Tech Trends- April 2-3
UberX Wi-Fi, Blue Origin sees more success, Tesla unveils Model 3 and more in this week’s Weekend in Tech Trends.
Tech Trends 1) UberX in Australia is working to provide the ultimate riding experience
UberX in Australia is about to provide everything you might need on the way to your destination. Starting this week, riders taking UberX may get access to free in car Wi-Fi and a super-fast mobile charger.
In partnership with telecommunication company Optus, Uber will soon trial 4G Wi-Fi in 100 UberX cars. According to an online statement, Optus’ Wi-Fi will allow up to 10 devices to be connected in the vehicle at one time, giving plenty of bandwidth to all users.
The trial is currently being implemented, an Optus spokesperson confirmed to Mashable Australia. Once a driver has set up an Optus 4G Car WiFi Kit, riders will be able to connect to the Wi-Fi network by obtaining the name and password, if required, from the driver. This is not the first time Uber has partnered with a company to provide in car Wi-Fi, and I don’t think it will be much longer till this is a much more common feature among Ubers. Keep and eye out for when Ubers around you start becoming Wi-Fi enabled.
Source: Mashable
Tech Trends 2) Blue Origin successfully reused rocket for second time
Private space company Blue Origin has successfully launched and landed it’s New Shepard Rocket for the third time. On Saturday morning, the rocket successfully launched and had a “perfect booster landing” according to Blue Origin CEO Jeff Bezos. The New Shepard Rocket is the same rocket that was launched and landed successfully in both November and January. This marks the New Shepard Rocket’s second time being “reused” and it’s third time being in space. Check out the video below to see the rocket in action(the camera angles are incredible).
Source: TheVerge
Tech Trends 3) The Oculus Rift has (kind of) officially shipped
Some of the initial orders for the Oculus Rift will be arriving later than expected. According to the email note from Oculus, “many” Rifts will be “arriving on schedule and in line with original estimates”, but some customers with pre-orders in the pipeline are going to have to wait for up to 10 days to get their hands on the kit. As an apology, Oculus is waiving shipping and delivery costs for all pre-orders, which may deter some of the frustration customers have. The company says “an unexpected component shortage” is to blame for the delay.
Source: TechRadar
Tech Trends 4) Tesla unveils Model 3 to an overwhelming amount of preorders
Tesla has finally released the Tesla Model 3, which Elon Musk believes will be the car that brings the electric car to the masses. The Model 3 has a price tag of $35,000 and some impressive specs that go alongside that price tag. The Model 3 has a range of 215 miles and has a 0-60mph time of under six seconds. You can also get versions that go “much faster” according to Tesla. While the car is impressive, the amount of pre-orders is what is really shocking.
Tesla says that over 130,000 pre-orders have been placed, more than doubling their expectations. The problem is that the fun ends there. The Model 3 isn’t expected to go into production until late 2017, meaning the car isn’t going to be available for a number of years. So while you can place your pre-order for a mere $1,000, you shouldn’t expect to see your Model 3 in your driveway anytime soon. Check out TheVerge’s coverage of the event below.
Source: TheVerge
