Russia launches the world’s first floating nuclear power plant

Multiple nations, including China and the US, have pursued offshore or floating nuclear reactors, but neither will be first to christen one. Russia has launched the world’s first floating nuclear power plant, the 70-megawatt Academik Lomonosov, on the Baltic Sea. Starting from St. Petersberg, it will be towed around Norway to a Russian town called Murmansk to take on nuclear fuel. From there, it will head to the Arctic to power the 100,000-person city of Pevek, along with a desalination plant and oil rigs.

The state-run company that owns the ship, Rosatom, originally planned to load the nuclear barge with fuel at St. Petersberg, then send it directly to Pevek. But Greenpeace and several Baltic states mounted a successful petition, so the firm decided to load and test it in Murmansk, instead.

Greenpeace and other environmental groups still don’t think this is a great idea, though. “Moving the testing of this ‘nuclear Titanic’ away from the public eye will not make [the testing less irresponsible],” said Greenpeace nuclear expert Jan Haverkamp. “Nuclear reactors bobbing around the Arctic Ocean will pose a shockingly obvious threat to a fragile environment which is already under enormous pressure from climate change.”

The nuclear ship will replace a 48-megawatt nculear power plant in the Pevek region. It was likely easier to build the ship in St. Petersberg then transport everything wholesale by sea, rather than build a new plant in such a remote place. “The pier, hydraulic engineering structures, and other buildings, crucial for the mooring of [the floating power plant] will be ready to use upon Akademik Lomonosov arrival,” said Rosatom in a press release.

Russia relies heavily on petroleum for its economy, and like other nations, has staked claims to the oil-rich Arctic. Ironically, fossil fuel burning is primarily responsible for the global warming that’s rapidly melting Arctic ice, which is opening up new shipping lanes from Russia — and making further oil exploration possible.

Via: Ars Technica

Source: Rosatom

New Twitter Timeline Feature Groups Together News Links

Twitter has updated the way its main timeline treats trending news stories, so that tweets from users linking the same story get grouped together (via BuzzFeed).

The change means users will now see a banner at the top of their feed that lists links to a particular story from people they follow, and should prevent users from seeing multiple shared links to the same story in their timeline.

The update represents the latest move in an ongoing strategy to make the social media platform more news-centric, with recent experiments focusing on algorithmically curated timelines for major events, combining news reports with tweets by the public.

Image via BuzzFeed
Twitter has also been testing a “camera-first” feature that’s designed to put more emphasis on video and images. The feature combines location-based photos and videos with Twitter Moments around notable events, with companies able to sponsor events or put ads between tweets.

Twitter already shows live news broadcasts in a live-streaming window next to its timeline during major breaking news events. In 2016, the app also got moved to the News category in the App Store to highlight the change in direction for the company.

Tag: Twitter
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AMD is gearing up for 7-nanometer CPUs and graphics cards

Intel recently told investors that its 10-nanometer “Cannon Lake” chips won’t be ready until 2019, but by then, it might get leapfrogged by its PC arch-rival. AMD told investors that it’s sampling next-gen Zen 2 processors with 7-nanometer tech in preparation for a launch in 2019. The company is also testing a Radeon Instinct machine learning graphics cards that use 7-nanometer Vega-based technology. The GPUs will be manufactured by TSMC, said AMD CEO Dr. Lisa Su, but the company will also use Global Foundries, presumably for processors and other products.

AMD recently launched its second-generation Zen chips, which use current 14-nanometer 10. Zen 2, meanwhile, will move to a 7-nanometer manufacturing process. TSMC reportedly leads the race to develop that tech, which uses bleeding-edge extreme ultraviolet lithography rather than conventional, visible wave-length light. It was a bit of a surprise that AMD would use TSMC for its graphics tech rather than GlobalFoundries, which AMD spun off itself in 2009.

If AMD can hit its targets, it’ll put a lot of heat on Intel, which will only be introducing 10-nanometer tech by 2019. Intel has said that its tech is a “generation ahead” of 10-nanometer tech from other firms, but even if that’s accurate, 7-nanometer chips would erase that gap. According to leaked slides, AMD’s next-gen Vega graphics tech has double the memory interface width and double the bandwidth of its current GPUs.

AMD didn’t say whether the 7-nanometer graphics tech that it’s using for machine learning tech would come to gaming cards, but that seems a foregone conclusion — it’s just a question of when. Either way, things are finally going AMD’s way, as it turned a $81 million profit this quarter on $1.65 billion of revenue, compared to a $33 million loss in the same quarter last year.

Via: PC World, Hot Hardware

Source: AMD (earnings call)

VR horror series ‘Campfire Creepers’ showcased at Tribeca Film Festival

A veteran horror director is using virtual reality (VR) for a new immersive experience inspired by ‘90s cult anthologies like Tales from the Crypt and Creepshow. The first episode of Campfire Creepers recently made its North American premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, and two episodes are now available to watch with the Dark Corner app for Oculus Rift and Samsung Gear VR.

Director Alexandre Aja, best knows for films like The Hills Have Eyes and Piranha 3D, had never worked with VR before, but quickly became enamored with the new medium. “As a director, I’m always looking for immersion,” he told Variety. “VR may be the tool we have been dreaming about for so long.”

The series is about a group of kids around a campfire telling stories, but each of the first two episodes is very different. The Skull of Sam is about a camp counselor who’s been captured by a psychopath, who’s played by none other than Robert Englund. Midnight March is about a bullied kid who transforms into a terrifying monster.

Aja has been a fan of Freddie Kruger for years and jumped at the chance to work with Englund, as he detailed in a blog post at Occulus. “He also brought this kind of mentorship, where he kind of blessed us with his presence. He brought that flavor of classic horror that we like so much,” said Aja. “Beyond the fact that he was perfect for the part, he really brought something else — like a post-modern feel to the piece.”

The project began in 2017 with the VR startup Future Lighthouse, and Dark Corner and Oculus soon came on board. Aja told Engadget that one of his inspirations was Katheryn Bigelow’s 1995 film Strange Days. “It’s the best use of VR … just the way it’s shot, the experience of running around in the beginning, and jumping from a window,” he said. “I’ve always been very interested in all kinds of immersive storytelling.”

The first two episodes of Campfire Creepers are free, but there’s been no word on how many will comprise the full series. “All storytelling started around the campfire,” said Aja.

Editors’ Recommendations

• From horror fests to shoot-’em-ups, here are the 20 best Oculus Rift games
• The best movies on Netflix right now (May 2018)
• ‘Stranger Things’ season 3 is coming! Here’s everything we know so far
• Stoke your nightmares with the best horror movies on Netflix
• The best movies on Amazon Prime right now (April 2018)

Windows 10 vs. MacOS vs. Chrome OS

Choosing between operating systems isn’t a new problem — it’s been around for a few decades. But the latest incarnations of both software and hardware offer some new options to consumers at all price and experience levels.

Windows and Mac have been in active development for decades, and if you’re looking for a computer for work, odds are that you’re going to go for one or the other. Chrome OS, a Linux-based system developed by Google, is more of an anomaly. It’s based on Google’s Chrome browser, with much of the same interface and a web-focused design. It isn’t for the typical user, but Google has been improving it steadily for the last few years, and it’s worth consideration for a broader base of users.

Windows 10

Pros

• Best selection of software and widest variety of hardware
• Can work on desktops, notebooks, and tablets
• Easily the best choice for gamers
• Works with almost all accessories
• Biannual updates introduce new features

Cons

• Faster update schedule can become confusing
• Compatibility issues with some hardware
• Different versions create confusion
• Microsoft struggles to get modern apps written

Microsoft’s Windows 10 holds approximately 90 percent of the desktop and laptop market worldwide. The reasons why are complicated, but we can break it down into two factors — hardware and software variety.

Because Microsoft sells Windows licenses to more or less any PC manufacturer to load on desktops, laptops, tablets, and everything in between, you can get a Windows machine in almost any size, shape, or price range. Microsoft even sells Windows on its own, so consumers and businesses can manually load it onto their hardware. That wide-open approach has let it conquer all competitors over the last few decades.

Because of its worldwide availability and longevity, Windows also boasts the biggest software library on the planet. Windows users don’t get every new application that comes on the market, but even those they don’t receive initially tend to come to Windows eventually. Consumer, media, enterprise, gaming, it doesn’t matter — if you want the most comprehensive array of capabilities, Windows is the way to go.

At least, that’s true regarding traditional desktop applications written for Microsoft’s venerable Win32 platform, such as its own Office 2016 suite. Today, the company has made a massive bet on its Windows 10 app platform, called the Universal Windows Platform (UWP), that’s meant to be Microsoft’s answer to the battery-efficient, secure, and easy to manage mobile apps on iOS and Android. UWP hasn’t taken off, though, and that leaves Microsoft somewhat precariously straddling the old and the new.

Works with everything

Windows also boasts compatibility with the most extensive array of hardware. That’s a significant consideration if you want to play graphically intense video games or work with high-powered software for media, video editing, or computer-aided design. There aren’t any Chrome OS systems that offer high-end desktop hardware, and MacOS has recently received ultra-power, up-to-date hardware in the iMac Pro.

Also, the Windows PC ecosystem has exploded in terms of the different kinds of form factors available to buyers. There are the usual desktop and traditional clamshell notebooks, which are more powerful and higher in quality than ever and range in price from just a few hundred dollars for entry-level options all the way up to many thousands for premium machines. The 2-in-1 market is probably the most intriguing development, giving users access to a host of fascinating devices that can morph from notebooks to touch- and pen-enabled tablets by swiveling the display, tearing it off, or removing a detachable keyboard.

Though most accessories are universal since the introduction of the USB standard, Windows still technically boasts the most compatibility with third-party add-ons, too. Just about any mouse, keyboard, webcam, storage drive, graphics tablet, printer, scanner, microphone, monitor, or  other doodad you care to add to your computer will work with Windows, which is something that can’t always be said for Mac and is true to an even lesser extent for Chrome OS.

Windows also gets universal and updated drivers, some provided by Microsoft and some developed by the hardware manufacturers themselves, at a much more frequent rate than alternatives. The bottom line is that if you want to use it, then Windows 10 is your best best.

Rapid and meaningful updates

If you haven’t used Windows in a few years, then you may associate it with slow, tepid progress. That’s no longer true. With Windows 10, Microsoft committed to more timely updates. And it has executed.

In fact, those who want to access the cutting-edge — or the bleeding edge — can join the free Insider program, which puts out new updates almost every week. Insiders get access to fixes, tweaks, and major new features — and they do add up over time. Not only do Insiders get immediate access to the latest capabilities, but they also help shape the OS by providing ongoing feedback to Microsoft.

In one of the more recent official updates, for example (Windows 10 Fall Creators update), Microsoft added a host of new features and revamped the user interface. In April of 2018, Microsoft is now set to release the Windows 10 April 2018 Update, which adds in a powerful new productivity feature called Timeline, letting users go back in time to pick up tasks and apps.

Generally speaking, Microsoft has committed to a biannual update schedule that provides a major new version each April and October or thereabouts, and that means Windows 10 never grows stale. Over time, this rapid update policy has given Windows 10 an edge over MacOS, which updates every year but usually with just one or two significant new features. Chrome OS also updates quickly, but Google only rarely introduces major new features — which has slowed progress relative to Windows and MacOS. The rapid Windows 10 update cycle does mean getting used to new features and being exposed to possible bugs on a more frequent basis, but so far Windows users seem to favor the tradeoff.

Compatibility problems and version confusion

With all that said, Windows isn’t perfect. The open nature of Microsoft’s relationship with desktop and laptop manufacturers means that two different machines, often with the same specifications, can and do perform very differently. Production quality can vary wildly, even within hardware from the same manufacturer. That makes choosing a new Windows 10 PC a challenge on occasion.

Windows has also had the reputation of being less secure than MacOS and Chrome OS, simply because it’s the most-used desktop operating system and thus the most targeted. Windows includes a numerous Microsoft tools and safeguards to prevent and clean viruses and other threats, and third-party tools are also available. Therefore, Windows 10 is much more secure than it once was in spite of remaining the most-attacked OS — it’s simply no longer quite the security risk it once was.

The wide variety of Windows hardware can cause problems as well. Windows’ complex driver system can cause system errors that are left to the user to diagnose and solve, and frequent updates from Microsoft might break software or devices that haven’t considered or anticipated. For that reason, Windows is more difficult to administer for the typical user, although the Windows update infrastructure built into Windows 10 does make things easier than they were in the old days of scouring the web looking for updates.

Finally, Microsoft has created something of a confusing situation with its “Windows 10 S” initiative. Microsoft originally introduced Windows 10 S as a locked-down, secure, and high-performance version of Windows 10 meant for schools and other environments where administrators didn’t want users to make changes to the OS. And, Windows 10 S only ran UWP apps except for Microsoft’s Office 2016, which meant easier administration and better security compared to installing applications from anywhere and outside of the UWP sandbox.

Microsoft abandoned Windows 10 S as a standalone version soon after its introduction, however, and instead rebranded it as a “mode” of regular Windows 10. Overall, it’s a confusing situation that creates some uncertainty about where exactly Microsoft is heading with Windows 10.

Is Windows for you?

Windows is in a must better position than it was just a few years ago. The newest version, Windows 10, is more elegant and easier to understand than past editions, and it receives frequent updates.

The problem of complexity does remain. You will likely encounter more bugs with Windows than with its competition. But these bugs are rarely the fatal errors that used to drag Windows’ systems to a halt, and they’re balanced by features and hardware compatibility that is simply unavailable with Microsoft’s competition.

Read our full review of Windows 10

Blockchain-based GLN hopes to challenge Steam and Apple gaming platforms

The past year has seen an explosion of cryptocurrency and blockchain-based businesses, and now one is seeking to challenge Steam and Apple’s dominance when it comes to the PC and mobile gaming market.

Game Loot Network Holdings is attempting to use the technology behind Bitcoin to create an alternative gaming market and player reward system. GLN Holdings is currently holding a pre-sale, but it intends to hold an initial coin offering on May 29. The company’s test run saw $5 million in transactions and had 65,000 users.

The company’s hope is that one day its distribution platform, Game Loot Network, will be able to serve as an alternative to the likes of Steam and Apple. Many companies have tried to take on Steam in the past. Some, like GOG, have even had success at doing so, but none have ever truly rivaled Steam in size. GLN is hoping that its use of blockchain technology will provide the edge it needs to take on the more established players in the industry.

The company believes that its blockchain technology will provide a fast and secure means of handling transactions while its cryptocurrency-based reward system, known as Loot, will incentivize players to return to the platform.

It also intends to use the cryptocurrency as a means of giving gamers more options in terms of supporting independent game developers. The company is offering a platform called Build that will allow developers to submit game ideas, story concepts, and demos to players for support and approval.

“Prohibitive costs and even greater risks plague the game development landscape,” Lance Baker, GLN’s founder, told Venture Beat. “Big gaming companies want big money, and they leave riskier, innovative games to these independent studios. But the indie guys struggle to compete in a marketplace heavily weighted against them in terms of budget, discoverability, and user acquisition.”

In the beginning, GLN’s games will be available on traditional platforms as well, but Baker hopes to move to transition away from them in time. For now, the blockchain has numerous issues holding it back such as the speed of transactions and the instability of the currencies that rely on it.

So far, the company has raised $2.5 million from its ICO presale and Baker is optimistic regarding the platform’s future.

Editors’ Recommendations

• From gold to greatswords, blockchain lets gamers truly own their loot
• Before crypto nirvana, blockchain needs to solve these basic problems
• Quantum mechanics could save the blockchain from quantum computers
• Another initial coin offering ‘exit scam’ steals $660M from Vietnam’s investors
• ‘Sea of Thieves’ review

The T-Mobile / Sprint merger could be great for consumers, but it probably won’t be

Enjoy it while it lasts.

Corporate mergers promise many upsides to shareholders and customers — that’s why consolidation happens. Those efficiencies include streamlined operations, the need for fewer employees, infrastructure improvements, better customer service, job creation, and, in some cases, lower costs for consumers.

In reality, though, it’s nearly impossible to check all of those boxes at once: lower prices may stem from internal efficiencies, but they often come with job losses or a reining in of capital expenditure. Consolidation in an industry like telecommunications leads to fewer competitors, which usually comes with pricing spikes, not dips.

So it’s with no shortage of hubris that, six years after a failed acquisition of T-Mobile by AT&T, the third and fourth largest carriers in the United States, Sprint and T-Mobile, are set to merg without the ensuing consumer bloodbath we’re all bracing for.

Bombastic and confident as ever, T-Mobile’s CEO, John Legere, who will retain the chief executive position at the combined T-Mobile, promises “a fierce competitor with the network scale to deliver more for consumers and businesses in the form of lower prices, more innovation, and a second-to-none network experience – and do it all so much faster than either company could on its own,” while Sprint’s CEO, Marcelo Claure (whose future at the company is surely in doubt), proclaims the unification will “only benefit the U.S. consumer.”

On the surface, one can see how the companies could make it work without ending this uncharacteristically competitive era in the U.S. mobile market: together, New T-Mobile will still have fewer postpaid customers (70 million) than AT&T and Verizon while maintaining the fervent desire to grow its customer base, increase average revenue per user (of which T-Mo currently boasts the lowest of the Big Four) by convincing more people to switch to higher-cost postpaid unlimited plans, and expanding its LTE (and, soon 5G) network into rural areas with additional low- and medium-band spectrum.

5 reasons to switch away from Sprint

And with promises of network investments of $40 billion in the first three years — 46% more than the two companies guided individually for the same period — there is reason to hope we’ll have yet another Verizon-quality network on our hands by the early 2020’s. Plus, there will be thousands of new jobs created to fuel said network expansion, capped by a 5G arms race that New T-mo intends to win. Win, win, win.

There’s a lot of bluster over job creation and long-term efficiencies, but it’s rare to find both in mergers like this.

But what speaks loudest are the things unsaid. With consolidation comes efficiencies, which inevitably leads to job cuts in the most costly and vulnerable of places: retail; customer service; technicians; middle management. Some analysts estimate that up to 30,000 jobs will need to be cut from the combined entity, which is more employees than Sprint currently holds on its books. Many stores, including hundreds or perhaps thousands of franchised dealers, could shutter. And despite a dual-headquarters strategy, it’s inevitable that some corporate jobs will be shed. The companies already promise $6 billion in “run-rate cost synergies,” and while much of it will be achieved by scaling upkeep-heavy projects, the people maintaining those projects will have to find new jobs, either within or without the combined entity.

5 reasons to switch away from T-Mobile

Of course, the main reason for concern for most people, excluding shareholders, is the reduction in competition. Yes, there will be one fewer large player in the U.S. mobile space, but T-Mobile and Sprint each owns a predominantly prepaid carrier in MetroPCS and Boost Mobile, both of which will no longer be as interested in stealing customers from the other. The prepaid market, while relatively small, is still a sizeable part of both companies’ revenue.

And with promises of network upgrades and huge swaths of 5G-ready spectrum, New T-Mobile will find ways to justify the higher costs of its faster, wider-reaching network. These are upgrades that both companies would have been forced to tackle on their own — T-Mobile’s push to cover rural America began well before it purchased the bulk of available 600MHz spectrum in 2017 — but will be able to do so faster and more efficiently as a single unit. New T-Mobile’s network will inevitably be better than it is today, but T-Mobile has outranked Verizon, AT&T and, indeed, Sprint, in network quality for a year, and has been relentlessly absconding with its competitors’ customers for half a decade.

So much about this deal hinges on the near-term demand for 5G, which is still incredibly nebulous.

In early 2017, AT&T and Verizon were forced to reckon with an aggressive T-Mobile intent on reintroducing the unlimited plan to American wireless customers. It had done the work to fortify its network in existing markets will utilizing new spectrum to push into untapped ones. With Sprint shouting, “Wait for me!” in the rearview, T-Mobile looked unphased as it continued to morph a newly-unregulated market into something of its making. It partnered with MLB, Netflix and others to offer content alternatives to AT&T’s Dish and Verizon’s … Oath? … and in December of 2017 announced the acquisition of Layer3 TV so it could soon offer its own over-the-top streaming service.

Which unlimited plan should you buy? T-Mobile, Sprint, AT&T, or Verizon?

The T-Mobile of today is not perfect by any means — it was just fined $40 million for faking call connections to rural customers where it didn’t actually offer service — but it’s the best we’ve got in a market that’s known for overcharging and under-delivering. So it’s not surprising, nor unjustified, that many customers and pundits are concerned that a T-Mobile/Sprint merger will be bad for everyone but shareholders.

Looking at the Canadian wireless market as a model, even with a small number of new entrants, networks will mature but prices will rise. Decreased churn comes not from happy customers but lack of pricing diversity.

— Daniel Bader (@journeydan) April 29, 2018

For some context, let’s look at Canada, where despite a few smaller players, three entrenched network providers control over 90% of the wireless market. Because demand for data is so high, business is good, so pricing competition is almost non-existent. Instead, the companies — Rogers, Bell, and Telus — have built mature, expansive LTE networks that offer excellent coverage and outstanding data speeds in exchange for the highest monthly costs in the developed world.

There is no unlimited data in Canada, and the “soft cap” of 22GB that Verizon and AT&T maintain would cost someone over $150 USD per month. While the comparison is not apples-to-apples — Canada lacks an MVNO market, for instance, and there are strong net neutrality rules preventing carriers from zero-rating services — there is ample evidence that a weakly-regulated market needs more than three players to thrive.

On the other hand, New T-Mobile is moving quickly towards 5G, which will completely transform the way we use and pay for mobile services. A robust nationwide 5G signal and the proverbial doors it opens could (and looks likey to) coincide with price increases that customers are willing to pay for, fuelled by a selection of freemium, zero-rated services that are only possible to deploy in a market with weak Net Neutrality rules.

The New T-Mobile may add so many customers so quickly, just by keeping prices low for the first few years, that layoffs won’t happen, or will be offset by significant investment in other parts of the company. It’s possible that, given the breadth of their agreements, T-Mobile and Sprint’s MVNO clients will find themselves with more wholesale resources with which to offer even better low-cost wireless LTE, padding New T-Mobile’s bottom line as it invests in the next-generation.

Maybe we’re being too hasty in judging this deal.

Or maybe I’m giving publicly-owned corporations far too much credit, and the best isn’t yet to come.

The best T-Mobile phones you can buy

Traveling to India? Here’s how you can pick up a local SIM card

A local SIM card is essential to staying connected in India.

India’s handset market is seeing a meteoric rise thanks to a wave of affordable devices and wide availability of 4G data, and with the country becoming a mobile-first market, having a local SIM card is mandatory for accessing the plethora of digital services available.

A local number comes in handy not just for staying connected, but also for undertaking basic tasks like payments and money transfers. The Indian government ran an initiative last year where it offered a SIM card from state-run BSNL for free for tourists entering the country with an e-visa, but that program was halted last December.

The best recourse for tourists visiting is to purchase a SIM card directly from a retailer in the city. But before we get to that, a primer on LTE bands in India.

LTE bands in India

If you’re looking to use LTE in India, you’ll need to make sure your phone has the following LTE bands: Band 3 (1800MHz), Band 40 (2300MHz), and Band 5 (850MHz). Band 5 is predominantly used by Jio, a recent entrant in the segment that has amassed over 65 million customers in the space of eight months.

Even if you don’t have Band 5 support, you will be able to access LTE from Airtel, Vodafone, and others. BSNL — the service provider with the free SIM card on arrival — delivers LTE on Band 40 (2300MHz). Coverage varies wildly across states, so if you’re looking for a detailed breakdown of the state of LTE in India, you should take a look at our detailed guide:

LTE in India: Everything you need to know

Picking up a SIM card from a retailer

Airtel is the leading carrier in the country, with a userbase of over 300 million subscribers. The carrier also has the most robust network for LTE, 3G, and calls. To pick up an Airtel SIM, you’ll need to head to a retail store near your location with a copy of your passport, visa, and a photograph. You’ll be able to walk out with a SIM card in under 10 minutes, and the number will be activated in an hour or two.

The carrier has very affordable tariffs, but not all plans are available in all regions. That said, you’ll be able to select a plan that gives you 3GB of LTE data and unlimited calls within the country for as low as ₹300 ($6), with a validity of 28 days from the time of purchase.

Airtel is your only viable option for a local SIM card, as other carriers have fairly stringent requirements. Jio, for instance, requires you to submit details of a local reference as well as your residence details within the country. You won’t be able to get a SIM card unless you submit these details.

Then there’s Vodafone and Idea, which aren’t worth your time. Neither carrier offers nationwide LTE coverage, so if you’re looking to travel from one state to another, there will be times when you’ll switch over to 2G.

Questions?

Got any questions or queries? Let us know in the comments below.

Updated in April 2018 with information on Airtel’s documentation requirements.

Tesla says Model 3 panel quality is now on par with German rivals

When the first everyday Tesla Model 3 buyers received their electric cars, the reports on build quality were… mixed, to put it mildly. A Munro & Associates analysis revealed panel gaps and other imperfections you would have expected from a budget car two decades ago. Tesla, however, wants to let you know that it turned a corner. In a response to a later Munro analysis at Motor Trend, the automaker said it had refined the deviation of panel gaps and offsets had improved by “nearly” 40 percent, to the point where they’re on par with “Audi, BMW and Mercedes.” The aim is to make them “even tighter,” Tesla said.

The company also defended the car against concerns about excess complexity and weight. There’s “always room for refinement,” according to Tesla, but the Model 3 has battery protection concerns that might not be present in other reference cars. It further pointed to government testing showing that the Model S and Model X had the lowest probabilities of injury out of “any cars it had ever tested,” indicating a strong safety pedigree.

The claimed improvements suggest that Tesla’s quality has come a long way since the earliest days of Model 3 production, when it was struggling to produce significant volumes of acceptable cars. That’s no mean feat when its manufacturing is ramping up on a week-by-week basis. At the same time, this isn’t entirely reassuring if you’re one of the early adopters. While it’s hard to completely avoid first-year production quirks, the change in quality suggests you’ll be considerably happier with the fit and finish if you’re a patient buyer.

Via: Electrek

Source: Motor Trend

YouTube helps advertisers target TV cord cutters

Do you watch YouTube instead of TV, rather than alongside it? Like it or not, marketers will soon have a better shot at targeting you. YouTube has revealed that it will soon give advertisers the chance to target viewers who either watch little in the way of conventional TV or watch YouTube on TV. To begin with, it’s introducing an AdWords category called “light TV viewers” — that is, cord cutters who watch most or all of their video online. In the months ahead, YouTube will also give a range of advertisers the option of targeting TV screens, not just mobile devices and PCs.

It’ll also be easier for marketers to reach you through YouTube TV. As of the fourth quarter of 2018, advertisers will have the choice of buying some ad inventory on US cable networks through Google Preferred, its premium ad program for the most popular YouTube channels. This should help ad runners target both regular YouTube viewers and TV subscribers in one fell swoop.

There’s little doubt as to why the company is focusing so much on TV. YouTube’s Robert Kyncl told Deadline that TV is the “fastest growing screen” — there’s a rapidly expanding audience that isn’t really being served. And as important as YouTube ad spots have become, there’s no doubt that the video service would like the gigantic ad spending levels associated with TV. You might not relish the thought of all this extra targeting, but it could be the key to YouTube’s next big growth spurt.

Via: Variety

Source: YouTube Official Blog