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GE test-flies the world's largest jet engine
Airliners are growing ever bigger to haul more people per flight, which means they need appropriately massive engines -- and GE Aviation is happy to oblige. It recently conducted the first test flight of the GE9X, widely billed as the world's largest jet engine. It's easy to believe the claim from a glimpse (it's as wide as a Boeing 737), but the specs back it up as well: it has a whopping 11.2ft diameter front fan that, combined with carbon fiber blades, a next-gen high-pressure compressor and a new combustor, puts out over 100,000 pounds of thrust. For comparison, some of the earliest GE90 engines aboard Boeing 777s kicked out 'just' 74,000 pounds.
The best dehumidifier
By Kevin Purdy This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter. When readers choose to buy Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, it may earn affiliate commissions that support its work. Read the full article here. After 40 hours of research and weeks of real-world testing in century-old stone basements, we think the Frigidaire FFAD7033R1 is the best dehumidifier for most people. It's effective at drying air, it maintains an optimal level of humidity, and it's easier to operate than any other model we tested.
The best freezer
By Tyler Wells Lynch This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter, reviews for the real world. When readers choose to buy Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, it may earn affiliate commissions that support its work. Read the full article here. After more than 40 hours of research, including interviews with two butchers, an engineer, and a bunch of hunters, we think the Frigidaire FFFH20F2QW is the best freezer for most people.
GE made a giant Echo Show rival that lives above your stove
Making your refrigerator the hub of your home is so last CES. This year, it's all about that range. Your cooking range, that is. On Monday, GE Appliances debuted its latest smart home solution, a voice and motion controlled screen that sits at eye level as you're using the stove.
Amazon Alexa now controls your microwave
Alexa's smart home skills aren't just for turning on the lights or locking your door these days -- now, they can help fulfill your culinary ambitions. Amazon has added cooking abilities to its Smart Home Skill framework, letting you control microwaves (and eventually conventional ovens) with your voice. Instead of pressing umpteen buttons, you can simply ask Alexa to "defrost 3lbs of chicken." Suffice it to say this could be helpful if you don't want to start cooking right away, or if you just hate your microwave's interface.
GE's latest smart lighting includes Alexa and HomeKit options
Creating a smart home can be a complicated affair, with myriad options for adding voice control and automation to your lights, window coverings, thermostats and more. GE wants to simplify your options (with its own branded products, of course) with some new smart ceiling fixtures, wall switches, and lamps for 2018.
NVIDIA's AI will help GE speed up medical image processing
Deep learning tech is making itself at home in hospitals by helping radiologists examine medical scans for just a buck per image. Now, GE Healthcare is bringing that AI tech directly to the scanners, thanks to partnerships with NVIDIA and Intel. It announced that it will update 500,000 of its medical devices around the world with NVIDIA AI tech, most notably its Revolution Frontier CT scanner (below). The tech "is expected to deliver better clinical outcomes in liver lesion detection and kidney lesion characterization because of its speed," GE wrote in a press release.
GE’s huge 3D metal printer makes aircraft parts
GE has unveiled its previously-announced 3D metal printer, suitable for making aircraft parts. At the manufacturing trade show formnext in Germany, the GE Additive team revealed the as-yet-unnamed machine, demonstrating its ability to print parts as large as 1 meter in diameter directly from a computer file. Using additive manufacturing technology, the machine fuses together thin layers of metal powder with a 1-kilowatt laser.
Control your own mammograms with new GE tech
GE introduced a new mammography system that gives patients a remote to control the compression part of the screening themselves. Giving them autonomy over the unpleasant, painful portion of the process ideally makes the whole thing more comfortable, which will hopefully bring in more folks who avoid mammograms -- and catch more instances of breast cancer.
Uber's key CEO candidate backs out at the last minute (updated)
Uber's choice of a replacement CEO just got more problematic. Former GE chief Jeff Immelt has announced that he has "decided not to pursue" Uber's top spot despite reports that he was the leading candidate. Immelt didn't say what prompted the withdrawal, but it's an unusually open declaration given that Uber hadn't publicly discussed that he was in the running. However, sources speaking to Recode suggest that he recently fell out of favor -- and that his departure is coming at a particularly bad time.
Uber favors former GE leader as its next CEO
Ever since Uber ousted CEO Travis Kalanick, there's been one overriding question: just who would be daring enough to replace him and salvage the ridesharing outfit's tattered reputation? At last, an answer is emerging. Recode sources hear that former GE chairman and CEO Jeff Immelt (above) is the "frontrunner" out of the three candidates to lead Uber out of the darkness. Reportedly, the company's board of directors believes Immelt is the most capable of quickly fixing Uber's toxic culture, including sagging employee morale and abundant legal troubles.
Viral cooking videos control Buzzfeed's $150 Bluetooth hot plate
If you've ever been reading Buzzfeed and thought "this is a company that should get into the hardware business," well, you're in luck. The media company has paired with GE to bring you a Bluetooth-enabled induction cooktop that pairs with their all-new Tasty app for the iPhone. It's available for preorder now and will set you back $150.
GE is working on a massive 3D printer for jet engine parts
3D printing is coming of age in numerous ways. On a large scale, MIT researchers built a 50-foot-wide, 12-foot tall igloo in just 13 hours. They've also debuted the first completely 3D-printed rocket engine. On a much smaller level, our own Sean Buckley printed a little d-pad for his Nintendo Switch, while medical researchers have produced a 3D-printed patch that can heal scarred heart tissue. Now we're seeing this technology coming to the industrial world with a new laser-powered metal 3D printer from GE.
Google Assistant voice control comes to GE connected appliances
You may want to practice saying "Ok Google" if you have GE WiFi-connected appliances in your home. Just as Bloomberg reported a few days ago, GE worked with the tech titan to integrate Google Assistant into its system. Now, you can use the voice-activated helper through Google Home, a Pixel or other select Android phones to operate various smart appliances. Take note that the big G's Assistant can't exactly control the devices directly. Your commands work by going through Geneva, the skill GE developed when it launched Amazon Alexa integration for its appliances in September last year.
Google Assistant is expected to hit iOS and washing machines
Google's voice-controlled Assistant has only been available on Android and Home so far, but it might just spread its wings in the very near future. To start, Bloomberg tipsters claim that Google will use its I/O developer conference to launch Assistant on iOS as a free app. It wouldn't have the deep integration that comes with Android, but you could use it to access content available in YouTube and other Google apps. The app would only be available in the US at first, but you might not mind so much when the same sources also hint that Assistant will also provide a boost to Google Photos and appliances.
GE's futuristic Alexa lamp accepts your voice commands in style
Amazon's Alexa, the voice-controlled platform that powers the company's own Echo line, continues to gain support from third-party manufacturers. The C by GE Sol is the latest product to embrace the technology, in the form of a table lamp that looks straight out of a sci-fi film. GE actually announced the device December of last year, but now it's finally starting to take pre-orders. As a refresher, the C by GE Sol features a circular LED light and, most importantly, doubles as a hands-free voice assistant and Bluetooth speaker. GE is letting early adopters pre-order the Sol for $160 right now, with units expected to ship in September. If you decide to wait until it hits stores, it'll cost you $200.
The future of a cleaner, cheaper power grid is batteries
On the southern edge of the island of Kauaʻi sits an unsightly diesel power plant. The rust-covered smokestacks (a by-product of being next to the ocean) that emit a mechanical engine drone are a stark contrast to the serene beauty of the rest of the Hawaiian island. For decades this smoke-belching eyesore was the main source of electricity for Kauaʻi. But now it's being overtaken by renewable sources -- one that's made possible by batteries like those being built by Tesla.
ICYMI: San Diego's smart street lights and Norway's robotic sea snakes
Today on In Case You Missed It: AT&T is teaming with GE to install 3,200 smart sensors atop San Diego's public street lights. These devices, part of a $30 million infrastructure upgrade, will help city administrators better track and manage everything from traffic and parking to weather advisories and even crime reporting. We also take a look at a new robotic snake submersible from Norwegian manufacturer, Eelume AS. This segmented drone is designed to fit into tight spaces as it cruises around, inspecting submerged oil and natural gas pipelines. Best of all, it never has to surface. Instead, it recharges using a base station anchored to the seafloor. As always, please share any interesting tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.
AT&T's smart streetlights can smooth traffic, detect gunshots
AT&T first unveiled its ambitious "Smart Cities" program at CES 2017 in Las Vegas, but now we have an idea as to how it's going to work. The telecom has signed a deal with GE to install its Current CityIQ sensors into streetlights in various cities and municipalities around the US, starting with San Diego. The aim is to not just provide more intelligent lighting, but also monitor things like traffic circulation, parking spots, air quality, weather emergencies and even gunshots
Nest Protect can turn off GE's ovens when you burn dinner
It's hard to figure out how some connected home tech is actually useful, but GE and Nest have nailed it with their latest team-up. The Nest Protect smoke detector can now shut off GE Appliance's connected ovens if it detects smoke and then trigger the oven to send a notification to GE's Kitchen app. If Nest detects that you're away, it'll also tell the app to alert you via smartphone. The goal, of course, is to stop an embarrassment from becoming a disaster if you lose track of your roast.
