Rimac gives a shadowy tease of its next electric hypercar

If you’re in the rare crossover group of folks who are rich, environmentally conscious and want to drive dangerously fast, Rimac is building your car. The company teased its next-generation Rimac Hypercar and promised to fully unveil it at the Geneva Motor Show on March 6th. It didn’t say much else about the EV, but if it’s like the original Concept 1, expect to see endless power and torque, a very limited production run and a crazy price tag.

Why play by the rules, when you can change the game.
The Next Generation #Rimac #Hypercar is coming soon, stay tuned at https://t.co/buMyTKodhd pic.twitter.com/JeHf0A1s8A

— Rimac Automobili (@AutomobiliRimac) January 24, 2018

The tease shows a lower, curvier profile and bigger windshield than the one on the beefy, $980,000 Concept 1, famously crashed by Grand Tour host Richard Hammond. Rather than being upset, Rimac CEO Mate Rimac was impressed by the car’s toughness after it rolled numerous times and came to rest inverted, with Hammond pulled to safety just before it went up in flames.

Rimac only made eight Concept 1 cars and there are now seven left. The company has kept itself busy in the meantime building EV parts for other automakers — it’s supplying Aston Martin with the battery pack for its own hypercar, for instance.

In its teaser, the company said “why play by the rules, when you can change the game.” Unlike in 2012, however, Rimac has a bigger hill to climb to impress potential buyers. A garden variety Tesla Model S in “ludicrous mode” can get from 0 to 60 mph faster than the Concept 1 (2.3 versus 2.5 seconds). Elon Musk has also promised that the next-gen Tesla Roadster will do 0-60 mph in 1.9 seconds, hit 250 mph and have a 620 mile range.

Via: Electrek

Source: Twitter

UK hits its 95 percent ‘superfast’ broadband coverage target

‘Superfast’ broadband with speeds of at least 24 Mbps is now available across 95 percent of the UK, according to new stats thinkbroadband.com published today. The milestone was actually achieved last month, meaning the government’s Broadband Delivery UK initiative (BDUK) actually completed on time, in 2017. Superfast coverage in Northern Ireland sits at 86.7 percent, while the corresponding figures in Scotland and Wales hover just below 95 percent. Take into account England’s overachieving and it averages out to a hair above the magic number. We’re talking population/premises coverage here, of course, not geographic coverage.

The government first put the BDUK scheme into motion at the turn of the decade. Over the years, £1.7 billion in funding has been made available to ISPs to subsidise the rollout of infrastructure in areas where it otherwise wouldn’t be commercially viable. Openreach got its hands on the majority of that pot, but thanks to general cost savings and customers opening their wallets for these superfast lines, several hundreds of millions in funding has been recouped and earmarked for reinvestment in underserved areas and faster, fibre connections.

While the government effectively met the BDUK deadline, it has moved the goalposts many times over the years. That was to be expected, though, given the complexity of the project and that the definition of ‘superfast’ has changed since the first draft of the proposal — 20 Mbps was the original lower speed limit. The government has set additional milestones in more recent years, too, aiming for superfast connections to cover 97 of the UK by the end of 2019 and 98 percent in 2020.

Some people still have to make do with sluggish connections for now, but late last year the government announced it would be using the powers afforded to it by the freshly inked Digital Economy Act to make 10 Mbps broadband a legal right. This Universal Service Obligation (USO) means that by 2020, ISPs will be legally obliged to connect anyone that asks to at least a 10 Mbps line. According to thinkbroadband.com, 3.8 percent of people in the UK have broadband that doesn’t meet the USO standard. What’ll really make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, though, is the thought of speeds of less than 2 Mbps, which 0.7 percent of the UK endures on a day-to-day basis.

Via: ISPreview

Source: Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport, thinkbroadband.com

Apple Remained Biggest Buyer of Semiconductor Chips After Samsung in 2017

Apple was the largest buyer of semiconductor chips after Samsung in the whole of last year, according to new data collected by Gartner. The two companies together consumed $81.8 billion of the chips in 2017, up from more than $20 billion in 2016, and combined they represented 19.5 percent of the total worldwide market (via DigiTimes).

“Samsung Electronics and Apple not only retained their respective No. 1 and No. 2 positions, they also radically increased their share of semiconductor spending through 2017,” said Masatsune Yamaji, principal research analyst at Gartner. “These two companies have held on to the top positions since 2011 and they continue to exert significant influence on technology and price trends for the whole semiconductor industry.”

Eight of the top 10 companies in 2016 remained in the top 10 in 2017, while the top five chip buyers stayed in the same positions. LG Electronics returned to the top 10, with the only newcomer being Western Digital, which grew its semiconductor spending by US$1.7 billion in 2017, according to Gartner.

In September, Toshiba agreed to sell its lucrative NAND memory chip unit to a global consortium that includes Apple, in a deal reportedly worth $17.7 billion. Apple is interested in the memory chip unit because NAND flash is an essential component of its iPhones and iPads. Only a handful of companies make the chips and the dominant player is Samsung, Apple’s biggest rival in the smartphone industry.

Semiconductor spending by the top 10 OEMs reached 40 percent of the total semiconductor market last year, up from 31 percent 10 years ago. The trend is expected to continue, according to Gartner, which predicts that the top 10 OEMs will account for more than 45 percent of total global semiconductor spending by the year 2021.

Tag: Samsung
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WhatsApp Messenger Now Officially Supports Apple CarPlay

The latest update to WhatsApp Messenger has added support for Apple’s CarPlay in-vehicle connectivity system, according to Dutch tech blog iCulture. Previously in-car WhatsApp access was only possible using the app’s Siri integration, but the advantage of the new official CarPlay support is that users can also receive WhatsApp push messages while driving.

With version 2.18.2 of the app installed on an iPhone connected to CarPlay, WhatsApp automatically appears as one of the icons on the CarPlay dash interface.

Image via iCulture
The new CarPlay integration means that Siri will notify in-vehicle users when they have received new WhatsApp messages and offer to read them out loud one by one. Users can also send WhatsApp messages by specifying to Siri who it is they wish to contact, then dictating the message. Siri will recount the dictated message to confirm, after which the user has the option to edit the message or send it on its way.

Apple’s own Messages app has been a feature of CarPlay since the vehicle dash system was launched. CarPlay users are able to play back audio-based iMessages, have text messages spoken out loud to them, and also compose them using Siri. The difference with WhatsApp in CarPlay, according to iCulture, is that it doesn’t enable the user to browse through a list of chat conversations.

WhatsApp is a free download for iPhone from the App Store. [Direct Link]

Related Roundup: CarPlayTag: WhatsApp
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Apple’s Decision to Slash iPhone X Production Volume in Q1 2018 Could Delay Future OLED Models

Apple is set to halve its 40 million iPhone X production target in the three month period from January, reported Nikkei Asian Review on Monday without naming a source.

The U.S. tech giant notified suppliers that it had decided to cut the target for the period to around 20 million units, in light of slower-than-expected sales in the year-end holiday shopping season in key markets such as Europe, the U.S. and China.

The iPhone X, Apple’s first smartphone equipped with an organic light-emitting diode display, has failed to catch on globally — something many put down to a price tag starting at $999.

Part of the reason for the high price tag of iPhone X is said to be down to the cost of OLED panels made by Samsung, which is the only supplier of the component that can guarantee Apple a steady supply of the screens. According to Nikkei, Apple is now considering an increase to the proportion of LCD iPhone models by reducing production of the OLED screen models scheduled for release this year.

Apple is expected to launch a trio of new iPhone models in 2018, including 5.8-inch and 6.5-inch models with OLED displays and a 6.1-inch model with an LCD display, according to respected KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. However, at least one other analyst has predicted that the LCD-to-OLED ratio this year will actually be 2:1.

DigiTimes’ Luke Lin believes Apple is increasingly leaning towards releasing two LCD-based models and a single larger 6.4- to 6.5-inch OLED model. Indeed, today’s Nikkei report claims lackluster sales for iPhone X could actually result in a delay to the company’s plans to introduce OLED screens in other models, potentially adding weight to DigiTimes’ prediction.

The production cuts for the X will have a domino effect on manufacturers that have supplied high-performance components for the handset, with the combined impact expected to run into billions of dollars. It could also slow down the shift at display manufacturers from LCD to OLED technology.

Nikkei added that Apple is expected to maintain a total production target of 30 million units for lower priced models such as the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone 7. Apple Japan replied to Nikkei’s request for comment by stating that it would confirm the details with headquarters.

Related Roundup: 2018 iPhonesTag: nikkei.com
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Apple and Immersion Reach Licensing Agreement After Lawsuits Over 3D Touch and Taptic Engine

Immersion, a company that develops and licenses haptic feedback technologies, today announced it has reached a settlement and licensing agreement with Apple. The terms of the deal are confidential.

Immersion describes itself as the leading innovator of haptic feedback systems, with more than 2,600 issued or pending patents. The company, headquartered in San Jose, California, says its technology has been adopted in more than three billion consumer electronics products across several industries.

Immersion had filed a pair of lawsuits against Apple in early 2016, accusing the company of infringing on its patents with its haptic feedback technologies such as 3D Touch and the Taptic Engine on the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, and Force Touch on the first-generation Apple Watch and various MacBook trackpads.

Tags: Force Touch, 3D Touch, Immersion, Taptic
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Airport codeword aims to stop X-ray machines blowing marriage proposals

X-ray machines and other security procedures at airports are a necessary nuisance for passengers who have to simply accept it as part of the modern-day travel experience.

But with Valentine’s Day fast approaching, airport security can present a whole new challenge for loved-up folks intending to pop the question when they reach their vacation spot, as a routine bag search could result in an awkward moment as the ring box is pulled out for all to see.

Every year, the machines and their operators blow the cover of at least a few of these people, culminating in a somewhat underwhelming marriage proposal (though definitely memorable!), with the couple surrounded by flustered passengers putting their belts back on instead of the planned idyllic setting of sun, sea, and sand.

In a bid to help keep the secret safe of anyone planning to propose to their partner, an airport in the U.K. has come up with an ingenious solution.

Here’s what you have to do

Officials at East Midlands Airport, about 100 miles north of London, are telling any would-be proposers to email them ahead of their arrival to let them know they’ll have a ring with them in their carry-on baggage. The airport will then send them a code-phrase that they’ll need to say to security personnel in case they’re singled out for a bag check. Once they hear it, security will take the passenger to a different lane to their partner so they won’t see the ring if it’s pulled out of the bag.

Matthew Quinney, East Midlands Airport’s head of security, said it would be “a big damper on someone’s meticulously planned romantic trip if their big surprise was revealed even before they’ve boarded the plane.” And so, with an uptick in proposals expected ahead of February 14, they decided to implement a system to prevent any awkward situations for occurring.

It’s certainly very thoughtful of the airport to consider such matters, and could save some red faces by the X-ray machine.

“With Valentine’s Day coming up, we wanted to reduce the chances of the marriage proposal being ruined at the airport because, frankly, as much as we like the airport, we don’t think it’s the most romantic place to get engaged,” Ioan Reed-Aspley, a spokesman for East Midlands Airport, told BBC Radio.

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Airbnb targets curious travelers as ‘experiences’ expands to 200 U.S. cities

Airbnb showed it’s not all about short-term rentals just over a year ago when it launched Trips for travelers interested in seeking out unique experiences and events while on the road.

With the initiative apparently working well for the New York-based outfit, Airbnb has announced it’s investing $5 million in expanding the experiences element of Trips to include 200 cities in the U.S.

In Airbnb’s own words, the feature enables “small business owners, new entrepreneurs and community non-profits to create immersive experiences for travelers.”

These can include anything “from a podcast production lesson in Chicago, to honey making in the Santa Monica Mountains, and a bike tour through LA with a landscape architect … the options are never-ending.”

The company said it now offers 4,000 experiences globally, with 1,000 of those taking place in the U.S. The expansion in the coming months means many more are on the way.

Growing its services beyond its core business appears to be paying off for Airbnb, which said that since launching experiences in 2016, global weekly guest bookings have risen by more than 2,000 percent year-on-year, while the number of experiences has increased by 500 percent.

Airbnb points out that although a lot of its experiences are offered by small business owners and entrepreneurs, others are given by local non-profits who put the proceeds back into their organizations.

It offers the example of Vy, one of Airbnb’s “Social Impact experience” hosts located in Harlem, New York City. Keen to share her passion for gospel, jazz, and rhythm, Vy founded the Mama Foundation of the Arts.

“Her foundation preserves this art form for current and future generations, [and] provides quality training and employment in the performing arts to both youths and adults,” Airbnb said.

Vy’s Airbnb experience involves an informal chat (with wine and other refreshments) about gospel music and why it’s so important to Harlem. This is followed by what Vy promises is “a rare peek” into an award-winning choir’s rehearsal where guests are “encouraged to cheer and sing along before enjoying a jubilant mini-concert.” All the more jubilant for the imbibed wine, no doubt.

Airbnb explains that 100 percent of guest payments go back to the Mama Foundation of the Arts, “allowing Vy to grow her foundation while educating travelers about Harlem and the gospel music that has long been integral to the community.”

To explore the full range of experiences offered by Airbnb, check out this webpage on its site where you can input particular cities to refine your search.

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OnePlus 5T Star Wars edition goes back on sale in India for limited time

OnePlus brings back the Star Wars variant of the OnePlus 5T following popular demand.

The OnePlus 5T Star Wars edition made its debut in India on December 14, featuring a Sandstone white finish complemented by red accents for the Alert Slider. Priced at ₹38,999 ($615)— or just ₹1,000 ($15) more than the standard 128GB model — the phone was a steal for what it offered, and predictably sold out in a matter of weeks. However, OnePlus is bringing back the Star Wars variant for a limited time following popular demand.

The phone is now up for sale from OnePlus’ website for ₹38,999, and there’s a buyback program as well if you’re looking to trade in your device to get your hands on the 5T Star Wars edition. As a refresher, the model comes with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, and has a 6-inch Optic AMOLED display, Snapdragon 845, 16MP + 20MP cameras at the back, 16MP front shooter, and a 3300mAh battery with Dash Charge.

OnePlus 5T Star Wars Limited Edition review

OnePlus launched the Lava Red OnePlus 5T in the country on January 20, and it looks like that particular version is already sold out less than ten days from its debut. With India being one of the top markets for the brand, it’s clear that there’s a lot of interest in the 5T.

There’s no telling how long the OnePlus 5T Star Wars edition will be up for grabs, so if you’re interested, hit up the link below to get your hands on the device — Easter egg and all.

See at OnePlus India

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ESA picks two tiny spacecraft to study the dark side of the Moon

Tiny cube spacecraft aren’t just useful around Earth’s orbit. The European Space Agency has chosen two winners in a competition to build cubesats that will study the dark side of the Moon. The first, the Lunar Meteoroid Impact Orbiter (Lumio), would circle around the Moon’s far side to map meteor bombardments by looking for bright flashes. The Lunar Volatile and Minearology Mapping Orbiter (VMMO), meanwhile, would study the permanently darkened Shackleton Crater near the lunar south pole to look for water ice and other materials that could be useful for colonists. It would keep watch for radiation, too.

Both devices are 12-unit cubesats that would be roughly as large as an “airline cabin bag.” The differences mainly come down to sensors — Lumio would use an optical camera, while VMMO would rely on a miniature laser.

The winners will work with the ESA on mission plans in February and March. Just when they’ll launch and how long they’ll stay active will hinge on those plans, but VMMO is expected to take 260 days to build the water map for the crater.

Provided everything works as expected, the minuscule vessels could help usher in an era of lower-cost lunar exploration. Until now, lunar probes have typically been large and costly designs that forced scientists to choose missions relatively carefully. Cubesats open the door to Moon operations that weren’t realistic before, and could help fill in knowledge gaps about our closest celestial neighbor.

Via: Parabolic Arc

Source: ESA