Author: ZDNet Online News

Uber and AT&T testing 5G for flying cars

AT&T and Uber are teaming up to figure out how wireless networks will play a role in next-gen electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles (eVTOLS), as well as enterprise drones used for cargo transport. In particular, the companies are exploring how LTE and eventually 5G will be used in both applications. “We’re in the very… Continue reading Uber and AT&T testing 5G for flying cars

Uber’s COO and CMO to step down as CEO Khosrowshahi takes on bigger role

Uber’s chief operating officer Barney Harford and CMO Rebecca Messina are stepping down. In a letter to employees, Uber chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi explained the reasoning behind the departures, saying that recent organizational changes have lessened the significance of the COO and CMO positions. Primarily, Khosrowshahi said he will take on a more involved role… Continue reading Uber’s COO and CMO to step down as CEO Khosrowshahi takes on bigger role

Nvidia takes aim at Tesla’s custom GPU claims

Tesla CEO Elon Musk touted the company’s custom GPU processor, said it is using its own silicon over Nvidia and has all the hardware in place for autonomous driving. A day later, Nvidia set out to diplomatically correct some Tesla “inaccuracies.” Anyone who has followed the semiconductor market knows there are benchmark fibs all the… Continue reading Nvidia takes aim at Tesla’s custom GPU claims

Japanese firms to trial location-tracking car loans in Indonesia

(Image: NTT) NTT DoCoMo and Mizuho Bank will conduct a trial in Indonesia until the end of November that will see a device be attached to a car — to track its location — as part of what the Japanese pair labels an advanced financial service in the form of a “network-connected auto loan”. The… Continue reading Japanese firms to trial location-tracking car loans in Indonesia

FedEx rolls out prototype of autonomous SameDay Bot

FedEx on Wednesday unveiled a prototype of its SameDay Bot, an autonomous delivery vehicle designed to get smaller deliveries from retailers to nearby customers. Like Amazon and FedEx’s other competitors in the shipping business, FedEx is hoping that autonomous vehicles can help it solve the challenges of last-mile logistics. Developed in collaboration with DEKA Development… Continue reading FedEx rolls out prototype of autonomous SameDay Bot

Amazon field tests an autonomous delivery robot named Scout

Amazon has revealed its latest autonomous delivery project — a six-wheeled boxy robot named Amazon Scout. The e-commerce giant said the all-electric devices were created in-house at Amazon’s research and development lab in Seattle, and are about the size of a small cooler.  Featured stories The bots are meant to travel on sidewalks at an… Continue reading Amazon field tests an autonomous delivery robot named Scout

Bosch to trial automated vehicle tech in country Victoria

The Victorian government has given approval to Bosch to test automated driving systems on the state’s rural roads. With a AU$2.3 million grant, awarded under the AU$9 million Connected and Automated Vehicle (CAV) Trial Grants Program, Bosch will be the first to use automated vehicles for testing and development on Victorian roads. The state in… Continue reading Bosch to trial automated vehicle tech in country Victoria

Electric cars: Security flaws could let attackers control charging stations

Electric car drivers could find themselves unable to charge their vehicles, if attackers exploit recently discovered flaws in Schneider Electric’s EVlink Parking charging stations, found in offices, hotels, and supermarkets across several countries. Featured stories Security experts Vladimir Kononovich and Vyacheslav Moskvin at Positive Technologies are now offering details of the three vulnerabilities they found that… Continue reading Electric cars: Security flaws could let attackers control charging stations

CES 2019: Cortana’s gone underground, but Microsoft is not out of the virtual assistant game

Credit: Universal Electronics everything CES 2019 While Google Assistant and Amazon’s Alexa were big at CES 2019, Microsoft’s Cortana digital personal assistant was nowhere in sight. That’s not surprising, given Microsoft’s decision to reposition Cortana as less of a standalone assistant and more of an assistance aide. But Microsoft isn’t totally out of the virtual… Continue reading CES 2019: Cortana’s gone underground, but Microsoft is not out of the virtual assistant game