When DJI revealed its tiny $200 Neo drone, I immediately saw how it could fit into my vloggers toolkit to supplement my Mini 4 Pro and Mavic 3 Pro. Flying those sophisticated drones is a whole thing that requires planning. But the Neo can be launched spontaneously to grab quick and fun shots, thanks to features like palm takeoff and voice control. That ease of use also makes it ideal for the social media influencers.
Though beginner-friendly, its quite powerful. You get features from DJIs bigger drones like ActiveTrack, FPV capabilities and even support for DJIs Mic 2. And forget about the fuzzy video you may have seen on other cheap drones. The Neo can record in sharp 4K, making it suitable for content creators who need affordable aerial video.
Its not perfect though, as the Neo is noisy and lacks vertical video, something influencers will likely want. Still, it looked like the kind of product that could appeal to all types of people, even creators like myself who already have multiple drones. To see how it performed, we put it through a variety of scenarios from events to weddings and even flying just for fun.
Design and features
With a softly sculpted design and protective propeller guards, the Neo gives off safe, friendly vibes. Its DJIs lightest drone by far at 135 grams, less than half the Mini 4s heft, and is small enough to fit into a large jacket pocket. The devices diminutive size also means its exempt from any drone license requirements.
The Neo has a rich feature set, but all you need to start flying is your hand. Simply place the Neo in your palm, press the new mode button at front and itll take off and perform one of six preprogrammed smart shots. Those are Follow (the drone tracks and follows you around), Dronie (it starts tight on your face then flies up and away from you), Circle (flies around you), Rocket (starts at face level and flies straight up), Spotlight (keeps you centered in the frame but doesnt move) and Direction Track (for vlogging). After you complete the shot, stick out your hand under the Neo to land it.
Another great option for newbies is voice control, which lets you fly and record video by speaking into the Fly More app. I wasnt able to try this feature in my initial hands-on tests, but it has now been enabled via a firmware update. You can either tap on the voice button to say a command or enable the wake word settings. Then, you can just say, Hey Fly to activate it.
Steve Dent for Engadget
For instance, saying the word dronie will activate the dronie flight pattern and start recording. You can then change parameters using commands like closer, farther and higher. It also includes the safety commands land, stop and brake.
The setting is a great way to give users some control over the social media-oriented quick shots without the need to touch a controller. It was straightforward to set up, and I found that it responded quickly and reliably to my commands. However, youll need to keep the phones mic close to your mouth when the Neo is nearby, or the propeller wailing will drown out your voice.
Steve Dent for Engadget
The Neo is also DJIs first drone that can be piloted using a smartphone alone. Switching the app into manual mode brings up a touch screen with full maneuvering controls. It also offers a camera/video mode and return-to-home toggle. Theres a serious caveat to using it, though, as Ill detail shortly. For more serious piloting, the Neo supports multiple DJI controllers (sold separately), including the RC N3 model that requires a smartphone. You can even use it as an FPV drone with DJIs RC Motion 3 and DJI Goggles 3. Those controllers offer most of the features available on other DJI camera drones, like cinema, normal and sport modes, along with auto and manual video settings.
What you wont see are any obstacle detection sensors, which is one reason the Neo is so cheap. The only crash protection measures are the cameras subject detection AI, a downward facing IR landing sensor and a rugged design that resists minor accidents.
As for storage, theres no microSD card slot, so the Neo relies on the 22GB of internal memory that holds 40 minutes of 4K footage or 55 minutes of 1080p video. You can transfer the files to a PC or other device via the rear USB-C charging port. Again, this is less than ideal, but it keeps the price down.
Performance
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If you have low performance expectations for a 5-ounce, $200 drone, get ready to be pleasantly surprised the Neo is maneuverable, fast and fun. It can hit speeds up to 18 mph in sport mode, which is half that of the Mini 4 Pro, but still at the upper end of this category. You can even fly it in fairly blustery winds up to 18 mph, though it could get blown into another county if you let it get too far away.
The Neo can also fly twice that speed in manual mode, another feature that arrived in a post-launch firmware update, but requires DJIs FPV Controller 3. With that controller and the firmware update, I pushed it to its top speed. 36 mph is faster than any drone this size by far, but it never felt out of control. However, at that speed the noise level resembles a swarm of particularly irate hornets.
The FPV Controller 3 also opens up the possibility of acrobatic (acro) flying, letting yu perform flips, spins and other maneuvers. Thats a lot of fun, especially knowing that the drone is not only crash resistant but costs just $200 a pittance by drone standards. I'm not an acro pilot, but in the hands of an expert like quadmovr, the Neo can rip through some unbelievable moves.
Steve Dent for Engadget
For novices who want to try first-person video flying (FPV) but arent ready for the tricky-to-use Controller 3, DJIs Goggles 3 and RC Motion 3 are better for FPV newbs. Its certainly not as nimble and quick as the Avata 2, but its still a lot of fun. In fact, its a great learning tool for wannabe FPV pilots with either of those controllers, thanks to the durability and low price.
The Neo is ideal for event videography too, as you can maneuver it almost anywhere to get some cool or dramatic shots. At the same time, the propeller guards make it safe to use around people. Again, its very noisy, so its obviously not suitable to fly through something like a wedding or a best mans speech.
The modes ActiveTrack, Spotlight and Point of Interest (POI) work just as they do on other DJI drones to track or follow you. A key mode for content creators is Direction Track, which lets you do walk-and-talk vlogging while keeping your face in view. With that setting, the Neo is usually flying backwards with no rear obstacle sensor, so youll need a clear path. When I tested this, the drone veered into some tree branches and was thrown off course, but it kept on flying.
I never try to crash drones on purpose, but did have a few mishaps. The Neo hit some trees before falling to the ground a couple of times, and bonked a hard interior floor on one occasion. It not only continued to function perfectly, but had nary a visible scratch, so DJI has done a good job with durability. That said, you can purchase a one-year insurance plan for the Neo at just $22, which covers accidents and loss of the drone.
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With a controller and DJIs O4 transmission, the Neo has a 6.2 mile line-of-sight range in the US, or 3.7 miles in Europe where transmission power is limited. Thats exactly half that of the Mini Pro 4, but pretty extraordinary given the size though Im not sure whod ever want to fly such a lightweight drone that far away. I flew it about half a mile away with no loss of signal, and that was plenty far for my comfort level. Maximum altitude, meanwhile, is unlimited and set by the user.
When using smartphone Wi-Fi control, maximum range is just 165 feet, so its really just for indoor or nearby outdoor use. This is based on Wi-Fi limits, but it also effectively serves as a geofence for novices (the drone just stops and hovers if it gets out of Wi-Fi range). In addition, if youre using the palm or voice control, altitude is limited to around 100 feet.
While small and light, the Neos 1,435mAh lithium-ion Intelligent Flight Batteries support up to 17 minutes of flying time, or around 13 to 14 minutes in the real world not bad in this category. With the Neo alone, it takes an hour to charge a single battery directly within the drone. However, if you spring for the $289 combo kit (including the drone, two extra batteries and a three-battery charger), you can juice three batteries in that same 60 minutes.
Camera
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The gimbal is tucked into a protective housing and can tilt up 60 degrees and down 90. The camera has a 1/2-inch 12-megapixel sensor with an ultra-wide 13mm equivalent focal length and f/2.8 aperture about what youd expect on a decent smartphone.
The Neos video specs are weaker than other DJI drones, but I was pretty happy with my footage considering the price of the Neo. It can shoot 4K 30p video and 1080p at up to 60fps, certainly good enough for most social media users. It also supports 4K in a 4:3 aspect ratio at 30fps, or 1080p in the same aspect ratio but up to 60fps.
The camera doesnt tilt sideways like it does on the Mini 4 Pro, which means it cant do vertical video. Thats unfortunate considering the target market, but adding that capability would also increase complexity and, no doubt, the price. The best bet for social media users is to shoot in 4K and then crop to a 1080x1920 9:16 resolution.
Theres also no D-LogM capability to boost dynamic range as seen on most other DJI drones, and with such a small sensor, low-light capability is poor. However, video is sharp and color accurate, which is well above what youd expect in this price range. The 12-megapixel photos are also good enough for hobbyists and social media users. I expect the average buyer taking aerial shots of their home, family and vacations will be more than pleased.
Steve Dent for Engadget
The Neo also incorporates DJIs software-based RockSteady stabilization along with gimbal tilt stabilization. That should provide smooth enough video for most users, or you can disable the stabilization altogether and use DJIs GyroFlow app in post for better results. The Neo also supports HorizonBalancing, providing level video even if the drone banks up to 45 degrees. Note that for the 4:3 video modes, theres no electronic image stabilization, so you need to stabilize the footage later using GyroFlow or another app.
The Neo can even capture audio with your phone just by tapping the Fly More apps audio record button. Youll get better quality by connecting an external microphone or using DJIs Mic 2. Since the Neo is extremely noisy, the Mic 2 will cancel out much of that prop screeching, leaving your voice clear and legible, albeit with some distortion.
Wrap-up
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DJIs Neo might be small in stature, but it can shoot good quality video and photos safely around people, and does so at a very reasonable price. It has clearly captured the publics imagination, as its already been sold out on DJIs site despite only being on sale for a couple of weeks.
Potential buyers range from novices up to experienced hands who want a small, people-friendly drone for Instagram stories and more. Its ideal for TikTok and other creators because it can act as a robot videographer, helping you record content by yourself. The main issues youll have to live with are the noise, lack of vertical video and limited battery life.
For $200, or $289 if you opt for the combo kit with three batteries and a charger, the Neo is a no-brainer for many creators. The only real competition is the $350 HoverAir X1, which costs more and offers lower-resolution video. But by providing higher quality video for less money, the Neo is a better value.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cameras/dji-neo-review-the-best-200-drone-ever-made-010032884.html?src=rss
X is coming back online in Brazil after officials lifted a ban that took the service offline for five weeks. Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said Tuesday that regulators could take steps to resume the platform's service as the company had complied with the courts demands.
The order for now ends a long-running dispute between Elon Musks X and Moraes. Moraes had demanded X block certain accounts in Brazil, which the company had described as censorship orders. The dispute also ensnared Starlink, which had its Brazilian bank accounts frozen after X initially refused to cooperate with the Supreme Courts demands. The company eventually relented by blocking the accounts in question and paying close to $5 million in fines.
X is proud to return to Brazil. Giving tens of millions of Brazilians access to our indispensable platform was paramount throughout this entire process, the company wrote in a statement. We will continue to defend freedom of speech, within the boundaries of the law, everywhere we operate.
While the standoff is now over, Xs outage in Brazil helped boost at least one rival: Bluesky. The service, which began as a project at Twitter under former CEO Jack Dorsey, said it added more than 2 million new users in the days immediately following the ban.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/x-is-back-in-brazil-after-a-five-week-ban-231406758.html?src=rss
Social media can play a critical role in spreading information (and misinformation) during a crisis. In an effort to promote the former and curb the latter, the White House has started getting active on Reddit.
The profile was created on January 7, 2021, the day after insurrectionists stormed the Capitol in Washington DC. However, today was the first time the account did any public posting. All of the posts from the White House profile today have been sharing information related to relief efforts in response to Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton, which have been causing devastation along the east coast of the US. So far, the content shared on Reddit is very similar to what the official White House team is posting on X.
While today is the debut of a non-partisan White House account, federal officials have taken to the subreddits in the past. Barack Obama hosted an AMA on the platform during his tenure, but it was under his own account rather than through the auspices of the office.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/the-white-house-has-started-posting-on-reddit-230533023.html?src=rss
Contract employees of ride sharing apps and services arent known for having the steadiest or even sanest of pay rates. Lyft just announced some new earnings improvements for its drivers that will help cover their expenses when rides take longer than they should and show them how much theyll earn before they pick up a fare.
Lyft announced the new driver earnings improvements on its official blog. The new earnings improvements aim to tackle drivers biggest frustrations, and make it more rewarding for Lyft drivers.
One of the biggest improvements affects how drivers are paid if they are stuck in traffic or go out of their way to help a rider. Lyft is implementing a new 5-minute-delay pay structure that will increase a drivers pay if any ride takes five minutes longer than expected. Out-of-your-way pay covers drivers who have to drive out of the normal coverage area only to turn around and drive all the way back without any fares.
Lyft is also implementing a new earnings dashboard on the mobile app for drivers. The new interface will also show drivers daily, weekly and yearly earnings and the estimated hourly rate for each ride so drivers dont have to make the mental calculation, according to the post.
Drivers who drive electric vehicles for Lyft are also seeing some new benefits. EV drivers can choose only to receive rides that fall within their vehicles battery range and find nearby charging stations on the Lyft drivers app.
Of course, these new policies and changes wont solve Lyft drivers problems overnight. Itll take time to see if they make a dent (the good kind of dent).This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/lyft-promises-upfront-hourly-rates-and-traffic-delay-pay-for-its-drivers-220142458.html?src=rss
Following 11 months of testing, Mastodon is releasing one of its biggest updates of the year. In a blog post attributed to CEO and founder Eugen Rochko, the non-profit detailed its 4.3 release on Tuesday, promising improvements for nearly every part of the social media experience.
Perhaps most significantly, Mastodon has overhauled how notifications work. To start, the platform will now group boosts and favorites together so that users arent bombarded with notifications when one of their posts goes viral. At the same time, Mastodon is introducing new filters to make it easier to ignore notifications from people you dont follow, newly created accounts and those who send you unsolicited private mentions. With the new feature, you can choose to see those notifications, prevent them from ever reaching your phone or send them to a separate inbox for later viewing.
Separately, Mastodon is introducing a new set of notifications designed to inform users if a server moderator made a decision that affects their account. Specifically, if a mod takes direct action against your account, you receive an in-app message you cant miss. The platform will also notify users when they lose followers due to moderator decisions and offer the option to export a list of affected accounts.
Alongside those changes, Mastodon has redesigned a few different parts of its app. Starting with the compose window, the company says the new interface makes it easier to rearrange media, as well as see content warnings and word filters.
Elsewhere, Mastodon has refreshed its web client, tweaking the softwares color palette, iconography and link previews. Utility emails, including those users receive following a password reset, have gotten a once-over, too. On the interface front, Mastodon has reworked confirmation dialogues to better describe how muting and blocking will affect the user. For example, if youre about to block a server, the app will detail exactly how many followers you stand to lose from that decision.
On the subject of followers, Mastodon has added a new recommendation carousel that users will see after scrolling past the first post on their feed thats older than four hours. At the same time, the company has tweaked recommendations to make them more relevant to people. Rounding things out, Mastodon has refreshed website embeds and made it easier to follow the author of a trending news article.
The enhancements come after X recently changed how its block button works, a move some have argued has made the platform even less desirable to use. Rochko doesnt mention X specifically or Meta and Bluesky, for that matter but does point to a general desire to make Mastodon more attractive to everyday users.
One of [our] ongoing efforts is to make Mastodon easy and delightful to use. Weve invested a significant amount of money and time into working with professional designers and performing user testing over the last few years, but we really ramped up our efforts in 2023, he wrote. Mastodon is quite a large application, and our resources remain very constrained compared to our corporate competitors, but weve made significant progress on improving the look and feel of Mastodon across the board.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/mastodons-new-notifications-wont-blow-up-your-phone-after-a-viral-post-anymore-211215016.html?src=rss
A research company published a damning report about Roblox on Tuesday, accusing the company of inflating its active user counts and enabling predatory behavior on the platform. Although Hindenburg Research has a somewhat notorious reputation, the report at least raises questions about the platforms safety and viability.
First, Hindenburg Research is known for taking deep dives into public companies practices, finding sketchy behavior and publishing it. However, as noted by Simon Carless, a gaming industry veteran and author of the GameDiscoverCo newsletter, Hindenburg also tends to short-sell the companies downfalls, literally betting that its research will lead to their failures. Reuters notes that Hindenburg has previously sunk the share prices of Super Micro Computer and stocks owned by investor Carl Icahn, Indias Gautam Adani.
So, despite making some eyebrow-raising points in the report, you may want to take Hindenburg with more than a few grains of salt. On the other hand, some of its investigations have led to SEC investigations.
As for the specific claims, the researchers say Robloxs stock price is partly based on misleading data. Hindenburg states that Roblox is inflating stats like user numbers and engagement, conflating daily active users with visitors. Our research indicates that Roblox is lying to investors, regulators, and advertisers about the number of people on its platform, inflating the key metric by 25-42%+, Hindenburg Research wrote. We also show how engagement hours, another key metric, is inflated by an estimated 100%+.
Hindenburg quotes former Roblox employees in its report. One claims the company can track users with alt accounts, but its public user tracking doesnt adjust for those. If I have 10 alts [alternate accounts], because Im farming Pet Simulator on 10 accounts and all of those are running a script on different virtual machines in my computer theyre all still coming out of the same IP address, Hindenburg quotes the former employee as saying. I made all 10 of those accounts. Their names are similar. Their account creation times are similarIm still one player, not 10.
De-alting Robloxs numbers, which means adjusting for alt accounts to get a more accurate picture of player count, would allegedly lead to much lower numbers. One of the former Roblox employees reportedly told Hindenburg, Lets say if that number [DAUs] is not de-alted, I think the actual one would be like anywhere between 30 to 20% lower
A Roblox spokesperson provided Engadget with a published statement denying Hindenburgs claims. The company noted that it regularly includes a note to investors explaining how its operating metrics are calculated and has done so since its initial public filing.
The financial claims made by Hindenburg are misleading, Roblox wrote. The authors are short sellers and have an agenda irrespective of the substance of Robloxs business model and results.
Carless also advises taking the researchers claims with grains of salt. Our view on this is that theres no systemic bad behavior by Roblox here, the former game developer and GDC co-runner wrote. The game is giant and chaotic, so of course there are going to be bots and weird behavior all over the place.
Speaking with Reuters, Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter went even further, accusing Hindenburg of getting gaming metrics all wrong. There are many interesting points in that report, but they seem to misunderstand a lot about how games work, Pachter reportedly said. He said the research firm measured engagement based on a session. However, gamers typically log on multiple times daily, playing various games. The Hindenburg test looks like it measured session length for a single game for each user, Pachter said.
Hindenburgs report also accuses Roblox of compromising child safety in order to report growth to investors. It even goes as far as accusing the platform of allowing pedophiles to flourish on the platform.
For the second quarter of 2024, in a push toward profitability, Roblox reported a 2% year-over-year decline in its trust and safety expenses, Hindenburg wrote, highlighting the companys shift to AI moderation. Core to the problem is that Robloxs social media features allow pedophiles to efficiently target hundreds of children, with no up-front screening to prevent them from joining the platform.
Robloxs child safety problems have been reported before.
Hindenburg said it tried to set up an account under Jeffrey Epstein, only to find the username was taken, along with 900+ variations. One account, JeffEpsteinSupporter, reportedly had multiple badges for spending time in childrens games. Others had disturbing usernames alluding to grooming or raping minors. Even if those accounts were made by attention-starved teens or young adults using edgelord attempts at humor, those allegations, if true, represent a colossal moderation failure.
Roblox wrote that it takes user trust and child safety seriously. Every day, tens of millions of users of all ages have safe and positive experiences on Roblox, abiding by the companys Community Standards, the company wrote in a statement. Roblox takes any content or behavior on the platform that doesnt abide by its standards extremely seriously, and Roblox has a robust set of proactive and preventative safety measures designed to catch and prevent malicious or harmful activity on the platform.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/short-sellers-accuse-roblox-of-inflating-user-stats-and-enabling-child-exploitation-205635537.html?src=rss
Artificial intelligence is expected to have an impact on the upcoming US election in November. States have been trying to protect against misinformation by passing laws that require political advertisements to disclose when they have used generative AI. Twenty states now have rules on the books, and according to new research, voters have a negative reaction to seeing those disclaimers. That seems like a pretty fair response: If a politician uses generative AI to mislead voters, then voters don't appreciate that. The study was conducted by New York Universitys Center on Technology Policy and first reported by The Washington Post.
The investigation had a thousand participants watch political ads from fictional candidates. Some of the ads were accompanied by a disclaimer that AI was used in the creation of the spot, while others had no disclaimer. The presence of a disclaimer was linked to viewers rating the promoted candidate as less trustworthy and less appealing. Respondents also said they would be more likely to flag or report the ads on social media when they contained disclaimers. In attack ads, participants were more likely to express negative opinions about the candidate who sponsored the spot rather than the candidate being attacked. The researchers also found that the presence of an AI disclaimer led to worse or unchanged opinions regardless of the fictional candidate's political party.
The researchers tested two different disclaimers inspired by two different state requirements for AI disclosure in political ads. The text tied to Michigan's law reads: "This video has been manipulated by technical means and depicts speech or conduct that did not occur." The other disclaimer is based on Florida's law, and says: "This video was created in whole or in part with the use of generative artificial intelligence." Although the approach of Michigan's requirements is more common among state laws, study participants said they preferred seeing the broader disclaimer for any type of AI use.
While these disclaimers can play a part in transparency about the presence of AI in an ad, they aren't a perfect failsafe. As many as 37 percent of the respondents said they didn't recall seeing any language about AI after viewing the ads.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/viewers-dont-trust-candidates-who-use-generative-ai-in-political-ads-study-finds-194532117.html?src=rss
Uber has come up with a relatively low-cost way of getting to and from a New York City airport: a shuttle bus. Starting today, the company is offering rides between LaGuardia Airport and transit hubs in Manhattan for $18 a pop. For the first month of the service, Uber is offering half-price rides for $9, The Wall Street Journal reports.
This would be far cheaper than a cab for a solo traveler. It's also more expensive, but perhaps less of a hassle, than taking public transit theres a free shuttle between the airport and the subway.
One route will take passengers between Penn Station and the airport, and the other will run between Port Authority, Grand Central Terminal and LaGuardia. If you're Manhattan-bound, youll still need to make your way to your home, hotel or Airbnb after you get to the drop-off point.
The vans can transport 14 passengers at a time. The service will run between 5AM and 10:45PM ET every day with trips leaving every half hour or so. You can book a spot in a shuttle up to seven days in advance and bring a personal item and a 50-pound bag on board. Before you get on the van, you'll need to show the driver a QR code and PIN that Uber sends you. An Uber shuttle-fleet partner called EPS is operating the rides, but the shuttles have Uber branding.
Uber shuttles have been available in various locations since 2019, but this is the first time the company is offering such trips to and from an airport. Earlier this year, Uber started running shuttles to and from concerts and sports games. It plans to offer shuttles to more airports in the coming months and years.
The company announced the service as part of its Go-Get Zero event, at which it highlighted some new sustainability efforts. Among those is a new EV-only option that will debut in 40 cities in which Uber has enough electric vehicle drivers available.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/uber-starts-offering-18-shuttle-rides-between-manhattan-and-laguardia-airport-193520618.html?src=rss
Pour one out for the Surface Duo 2. As Windows Central points out, Microsoft has pushed out what will almost certainly go down as the devices final software update, a security patch, ahead of its October 21 end-of-support date.
When Microsoft debuted the Surface Duo 2 in October 2021, the company pledged to provide three years of software updates for the dual-screen device. Since then, the company has released just one platform update for the Duo 2, upgrading it from Android 11 to Android 12L. By comparison, Surface Duo users were more fortunate. They got to see their devices make the jump from Android 10 to Android 11 and then later to Android 12L. Ill note here that the latest version of Googles mobile operating system is Android 15.
By modern standards, the Duo 2s run is particularly bad. Some Android manufacturers, including Google and Samsung, now promise to provide up to seven generations of platform updates. Consider also that Microsoft priced the Surface Duo 2 at $1,500 on release. Most of all, its a shame since software was always the Achilles heel of the Duo line. As Engadget Deputy Editor Cherlynn Low noted in her review of the device back in 2021, the device offered more compelling hardware but was still plagued by an inconsistent user experience.
Of course, none of this is surprising if youve been following Microsoft in recent months. As the company has shifted its attention to AI, its Surface portfolio has seemingly fallen to the wayside. In fact, according to a report Business Insider published last year, part of the reason Panos Panay left Microsoft was because the company had canceled some of his units more ambitious projects.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/microsofts-ill-fated-surface-duo-2-foldable-recieves-one-final-security-patch-192001469.html?src=rss
The Vegas Loop, underground tunnels built by Elon Musks Boring Company that snake underneath Sin City, hasnt been the traffic or even technological game changer the company promised it would become. It was supposed to be a futuristic, autonomous people mover that looked like public transit from the Tron universe. Instead, Las Vegas just got a bunch of underground tunnels where people are transported by ordinary Tesla vehicles that didnt really solve any of the citys traffic problems.
Apparently, its not just Tesla vehicles in the tunnels either. Fortune filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority on incidents involving the Tesla tunnels going back to 2022. The records revealed that the tunnels have seen at least 67 trespassing reports going back to 2022 and 22 instances of vehicles following Teslas into the tunnels and stations.
Borings monthly reports to the Legas Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority also showed several instances of property damage, theft, technical issues, or injuries, near-misses and trespassing or intrusions, according to Fortune.
The cars that wandered into the stations appear to mostly be just accidents in which drivers followed the Teslas into the unauthorized areas. The trespassing incidents are a bit more egregious and Fortune described them as a headache for the Boring Company.
Some of the more notable instances include a skateboarder who snuck into the tunnels through a passenger pickup station, two people who were spotted sleeping in one of the tunnel stations and a man who tried to remove a license plate reader at a station. In each case, Boring security escorted the trespassing out of the tunnels and stations but there are no records showing they were reported to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police.
Even the construction of the tunnels had more than a few sketchy moments but not nearly as amusing. Former Boring Company construction crew members spoke with Fortune back in February including one who said, We have consistently flirted with death. During a six month period last year, Boring reported 36 injuries to Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) officials including heat exhaustion, contusions and crushed hands and elbows. One tip sent to OSHAs Nevada field office reported that 15 to 20 employees were burned with accelerant chemicals while working in the tunnels.
Somehow, none of these incidents have stopped the city and Clark Countys desperate hope for the transit system that the Boring Company promised but never delivered. County commissioners approved a plan last May to expand the underground Tesla vehicle tunnels to 65 miles and add 69 passenger stations.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/the-boring-companys-vegas-loop-is-a-comedy-of-trespassing-errors-191025432.html?src=rss
