“It’s embarrassing and I feel so bad,” Fallon said, according to employees. “Sorry if I embarrassed you and your family and friends… I feel so bad I can’t even tell you.”
In this round of the Walt Disney Company versus Ron DeSantis, the Mouse House has taken sharper aim at the Florida governor, streamlining its case to focus on allegations revolving around the First Amendment.
Here’s some news that might shock you: drivers really don’t like paying extra for car features they expect as standard. BMW is one of several automakers that have been nickel and diming customers, including with a monthly subscription for heated seats in certain models and territories. The company has dropped that controversial practice to focus on paid software services — it no longer plans to charge drivers extra to use hardware features that are already in their cars.
Pieter Nota, BMW’s board member for sales and marketing, told Autocar that the brand will train its attention on paid software features such as driving assistance and parking assistance. Nota suggested that’s a more accepted practice, akin to downloading a movie or accessing a paid feature in an app.
However, drivers didn’t take to the $18 per month heated seats subscription in the countries where BMW offered that, er, perk. “We thought that we would provide an extra service to the customer by offering the chance to activate that later, but the user acceptance isn’t that high,” Nota said. “People feel that they paid double — which was actually not true, but perception is reality, I always say. So that was the reason we stopped that.”
It sounds like a classic case of supply and demand. Drivers didn’t want to pay for heated seats (or the likes of heated steering wheels), so BMW stopped doing that. Owners may be heartened to learn that the brand won’t make them pay extra for hardware functions going forward either, which is a step in the right direction. Best of all, BMW has clarified its position on heated seats just before the chillier fall weather starts in the northern hemisphere — the subscription didn’t even make it to a second winter before BMW canned it.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/bmws-terrible-heated-seats-subscription-didnt-even-make-it-to-a-second-winter-184536200.html?src=rss
GE Aerospace has demonstrated a worm-like robot that could one day inspect and repair jet engines. The Sensiworm (Soft ElectroNics Skin-Innervated Robotic Worm) is designed to serve as “extra sets of eyes and ears” for service operators as they examine the insides of aircraft. GE says the soft robot can minimize downtime and perform less invasive inspections and, in the future, make repairs itself.
The company compares the Sensiworm’s role in aerospace engineering and repairs to how soft robotics have allowed for minimally intrusive patient surgeries. “These technologies are enabling less invasive inspection and repair of jet engines on the wing to reduce downtime,” the company wrote. GE says the worm-like machine could give operators “virtually unfettered access” to inspect engines without disassembling them.
Resembling an inchworm, the Sensiworm (remote-controlled by operators) can crawl across various engine parts, including rotating wind turbine blades. It can sense and avoid obstacles automatically, reach places where gravity may stop other tools (thanks to its suction-cup feet) and measure the thickness of thermal barrier coatings. GE says it can even sniff out gas leaks. “With their soft, compliant design, they could inspect every inch of a jet engine, transmitting live video and real-time data about the condition of parts that operators typically check,” the company wrote.
GE Aerospace developed the robo-worm through SEMI Flex Tech, a US Army-funded public / private coalition focused on advancing flexible electronics. GE hasn’t mentioned how far along the worm is in its development or when we can expect deployment in the field. Engadget asked a company spokesperson to clarify, and we will update the article if they respond.
The video below shows the Sensiworm in action (complete with its own theme music).
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ge-aerospace-is-developing-a-robotic-worm-to-inspect-and-repair-jet-engines-191512246.html?src=rss
The network said no such event was planned, with a source telling Semafor that the GOP candidate seemingly hopes to “will it into existence.”
The One Piece live-action adaptation of Eiichiro Oda’s globally renowned manga and anime franchise is being hailed as one of the best to hit screens. But fans eager for more will have to wait—season two is being held up by the hubris of Netflix and the AMPTP at large delaying negotiations with the striking WGA and SAG-AFTRA
As the consumer tech world shifts its gaze towards Apple’s expected iPhone 15 launch next week, Google appears determined to make sure you don’t forget it has new Pixels in the pipeline. The company posted a sneak peek of the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro on YouTube, revealing that the phones will be available for pre-order the same day they’re announced: October 4.
Google’s video is little more than a design tease, as it doesn’t showcase or detail any specific features or specs for the handsets that will soon replace the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro. Google also posted a new Google Store landing page today that shows the Pixel 8 / 8 Pro and Pixel Watch 2. 9to5Googlenoticed that the image’s alt text describes the displayed models’ colors as Rose and Porcelain.
The upcoming Pixels have popped up several times lately in what many suspect are intentional leaks to try to cut into Apple’s limelight. Earlier this week, the company posted (and removed) a 360-degree Pixel 8 Pro simulator that allowed visitors to spin the virtual device around and view it from every angle. That “leak” confirmed previously rumored features like a temperature sensor, physical SIM slot and three of its available colors (blue, porcelain and black). The company also published a photo of a person holding a porcelain-colored Pixel 8 Pro on the same day Apple sent out iPhone event invites.
Other leaks have pointed to the higher-end Pixel having a 50-megapixel main camera (that lets in 50 percent more light) and a 64-megapixel ultrawide camera made by Sony. In addition, a 5,000 mAh battery and 27W max charging speed are expected.
Google plans to reveal the devices in an event on October 4 in New York City. “You’re invited to an in-person Made by Google event where we’ll introduce the latest additions to our Pixel portfolio of devices,” reads Engadget’s invitation.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-reveals-the-pixel-8-design-ahead-of-apples-iphone-event-201331081.html?src=rss
The Steam store will soon tell you if a game supports Sony’s DualSense or DualShock controllers. Valve posted an update for developers this week, announcing that the feature would go live in Steam’s store and desktop app starting in October. Valve hints that more controller-friendly features could be on their way to Steam. “This is the first step toward helping players find games that support the most commonly-used PC video game controllers,” the company wrote.
Developers should now see a new questionnaire in Steamworks, Valve’s game creation tools for its ubiquitous digital storefront. The survey lets devs specify whether their game offers full or partial support for Xbox, DualShock and DualSense controllers. Valve says the filters will also display each PlayStation controller’s usage level, helping gamers learn which gamepads people use the most.
Valve chalks up the decision to rising numbers of players using PlayStation controllers. It says Sony controller usage has grown from 11 percent of sessions in 2018 to 27 percent today. The company adds that, since 2017, over 87 million Steam users have played at least once using a controller. Among that group, 69 percent have used “some version of Xbox controllers,” while the remainder used “a mix of PlayStation controllers, Switch Pro Controllers, and hundreds of other devices.”
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/steam-will-soon-show-which-games-support-playstation-controllers-213038795.html?src=rss
Retired Colorado doctor Scott Burke faces 10 charges after Nantucket police said they found cocaine, ketamine and firearms onboard.
Google is trying to step on Apple’s toes to keep it from hogging all the limelight with its upcoming iPhone 15 set to unveil next Tuesday, Sept. 12. While Google has its own big “Made by Google” event set for Oct. 4 where it’s expected to reveal its latest smartphone and wearables, the company has simply said “screw…
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