We believe that everyone’s future can be richer, happier and more efficient. But you can’t embrace that future unless you take the first, most crucial step: being informed about it.
Welcome to The Tipping Point, a regular post on Future Tech for people who don’t have enough time to read all the full news stories. Instead we shorten them, concentrate everything into one post, put that in your face, and you have to suck it. So let’s go!
This Weeks News!
AI: Tesla Full Self-Driving in early access this year, without supervision next year
Electrek
“Elon Musk has clarified Tesla’s timeline to achieve “Full Self-Driving,” which he thinks could be in the early access program, at least in a limited way, by the end of the year. In short, it means adding city driving to Autopilot, which is currently meant for highway driving, and the new Smart Summon, which handles low-speed driving in parking.”
AI: Tesla updates Autopilot safety numbers; almost 9x safer than average driving
Electrek
“Today’s Q3 update only includes one number: the number of accidents occurring in Teslas with Autopilot activated. During Q3, Teslas had one accident for every 4.34 million miles the system was engaged. This means that Autopilot miles were 9 times less likely to result in an accident than the national average.”
COMPUTE: Samsung announces flagship Exynos 990 SoC, 5G Exynos Modem 5123, and new 12GB RAM chip
Android Police
“The Exynos 990 SoC, continuing Samsung’s tradition of integrating its own custom cores along with Arm’s reference designs, will come in an octa-core configuration as follows: 2x Exynos M5 (likely) custom cores, 2x Cortex-A76, and 4x Cortex-A55. Samsung bills it as a “premium” chipset built on its latest EUV 7nm process, likely destined for future flagship phones, such as the Galaxy S11 (if Samsung sticks to its naming convention). This tri-cluster CPU structure is expected to provide an overall 20% performance boost over its previous-generation effort.”
ENERGY: What does Australia’s new battery installation standard mean for you?
One Step Off The Grid
“Last week, Standards Australia finally published its new standard for household battery installations, including strict new rules designed to minimise fire risk. It means, for one, that installations like this in your lounge room (above) are not possible. But what does it really mean for an industry that is already struggling to gain traction? We try to find the answers to your questions.”
ROBOTICS: DJI Mavic Mini $399 price tag confirmed release ‘imminent’
DroneDJ
“Although DJI has not yet officially announced a release date for the new DJI Mavic Mini, we expect the sub-250-gram, foldable mini drone to be released well before the Q4 shopping season. As far as the specs go, the most important one is the weight. Coming in at 245 grams, it means that this drone does not need to be registered in the US when flown recreationally”
SPACE: SpaceX looks to rule space with 30,000 more satellites
Cnet
“ITU Chief of Space Services Alexandre Vallet confirmed to CNET that the FCC submitted 20 filings of 1,500 satellites each on SpaceX’s behalf. The filings come in addition to the 12,000 Starlink satellites previously approved by the FCC. Yes, you did the math right: SpaceX would like to ultimately be able to operate up to 42,000 satellites. “
TRANSPORT: Tesla plans to increase vehicle power, range, and charging through new software update
Electrek
“Tesla has announced plans to increase vehicle power and range through a new software update coming in the next few weeks. Tesla VP of technology Drew Baglino said that they have found ways to optimize the motor control, and it should result in about “5% improvement for all Model 3 customers and 3% for Model S and Model X” customers. Musk also said that the upcoming update will also bring improvements to the range, single-pedal driving, Supercharging speed, comfort, and feel.”
TRANSPORT: Model Y production gets fast tracked, will outsell all models
Renew
“Tesla CEO and co-founder Elon Musk says that production planning for its next electric vehicle, the Model Y electric SUV, is ahead of schedule and it will be launched in the northern hemisphere’s summer of 2020, instead of its autumn. Musk has taken a ride in one of these prototypes himself – and is so pleased with new electric crossover he thinks it will outsell all other Tesla vehicles combined.”
TRANSPORT: Mazda unveils their first EV, the MX-30; EU orders open now, delivery next year
Electrek
“The MX-30 features a 35.5 kWh battery and a powertrain capable of delivering 105 kW (142hp) of power and 264 Nm (192 lb-ft) of torque. Range is quoted as 130 miles (~210km) for the European model, which is likely using the WLTP testing standard. This means EPA range will likely be lower, around 110-120 miles. The MX-30 will be capable of AC charging at up to 6.6kW, comparable to most EVs, and supports DC charging at up to 50kW with either the CHAdeMO or CCS standard, whichever is appropriate for each market.”
And that’s it for this week! Let us know in the comments what you think or if you have found any other important news!
The benefits include: 1) How to get those silky smooth videos that everyone loves to watch, even if you're new 2) How to fly your drone, from taking off to the most advanced flight modes 3) Clear outlines of how to fly with step-by-step instructional demonstrations and more 4) Why flying indoors often results in new pilots crashing their drone 5) What other great 3rd party apps are out there to get the most out of your drone 6) A huge mistake many pilots make when storing their drone in the car and how to avoid it 7) How to do all of these things whilst flying safely and within your countries laws.