Uber has launched a new invite-only luxury ride experience called Uber Elite. Aimed at "executives, frequent travelers, and riders looking for a more elevated experience," it sounds like an upgraded version of Uber Black for the, well, uber-rich.
A ride booked through Uber Elite will be operated by a professional chauffeur driving a new-model luxury vehicle less than three years old. An Elite-only "Meet and Greet" feature allows riders to pre-arrange to be picked up in the airport terminal they arrive at from a flight, with their chauffeur dutifully awaiting them at baggage claim.
Uber says all Elite rides include chargers, bottled water, mints and premium hand wipes. If those perks are deemed too basic by the customer, they can also request sparkling water or champagne in the app ahead of their ride, and Uber says itll work with its partners to accommodate them "where feasible." Once an Uber Elite trip is booked, the rider can also take advantage of round-the-clock phone support.
The new luxury service is available through the Uber app, as well as via Uber Reserve and Uber for Business. Rides can be booked one hour in advance or up to 90 days ahead.
Uber Elite is launching first in Los Angeles and San Francisco, with New York to follow soon, and then other cities in the US and internationally. Invitations will first be extended to frequent Uber Black and Uber for Business users, before the service is eventually made available to all riders. If you think youre important enough, you can join a waitlist right now.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/uber-is-shooting-for-even-more-upscale-clientele-with-uber-elite-150620441.html?src=rss
Ahead of its official release later this spring, today Rivan is announcing full pricing and trim levels for its long-awaited R2 electric SUV. The rollout for the company's first mid-size (two-row) offering will be similar to its previous vehicles, with more expensive premium models hitting the road first this spring, followed by more affordable configurations becoming available later this year and into 2027. This timeline is especially important for anyone hoping to snag the $45,000 base model of the R2, which isn't expected to go on sale until sometime in late 2027. The R2 Performance with Launch Package and R2 Premium trims will arrive initially as model year 2027 vehicles, followed by the R2 Standard (MY 2028) next year. The new R2 with Rivian's Black Crater interiorRivianSome features that will be standard on every R2 are a native NACS charging port and Autonomy+ hardware. However, for the latter, while new vehicles will come with a free 60-day trial of Autonomy+, once that expires, owners will need to choose between a one-time fee or a monthly subscription to continue using Rivian's enhanced hands-free driving tech.Regardless of which trim or performance package you prefer, the arrival of the R2 is a huge deal for Rivian as it represents the company's first true mass-market vehicle that looks to bring a lot of the tech and engineering used in the R1T and R1S to a more affordable price point.For a closer look at the R2's trim levels and pricing, see the breakdown below.R2 Performance with Launch PackageAvailable Spring 2026 starting at $57,990Features a dual-motor AWD setup with 656 horsepower and 609 lb-ft of torqueEPA-estimated range of up to 330 miles0 to 60 time of up to 3.6 secondsNotably, the Launch Package will include a free lifetime subscription to Autonomy+, along with 20-inch Black Sand all-terrain wheels, a limited Rivian Green anodized key fob, exclusive Launch Green exterior paint option (which will be a paid upgrade) and a tow package that supports up to 4,440 pounds of towing capacity.Other inclusions on the Performance trim include an Esker Silver exterior, semi-active suspension, Compass Yellow brake calipers and rear drop glass. This config also features Rivian's Matrix LED headlights with adaptive high beams, integrated tow hooks, a flashlight that can be stowed inside the driver door and 21-inch tungsten all-season wheels.The interior features birch wood accents with a Black Crater color scheme along with heated and ventilated front readers, heated steering wheel, heated rear outboard seats and 12-way adjustment with lumbar support for the driver and front passenger.R2 PremiumAvailable late 2026 starting at $53,990Features a dual-motor AWD setup with 450 horsepower and 537 lb-ft of torqueEPA-estimated range of up to 330 miles0 to 60 time of up to 4.6 secondsThe premium trim includes many of the same features as the Performance model, but with smaller 20-inch bicolor carbon all-season wheels and fewer drive modes (there's no option for rally, soft sand and launch).R2 Standard (aka the RWD Long Range configuration)Available first half of 2027 starting at $48,490Features a single motor RWD setup with 350 horsepower and 355 lb-ft of torqueRivian-estimated range of up to 345 miles0 to 60 time of 5.9 secondsFinally, the R2 Standard variant features a slightly more spartan kit consisting of heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, 12-way seats (but only for the driver) and 19-inch machine graphite wheels. R2 Standard (aka the base model)Available late 2027 starting at $45,000Rivian-estimated range of 265+ milesMore detailed info will be released closer to launchThis article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/rivians-r2-ev-arrives-this-spring-with-a-58000-price-tag-150000363.html?src=rss
This infographic explores how people feel about AI-generated voices and music, whether they believe they can recognize AI-generated audio, and how they say AI-generated audio impacts their perception of brands Read the full article at MarketingProfs
Marketing is entering a new era where AI, interoperability, and advanced measurement redefine campaign execution and accountability. Discover how marketers can drive real business outcomes. Read more. Read the full article at MarketingProfs
Its not just the major social platforms that know how effective an endless scroll of short videos is at hijacking your dopamine system. Disney+ is adding Verts, a selection of short vertical clips you can scroll through to keep your brain chemistry happy when you are in the bathroom so inclined. The company says its a dynamic feed to help users quickly find their next favorite watch, letting you jump straight in to see the full movie or TV show the clip hails from. Not to mention the side benefit of elbowing out those social platforms, many of which use cut-down clips of Disney-owned content anyway.
Disney said it would be adding vertical video to its premiere streaming platform back in January, and it also launched Verts on the ESPN app last year. Today, it said the addition of vertical clips drove additional engagement, but neglected to mention by how much. It's worth noting Disney's not an outlier here Netflix announced a similar pivot back in January as well.
The company does say, however, that its recommendation engine has an advanced algorithm to ensure the clips are relevant to each user. Naturally, Disney is happy to lean on the century or more of content in its library, but also said Verts could broaden out to include content from creators that reflects our fandoms. Which you could (and should) take as a plan to at least try to put a tank or two on YouTubes front lawn.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/disney-gets-its-own-time-sucking-vertical-video-section-133308487.html?src=rss
The first season of a TV show is a tricky thing. It has to convince people to watch it and justify the shows existence to the network (or streaming service) execs. It has to deal with actors and writers who may not have fully dialed into the characters and world yet. There are some shows with absolutely stellar first seasons Stranger Things, Veronica Mars and Ted Lasso are a few but many other hit shows stumbled out of the gate, like The Office and Supernatural.Star Trek is not immune to this phenomenon. The Original Series had a decent first season, with classic episodes like The City on the Edge of Forever. But the next four shows all have rather weak beginnings, with even fan-favorite The Next Generation stumbling badly with episodes like Code of Honor. That show picked up in season three, beginning a trend called Growing the Beard, in reference to how Commander Rikers new beard coincided with the uptick in quality.This trend unfortunately continued into the current era, with 2017s Star Trek: Discovery delivering a first season with an overwhelmingly dour tone and a lot of franchise changes that didnt sit well with fans. The show made some tweaks in season two (including a change in setting that involved traveling 900 years into the future), and showed a lot of improvement with season three. Picard also floundered horribly, with an uneven first season that killed off some fan-favorite characters and also turned the title character into an android. Things started looking up after that, with shows like Strange New Worlds all posting strong outings with their first go-arounds. While episodes like A Quality of Mercy and Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach may not make the list of all-time classics, there are no outright stinkers. It seemed like the franchise as a whole was finally finding its footing in this new streaming era.L-R: Tatiana Maslany as Anisha, Sandro Rosta as Caleb, Kerrice Brooks as SAM, Bella Shepard as Genesis, and George Hawkins as Darem in season 1, episode 9, of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy streaming on Paramount+.Michael Gibson/Paramount+That leads us to Starfleet Academy, which debuted in January on Paramount+. Prior to its premiere, the internet was full of people deriding it as CW Trek and declaring that they dont want to watch a show about teenyboppers that wasnt real Star Trek. Now that the show has finished its first season the internet is still full of people complaining. But many folks who were wary of it at the beginning have been pleasantly surprised every day there seems to be multiple posts on various Star Trek subreddits along the lines of Starfleet Academy is actually good?!? I personally didnt enjoy the first episode, but episode two turned me around rather quickly, and it seemed that every week brought new converts.Granted, 10 episodes is a short amount of time to make an impact, but Starfleet Academy did a lot with that number. Four of the episodes are dedicated to the ongoing villainy of Nus Braka, a murderous pirate played with scene-chewing delight by Paul Giamatti. These have all been pretty straightforward adventure stories, which also did a good job of fleshing out not only Braka, but cadet Caleb Mir, whose mother went to prison because of Braka.The emphasis on Caleb in the first episode made it seem like the show would focus on him, much in the way Discovery focused on Michael Burnham, but he took a back seat as the show explored the other characters as well as its setting. Episode two, Beta Test, focused on diplomacy, a long-standing theme of Star Trek, and even shook up the status quo by moving the Federation headquarters from Earth to Betazed. Paul Giamatti as Nus Braka and Holly Hunter as Captain Nahla Ake in season 1, episode 6, of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy streaming on Paramount+.Brooke Palmer/Paramount+Episodes four and five were more personal stories, with Vox in Excelso focusing on soft boy Klingon character Jay-Den as well as the fate of his race in general after hundreds of years, while Series Acclimation Mil also gave us characterization of photonic being Sam along with some heartfelt fan service for the Deep Space Nine fandom. Sam would also shine once more in The Life of the Stars, an episode that dealt with trauma, but also (again) delivered fan service in a way that didnt feel like pandering because of how it was used to develop not just Sam, but also the Doctor, a legacy character from Voyager.Its not that every episode in season one of Starfleet Academy is a masterpiece Vitus Reflux and KoZeine are somewhat weak but none of them are outright bad, making the batting average of the season rather high. That bodes well for word-of-mouth, as it's easier to recommend a show when you don't have to couch it with excuses about how it gets good eventually.It will need that word-of-mouth if it wants to get through a complete four seasons of schooling; season two just finished filming so we're guaranteed at least that, but there's a lot up in the air for not just the show, but the entire franchise. Strange New Worlds season four will debut later this year, and then we have an abbreviated season five to look forward to. But past that, nothing firm is on the horizon: Starfleet Academy hasn't been renewed yet, and projects like the Tawny Newsome-helmed comedy show are still in development with nothing tangible revealed yet. Newsome played Beckett Mariner on Lower Decks and worked in the writers room for Starfleet Academy she's an example of how Paramount has been building up a roster of talent behind the scenes for the franchise who, even when a show is new, understand the universe and, more importantly, how to work together to make good TV. And that's going to be important in the next year or so, as Paramount makes decisions about the future of the franchise in the shadow of the recent Skydance merger and the upcoming Warner Bros. purchase. StarTrek has an uphill battle ahead of it, but at least Starfleet Academys first season has made it an easier climb.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/starfleet-academy-is-the-best-first-season-of-as-star-trek-show-ever-133000267.html?src=rss
Google has announced that GFiber is merging with Astound Broadband, in an agreement that sees Astounds parent company Stonepeak become the majority owner, with Alphabet retaining a minority stake.
No financial specifics were detailed in a press release, but the new combined business will be an independent provider led by GFibers executive team, who Google says will use its "expertise in high-speed fiber innovation to manage the combined network footprint." Astound already serves over one million customers across the US, and by joining forces Google says the two providers will be able to grant better internet access to more communities.
GFiber, formerly known as Google Fiber, has been around for nearly 15 years, and currently offers speeds of up to 8Gbps on its $150/month Edge 8 Gig plan. A 20 Gig service was expected to leave early access later in 2026.
The fiber broadband service is part of Alphabets "Other Bets" portfolio, which also includes Waymo, Verily, and Wing, a combined segment that recorded an operating loss of $16.8 billion in 2025, CNBC reports. The companys deal with Stonepeak is subject to regulatory approval and is expected to close in Q4 of this year.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/googles-gfiber-internet-business-is-merging-with-astound-broadband-132832086.html?src=rss
In recent weeks, Google has been busy adding AI features to all of its most popular apps. Following Gmail and Chrome, Maps is now the latest service to get a Gemini makeover, with a redesign of the driving experience headlining the update. Google is billing the new "Immersive Navigation" mode as the most significant update to driving directions in Maps in about a decade. Now instead of displaying a 2D map of the area around your car, Maps will render the surroundings in 3D. Google believes this transformation will make it easier for drivers to orient themselves, with the new view giving greater depth to nearby landmarks like buildings and overpasses. Behind the scenes, the company's Gemini models power the experience, deciding how to render elements to remove distractions. Pulling information from Google's Street View database and aerial photos, Google says its models are also smart enough to know when to highlight road elements like crosswalks, traffic lights and stop signs to ensure you don't miss an off ramp or important turn. At the same time, Google has made the voice guidance in Maps sound more natural. For instance, when you're driving along the highway, looking for where you need to get off, the voice assistant will say something along the lines of "go past this exit and take the next one." I imagine this will be especially helpful when driving in a foreign country with unfamiliar road names. The new intelligence Google has built into the redesigned navigation experience extends to alternative routes. Now, when the app suggests taking a different way of getting somewhere, it will detail the associated tradeoffs with that route. For example, it might tell you it might take longer to travel but you'll encounter less traffic along the way. Before you start your journey, Maps will now also provide a Street View preview of your destination and recommend where to park. This being a new release in Google's self-proclaimed Gemini era, the company has naturally found a way to add its chatbot to Maps. Inside the app, you'll find a new icon labelled Ask Maps. Tap the icon, write a natural language prompt and Gemini will use all the information contained within Maps to craft a response. Google is pitching the feature as a way to get information no traditional map can provide. For example, you could ask Gemini to find you a place where you can charge your phone and grab a cup of coffee, all without having to wait a long time in line. Google suggests finding the answer to a specific question like that would have previously required sifting through countless reviews. Not so anymore. The results Gemini produces through Ask Maps will contain personalized results based on places you searched for and saved in the past. You can also act on any recommendations Gemini surfaces, making it easy to book restaurants, save locations and more.Google is starting to roll out the new immersive driving experience today in the US, with availability to expand over the coming months to Android and iOS devices, as well as CarPlay, Android Auto and cars with Google built-in. Ask Maps, meanwhile, is rolling out to Android and iOS devices in the US and India, with desktop support coming soon.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/google-maps-brings-a-3d-map-to-your-driving-directions-123000843.html?src=rss
JBL just released two new pairs of headphones in its pre-existing Live line. There's the over-ear Live 780NC and the on-ear Live 680NC.
Both sets of headphones have similar specs, despite the difference in design. The biggest news here is likely the battery life. They max out at 80 hours per charge with regular use, which is a fantastic metric. This shrinks to 50 hours when using ANC, but that's still fairly remarkable. We truly live in a golden age of wireless headphone batteries.
JBL's new headphones can also fully charge in just two hours, which is nice. They also offer the option for multi-point connections. There are two dedicated microphones for phone calls, with clarity assisted by an AI algorithm.
JBL
Both can stream high resolution audio via Bluetooth or a wired connection. The models even look similar, with availability in the same seven colorways. The 680NC, however, is slightly lighter.
There is one major difference between the two. The 780NC includes six microphones for ANC, while the 680NC features four. This likely means that ANC performance will be better with the former, which will be assisted by the design itself. Over-ear headphones offer passive noise isolation.
Those extra microphones do boost the price up a bit. The JBL 780NC headphones cost $250, while the JBL 680NC headphones cost $160. Both are available for purchase right now, with shipments going out by March 15.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/jbls-two-new-live-headphones-offer-80-hours-of-battery-each-120044416.html?src=rss
Uber has teamed up with UK self-driving car startup Wayve and Nissan to launch a pilot program for a robotaxi service in Tokyo in late 2026. The program will use Nissan Leaf EVs powered by Wayves AI Driver automated vehicle technology, which will then be connected to Ubers platform. Trained drivers will be behind the wheel at first, as the deployed vehicles gather real-world data to be able to navigate Tokyos driving conditions and complex streets that are also a lot narrower than the roads in the US. Another company backed by Uber, Nuro, will also test its vehicles on Tokyos challenging streets soon. Nuro has been trialing its self-driving tech in the US for years now and plans to launch a robotaxi service, as well. Theyre not the first companies to take on Tokyo streets, however: Waymo deployed its Jaguar I-PACE autonomous vehicles in the metropolis last year to collect data on its roads and the driving patterns of locals. The pilot program in Tokyo is just part of Wayves and Ubers plan to roll out a robotaxi service in more than 10 cities around the world. In the future, the companies are planning to offer self-driving vehicles as an option in the city through a licensed taxi partner in Japan. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/uber-is-piloting-a-robotaxi-service-in-tokyo-112133871.html?src=rss
