Waymo orders a huge number of self-driving cars for robot taxi services
Waymo has ordered a huge number of self-driving cars for its planned robot taxi service. It currently has 600 autonomous Chrysler Pacifica minivans on the road, but it's just ordered another 62,000. Yes, you read that right: 62,000. It's not clear when they'll be ready, or how it plans to deploy all of them.
Drones are helping efforts to free whales from dangerous marine debris
A whale-protection group in Hawaii has teamed up with a nonprofit group that uses drones to protect ocean environments. They are using camera-equipped quadcopters to fly over whales entangled in marine debris, with the livestreamed footage providing the rescue team with vital data.
You can put your name down for the Atari VCS, but it won’t arrive until 2019
Atari fans, you can now put your name down for the retro VCS console featuring more than 100 classic games, as well as a bunch of other features that weren't even around when the machine first hit stores in the late 1970s. You'll have to be patient though, as shipping won't begin until spring 2019 at the earliest.
Drone to the rescue: Hawaii resident saved from Kilauea’s lava flows
Real-time footage from a drone flying over the lava flows on the island of Hawaii this week helped to save a resident caught up in the chaos. Deployed by the U.S. Geological Survey, the flying machine identified new flows and was able to guide emergency responders in a brave rescue effort.
Drone-delivered meals come to Shanghai, but they’re dropped off by … a human?
When city roads are clogged with traffic, meal delivery services can suffer, with food arriving at customers' doors late ... and cold. A service in Shanghai has taken to the skies to speed up deliveries, employing drones along fixed routes as part of a setup that also keeps its delivery drivers in work.
Watch Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic test its tourist spaceplane
Virgin Galactic believes it can launch a commercial "space tourism" service for suborbital trips within the next 12 months. On Tuesday it took another step toward its goal with the second successful rocket-powered test flight of VSS Unity, the spaceplane that will carry the crew and passengers.
Amazon delivery drone may use lights and music when it shows up at your home
Amazon noted in its latest patent that its customers "may be alarmed or confused" when one of its noisy delivery drones approaches their house. With that in mind, the company proposes fitting its drone with lights, speakers, and even a projector to help the flying machine communicate with the customer.
High-tech search for Malaysia Airlines passenger plane ends in disappointment
The latest effort to find the Malaysia Airlines plane that disappeared four years ago has ended in disappointment. Despite using highly advanced seabed exploration technology, the effort by Texas-based Ocean Infinity failed to locate the aircraft, which went down with 239 passengers and crew on board.
Prime delivery, straight from the moon? Bezos dreams of heavy industry in space
Amazon and Blue Origin boss Jeff Bezos still wants to go to the moon, but not to simply marvel at the spectacular view. Speaking at an event in Los Angeles, the billionaire said he wants to focus on how to shift heavy industry there from Earth, a move that he said would "make this planet better."
Virgin Galactic ‘neck and neck’ with Blue Origin in space tourism race
Virgin boss Richard Branson says Virgin Galactic's first commercial space tourism flight is "months away, not years away," and he plans to be one of the six passengers on board. The company recently completed a successful test of its new Unity spaceplane that will take tourists to the edge of space — for $250K each.
Don’t adjust your set: Bold Samsung ad will make you think your TV is busted
Samsung's new line of QLED TVs comes with an Ambient Mode that helps the display to blend into its surroundings. To highlight how dominating and ugly it believes a regular blank TV display to be, the company will make millions of people think their TVs have broken down during commercial breaks this weekend.
Airbnb is the latest to crib from Snapchat with ‘Travel Stories’
Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube have all done it, and now Airbnb has joined the club. We're talking about the trial launch of its own version of Snapchat Stories, a feature that lets Airbnb users build short presentations of their travel experiences for others to enjoy — which could lead to more bookings.
Apple and Volkswagen are reportedly partnering to build self-driving vans
Apple has reportedly inked a deal with Volkswagen for the tech firm's self-driving shuttle service. Ferrying Apple employees between the company's various campuses and offices in Cupertino, California, the driverless shuttle will reportedly use modified versions of Volkswagen's T6 Transporter van.
This camera melted during a rocket launch, but it’s not what it seems
NASA photographer Bill Ingalls set up a bunch of cameras on May 22 to capture images of SpaceX's latest rocket launch. With lots of experience with such events, he knew exactly where to put them. But while the cameras closest to the rocket were all fine, one that was farther back melted. So what happened?
Uber shutters self-driving project in Arizona two months after fatal accident
Uber has ended autonomous-car tests in Arizona two months after one of its robot vehicles struck and killed a pedestrian there. The firm will take a new approach when it resumes trials in Pittsburgh and San Francisco, that it says will let it "hone the safety aspects of our software and operating procedures."
Adidas’ new soccer uniforms are recycled from ocean trash
Manchester United is showing off a new uniform made of recycled ocean garbage. The result of a long-term collaboration between Adidas and New York-based conservation group Parley, the unique sportswear is part of broader efforts to highlight the growing environmental problem of marine pollution.
Tread carefully if you return a lot of products to Amazon
Amazon uses software to highlight suspicious activity on its enormous shopping site, but sometimes it takes action based on the data. A news report this week highlights how a number of customers have had their accounts shut down without warning, apparently for having returned too many items.
Lyft may join the party by putting its own electric scooters in San Francisco
As if the city doesn't already have enough of them, ridesharing firm Lyft is reportedly looking into the idea of launching an electric-scooter service in San Francisco. Operated via its app, riders would hop aboard the scooter for short trips around the city before leaving them for the next user.
TeenSafe phone-monitoring app leaks ‘tens of thousands’ of accounts
A server operated by phone-tracking service TeenSafe is reported to have leaked account information belonging to "tens of thousands" of its users. Of particular concern is that the exposed data — linked to parents and children who use the service — is believed to have been stored in plaintext form.
‘Truck Hotel’ is an amazing double-decker pad for surfers
A truck converted into a hotel? Whatever will they think of next? The Truck Surf Hotel does exactly what it says on the tin, transporting vacationing surfers to new beaches every day while offering all the comforts of a regular hotel. The four-bedroom pad is currently tootling between sites in Portugal and Morocco.
Amazon Echo smart speaker feels squeeze as Google and Apple make gains
Amazon has dominated the smart-speaker market since the launch of the Echo in 2014, but with Google, Apple, and other players beginning to make gains, its grip is beginning to slip. Indeed, new data shows Amazon's global share of the market has fallen by almost 50 percent in the space of a year.
Another smart luggage startup packs its bags following stricter airline rules
Smart-luggage maker Raden has folded after airlines clamped down on battery transport. The New York startup said the new battery-related rules "severely impacted the usefulness of our products, their value to our customers, our business performance, and ultimately the ability to continue operating."
Revamped YouTube Music is Google’s latest effort to take on Spotify
With so many people hitting YouTube for their music fix, parent Google has always felt well placed to attract people to a subscription-based music service. But up to now the company has failed to nail it. Now it hopes that with the launch of a revamped YouTube Music service on Tuesday, it's a step closer to its goal.
This $4,600 solar charger comes with an iPhone X attached
The company that once brought us an iPhone with an engraving of Vladimir Putin's face on the back is now offering a very expensive solar charger built onto an iPhone X. To get your hands on one, you'll have to part with thousands of dollars, though you'll have to be quick as it's a limited edition.
See what it’s like to take a ride in Drive.ai’s self-driving taxi
Drive.ai is weeks away from launching a self-driving taxi trial in Frisco, Texas. But to give us all a glimpse into what it will be like to ride in one of its autonomous cars along public roads and in traffic, the Silicon Valley-based company has released a video showing its technology in action.
Cops have lots to learn when it comes to autonomous-car emergencies
As part of its application for a permit to test fully driverless cars on California's public roads, Waymo has compiled a 41-page booklet explaining to law enforcement agencies and first responders how to deal with its vehicles in a range of emergency situations. It seems there's plenty to learn.
Addicted to Instagram? The app may soon tell you about it
Lose track of time when you're on Instagram? Well, you may soon have a way to learn more about precisely how long you spend on the app. Code discovered inside the Instagram app reveals an as-yet unreleased "usage insights" feature that will show Instagrammers the amount of "time spent" on the app.
Snapchatters, how do you like the sound of unskippable video ads?
Snapchat has started testing unskippable six-second video ads, beginning with slots for movies, tech gadgets, and drinks. Current data shows that most users skip through the app's video ads, which is bad news for brands as well as Snapchat, as it's still looking for ways to turn a profit.
YouTube will now tell you to ‘take a break’ from endless viewing
If your YouTube sessions often run from minutes into hours without you realizing, the app now has a way to set up an alert telling you to take a break. The opt-in feature lets you choose how long before you receive the alert, though it doesn't block access, so you'll still have to use all your willpower to stop.
How to tackle street photography? First, lay off the excuses
Street photography can be a real challenge at times, and sometimes finding excuses not to go out with your camera can lead to weeks, even months, of never pressing the shutter. Here are 7 common excuses not to shoot the street, and how you can overcome them.