Kia unveils its electric and autonomous future

Kia’s showed off a new Niro EV along with its plans for an electrified and autonomous future (aka mobility). The electric concept shows that the company is thinking beyond gas and hybrid crossovers, but also showcases a new HMI (Human Machine Interface). It’ll show up in showrooms in the later half of 2018.

While this concept is here now, the company announced it would have 16 electrified (EV, PHEV, and FCEL) by 2025 with an all new fuel-cell vehicle landing in 2020.

The Niro’s exterior looks familiar, but the interior infotainment system is a peek at what’s coming down the line from the automaker along with the new “motion graphic” lighting system.

The Kia Niro EV Concept has a range of 238 miles via a 64kWh battery pack. That powers a single 150kW motor. No word on when this particular car will be for sale. But Kia did mention that the technology found in the car could be an indicator of what to expect in future vehicles from the automaker.

As for its mobility plans, its Korea-based WiBLE car-sharing service will expand to Europe and other regions in 2018. The automaker also shared that it plans to begin testing level 4 vehicles in 2021.

In addition to showing off the future, the automaker also announced that Google Assistant will be part of its UVO infotainment system. The update is already rolling out to 2018 Kia Niro Plug-In, Soul EV, Optima Plug-In and K900 vehicles with UVO hardware.

After setting up the feature with Google Home or the Google Assistant app, drivers can remotely start and stop the engine on their car. They can also remote start and stop charging, honk the horn and turn on and off the lights from afar and lock their vehicle with a “Hey Google.”

Plus Kia’s will be able to pull off the usual “Hey Google” queries like what’s the weather, tell it what songs to play and ask it who played Cameron in the 1986 classic, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.”

No word on what happens to Kia’s hamster mascots when all their vehicles are fully autonomous.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2018.

Kids are overusing iPhones, warn two Apple investors

Apple built features into iOS years ago that prevent young users from straying anywhere parents don’t greenlight. But those don’t prevent kids from overusing those devices. Two investment groups with a combined $2 billion in Apple shares published a public letter over the weekend urging the company to address what studies suggest is a growing crisis of smartphone addiction among children and teens.

In the letter, the groups Jana Partners LLC and the California State Teachers’ Retirement System (Calstrs) asked Apple to add safety features into iOS enabling parents to set limits on young user phone use. So many kids, of all ages, are using the company’s devices, but we’re just beginning to see how heavy smartphone use impacts children and teens: The letter cited existing studies with several negative conclusions, from increased distraction in the classroom to higher risk of depression and suicide. Therefore, the two groups requested the company conduct research themselves the effects of heavy use on youth mental health.

Jana and Calstrs appealed to Apple’ reputation of innovation, suggesting they introduce solutions before more evidence links youth smartphone overuse to negative consequences. Obviously, this action would be in both investors’ and the company’s interests to ward off any stock dips resulting from negative publicity.

The timing isn’t a coincidence, either: Jana and Calstrs published their letter just before the Consumer Electronics Show, the biggest gadget convention of the year that’s likely to see the debut of new educational tech aimed at children. Neither investor wants Apple to aggressively restrict youth use — rather, they propose the company divine the “developmentally optimal amount and type of access” given the educational opportunities devices provide. Kids get a net benefit from using them, but only in moderation, with one study the investors quoted claiming peak teenager mental health with one hour or less of device use per day.

Via: The Wall Street Journal

Source: “Open Letter from Jana Partners and Calstrs to Apple Inc.”

iHeartRadio now works with Samsung’s Bixby

This week at CES, iHeartMedia announced quite a few new integrations for iHeartRadio, its all-in-one digital streaming service. From Bixby, Samsung’s new voice service, to a Facebook Messenger bot, to a new Roku app, it’s clear that iHeartMedia is looking to expand its footprint and made iHeartRadio a real contender in the digital music landscape.

Samsung users can take advantage of the integration with Bixby, which is available on the Galaxy Note8, S8 and S8+, to play songs, create a Custom Artist station, skip a song and more. Additionally, iHeartRadio now has a Facebook Messenger bot, which will play music based on a genre or geographic location. Fans can also use the “iHeartRadio recommends” feature to listen to songs from one of the service’s 10 most popular stations, chosen at random. The team behind the bot will continue to add features to the service.

A new Roku update brings iHeartRadio users the ability to sign up for and use their All Access membership, the $9.99-per-month on-demand music streaming service (and Spotify competitor). The service has also partnered with Jibo, which will allow the social robot to stream iHeartRadio’s stations. There’s also a Garmin Forerunner 645 Music integration, which we’ve covered previously.

Finally, iHeartRadio is now available in GM and Ford vehicles. The app will be delivered via an over-the-air update for current 4G-equipped GM vehicles and be preinstalled on new models. It’s fully integrated with Fords via the SYNC AppLink integration.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2018.

Via: CNET

Source: iHeartMedia

Watch Sony’s CES 2018 event right here at 8PM ET

Sony is about to hold customary CES presentation, and it’s giving everyone an opportunity to tune in. The company is livestreaming the event on its website and on Ustream (below) starting at 8PM Eastern. It isn’t revealing too much about what you’ll see, although it’s virtually certain that you’ll hear about new Bravia TVs and audio gear. We also wouldn’t rule out talk about more adventurous projects like the Aibo revival, for that matter. Sony isn’t always daring at CES, but there’s usually something to catch your attention.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2018.

Source: Sony

Sony’s CES 2018 press event: We’re live!

Sony’s left-field reveal for CES 2018 is already kinda known. It, too, is working on autonomous cars. Hopefully we’ll see its conceptual party bus roll out on stage later today, but we’re at least bound to hear more about the AI smarts powering it all. Fear not: we’re likely to see upgraded AV options, from TVs to soundbars, and while I’m not sure how Sony can make its OLED TVs even more desirable, those beauties are bound to make a reappearance. New cameras? PlayStation news? Both are less likely, but I wouldn’t discount anything. Join Engadget at 8pm Eastern Time, because we’ll be liveblogging it all!

A closer look at the Hyperloop One test pod

Here at CES, Virgin Hyperloop One is showing off a new partnership with mapping company Here, and we sat down with the company’s Matt Jones to explore it further. He, alongside Dr. Anita Sengupta, talked us through the app in greater detail, but there was an additional surprise in store. The company has dragged its XP-1 test pod from the Nevada desert to the show in order to let the public gaze upon it for the first time.

The app, as we explained before, is the product of a partnership between Here and Hyperloop One, and about demonstrating how navigation will look like in the future. Users will be able to download the platform and use it as a way of learning how their journeys would look should the Hyperloops be built. But more importantly, the app also demonstrates the company’s commitment to integrate its technology into the public transport that surrounds it.

It’s also something of a pragmatic move, given the lofty concepts that Hyperloop One was throwing around back in 2016. Then, it created concept videos of users catching self-driving cubes from Abu Dhabi to Dubai that dropped them off at their destination. Now, the company is taking a more pragmatic turn, preferring to leave the journeys to and from its stations — the “last mile” in transportation speak, to other people. That will involve public transport companies, ride-sharing outfits like Uber and Lyft, as well as bike-sharing and walking.

That’s where the app comes in, which can calculate a journey to the minute; scheduling, for instance, a Lyft to take you to the station, and to have one waiting for you at the other end. And this level of data crunching is something that the outfit is hoping will have a positive impact on the customer experience in the future. Not to mention that users can also use it as a one-stop-shop for transit directions normally, and the company will use all of the data it collects to further improve the customer experience.

Jones also spoke about the lack of a desire for this app to become the dominant transport app across the globe. Instead, the hope is that a small number of people will operate as testers who can lead others into the coming conversation. It also signals a willingness for Virgin Hyperloop One to be more customer-facing, reversing a policy whereby the company would take a step back when it came time to build a real-world platform.

The team also made the point that the proposed Hyperloop speeds in the app would be the ones users can expect in the real world. The system has been built to anticipate the real-world journey times a theoretical tube from Las Vegas to LA would require, even incorporating the turns and terrain that could force the pod to slow down. And that the app would be working overtime to ensure that as soon as you “land,” a ride will be waiting for you.

As for the pod itself, it looks a little bit more like a minivan than you may expect, and it’s smaller than it appears on video. The wide, flat front that dimples to a point puts you in mind of an old LNER Class A4 train, the sort that steamed across the UK in the late 1930s. It’s narrower, too, and should this size become the standard — a fact that Dr. Sengupta points out is still yet to be decided — then you’d probably only be able to sit two a row.

But there’s something quite heartening to see how committed the Hyperloop One team are to hitting the proposed goal of a passenger loop by 2021. Squeeze or not, it’s going to be interesting to see if we can start zooming around in tubes in just three years.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2018.

Everything Panasonic unveiled in under 10 minutes

Panasonic, while still a household name, isn’t the consumer electronics Goliath it once was. The company turned up to CES this year in force, however, with some impressive 4K OLED TVs (which also support HDR10+), a sequel to its beloved and video-centric GH5 camera, and a partnership with Amazon that will bring Alexa (with “Onboard” offline support) to in-car infotainment systems. The company also touched on its work to develop ‘prismatic’ EV batteries with Toyota and some rather decadent gold-tinted turntables. For a full rundown of the press conference — but in a fraction of the time — check out our supercut above.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2018.

French Consumer Fraud Group Investigating Apple for ‘Alleged Deception’ and ‘Planned Obsolescence’

French consumer fraud group DGCCRF, part of the country’s economy ministry, last week launched a preliminary investigation into Apple over “alleged deception” and “planned obsolescence” of Apple products, reports Reuters.

The investigation follows Apple’s admission that it slows down some older iPhones with degraded batteries during times of peak power usage in order to prevent unexpected shutdowns.

Apple introduced the power management feature in iOS 10.2.1 following complaints of unexpected shutdowns in the iPhone 6s, but Apple did not make it clear to consumers that it was due to battery deterioration nor did Apple inform customers that it could cause occasional performance slowdowns.

Apple has since apologized for its lack of communication and introduced a new policy that allows iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6s, 6s Plus, 7, 7 Plus, and SE owners to receive a one-time no-questions-asked $29 battery replacement for their devices, as a device with a depleted battery that is affected by throttling will return to normal performance with a battery replacement.

According to Apple, the power management features that prevent unexpected shutdowns by occasionally throttling older iPhones with batteries in bad condition are designed to preserve the life of the iPhone for as long as possible and were not implemented to force upgrades. From Apple:

First and foremost, we have never — and would never — do anything to intentionally shorten the life of any Apple product, or degrade the user experience to drive customer upgrades. Our goal has always been to create products that our customers love, and making iPhones last as long as possible is an important part of that.

Despite Apple’s efforts to correct the issue, in addition to the French inquiry, the company is now facing more than two dozen lawsuits accusing it of intentionally slowing down older iPhones and failing to disclose the changes that it introduced in iOS 10.2.1. One of those lawsuits also stems from France, filed by French consumer group “HOP,” which translates to “Stop Planned Obsolescence.”

The French watchdog’s investigation could take months to complete, and based on the findings, the issue could be escalated to a judge for a more in-depth inquiry or dropped all together.

If Apple is found guilty of planned obsolescence in France, the punishment could be a fine of up to five percent of its annual sales.

Related Roundup: iPhone 6sBuyer’s Guide: iPhone 8 (Buy Now)
Discuss this article in our forums

Canary’s new security cam offers simpler features for a low price

Canary announced today that two new camera features as well as one new product are coming to its home security line. First up, Canary said last month that with the help of its new AI-powered intelligence, its cameras would soon be able to differentiate people from other moving objects. Soon, those with Canary Flex will also be able to receive notifications when packages arrive, courtesy of Canary’s new Package Detection feature. Users will get alerts when packages arrive and they’ll be able to keep monitoring those packages until they or someone they trust can secure them.

There’s also an Alexa integration in the works. It will be available on all Canary devices and will work with the Echo Spot, Echo Show and compatible Fire TVs. To bring up a particular live video from one of your Canary devices, just say something like, “Alexa, show me the front door,” and those Alexa-enabled devices will show you what your Canary device is streaming.

Lastly, Canary is adding a less expensive product to its lineup. While Canary Flex costs $199 and Canary All-in-One comes in at $169, Canary View is priced at just $99. Like its counterparts, Canary View includes intelligent alerts, one-touch access to local authorities, automatic arming and disarming as well as end-to-end encryption. However, there are some features that aren’t included in Canary View such as HomeHealth Technology, a loud siren and outdoor monitoring. The lower price point means fewer functions, but it also means more people may try out Canary’s system or expand one they’ve already begun to set up.

Package Detection will be available for Canary Flex users in the coming months. Alexa integration will start to roll out in the next few weeks. Canary View is available for purchase now through Canary’s website and will become available through Canary’s retail partners later this month. Canary expects to roll out View internationally in the spring.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2018.

Source: Canary

Asus Chromebox 3 announced with 8th Generation Intel Core processors

The Chromebox 3 has a new Intel Core processor, USB Type-C, Google Play Store support, and more.

Chromeboxes didn’t see nearly as much love as Chromebooks did in 2017, but so far in 2018, we’ve already gotten two big Chromebox announcements from HP and Asus. HP took the wraps off its Chromebox G2 ahead of CES 2018, and just a couple days later, we have the Asus Chromebox 3.

Asus didn’t reveal all of the Chromebox 3’s juicy details, but there’s still enough here to get us excited. For starters, it’ll ship with 8th Generation Intel Core processors. We aren’t sure which specific Core processors will be present, but if Asus follows in HP’s footsteps, we should see Core i5 and i7 options. DDR4-2400 RAM will be used for “faster, smoother and more energy-efficient performance”, and there will also be a USB 3.1 Type-C port.

Other specs include dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Gigabit LAN, and ports for HDMI and DisplayPort. Along with this, the Chromebox 3 will support a wide array of Android apps and games via the Google Play Store.

There aren’t any details on price or availability, but Asus says these will become available upon release in the second half of 2018.

HP Chromebox G2 has a Kaby Lake Core i7 and 16GB RAM