Last year, Google introduced the ability to customize how sensitive your Smart Displays and speakers are to the hotword. Assistant is now using federated learning on Android to prevent “Hey Google” misactivations and misses.
For a handful of users, opening Google Assistant settings today reveals a new “Help improve Assistant” option to “save audio so speech technologies can learn over…
Elon Musk deletes tweet alluding to Tesla becoming world’s biggest company ‘in just a few months’
March 27, 2021
Elon Musk has deleted a tweet in which he alluded to Tesla potentially becoming the world’s biggest company “in just a few months.”
The SEC might be watching…
Musk’s use of Twitter has been the subject of scrutiny from financial authorities for a while now.
Most…
US says it will cut the cost of solar by 60% in a decade
March 27, 2021
The US Department of Energy (DOE) announced yesterday that it intends to “cut the cost of solar energy by 60% within the next 10 years, in addition to nearly $128 million in funding to lower costs, improve performance, and speed the deployment of solar energy…
The OnePlus 9 series is starting to ship to early buyers today, but it launched without the promise of support for Verizon’s 5G network. Now, just a few days after that reveal, Verizon is stepping up with 5G support on both devices.
George Koroneos, PR manager for Verizon, confirmed on Twitter that both the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro have been certified for use on Verizon Wireless. That means that…
Chinese EV manufacturer NIO announced it will halt production at its JAC-NIO facility for five working days. The facility in Hefei, the capital of the Anhui Province, will suspend vehicle production beginning Monday, March 29. NIO has now become the next victim of a…
The electric bicycle market in the US is being squeezed from multiple directions at once, forcing prices higher. That could threaten the increased rate of e-bike adoption at a time when e-bike sales have been soaring.
The latest major e-bike manufacturer to announce a…
OnePlus has spent the better part of a decade building its reputation on two thing: the best specs and the lowest prices. Over time, the latter has been eroded away a bit, and OnePlus also introduced its “Pro” lineup that, well, creates a device that directly goes against the “Never Settle” motto. In 2021, though, the regular OnePlus 9 still stands in the Pro’s shadow, but it’s a…
Google Fi app for iPhone adding ‘Privacy Screen’ to protect voicemails with Face/Touch ID
March 27, 2021
On iOS, Fi subscribers can check their voicemail through the companion app. An update to Google Fi earlier this week introduces a new “Privacy Screen” feature to lock those messages and other sensitive information with Face or Touch ID.
This Privacy Screen is identical…
This week on the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy, including Tesla’s v11 software update, Tesla accepting Bitcoin, another Model 3 price increase, and more.
The show is back live every Friday at 4 p.m.
Canon patent application reveals optical designs for three F2.8 ultra-wide RF mount lenses
March 27, 2021
A new patent application from Canon has revealed the company is working to develop a trio of ultra-wide lenses for its RF mount mirrorless cameras.
First seen by Canon News, the patent application details the optical designs for a 12mm F2.8 lens, a 14mm F2.8 lens and a 20mm F2.8 lens. Typically, these patent applications show off multiple optical designs that don’t always make it to market, but…
