For years, it’s been customary for video streaming services to come built into TVs, but this is the first time we’ve seen a music streaming service built into a pair of headphones.
The Mobee-K Smart Earphones side load Deezer onto compatible Samsung Galaxy smartphones like the S21, Note 20 Ultra or Z Flip when connected via USB-C. They also grant the listener three months of free Deezer HiFi or Deezer Premium.
Plug them in, and the headphones unlock a customised Deezer theme with exclusive content, including wallpapers, exclusive playlists, and shortcuts to Deezer, which can be accessed via the phone’s lock screen and home screen menus.
You can still use the headphones with other USB-C devices, but you won’t get the extras without a Samsung Galaxy device. You’ll also have to download Deezer the normal way, via the Google Play Store.
The Mobee-K Smart Earphones only cost $22 and are available exclusively on Amazon. Not convinced by this budget offering? Perhaps consider a pair from our list of the best earbuds you can buy.
MORE:
Cut the cord with the best wireless earbuds around
Apple fan? Check out the best iPhone headphones
And these are the best headphones of all types, for all budgets
(Pocket-lint) – Apple has finally announced a refresh of its flagship streaming box, the Apple TV 4K.
The last model was released in 2017 and was decently specced for its time. The new one is faster and includes some extra bells and whistles, but does that mean you need to upgrade?
We look at the features and specifications of both to help you make that decision.
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What’s the same?
Main “puck”-style box design – measuring 3.9 x 3.9 x 1.4mm
Access to thousands of TV shows and movies
Streaming services, such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and, of course, Apple TV+
Apple Arcade support
Apps and games
4K HDR, Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos support
Bluetooth 5.0
Available in 32GB and 64GB variants
If you own an Apple TV 4K already, you’ll already know much of what to expect. The box itself is identical in size and shape, for starters.
The 2017 model is 4K (2160p) capable, just like the newer version, and is capable of playing all the same content. Both offer access to a wide variety of streaming services, including Apple’s own TV+, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and BBC iPlayer (in the UK). Movie rentals and purchases can be played equally well through them too. And they each can play the games that come with the Apple Arcade subscription.
Both devices are capable of 4K playback in HDR or Dolby Vision (depending on your TV), and can feed Dolby Atmos surround sound to a compatible AV receiver, TV or sound system.
Bluetooth 5.0 is support for connection to the included remote or other accessories. AirPlay 2 is also support by each of the machines. As too is Apple’s new TV calibration mode, which is available on the latest version of tvOS.
What’s different?
A12 Bionic processing
HDMI 2.1
High Frame Rate (HFR) support – up to 60fps
New Siri Remote
802.11ax Wi-Fi 6
While the latest Apple TV 4K model looks the same as its predecessor, there are some differences under the hood, as we detail below. There is also a brand new remote control.
Siri Remote
Perhaps the most obvious generational changes can be found on the included remote. We weren’t huge fans of the touchpanel on the previous version, so are pleased to see that’s been replaced by a new chickwheel.
There are still touch elements to it, to help with cursor use and navigation, but the Siri Remote now has clickable direction buttons on the wheel. It can also be used as a scroll wheel by running your finger around the circular edge.
The new remote comes in recycled aluminium, and the Siri button has been switched to the side – more like an iPhone. There’s a new mute button and a power button at the top that can also be used to turn on/off your TV through IR or HDMI CEC.
As before, the remote is rechargable, with a claimed battery life of “months” on a single charge (in normal use).
A12 Bionic
A new processor (upgraded from the A10X Fusion) means the latest Apple TV 4K should run more quickly than before and is capable of more powerful features – some of which could come down the pipeline at a later date. The A12 Bionic is the same processor used by the Apple iPad mini (4th generation) and 2020 iPad.
High Frame Rate
HFR is supported for the first time, with the new Apple TV 4K able to playback HDR video at upo to 60 frames-per-second. This includes 4K video.
That’s especially great for iPhone 12 Pro users who shoot videos in 60fps. You will be able to stream them to your TV in the higher frame rate over AirPlay 2. You will need an HFR supporting TV as well, of course, but most modern 4K HDR TVs are capable of 60fps playback too (ie. 60Hz and above).
HDMI 2.1
The HDMI output has been upgraded to HDMI 2.1 (from 2.0a) to enable the HFR support. Other benefits might become apparent over time.
Wi-Fi 6
With the Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) wireless standard now supported you will be able to more seamlessly stream higher bandwidth content – including 4K 60fps video.
Conclusion
To be honest, there’s not a load of new changes, even considering the four year gap between models. However, the latest Apple TV 4K will updoubtedly be faster in operation and, therefore, more capable with processing-heavy applications. That will include games on Apple Arcade.
As is the way of such things, you might find some apps and games released in the future will only run effectively on the new model. But then, you might want to hold on from upgrading until then.
The one huge improvement comes in the shape of the new remote. It’s definitely better thought out, in our opinion. But even then, you needn’t upgrade for that alone as it’ll also be available as a optional extra and will work on the 2017 model too.
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There’s a much clearer reason to upgrade if you own the standard 1080p Apple TV, though. If you have one of those and have been holding off to see what happens, now’s a great time to consider taking the plunge.
Most importantly, the pricing remains the same between generations, so if you’ve never owned an Apple TV before, you can expect to get all the new features for the same price.
Privacy is on everyone’s mind these days, and in iOS 14.5, which is starting to roll out to the public today, there are new privacy features that may make you feel happier but are not endearing Apple to some other companies — specifically Facebook.
The new feature is aptly called App Tracking Transparency. Many apps don’t just track your movements inside the app, but they track your movements outside of the app — in other words, where you go after you’ve left the app. This is why you see ads in Facebook and other apps for products you were just looking at on Amazon or other sites.
Before 14.5, you could turn tracking off for all of your apps by going to Settings > Privacy > Tracking and turning off “Allow Apps to Request to Track.” The new version of iOS allows you to be more specific. To begin, when you install a new app, you won’t have to do anything; you’ll be automatically asked whether you want the new app to track you.
If you want to see which apps have asked for permission to track, and possibly change their tracking settings, you can just go to that same Tracking page. There, you will be able to give or revoke that permission. So:
Go to your iPhone’s settings and select Privacy > Tracking
Beneath “Allow Apps to Request to Track,” you’ll now see a list of specific apps that have asked for that permission. You can permit or revoke that permission for each specific app.
Privacy > Tracking to change the settings for specific or all apps.” data-upload-width=”3660″ src=”https://rondea.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/echo/Image_from_iOS__3_.jpg6086d936b4110.jpg” >
Go to Settings > Privacy > Tracking to change the settings for specific or all apps.
And you can still use “Allow Apps to Request to Track” to turn off permission for all of your current (and future) apps.
Facebook is building its own in-app podcast player, the company confirmed today. This will be separate from its new in-app Spotify player. Podcasters will be able to distribute their shows through their Facebook page and will opt into doing so. The exact product details are still unclear. It’s possible this will operate through RSS or that creators will have a backend way to upload their content to Facebook. This functionality is expected to roll out within the next “few months,” according to a Facebook blog post.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg described the Spotify partnership as being primarily about “music” during a chat with Platformer writer Casey Newton last week. But Spotify’s release about its Facebook miniplayer today specifically calls out its use case for podcasts. People can share episodes and listen to them from within the Facebook app without actually navigating to Spotify. But Facebook apparently has other plans to be more ingrained in the podcasting ecosystem.
The company’s interest in podcasts makes sense. It says more than 170 million people connect to podcast pages, and more than 35 million people are members of fan groups around shows. Plus, podcasts are still primarily an ad-based product, meaning Facebook could gather data about shows and listeners and target its own ads against them, possibly giving creators a cut. It could also offer creators a way to put them behind a subscription paywall, similarly to Apple’s forthcoming Apple Podcasts Subscriptions, which it announced last week. Facebook’s formal entry into the podcast player space would mean nearly all the tech giants run their own podcast products, including Apple, Google, and Amazon, on top of Spotify and other smaller apps.
We knew Spotify had been trialling the idea of raising subscription prices in the UK and now the price hike is official.
Spotify has sent out emails to subscribers informing them of its plans to increase prices from the 30th April. Premium student goes from £4.99/€4.99mth to £5.99/€5.99mth and Premium Duo moves from £12.99/€12.49mth to £13.99/€13.99mth.
The biggest price increase affects the Spotify Premium Family tier, which jumps from £14.99/€14.99mth to £16.99/€17.99mth. It appears as though the Premium Individual tier has avoided a price increase.
While announcing the price changes will come into effect on the 30th April, it appears Spotify is giving current subscribers an additional month at the “old” price to soften the blow. This means the new price will take effect from their June billing date.
If you’re currently on a trial, Spotify will give you one month on the current price before the increase takes effect.
Back in March, a survey was sent out to Spotify users that floated the idea of increasing prices for the Premium Individual, Duo and Family plans to £10.99, £14.99 and £19.99. We’re assuming the feedback from this survey has helped shape the new prices revealed today.
Spotify’s price hike news follows reports from earlier today that it could also be about to launch podcast subscriptions.
Now all eyes will be on how much the streaming giant decides to charge for its upcoming Spotify Hifi tier, which promises “music in lossless audio format, with CD quality”, and how it stacks up to rival tiers from the likes of Tidal and Amazon Music Unlimited. Are you a Spotify subscriber? What do you think of today’s announcement? Let us know in the comments below.
Apple has announced new spending plans for the US, including the establishment of a 3,000-employee “campus and engineering hub” in North Carolina and the commitment of an additional $80 billion in investment across the country.
Back in 2018, the firm said it would spend more than $350 billion in the US over the next five years, but today, it announced it is increasing that figure by 20 percent to $430 billion.
“At this moment of recovery and rebuilding, Apple is doubling down on our commitment to US innovation and manufacturing with a generational investment reaching communities across all 50 states,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook in a press statement.
And why not? Like many big tech firms, Apple has done very well during the pandemic, when other industries have suffered and investors have sought safe places for their money. The company likes to spin these investment announcements as a sort of largesse, but they are, of course, par for the course for a hugely successful and ambitious firm like Apple. As today’s press release notes, the $80 billion will go toward “direct spend with American suppliers, data center investments, capital expenditures in the US, and other domestic spend — including dozens of Apple TV+ productions across 20 states.”
The new campus in North Carolina is noteworthy and part of an ongoing trend among tech firms to look outside their traditional California homes. Google is currently investing $1 billion in a New York City campus; Amazon is building its second HQ in Virginia; and Oracle announced last year it’s moving its headquarters from Silicon Valley to Austin, Texas.
Apple’s North Carolina campus will be part of the state’s Research Triangle (named after the trio of nearby universities: Duke University, North Carolina State University, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill). The company will invest more than $1 billion in the area and pledges to create at least 3,000 new jobs in “machine learning, artificial intelligence, software engineering, and other cutting-edge fields.”
Notably, Apple also says it will establish a $100 million fund to support “schools and communities” in North Carolina and will contribute more than $110 million to 80 of the state’s poorest counties to help fund critical infrastructure like “broadband, roads and bridges, and public schools.” The Biden administration has made such infrastructure spending a critical part of its plans for the US, but it seems that when government lags behind, private firms will step in.
You can read Apple’s full press release for further details, including the companies expanding hiring in its teams in California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Texas, Washington, and Iowa, and its investments in new clean energy projects in the US and abroad.
A small-format resin 3D printer with a bargain-basement price, the Longer Orange 10’s weak output and wobbly build quality make it a poor bargain.
For
+ Inexpensive price
+ Small footprint
Against
– Laser-cut UV lid feels wobbly
– Low XY resolution
– Small build volume
The Longer Orange 10 is the entry-level 3D printer in the Orange lineup and sits below the Orange 30 and Orange 4K in both price and features. It’s available from the Longer site for $139, a surprisingly-low price that is around the cheapest I’ve seen a 3D printer of any kind for sale.
After testing the Orange 10, I’m left with more questions than answers as to who this printer is marketed towards. It uses an RGB masking LCD that defaults to a slow per-layer cure time as well as a small build volume. Importantly, it also has a pixel resolution that is over 50% larger than the Creality LD-002R, a comparable printer in price and size, resulting in lower resolution prints and pronounced stepping on shallow curves.
Longer Orange 10 Specifications
Machine Footprint
6.7″ x 6.7″ x 14.2″ (17.0cm x 17.0cm x 36.0cm)
Build Volume
3.86″ x 2.17″ x 5.5″ (98mm x 55mm x 140mm)
Resin
DLP Photopolymer Resin
UV Light
UV Matrix 405nm UV LED
Masking LCD Resolution
854 x 480
Masking LCD Size
4.5″
Interface
2.8″ LCD Touchscreen
XY Axis Resolution
.115mm
Included in the Box of Longer Orange 10
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
The Longer Orange 10 ships with all of the consumables you need to get up and printing including the power supply, a metal scraper for removing parts, gloves, a clean-up rag, a microSD card, a USB microSD card reader, and some resin filters for reusing resin. The UV-resistant lid ships disassembled (more on that later), and all the pieces required to assemble it are included in the box. The Orange 10 also includes a printed manual that covers all of the steps involved with getting the printer up and running.
Assembly of Longer Orange 10
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
The Longer Orange 10 includes a UV-resistant lid that requires assembly before it can be mounted onto the printer. This is a little unusual; most MSLA resin printers like the Anycubic Photon Mono, Creality LD-002R, and the Elegoo Mars Pro use a single-piece acrylic lid that ships mounted to the printer. The lid for the Longer Orange 10 ships in five pieces that all have a protective film applied to both sides. This film tends to tear and delaminate when peeled and was very time-consuming to remove; it took me almost fifteen minutes to remove it fully.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Once the protective film has been removed, the lid can be assembled. The jigsaw pattern on the sides of the panels allows them to snap into place, and the included black brackets hold the side panels together before the top panel is added. Assembling the lid felt a bit like a juggling act; the brackets and top hold the sides together, but the sides can’t be assembled without the top to hold them in place. It took a few tries to get it right but the lid eventually snapped together.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
The lid is held together with a pair of rubber bands; one at the top and one at the bottom. While this solution is relatively inexpensive and allows the printer to ship in a slightly smaller box, the general shakiness and lack of a sturdy lid did not inspire much confidence in me after it was put together. The rubber bands pulled tight around the acrylic corners, and I’m concerned that picking up the lid will cause the rubber band to tear over time from rubbing against the sharp corners of the acrylic panels.
Design of Longer Orange 10
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
The user interface of the Longer Orange 10 is a 2.8-inch color touchscreen LCD that offers basic functionality controls as well as real-time information during printing. The LCD is bright and responsive, but the overall UI is a little bare and the controls used to calibrate the build platform aren’t labeled intuitively.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
The Orange 10 uses a custom controller board with an STM32F103 microcontroller and an A4988 stepper driver. The controller board cooling fan is the loudest component on the printer, and it operates at a very reasonable volume during printing. The case of the Orange 10 is made from bent sheet metal, and I liked the solid and stable feel that it provided.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
The masking LCD on the Longer Orange 10 is a 4.5-inch screen with a resolution of 854 x 480. This combination results in a relatively low .115mm XY resolution, a much coarser resolution than the .035mm achieved by the 4K resolution masking LCDs like the one on the Phrozen Sonic Mini 4K. Even non-4K masking LCD screens like the one on the Creality LD-002R are capable of sub-.1mm resolution (the LD-002R is .075mm), so this slightly-thick XY resolution can result in parts with visible stepping on shallow curves.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
The build platform has a rear-facing slant, which allows resin to drip back into the vat during printing. The gantry to which it attaches is made from a bent piece of metal and the Z threaded rod has an anti-backlash nut installed to prevent banding during rapid movements. The motion components on the machine generally feel solid, and the gantry doesn’t seem to have any play during printing.
Leveling the Build Platform on Longer Orange 10
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
The build platform on the Longer Orange 10 is secured to the gantry with four bolts that are also used for leveling. After loosening the bolts on the gantry and placing a piece of paper over the masking LCD screen, I dropped the build platform to the home position and tightened the bolts on the gantry.
The bolts have split ring lock washers as opposed to regular washers, which make leveling the bed a tedious and difficult task. As I tightened the bolts, the split ring washer moved just slightly and caused the build platform to raise or lower. Leveling this printer was a challenge that required me to work very slowly to make sure the build platform didn’t shift while tightening.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
After I leveled the build platform, I installed the resin vat in the printer and secured it with the two attached thumbscrews. The vat has a polymer frame with fill indicators graduated to the max fill line of 200ml embossed on the side. The FEP film at the bottom of the vat has been installed, pretensioned and is ready to use right out of the box.
Printing Safety with Longer Orange 10
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
The Longer Orange 10 uses 405nm UV resin, a material that you need to handle safely when in an uncured state to avoid injury. The resin can be harmful when making contact with skin, so make sure to wear gloves when pouring, cleaning up, or handling uncured resin. I also make sure I’m wearing gloves when removing the build platform after a print, as the resin tends to pool on top of the platform and can drip off while the platform is being removed.
Make sure you use the Orange 10 in a well-ventilated room to minimize the danger from inhaling fumes. Any spills or uncured resin stuck to a surface should be cleaned using 99% Isopropyl Alcohol and the container for the resin should be kept closed and secured when not actively pouring material.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
The build platform on the Orange 10 has four upward-facing bolts that are used to secure it to the bracket. This is a poor design element, as the location of the bolts means it is very difficult to clean uncured resin off inside the bolt caps or clean the space between the bolt heads and the bracket. While the slanted build platform does allow the majority of the resin to slide back into the vat, it still pools around where the bracket meets the build platform and it can be difficult to clean completely. While this isn’t a problem unique to the Longer Orange 10, it is certainly something I find to be unnecessarily time-consuming and could be easily solved with a one-piece build platform.
Printing the Included Test Prints on the Longer Orange 10
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
The Longer Orange 10 includes four pre-sliced models that are ready for printing, as well as the .STL files used to make them. The first one I tested was VampireLordBust.lgs, a 75.26mm model that prints in five hours and nine minutes. The model (which I found uploaded on MyMiniFactory by searching for the file name) has supports designed into the model as opposed to being generated by the slicer software.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
I try to avoid models with supports designed into them, as every printer will handle them differently and the slicer software is usually better at generating them. This is more of a problem with MSLA resin printers, as larger supports need to be broken off which can shatter or crack the brittle cured resin.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
The part printed without any issues and, as expected, removing the support material left some defects. The two large bars underneath the arms were difficult to remove fully, and the thin beams under the chin left material behind after they were cracked off. The overall level of detail on the model was muted, and the resolution didn’t look as sharp as I would have expected from an MSLA resin printer. The teeth on this vampire bust have been individually modeled, but I noticed that they were difficult to differentiate on the printed model.
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(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
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(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
The built-in model The_Three_Wise_Skulls_20mb.lgs is a taller print (107.25mm) that let me get a better feel for the level of detail the Orange 10 was capable of. This sliced model was interesting for two reasons; it prints out completely support-free, and it also prints completely solid. This means that it uses more resin in the printing process and has a heavier, denser feel than the Vampire Lord bust (78 grams as opposed to 27).
I was a little more impressed with the detail shown on this model, and the nine hour and 17 minute print time was a pleasant surprise considering the height of the model. The low XY resolution (.115mm) leads to visible stepping on the shallow curves of the model, most notably the back and sides of the skulls.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Preparing Files for Printing with LongerWare
(Image credit: Longer)
Longer includes two apps with the Orange 10; LongerWare and Chitubox. LongerWare is an app that is designed for the Orange 10, Orange 30, and Orange 120 MSLA resin 3D printers. LongerWare includes profiles for the various resin types including water-washable, standard, and castable at multiple resolutions. LongerWare offers the functionality you would expect from a slicing software, such as the ability to scale, rotate, and move models before preparing them for printing.
(Image credit: Longer)
I was disappointed in the overall experience while using LongerWare, though, as
thesoftware feels a little unfinished. There’s no ability to preview print times or material usage in the software, and once exported as an .lgs file for the Orange 10, the object can’t be opened to examine the settings. This feels like a major oversight, and it made planning my print schedule a little difficult. The only way to see the estimated print time is to save a project as a .lgs file, export it to the microSD card, insert the card into the printer, click print, and then see the time on the printer touchscreen interface.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
To test out LongerWare, I printed out a 32mm mini from Loot Studios sliced using the .05mm Water Washable resin profile. The mini (32mm_Georgios_HelmetVersion) printed in just over four hours, and it wasn’t until the mini was above the vat of resin that I noticed the supports had not attached to the model at various points. After removing the model and cleaning it, I saw that the shield was missing a large section. The supports for the shield printed all the way up to the contact point then stopped abruptly, leaving me to believe that the connection between model and support wasn’t strong enough to hold the model in place.
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(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
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(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Despite the lack of support material on the shield, the spear printed without issue and successfully completed. The quality of the support material on the spear is hit or miss, with some of the individual structures fused with those adjacent to them.The various defects in this model are frustrating, but the bigger takeaway for me was the difficulty in using the LongerWare software. When compared with the alternative offered by Longer (Chitubox), it’s hard to imagine a situation where it would be advantageous to use LongerWare.
Preparing Files for Printing with Chitubox
(Image credit: Chitubox)
Chitubox includes the Orange Longer 10 on its list of supported printers, but you’ll need to import a plugin to export the .lgs extension used by the printer. Longer includes both the Chitubox app as well as the required plugin on the microSD card included with the machine. Chitubox offers all of the functionality of LongerWare as well as additional features such as print time estimates, material usage estimates, and the ability to fix any potential issues with a sliced file by deleting islands (individual pixels that are not connected to the main body and can float around in the vat or stick to the FEP film).
(Image credit: Chitubox)
I used the same profile on Chitubox that I used on LongerWare (Water Washable for 0.05mm), but I noticed that the exposure time was set to six seconds as opposed to eight. This is a minor difference, but it did make me wonder about what other changes may exist in the various profiles between the slicers. The Z speeds all seemed to be the same, and the bottom layers had the same exposure and height settings as well.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Sliced in Chitubox, the 32mm miniature Minotaur model by Loot Studios printed out in 3 hours and 2 minutes and didn’t seem to have the support delamination issue that the model sliced in LongerWare had. The detail was similar to the other models printed, although some of the smaller features looked a little soft. The support material was attached to the model throughout, and the removal was quick and easy.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Print Size Comparison of the Longer Orange 10 vs. Creality LD-002R
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
The Longer Orange 10 is a compact 3D printer with a noticeably smaller footprint than other MSLA resin 3D printers. The $199 Creality LD-002R MSLA resin 3D printer offers similar specifications at a slightly-higher price point, so it makes sense to compare the overall build volume and printer volume to get a feel for how much smaller the Longer Orange 10 really is.
Longer Orange 10
Creality LD-002R
Masking LCD Resolution
854 x 480
2560 x 1140
XY Resolution
.115mm
.075mm
Build Dimensions
3.86 x 2.17 x 5.5 inches
4.69 x 2.56 x 6.3 inches
Build Volume
46.07 cubic inches
75.64 cubic inches
Printer Dimensions
6.7 x 6.7 x 14.2 inches
8.7 x 8.7 x 15.9 inches
Printer Volume
637.44 cubic inches
1203.471 cubic inches
Build / Footprint Ratio (higher is better)
7.20%
6.20%
The significantly reduced length in the X and Z axes on the Orange 10 directly translates to a significantly impacted build volume when compared with the LD-002R. The lower resolution masking LCD on the Orange 10 means that the XY resolution is also lower than the LD-002R. However, the compact form factor of the Orange 10 gives it a slight advantage when comparing the overall build volume to footprint ratio.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Printing the Included Bracket Print on the Longer Orange 10
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
After printing a few miniatures, I wanted to see how the Longer Orange 10 performed when making parts that were intended for real-life use. The Orange 10 includes a file on the microSD called ‘BRACKET.lgs’ which prints out in a speedy hour and a half. The bracket has been filled with hexagonal lightweighting holes that perforate the model vertically and circular lightweighting holes that run through horizontally.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
The printed bracket felt stiff and lightweight, and the inclusion of this model gave me something to think about while it was curing. While the overall resolution of the Orange 10 doesn’t seem up to the task of printing highly-detailed miniatures, larger or blockier models that don’t require sharp detail may be a good fit for this printer.
The bracket had a minor amount of stepping in the XY plane, but that’s less of a consideration when printing functional parts like this. Seeing this model made me think that this printer may have a home with any user who is looking to print functional parts where accuracy is less of a concern.
Bottom Line
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
The Longer Orange 10 is currently available directly from Longer for $139. In addition, the Orange 10 is $179.99 on Amazon, and Amazon Prime members can currently pick it up for a very reasonable $143.99 with free shipping. At that price, it can certainly appear that the Orange 10 is a good value for someone interested in getting involved with 3D printing.
Unfortunately, I have a hard time finding a compelling reason to go with the Longer Orange 10 when other budget MSLA resin 3D printers like the Creality LD-002R exist in the same price range. The relatively low resolution on the XY plane and non-Mono LCD means that the Orange 10 will take longer to print lower resolution parts than other budget MSLA resin machines. The Orange 10 strikes me as an application-specific machine, but you will need to have that application ready and in mind before purchasing this printer.
Generally speaking, a lot of the appeal of the Orange 10 will likely come from the rock-bottom pricing of the machine. For users unconcerned with speed or accuracy who want a hands-on assembly like they would get from the Creality Ender 3 Pro FDM 3D printer, the Orange 10 offers a complete MSLA resin 3D printing experience for less money than a date night for two.
Intel’s latest low-power eight-core Core i9-11900T and Core i7-11700T ‘Rocket Lake’ desktop processors with a 35W TDP for LGA1200 motherboards are already available in Europe and Japan. But there’s no sign of them in the U.S. yet.
Most performance enthusiasts are eager to get Intel’s unlocked K-series processors with a 95W – 125W TDP that can boost their clocks sky-high and support all the latest technologies. But there are also enthusiasts who prefer small form-factor low-power builds, but would still like to have CPUs with eight or ten cores and all the latest technologies. Intel typically addresses these users with its T-series processors featuring a 35W TDP, but sometimes these chips are hard to get.
Intel formally introduced its low-power eight-core Core i9-11900T and Core i7-11700T ‘Rocket Lake’ CPUs with a 35W TDP along with their high-performance i9-11900K and i7-11700K brethren on March 30, 2021. But unlike the ‘unlocked and unleashed’ K-series processors, the new T-series products were not immediately available at launch. Fortunately, the situation is starting to change.
Akiba PC Hotline and Hermitage Akihabara report that the new 35W Core i9-11900T and Core i7-11700T CPUs in bulk and boxed versions are readily available in at least four stores in Tokyo, Japan. The higher-end i9-11900T model is sold for ¥60,478 – ¥62,700 with VAT, whereas the i7-11700T SKU is priced at ¥45,078 – ¥47,300 including tax.
Geizhals.EU, a price search engine in Europe, finds that Intel’s Core i9-11900T is available in dozens of stores in Austria, Germany, and Poland starting at €455 with VAT ($462 without taxes). Meanwhile, there are no offers for the cheaper Core i7-11700T at this point.
But at the moment, the new Rocket Lake-T CPUs are not currently available in the U.S. at Amazon and Newegg. In fact, the stores are not even taking pre-orders on these parts. The situation has already prompted enthusiasts of low-power SFF builds to start a thread at Reddit to monitor their availability.
(Image credit: Intel)
Intel’s latest Core i9-11900T and Core i7-11700T processors indeed look quite attractive. The CPUs feature eight cores with Hyper-Threading, 16MB of cache, a modern Xe-based integrated GPU and support up to 128GB of memory. Intel’s i9-11900T and i7-11700T CPUs feature relatively low base frequencies of 2.00 GHz and 1.50 GHz (respectively), but rather high all-core boost clocks of 3.60 GHz and 3.70 GHz (respectively). When installed into compatible motherboards, they can hit high frequencies and pretty much guarantee great system responsiveness and decent performance in mainstream applications (assuming adequate cooling). So while these are definitely niche chips, it’s not surprising that demand for these CPUs is fairly high.
A group of shareholders has asked Amazon to disclose how much of its plastic packaging winds up in the environment. The retail giant’s plastic pollution could damage the company’s reputation or lead to financial penalties from regulatory action or clean-up costs, according to the shareholder proposal. So they’d like to see a report published by December that shows how much plastic waste the retail giant is responsible for and what it’s doing to reduce plastic packaging.
Amazon has stayed pretty tight-lipped about its plastic problem. It was accused of generating 465 million pounds of plastic packaging waste in 2019 by the nonprofit organization Oceana. More than 22 million pounds of that trash wound up in freshwater and marine ecosystems, according to the Oceana report.
Amazon clapped back to say that the report was overblown. The company told The Verge in a statement at the time that it only used about a quarter of the plastic that Oceana said it does. If that’s the case, then the company used about 116 million pounds of plastic in 2019. But Amazon did not confirm that figure with The Verge or in its opposition statement to the new shareholder resolution. (The company did not respond to another inquiry from The Verge today.)
“What you don’t measure you cannot manage,” Anne Schroeer, a director of strategic initiatives at Oceana, said to The Verge last year. “Obviously, it would be much better if Amazon would publish their plastic footprint.”
If the shareholder proposal passes a vote, that could finally happen. The proposal was led by the shareholder activist group As You Sow. The organizationfiled similar proposals with at least nine other companies this year, including Walmart, Target, and McDonald’s.
Amazon is believed to use more flexible plastic packaging than nearly any other company, according to the activist shareholders. While Amazon’s plastic mailers might have the classic “chasing arrows” symbol associated with recycling, they can’t actually be recycled in most curbside pick-up programs. Very few customers drop off the mailers at a location that can actually process them, according to a survey of 600 Amazon Prime customers conducted by Oceana.
Only about 9 percent of plastic waste has ever been recycled, according to a big 2017 study published in the journal Science Advances. But plenty of it has wound up in ocean garbage patches, in animals’ bellies, and even into our own bodies as microplastic.
You may have heard of the new Apple products announced at the company’s “Spring Loaded” event this week — including the redesigned colorful iMac, the location-tracking AirTags, and the boosted specs on the next iPad Pro. But there was another big event focused on Apple this week: on Capitol Hill.
This week on The Verge’s flagship podcast, The Vergecast, co-hosts Nilay Patel and Dieter Bohn discuss Apple’s Tuesday hardware event with Verge news editor Chaim Gartenberg as well as Wednesday’s congressional hearing dedicated to antitrust in the App Store with Verge politics reporter Makena Kelly.
The show bridges the gap between Apple announcing a Tile competitor and Tile speaking in front of Congress the following day.
Listen here or in your preferred podcast player to hear the full discussion.
Further reading:
What we’re learning from the rare cases of COVID-19 in vaccinated people
Alexa can now tell you where to find a COVID-19 vaccine
Doctors are testing a prescription video game for COVID-19 ‘brain fog’
Wisconsin amends Foxconn’s contract to reflect radically smaller project
Apple’s Spring Loaded event: the 8 biggest announcements
Apple Podcasts launches in-app subscriptions
Can Apple get you to pay for podcasts?
Apple AirTag hands-on
Apple’s AirTags don’t have a built-in keychain loop, and we have some thoughts
Apple announces new Apple TV 4K
Apple unveils an improved remote for its Apple TV
Yes, older Apple TVs can also be calibrated with your iPhone
Apple announces thinner iMac with M1 chip and bright colors
New Touch ID Magic Keyboards work with all M1 Macs, not just the iMac
Apple launches new iPad Pro with M1 processor
How the M1-powered iPad Pro compares to other iPad models
Any video conferencing app can use the iPad Pro’s fancy zoom and pan camera
Big iPad, Mini LED: why Apple’s new iPad Pro display is better and brighter
Put macOS on the iPad, you cowards
Congress is diving into the App Store fight
Lina Kahn on Amazon’s antitrust paradox
Apple’s $64 billion-a-year app store isn’t catching the most egregious scams
Sen. Tammy Duckworth on hate crimes, racism, and environmental justice
Asian Activists are tracking the surge in hate crimes as police reporting falls short
Inside the glass fibers connecting our wireless world
Sennheiser has announced another reason to consider its five-star Ambeo Soundbar: Sony 360 Reality Audio support.
A new firmware update, available today, means Ambeo owners can enjoy 360 Reality Audio tracks via Google Chromecast. Live concert streaming service nugs.net is the first to work, with “additional services and content expected to follow”. Hopefully, this means Deezer, Tidal and Amazon Music HD are just around the corner, given all of these boast a number of tracks available in 360 Reality Audio.
For the uninitiated, Sony’s object-based ‘360 Spatial Sound’ technology aims to put the listener smack bang in the middle of an immersive 360-degree music listening experience. The Ambeo Soundbar already has 3D movie sound covered thanks to its Dolby Atmos, DTS:X and MPEG-H support, so it’s great to see that expand to music.
Sony offers a handful of homegrown 360 Reality Audio-compatible speakers including the recently-launched SRS-RA3000 and SRS-RA5000. The Japanese giant’s homegrown audio format is also supported by a smattering of third-party products including the Amazon Echo Studio smart speaker, McIntosh’s MX123 AV processor, and now, Sennheiser’s high-end soundbar.
Commenting on today’s news, Maximilian Voigt, Product Manager at Sennheiser, said: “Our customers can now stream music and enjoy exceptional spatial audio by simply downloading the latest firmware update without the need to purchase any additional equipment.”
Sony is keen to expand the number of compatible 360 Reality Audio devices, and to help it achieve this, the company recently announced that customers in the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain can enjoy 360 Reality Audio content on Sony’s premium home wireless speakers via Amazon Music HD.
MORE:
Read our Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar review
We’ve also rounded up the best soundbars you can buy
Find out about Sony 360 Reality Audio: What is it? How can you get it?
Sony will start rolling out support for 1080p streaming (aka Full HD) on PlayStation Now from this week, thus levelling up the streaming quality of its cloud gaming service’s current 720p cap.
The Japanese gaming giant shared the news in a tweet on its official PlayStation account, which reads: “The rollout will occur over the next several weeks across Europe, US, Canada, and Japan, where PlayStation Now is available”.
PlayStation Now will begin rolling out support for streaming 1080p capable games this week.The rollout will occur over the next several weeks across Europe, US, Canada, and Japan, where PlayStation Now is available. pic.twitter.com/OEHWHtMTw8April 22, 2021
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As first noted by The Verge, Sony has yet to share a list of games that can actually be streamed in the higher resolution, but says support will soon roll out for “1080p capable games”.
Granting some PlayStation Now games 1080p streaming will bring the cloud gaming service up on a par with several of Sony’s competitors. Amazon’s Luna currently maxes out at 1080p, although Google’s Stadia can hit up to a 4K resolution. Microsoft, meanwhile, is currently trialling 1080p support for xCloud, its Xbox cloud gaming offering launched in September last year.
MORE:
Still looking to buy a PS5? See PS5 stock and where to buy: latest PS5 restock details
Read our review of the Sony PlayStation Pulse 3D Wireless Headset
The Xbox Series S isn’t perfect and won’t be for everyone, but it delivers a near next-gen gaming experience for a reasonable price
For
Attractively priced
Solid AV and gaming performance
Responsive controls
Against
Over-complicated AV set-up
Doesn’t support native 4K gaming
Small hard drive
The Xbox Series S is a tough console to nail down. It’s next-gen, but with one rather large drawback; it isn’t a 4K games console, which will undoubtedly rule out some potential buyers from the off.
But it is about more than just resolution. The Xbox Series S brings features and performance benefits to a price point we’ve never seen a high-tech console hit at launch before. And, after resolution, the price of the Series S is arguably the big talking point.
Price
The Xbox Series S is a remarkably cheap console, costing just £250 ($300, AU$500) – no wonder there was a collective gasp from members of the media when pricing was finally revealed. This compares to £450 ($500, AU$749) for the Xbox Series X.
Using Xbox All Access, where you can pay for the console in instalments, you can get a new Series S on a 12-month contract for £21 ($25, AU$33) per month, compared with £29 ($34, AU$46) per month for the Series X.
Its main rival, the PS5 Digital Edition, comes in at £359 ($399, AU$599). It is also missing a disc drive, but the difference is that it gets all the same 4K gaming performance and specs of the standard PS5 console, whereas the Series S has various performance downgrades on the Series X.
Build
(Image credit: Future)
It’s not just the price tag of the Xbox Series S that catches your attention. Open up the box and you’ll be taken aback by the size of the console. It’s tiny compared with its big brother, the Xbox Series X, but also the PS5 and PS5 Digital Editions too.
Positioned horizontally, the Series S measures 28cm wide and 15cm deep. This is in stark contrast to Sony’s disc-less rival, the PS5 Digital Edition, which is 39cm wide and 26cm deep. This makes the Series S ultra-portable, and you’ll be more than happy to sling it into a rucksack and take it to a friend’s house. The ‘S’ and its relatively small frame will also take up less space on your AV rack.
Xbox Series S tech specs
(Image credit: Future)
Resolution 1440p at 60Hz, 120Hz
Storage 512GB
Outputs HDMI, 3.5mm headphone jack, USB (Type-A) x3
The chassis is essentially an off-white plastic. It doesn’t feel particularly expensive, but that’s hardly a surprise, given the bulk of Xbox’s budget has been spent on what’s inside.
Compared with the striking PS5, the Xbox Series S looks anything but flamboyant. Its only distinctive feature is a circular black grill for the fan, which makes it look more like a wireless speaker than a cutting-edge games console.
In terms of connections, the Xbox Series S doesn’t throw up any real surprises. On the front, there’s a USB (Type-A) socket, a 3.5mm headphone jack and the power button. On the rear, there are power, ethernet, HDMI and a pair of USB (Type-A) inputs.
The only socket we haven’t really encountered before is a slot for expanding the amount of storage on the Xbox Series S. And, depending on the number of enhanced games you intend to buy, there’s a chance you might have to use it sooner than expected.
In fact, storage is one of the biggest drawbacks for the Xbox Series S. On the box, it says it has 512GB of storage, but when you boot up the console and go into the system’s menu, that figure is nowhere to be seen. Before installing a single game, we are down to 364GB. Download a few enhanced games at 60GB+ and you’ll soon be reaching for an expansion card.
Be warned – the official Seagate Storage Expansion Card costs a whopping £220 ($220, AU$359). The good news is that if you already own an external hard drive with backwards compatible games on it for an Xbox One S, you should be able to plug it into the Xbox Series S and use it straight away.
Home screen
(Image credit: Future)
Power up the console and you’re greeted with the traditional Xbox GUI. On the one hand, it’s nice and familiar but we can’t help but think it’s a missed opportunity. Couldn’t Xbox have created a more exciting and inviting interface to wow its customers and usher in its next-gen consoles?
The tile system is still in play and so is the horizontal navigation. You can reach all the relevant areas, such as games and system settings, with minimal button presses. It’s quick to respond to your commands too. This could be down to a combination of more powerful CPU processing, the super-fast solid-state hard drive and even the new low-latency controller.
What’s even more noticeable is the speed at which games load. Compared with the previous generation of Xbox consoles, the Series S is much quicker. Not only does it get you through loading screens with a greater sense of urgency, with Quick Resume, you can now pick up games from where you left off in a matter of seconds. Xbox claims you can have three or four games on the go at any one time.
Controller
(Image credit: Future)
Like the X, the new Xbox Series S gets a new control pad. It’s supposed to be slightly smaller, although the difference is hard to spot. Irrespective of whether it’s shrunk, the controller still feels good in hand. The bumpers are more rounded, while the triggers have been given more sculpted grips and a new texture that also spreads to the rear of the controller.
Your hands and fingertips get better purchase when pressing down hard, and it feels like the texture pattern from the back of an Xbox Elite Wireless Controller (Series 2) has been placed onto the Xbox Series S controller. Which is no bad thing.
The controller also features what Xbox calls Dynamic Latency Input (DLI), which immediately synchronises each controller input with what you see on screen. Of course, your TV’s own lag is also part of the equation here, but at least the console is doing its bit to reduce lag. It feels as though the console is quick to respond to commands, whether navigating the console’s home screen and in-game too.
Another addition to the controller comes in the shape of a new dedicated ‘Share’ button, which means you can capture screenshots and clips and share your gameplay on social media. Those with older legacy controllers from an Xbox One S (or One X) will be pleased to know you can pair them with the Series S.
Features
(Image credit: Future)
According to Liz Hamren, Head of Platform Engineering and Hardware for Xbox, the Series S delivers “four times the processing power of an Xbox One console”. On paper, the figures are 4 TFLOPS of power for the Xbox Series S, compared with 12.15 TFLOPS for the Series X.
The Series S is “similar in CPU” to the Series X, but not identical. The Xbox Series X uses an 8-Core AMD Zen 2 CPU running at 3.8GHz (3.6GHz with SMT enabled) while the Series S uses the same CPU working at 3.6GHz (3.4GHz with SMT enabled).
The ‘X’ is powered by a 52CU (compute unit) RDNA GPU running at 1.825GHz, while its cheaper sibling has a 20CU, 1.565GHz GPU.
The Series S doesn’t have the graphics grunt of its sibling, meaning that resolution is a big difference between the consoles. The Xbox Series S has been geared towards outputting 1440p at 60Hz, up to a maximum refresh rate of 120Hz. It can upscale the picture to 4K to match your 4K TV, but you won’t be able to see next-gen games in native 4K. You can only play games in native 4K resolution (at up to 120Hz) on the Xbox Series X.
But we wouldn’t write off the Xbox Series S just yet. While it does lose out on graphical power and resolution, it still has a range of features that will appeal to anyone looking to make the jump from, say, an Xbox One S.
You can still enjoy refresh rates to up to 120Hz. The console also supports VRR, variable rate shading and ray-tracing just like the Series X. You get the same Quick Resume feature, so you can pick up where you left off at the touch of a button, a faster SSD hard drive and a speedier user experience. All of these mean the Series S is a big step up from the previous generation Xbox One S.
All the streaming apps you need are there too, including Netflix, Spotify, Sky Go, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV and Disney+.
Picture
(Image credit: Future)
When it comes to playing games on the Xbox Series S, it’s difficult to find a lot to grumble about for the money. While it’s not native 4K, what it does dish out is easy on the eye. Play Madden 21 and the intro video bursts into life with a colourful and vibrant display of NFL uniforms and impressive-looking stadia shots.
Detail on jerseys and boots is good. The reflections on player helmets are glossy and add polish to the presentation. The motion of the players, whether they’re walking slowly into formation or blitzing the opposing team, is stable and we don’t notice anything in the way of tearing, judder or artefacts.
Gears 5 looks good too, even though it isn’t being rendered in true 4K. Compared with the Xbox Series X, the more powerful console delivers a picture with more ‘wow’ factor, but the Series S is by no means embarrassed. The on-screen detail is good enough, with decent texture on chiselled faces and war-torn body armour. Motion is stable, and there’s good insight in the shadows.
As a streaming device, the Xbox Series S presents a solid case too. Playing Altered Carbon via Netflix, the Series S produces a watchable picture, with none of the artificial appearance that can sometimes be served up by poorer streaming devices.
There’s a good sense of clarity and motion, with detail and definition both excellent too. As Quellcrist Falconer makes Angelfire rain down on her pursuers, the screen lights up with bolts of blue neon. As each soldier is struck down, the flames turn to embers, small pin pricks burning briefly, but ever so brightly, in Dolby Vision HDR. The detail in the shadows as she hides behind a fallen tree is nicely judged and not overly dark.
We’d say the Xbox Series S is comparable to an Apple TV 4K for picture quality, which is a great video streamer in its own right. That’s quite impressive for a games console.
Sound
(Image credit: Future)
Despite being a next-gen console, we’re still left scratching our heads at the way some audio settings have been implemented.
Instead of being able to pass unadulterated audio from your streaming service of choice through to your AV amp, the Xbox needs to decode and re-encode it. You need to navigate the console’s audio settings and pick one format which the console will then apply to everything. You can select from DTS Digital Surround, Dolby Digital, Dolby Atmos for Home Theatre or DTS:X for home theatre. It’s not a particularly next-gen way of going about things.
Click on DTS:X and you’re told you need to download the DTS Sound Unbound app. This unlocks DTS:X for home theatre, but you still need to pay a further £17 to unlock DTS Headphones:X. Similarly, you need the Dolby Access app to get free Atmos support for your home theatre, but if you want Dolby Atmos for Headphones, that will cost you extra too. Seriously?
However, the Dolby Access app is handy for setting up a Dolby Atmos soundbar, AV receiver or TV. You can customise your audio settings and even switch on a built-in audio upmixer if you want some of the Atmos experience, but don’t happen to own a Dolby Atmos speaker package.
Oddly, during set-up we are greeted by a pop-up from the console asking if we want to pass Blu-ray audio directly to our AV receiver – someone clearly forgot that the Xbox Series S is a disc-less console.
Once set up, you get is a perfectly acceptable sonic performance. The console sounds punchy and lively with a decent sense of clarity, and an even tonal balance. It’s not as subtle or refined as a dedicated budget 4K Blu-ray player, such as the Sony UBP-X700, nor does it have the same sense of timing and natural flair with music. But it sounds lively enough when firing out the 80s soundtrack to Cobra Kai and the dialogue sounds clear and relatively weighty.
Switch to the opening chapter of Gears 5, and as Kait, Marcus et al arrive at the opening to the cave, the detail and definition in the whirring rotor blades is impressive. Combine this with the strings of the soundtrack, and the sound of the birds circling around the huge opening and the console creates a fine sense of immersion and atmosphere as you head underground.
Verdict
Xbox has been pretty smart with the Xbox Series S – the price tag alone will be enough for some to give it serious consideration. However, if true 4K resolution gaming or playing 4K Blu-rays matters to you, it won’t even be on your radar.
If you aren’t fussed about those and just want to play Xbox exclusives with some of the other game enhancements, such as VRR and the high frame rates, then the Series S isn’t a bad shout.
It could also be an affordable console for a second room or to keep the kids happy. After all, you still get a huge chunk of future-proofing and day-to-day performance upgrades that make it a decent jump up from the Xbox One S.
The Xbox Series S isn’t perfect. The user interface feels a little dated for a next-gen console and there are still too many quirks when you want to use it as part of a proper home theatre system. While it won’t necessarily appeal to everyone, if you’re happy with what the Series S can offer, you won’t be disappointed.
Robot cars are back in the spotlight on Capitol Hill after previous efforts failed to pass comprehensive legislation allowing more autonomous vehicles on the road.
US Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI) and John Thune (R-SD) plan to introduce an amendment to a funding bill that would grant federal regulators the power to exempt tens of thousands of vehicles from requirements to have traditional controls for human drivers, according to Reuters.
The amendment would give the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) the power to exempt 15,000 vehicles per manufacturer from certain safety standards, with that number increasing to 80,000 in three years. The effect would be to grant more leeway to automakers like Ford and General Motors, as well as tech firms like Google and Amazon, to manufacture and deploy vehicles that lack traditional controls like steering wheels, pedals, and sideview mirrors.
Today, the NHTSA is only legally allowed to grant 2,500 exemptions per manufacturer. The agency handed out its first autonomous vehicle exemption to a California-based company called Nuro in early 2020.
The autonomous vehicle industry praised the introduction of the amendment. A group called the Self-Driving Coalition for Safer Streets, which includes Uber, Lyft, Volvo, Ford, and Waymo as members, said it “welcomes Senators Peters and Thune’s amendment to support autonomous vehicle testing and deployment in the U.S.” The amendment will “pave the way for AV technology to save lives, unlock new economic and mobility opportunities, and promote American leadership and innovation in this globally competitive arena,” Ariel Wolf, general counsel of the coalition, said in a statement.
But some safety groups say the amendment falls short similarly to previous legislation, like the AV START bill, which died after failing to muster enough support in the Senate. Along with trial lawyers and some local officials, they argue that the technology is not ready for prime time and want Congress to empower the NHTSA to require more data from autonomous vehicle operators, such as crash reporting and disengagements of the self-driving software. The trial lawyers, who have an enormously powerful lobbying group, have been blamed for sinking the previous effort to pass legislation.
“The amendment fails to provide consumer protection and instead essentially creates a fast-track process for manufacturers to attest that their driverless vehicle is no more safe than the least safe vehicle on the road today, before being permitted to sell tens of thousands of them and turning them lose in our neighborhoods,” Jason Levine, executive director of the Center for Auto Safety, said in an email. “Throwing open the door to more unregulated testing and underregulated sales without a strong oversight mandate is no way to bolster diminished public trust in driverless technology.”
Cathy Chase, executive director of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, said the amendment was “alarming,” and she opposed the effort to pass the legislation as an amendment rather than a standalone bill.
The Peters-Thune amendment would be attached to the Endless Frontier Act, a $100 million spending bill that aims to increase investments in science and technology in order to compete with China and other countries. Peters and Thune are hoping to win the approval from the Senate Commerce Committee on Wednesday when they take up the bill. The Biden administration has signaled its support for the Endless Frontier Act, but not specifically the autonomous vehicle legislation.
The news of the new amendment comes during a week in which two other members of the Senate, Ed Markey (D-MI) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), have requested a robust investigation into a fatal crash involving a Tesla Model S in which no one was behind the steering wheel.
Update April 22nd, 1:12PM ET: Updated the first paragraph to reflect that Garmin wouldn’t disclose how long its introductory price of $319.99 will last.
Garmin has upgraded its premium Venu smartwatch for 2021 (via DC Rainmakerand Ars Technica). It now comes in two sizes instead of a single 43mm-sized model. The 45mm Venu 2 houses a 1.3-inch 416 x 416 OLED screen. For smaller wrists (or those who just prefer a less wrist-dominating device), the 40mm Venu 2S has a 1.1-inch 360 x 360 OLED screen. Both watches have an optional always-on mode, and they are available now for an introductory cost of $319.99, which is $80 cheaper than the original Venu when it launched in late 2019. Garmin hasn’t shared how long this price will be in effect (the product pages mention a $399.99 asking price), and the company declined to disclose how long this lower price will last.
Other than the differences in case sizes, there isn’t much else distinguishing the Venu 2 lineup visually from the predecessor. They’re slick-looking touchscreen wearables with Gorilla Glass 3-covered touchscreens that feature two buttons. One of the biggest gen-to-gen improvements is its battery performance. The original Venu could last five days in smartwatch mode, but Garmin’s bigger 45mm Venu 2 watch doubles it (and then some) to a claim of 11 days of operation if you’re just using it for getting phone notifications with light usage otherwise. If you’re using its built-in GPS and streaming music from the watch to your headphones via Bluetooth, Garmin predicts up to eight hours of battery life, up from six in the previous model.
A close-up of the larger Venu 2.Garmin
Surprisingly, the smaller 40mm Venu 2S also has better battery life than the original, with 10 days of use expected in smartwatch mode or up to seven hours in GPS mode with music. Garmin has a whole page that backs up how it makes predictions on battery life, telling you what to expect depending on the kind of activities you’re doing. Garmin is also touting faster recharging for both models, with 10 minutes of charging giving you up to one day of use in smartwatch mode or an hour of GPS usage with music. Both models can store up to 650 songs from Spotify, Amazon Music, or Deezer, up from 500 in the Venu and the 2020 Venu Sq.
The Venu 2 watches are packed with sensors, featuring a heart rate sensor, GPS (GLONASS and Galileo), a wrist-based pulse ox sensor to measure blood oxygen, a barometric altimeter for altitude, compass, gyroscope, accelerometer, thermometer, and an ambient light sensor. Each watch also features NFC for the Garmin Pay contactless payment feature. These watches work with iOS and Android, but only on Android can you respond to text messages.
In terms of new software features coming to the watches, Garmin’s Sleep Score will give you an aggregate score based on tracking your sleep stages, heart rate, stress, respiration, and your blood oxygen levels. The Venu 2 series can estimate your “Fitness Age” based on your level of activity and can guide you through high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and advanced strength training.
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