The US government’s road safety agency has dispatched a team to investigate the possibility that a Tesla involved in a California crash that killed three people was operating on a partially automated driving system.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Wednesday confirmed that it had sent a special crash investigation team to probe the May 12 crash on the Pacific Coast Highway in Newport Beach.
The investigation is part of a larger inquiry by the agency into crashes involving advanced driver assistance systems such as Tesla’s Autopilot. Since 2016, the agency has sent teams to 34 crashes in which the systems were either in use or suspected of operating. Of the 34, 28 involved Teslas, according to a NHTSA document released Wednesday.
Fifteen people died in the crashes that NHTSA is investigating, and at least 15 more were hurt. Of the deaths, 14 occurred in crashes involving Teslas, the documents say.
In addition to the specific crashes, NHTSA has investigations under way into Teslas on Autopilot crashing into emergency vehicles parked along roadways, as well as a probe into Autopilot braking for no apparent reason.
Last June NHTSA ordered automakers to report any crashes on public roads involving fully autonomous vehicles or those with partially automated driver assist systems. The partially automated systems can keep a vehicle centred in its lane and a safe distance from vehicles in front of it. NHTSA says the data can show if there are common patterns in crashes involving the systems.
A message was left Wednesday seeking comment from Tesla, which is headquartered in Austin, Texas. NHTSA wouldn’t comment beyond the release of the document.
Tesla warns drivers using Autopilot, as well as its “Full Self-Driving” system, that the cars can’t drive themselves and that drivers must be ready to intervene at all times.
NHTSA also is investigating two crashes involving Volvos, one Navya shuttle crash, two involving Cadillacs, one in a Lexus and one in a Hyundai. One of the Volvo crashes was an Uber autonomous test vehicle that ran over and killed an Arizona pedestrian in March of 2018.
In the Newport Beach crash, police were called around 12:45am and found that a 2022 Tesla Model S sedan had crashed into a curb and then hit construction equipment on the south side of the road.
Authorities found two men and a woman dead in the car, and three construction workers suffered minor injuries, according to police.
The Newport Beach Police Department said it brought in its Major Accident Investigation Team.
Apple on Wednesday kicked off a new ad campaign to promote its key privacy features and eventually convince people to pick an iPhone over the competition. Themed ‘Data Auction’ where an auctioneer is seen selling data of a user, the ad highlights the fact that how people nowadays are losing their personal data at different stages and through various resources, including emails, messages, and browser history. It portrays Apple’s App Tracking Transparency and Mail Privacy Protection as some of the inbuilt features to help protect data tracking. The given offerings aren’t that foolproof, though.
The over one-and-a-half-minute ad begins with introducing protagonist Ellie whose data has been put on auction. The auctioneer puts different types of Ellie’s data on sale. It includes her emails, purchase history, location data, contacts, browser history, and text messages.
Advertisers and marketers capture data from various resources to understand user patterns. The Cupertino company claims that it designs its products and features in a way to “minimise how much of your data” anyone can access.
Although Apple says that the feature lets users choose whether an app can track their activity across other apps and websites for advertising and sharing patterns with data brokers, it was recently found to be not foolproof and could still allegedly allow developers to track users.
The ad also demonstrates the Mail Privacy Protection feature that is claimed to protect information such as your IP address and other data when you send an email to a recipient. It works with the preloaded Mail app that is available on the iPhone, iPad, and Mac devices.
Apple additionally has features including Intelligent Tracking Prevention in Safari and Location Services privacy controls that were recently introduced to enhance privacy of iPhone users. The purpose of the ad is to emphasise on these offerings — to eventually convince people to buy an iPhone.
Nevertheless, Google is following in the footsteps of Apple for the last few months and implementing certain similar changes to Android to make it a strong competitor against iOS — from the privacy perspective. The Mountain View, California-headquartered company just earlier this week released a campaign called ‘Protected by Android’ to highlight its native privacy-focussed changes on the world’s biggest mobile operating system to take on Apple.
Privacy enhancements available on both iOS and Android are making it easier for users to restrict tracking on their devices. However, advertisers, data brokers, and marketers are exploring new ways to break the system-level restrictions and find avenues to continue to track users to some extent — to retain their ad businesses. The privacy barriers are, though, resulting in cost burdens for companies including Meta and Snap that were previously using activity tracking to target the masses as it has become harder for them to do so nowadays.
That said, the new ad campaign by Apple has started running in 24 countries in total and will be translated in languages other than English in select markets to reach a large number of audiences. The company will also place new billboards in every country where the ad is running to better reach its potential customers.
Getty Images, a popular supplier of stock images, editorial photography, video and music for business and consumers, has announced a multi-year partnership with non-fungible token (NFT) ecosystem developer Candy Digital. The collaboration will see Getty Images launch its NFT collection and enter into a distinct NFT niche known as Photography NFTs. It will curate photos from over 465 million images, including 135 million analogue images, in its archives — a host of which have never been seen by the general public.
Consequently, Getty Images and Candy Digital will also unveil these archived photo collections in various digital formats. This will allow people to view and collect them for the very first time.
Using Getty Images’ extensive image portfolio, Candy Digital will create a variety of NFT products and collections. The initial collection will be available in the coming months. The NFTs will be minted on the Palm blockchain, which is more environmentally friendly than the Ethereum mainnet. The Palm blockchain is also scalable and integrates seamlessly with Uniswap and Metamask.
Purchasing the digital collectables will be possible through the Getty Images marketplace built on Candy. Previously, Candy operated NFT marketplaces for Major League Baseball, the Race Team Alliance, and the WWE. Its platform supports primary and secondary markets with either card or crypto payments.
Regarding the collaboration, the CEO of Getty Images, Craig Peters, said, “This partnership speaks to our mission to connect people with our high quality, exclusive visual content.”
He also noted the company’s delight in working with Candy Digital to reach a global audience. “The fast-growing audience of NFT collectors represents significant opportunities for the company and our global photographer community,” he added.
Scott Lawin, CEO of Candy Digital, also expressed his delight at the partnership. He noted the partnership will “creatively bring these iconic and rare photographs from the last two centuries to life for people to experience and collect in a new digital format.”
The in-house legal counsel at Terraform Labs, the blockchain startup behind the UST stablecoin and LUNA governance token has silently resigned from the company. Terraform Lab’s general lawyer Marc Goldich, chief litigation, and regulatory counsel Noah Axler, and chief corporate counsel Lawrence Florio all left the blockchain business in May 2022, according to their LinkedIn profiles. The move arrives in the wake of the collapse of two digital assets connected to the startup as the UST stablecoin de-pegged from its projected $1 (roughly Rs. 78) mark.
Axler and Florio joined Terraform Labs in January 2022, while Goldich started in August 2021. “Terraform Labs has had a challenging week, and a small number of staff members have resigned recently,” a company spokesperson said talking to CoinDesk.
“The vast majority of team members are still dedicated to fulfilling the project’s objectives. Terra is more than UST, with a strong community and a well-defined rebuilding strategy. The Terra spokesman stated, “Our current focus is on implementing our plan to restore the Terra ecosystem.”
The mishap that befell the Terra ecosystem is unprecedented, and one of the rarest seen in the history of the blockchain ecosystem. This is so because Terraform Labs tried to pioneer a new payment technology in the form of algorithmic stablecoin, one that differs markedly from its peers like Tether (USDT), which has its reserves domiciled in US dollars.
The frailty of the algorithmic stablecoin protocol was reflected in how easily it got attacked a little more than a week ago, and recovery was hard to make despite the several attempts to re-peg it back to $1 (roughly Rs. 78). In fact, the Luna Foundation Guard (LFG), a not-for-profit organisation tasked with developing the reserve for the UST stablecoin, unveiled earlier this week how it has depleted its Bitcoin and stablecoin reserve in a bid to restore the UST’s downfall.
In fact, the resignation of the Terraform Labs legal team could push the company to turn to outside counsel for legal affairs.
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Acer Swift 3 OLED was launched on Wednesday along with upgraded Acer Spin 5 and Acer Spin 3 models that are aimed at professionals seeking powerful performance. These Swift and Spin range of notebooks feature 12th Gen Intel Core processors and Windows 11. The company has also announced that it is launching the Acer Chromebook Spin 714 powered by 12th Gen Intel Core processors and the Acer Chromebook Tab 510 featuring a Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 Compute Platform. These premium Chromebook devices are designed to be highly durable.
The Acer Swift 3 OLED will go on sale in the United States and Europe starting in July. Its pricing will start from $899.99 (roughly Rs. 70,000) and EUR 999 (roughly Rs. 81,400), respectively.
The new Acer Spin 5 will be available in July and will cost starting from $1,349.99 (roughly Rs. 1,04,700) in the US and EUR 1,399 (roughly Rs. 1,14,000) in Europe. On the other hand, the new Acer Spin 3 will be released in the US in August for a starting price of $849.99 (roughly Rs. 66,000). Acer will also release it in Europe in June beginning at EUR 999 (roughly Rs. 81,400).
The Acer Chromebook Spin 714 will be available in August in North America starting at $749.99 (roughly Rs. 58,000) and in Europe starting at EUR 879 (roughly Rs. 72,000). Whereas, the Acer Chromebook Enterprise Spin 714 will also be available in August in North America and Europe starting at $1,099.99 (roughly Rs. 85,000) and EUR 979 (roughly Rs. 80,000), respectively.
The Acer Chromebook Tab 510 will be available in North America in July starting at $399.99 (roughly Rs. 31,000).
Acer Swift 3 OLED specifications, features
The Acer Swift 3 OLED sports a 14-inch OLED display with a 2.8K resolution and a 16:10 aspect ratio. It is powered by the latest generation of 12th Gen Intel Core H-Series of processors with integrated Intel Iris Xe Graphics. This Intel Evo certified notebook supports PCIe Gen 4 SSDs and up to 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM. According to the company, it has a battery life of up to 10 hours and a 30-minute charge is said to provide up to 4 hours of backup.
This notebook has a 17.9mm-thin aluminium chassis and weighs about 1.4kg. The Acer Swift 3 OLED is equipped with an OcenGlass touchpad that is said to provide a glass-like tactile feeling while scrolling. It features a backlit keyboard with an air inlet design claimed to provide up to 10 percent more heat dissipation than a standard keyboard. It supports Wi-Fi 6E for ultra-fast wireless connectivity.
Acer Swift 3 OLED Photo Credit: Acer
Acer Spin 5 (SP514-51N) specifications, features
The new Acer Spin 5 is a 16.9mm thin convertible notebook that sports a 14-inch touch display with a 2,560×1,600 pixels resolution and a 16:10 aspect ratio. It packs up to a 12th Gen Intel Core i7 processor with integrated Intel Iris Xe Graphics. It comes with up to 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 1 TB of PCIe Gen 4 SSD storage.
It features a 360-degree hinge with custom-designed bearings for smoothly transitioning between laptop, stand, tent or tablet modes. This Acer Spin 5 notebook supports Wi-Fi 6E and features USB Type-C ports with Thunderbolt 4 technology. In addition, it includes an Acer Active Stylus with 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity. Its TwinAir cooling system and dual D6 copper heat pipes assist in maintaining optimal temperatures.
Acer Spin 3 (SP314-55/N) specifications, features
The Acer Spin 3 has a 14-inch full-HD touchscreen. It is powered by 12th Gen Intel Core processors with integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics. This convertible notebook is equipped with a 360-degree hinge and includes a dockable Acer Active Stylus. The company claims that a 30-minute charge can power this notebook for up to 4 hours. It is equipped with an HD webcam and comes with Acer PurifedVoice and AI-enhanced Noise Reduction technologies.
Both of these Chromebooks have a 14-inch touchscreen protected by Antimicrobial Corning Gorilla Glass. They come with 2,560×1,600 pixels and 1,920×1,200 pixels resolution options. The Acer Chromebook Spin 714 and Chromebook Enterprise Spin 714 are powered by up to 12th Gen Intel Core i7 processors. As per the company, it has a battery life of up to 10 hours. Furthermore, a 30-minute quick charge is said to add up to 4 hours’ worth of battery backup.
They have a sleek aluminium chassis that provides military-grade durability. Their 360-degree hinge allows users to use these Chromebooks in a variety of settings with ease. They support Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth v5.2 high-speed wireless connectivity. There is also an HDMI port and two Thunderbolt 4 ports. There is a backlit keyboard and an optional fingerprint sensor. They also include a dockable USI stylus with 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity.
Additionally, the Acer Chromebook Enterprise Spin 714 feature the business capabilities of Chrome OS. It provides professionals with built-in security, fast performance, and a reduced total cost of ownership.
Acer Chromebook Tab 510 specifications, features
The Acer Chromebook Tab 510 features a 10.1-inch IPS display with a full-HD (1,920×1,200 pixels) resolution and a 16:10 aspect ratio. Powered by Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 Compute Platform this tablet also comes with a 4G LTE option. It is claimed to have up to 11 hours of battery life. For optics, this tablet has a 5-megapixel MIPI front camera and an 8-megapixel camera on the back.
Acer Chromebook Tab 510 Photo Credit: Acer
The display is protected by Antimicrobial Corning Gorilla Glass, which is claimed to prevent the buildup of odour and stain-causing microorganisms. This tablet has a durable design that meets MIL-STD 810H military standards. It boasts an impact-resistant chassis, shock-absorbing corner bumpers, and a reinforced design for added protection. Furthermore, the Acer Chromebook Tab 510 includes a dockable USI stylus that offers 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity.
US-based stock trading and investing major Robinhood has announced that the company is building a non-custodial wallet that will allow its customers to have total control of their crypto in Web 3. Robinhood said that this new multichain Web 3 wallet will launch as a standalone app. Customers will be able to hold the keys for their own crypto and access decentralised apps (dApps) to trade and swap crypto with no network fees, store non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and connect to NFT marketplaces, earn yield using their assets, and access a variety of crypto assets.
“At Robinhood, we believe that crypto is more than just an asset class. By offering the same low cost and great design that people have come to expect from Robinhood, our Web 3 wallet will make it easier for everyone to hold their own keys and experience all the opportunities that the open financial system has to offer,” Vlad Tenev, the co-founder and CEO of Robinhood, commented in a press release+Announces+Non-Custodial+Wallet/20090869.html) announcing the new wallet.
For now, Robinhood customers can join this non-custodial wallet by signing up for its waitlist. Its Beta program will be available later this summer, and Robinhood noted that the wallet is set to be deployed fully by the end of the year.
Robinhood has been trying its best over the past couple of years to be the go-to platform for crypto investors, regardless of the space, they’re interested in. In 2018 the project launched cryptocurrency trading, but without the ability to transfer tokens to external wallets. In 2021, the project unveiled plans to enable external withdrawals, a move that would allow users to on-ramp into the decentralised finance (DeFi) ecosystem through Robinhood.
With its new wallet, the company is leaning further into crypto and will be competing with existing non-custodial wallets. Previously, people would need to transfer their assets out of Robinhood to a wallet like Metamask in order to access DeFi. Now, people will be able to stay within the Robinhood ecosystem with more freedom in terms of crypto interaction.
India has climbed two spots in the global ranking for median mobile Internet speeds in April 2022, according to Ookla Speedtest Global Index. The median fixed broadband speeds in India have marginally plummeted, but at the same time the median mobile download speeds have increased. In overall median fixed broadband speeds, India has come down four ranks globally to 76 in April from 72 in March. The index report further added that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Singapore topped the global ranking for mobile broadband and fixed broadband performance, respectively.
Mobile Internet speeds in April
Ookla has released its Speedtest Global Index for the month of April 2022. In the index, India has climbed two spots in median mobile speeds to 118 in April from 120 in March. Median mobile download speed in India increased to 14.19Mbps in April from 13.67Mbps in March.
Fixed broadband speeds in April
With regard to median fixed broadband speeds, the country has gone down four ranks to 76 in April from 72 in March. The median fixed broadband speed in India have decreased to 48.09Mbps in April from 48.15Mbps the month before.
Top performers on Ookla Speedtest Global Index
The countries who were on the top of the index were the middle-eastern country UAE and the island country Singapore. UAE was on the top rank in mobile broadband with a median mobile download speed of 134.48Mbps. Singapore has the top spot in fixed broadband with a median fixed broadband download speed of 207.61Mbps.
Among the top gainers in April 2022 were Ukraine and Papua New Guinea. Ukraine was the biggest gainer in ranks for median mobile broadband download performance and Papua New Guinea has registered the biggest gain in rank for fixed broadband performance in April 2022.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced at the silver jubilee event of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) that India is planning to roll out 6G telecom network by the end of the decade. Indian telecom companies are currently preparing to roll out 5G telecom network.
Netflix has been screening upcoming original titles with select groups of subscribers in the US, ahead of the titles’ official release on the streaming platform, since November 2021, as per a report. Those part of these groups reportedly watch “several upcoming movies and series over the course of about six months” and provide feedback through a survey, detailing what worked for them and what didn’t. The company is said to use these inputs to make edits to the title in question prior to its launch.
According to a Variety report, an email sent by Netflix to that group of subscribers reads: “We at Netflix are building a community of members to view and give feedback on upcoming movies and series, and we’d like to know if you’re interested in being a part of it. It’s simple, but an incredibly important part of creating best-in-class content for you and Netflix members all around the world.”
The report further states that Netflix selects subscribers for these feedback panels in such a way that they “represent a range of perspectives”. These subscribers, reportedly, also need to sign a nondisclosure agreement to ensure confidentiality. We’ve reached out to Netflix to comment on the report, and will update this article if we hear back.
Focus-group testing has been a part of Hollywood, and the entertainment fraternity in general, for quite some time now. In fact, Netflix itself previously tested the shuffle-play feature — which recommends a title to you based on what you watched on the platform in the past and the entries in your “to watch” list– with a subset of its subscriber base before officially rolling it out last year. Moreover, as is the usual practice, it shares screeners for certain upcoming titles with critics prior to their release. However, the report signifies one of the first times the company is screening content with subscribers, instead of just new software features.
Google has unveiled the Protected by Android branding for security and privacy on Android. First seen last week in screenshots at Google I/O, the Android YouTube channel has now uploaded a short video that features the branding, on how Android is keeping your information safe. Some platform and ecosystem features of Android were also highlighted in the video including Verified by Play Protect, monthly security updates, and location access permissions. The video also provides the link to the website of Protected by Android. Google recently introduced Privacy Guide, which is a step-by-step guided tour of some existing privacy and security controls in Chrome.
Protected by Android appears to be the latest branding by Google for privacy and security on Android. The Protected by Android video was uploaded on the Android YouTube channel by the tech giant earlier today. The video description says, “Android is all about keeping you and your information safe so you can focus on what matters most. From detecting and defeating bad apps to helping you control your personal information, you’re always protected by Android.”
The 50-second-long video starts with an animation of the green Android transforming into a green shield with a checkmark. The rest of the video is a compilation of images of people on their smartphones along with captions. The first caption says that “Whatever you’re up to, you’ve got peace of mind when you’re protected by Android.”
Three platform and ecosystem features are particularly highlighted in the video. They include Verified by Play Protect with the caption, “You’re safe from malware and harmful apps”, monthly security updates with the quote, “Defended by non-stop security”, and location access permissions along with the caption, “And in control of your personal information”.
The video ends by saying, ”Android has you covered so you can focus on what matters along with the check-marked shield morphing back into the green Android. The description of the video gives you the link to protectedbyandroid.com, which redirects you to android.com/safety.
Google last week at I/O 2022 had revealed the upcoming unified Security & Privacy settings page of Android 13 will feature the Protected by Android branding, which can be seen beneath the Scan device button and under the Uninstall harmful app button.
Photo Credit: Google Security Blog
Google recently introduced Privacy Guide, which is a step-by-step guided tour of some existing privacy and security controls in Chrome. The Privacy Guide is meant to enable users to easily understand what happens when a particular setting is on or off.
Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 earbuds were launched in India on Wednesday. The earbuds had its global launch in April. Featured technologies like Sennheiser Signature Sound, TrueResponse technology, and adaptive active noise cancellation (ANC) are offered by the earbuds to improve the listening experience. The Sound Personalisation feature sported by the earbuds creates a custom audio profile for the user based on a guided listening test. The earbuds from Sennheiser come in three colour options and can be purchased from the official website of Sennheiser, Amazon India, and other electronics outlets in India.
Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 price in India
The Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 are priced in India at Rs. 21,990. The Momentum True Wireless 3 were launched globally in April, priced at $249.95 (roughly Rs. 19,400). The earbuds come in three colour options — Black, Graphite, and White. The White colour variant of the Momentum True Wireless 3 is not available for sale in India at the moment and can be expected at a later date, Sennheiser confirmed to Gadgets 360.
The Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 are the third in the Momentum True Wireless series and share some similarities with their predecessors, the Momentum True Wireless 2. The earbuds are equipped with dynamic 7mm drivers that deliver “deep bass, natural mids, and detailed highs.”
The adaptive ANC technology featured in the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 monitors ambient noise in order to adjust noise cancelling levels. Users also have the option to switch the transparency mode to better hear their surroundings.
The Sound Personalisation feature sported by the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 creates a custom profile for users and the Smart Control App provides audio presets and an equaliser to fine-tune the audio output. The earbuds are compatible with AAC, SBC, and aptX Adaptive codecs for low-latency audio. Both of the earbuds house three microphones each for clear calling.
The Momentum True Wireless 3 come in an IPX4 rated water-resistant casing. The earbuds are also designed to handle light rain. According to Sennheiser, the earbuds can provide up to 7 hours of uninterrupted playback per charge with the case providing an additional backup of up to 21 hours. The case sports a USB Type-C port for wired charging and it also supports wireless charging.
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