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Jaguar will supply I-Pace EVs for Norway's new wirelessly-charged taxi service
Jaguar is backing the world's first high-powered wireless taxis.
Oslo is working on wireless charging for its electric taxis
As Norway's capital city prepares to ensure all taxis are zero emission by 2023, Oslo is setting up a wireless charging system for cabs. It aims to have the first such fast-charging taxi system in the world, though it's not clear exactly when it will be up and running. Charging plates will be installed at taxi ranks, which will link to receivers installed in cabs. The system will charge taxis at up to 75 kW.
Drone sets record for carrying the heaviest cargo ever
A team of engineers from the University of Oslo recently set a Guinness world record by lifting a 61 kilogram load with nothing but remote-controlled drones. Or rather, one gigantic Voltron-esque multi-rotor monstrosity appropriately named the Megakopter. It's built from eight hexacopters that have been daisy chained together, utilizes 13 rotors powered by four dozen individual motors mounted on an aluminum-plywood frame. With it, the team recently hoisted a 61-kilogram load -- that's a little over 134 pounds -- and held it there for 37 seconds to earn a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records.
Leak hints at a curvier BlackBerry Passport
Whatever you think of the BlackBerry Passport's oddball aspect ratio or software, there's no denying that the original design had rough edges... or rather, corners. That squarish handset might not dig into your hands and legs for much longer, though. N4BB claims to have photos of the Oslo, a "re-do" of the Passport that softens the design even beyond what you saw in the AT&T model. It's curvier all around, and it appears to have a slightly more compact plastic frame that's (hopefully) easier to fit into your pocket.
Microsoft's new Office Graph will help you discover what's trending around your workplace
Microsoft Office is about to get more personal with something called Office Graph. The new feature incorporates your web searches and online interactions, allowing it to highlight files and projects it thinks are important to you based on who you're talking to. It can also let you know how you're connected though people or projects to others at your organization. Over time, Office Graph will come into play in a number of Microsoft's apps and services, one of the first being a standalone product codenamed Oslo -- not to be confused with the previous Microsoft Oslo. (Coming up with new names is hard!) The app will display information like who attended a meeting or what conversation topics are trending at your business on digital cards like Google Now. You can also track what files are being shared -- so you'll know if everyone's passing around a video of John breakdancing at the company party. The Office Graph will also power a new Groups function that integrates with Yammer and allows you to share email, files and calendars across a group of coworkers. And Inline Social, a feature that will be integrated with Lync and Skype for having conversations inside documents that are stored in SharePoint Online and OneDrive for business. There are also plans to create a secure Video Portal where you can upload, stream and share company-wide videos, like your own private YouTube. Anxious to try it out? You'll have to wait a little while. Oslo is expected to be available for Office 365 customers the second half of this year, with additional Office Graph implementations headed our way in 2015.
Funcom office raided, charged with suspicion of stock infringement
Several reports are coming in this morning of some legal trouble plaguing The Secret World and Age of Conan developer Funcom. According to several Norwegian news outlets, Norway's economic crime unit paid a visit to the Oslo studio to retrieve "packed boxes of seized documents" thought to be financial records involved in a suspected "infringement of the provisions of the Securities Trading Act." Funcom acknowledged to Norwegian reporters that it was charged with breaching disclosure requirements related to The Secret World when the company failed to report company financial information between August 2011 and July 2012. This has resulted in a temporary closure of Funcom's stock during the investigation. We've reached out to Funcom for more details. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in.]
Daily Update for August 12, 2013
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
Norwegian government bans Apple from capturing 3D Flyover Maps data in Oslo
The Norwegian government has banned Apple from capturing 3D Flyover Maps imagry of Oslo, reports Aftenposten (via 9to5Mac). Apparently the Norwegian National Security Authority has instituted the ban because it is concerned that the small aircraft Apple uses, which has advanced 3D photography systems on board, could map confidential buildings and other security infrastructure in the city. Apple is now working with the United States Embassy in Norway to help resolve the issue. Oslo's mayor Fabian Stang has come out in support of Apple saying its 3D maps can not only help those that live in the capital, but also increase tourist interest as they can view the city from afar. As Stang told the Aftenposten newspaper: I think the new apps is very exciting – and they are also relevant for tourists, both those who are here and those who are considering going here. I have therefore asked the minister to look into the possibility of achieving this, while maintaining the security measures but me must consider. A semi-obvious answer to this problem would be for Apple to work with the Norwegian government in identifying imagery that is suitable to be shown to users. Google and other mapping services in the past have worked with various governments around the world in identifying security structures and not making photography of such structures available to the public.
Tesla Model S deliveries begin outside of North America, starting with Norway
Tesla's four-door Model S has been trickling into North American garages for a couple of years now, and it seems that production has ramped up enough to finally begin deliveries internationally. Starting today, Model S buyers across various ponds will begin to see stock appear. As seen above, the action is starting in Oslo, Norway, where that guy in the driver seat looks particularly charged up about the parade that awaits. Sorry. It seemed funnier in the moment.
Roskva electric motorcycle revealed in Norway with carbon fiber chassis and clothes
The choices in the electric motorcycle market just keep getting juicier, and while you'll still have to stick with the more established brands like Brammo, Zero or BRD if you're looking to make a purchase, a hot new prototype has just been unveiled that threatens to make them all look a little bit... pedestrian. It's called the Roskva from a team of five students at the University of Life Sciences (UMB) in Oslo, Norway. Like a MotoGP bike it has an all carbon fiber unified frame and bodywork that weighs less than 25kg and even rolls on carbon wheels. A 94HP motor provides the oomph and delivers a top speed of about 112MPH, with a maximum range of 62 miles. No word on when or if the thing might make it into actual production, but we can say for sure that there's a second picture of the thing just waiting for you right after the break, still in that same garage that is far, far neater than ours. [Image credit: Henrik Holmberg]
Norway's Zero team crosses Europe in hydrogen cars without a backup
It's not quite a trip around the world, but a trek that Norway's Zero team recently undertook in a pair of hydrogen-fueled cars is certainly an impressive enough feat in its own right. Late last month, they drove two Hyundai Ix35 FCEVs from Oslo to Monte Carlo (admittedly one of the easier ways to technically "cross Europe"), relying solely on the existing hydrogen refueling infrastructure -- that's as opposed to other trips that brought along fuel trucks as backup. As the team explains, the key to the trip was some careful planning at the outset, but they apparently still wound up cutting it close a few times, and were forced to put their hypermiling skills to the test. Not surprisingly, they found that the hydrogen infrastructure still needs to be considerably improved for such trips to become commonplace, but they seem hopeful that things could soon improve.
Design project paints city's WiFi networks with light
We've seen WiFi detectors used for various DIY projects before, but none quite like this rather ambitious project cooked up by Norwegian designers Timo Armall, Jørn Knutsen, and Einar Sneve Martinussen. They built a four-meter long WiFi-detecting rod that boasts 80 LED bulbs and carried it around various neighborhoods in Oslo, picking up signals of various strengths from nearby WiFi networks all the way. That's only the half of it, though. The real kicker is that they also captured the whole thing with long-exposure photographs to effectively paint the "invisible terrain" of WiFi networks with light. Head on past the break for a video, and hit up the source links below for a closer look at the entire process. [Thanks, Christer]
Lung-inspired hydrogen fuel cell skimps on platinum, sees efficiency boost
For as spectacular as hydrogen fuel cells are on paper, they haven't been able to replace combustion engines in vehicles. Or much of anything else, really. But thanks to Signe Kjelstrup at the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters in Oslo, the tried-and-true fuel cell is getting a serious boost. Kjelstrup's crew determined that by using less platinum in a cell, a substantial increase in efficiency and a significant decrease in cost could be achieved. The new design relies on an architecture that's "modeled on the bronchial structure of the lungs to supply hydrogen and oxygen gas to their respective electrodes," which is said to help "spread the gases more uniformly across the catalyst than current channel designs and provides a greater surface area so less platinum is needed." It's still early on in the discovery process, though, and there's certainly no solid word on when this will reach a point where widespread implementation is feasible. Seventh-generation Prius, perhaps?
Funcom confirms layoffs and Secret World delay, Age of Conan not affected
We contacted Age of Conan developer Funcom yesterday after reports from Norwegian news site E24 claimed the company would soon be making major staff cuts. The company's director of communications, Erling Ellingsen, recently responded to our query, confirming the layoffs, and adding that Ragnar Tørnquist's mysterious MMO The Secret World would indeed be delayed "by a few months." Age of Conan and its in-development expansion, Rise of the Godslayer, will not be affected by the layoffs. Ellingsen explained that the cuts, which would primarily take place in Funcom's Oslo, Norway offices, were made "in order to adjust to the market situation." Though the layoffs are coming fairly soon after the developer announced its new, Montreal-based studio, Ellingsen explained that "this has nothing to do with the establishment of our studio in Canada." We wish our Norwegian game-crafting allies the best of luck in getting back on their feet. %Gallery-49441%
Norwegian ski billboard gets snowy when texted
We've certainly seen mobile-activated bus stop ads before, but the cool factor on this one was just too impressive to overlook. Tryvann Winter Park, a ski resort that sits just 15 minutes away from downtown Oslo, was searching high and low for ways to better market itself to residents of the bustling Norwegian city. In order to do so, it turned to JCDecaux, who conjured up the brilliant idea you see to the right. Essentially, this advertisement packs a few internal fans and a bucketful of faux snow; whenever it starts snowing up at the ski resort, someone sends a text to the billboard and the flurries start to fly. This way, residents and workers in Oslo can easily see when conditions are good some 500 meters up. We're told that Tryvann "loved" the campaign and the resulting crowds that came, though there's no mention of whether it'll be implemented next season or elsewhere in the world.[Via textually, thanks Charles]
Oslo rolls out biomethane-powered busses
The city of Oslo is getting down and dirty with a new scheme for its public transportation. Adding "minor modifications" to 80 of the city's public busses will allow them to run on biomethane fuel produced from raw sewage. The buses are apparently much quieter, and are more eco-friendly than biogas, with zero net carbon emissions. The leader of the project, Ole Jakob Johansen, also says that the city should save about €.40 per liter on fueling the busses. The trial is part of Oslo's plan to be carbon-neutral by 2050, and they hope to soon have the entire fleet of 400 rolling clean. Waste not, want not, huh? [Via Inhabitat]
Huawei and Ericsson land LTE contracts with TeliaSonera
LTE just got officially legitimized under a month ago, and already Nordic-based TeliaSonera is lining up contracts in an effort to showcase its forward-thinking nature to the world. Both Huawei and Ericsson have been chosen to provide 4G LTE equipment for high-speed networks in Stockholm and Oslo, with SE proclaiming that the Swedish network will be ready for commercial launch in 2010. It's expected that the first devices to tap into these newfangled waves will be of the USB / external variety, with 4G handsets following six to twelve months later. Did our 3G just get slower, or are our brains already messing with us?[Via Network World, image courtesy of BusinessWeek]Read - Huawei dealRead - Ericsson deal
Age of Conan composer nominated for Best Original Score
Funcom's most recent title Age of Conan tends to come under some fire from the gamers who jumped in upon launch. You may have noticed. While players can fault some aspects of the game, it does have some strengths, namely its fantastic score. In fact, the music of AoC has caught the attention of the Hollywood Music Awards. Knut Avenstroup Haugen, who composed the soundtrack for Age of Conan, has been nominated for Best Original Score in a Video Game, specifically for his "Ere the World Crumbles" from the fantasy title. We also turned up an interview with Haugen about the challenges of scoring Age of Conan, and of composing interactive music in general. Having fun in Conan's homeland? Make sure to check out all of our previous Age of Conan coverage, and stick with Massively for more news from the Hyborian Age!
Product manager gives an inside look at the AoC launch
Ten Ton Hammer spoke with Funcom product manager Erling Eddison about his experiences at the company, the Age of Conan launch, and ... his vacation plans!Apart from a few vague hints about future patches, there's not much information about the game itself in this interview. However, it does contain an inside look at what the Funcom team went through in the days leading up to AoC's launch. For example, on May 17th (the early access launch day), there was a large screen in the Funcom offices that showed how many players were logged on to the servers. When the servers opened to the early access players, and the numbers skyrocketed, the team broke out the champagne.Eddison plans to take a nice, long vacation -- possibly to Egypt -- before continuing to promote AoC and The Secret World.
Video, interview paint detailed picture of AoC raids
There's a two-pronged assault of Age of Conan raid content information at Ten Ton Hammer -- a 20 minute raid presentation video, and an interview with raid boss scripter Eirik Munthe. Both the presentation and the interview occurred at the AoC launch event in Oslo last week, and both were rich with information. It looks like the endgame content has some incremental innovations just like the lower-level stuff; that should make the hardcore crowd happy.In the presentation, bits and pieces of one of AoC's level 80, 24-person raids were shown to an audience with live commentary by Game Director Gaute Godager. Multiple bosses were shown, such as a poison-leaking monstrosity and two demons -- one ice, one fire -- who gain power when standing near one another. Godager explained the philosophy behind raiding and epic gear, and using collision detection in battle strategies. He revealed that raid groups will be able to call it a night halfway through a raid and finish any time they want (so long as it's before the raid expiration date -- one week after its start date). There was also a brief series of clips of a massive PvP siege.In the interview with Eirik Munthe we learned that Funcom put together strike teams consisting of designers, scripters, and writers. Each strike team focused its attentions completely on a 20-level span; for example, Munthe's team worked on content for player levels 60 - 80. Munthe described the challenges he faced when scripting encounters with some of AoC's unique features such as collision detection and CoE (cone of effect) healing in mind.
