Business Articles

Previously rumored to arrive as PayPal Coin, the brand's first step into the crypto market finally took place yesterday. The PayPal USD (PYUSD) stablecoin, which will be soon traded via the PayPal apps/website, is fully backed by USD deposits alongside short-term US treasuries and similar cash equivalents.

Shortly after releasing the Fiat 600e electric cross-over SUV, news has broken that Fiat is pitched to launch a budget electric Panda in mid-2024. The electric Panda would be an affordable small EV designed to tempt prospective buyers away from similar offerings, like the Renault 5 and Mini Cooper SE.

Lenovo ThinkPads are still known for rather robust designs, even if newer variants are much thinner and lighter. The Lenovo ThinkPad L13 Yoga G4 AMD is an exception, as the plastic base without any metal frame to strengthen it is rather weak.

Virtually everyone has heard of top technology billionaires such as Tim Cook and Bill Gates, but the fact is plenty of other entrepreneurs made fortunes on tech products and services many of us use daily. This article puts a brief spotlight on Sunil Mittal, Ma Huateng, Zhang Yiming, Carlos Slim Helú and Larry Ellison.

The instruction set architecture (ISA) RISC-V is increasingly seen as a chip-designing goldmine, mostly thanks to its open-source nature. However, it still needs commercial support to drive its adoption, according to big industry players such as Qualcomm Technologies, NXP Semiconductors and Bosch. To this end, they will fund a new, EU-based body intended to help optimize RISC-V for next-gen automotive and wireless applications.

The latest smartphone market research indicates that OPPO is now the top brand in the Chinese market, and is in the top five worldwide, as of the first half of 2023 (1H2023). Its overall share of the global market went up to 10% for that time period. The OEM's success was attributed to the release and adoption rates of cutting-edge foldable devices such as the Find N2 Flip, as well as its current conventional Find X6 flagships.

A new trademark registration has sparked rumours that Volkswagen is reinventing the Golf GTI for the age of electrification. Volkswagen has previously stated that it is committed to the petrol-powered Golf GTI until at least 2030, but it left the door open for speculation about the potential electric hot hatch coming in the years following.

A group of enterprising hackers has managed to take advantage of a known exploit in Tesla's in-vehicle software that allowed them to access thousands of dollars in software-locked features, sideload custom apps, and, most alarmingly, access private user data. The researchers say that this exploit is exclusive to newer AMD-based Tesla infotainment systems.

The Insta360 ONE RS is a high-end modular action camera that has received an uncharacteristic bunch of discounts through some of its major retail channels. Meanwhile, its maker has released teasers for a new way to capture "underwater experiences" with an imminent launch. It might be a whole new form of waterproof camera - then again, maybe not.

Volkswagen appears to be pursuing another partnership with a Chinese company, this time to produce an electric vehicle under its Jetta subsidiary brand. Insiders indicate that there have been talks between the FAW-Volkswagen joint venture and Chinese company Leap Motor.

Tesla CEO, Elon Musk, claims, yet again, that the holy grail of the Full Self-Driving is just around the corner. Based on the CEO's comments on the matter, it appears as though Tesla is moving its vehicle instructions over to an AI-based system that would use a neural net to control the vehicle, instead of a set of pre-determined instructions.

Not only is the new Oukitel RT7 Titan touted as the "first rugged tablet with 5G", it also debuts a new battery large enough to sustain an estimated 2,720-hour standby time. The slate is also equipped with "up to 24GB" of RAM, triple rear cameras with Night Vision and even the option of a convenient built-in handle.

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, could be developing chatbots powered by AI with various personalities and the ability to hold human-like conversations. Per Financial Times, Meta intends to deploy these chatbots across its platforms to boost user engagement.

After starting production of the Dual-Motor R1T using the efficient Enduro drive units, Rivian has apparently made some tweaks to the platform to trade more torque for a small dip in power figures. Along with more torque, which should improve off-road prowess, the company has also trimmed its warranty period on Dual-Motor R1T units.

Following a protracted crowd-funding and pre-sale process, the 4K/144Hz version of Dough's Spectrum monitor is now available with recommended retail prices starting at US$799 or €899. However, it has reverted to a special offer for a few days. The Spectrum One starts at just US$599/€699 - or possibly even less - during the event.

The folks at Munro Live, who have a long history of disassembling and inspecting Tesla vehicles, think the Cybertruck will be much lighter than the 8,500 to 10,000 lbs (3,855 - 4,536 kg) that Tesla's earlier regulatory filing suggested. The pair also dove into the safety and rigidity of the unique chassis construction.

Audi has introduced the e-tron GT as its latest super-premium electric vehicle (EV) for the Chinese market. The luxury sedan has a dual-motor system rated to propel it from 0 to ~62 miles per hour (or 0 to 100 kilometers per hour (km/h)) in well under 5 seconds. It also has ultra-fast charging touted to be able to fill its battery by 75% in under 30 minutes.

The new US fuel economy rules proposed by the Biden administration would likely see EVs occupy 66% market share — an almost tenfold increase — by 2032, if passed. What's more, the new rules impose stricter regulations on pickup truck fuel economy, which have thus far been given more lenient rules under CAFE requirements thanks to “light truck” classifications.

SpaceX asks those chosen to test its newest Starlink Gen 3 router with Wi-fi 6 connectivity to pay US$200 for the privilege, indicating the standalone price of the router. Designed to work with the new V2 Starlink satellite generation, the router has two extra Ethernet ports on the back.

Stellantis CEO, Carlos Tavares, has made some interesting comments about the future of Tesla in its recent semi-annual results presentation. The CEO specifically made reference to Tesla's recent dip in profitability as it starts to contend with legacy carmakers in a highly competitive market with aggressive pricing and tight manufacturing requirements.

A special report claims that Tesla knowingly programmed its electric vehicles to reflect woefully optimistic range figures while the battery was above 50%. The company also allegedly established a special team to shut down customers who complained about inaccurate range estimates, closing service tickets in an effort to save the company time and money.

With a list price of US$149.99 on Acer's website and US$169.99 on Amazon, the 27-inch SB272 Ebi monitor is now down to a mere US$119.99 thanks to a 29% discount from the world's largest online retailer. The highlights of this FHD IPS monitor include a 100 Hz refresh rate, 1 ms VRB response time, as well as AMD FreeSync support.

Sporting one USB-C and dual Thunderbolt 3 connectors, as well as one HDMI port, the SanDisk Professional G-RAID 2 dual-drive storage system with a capacity of 36 TB (model number SDPH62H-036T-NBAAD) and hardware RAID is now 25% off on Amazon. Thanks to this discount, it can be acquired for US$1,199.99 instead of US$1,599.99.

The BenQ LK935 4K Laser Conference Room Projector has been revealed. The device has been designed for video conferencing, with a wide 21:9 aspect ratio and up to 5,500 lumens brightness. Other features include specific Video Conferencing and Presentation Modes, 3D keystone correction and a built-in speaker.

Elon Musk has announced that the site heretofore known as Twitter will "bid adieu" to its former brand identity, iconic blue bird avatar included. Company CEO Linda Yaccarino has touted the announcement as a pivotal stage in the social media platform's evolution into an "everything app" that integrates payments as well as multimedia messaging.

Apple's rumored OLED iPad Pros are not even here, yet are now already credited with the ability to boost demand of other panels made of the same popular screen material made for the tablets or laptops that will be released to compete with them. The resulting growth of their segment is now projected to outpace that of the OLED market in general over the next eight years.

The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max will debut soon. Word on the grapevine has claimed in the past that Apple could launch the phones with a price hike versus their predecessors, and a new report from Bloomberg seems to indicate that possibility as well.

Mere days after CEO Elon Musk announced that more Tesla price cuts were expected, the prediction has come true, with the Model 3's price now discounted to a whopping US$37,940. These prices can be slashed even further to just over US$30,000 when US tax incentives are applied.

Samsung seems nearly ready to move on in terms of its budget Android smartphone offerings already, with a Galaxy A05 apparently poised to take over from the A04 soon. A device by this name has shown up on an independent testing database even though it has yet to launch, suggesting that it might be ready to lead a new generation of Galaxy A handsets into 2024.

Lenovo's latest Legion-brand product event has introduced a new version of the Y9000X laptop to the Chinese market. It has become a lighter and slimmer PC, if anything, in this generation, yet still boasts gaming credentials such as RTX 4000-series graphics to drive a 3.2K 165Hz display. It also boasts 140W charging for a 99.9kWh battery.

Ford's inventory of electric vehicles has consistently grown over the last few months, with some calling it a sign of the US carmaker's failure to sell its EVs. Ford, on the other hand, sees growing inventory in dealer lots as a return to normal thanks to an increase in production capacity. This response comes after Ford outpaced Tesla's Q2 2023 EV sales growth and drastically cut prices on its F-150 Lightning electric pickup.

Tesla has announced that it is recalling upwards of 15,000 of its Model S and Model X EVs after the company found that the front-row seat belt fasteners could have been improperly tightened after repairs. So far, neither Tesla nor the NHTSA have connected any deaths or injuries to the potentially loose hardware.

Toyota has announced that it will be recalling over 12,000 of its bZ3 sedans in China that it built in cooperation with BYD. The reason for the recall comes down to faulty rear door handles that occasionally stop working or, even worse, randomly open while driving. The issue is so severe that Toyota has asked owners to immediately stop driving the vehicles, citing safety concerns.

After shelving Bitcoin as a payment method due to criticism over environmental concerns, it appears that Tesla may start accepting the cryptocurrency as payment for its electric vehicles in the near future. The site's code also makes mention of Dogecoin, which is Elon Musk's favourite crypto flavour. The company has not announced any intentions to resume Bitcoin payments just yet.

Nissan is the latest electric vehicle manufacturer to adopt Tesla's North American Charging Standard hardware. Just like other manufacturers that have made the switch, Nissan will ship NACS-to-CCS adaptors in 2024, and all electric vehicles from 2025 onwards will have NACS ports built in. Nissan has big plans for its electric future, with 19 new electric models planned between now and 2030.

In a surprising move, Tesla has announced that it plans to license its Full Self-Driving hardware and software to other electric vehicle manufacturers, adding that the company is already in talks with one other OEM to include FSD technology. Tesla will also allow existing FSD subscriptions to be transferred to new registrations through the end of September 2023.

Tesla has given us a sneak peek at the dimensions of the Cybertruck during the company's latest investor update, confirming a six-foot bed and a more compact body than any other full-sized double-cab pickup truck on the market. The company also confirmed that deliveries for the electric pickup will start later in 2023.

In another move aimed at strengthening its position in the AI market for business customers, Microsoft has started testing Bing Chat Enterprise. This service is a combination between the popular AI-backed chat and commercial data protection, so all business information is not used to train models or exposed to third parties.

With a generous resolution of 3,440 X 1,440 pixels and comprehensive connectivity options (USB, USB-C, HDMI, DP), the 34-inch Samsung ViewFinity S6 carrying the model number LS34A650UBNXGO is now down by a solid 44% on Amazon. Thanks to this discount, it can be acquired for US$394.93 instead of US$699.99.

Designed with next-generation systems that could hit the market later this year, the industry's first GDDR7 DRAM has now completed the development stage. According to Samsung, the new GDDR7 design sports a 32 Gbps boosted speed per pin while being 20% more efficient and having 1.4 times the bandwidth of its predecessor.

The NHTSA casts an eye towards Tesla's Model 3 electric sedan after a fatal crash in California on July 5. The accident resulted in the death of the other driver and a three-month-old involved in the impact, and it is suspected that Tesla's Autopilot or other driver assistance technology was enabled at the time of the incident.

This specific mid-range configuration of the Lenovo ThinkPad P14s is further equipped with an Intel Core i5 Tiger Lake processor, 16GB of partly soldered RAM and a basic 1080p IPS display with 300 nits of peak brightness but just 45% coverage of the NTSC color space.

Game Pass Core has been announced as a new way to access Microsoft's Xbox multi-player network for less than US$10 a month. The new Pass is only compatible with a limited and specific range of games, however. It will become active later in 2023, and will also supplant the Xbox Live Gold account type from day one.

Three new workstation laptops with AMD Ryzen CPUs are coming out: The new Lenovo ThinkPad P14s Gen 4 and P16s Gen 2 will feature Ryzen 7040U, while the bigger Lenovo ThinkPad P16v combines Ryzen 7040HS with the Nvidia RTX 2000 Ada.

New and interesting features are nice to see, but the changes to the Latitude 9440 almost feel like a beta test when compared to the more reliable physical buttons and clickpad of the Latitude 7440.

A lawsuit against Tesla's board members over the board's compensation has resulted in a settlement that requires CEO Elon Musk and other board members to repay upwards of US$735 million in stock and cash. The lawsuit, which was levelled against Musk and a multitude of other Tesla board members by the Police and Fire Retirement System of Detroit in 2020, ended in a settlement in order “to eliminate the uncertainty, risk, burden, and expense of further litigation.”

Several Nikon Z8 users have reported failing or loose camera strap lugs. This is the second issue the Z8 has had since its inception — one of which was also an issue with the Z9 previously and resulted in a recall in both cases. Nikon has yet to issue a recall regarding the loose strap lugs on the Z8, but repeated build quality issues may tarnish Nikon's reputation as a hardware manufacturer.