Month: October 2016

Self-driving semi truck makes its first trip and delivery — what is it?

Dan Uff October 25, 2016 1

[caption id="attachment_12239" align="alignright" width="344"] Via: USA Today / Otto[/caption]

(USA Today) - SAN FRANCISCO — If you're sipping a Budweisersomewhere in Colorado Springs, Colo., you just might have a robot to thank for that thirst-quenching brew.

Last week, self-driving truck start-up Otto teamed with Anheuser-Busch to successfully deliver a semi-tractor full of beer from Fort Collins, through Denver and on to the southern Colorado city in the shadow of Pikes Peak.

For the majority of that 120-mile trip, the truck's driver left his seat and observed the road from the comfort of the sleeper berth. An Otto video of the drive shows the slightly disconcerting image of a massive 53-foot trailer filled with 2,000 cases of Bud rumbling down I-25 with no human in the cab.

Otto's tech is at present confined to highways, and humans take over in city traffic. Otto and Anheuser-Busch, which announced the news Tuesday, plan additional real-world autonomous truck drives in the months ahead.

"The initial appeal for us was to see how we could meet the needs of a company like Anheuser-Busch," Otto co-founder Lior Ron tells USA TODAY. "But now after this successful test, we're eager to see how it will handle other roads and other weather."

At present, states offer self-driving tech companies a patchwork of laws that, in time, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is hoping to corral into a cohesive autonomous car policy.

In Colorado, the Department of Transportation worked with Otto for a number of months evaluating the company's technology and joining on test runs before agreeing to let an Otto semi roll along without a driver in the cab.

"Safety remained our primary concern, but we believe that in this case the driver is the automated system itself," says Amy Ford, spokeswoman for the Colorado DOT, whose RoadX mission is to partner with innovative companies to help insure that the state leads the way in the coming transportation revolution. "We'd like to help get this tech deployed in the real world."

The Otto landmark stands in stark contrast to the ongoing self-driving car tests by Google, Uber and Ford in California, Arizona and other states that require a safety driver to remain at the wheel in case of emergencies.

Otto, which was founded early this year by Google Car veterans Ron and Anthony Levandowski, was bought by Uber last August for $670 million. Uber is boosting its self-driving tech initiative with Levandowski now in charge of leading the ride-hailing giant's charge.

The concept behind Otto is to produce an aftermarket kit comprised of radar and camera sensors that, when harnessed to proprietary software, will allow the nation's 350,000 owner-operator truckers to keep their trucks on the road longer without cutting into their carefully monitored driving time.

Otto's — and Uber's — interest in cornering the trucking market doesn't need much explanation. In 2015, trucking brought in $726 billion in revenue and accounted for 81% of all freight transport, according to the American Trucking Associations.

Trucking industry advocates remain concerned about both the technology's ability to decipher every road emergency and the danger of having a driver resting or even sleeping while a truck is at highway speeds.

For Anheuser-Busch Inbev, a global spirits juggernaut valued at $213 billion, the appeal of the partnership was to "see if we could help pioneer technology that will make the jobs of those shipping product easier and safer," says James Sembrot, senior director of logistics and safety for Anheuser-Busch.

Sembrot says the company's beer travels an estimated 450 million miles a year to its various destinations. Anheuser-Busch doesn't own any trucks, but rather contracts with 300 trucking companies nationwide.

"We liked the prospect of those folks traveling safer in trucks that help improve environmental impact (through increased gas mileage)," he says. "There's no question in our mind that transportation companies will want to make these improvements."

Security

Latest DDoS Attack shows that Apple’s HomeKit is safer for a Smarthome

Dan Uff October 25, 2016 0

“Today we are building the Internet of Things, and the recent massive DDoS attack in which DVRs and connected cameras made by Hangzhou Xiongmai Technology were subverted to create a giant attack on the Internet is not an exception, but a warning of what to expect,” Jonny Evans writes for Computerworld.

“Two years ago I warned you this could happen. I cited an HP Fortify survey that warned around 70 percent of connected devices were vulnerable to attack,” Evans writes. “The Hangzhou Xiongmai Technology botnet tells us these attacks have now begun. This is serious stuff.”

“Poorly protected connected devices are all some hackers need to climb inside your network, bank account, home, personal and professional life, even the Internet itself. You have been warned,” Evans writes. “Apple has spent time thinking this through. This is why it insists devices sold as being compatible with HomeKit implement tough security and privacy protections. These include end-to-end encryption, secure chips, and a range of other security measures. Apple wants you to know that when you do use HomeKit kit you are less likely to be attacked, or to see information about you subverted in unexpected ways.”

Read more in the full article here.

Xiaomi shows off world’s first Edge to Edge Smartphone

Dan Uff October 25, 2016 0

A company called Xiaomi has announced the world's first smartphone with a edge-to-edge display.

Designed by French designer Philippe Starck, the Mi Mix is a 6.4-inch device that features a 2040x1080 pixel, 17:9 aspect ratio borderless display that takes up 91.3 percent of the front of the handset. The only significant bezel sits at the bottom of the screen, but it doesn't have a physical button, with all the controls existing onscreen.

The all-ceramic phone uses a piezoelectric ceramic driver for the earpiece which uses the metal frame to generate sound, while the proximity sensor has been replaced by ultrasound. Both innovations are hidden under the display. The design also uses a mortise and tenon joint for attaching the display to the body, rather than glue or other adhesives.

Powering the phone is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor, with 4GB RAM for the 128GB capacity model and 6GB RAM for the 256GB model, which also features gold trim, with 18K gold accents on the camera lens and fingerprint sensor on the back.

The rear camera boasts a 16-megapixel resolution and 4K video, while the front camera is 5 megapixels. The phone is also said to have dual SIM connectivity and a 4,400mAh battery with Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 support.

Depicting the Mi Mix in promotional videos reminiscent of the Monolith from 2001: A Space Odyssey, Xiaomi called the device a "concept phone", and yet offered both a price and a release date. The 4GB/128GB model costs RMB 3,499 ($515) and the 6GB/256GB model is RMB 3,999 ($590), with both handsets set to launch on November 4th in China.

The phone may give us some idea of what Apple's next phone could look like. Apple has a major iPhone redesign planned for 2017, with a glass body and edge-to-edge OLED displaythat includes an integrated Touch ID fingerprint sensor and front-facing camera. The handset is expected to lack bezels, meaning there will be no Home button. Jony Ive is said to have wanted to introduce an iPhone that looks like a single sheet of glass for several years, and 2017 may be the year that becomes possible.

Time-Warner trading low as investors see regulatory problems in their future

Dan Uff October 24, 2016 0

(CNBC.COM): AT&T CEO: No competitors taken out of marketplace.

Time Warner was trading at about an 18 percent discount to AT&T's offer price, an unusually wide spread for a just-announced merger as investors have big doubts over whether regulators will approve the $85.4 billion combination of the wireless and content companies.

Under the terms of the deal, Time Warner shareholders will receive $53.75 per share in cash and $53.75 per share in AT&T stock for a total deal price of $107.50. Time Warner's stock was set to open actually lower from Friday's close at between $88 and $89 a share, according to premarket trading.

The stock jumped at the end of last week when reports of talks with AT&T emerged. On Wednesday before those reports, Time Warner shares closed at $79.24 a share.

AT&T shares traded about 2 percent lower to below $37 in premarket trading, not as big of a decline that typically would be expected for an acquirer shelling out half-stock for a deal of this size. AT&T also said it would use new debt to finance some of the cash portion.

The stock portion of the deal is subject to a collar if AT&T trades above or below certain prices, which could further complicate things for traders trying to play this deal. For example, if AT&T's average price is below $37.4111 at the deal's closing, Time Warner shareholders will receive 1.437 AT&T shares instead of the set amount.

"We believe the deal will receive intense regulatory scrutiny by the FCC," wrote Jefferies analyst John Janedis in a note to clients after the deal was announced.

"Many pundits believe that the Comcast-NBCUniversal deal that was approved in March 2013 would not have been approved if it were to occur today, given a regulatory environment that appears more hostile. Looking ahead the likely new president may be less 'business friendly' going forward."

Republican candidate Donald Trump said over the weekend that he would block the deal. The Democratic candidate and leader in most polls, Hillary Clinton, has not yet commented on the deal personally, but her running mate Sen. Tim Kaine indicated some concerns about it on Sunday.

AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson tried to make clear Monday on CNBC that this deal has a better chance of gaining regulatory approval than currently believed because it is a "pure vertical integration" of content and distribution. He and Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes argued that consumers will have more choices after the deal.

AT&T has to pay $500 million if the deal gets blocked, according to The Wall Street Journal. Time Warner will pay a $1.7 billion breakup fee if a higher bidder comes in, according to the newspaper. The companies said in a press release they expect the deal to close before year-end 2017.

In 2014, Twenty-First Century Fox offered to buy Time Warner for $86 a share, but Bewkes ultimately rejected that deal.

Via: CNBC.COM