TGIF. It’s been a big week, with Gizmodo Australia in Seoul for Samsung Galaxy Unpacked, there’s been a tonne of news, but it was all very Samsung-y. But if cool folding phones aren’t your thing, never fear, for there are five other things happening this morning.
1. Tesla’s shadowy ‘Diversion Team’ buried hundreds of range complaints
Tesla reportedly created a secretive “Diversion Team” tasked with trying to quickly divert and cancel as many appointments for range-related issues as possible. The unit, according to a Reuters investigation, was reportedly responsible for closing hundreds of cases per week of upset Tesla owners complaining about range performance. Those cars were often working properly but simply failed to meet Tesla’s inflated and exaggerated driving range estimates for its fleet of vehicles. Read more over here.
2. UFO whistleblower claims ‘multi-decade’ coverup
The U.S. has UFO fever. At the first hearing into …UFOs…, Retired Major David Grusch accused the U.S. government of concealing a longstanding program that retrieves and reverse engineers unidentified flying objects, a claim which of course has been denied by the Pentagon. Read more here.
3. Calls to ban ebikes
Following a string of fires blamed on exploding ebike lithium-ion batteries, a campaign to establish regulations on how the batteries are manufactured, sold, reconditioned, charged, and stored has been in full-force in the U.S.. Per AP, consumer advocates and fire departments, particularly in New York City, are urging the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to establish mandatory safety standards and confiscate noncompliant imports when they arrive at the border or shipping ports, so that unsafe e-bikes and poorly manufactured batteries don’t reach streets and endanger homes.
4. Lights, camera, action button
Apple released the fourth beta of iOS 17 to developers, and according to MacRumors, among the changes in the latest beta are some new code snippets that potentially hint at functionality for the rumoured Action button on the upcoming iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. The report notes that the code hints at the fact you can program nine different functions into the action button, potentially allowing you to quickly access the Camera app, turn on the flashlight, and launch the Translate app, as some examples.
5. WhatsApp introduces 1-minute video messages
WhatsApp has overnight announced the introduction of instant video messages. With the feature, you’ll now be able to record and share short videos directly in chat, similar to how you do with voice messages. The video messages will be capped at 60 seconds, with a blog post noting, “We think these will be a fun way to share moments with all the emotion that comes from video, whether it’s wishing someone a happy birthday, laughing at a joke, or bringing good news”.
BONUS ITEM: We love the Microsoft Edgehog.
Have a fantastic weekend.