Новости за 05.01.2022

The Sundance Film Festival was gearing up for an ambitious hybrid event later this month, but those plans are now squashed thanks to the Omicron COVID-19 surge. Sundance is instead planning for a completely virtual event starting on January 20th, along with a handful of screenings in local markets. While disappointing, the festival's investment in a better digital platform last year puts it in a better position than other major events. (Looking at you, CES.) And of course, you'll still be able... Читать дальше...

Never mind cars that coddle drivers — BMW wants to give rear seat passengers the deluxe treatment. It's previewing a 31-inch, 8K "Theatre Screen" passenger option based on Fire TV for cars. Cue it up and the 32:9 screen will extend from the headliner, complete with 5G data and Bowers & Wilkins surround sound. You'll even watch the sunblinds close and listen to an opening theme from soundtrack composer Hans Zimmer.

A supermajority of customer service representatives for Google Fiber, operating out of a store in Kansas City, Missouri, have signed union cards in the hopes of bargaining their first contract with their bosses. They're organizing under the auspices of the Alphabet Workers Union, a year-old division of the Communication Workers of America which is seeking to represent employees and contractors at all level of Google's parent company. 

Even though it feels like we were watching skateboarders tear it up at the Summer Games in Tokyo only a few weeks ago, the Winter Olympics are almost upon us. Watching all of the events often requires hopping between several channels and platforms, but this time around, you'll be able to check out everything in one place. Peacock Premium members can stream all of NBCUniversal's Winter Olympics coverage.

After introducing a six-person self-driving box and a frickin' ridable drone concept last year, GM's latest luxury self-driving EV idea is much more grounded. The InnerSpace concept looks like a futuristic car from the outside—but inside, there's a two-seat loveseat surrounded by one of the widest screens we've ever seen. There's no steering wheel or pedals, of course. Instead, there's a built-in ottoman and a compartment for slippers and a blanket. Where GM's going, you won't need any sort of manual control. Читать дальше...

HTC Vive has revealed a wrist tracker for its Focus 3 headset. The device is 85 percent smaller and 50 percent lighter than the Vive Focus 3 controller.

Many ride hailing drivers won't have to mount their phones in the near future. Google is partnering with Lyft and Kakao Mobility to bring their driver apps to Android Auto sometime this summer. If you work for either service, you'll accept and navigate rides directly from your car's touchscreen. This won't help you much if you're a passenger, of course, but it will give drivers a much clearer view of the route ahead.

GM’s BrightDrop has secured additional orders for its all-electric EV600 and EV410 delivery vans. Walmart has reserved 5,000 of the vehicles from the company, Brightdrop announced on Wednesday. Like FedEx, which received the first part of a 500 vehicle order from BrightDrop at the end of last year, the retailer hopes to have an all-electric delivery fleet by 2040. Walmart said it will use the vehicles as part of its InHome delivery business. In 2022, the company plans to expand the availability... Читать дальше...

E-Ink technology has proven itself useful in many applications since its advent in 1997 — from digital whiteboards to laptop displays, even personal accessories. At CES 2022, that technology finally made its way to the automotive industry as BMW unveiled an e-ink vehicle exterior that can change colors depending on weather and traffic conditions, or just the driver's mood. 

GM's electric vehicle debuts at CES 2022 involve much more than just the Chevy Silverado. The automaker has teased plans for Blazer and Equinox EVs that would respectively arrive in spring and fall 2023. The Equinox should be relatively affordable, too, with the compact SUV expected to carry a starting price around $30,000 before tax and incentives.

Ubisoft is bringing its game subscription service to Xbox. Ubisoft+ is currently available on PC and cloud gaming services like Google Stadia and Amazon Luna. Subscribers can access more than 100 Ubisoft titles (as well as DLC and monthly bonuses) for a monthly fee. The lineup includes titles like Assassins Creed Valhalla, Watch Dogs Legion, Far Cry 6 and Riders Republic.

Instagram has started to test the chronological feed it promised last month. The company has started to test the new versions of its feed, which will allow users to switch between chronological and algorithmically-sorted feeds, says Instagram chief Adam Mosseri.

Volvo will debut “Ride Pilot,” its take on a Tesla-like autonomous driving feature, in California, the automaker announced on Wednesday during CES 2022. Once it’s approved for use on highways, Volvo says it will offer Ride Pilot as a paid subscription add-on for a new electric SUV it plans to reveal later this year. It will later bring the feature to other markets globally.

Volvo says it will be the first automaker to offer direct integration with Google Home in its cars. You'll be able to control certain functions remotely via Google Assistant. You might tell your phone to lock the doors or ask a smart speaker to start warming up your car as you're getting ready to leave home.

Google wants to do for Android and Chrome users what Apple does for people in its ecosystem. It's announcing a set of news today at CES 2022 that are designed to help those using non-Apple devices easily set up, connect and share seamlessly across platforms. That involves expanding its existing Fast Pair and Chromecast capabilities to more products, as well as improving the sharing of data between Android phones and laptops. In fact, Google said that "for the first time with Android, we're also focused on building for other platforms... Читать дальше...

CES wouldn’t be the Consumer Electronics Show without Razer bringing at least one prototype product to the event. This year was no different with the company using the annual trade show to unveil Project Sophia, a concept modular gaming desk. In its current iteration, the table includes room for 13 separate modules. These can be used to add components like touchscreen hotkey panels, external capture cards and audio mixers to Project Sophia, thereby allowing you to modify the station to your needs. Читать дальше...

Almost exactly one year ago, Razer announced Project Hazel. The smart face mask, which later became Zephyr, went on sale in October for $100 and promptly sold out. No doubt sensing an opportunity, the company now plans to release a Pro version of the mask in 2022. It will have all the features of the standard model, including the dual-fan active filtration system with N95 filters and RGB lighting, and add voice amplification.

You won't need a Jeep to try Fire TV in your car. Amazon has revealed Fire TV is coming to more vehicles this year, including 2022 Ford Explorer and Lincoln Navigator SUVs. More of Stellantis' cars will also have the feature, too, including the Chrysler Pacifica and Jeep Grand Cherokee. The company didn't provide timelines for when the interface would be available.

We all knew this was coming. During its CES 2022 keynote address on Wednesday, GM CEO Mary Barra officially unveiled the new 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV, GM's second fully electric model built on the Ultium battery platform.

In 2020, Goodyear pledged to develop a new tire made entirely of sustainable materials within the next decade. Today the company has unveiled a tire with 70 percent sustainable material content, which shows the progress it has made towards achieving its ultimate goal. The tire features 13 ingredients across nine different tire components, including three different carbon blacks that are traditionally made by burning petroleum products.

With Intel and AMD announcing new processors this week, many PC manufacturers are also sharing details on their latest laptops. One of those is ASUS, which on Wednesday unveiled its 2022 ZenBook 14 lineup. At first glance, the most notable difference about the new "ZenBook 14 OLED" is that it features an updated design that's more square and less obtrusively branded. 

ASUS has a lot more to show off at CES than traditional laptops. The ZenBook 17 Fold is a full-screen foldable OLED tablet, which marks an evolution from the dual-screen Project Precog concept the company showcased in 2018.

After it was pulled from sale in the US last fall over a warning from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Owlet’s infant monitoring sock is once again available to purchase. Announced late last year and now known as the Dream Sock, you can buy the Bluetooth-enabled wearable either as a standalone product for $299 or as part of the company’s Dream Duo bundle for $399. The latter includes the Owlet Cam, a baby monitor with a 1080p camera and sensors for measuring the ambient temperature, noise... Читать дальше...

Beyond Meat's plant-based chicken substitute is coming to KFC restaurants across the US. You'll be able to pick up Beyond Fried Chicken à la carte or as part of the fast food chain's first plant-based combo meal starting on January 10th. The item will be available on KFC menus for a limited time and while stock lasts (which might not last long, based on previous runs). It starts at $7, though the price will vary depending on location.

Razer seems to treat each CES as its personal carnival, using the show as a chance to show off things like wild-looking masks and insane triple-screen notebooks. This year, in addition to launching new laptops, it’s also teamed up with smartwatch maker Fossil to launch a special edition wearable. The two companies are announcing the Razer x Fossil Gen 6 smartwatch at CES 2022 and it’s basically what you think: A themed version of an existing Wear OS device with straps and faces that reflect the gaming company’s identity. Читать дальше...