if you can afford one of these solutions you can kiss your typical range issues goodbye.

Buy it now from:

Amazon

Updated by Jon Martindale on November 28, 2017 with updated formatting and copy.

Editors’ Recommendations

• The best Galaxy S7 Edge cases
• Find your fitness with our favorite health and fitness apps for Android
• The 27 best iPhone 6S cases and covers
• The best iPad cases and covers for the new iPad (2017)

How to enable the Pixel Visual Core for HDR+ on Android 8.1 — and what it actually does

It’s time for a photo processing upgrade.

Google’s new Pixel Visual Core co-processor has been sitting dormant inside the Pixel 2 and 2 XL since launch, but now with the Android 8.1 Developer Preview 2 (aka Beta 2) release we have an early look at what it can do. Well, sort of — it actually isn’t enabled by default on the phones, and turning it on only gives us a glimpse of what it’s capable of in third-party apps.

But if you know where to go, you can turn on the Pixel Visual Core and see what it does for your photos on the Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL. Here’s how.

How to enable Pixel Visual Core processing

The process for enabling the Pixel Visual Core is a bit funky, and isn’t actually in the Camera app itself but rather the Developer options — but chances are this won’t be an issue for you if you’re running beta software on your phone. Provided you’re running the latest Developer Preview / Beta, here are the steps:

Go into Settings, System, About phone.
Find the Build number at the bottom of the screen and tap it five times.

• You’ll also need to confirm your screen lock.

Go back and tap on the new Developer options menu.
Scroll down under the “Debugging” subsection and tap the toggle marked Camera HAL HDR+.

• (FYI: “HAL” stands for Hardware Abstraction Layer.)

Reboot your phone for the function to be enabled.

What does the Pixel Visual Core do right now?

So here’s the thing: enabling HAL HDR+ doesn’t change anything about the way the Pixel 2’s built-in camera performs — after all, it already has HDR+ on its own without utilizing the Pixel Visual Core. Because this is a beta release, the focus is on enabling the Pixel Visual Core for third-party apps to use. Once you turn on HAL HDR+ processing, any third-party app that plugs into the standard Android Camera API will have its photos processed with the Pixel Visual Core, giving them the HDR+ treatment much in the same way the Google camera app does already purely with proprietary processing software.

The change isn’t massive right now, but the future is bright with this dedicated co-processor.

That means when you fire up something like Instagram or the bevy of other apps with in-app camera needs, the photos you get directly out of those third-party apps will be closer to the quality you experience when taking photos with the built-in camera app. The goal is to not have such a big drop-off in camera quality when shooting inside an app versus using the built-in camera and sharing the photo afterward. This is a huge win for developers and users alike.

Chances are you won’t notice a huge difference in quality or processing speed just yet — remember, this is the first time Google is enabling the Pixel Visual Core for consumers (and just beta testers, who enable it, at that). But the computational capabilities of this co-processor go way beyond most ISPs in phones. There’s also a machine learning component to the way the Pixel Visual Core works, meaning it has the potential to “learn” and improve as it’s used. This processor’s capabilities could be leveraged far better in the future, both with third-party apps and the built-in camera. With hardware like this, the future is bright.

Once you enable the Pixel Visual Core on your Pixel 2 or 2 XL, let us know how you’re finding its capabilities!

Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL

• Pixel 2 FAQ: Everything you need to know!
• Google Pixel 2 and 2 XL review: The new standard
• Google Pixel 2 specs
• Google Pixel 2 vs. Pixel 2 XL: What’s the difference?
• Join our Pixel 2 forums

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Airbus, Rolls-Royce and Siemens team on a hybrid electric aircraft

Purely electric aircraft are still in their relative infancy. Hybrid aircraft, however? They’re closer than you think. Airbus, Rolls-Royce and Siemens are partnering on a hybrid electric aircraft prototype, the E-Fan X, that will prove the mixture of conventional and electric engines will work. The demonstrator will modify a BAe 146 by replacing one of its gas turbine engines with a 2MW electric motor, followed by a second if everything goes smoothly. It’s currently slated to fly sometime in 2020.

The trio hopes that E-Fan X will quickly “mature” hybrid aircraft and lead to an honest-to-goodness commercial single-aisle aircraft. It could be a long while before you’re flying aboard a hybrid jumbo jet, then, but this could lead to short-hop aircraft that consume much less fuel. And that’s bound to be helpful in reducing not just emissions, but running costs. Carriers may have a vested interest in adopting these vehicles simply because they could improve the bottom line — helping the environment would be a nice (if important) bonus.

Source: Airbus

The ‘X-Files’ revival continues with a mobile game

X-Files’ resurgence isn’t just limited to new TV episodes. Fox has taken the wraps off of X-Files: Deep State, a mystery title for Android, iOS and Facebook that should arrive February 6th, 2018, or just over a month after the January 3rd TV premiere. You’ll fill the shoes of an FBI agent finding clues, solving puzzles and grilling witnesses between seasons 9 and 10 (during the alien invasion timeline). There’s an element of Telltale’s serialized storytelling to it with decisions affecting the storyline and new cases showing up every month.

The game will be free-to-play, although it’s not exactly clear what in-app purchases will entail. You can customize the look of your agent, so it’s safe to say that some of the paid extras will be cosmetic. It’ll share a lot in common with the format of the show, at least, as there will be conspiracy-driven story arc cases in addition to one-off “monster of the week” investigations.

This probably won’t make you feel like you’re stepping into the suits of Mulder or Scully, but it shows that broadcasters increasingly see mobile apps as vital companions to their programming — they want you to engross yourself in a show’s universe well after you’ve shut off your TV.

Via: Variety, TechCrunch

Source: X-Files: Deep State