Category: Technology

In 2020, France was the only EU nation not to meet its obligations for the development of renewable energy, as it still relies primarily on nuclear power. Now, the French Senate has approved a bill that should increase that markedly, requiring parking lots with a minimum of 80 spaces to be covered by solar panels, according to Public Senat. 

Parking lots with between 80-400 spaces will have five years starting in July 2023 to be in compliance. Any larger lots will have less time, only three years from the same date. In all cases, at least half the area of the parking lot must be covered with solar panels. The government says the plan, aimed primarily at parking lots off freeways and major routes, could generate up to 11 gigawatts — the equivalent of 10 nuclear reactors.

There are some notable exceptions. When outdoor parking lots have”technical, safety, architectural, heritage and environmental constraints,” they may be exempt. Lots shaded by trees over at least half their area may also escape the requirement, as will parking lots for trucks. Finally, when the installation of panels “cannot be met under economically acceptable conditions” (something that could cover a wide range of scenarios), they can also be excluded.

On top of the solar parking lots, the government is looking at building large solar farms on vacant land next to highways, railroad tracks and agricultural areas. National railway operator SNCF also plans to install over a million square meters of solar panels by 2030, in an effort to reduce energy purchases by a quarter.

It’s not clear how parking lot operators will pay for these installations, or how much financial aid the government will provide. Still, it looks like a good use of parking lots, as it will provide shade for cars and change what is usually an eyesore into a… more environmentally friendly eyesore.

Parking lots covered with solar panels are not yet that common, with one of the largest examples being the Belgium Zoo parking lot pictured above. Its 7,000 parking spaces are 70 percent covered by 62,000 overhead solar panels that generate 20 megawatts of peak power — much more than is required for the zoo. 

Early this year, President Emmanuel Macron set an objective to increase of solar energy production tenfold to over 100GW and builds 50 offshore wind farms to add a further 40GW. France currently generates 25 percent of its electricity with renewables, less than its European neighbors. It has also seen delays on repairs to nuclear power plants, causing state electricity company EDF to reduce predicted output — exacerbating energy supply issues caused by the war in Ukraine. 

 

After finally allowing posting last year, Instagram continues to make changes to its desktop web app. The latest update introduces a refresh user interface that takes better advantage of large screens rather than looking like a larger version of the mobile app, TechCrunch has reported. 

Instagram Chief Adam Mosseri announced the update along with the new in-app scheduler revealed yesterday. “We know a lot of people use the web to multitask and we wanted to make sure Instagram was an as great experience as possible online,” he said in a video. “So it is cleaner, faster and easier to use and it’s designed now to take advantage of large-screen monitors.”

As shown above, the home, search, explore, messages and notification menus were moved to a new side rail that collapses to icons depending on screen size. Stories are shown at the top, while your profile, suggestions and more are off to the right. When selecting any menu option, the left menu bar remains, making navigation quicker and easier. 

The new interface makes Instagram easier to use on web, but there’s still no sign of a dedicated iPad app, as 9to5Mac notes. Earlier this year, Mosseri said that iPad was “not big enough” to make a dedicated Instagram app a priority. Now, at least, you could use the web version instead to get a better experience.

 

Disney+ has welcomed 12.1 million new subscribers for the company’s fourth fiscal quarter ending on October 1st, and according to Yahoo Finance, that’s 3 million more than analyst estimates. In all, Walt Disney added 14.6 million subscriptions for Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+, bringing its total number of streaming subscribers so far to around 236 million. While Disney+ alone with its 164 million subscribers have yet to reach Netflix numbers, all three of the company’s services combined had amassed members that can rival the streaming giant’s. Netflix revealed that it has around 223.09 million subscribers during its latest earnings report in October. 

Despite the impressive growth in subscriber number, Disney’s operating loss for streaming increased from $0.8 billion to $1.5 billion for the quarter. Disney+ experienced more losses within the period due to higher production and technology costs, as well as an increase in marketing expenses. There were also no Premier Access releases for the quarter, such as last year’s Black Widow and Jungle Cruise. That said, the losses were offset in part by higher subscription costs, which will become even higher in December. 

Walt Disney CEO Bob Chapek said that the company expects its streaming losses to narrow going forward, thanks to its price increases and the launch of an ad-supported tier on Disney+. The company even believes that Disney+ is on track to achieving profitability in the fiscal year of 2024, assuming the lack of a “meaningful shift in the economic climate.” If you’ll recall, Disney is raising its streaming prices across the board this December, and the ad-supported tier for Disney+ is launching on December 8th for $11 a month. 

 

It turns out Twitter’s new plan for verification will be a two-tiered system after all. Esther Crawford, the twitter VP leading the revamped Twitter Blue subscription confirmed that in addition to the blue checkmarks, the company will also use a separate “official” label for “select” accounts.

The label had previously been spotted on internal builds of Twitter, but it’s the first time anyone at the company has confirmed its existence. Twitter, which recently laid most of its communications staff, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

According to Crawford, the “official” label will be reserved for “government accounts, commercial companies, business partners, major media outlets, publishers and some public figures.” It’s unclear how Twitter will designate which accounts qualify or if they will have to go through an additional vetting process. “Not all previously verified accounts will get the ‘Official’ label and the label is not available for purchase,” Crawford tweeted.

The plan seems like it’s meant to address some of the criticism that’s been leveled at Musk’s plan for Twitter Blue and verification. Namely that paying for verification could open the door for scammers and impersonators to hijack conversations and spread misinformation. Crawford isn’t the first Twitter executive to address the issues. Yoel Roth, the company’s head of integrity, has also said twitter plans to “ramp up proactive review of Blue Verified accounts that show signs of impersonating another user.” Elon Musk also said that Twitter would ban all impersonators without warning after a number of accounts changed their names to Elon Musk to make a point about his plans.

Of course, the new “official” labels also sound a bit like… Twitter’s existing verification system which Musk and others have criticized as unfair. And, the fact that it will only be given out to “select” accounts determined by Twitter, sounds like the company will once again be making a judgment about which accounts are “notable,” something Twitter execs — including Roth — have criticized.

The “official” label and the expanded verification are both expected to roll out in the coming days.

 

Audi has introduced seven, well, now eight, electric SUVs under the e-tron banner since they began production in 2018 — with another dozen already in the works for release by 2026. After months of teasing, the company finally, officially introduced the latest iteration of its luxury EV line with Wednesday’s reveal of the upcoming Q8 e-tron crossover SUV.

Available for order starting next spring, the Q8 e-tron and its Sportback version will both offer three AWD powertrain options: a Q8 50, a Q8 55, and the top of the line SQ8. The base model Q8 50 e-tron delivers 250 kW (335 HP) with 490 lb-ft of torque alongside a 0-60 of 6 seconds flat, a max range 306 miles for the SUV body style and 313 miles for the Sportback.

The step up Q8 55 e-tron, again both the SUV and Sportback, outputs 300kW peak (402 HP) with 490 lb-ft of torque. The SUV ranges out to 361 miles while the Sportback can hit 600 km (372 miles), thanks to their larger battery pack. The top-of-the-line SQ8 e-tron boasts three motors to the others’ pairs so it can generate 370 kW (496 HP) and 717 ft-lb of torque with 307 miles (SUV) and 319 miles (Sportback) of range. The S model is software limited to a top speed of 130 MPH and a 0-60 of 5.6 seconds.

The Q8 50s will come equipped with a net-89 kWh battery pack that can charge at up to 150 kW. The Q8 55s, however, are outfitted with a bigger net-106 kWh pack that can achieve 170kW charging rates (higher rates equals faster charging times which means less sitting around a roadside power station). The 55s will be able to refill from 10 to 80 percent (~260 miles of range) in just over a half hour using an L3 DC fast charger, though the rate drops to just 11 – 22kW, depending on the wall box options, for home charging. You’re going to have to leave a Q8 50 on an 11kW socket for about nine and a quarter hours to fully replenish it, and a whopping 11 and a half hours for the bigger Q8 55. Those numbers drop to just under five hours for the 50 and six hours for the 55 at 22 kW.

The new e-tron line boasts more efficient motors than its predecessors, offering 14-coil power plants that can generate a stronger magnetic field for roughly the same amount of electrical input as the older 12-coil motors required. A stronger field can generate more torque when necessary but also step that power back when it isn’t needed to help extend the vehicle’s range. What’s more, the vehicle’s exteriors have been designed to minimize air resistance, with the Q8 Sportback offering a drag coefficient of just 0.24 — that’s the same as the Polestar 2 — and the Q8 e-tron offering 0.27, slightly better than the VW ID.4.

“Looking at the current Audi e-tron, it’s clear that we’re starting with a very solid base of technical features as we move forward into the Q8 e-tron family,” Audi spokesperson Benedikt Still said during a press preview last week. “We’ll be carrying over retaining this strong character in the new model, groundbreaking features such as the digital matrix headlights or the virtual side mirrors are still at the technical forefront today.”

As is the way in the luxury vehicle segment, the Q8 is packed with high-tech features. The vehicle offers nearly four dozen driver assist features based on data gathered from as many as five radar sensors, five optical cameras and a dozen ultrasonic pickups. This plethora of incoming information is enough to let the Q8 park itself. Available for order in 2023, remote park assist plus will autonomously guide your seventy-some odd thousand EV “into even the tightest parking spaces,” according to Wednesday’s release, in a process controlled through the driver’s myAudi app.

And as with every e-tron released since the line went electric in 2018, the Q8 will come equipped with Audi’s Matrix LED headlights. But unlike previous model years, the Q8’s headlights will finally be ADB capable following a long-awaited NHTSA ruling this past February and, as such they’ll have three new features: enhanced traffic information, a lane light with a direction indicator and an orientation light on country roads.

If you were expecting the interior to be anything short of opulent, you’re going to be disappointed. The two-part roof is panoramic and controlled electronically, as are the integrated sunshades. Audi is also offering four-zone automatic climate control as an option as well as massaging functions for the synthetic leather-clad seats. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a physical button to push as virtually all of the cabin’s features are controlled through the pair of central infotainment screens — a 10.1-inch upper and a 8.6-inch lower — or via voice command.

Order windows for both the Q8 e-tron and the Q8 Sportback open mid-November. Audi is aiming for an initial market launch in Germany and major European markets at the end of next February with arrivals to the US happening by the end of April. Audi has announced a base MSRP of 74,400 euros or around $72,500 US at current exchange rates.

 

For a project that was divisive among critics and players alike, Death Stranding has done pretty well for itself. With the game celebrating its third anniversary today, Kojima Productions revealed that more than 10 million people have played the studio’s first game. The milestone takes into account all the platforms where Death Stranding is available, including PC Game Pass. “It makes me happy to think that there are over 10 million “Sam one” players around the world, all loosely connected,” creator Hideo Kojima said on Twitter.

It might seem obvious that a game from the creator of Metal Gear Solid would find commercial success, but it didn’t always look that way. By some accounts, Death Stranding was a flop when it first came out. According to one ResetEra post from 2020, Sony was reportedly unhappy with the game’s sales, with the author of the post claiming 3 million copies of Death Stranding were sitting in warehouses as of March of that year. But then the critical reevaluation of the game began, helped first by the pandemic and then its arrival on PC. In Death Stranding, a lot of people found an experience that helped them make sense of a world that had changed overnight and by July 2021, the game had sold 5 million copies.

As for Death Stranding’s future, actor Norman Reedus recently said in an interview that Kojima Productions is working on a sequel. In the past weeks, the studio has also begun teasing a game that will star actors Elle Fanning and Shioli Kutsuna.

 

As expected, the European Commission will carry out a full-scale investigation into Microsoft’s $69 billion bid to buy Activision Blizzard. Following a preliminary probe, the European Commission announced Tuesday (via Reuters) it believes the deal may “significantly reduce competition” in a handful of areas, including the PC and console gaming markets, as well as among cloud gaming services.

According to the Commission’s antitrust officials, Microsoft has the potential economic incentive to prevent competitors from accessing Activision Blizzard’s “high-profile and highly successful games,” including new Call of Duty entries. The body notes it’s also concerned the deal could unfairly advantage Windows against competing PC operating systems. On the surface, that seems like a strange concern, but it’s worth pointing out that the success of devices like the Steam Deck has made Linux something of a viable gaming alternative to Windows.

With today’s announcement, the European Commission now has 90 working days to complete its probe, a timeline that means a decision would arrive on March 23rd, 2023 at the latest.

“For years, Microsoft has been a major player across the gaming supply chain. It is acquiring Activision Blizzard, a highly successful producer of gaming content. We must ensure that opportunities remain for future and existing distributors of PC and console video games, as well as for rival suppliers of PC operating systems,” said Margrethe Vestager, the executive vice president of competition policy. “The point is to ensure that the gaming ecosystem remains vibrant to the benefit of users in a sector that is evolving at a fast pace.”

“We’re continuing to work with the European Commission on next steps and to address any valid marketplace concerns,” a Microsoft spokesperson told Engadget. “Sony, as the industry leader, says it is worried about Call of Duty, but we’ve said we are committed to making the same game available on the same day on both Xbox and PlayStation. We want people to have more access to games, not less.”

Separately, Activision Blizzard published a letter from CEO Bobby Kotick. “This week the European Commission announced that we have entered the second phase of our review in the region. We will continue to cooperate with the European Commission where, in the countries they represent, we have many employees,” Kotick wrote. “We have been working closely with Microsoft to actively engage regulators in other key countries to answer their questions and provide them with information to assist with their review.”

The Commission won’t necessarily block the deal, but it could significantly delay the transaction and force concessions out of Microsoft. Xbox head Phil Spencer has proactively tried to placate regulators. “We’re not taking Call of Duty from PlayStation. That’s not our intent,” he recently said. “Our intent is not to do that and as long as there’s a PlayStation out there to ship to, our intent is that we’ll continue to ship Call of Duty on PlayStation.”

Update 1:24PM ET: Added comment from Microsoft. 

 

The Hero 11 Black is the latest top-end model in GoPro’s long line of action cameras, and as of this writing the camera is now down to $350 at GoPro’s online store with a one-year GoPro subscription. This deal technically started last week, but it’s still a new low and $50 off the bundle’s usual going rate. 

Buy GoPro Hero 11 + subscription bundle at GoPro – $349Buy GoPro Hero 11 at Amazon – $449

As a refresher, GoPro’s subscription service costs $50 a year on its own and includes features like unlimited cloud storage — with the ability to have your camera automatically back up footage to the cloud when it’s plugged in — automatically generated highlight videos, and up to two discounted camera replacements per year. GoPro normally offers its cameras at a lower upfront cost with a year-long subscription than without, and since you can cancel the service after buying, we’d say there’s little reason not to buy the bundle. However, if you don’t trust yourself to remember to turn off auto-renew, we’ll note the camera alone is currently available for $449 at several retailers. 

Either way, we gave the Hero 11 Black a largely positive review when it launched in September. The camera is an iterative upgrade over the excellent Hero 10 Black — which itself looked near-identical to the prior Hero 9 Black — which means it still allows for crisp video at up to 5.3K/60 Hz, 4K/120 Hz, or 2.7K/240 Hz (for extra slow-motion shots), excellent stabilization that keeps moving footage looking smooth, and a rugged, waterproof design that’s small enough to fit on a helmet, bike handle, surfboard, or most other tight spots.

Here, though, there’s a taller 1/1.9″ sensor with an 8:7 aspect ratio, which is more accommodating to shooting vertical video for mobile video apps like TikTok at the same time as more traditional vertical footage. A new shooting mode called “HyperView” uses the taller sensor to take wider-angle video — though our review notes that this is best used with only certain types of action shots — while a 360-degree horizon lock feature keeps shots level even if you fully rotate the camera. Still images have been bumped from 23-megapixels to 27, and you can now shoot higher-quality RAW images in burst mode instead of just JPEG. Beyond that, battery life is mildly improved, there are new night shooting modes for capturing things like star trails, and there’s support for more granular 10-bit color across the board.

Action cameras still aren’t essential gadgets for most these days, and if you already own a Hero 10, Hero 9, or another cam you’re already happy with, there’s no pressing need to hop aboard here. If you’re looking to upgrade from a Hero 8 or older, however, our review found the Hero 11 to be an easier sell. Right now, GoPro currently has the Hero 10 for the same $349, while the Hero 9 and smaller Hero 11 Black Mini are only $50 less. So, if your smartphone isn’t enough for the kind of footage you want to capture, this deal looks to be the better value for those in the market for a higher-end model. A GoPro representative says this offer will run for “another couple of weeks at least,” though it’s not clear if we’ll see any further discounts on Black Friday.

Get the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers by following @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribing to the Engadget Deals newsletter.

 

Two of the largest crypto exchanges have just announced one of the stranger tech mergers in recent memory (and that’s saying something). Binance plans to acquire its rival FTX after a brief but very public dispute. As Bloombergexplains, Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao sold about $529 million in FTX’s native token on November 6th in response to “recent revelations that came to light,” particularly a CoinDeskreport that FTX was facing a liquidity crisis. That led to FTX chief Sam Bankman-Fried accusing Binance of attacking his company with “false rumors,” and maintaining that everything was “fine.” By today, however, the two companies had reached a takeover deal while acknowledging that Binance would help resolve a “liquidity crunch” affecting FTX’s transactions.

Data suggests FTX may have been in a particularly bad state. In a discussion with TechCrunch, CryptoQuant noted that FTX’s net crypto asset holdings plunged 83 percent in just the past two days. That reportedly made withdrawals so difficult that FTX had to introduce stablecoin (crypto pegged to an external value) liquidity to process the moves through the markets or other exchanges. The company’s stablecoin reserve has fallen by 93 percent in the past two weeks, and related withdrawals fell to near-zero by early this morning. The trouble prompted an investor “exodus,” Bloomberg says.

The deal is non-binding, and the companies will only start conducting due diligence (that is, an appraisal) in the “coming days.” If completed, however, the acquisition could shake up the crypto industry by eliminating Binance’s main competitor. This won’t overcome fears of a sustained crypto market downturn, but may give Binance a US presence it doesn’t currently have.

That “if” is important, mind you. FTX’s Bankman-Fried has been testifying in Congress, and Binance has reportedly faced investigations from both the US Securities and Exchange Commission as well as the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority. The countries are concerned Binance isn’t complying with regulations, and (in the US) possibly breaking the law. It’s not guaranteed that regulators in either country will be keen on the proposed union, particularly when Binance’s US affiliate was banned in 2019.

 

As expected, Zoom is looking to take on the likes of Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace in more areas than group video calls and chats. At its Zoomtopia conference, the company announced a bunch of features that are coming to its platform, including two key ones for productivity: email and calendars. You can connect third-party email and calendar services to Zoom and access them through the desktop app. The company says that can help save you time instead of having to switch between apps and perhaps needing to hunt for the right tab in your browser.

Those on the Zoom One Pro or Zoom Standard Pro plans will be able to set up email accounts through the platform, and folks with certain plans have the option to use custom domains. You’ll get up to 100GB of storage included. The key selling point is that messages sent directly between Zoom Mail Service users (i.e. those who use Zoom’s email hosting services) will have end-to-end encryption. You’ll also be able to send external emails that can expire and contain access-restricted links.

As for Zoom Calendar, there will be options to see which of your contacts has joined a meeting, and you can schedule Zoom voice and video calls in the app. Zoom’s own calendar service will include the ability to book appointments.

On the way in 2023 is a feature called Zoom Spots. The company describes this as a virtual coworking space where colleagues can stay more connected during the workday via video-first conversations. While the company didn’t reveal too much detail about Zoom Spots in its blog post, there may be a downside as the feature could enable bosses to keep a closer eye on what their employees are doing.

Businesses will soon be able to employ Zoom Virtual Agent, a conversational AI and chatbot designed to help customers resolve issues. That tool will be available in early 2023. Other things in the pipeline include a way for developers to make money from the Zoom Apps Marketplace and a virtual coach to help sellers perfect their pitches.

As for the core functions people know Zoom for, there’s a feature on the way that connects team chats with in-meeting chats. You’ll be able to carry the conversation from one to the other and back again to keep things flowing. The company is also looking to roll out translation options for team chats in 2023. In the near future, you’ll be able to schedule a chat message to send at a later time.

Zoom Phone is coming to the web, which should be handy for many folks. A progressive web app will be available for ChromeOS too. Meanwhile, users will be able to use a one-click chat message as a response when they can’t answer a call. As for Zoom Rooms, there will be a way for folks in one of those to join a Google Meet room and vice versa.

Last, but by no means least, Zoom revealed a string of updates for meetings. The Smart Recordings feature uses AI to generate summaries, next steps and chapters to make archived meetings more digestible and help you get to the part you’re looking for. There will be meeting templates that can automatically configure the right settings and a way to record videos with narration and screensharing that you can send to colleagues. On top of that, you’ll have more avatar options, including the ability to use a Meta avatar.