Kalakshar US

While Tesla is a popular car for ride-hailing drivers employed by the likes of Uber and more, the company could soon cut out the middleman. The California Public Utilities Commission has approved the company’s bid for a transportation charter-party carrier permit, Bloomberg reports.

The permit opens the way for Tesla to operate a ride-hailing service to compete with Uber, Lyft and other established companies. Tesla employees would drive the cars, initially transporting fellow employees, before becoming available to the public. Last year, Elon Musk told investors that the company was already testing app-based transportation for Bay Area employees using safety drivers.

Notably, Tesla is still not approved to use autonomous vehicles for ride-hailing, though Musk has claimed they will be available in Austin, Texas by June and in California by the end of the year. Meanwhile, Uber and Waymo launched their robotaxi service in Austin earlier this month. Waymo’s autonomous ride-hailing service is also available in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Phoenix.  

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/tesla-gets-approval-for-ride-hailing-business-in-california-125100455.html?src=rss 

If you’ve been eyeing a pair of Beats Fit Pro earbuds, now’s a great time to snag them at a discount. The fitness-focused wireless earbuds have dropped to $169 ahead of the Amazon Spring Sale, down from their usual $200 price tag, which is the lowest price we’ve seen them since January. This $30 discount makes them an even better buy for those looking for good sound quality with a snug and secure fit.

The Beats Fit Pro earned the top spot as the best wireless earbuds for working out in our best wireless earbuds roundup thanks to their IPX4 water resistance rating, comfortable design and balanced audio. They feature active noise cancellation (ANC), spatial audio with dynamic head tracking and Apple’s H1 chip for seamless pairing with iOS devices. While they’re most convenient for Apple users, they also work well with Android devices thanks to Google Fast Pair support. They’re available at the discounted price in black, white, sage gray and stone purple, so this Big Spring Sale deal isn’t limited to just one color.

Designed with fitness enthusiasts in mind, the Fit Pro earbuds include flexible wingtips that help keep them securely in place, whether you’re out for a run or powering through an intense gym session. Battery life is also solid, offering six hours of listening time per charge with an additional 18 hours from the charging case. If you need a quick boost, a Fast Fuel charge delivers up to one hour of playback in just five minutes.

If you’re looking for something more affordable, the Beats Studio Buds+ have also received a major price drop. They’re currently on sale for $130 on Amazon, a decent markdown from their usual $170 price. These earbuds offer solid ANC, an improved transparency mode and a comfortable, lightweight design.

We were impressed with them and gave them a respectable 84 out of 100 in our Beats Studio Buds+ review. Whether you’re after a workout companion like the Fit Pro or an everyday pair like the Studio Buds+, both deals make for great savings on quality wireless earbuds.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/amazon-spring-sale-deals-include-the-beats-fit-pro-earbuds-for-169-130015298.html?src=rss 

If you’re looking for a great deal on a premium pair of wireless headphones, you can take advantage of a massive $100 saving on the Bose QuietComfort headphones in the Amazon Spring Sale. For a limited time, these can be yours for $249, reduced from their usual price of $349, and this deal applies to all seven colorways. Although we have seen the price drop to $199 previously, this is still an excellent deal.

This feature-rich headset combines active noise cancellation (ANC) with high-fidelity audio, and multipoint connectivity for seamlessly switching between connected devices. A fully customizable EQ puts you in control of your music, with layers of additional customization available via the Bose app. Enjoy up to 24 hours of battery life when fully charged, or grab up to 2.5 hours from just a 15 minute charge if you’re in a hurry. 

Designed to provide all-day comfort, the Bose QuietComfort headphones feature plush, padded earcups and an adjustable padded band for long-play sessions. Experience immersive audio wherever you are — whether that’s at the gym, on your daily commute, or simply unwinding at home at the end of a long day.  

If your pockets run a little deeper, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra has also received a sizable price drop. Currently down from $429 to $349 in the Amazon Spring Sale, this premium headset won the best noise-canceling category in our recent best wireless headphones guide. Boasting three different ANC modes, spatial audio and intuitive touch controls, we scored the QuietComfort Ultra a whopping 86 out of 100 in our review.

The Amazon Big Spring Sale ends on March 31; so if you want to grab the Bose QuietComfort or QuietComfort Ultra at this discounted rate, now’s the time to do it.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/get-100-off-the-bose-quietcomfort-headphones-in-the-amazon-spring-sale-140002812.html?src=rss 

Say goodbye to ground-in dirt and stains and save money while you do it with the Dyson V15s Detect Submarine cordless vacuum cleaner. This cordless cleaner is currently on sale for $798 for the Amazon Spring Sale, which is $152 off its usual price tag of $950. This is one of the best deals we’ve seen on this machine in the last year.

Combining powerful suction with advanced wet-cleaning capabilities, the V15s Detect Submarine is a versatile cleaning machine for both carpets and hard floors. Armed with eight Dyson accessories, including the Submarine wet roller head, fluffy optic cleaner and Digital Motorbar head, it provides edge-to-edge cleaning and is ideal for those seeking vacuuming and mopping functionality in a single device.

Boasting whole-machine HEPA filtration, intelligent adaptive suction based on floor type, LCD screen and a 60 minute run-time, the V15s Detect Submarine is capable of comprehensive cleaning throughout the home. With the Submarine cleaner head attached, it can cover an area of 1,000 square feet using the built-in 300ml water tank, picking up liquids and debris while washing surfaces with clean water.

The Dyson V15s Detect Submarine is a top pick in our best cordless vacuums guide, where we praised its versatility and convenience. While the popularity of robot vacuums continues to grow, busy households with kids and pets in the mix can benefit from a versatile yet manual solution. Thanks to its lightweight and cordless design, the Dyson V15s Detect Submarine makes it easy to clean up messes and spillages on the spot, and is great for tackling tight corners, staircases and underneath furniture.

Amazon’s Big Spring Sale ends on March 31; there’s no telling if this deal will stick around after that, so now’s the time to grab it if you’ve had your eye on it.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/this-dyson-cordless-vacuum-and-mop-is-more-than-150-off-for-the-amazon-spring-sale-140036864.html?src=rss 

Playdate, the little yellow gaming machine with a crank, is getting a price increase in a few days. In a newsletter that Panic has sent out, the developer said that Playdates will cost $229 starting on March 25 but that you can still get the device for $199 until then. Apparently, Panic moved to a new factory, and it would “cost quite a bit more” to manufacture the devices there than at the company’s old facility. Panic cited manufacturing costs, as well, when it raised the handheld’s price from $179 to $199 last year. 

On the day the Playdate is getting a price hike, Panic is also dropping “an (extremely) limited stock” of systems that are either fully refurbished at its factory or have “very minor cosmetic issues.” The refurbished units will sell for $179, and Panic says that they “work great,” can “play games perfectly” and come with a six-month warranty. “If price has kept you from buying a Playdate, we’re hopeful these great systems might help,” the company has written in its announcement. 

The handheld gaming console came out in 2022. It has a black-and-white screen with over 150 games that you can download from its Catalog. While the device has the traditional arrow and gaming buttons, it also has a crank that developers incorporate into their games — in Chopter Copter, for instance, you’ll have to turn the Playdate on its side to use the crank as a helicopter-style rotor. If you already have a Playdate, the company is having a Catalog Anniversary Sale right now until March 20, where you can stock up on more titles for the handheld. Panic also reconfirmed that it’s working with developers to put together a Season 2 bundle, which will deliver a set number of games in a curated collection to buyers’ devices over a certain period.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/the-diminutive-playdate-console-is-getting-a-price-increase-to-229-on-march-25-120004199.html?src=rss 

Carl Erik Rinsch, the director of 47 Ronin, has been charged for defrauding a streaming service out of $11 million, according to the Southern District of New York’s US Attorney’s Office. While the court documents didn’t name the service, an old report from The New York Times made it obvious that it was none other than Netflix. In 2018, Rinsch pitched a sci-fi series called White Horse, referencing the first horseman of the apocalypse, to several services, namely Amazon, Apple, HBO, Hulu, Netflix and YouTube. The Times’ report said that Amazon had already won the bidding war, but Netflix’s former VP of Original Content, Cindy Holland, called Rinsch on a weekend and offered millions more, along with the privilege of making a director’s cut. 

In its announcement of the indictment, the US Attorney’s Office explained that Netflix had paid $44 million for the development of White Horse, which had been renamed to Conquest, between 2018 and 2019. Some of that money went to paying off the project’s earliest investors. (Keanu Reeves, the star of 47 Ronin, sank his own money into the project after Rinsch got in trouble with 30West, one of the project’s first investors, for not reaching a deadline.) Between late 2019 and early 2020, Rinsch asked Netflix for more funding, and the company gave him $11 million more to complete the series. But Rinsch never finished the show, and Netflix accused him of using those funds to make “personal and speculative purchases of securities.”

The director allegedly lost most of the $11 million to trading, but he made it back and earned more from investing the rest on cryptocurrency. Rinsch allegedly went on a shopping spree after that, spending almost $4 million on furniture and antiques, $2.4 million on five Rolls-Royces and one Ferrari, as well as $652,000 on luxury watches and clothing. The indictment also said that Rinsch spent over $1 million to sue Netflix for more money. According to The Times’ report, Rinsch claimed in his lawsuit that Netflix broke its contract and owed him several more payments worth $14 million. In the midst of all of these, Rinsch reportedly displayed erratic behavior: He allegedly claimed to have discovered Covid-19’s secret transmission mechanism, treated the show’s staff horribly and accused his wife of plotting his assassination.

Conquest was supposed to be about a genius who invented a human-like species called Organic Intelligent. These OIs are deployed to solve problems and provide humanitarian aid around the world, but they are, of course, not what they seem and are hiding a darker nature. Rinsch has been charged with one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering, both of which carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. He was also charged with five counts of engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity, each count carrying a maximum sentence of 10 years.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/47-ronin-director-charged-with-11-million-fraud-over-doomed-netflix-sci-fi-series-123040218.html?src=rss 

BYD has introduced new technology for charging electric vehicles at vastly quicker speeds. Founder Wang Chuanfu said this “super e-platform” tech offers a peak charging speed of 1,000 kilowatts, twice that of the 500 kw charging currently offered by Tesla’s superchargers. That would mean a car can travel 249 miles (400 kilometers) from a five-minute charge on a BYD station. This charging architecture will initially be available in two of BYD’s vehicle models: the Han L sedan and Tang L SUV.

“In order to completely solve our user’s charging anxiety, we have been pursuing a goal to make the charging time of electric vehicles as short as the refuelling time of petrol vehicles,” said Wang.

The company is also bringing its quick-charging tech to Chinese drivers for the first time. BYD plans to construct 4,000 ultra-fast charging units across the country, although it did not provide a timeline or budget for the endeavor. To date, owners of BYD vehicles have needed to use charging stations from third-party operators or different EV manufacturers such as Tesla.

BYD has been putting more and more EVs on the road around the world. Last year, its second-quarter shipment figures jumped 21 percent to draw very close to Tesla’s numbers.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/byd-unveils-new-tech-for-twice-as-fast-ev-charging-175729412.html?src=rss 

Microsoft just announced that its Xbox Adaptive Joystick is now available for purchase directly from the company. This news comes during the annual Ability Summit. The Adaptive Joystick is designed for people with limited mobility, so it has four customizable button inputs on the front and two more mappable bumper and trigger-style buttons. It also comes with a standard thumbstick. It costs $30, which is cheaper than the official wireless Xbox controller.

That’s just one accessibility-minded announcement that Microsoft made today. The company is bringing AI tools to the screen-reader Narrator for Windows. This will allow the software to offer “rich image descriptions.” It’ll be available to Windows Insider members sometime this spring.

Microsoft Teams is also getting an update for those who are hard of hearing. The software will soon be able to automatically recognize when someone is using sign language, placing them prominently as a speaker during the meeting. This is what Sign Language View already does, but it’s an opt-in service. The update streamlines the process. It’ll be available later this year.

The company has long been at the forefront of accessibility-related tech. It made a nifty Adaptive Mouse that allows for near-endless customization options. Microsoft also created technology that pairs game controllers without forcing users to touch the console and a kit to make Surface laptops more accessible. The brand first introduced the original Adaptive Controller around six years ago. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/microsofts-xbox-adaptive-joystick-is-now-available-183009651.html?src=rss