Month: January 2016

Elon Musk, SpaceX chief executive, at the StartmeupHK Festival this week. Screen capture from YouTube. (credit: StartmeupHK)

During the StartmeupHK Festival in Hong Kong this week, an expansive Elon Musk addressed some key questions about SpaceX's ambitions for Mars, as well as his personal spaceflight plans.

For the last few months rumors have been swirling within the aerospace community about how the company would soon unveil an ambitious architecture that will allow it to begin human missions to Mars within a decade. In response to those rumors, a company source told Ars that nothing was "imminent," and that appears to be true.

During the forum, uploaded to YouTube, Musk said, "I'm hoping to describe that architecture later this year at IAC ... and I think that will be quite exciting." This year's International Astronautical Conference will be held in Guadalajara, Mexico, from September 26 to 30. This may include discussion of both a super-heavy rocket as well as starships that could ferry large numbers of people from Earth to Mars, known as the Mars Colonial Transporter.

FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler. (credit: NCTA)

As cable industry lobbyists criticize a Federal Communications Commission plan to inject competition into the set-top box market, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler today said cable company complaints are off-base.

Since becoming FCC chairman in 2013, Wheeler has repeatedly battled the cable industry even though he himself was once a cable lobbyist.

Wheeler's latest plan would force pay-TV companies to make video programming available to makers of third-party hardware or software without requiring a physical CableCard. This would let consumers watch the TV channels they pay for on other devices without having to rent a set-top box from the cable company.

A Tesla Model Y will apparently be like this Tesla Model X but cheaper and smaller. (credit: Tesla)

Electricity blog Electrek reported today that a source indicated that Tesla could announce two vehicles in March, instead of the expected single Model 3. Reporter Seth Weintraub noted that he could not confirm the source’s statements, he but referenced a presentation that Tesla gave at a Hong Kong meeting this week, which showed both a sedan and a crossover vehicle.

"Yes, obviously, the artwork is simply a Model X and Model S under digital covers, but the fact that there are two cars to be unveiled adds a little more credence to what I’ve heard,” Weintraub wrote.

While Tesla followers have long expected the Model 3, which is supposed to be Tesla’s more affordable sedan, the crossover vehicle could be the Model Y, which Tesla CEO Elon Musk hinted at in October. Based on some comments from Tesla's chief technical officer JB Straubel, the Model Y will apparently be like the Model X but cheaper and based on the smaller Model 3.

(credit: Daniel Parks)

After complying with a federal judge’s order on Wednesday, the City of Berkeley, California will now be allowed to go forward with its cell phone radiation warning law, as it has cut out one controversial line. It is not clear when the new notice will go into effect.

Last year, the city passed a municipal ordinance requiring that a retailer provide, either in the form of a mounted poster, or as a printed handout, this message:

The City of Berkeley requires that you be provided the following notice:

To assure safety, the Federal Government requires that cell phones meet radio frequency (RF) exposure guidelines. If you carry or use your phone in a pants or shirt pocket or tucked into a bra when the phone is ON and connected to a wireless network, you may exceed the federal guidelines for exposure to RF radiation. This potential risk is greater for children. Refer to the instructions in your phone or user manual for information about how to use your phone safely.

Berkeley Municipal Code § 9.96.030(A)

Shortly thereafter, the city was sued by CTIA, the wireless trade group, in an attempt to halt the law on the grounds that it was in violation of the First Amendment—the government was compelling speech by requiring retailers to display the notice. That language was based on warnings and notices already provided by the Federal Communications Commission.

(credit: Mike Seyfang)

A US Department of Commerce task force recommended Thursday that Congress alter the Copyright Act in a bid that likely would reduce financial damages for file sharing copyright scofflaws.

The recommendations from the agency's Internet Policy Task Force don't call for doing away with the maximum $150,000 in damages available to rights holders per infringement. But if Congress adopts the task force's recommendations, it's doubtful there would be large awards, as one of the recommendations would require juries to consider a file sharer's ability to pay and, among other things, the actual value of the works that were infringed.

"We believe that litigants and courts would be well-served by requiring consideration of a uniform set of factors designed to result in an appropriate award based upon the facts of each case," said the report from the task force, which included members from the US Patent and Trademark Office, The National Telecommunications and Information Administration, and other Commerce Department entities.

(credit: HP)

Another smartwatch hit the market today with a considerably quieter launch compared to most others. HP has collaborated with fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi to create the Isaac Mizrahi Smartwatch, a $249 luxe timepiece for women featuring Swarovski crystals, multicolored leather bands, smartphone notifications, and activity tracking.

Following in the footsteps of Fossil, HP says it wanted to give women a watch that uses smart features "without sacrificing style." The device has a traditional analog face and a discreet OLED display at the bottom of the face. That screen will light up to show smartphone notifications, including text, call, and calendar alerts, while the rest of the device functions as a normal watch. The watch's design falls in line with Mizrahi's other timepieces, which feature Roman numeral time indications and interchangeable genuine leather bands. The smartwatch is made of stainless steel and is available with a silver- or gold-colored face, both of which are outlined in a circle of Swarovski crystals.

The Isaac Mizrahi Smartwatch is compatible with Android and iOS devices and will pair with them via Bluetooth as most smartwatches do. The device will track daily activity as well, and it's water-resistant up to 30 meters. One peculiar feature is that the watch will have a direct feed to Isaac Mizrahi's Twitter account, so his tweets will show up on the watch's subtle display.