Last month, Waymo launched its first self-driving taxi service — Waymo One — in Phoenix, Arizona, but you would hardly know it by scrolling through your feed. No Facebook posts, no live-streaming videos, no tweets. We don’t know how many people are using the Google offshoot’s self-driving minivans (Waymo won’t say), but the ones that… Continue reading We spoke to a Waymo One customer about how robot taxis get confused by rainstorms
Author: The Verge Online News
California dealers try to stop Volvo’s car subscription service
A trade group representing California car and truck dealerships has filed a petition with the state’s New Motor Vehicle Board to stop Volvo from offering cars on a subscription model. The filing, first reported by Teslarati, is an escalation of the dealer group’s effort to disrupt Volvo’s subscription program, which became public late last year… Continue reading California dealers try to stop Volvo’s car subscription service
Japan’s robot hotel lays off half the robots after they created more work for humans
It turns out that even robots are having a tough time holding down a job. Japan’s Henn-na “Strange” Hotel has laid off half its 243 robots after they created more problems than they could solve, as first reported by The Wall Street Journal. One of the layoffs included a doll-shaped assistant in each hotel room… Continue reading Japan’s robot hotel lays off half the robots after they created more work for humans
Portland riders say they’re skipping cars, thanks to electric scooters
Electric scooter companies are known to brag about their potential to reshape cities by reducing car congestion and pollution. Today, the city of Portland, Oregon, released a trove of data that backs up some of those claims. The data, released by the city’s Bureau of Transportation, offers some of the most detailed analyses of the… Continue reading Portland riders say they’re skipping cars, thanks to electric scooters
Cadillac teases images of its first all-electric vehicle
Days after GM announced that Cadillac would become its lead electric vehicle brand, the automaker teased a few images of its first planned EV. Cadillac isn’t sharing any other details beyond the images — no name, no specs, nothing. That information will be revealed “closer to launch,” the company says. But Cadillac is positioning itself… Continue reading Cadillac teases images of its first all-electric vehicle
These slick new AR glasses project shockingly high-quality visuals
Like virtual reality before it, augmented reality is the newest, hyped-up technology ripped straight from science fiction that technology companies worldwide are trying to bring to life. But unlike most fledgling companies in the burgeoning AR space that are still dealing in half-finished prototypes and experimental proof-of-concepts, Chinese startup Nreal has arrived on the scene… Continue reading These slick new AR glasses project shockingly high-quality visuals
iOttie’s new motorized car mount will clutch your phone in its robotic embrace
iOttie’s car mounts for phones are considered by many (including the ever-reliable Wirecutter) to be some of the best around, but you know what would make them even better? Mechanized robotic arms that reach out and grab your phone for you, securely holding your phone within their cold metal embrace while you drive. Or at… Continue reading iOttie’s new motorized car mount will clutch your phone in its robotic embrace
Bose invented a noise-canceling system for your car
Bose wants to bring its acclaimed noise-canceling technology from your headphones to your car. The Framingham, Massachusetts-based company just unveiled a new technology called QuietComfort which claims to measure your vehicle’s vibrations in order to eliminate noise from your daily drive. As noted by Bose, this type of noise-canceling technology is likely to gain more… Continue reading Bose invented a noise-canceling system for your car
The all-electric Polestar 2 will be the first car with Google’s native Android Auto
Volvo’s futuristic performance brand Polestar released the first teaser image of its second car this week (seen above). The aptly named Polestar 2 will be Volvo’s first all-electric car, and has specs (on paper, at least) that match up with some of the best EVs that are about to hit the road. It will also… Continue reading The all-electric Polestar 2 will be the first car with Google’s native Android Auto
Exclusive: Amazon says 100 million Alexa devices have been sold — what’s next?
More than 100 million devices with Alexa on board have been sold. That’s the all-too-rare actual number that Amazon’s SVP of devices and services, Dave Limp, revealed to me earlier this week. That’s not to say Amazon has finally decided to be completely transparent about device sales, however. While the company claims it outstripped its… Continue reading Exclusive: Amazon says 100 million Alexa devices have been sold — what’s next?