On Tuesday, New York City public schools banned ChatGPT from school devices and WiFi networks. The artificial intelligence-powered chatbot, released by OpenAI in November, quickly gained a foothold with the public — and drew the ire of concerned organi…
Amazon’s Kindle Scribe is on sale for the first time, plus the rest of the week’s best tech deals
When we weren’t distracted by all the cool stuff at CES, we found some pretty great deals on tech that you can buy right now. Amazon’s just-released Kindle Scribe, with both reading and writing capabilities, saw its first-ever discount and Razer discou…
LG Display’s latest foldable OLED can bend in both directions
When we first started seeing foldable device concepts a few years back, I was intrigued but not particularly impressed. Many of those early prototypes felt very much like experiments: they were often bulky and the bendy displays seemed fragile. And the…
The adorable Loona petbot is ready to roll into even the coldest of hearts
Humans, we’re a sociable bunch. To that end, we’re pre-programmed to develop technology that helps us stay connected with others. Sometimes, though, the connection can be with the technology itself. Enter Loona, the adorable pet robot that will either …
Dolby Atmos for cars hands-on: Immersive spatial audio hits the road
Dolby Atmos for cars was first announced for the Lucid Air and select Mercedes models in 2021. But with the immersive audio making it to luxury automobiles in the US last month, the company is showing off the setup here at CES 2023 with in-car demos. We got our first listening session in the backseat of a Mercedes-Maybach S 580.
First, let me explain a bit about the car. This Maybach is equipped with a Burmester 4D sound system with 30 total speakers, six of which are in the ceiling. Think of those as playing the role of upfiring drivers in your Atmos soundbar. Amplifiers deliver 1,750 watts of power and both front- and trunk-mounted subs handle the bass (the trunk sub has its own 400-watt amp too). It’s a completely insane setup installed in a $185,000 car.
The immersive sound is so impressive, it even manages to upstage its lavish setting. It’s great for pop tunes like The Weeknd, but much like an Atmos system in your home, the in-car version really shines with genres like jazz. When listening to “So What” from Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue, it felt like I was in a club. In the backseat, the drums were to my right while the horns were up by the driver and so on. The sensation was like sitting in the middle of all the musicians while they did their thing. As someone who has tested several Atmos home theater setups, I was still surprised by the results here. Of course, this is a crazy sound system in high-end luxury car, likely the best iteration of this type of Dolby automotive collab.
Right now, the bulk of the content is audio. Simply link your streaming service of choice, so long as it offers Dolby Atmos Music spatial audio, and you’re all set. The infotainment system in the Maybach had all of the compatible tunes clearly labeled as to which were Atmos. Dolby says there are some companies offering a/v uses, so movies and shows with the immersive audio would sync up with an in-car setup just fine. The company’s senior vice president of entertainment John Couling explained during the demo that he anticipated people would watch movies mapped in Dolby Atmos while their EV charged, for example.
Dolby says Atmos was designed to be scalable from the start, so just like it has for soundbars, the audio platform can be configured for more run-of-the-mill speaker setups in more affordable cars. We’re talking four-channel, six-speaker arrangements. It wasn’t so long ago that Atmos was reserved for only premium soundbars and now it’s available on things like the Sonos Beam via virtualization. So even though a family car or minivan may not have the ceiling-mounted overhead speakers a Mercedes does, immersive audio won’t be out of the question. Much like it’s interesting to see how more budget-friendly speakers handle Atmos, I’m looking forward to hearing what a virtualized version sounds like in a Honda Civic.
Dolby Atmos is currently available on the Lucid Air and Mercedes-Maybach S-Class, as well as the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, EQE, EQE SUV, EQS and EQS SUV. Volvo has already announced that Atmos will be available on the Bowers & Wilkins sound system in the EX90 SUV. The EV will be the first Volvo to have Dolby’s immersive audio inside. The Polestar 3 also packs an Atmos-equipped Bowers & Wilkins setup and it’s due to arrive later this year. The Plus pack specifically includes a 25-speaker system for this task. Lotus has also announced a collaboration with Dolby, bringing Atmos to the KEF setup inside the Eletre EV that’s due to debut in 2024.
How to watch the Awesome Games Done Quick 2023 speedrun marathon
It’s almost time for the 2023 edition of the week-long Awesome Games Done Quick (AGDQ) speedrunning marathon. This year’s event takes place between January 8th and January 15th. As ever, AGDQ will showcase a bunch of skilled players racing to finish ga…
The FCC wants carriers to notify you sooner when there’s a data breach
The Federal Communications Commission isn’t done dragging data breach policy into the modern era. The agency has proposed rules that would improve reporting for breaches at carriers. Most notably, the move would scrap a mandatory wait of seven business days before a telecom can warn customers about a security incident. Hackers would have a shorter window of opportunity to abuse your data without your knowledge, to put it another way.
The proposal would also clarify that carriers must notify the FCC, FBI and Secret Service of any reportable data breaches. Providers would likewise have to alert customers to inadvertent breaches, such as leaving account info exposed. The Commission is simultaneously asking for public input on whether or not breach alerts should include specific information to help people take action. such as the nature of the compromised data.
The FCC isn’t shy about its reasoning behind the tentative rule change. The existing rules are more than 15 years old, and are reportedly “out-of-step” at a time where it’s frequently vital to notify victims and authorities as quickly as possible. In theory, telecoms will warn users sooner and reduce the chances of identity fraud and follow-up hacks. This won’t guarantee timely alerts, but it could minimize the damage for both customers and the networks’ bottom line. It’s also more consistent with other laws on breach reporting, particularly in states like California.
There are potential problems. The proposed rule change would let federal agencies delay customer warnings for an initial period of up to 30 days if the notice might jeopardize a criminal investigation or national security. That could put the general public at risk. The FCC is also wondering whether or not there should be a ceiling on the notification period, and whether smaller carriers should get more time to report intrusions. Public comments (open 30 days after the proposal reaches the Federal Register) may help shape these rules, but there’s no guarantee the end result will address every concern.
What we bought: I sold my car and bought this e-bike instead
To be clear, I still own a car. While I might wish I were hardcore enough to live car-free, I’m not. But instead of owning two or more vehicles (like most American households do), my family now just has one. We bought the RadRunner Plus from Rad Power Bikes after we sold our second car, but I should note that two factors made that move feasible: My husband and I both started working from home, and we moved to a neighborhood that’s only a three-minute walk from our kid’s school. So if I feel a touch of pride in swapping a car for an e-bike, I realize I’m in a fortunate situation that doesn’t apply to everyone.
That said, this bike is rad. It’s fun to ride, it can carry a lot of cargo and takes on hills with seemingly zero effort. I feel like what keeps more people from adopting the bike as a routine form of transport are sweatiness and cargo space. No one wants to show up wherever they’re going looking like they just got out of a sauna, and most of us need to carry around more stuff than what fits in a small bag. The RadRunner solves both issues. If you don’t want to pedal a single stroke, the throttle and 750-watt motor will oblige. If you need space for your kid, your coffee and a bag of groceries, you can configure the bike to handle them all at once (though the accessories are going to cost you).
Rad Power offers three cargo bikes: the RadRunner 2, the RadRunner Plus and the RadWagon. They all have a 45-mile range, a 750-watt motor and an integrated rear rack. The Runner 2 and the Runner Plus are the same size, while the Wagon has an extended (and noticeable) rear rack. When I was first thinking about investing in an electric bike, I saw someone riding one around town with a huge orange rear rack that provided enough room for two school-age kids on the passenger seat. Turns out that was a RadWagon, and while I ultimately went for the smaller Plus model, I’m glad that my Wagon sighting led me to investigate the brand further.
The decision to go for the smaller model was easy (I don’t have two kids or carry all that much stuff), but deciding between the RadRunner 2 and the RadRunner Plus was a little tougher. The former costs $1,500, which is expensive enough, and the Plus adds another $400 to the sticker price. The biggest difference is probably the drivetrain, with a single speed on the Runner 2 and seven speeds on the Plus. The Plus also comes with a cushioned back seat, fenders, an improved headlamp and a control panel with a display that includes an odometer, current speed, battery life and pedal assist levels (the control panel on the 2 doesn’t have a display). The Plus also comes in silver, and it’s very possible that color was the final deciding factor for me.
Before pushing the buy button, I did take a cursory glance at other brands, but no one else seemed to match the level of enthusiasm Rad Power owners put into their reviews. I also liked the large number of accessories they offer. (I’m a sucker for accessories.) Case in point, I bought the front basket, the center console and a basic milk crate and some bolts from Amazon for the back basket, since Rad Power seems to always be out of theirs. I haven’t installed the front basket yet (it requires some light brake rewiring and I just haven’t gotten around to it). The center console is cool, especially the cup holder part, but it negates the sideways step-in benefit of the moped-style frame, so I don’t use it often. So far, the rear milk crate is what I get the most use out of. For kid transport, I got the Thule kid’s seat which fits kids up to 40 pounds, and a grab bar to use with the padded passenger seat once he outgrows the Thule.
Assembly is straightforward with an easy video that walks you through installing the front tire, handlebars, headlight and seat. Rad Power recommends consulting a bike repair person to help, but that wasn’t necessary for me. I liked that the battery came charged enough to get a few rides in. After paying $1,800, it would have been a bummer to have to wait to play with my new toy.
Riding it takes a little adjustment if you’re accustomed to a manual road or gravel bike. First of all, your riding position changes. If you tend to adopt the aggressive, forward-leaning bike messenger position, it might feel a little odd to sit so upright. I’ll admit I felt a little “uncool” the first time I rode it. But that feeling disappeared once I started thinking of the Plus as a moped rather than a bike – more like Roman Holiday, less like Miss Gulch.
The motor kicks in after a half turn of the pedals and you can increase your pedal assist from the light push of a level one to a very zippy level four. There’s also the throttle, which pushes you along with zero pedaling on your part. I find that I use the throttle most after coming to a full stop, particularly at intersections. It engages immediately and quickly propels the bike forward, getting me across traffic safely, with none of the slow start up you have to muscle through on a regular bike. Once going, I mostly rely on pedal assist levels two and three to keep the pace. One thing I noticed is that this bike does not coast. That’s not surprising as it weighs over 75 pounds and has 3.3-inch wide tires, but pedaling more or less constantly made me modify my riding style.
Turns are a little different as well. Where you might feel like a cohesive unit on a road bike, leaning into the turns Tour de France-style, on the Plus, turns are a two-step process: you turn the wheel, then you go in that direction. I was a little wobbly at first but here, too, I got the hang of it. With all that power behind you, it’s nice to know the brakes are solid. There were times when I got going around 25 miles per hour, and the brakes brought me to a stop in a way I felt was safe. I should note that after you reach 20 miles per hour, you won’t get any sort of motor assist. That’s because Rad Power bikes are limited to comply with the legal limits for e-bikes in many states.
In the end, the little differences are just things to get used to, and I got acclimated pretty quickly – especially when facing a 250-foot elevation gain over the course of a ride. I was a little disappointed when I realized the 300-pound weight limit means that my husband and I will never be able to ride the same bike together. Given that I don’t know many couples with a combined weight of under 300 pounds, I feel like this might be true for many adults over 30. Still, this bike has opened up an ideal alternate form of transportation, one in which I can carry lots of cargo plus a kid, while getting only minimally sweaty.
The best iPad accessories for 2023
Accessories will be key whether you’re turning your new Apple iPad into a laptop replacement or just trying to protect it against daily-life hazards. It’s tempting to turn to Apple’s own accessories — and in some cases, you should — but there’s a slew …
Engadget Podcast: Diving into CES 2023
CES is on! This week, Devindra and UK Bureau Chief Mat Smith chat about some of the biggest news from the show, including massive upgrades for laptops, wild new TV concepts and two different pee analyzers! As usual, CES is a mix of major news and random weirdness. Senior Editor Karissa Bell also joins to give us her perspective on the ground at the show.
Listen below or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you’ve got suggestions or topics you’d like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcasts, the Morning After and Engadget News!
Subscribe!
Topics
-
What to look for at CES 2023 – 1:36
-
PC hardware: Intel and AMD release mobile chips, NVIDIA’s 4090 will be in laptops – 3:53
-
TVs and home theater tech at CES – 21:03
-
Displace’s OLED TV will suction mount to your wall – 24:43
-
Accessibility at CES: L’Oréal’s motorized lipstick applicator and Sony’s Project Leonardo PS5 gamepad –49:28
-
Weird stuff: Why were there two different pee analyzers at CES? – 51:25
-
Other news – 1:05:52
-
Karissa Bell’s in-person CES experience – 1:08:24
-
Pop culture picks – 1:15:50
Livestream
Credits
Hosts: Mat Smith and Devindra Hardawar
Guest: Karissa Bell
Producer: Ben Ellman
Music: Dale North and Terrence O’Brien
Livestream producers: Julio Barrientos
Graphic artists: Luke Brooks and Brian Oh