Project Fi: What it’s like switching between three networks?

Switching between networks isn’t scary, and in fact it’s quite useful.

Usually when you sign up for a phone carrier, you’re just getting service from that one carrier. That’s not the case with Project Fi, which lets your phone actively switch between T-Mobile, Sprint and US Cellular. It’s a big selling point for the service, and when you add in Wi-Fi calling and texting it looks like quite the network juggling act.

After using Project Fi for some time, it turns out the regular switching between networks isn’t all that confusing after all.

Switching between T-Mobile, Sprint and US Cellular

Project Fi, when paired with a capable phone like the Google Pixel 2, is set up to intelligently choose between T-Mobile, Sprint and US Cellular’s networks depending on which one is offering a better signal at the time. We don’t really know how Google’s deals have been worked out or how the phone determines when to choose one network over another — and with a Project Fi SIM in your phone, the “Cellular network settings” go blank except for a single toggle to toggle mobile data and data roaming (which you wouldn’t ever worry about turning off anyway). That means you don’t have any control over which network your phone uses, but it’s not actually as scary as it first seems.

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In our time using the service all around the U.S., we’ve seen the phone latch onto T-Mobile primarily, typically only moving to Sprint in some rural areas where T-Mobile had weak or no LTE signal to offer. As Sprint has improved its average speeds and reliability over the past couple of years, we’ve started to see it used more and more as well. Typically, you’re most likely to see T-Mobile in dense cities, and Sprint in more rural areas where T-Mobile may not have expansive LTE coverage. You’re only likely to see US Cellular in the regions where it actually runs its own network.

The most interesting thing to note is how seamless the transition is between networks when the phone decides to switch. There actually isn’t any indication on the phone when it switches, and no matter which network you’re on the phone will always display “Fi Network” in the status bar. You can use an app to see which network you’re on (SignalCheck is popular), and that’s the only way to keep track of the network switching. Most importantly there isn’t any change in the experience that indicated a switch had been made — no delay, no cutoff and no slow data.

The network switching is seamless, and simply expands your speeds and coverage.

While there are technically ways to explicitly choose just one network or the other, we wouldn’t actually recommend that. Considering how smooth the transition is between networks, there’s little reason to bother with manually switching or sticking with one — and it really defeats the purpose of paying what are still above-average per-gigabyte data rates to get access to all three networks.

The one clear downside of this network switching is the lack of simultaneous voice and data when your phone is on the Sprint network — meaning if you receive a call, you won’t be able to use data at the same time if your phone happens to be connected to Sprint. This really is the only reason to try and “force” the phone to one network or another … and the only annoyance of this opaque network switching.

In all, it’s a win. Project Fi manages all three networks really well to the point where you can’t perceive the changes, and the parts of the country where the networks don’t overlap simply gives you more room with data than you’d get by going with a single network.

Then you add in Wi-Fi

Plain old carrier networks aren’t the only story here — there’s also a significant part of the Project Fi experience that leans on Wi-Fi (hence the name). The first part of this is built-in Wi-Fi calling and texting, which can utilize your current Wi-Fi connection instead of the cellular networks. This only works when your Wi-Fi connection is deemed fast enough for calls (it doesn’t require much speed), but it’ll seamlessly drop to the cellular network if necessary without any intervention. This works in the built-in Phone dialer and Google Messenger apps.

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This means you can call and text no matter where you are, even out of cellular range, but perhaps the nicest feature about this Wi-Fi calling and texting is that it doesn’t require any intervention or settings manipulation on your part. Simply pick up the phone and call or text, and it’ll go out over whatever network will handle it. And because your “Fi Basics” charge covers unlimited talk and texts, you don’t have to worry about which way it’s routed.

The other part of the Wi-Fi story with Project Fi is the so-called “Wi-Fi assistant” that automatically connects you to open Wi-Fi as you move about. This is one of the less-understood parts of the service, but it’s pretty basic once you know what to expect. If you choose to keep your Wi-Fi turned on at all times and let the Wi-Fi assistant scan for networks (as is the case by default), your phone will automatically connect to any completely open Wi-Fi network that it finds and is “verified as fast and reliable.”

It will only connect to networks that are completely open — that is, no password, splash page, “click here to connect” or “watch this advertisement to connect” getting in the way. While at first you may think there are plenty of open networks around you, many of them actually require this extra step of a splash page or some kind of authentication that’ll keep your Project Fi phone from connecting. But because you don’t have to actively manage it, it’s always nice when you look down and see your phone has been saving mobile data by hopping on a coffee shop’s free Wi-Fi.

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It’ll connect to fewer networks than you’d think, but when it does connect it works well.

When your phone does find a completely open Wi-Fi network that it can connect to, it’ll connect and you’ll be using it for data instead of the cellular network. You’ll also automatically be connected to a Google VPN service, which is completely free, and tunnels your connection past the inherently insecure Wi-Fi network and through Google’s servers to hit the outside Internet. This is good for your own security, and also helps give you a consistent data connection. When the connection degrades or you start to leave its location, your phone will hand off back to the cellular network — including an ongoing call.

Living the multiple network life

So long as you don’t try to tinker much and simply trust what the phone and service can do automatically, you’ll be satisfied with the network switching and automatic Wi-Fi access in Project Fi. Having open access to T-Mobile, Sprint and US Cellular means there are fewer places where you’ll be left without a mobile data connection. And in areas with bad speeds from one of the three carriers there’s a good chance the other two can pick up the slack instead. Network redundancy is always a good thing.

And in places where you have access to Wi-Fi — be it a known network or an open one out in public — the built-in Wi-Fi calling and texting features, along with the help of the Wi-Fi assistant, will let you keep using your phone in areas with bad mobile networks or just to save you a few dollars a month in data usage. It’s simple, and for the most part it works — it’s a truly useful part of the Project Fi experience.

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Google Lens will gain shopping features, AR component in the works

There are some exciting features planned for Google Lens.

Google Lens wasn’t much more than a party trick when it first launched on the Pixel 2 as a part of Google Photos, but now that Google’s visual search service is integrated right within the Google Assistant, it’s quickly become a truly functional tool for finding more information on objects around you in the real world. Artem Russakovskii from Android Police recently reached out to Lens’ Engineering Lead, Rajan Patel, on Twitter asking about upcoming features, and Patel actually teased a handful of things to expect for the future of Lens.

Starting off with the least exciting of what Patel shared, Google is working on improving recognition of natural world objects, such as flora and fauna, so that Lens can more accurately identify these things and deliver the most precise results possible. This is possible thanks to a new optical character recognition (OCR) model that Patel’s team is working on, and it should result in faster and better recognition of all the things Lens can currently identify.

Shopping (apparel, home goods, etc) in the works. Natural world (flora and fauna) improvements coming. Team just sent me an amazing new OCR model. Experimental AR experiences coming as well…

— Rajan Patel (@rajanpatel) December 9, 2017

Patel also announced that new shopping features are in the works for Lens. These will likely be introduced after the natural world recognition improvements, and although he didn’t dive into too much detail about how they’ll work, we do know that it’ll support things like apparel, home goods, and more. We should hopefully get more information on Lens’ shopping features in the coming weeks, but our guess is that it’ll allow people to see online listing for items, user reviews, and options to buy them right from Lens.

Lastly, Patel shared that “experimental AR experiences coming as well.” These AR experiences are likely the furthest out from a public release, and to be perfectly honest, we aren’t sure what to expect from this. Google just launched AR Stickers for the Pixel and Pixel 2, but since Patel notes that the AR component for Lens is “experimental”, it’s probably quite a bit different from the fun and cutesie stickers.

Google Lens now available via Assistant on Pixel phones

Toyota and Panasonic explore ‘prismatic’ EV batteries together

Toyota and Panasonic are teaming up on batteries that Toyota itself and other automakers could use in future electric cars. Rather than building cylindrical batteries like the type that Tesla and other EV makers use, the two companies are exploring the development of “prismatic” cells. Those are square, flat batteries with aluminum housings and are typically used in cell phones. They can be made smaller and lighter than battery packs that use cylindrical cells, but tend to cost more and are vulnerable to overheating and swelling.

The agreement is just a first step, but shows the increasing need for automakers and battery companies to work together. Toyota recently unveiled plans, working with Mazda and Suzuki, to launch a new lineup of EVs starting in around 2020. Until recently, the company had been focused on building hybrid, plug-in hybrid and hydrogen cars exclusively.

Panasonic is the leading EV battery manufacturer, most famously supplying batteries for Tesla’s Model S, 3 and X. It also makes the batteries for Toyota’s current plug-in hybrid Prius cars and has a 29 percent total share of the market, Reuters notes. Other leaders are LG Chem, which builds the batteries for two best-selling EVs, the Renault Zoe and Chevy Bolt, Samsung, and China’s BYD Co.

Toyota and Panasonic won’t have to deal with thorny issues like battery chemistry to make better prismatic cells, which are already used on the Bolt and other vehicles. Rather, they’ll just have to use their engineering and research chops to refine them so that they’re cheaper, safer and more reliable. The payoff could be longer-range, faster-charging and lighter or smaller EVs.

Right now, Toyota and Panasonic are just studying the feasibility of developing these types of batteries together, but there’s a decent chance this will turn into a concrete plan. Batteries are the big sticking point for EV development, so the more development, the better.

Via: Reuters

Source: Toyota

I can finally do cartwheels in VR with HTC’s Vive Focus

After fully unveiling the Vive Focus, HTC finally allowed lucky folks like myself to properly test out the six-degrees-of-freedom (6DoF) standalone VR headset. For the first time, I can actually walk around in VR without being tethered to a PC nor confined to a fixed space. It’s a truly mobile VR solution — more so than smartphone-based VR headsets, which only let you look around on the spot (3DoF). Naturally, I used this opportunity to test this 6DoF tracking to its limits, even if it meant doing cartwheels while wearing the Vive Focus.

Here’s a quick recap of all the fresh details from last Friday: This Snapdragon 835 device is asking for around $600, and it features a 2,880 x 1,600 AMOLED display with a 110-degree field of view plus a 75 Hz refresh rate, along with a three-hour battery life, internal fan-cooling and a new white color option. Alas, there’s still no word on how this inside-out tracking mechanism works, but it appears to be derived from Qualcomm’s VR development kit.

It’s been a month since my initial hands-on with the Vive Focus, so I wasn’t surprised to find the much-improved build quality on the latest batch of pre-production units. After all, the product is scheduled to ship in China next month. The plastic body now has a more refined finish, a tweaked nose rest to block more light and, more importantly, a new hinged neck support on the back strap for better weight-balancing.

Instead of having to let demonstrators put the headset on me, this time I was allowed to do it all by myself, and I did so effortlessly, even with my glasses on: I just had to rest my face on to the cushion and then press the neck support inwards for auto locking. There was also a velcro strap at the top, which stopped the headset from slipping down my face. On and off, I had about one hour of total hands-on time, and at no point did I feel any discomfort, except for having to wipe the sweat off my masked face after some running around.

Now that the developers have had more time with the Vive Focus, most of the ported apps I got to try performed quite well. For instance, Pillow’s Willow VR Studio’s puzzle adventure Spark of Light already had good 6DoF tracking, but this time it also didn’t trigger any over-heating warnings during my two rounds of four-minute gameplay, so I could focus on playing god and guiding the kid through the beautiful fantasy realm.

Likewise with Chesstar Studios’ Great Header, which was just as stable as last time, though I quickly got bored of bouncing virtual soccer balls with my head and started doing cartwheels instead. I’d never dared to pull off a cartwheel in VR before, but thanks to the total mobility (and secure fit) of the Vive Focus, I was finally able to satisfy the gymnast inside me. To my amazement, it appears that the headset’s tracking kept up with my extreme movements, too. I’d very much like to see actual gymnasts give this a go.

I quickly got bored of bouncing virtual soccer balls with my head and started doing cartwheels instead.

The biggest jump in improvement I saw was on HTC Vive Studio’s very own Bowshot (from Arcade Saga), which has evolved from a sluggish prototype to a super-smooth first-person shooter. My legs didn’t have to move much; it was mainly about firing at physical computer viruses using a bow, dodging enemy fire and picking the right attack mode according to enemy formation. I quickly became addicted, mainly because it’s one of those seemingly-simple-yet-actually-challenging shooting games.

My favorite demo of the lot was Kukrgame’s Mercenary: The Italian Ops, in which I had to dodge bullets and fire back at enemy soldiers inside buildings. While the Vive Focus’ Bluetooth controller only has 3DoF tracking, I quickly got used to it and still managed to enjoy this slightly odd shooting sensation. That said, the game could use more-realistic bot players: No soldier would stand out in the open while firing.

Another noteworthy mention goes to Configreality’s infinite-walking VR experience, which gives the illusion of walking an infinitely long path within a confined space. In the demo, I had to walk through a series of chambers and collect large floating diamonds while dodging moving laser beams. As cool as this sounds, I quickly started noticing the moments when the software altered my path to keep me walking straight in the virtual world. It made me feel slightly nauseous, and I had to slow down. I still managed to clear at least nine chambers before the tracking suddenly went haywire — I started drifting out of the building for no reason, and we ended up having to quit the app.

Apart from that hiccup plus a couple of blackspots in the room (likely due to lighting), I didn’t have too much trouble with the Vive Focus’ inside-out tracking. While it didn’t feel quite as precise as the PC-powered Vive, it still worked fine. The only time I felt sick was during the infinite maze demo, and that was the game’s problem, not the hardware’s.

The headset had a few quirks: If I took the headset off in the middle of a game and walked around with it in my hand, it would take a little longer to reset the tracking before it could resume gameplay. Also, I found you shouldn’t block either front camera with your hands when you’re putting on the headset.

I did have one real concern: boundaries. As much as I appreciated Vive Focus’ “world-scale” tracking, I still had to occasionally either ask the demonstrators whether I was about to hit the wall, or be told to stop before I ran out of space. According to HTC Vive’s China President Alvin Wang Graylin, the solution to this will be an optional setting to map out the size of your desired space, so when you’re reaching the limits, you’ll see a warning.

Could the Vive Focus implement some sort of wall-detection feature, like the original Vive? Wang said this would be too much for the mobile chipset to handle. In contrast, the Vive gets a vast amount of processing power from a PC, plus it has fixed external base stations that help track both the users and the set boundaries. But of course, here you don’t get to enjoy the same flexibility and mobility as you’d do with the Vive Focus.

Based on my latest hands-on experience, it’s safe to say that the Vive Focus continues to be a promising start for next-gen mobile VR. Better yet, the $600 price tag seems almost reasonable when compared to flagship smartphones with similar core specs (save for cellular radio). Smartphones all lack the 6DoF tracking needed for more immersive, proper VR experiences.

What remains to be seen is how many more developers will join this new Vive Wave mobile VR platform (which is basically Google Daydream for China) because the hardware is only as good as the size of its ecosystem, especially when we’re looking at yet another VR platform in this young market. While current demos suggest that it isn’t too challenging to port content to Vive Wave, I’ve only seen about seven or eight good ones, which isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement from the VR developer community at the moment. But who knows, there may be more in the pipeline, and perhaps this will change when we revisit the product early next year.

Soundboks 2 is the massive Bluetooth boombox to rule them all

In February 2016, a new kind of Bluetooth speaker arrived on Kickstarter and easily met its goal. It was called Soundboks, a massive portable battery-powered unit that was built to rock a party and survive the experience with its metal grille and roadie case-style edges. A few months ago, the Soundboks 2 was launched with a series of improvements, including an audio boost up to 122 dB. This speaker has a rock-solid build and owes its beefy output to two 10-inch woofers, a soft dome tweeter and three amplifiers with boost converters to help maximize sound and efficiency. This thing is a monster, but in a good way and I just had to try it out.

It’s definitely a powerful sound system, but it doesn’t come cheap at $899. This speaker wasn’t made for everyone, though. It’s eminently useful for things like street side busking, flashmob parties, mobile DJing and beach bonfire bashes, while it may be overkill for listening to NPR podcasts in the kitchen. Modern-day Radio Raheems will enjoy the freshly redesigned LiFePO4 battery, which is rated for about eight hours on a charge at full volume and 40 (or more) hours if you’re keeping it chill.

On its exterior, the Soundboks 2 is all pro. It’s solid, rugged and built to haul around. There are handles on each side and metal ball corners with metal piping around all the edges. The front of the speaker is covered in a metal grille, so you won’t have to worry about those cones getting accidentally damaged. I tested the model with black powder-coated aluminum, but I could see how the silver version would probably show wear and tear less after a while. Cement and other gritty surfaces can scratch through the black and leave silver scuffs.

Above one handle, is the cavity where you insert the rechargeable Batteryboks. It’s easy to install and remove, too, since it’s just a rectangular block with a handle on it. There are grooves to guide it into place and keep it snug once inserted and a single plug to connect. There’s also a button on the battery that will give you the current charge status in 20-percent segments.

On the opposite side is the barebones control panel with the requisite volume knob that does indeed go up to 11. There’s a second knob to control power and environment settings for indoor and outdoor zones. The former maxes out at about 100 dB and has less bass compared to the latter, which tops at 122 dB and utilizes an integrated psychoacoustic chip to enhance the bass experience. I’ll just say that labels be damned; I like the outdoor setting most of the time regardless of where I’m using it.

Next to the knobs, all you’ll find are a mode status light and two ports. One is a DC charging input, which you can use to either charge the battery while it’s installed or, if you must, you can use it to run the speaker without the battery — but you won’t get maximum volume this way. The other port is a combo AUX / 3.5mm minijack. With a hardwired input, you’ll get a bit more volume and better quality audio than Bluetooth streaming. If you purchase the optional Proboks accessory, you’ll be able to use multiple inputs and expand the audio to cover up to six Soundboks speakers. They even have top hat cutouts in the bottoms so you can mount them up on stands.

So how does it sound? It’s pretty amazing for what it is. If you’re a high-resolution audio enthusiast, the Soundboks may not be the top choice, but the digital signal processing and psycho-acoustic bass tweaks make it a quality wireless speaker with beefy output. I had a few friends over the other day and we were listening to music on a JBL Link 300, which is a tabletop network speaker with decent bass, comparable to the UE Megaboom’s sound. I then switched over to the Soundboks 2 and accidentally sparked a kitchen dance off that went on for over an hour. It’s great to have something like this around to nudge things several notches higher than your average Bluetooth or network speaker could pull off. I just hope you’re tight with the neighbors.

When you compare the Soundboks 2 to powered loudspeakers such as those from brands like JBL and Mackie, it’s close, but not quite the same. Those have a much higher volume threshold and rarely support a Bluetooth connection. For a battery powered portable, the Soundboks is really the next best thing. Plus you get two 10-inch woofers in one box where powered models are usually a single unit.

Under the hood, you get three 75-watt Merus Audio Eximo class D amps with an integrated boost converter to maximize volume and efficiency, while minimizing the drain on the battery. I didn’t have a chance to play the Soundboks 2 at full volume for more than 30 minutes at a time, but did play it at medium volume in one go for over five hours and left it powered on overnight. After a week or two of sporadic use, I still have a 20 percent charge left. The claim that this speaker can run for eight hours at full volume seems like a real possibility and if you’re running low volume levels, charging may be a rare bi-weekly occasion. You can also purchase an extra Batteryboks for $150 to double your air time with little effort.

Connectivity-wise, I had some issues with both OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 5 smartphones. To be honest, I also had trouble connecting to a UE Megaboom speaker on those phones as well. I checked a few other devices including an iPhone 6 and Moto Z2 Force with the Soundboks, but didn’t suffer the same issues. They found the device quickly in available Bluetooth devices, stayed connected without issue and had decent range, including a walk to the second floor about 50 feet away. The company opted for a Bluetooth 3.0 module in the Soundboks in order to side-step any issues due to the metal grate protecting the front of the speaker, which was a must-have for durability.

At about 32 pounds, this thing can get a bit heavy if you’re carrying it a few blocks, but you can strap it to a small hand cart — or the backpack mount accessory from Soundboks — and take it anywhere. So, my use of portable here is subjective. The handles make it easy to carry and it’s rough-and-tumble enough to haul around, but don’t expect to pop this on your shoulder too often. (It’s also a little big for that, measuring 25.6 x 17 x 13 inches.)

When I first saw the Soundboks I was extremely curious, but also skeptical about how it would work. Especially since the advertising for the product is a bit over the top. But that does seems to be par for the course in a lot of similar cases. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised with how the speaker performed and it’s a great example of when Kickstarter really works. I took a stroll through my neighborhood with the Soundboks 2 and this thing can turn heads from half a block away. It’s a bit pricey at $899, but if you like to crank up the tunes and have cash to spend, you shouldn’t be disappointed with its wireless portability and output capability. Plus, it can double as a stool or end table. Am I trying to find valid excuses for spending that much money on a speaker? Yep. Also, my birthday is coming up soon.

T-Mobile will launch a TV service in 2018

You’d think that telecoms would want to bail on conventional TV services given how many people are cutting the cord, but don’t tell that to T-Mobile. The carrier has revealed that it’s launching a TV service in 2018, and that it has acquired Layer3 TV (a company that integrates TV, streaming and social networking) to make this happen. It claims that it can “uncarrier” TV the way it did with wireless service, and has already targeted a few areas it thinks it can fix: it doesn’t like the years-long contracts, bloated bundles, outdated tech and poor customer service that are staples of TV service in the US.

T-Mobile hasn’t gone into detail about the functionality of the service yet. How will it be delivered? How much will it cost? Where will it be available? And will this affect the company’s free Netflix offer? This is more a declaration of intent than a concrete roadmap, so it’s far from certain that the company will live up to its promises.

Ultimately, the move represents a big bet on T-Mobile’s part: that people like TV and are cutting the cord based on a disdain for the companies, not the service. There’s a degree of truth to that when many Americans are all too familiar with paying ever-increasing rates to get hundreds of channels they don’t watch. However, there’s no guarantee that it’ll work in an era when many people (particularly younger people) are more likely to use Netflix, YouTube or a streaming TV service like Sling TV. And being tech-savvy doesn’t guaranteed success — just look at how Google Fiber dropped TV from its latest rollouts amid budget issues.

If T-Mobile create a compelling service, though, it could shake up the TV industry. Many Americans only have a handful of TV options at best, and often just one or two if they’re not willing to go with satellite access. In theory, this could force cable and fiber rivals to offer more competitive pricing and provide more flexibility with their plans.

Source: T-Mobile

Renault’s concept EV drove me at 80MPH while I wore a VR headset

I’m driving the multimillion-dollar Symbioz EV concept on a highway in France when Renault-Nissan Senior VP Ogi Redzik hands me an Oculus VR headset. “Put it on. Do you see an image yet?” he asks me. “Not yet. Ahh, yes, now I see it,” I reply nervously.

A minute ago I was on a real road, but now I’m rolling down a fake forested highway in a simulation created by Ubisoft. Meanwhile, Renault’s Level 4 autonomous system has taken the piloting chores (with a professional, joystick-equipped driver backing it up in the passenger seat).

It’s a bizarre experience, but I don’t feel sick, because the Symbioz is transmitting real road motion to the headset. That data is then subtly adjusting the virtual image to be in sync with the real-life car movements. I even see simulated versions of the cars and trucks on the road fed in by LiDAR and other sensors. After a few minutes, the headset shows a dramatic eclipse, and the faux Symbioz leaves the road and soars over a canopy of trees.

All of this is part of the “mind off” driving experience that Renault is exploring with the Symbioz. With fully autonomous vehicles just around the corner, the company is trying to imagine how we can spend our free time once we surrender the wheel to robots. VR may not be your personal entertainment choice, but it exhibits that idea in a vivid way.

“This demo really shows you that when your mind is off, it’s really off,” Redzik told me. “If we give people back time, I don’t think we should be judging what they are going to use this time for, whether it’s gaming, VR or office work.”

Renault sees future cars as more than just A-to-B transportation. As showcased during my tour of the concept, the Symbioz can drive into its own purpose-built house with a matching interior, sit on a special charging pad and backup your solar panels like a rolling PowerWall. With HiFi and video systems (supplied by Devialet and LG, respectively), it could even become a mini-room in your home for work or entertainment. Even the exterior of the Symbioz, dreamed up by Renault’s Senior Design VP Laurens van den Acker, is about the space inside. “The lines of the Symbioz demo car were designed to showcase the interior’s innovations,” said Patrick Lecharpy, Renault-Nissan’s head of advanced design.

The body, built with carbon-fiber panels and a metal chassis, has an extreme cab-forward design to maximize space and is low, long and very wide. The styling is an acquired taste, thanks to the weird mix of a low, curvy front end, and high, windowless, squared-off back.

There is no tacked-on sensor array like you’ve seen on Waymo and other self-driving rigs. LiDAR units are hidden in the front headlight covers and rear bumper. Radar and ultrasonic sensors are placed inside the body, and a front camera is fitted at the top of the windshield. There’s also a rear camera hidden in the Renault logo, and side cameras cached in the door handles.

AOL/Steve Dent

Renault bravely invited me to drive its priceless EV, even though the weather in Normandy was, to use a local term, la merde. I was lucky enough to be on the first test flight; later in the day, only Renault’s drivers could take the wheel because of rain, sleet and hail conditions. We didn’t have to worry about getting wet or cold, though, as the Symbioz came to pick me up from inside its special little house. Once we were all seated, I could start to appreciate the interior design that accommodates all the embedded tech.

As Lecharpy noted, inside is where the Symbioz really shines, with a futuristic but not too futuristic cabin befitting a road-going concept car. The driver and passengers get individual seats for safety and comfort. (The Symbioz mock-up shown in Frankfurt had front seats that could swivel into an Orient Express face-to-face seating configuration like Mercedes’ limited F 015 concept, but that was considered too dangerous for a car traveling at freeway speeds.)

To maximize space and emphasize the “living room” idea, there is no center console or rear windshield. Nor are there physical mirrors, so rear-visibility is handled by a well-designed camera and display system.

LG created the L-shaped OLED front console display and split infotainment touchscreen. It also developed the excellent heads-up display (HUD). Depending on the drive mode, the touchscreens change color to match the interior lighting.

Even when the powerful sound system is cranked inside, folks outside the car can barely hear a thing. That’s because for its first car audio project, French HiFi company Devialet carefully considered the harmonics of the car’s body to reduce vibrations. Once I was acclimated, engineers detailed the route and explained how to use the three drive modes. During regular “classic” manual driving, the interior lighting is blue, and for “dynamic” mode, lights on the doors and OLED dash turn red. When you activate the auto drive (AD) setting by pushing two steering wheel buttons at once, everything becomes a champagne gold. The dashboard also displays different animations for each mode — all meant to give you instant visual cues about what the car is doing.

If things went south during the auto-drive mode, I was instructed to do nothing and let the specially-trained driver in the front right seat, equipped with joystick controls, take over. He would then pass me back the controls in manual mode. (All of this was legal and approved by French authorities.)

AOL

The Symbioz rotated 180 degrees on its platform, the glass door opened, and I cautiously set off. After a few minutes getting used to its heft and width, I felt comfortable — or at least, as comfortable as possible while driving a multimillion-dollar, one-of-a-kind prototype. The EV is easy to maneuver thanks to a four-wheel-steering system — despite the 4.92-meter length (16.1 feet), it can turn on a dime.

Once on the highway, the first step was to test “dynamic” manual driving. The Symbioz has a 72 kWh battery and produces 360 kW (483 horsepower), a bit less in both categories than Tesla’s P75D Model S. In standard mode power is limited to 160 kW, but the EV still accelerated quickly and could easily maintain freeway speeds. The handling and ride were smooth, but not exactly sporty.

I found the LG’s OLED screens easy to read, even in direct sunlight. The GPS navigation system by TomTom worked well and displayed points of interest, charging stations, and other info. LG’s heads-up display was integrated seamlessly into the dash and floated ahead of the windshield in a natural, non-distracting way. It displayed essential information like the speed limit, current speed and turn-by-turn directions.

Driving conditions were grim, alternating minute-by-minute between sunshine, rain, sleet and hail. Nevertheless, once established in the center of my freeway lane at 130km/h (80MPH), I pushed the two steering-wheel buttons with my thumbs to activate the auto-driving mode. This, I must add, was my first time using a fully-automatic self-driving vehicle (I tested Audi’s 2019 Level 3 Audi A8, but the Level 3 self-driving was disabled).

At first, I was stuck behind a truck, so the Symbioz moved to overtake it. Unfortunately, the semi was spraying a flood of water and, unbeknownst to us, the right-hand headlight cover had fogged up, foiling the LiDAR unit inside.

The AD subsequently disengaged with a bit of drama as the EV swerved from side to side. As instructed (and this was hard), I resisted touching the wheel, and the safety driver sat to my right quickly took over. After establishing control, he handed me back the wheel, and I quickly switched back to AD mode. This time, it kept things steady for a much longer period. Two GoPro cameras recorded all of these activities, as shown in the video above.

Ubisoft

With no need to guide the car, I slipped on the Oculus VR headset and followed Redzik’s instructions. Soon enough, I was immersed in Ubisoft’s simulation, rolling down a forested road and seeing a virtual version of the Symbioz cockpit and traffic around me. Next, there was a virtual eclipse, and the scene transformed into a nighttime cityscape. Finally, the virtual EV took flight, soaring over a dreamy, fog-filled forest.

Though mildly worried, I was completely comfortable using the headset during the three-minute demo. VR is notorious for producing motion sickness even if you’re sitting still, but Ubisoft combines TomTom’s GPS road maps and the Symbioz’s acceleration data, feeding it all into the simulation. “The acceleration, the speed, the localization in the lanes, the lateral acceleration, everything is taken into account by the VR experience,” said Mathieu Lips, director of the Symbioz demo car project.

All of this is to avoid a perfect, vomitous storm of VR sickness and carsickness. “There is complete coherence between what you see on the screen, what your brain interprets and what your body is feeling [based on] what your inner ear interprets,” Deborah Papiernik, senior VP at Ubisoft, told me. “And because there is perfect coherence in real time between the two, the experience is extremely comfortable.”

That’s not even mentioning the insanity of putting on a VR headset while driving, but Renault wanted to make a strong statement about the “mind off” idea. “They wanted an experience that would provide escapism, that would allow the driver to let go,” Papiernik explains.

While you’re in your VR bliss, the Symbioz keeps reality intrusions to a minimum. Renault worked with French highway company SANEF to automate the process of going through a toll booth and even erected special WiFi towers along our route. “They have installed five antennas called ‘roadside units’ that use the 5.0 GHz long-range WiFi,” Lips told me. “Those will inform the vehicles about which toll gates doors are open for autonomous driving.”

When the Symbioz approaches a pay toll, it automatically heads to a lane that supports autonomous driving and wireless payment. It’s then supposed to slow to 30km/h (18MPH), transmit the payment, and pass the raised barrier without stopping.

During my demo ride, the EV concept did find and squeeze into the narrow automatic payment lane. However, rather than cruising through, it had to execute a “stop and go” maneuver due to the brutal weather. It was still an impressive display of the tech’s potential, however.

Renault

During the drive, Renault gave me a demo of the AV system. As you’d expect, LG’s OLED dislay provided a bright, contrasty video-viewing experience, though I found the screen a bit too small. The sound from the Devialet audio system was clear and very loud, considering that it uses sound modules six times smaller than regular car speakers.

All of that can be controlled by a special smartphone app, depending on the mode and where it detects that you are in the car. For instance, the driver won’t see anything on the main screen unless the Symbioz is in AD mode. Instead, it will only turn on video for the rear passengers.

You can also control the climate, configuration of the car and other factors using the app. In the “Alone@home,” mode, the dashboard and steering wheel retract, freeing up more space (this option wasn’t available in the real car, just a static display). “Relax” moves the seats to a “zero-gravity” reclined position, while “Lounge” lowers the armrests and turns you 10 degrees toward your passenger.

Suffice to say, this is one complex car. “There is multiplicity of systems, complicated and innovative systems, which means a lot of interfaces between them,” Lips explained. “And we only had one vehicle. The biggest challenge was to gather all this technology together into one unique [car].”

But wait, there’s more

The Symbioz is equipped with almost too much tech to mention in a single article, but here are a few other highlights.

• A fragrance dispenser with different odors depending on the driving mode.
• An LED sunroof that’s transparent in “classic” or auto-drive mode, but opaque in “dynamic” mode.
• An app that transmits travel and vehicle information to your smartphone twice, 15 and five minutes before you depart.
• Automatic “valet” parking.
• A future system that could push the dashboard up and retract the steering wheel to give you more interior space.
• “Zero gravity” seats that lay back nearly flat and a “lounge” mode that rotates them 10 degrees for more intimate proximity to seat-mates.
• Dynamic dashboard animations depending on the drive mode

Sure, Renault’s Symbioz test drives were a smart PR move to bring attention to its electric and self-driving vehicle development. (Putting a VR experience into a Level 4 self-driving EV is a pretty well-played strategy for enticing tech journalists.)

But Renault and its partners, Nissan and Mitsubishi, have an interesting story to tell. The alliance is looking at not just the technology for next-generation Leafs, Zoes and other green or autonomous cars, while also focusing on the driver experience.

“The Symbioz is our early interpretation of how the new technologies related to autonomous and new experiences in a car will come to market,” said Redzik. “We’re using this vehicle as an opportunity to learn … to find out how else you can engage with the vehicle when you’re not focused on driving.”

By putting a VR headset on me in mid-drive, Renault showed that technology could make in-car entertainment comfortable and motion-sickness-free. At the same time, it forced me to confront the idea (and my fear) of AI completely taking over driving chores.

AOL/Steve Dent

Another thing that I realized while driving blind on the freeway? Before I’m ready to release control, I want both technical and physical proof that the systems are infallible. The problems we had with the inclement weather showed me that the systems are still a work in progress, though Renault assured me that better tech is around the corner. “For sure, the sensors will improve,” said Lips. “There is a lot of progress going on that will allow the car to rely more on its sensors.”

A lot of car companies like GM, Waymo and Uber have big plans about ride-sharing, carpooling and hailing services, and Renault is no doubt exploring that too. The last time I checked, though, most of us were still alone in our cars.

The Symbioz does have a social aspect as a self-driving vehicle that can come into your house and entertain you and your family while you drive. But the most interesting part of it is what it can do for you when you’re alone.

It’s clear that self-driving EVs, once we figure out the tech, will help the planet and make our roads safer. But Renault has taken that idea further with the Symbioz, combining autonomous tech with entertainment options like VR to create a rolling cocoon that gives us a brief detente in our information-overloaded lives.

Rather than your commute being a kind of torture, it could become productive, a way to connect with yourself or get a moment to have a laugh, relax and be entertained. In other words, Renault has executed its vision of how self-driving cars may transform your A-to-B time-suck into one of the best parts of the day.

Macs Effectively Now Have a Three-Year Warranty in Australia and New Zealand Under Consumer Law

If you bought and own a Mac in Australia or New Zealand, your computer effectively now has warranty coverage for up to three years from its original date of purchase, even without purchasing optional AppleCare+ coverage.

Apple will now offer warranty coverage on most Mac parts for up to 24 months after its limited one-year warranty period, under consumer law in each country, according to an internal document distributed to Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers and later obtained by MacRumors.

Apple is complying with Australia and New Zealand laws that give consumers the right to ask for a repair or replacement free of charge if a product experiences failure within a “reasonable” amount of time after purchase.

Mac owners can inquire about service under Australian and New Zealand consumer law at an Apple Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider, but we can’t guarantee that every employee will be knowledgable about this policy. The 36-month coverage period for Macs is effective from today—that’s December 13, 2017.

Eligible parts include the display, battery, SSD or hard drive, RAM, logic boards, GPU, internal cables, power supply, and other electronic components, so virtually every aspect of a Mac is covered, according to the document.

Apple provides a summary of consumer law, its limited one-year warranty, and its optional AppleCare+ coverage on its website in Australia and New Zealand.

Related Roundups: iMac, Mac Pro, Mac mini, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, MacBookTags: Australia, New Zealand, warrantyBuyer’s Guide: iMac (Neutral), Mac Pro (Caution), Mac Mini (Don’t Buy), MacBook Air (Neutral), MacBook Pro (Neutral), MacBook (Neutral)
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Apple Music Rival Tidal Reportedly Facing Money Problems Amid ‘Stalled’ User Growth

Streaming music service Tidal is facing money problems and could run out of working capital within the next six months, according to a report this week by Norwegian newspaper Dagens Næringsliv (via The Verge). The report stated that the money issues likely stem from Tidal’s user growth, which is said to have “stalled” recently.

Sprint bought a 33 percent stake in Tidal this past January, and at the time Jay Z’s business partner and Roc Nation Sports president Juan Perez mentioned that the carrier’s investment gave Tidal “sufficient working capital for the next 12-18 months.” The Jay Z owned service is said to have lost around NOK$368 million (around $44 million) before taxes in 2016, and Tidal reportedly claims that it will break even and achieve profitability in mid-2018.

Regarding the new claim of Tidal’s money and subscriber problems, a company spokesperson told The Verge the following: “We have experienced negative stories about Tidal since its inception and we have done nothing but grow the business each year.”

It isn’t clear exactly how many people are subscribed to Tidal since the service has refrained from releasing such a count following the Sprint deal. At that time, Dagens Næringsliv again reported on Tidal, this time focusing on a claim that it was inflating subscriber numbers as far back as when Jay Z acquired it in 2015. The newspaper said it obtained internal reports from Tidal that showed it had 350,000 subscribers in September 2015, at which time Jay Z said it had gained 1 million subscribers.

Subsequent inflation numbers surfaced in March 2016, and afterwards the company hasn’t provided any data regarding the amount of its subscriber base. As a point of comparison, Spotify remains in the lead for music streaming services with over 60 million paid subscribers as of July, while Apple Music follows with over 30 million as of September.

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Twitch partners with NBA’s G League to livestream games

Twitch might be best known for video game live streaming, but the service is starting to eye other properties. Starting December 15th, Twitch will live stream NBA G League games at twitch.tv/nbagleague. The service will broadcast up to six games per week, and they will be available to watch on demand after the live stream has concluded. It’s the first time a major sports organization has partnered with Twitch to use its new live stream extensions.

Viewers can opt in to co-streams, or commentary overlaid on the NBA G League game, that feature popular Twitch personalities like Goldglove, as well as basketball fans. Games will also feature an overlay that shows different stats and awards loyalty points for interacting with the stream. The channel and its features were created with Twitch Extensions, a new tool that allows third parties to customize their pages and streams with interactive features.

The NBA G League is the NBA’s official minor league, so this announcement will likely only appeal to a subset of basketball fans. However, its implications are interesting. This could be the first step towards broadcasting the top league games on the service. The NBA G League seems like a great, low-risk way to gauge interest and test features to accompany these games.