ever
Latest
Ever quietly trained facial recognition AI using its photo storage app
Ever, a free photo storage app, has been using the billions of photos and videos uploaded by its users to train a facial recognition tool it plans on selling to private companies and the U.S. government. Users who rely on the app's facial recognition to tag friends or group together photos are unknowingly helping its algorithm learn to identify faces, NBC reported today.
Japanese group transmits electricity through 4-inch concrete block, could power cars on roads
The decision to invest in an electric vehicle would be much easier to justify if the car in question offered unlimited range. That appears to be the concept behind a Toyohashi University research group's wireless power prototype, which can successfully transmit electricity through a 10 centimeter-thick concrete block. During a demonstration in Yokohama, Japan, the team sent between 50 and 60 watts of power through a pair of concrete blocks to two tires, which then juiced up a light bulb (you can see the rig just above). The project is called EVER (Electric Vehicle on Electrified Roadway), and could someday be used to keep cars moving along a highway without any need to pull over for a recharge, thanks to a constant stream of electricity coming from below the road. There are some serious obstacles to overcome before EVER can get some wheels turning -- namely, a need to pump nearly 100 times the current maximum load through concrete that's twice as thick as what they've managed today, not to mention improving undisclosed efficiency levels -- but the group reportedly said that it's up to the task, making us fairly optimistic that such a solution could one day get us from A to B without petrol. Until then, you'll probably want to plan out a pit stop or two before you leave the garage.
Fisker Atlantic EVer unveiled in New York, we go eyes-on
Fisker's Karma series-hybrid electric vehicle hasn't exactly been receiving a lot of great press lately, but the company didn't let the process of swapping out 640 battery packs dampen the launch of that car's smaller sibling, the Atlantic. This long-expected (and recently spied) auto is a shortened, slightly smaller car that is said to be priced at a "much lower price point" than its predecessor. But, like the bigger Karma (and the even larger Surf), there's an on-board motor that burns gas to generate more electricity to extend that range -- but sadly nobody's saying by how far.In this case it's a four-cylinder BMW-sourced engine providing that extra range, exhaust peeking out just behind the front-left wheel. A four-banger doesn't sound all that impressive in a car like this, but remember it's only tasked with spinning a generator. Moving the sedan (and its healthy complement of batteries) will be an undisclosed electric powertrain. Sadly no details are being given tonight for performance or cost, but we're told it'll set you back about as much as an Audi A5. Could that mean a $40,000 starting price? That'd be less than half the cost of the $102,000 Karma, and potentially quite a revolution. Needless to say we can't wait to find out.We weren't able to peek in the trunk, but we're told the new engine provides more space for your junk than the Karma's current arrangement. The car is said to match the A5 in terms of cargo space, which is certainly nothing to sneeze about. Now mind, this is just a concept and things are liable to change on the long road from here to production, but Fisker isn't known for tweaking much along the way. Suffice to say, this should be very close to the car that hits dealerships... eventually.
KTF's EV-W200 and EV-K200 sliders rock e-dictionaries
While Alcatel's latest slider is taking care of the European market, KTF is lookin' out for the Korean side by busting out a duo of new sliders for its homeland. The EV-W200 sports a two-megapixel camera, built-in MP3 player, video telephony capability, an e-dictionary, Bluetooth, and a photo viewer, while the EV-K200 steps it down to a 1.3-megapixel camera but maintains most everything else. Notably, the EV-W200 does indeed resemble Samsung's U600 just a hair too much for comfort, but considering that we Americans will probably never get the luxury of using these on US soil, we'll let them fight that one out elsewhere.[Via Slashphone]
