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GM may bring its self-driving Cruise program to Uber
Remember how GM's autonomous vehicles division Cruise was planning to work with Lyft? The two companies hoped to put 300 more self-driving Chevy Bolts on the road next year. The fleet was supposed to start testing within the next year, and GM was already testing a ride-hailing system in San Francisco just for employees. Unfortunately, the thrill is gone between the two companies, according to a report by The Information, which says that GM is now meeting with Uber to launch those self-driving cars by next year.
GM might beat its competitors to driverless car production
While a large number of companies are working on self-driving cars, including Google/Waymo, Uber, Audi and Tesla, it might be General Motors that beats them all. In a blog post, GM's CEO of Cruise Automation, Kyle Vogt, says that his team has created the "world's first mass-producible car designed to operate without a driver." Vogt notes that this is not just a concept, but a fully-made automobile with "airbags, crumple zones and comfortable seats" that has been produced by a high-volume plant that can make hundreds of thousands of vehicles per year. In other words, GM is ready to make self-driving cars at scale as soon as the software and regulations are up to par.
GM aims to put 300 more self-driving Chevy Bolts on the road
General Motors and its San Francisco-based autonomous vehicles division Cruise have made it clear they plan to put an autonomous taxi fleet on the road as fast as possible. Earlier this year, rumors from both the Wall Street Journal and Reuters claimed GM's project with Lyft could start in a test market sometime this year before a wider expansion in 2018. While Cruise has been quickly adding staff in San Francisco, GM will still need to more test cars on the road in order to get enough data and information to refine its autonomous systems for passenger use. According to a new report from IEEE Spectrum, GM and Cruise plan to add 300 more self-driving Chevy Bolts to their fleet and could be rolling them out as soon as next month.
Royal Caribbean uses fuel cells to power cleaner cruise ships
It's not just ground-based transportation that could stand to benefit from clean-running fuel cells. Cruise ship operator Royal Caribbean has revealed that it's developing a new class of ship, the Icon, that will run on liquified natural gas fuel cells. The move would dramatically reduce the harmful emissions from the vessels (the company hints they'd output nothing more than water) without compromising on reliability or safety. Boats wouldn't be stuck if they have to dock somewhere which can't offer natural gas, either, as they could rely on distillate gas in a pinch.
OnStar is helping GM plan for an autonomous-car future
General Motors has been on a tear lately. The automaker recently invested $500 million in Lyft and acquired both self-driving startup Cruise and ride-share company Sidecar. And that's all since January. But there's one thing that GM has had for years that might give it an edge over the competition: OnStar.
Royal Caribbean's cruise of the future looks a lot like the present
When I think of the ultimate future cruise ship, many things come to mind. Most of them borrowed from Star Trek, I'll admit. Holodecks, food replicators, staff in tight-fitting onesies -- that kinda thing. I'd also be willing to throw in some robot barmen, virtual balconies, apps and RFID trickery. This is 2014, not the 24th century after all. Lucky, then, that Royal Caribbean's self-proclaimed "smartship" -- Quantum of the Seas -- has all of the above (up to the barmen bit, not the replicators or holodeck). There was no boldly going anywhere just a short jaunt down the English Channel, but I took the chance anyway, to see what the future of cruising might look like.
Royal Caribbean's latest ship sports a robot bar, super-fast connectivity
Assuming you weren't traveling on the Carnival Ecstasy or Crown Princess, your last cruise ship probably had flushing toilets and 24/7 electricity, but not much else in the way of tech amenities. Royal Caribbean's latest vessel, the Quantum of the Seas, promises so much more. We've already met the ship's Virtual Balconies, which use 80-inch displays to bring a live sea view to windowless staterooms, but the company just announced a slew of other features, including a new venue called Bionic Bar where you can place an order on a tablet and watch a robotic bartender mix up your concoction.
Tour the world's largest cruise ship with Google Street View
From electrical system breakdowns to backed-up toilets and even a capsized ship, it hasn't been a great decade for the cruising industry. Even when your trip goes off without a hitch, you'll probably be eager to disembark after a week in close quarters with 2,000 other families -- even on the world's largest cruise ship, the nearly 1,200-foot Allure of the Seas. Fortunately, that vessel is now open for virtual tours, courtesy of Google's Street View, so you can see what cruising's all about. You can stroll (or click) through some of the more popular "neighborhoods," such as Central Park or the Royal Promenade (a shopping mall). You can also check out five of the 26 restaurants, from Chops Grille to Cupcake Cupboard, or the "Family Fun" areas, such as the H2O Zone water park or the onboard ice rink, all from the comfort of your spacious hotel room.
Cruise aims to make a self-driving car out of one you already own
We're plummeting headlong into a future of cars that move without us, and you may not have to buy a brand new ride to be a part of it. You see, a startup called Cruise has been showing off a working prototype of its aftermarket RP-1 kit, and it aims to bring self-driving smarts to the car you already have.
Solowheel unicycles are now cheaper and lighter, but still hard to tame
I'm not going to lie: Various parts of my body are still in agony as I'm typing up this article. Yesterday, I attended Inventist's Beijing event where it launched four new Solowheel electric unicycles, as well as the two-wheeled Hovertrax. And in case you didn't get my hint, yes, I had the fortune of test riding some of these human transporters afterwards. For those who aren't familiar with the Solowheel, imagine this: it's like a Segway but sans handle and only with one wheel between your legs, so you'd have to work harder to tame the self-balancing mechanism. If you're already a unicyclist then this shouldn't be a problem at all.
Royal Caribbean uses 80-inch HDTVs to create 'virtual balcony staterooms'
Every cruise-goer wants the ability to recreate the Jack and Rose experience of "flying" on the bow of the ship from their room, but unless you book a window suite early, getting that experience can pose a Titanic-sized challenge. For latecomers who want the waterside experience, Royal Caribbean is offering "virtual balcony staterooms" with 80-inch floor-to-ceiling HD displays framed to look like an actual balcony. The TVs display close to real-time video from the bow and stern of the ship shot on RED Epic HD cinema cameras, complete with audio. Guests can set the mood by switching between cams using an in-room remote, or close the curtains on the display if it gets too romantic. Sound nauseating? Control Group, the company behind creating the rooms, worked with experts from M.I.T and Harvard on a special fibre-channel delivery system to make sure the experience of moving differently than what you see on the screen doesn't make you want to toss your cookies. Eighty of the new rooms set sail for the first time February 5th on Royal Caribbean's ship Navigator of the Seas. You can book a romantic television-side stay for future voyages now on the company's website.
Breakfast Topic: Would you go on a WoW cruise?
BlizzCon, SchmizzCon -- I want to go on a Blizzard World of Warcraft cruise. Did you know that cruise lines do theme cruises for types of stuff like this all the time? They sure do. Also, going on cruises is the best vacation because you don't have to think about anything. Jonathan Coulton had a cruise. Weezer has a cruise. They did Mac cruises. WoW should have a cruise, and I'd go in a heartbeat. Let's get this going! Panels, shows, theme nights, and tons of fun with Blizzard employees -- doesn't this sound like an incredible time? I am such a giant nerd ... Would you go on a WoW-themed cruise with Blizzard? It could totally happen. Have you ever been on a theme cruise before and have stories to tell? Sound off in the comments.
Celebrity Eclipse 'iLounge' described as an 'Apple store at sea'
Ah, yes. The open sea, fine dining, relaxation, and an Apple-certified employee available to troubleshoot your iMovie problems. That's the case on the new Celebrity Eclipse cruise ship at least, which is set to make its maiden voyage this April complete with a "Celebrity iLounge" on board. Described as a "hip, modern lounge," the iLounge includes an internet cafe equipped with 26 workstations, a second retail space where guests can try out and buy various Apple products and accessories (yes, Celebrity is now an Authorized Apple Reseller), and a third "enrichment center" that will offer classes on the iLife suite of programs and other general topics. Of course, it's not a real Apple Store at sea. Floating cubes can be a bit tippy.
iPhones ahoy! Making calls on cruise ships, updated
TUAW reader Troy sent an email the other day stating that he'd found one of our posts from last August to be very helpful. In Using your iPhone on a cruise ship we talked about Cellular At Sea and getting your iPhone to send and receive pricey calls from many cruise ships. How expensive are they? Last year, they were running about US$0.79 per minute. This year, they cost about the same.Troy's email got me thinking about how to make cheaper phone calls on cruises, since I'll be on two cruise ships next year. Since last August, we've seen Skype for iPhone / iPod touch [App Store] appear, and for US$2.95 a month you can make unlimited calls to the USA and Canada over a Wi-Fi connection. That's great, but you're going to need to pay anywhere from $0.30 to $0.75 per minute for that Wi-Fi! And another big dead fly is floating in that soup -- the bandwidth on cruise ships is so incredibly low that your calls may not even go through using Skype or another VoIP app.Unfortunately, things haven't improved much in this realm since last year. My recommendation? Buy the biggest onboard Wi-Fi account you can afford (more minutes = cheaper per minute) and use it with your iPhone or iPod touch for emails, Tweeting your friends, using IM, and checking TUAW. If you want to send voice messages to your pals, record them in the new iPhone OS 3.0 voice memos app or (if you have a 3GS) with video, and then email the messages over Wi-Fi. Your friends can respond the same way.If you absolutely must have a two-way conversation, your cheapest alternative is going to be to wait until you're in a port, then use one of AT&T's international calling plans (or another carrier's plan if you're not in the US) or see if you can use Skype at a portside bar with free Wi-Fi. You probably don't want to use the ship's on-board satellite phone service at the US$6.99 to US$10.99 per minute rate!Do you have any other hints for cheap communications afloat, other than sending postcards from ports? Let us know in the comments.Thanks to Troy for reminding us about cruise ships and iPhones
New eco ferry uses wind and solar to get you to the Rock -- and hopefully back
Cruising across the open seas may seem like a great way to get close to nature, but take a look at the sheer quantity of fuel most boats suck down as they power through waves (and manatees) and you'll realize the truth. Thus a new breed of eco-friendly boat has arisen, the latest entry being San Francisco's Alcatraz Cruises Hornblower Hybrid ferry. The ship, which will take passengers on trips to the Rock and elsewhere in the Bay, uses two vertical wind turbines and a solar panel to power its on-board electronics, with any excess juice going to the boat's propulsion systems -- which still rely mostly on diesel to get the craft and its passengers where they're going. Okay, so it's perhaps not as green as other eco-boats we've seen, but a tour on this one should be a good bit more affordable when it enters service early this year. [Via Inhabitat]
Macs being installed in cruise ships, hotels
Yesterday we posted a tip about using your iPhone on a cruise ship, but what about if you want to use a Mac on a ship or in a hotel and you don't have a MacBook to take along with you?AppleInsider's Prince McLean is reporting that installations of Macs in hotels and on cruise ships are going strong, with thousands of Apple machines being sold for installation in those locations by Apple's Enterprise Sales Group. Back in June we mentioned the Fontainebleau's plans in Vegas -- they're also installing another 1,400 24" iMacs in rooms at the flagship resort in Miami Beach. Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines has Mac minis installed on its Freedom Class (3,600 passenger) ships, and is working with Apple on IT infrastructure for its upcoming Oasis Class (5,400 passenger) liners. The deployments planned will have up to 16,150 Ethernet drops per ship, racks full of Xserves, and thousands of client Macs. Whether it's an in-room email and information kiosk, a public information center, or an intelligent set-top box, the Mac is definitely making inroads into the hospitality and travel industry.[via AppleInsider]
HD IPTV solution for vessels and cruise ships gets showcased
If there's one glaring negative about hopping on a cruise ship off the coast of Europe and letting go for weeks at the time, it's the gaping hole in your soul created from losing HD programming for that same amount of time. Now, however, RICO is showing off BNS' HD IPTV solution designed specifically for vessels and cruise ships at the Asia Pacific Maritime trade show. Purportedly, the solution will support broadcast HD channels, video-on-demand services, personal messaging and interactive services, and while no cruise lines were specifically mentioned, the firm is unquestionably aiming to "deploy BNS' MDU IPTV solution to the hospitality market in the maritime segment." Pssh, who needs ocean views when you've got this?
HTC's Touch Cruise caught on video
Hot on the heels of the official announcement of HTC's Touch Cruise -- the company's new, touch-sensitive, GPS equipped wonder-device -- come these "in the wild" pictures and video from CoolSmartPhone. As you can see, the Touch Cruise is sporting the now-familiar HTC TouchFLO interface, though apparently the handset-maker has updated the picture and video album UI. The site also hosts some shots of the GPS navigation in action, and examples of the updated onscreen keyboard. Check the video after the break, then point your browser towards the read link and see all the shots.
HTC Polaris gets specs leaked, renamed the Touch Cruise
The next step in the HTC Touch line -- the GPS-equipped Polaris -- has been re-christened the Touch Cruise, and has gone and gotten its juicy specs all leaked out to the internet. In addition to having improved TouchFlo capabilities, like rotation and zoom, the new model will sport a quad-band GSM radio (850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900), tri-band UMTS (850 / 1900 / 2100), HSDPA and HSUPA data connectivity, a 400MHz MSM7200 Qualcomm CPU, 128MB of RAM and 256MB of ROM, a 2.8-inch, 320 x 240 QVGA display, 3-megapixel camera (plus secondary, 0.3-megapixel camera), WiFi, Bluetooth, and a microSD slot. Apparently, the design of the device hasn't been finalized, though it will likely feature four buttons and a navigation wheel (similar to the pics up above). Mouth watering? Eyes tearing up? We understand. The Cruise is expected by the end of November, so go easy on your credit cards till then.Update: Thanks to CoolSmartPhone and Smart Mobile Gadgets, we've gotten a proper view of the Touch Cruise, and it's sweet!
Nintendo uses Summer to promote the Wii
Playing your favorite console at home is for suckers, apparently, as Nintendo shot us a press release reminding us that the Wii will be rocking several different venues in the U.S. this Summer. Aside from the cruise ships and theme parks the console has already been confirmed to be available at, Nintendo adds sporting goods retailer Dick's to the list. Dick's, who is sponsoring a Soccer tournament this Summer, will have Wii's on display in various stores during the 53-city-wide tournament. The Wiis will naturally have sports games available for play to all of the kids participating in the tournament, including Wii Sports and Mario Strikers: Charged (after it release on July 30th).[Via press release]
