Apple’s investing $1 billion in Softbank’s Vision Fund
According to the Wall Street Journal, Apple has pledged to invest $1 billion in Softbank’s Vision Fund. “We believe their new fund will speed the development of technologies which may be strategically important to Apple,” spokeswoman Krisitn Huguet said. Softbank is expected to use the find to invest in smart objects, and IoT connected projects — an area Apple has mostly stayed away from.It’s a good way...
Intel invests in Nokia’s old mapping division
Here was one of Nokia’s last remaining jewels as the Finnish phone maker gradually atrophied on the way to Microsoft’s disastrous buyout. It was put up for sale in 2015, with Uber rumored to be the most likely destination for the business. But in the end, a consortium representing Germany’s car industry spent around $3.07 billion to secure the company for their navigation systems.Here CEO Ed Overbeek explains that...
Tesla’s new Roadster, and more in the week that was
France just marked a clean energy milestone by opening the world’s first solar road. It’s paved with 2,880 ultra-durable photovoltaic panels, and it stretches for a full kilometer in Tourouvre-au-Perche. In other clean energy news, Panasonic announced plans to invest $256 million in Tesla’s Buffalo solar panel plant. Researchers developed a revolutionary new battery that’s made from a single sheet of paper and...
Pros and cons: Our quick verdict on Lenovo’s Phab 2 Pro
Lenovo’s Phab 2 Pro has a mouthful of a name and a somewhat bland design. But what might seem like a forgettable phone really isn’t: This massive 6.4-inch handset is the first available phone with Google’s “Tango” 3D mapping technology. But while Tango feels magical when it works, bugs and hiccups periodically dampen the experience. Indeed, as is the case with many first-generation technologies,...
The best of Engadget 2016: Editors’ picks
Terrence O’BrienThat Dragon, Cancer and shooting the “enemy”The Engadget team has published a lot of great work this year. I’ve had the pleasure of editing everything from ambitious 4,000 word features, to clever 500 word editorials, but only one story has ever actually brought tears to my eyes. So, for that Aaron, thank you (I think). I’ll never forget how hard it is to edit 10 point font on a laptop...
