NAIAS 2017: GM's Maven ride-sharing service is designed around millenials

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Detroit - General Motors has shown it is accepting of various possibilities for future mobility. The company is creating some of the most tech-forward cars and trucks under its various brands. GM has also delivered on the promise of a somewhat affordable fully electric vehicle with the Chevy Bolt EV, even if it already offers a hybrid electric model with the Chevy Volt.

The company's Maven ride-sharing service, launched a year ago to appeal to millenials, many of who aren't keen on owning cars and who would rather use Uber or Lyft to get around or rent a Zip car for a trek to Ikea or a day's road trip.

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Apple Music’s version of ‘Carpool Karaoke’ will have 16 different hosts

The version of Carpool Karaoke that you know won’t quite be the same under Apple’s wings. According to the show’s executive producer Ben Winston, this time around there will be 16 different hosts for 16 specials, which each Winston describes as being “its own event.” Some of the hosts you can expect to see include Chelsea Handler, Seth MacFarlane, John Legend, and, of course, James Corden. The Late Late Show host expressed how he isn’t upset with the changes.

This time around what viewers can expect from the Apple Music show is there won’t just be singing. There will be like a 30-minute show with interviews and even getting out of the car. Some of the interesting matchups for Carpool Karaoke include Corden with Will Smith, MacFarlane with Ariana Grande, and Legend with Alicia Keys. “There’s something about the intimacy of a car,” says Winston, adding that there’s just something kinetic that happens between two people when they connect here, more so than in a studio.

Source: Deadline

Leaked images of HTC’s upcoming device looks like a Samsung-LG hybrid phone

Looks like HTC wants to try something new… but it’s not exactly something we haven’t seen before. Codenamed the Ocean Note, HTC’s rumoured upcoming device has a design that reminds us of recent Samsung phones but with a significant camera bump. It’s covered with an all-glass frame, which is a departure from HTC’s aluminum-built devices. But aside from taking cues from Samsung, there’s also a bit of LG in there with the secondary ticker located at the top of the display. The leaked images show that this ticker displays shortcuts, notifications, and has an always-on display mode. Hopefully, HTC plans to introduce something else different to make the unit standout more.

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Two Razer prototype laptops get stolen at CES

California-based gaming company Razer didn’t have as great a time at CES. Two of Razer’s new prototype laptops have been stolen from its booth in Las Vegas on Sunday. The company is willing to pay US$25,000 to find out who took the products. Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan describes on Facebook that the theft could be seen as industrial espionage. “Our teams worked months on end to conceptualize and develop these units. It is cheating, and cheating doesn’t sit well with us. Anyone who would do this clearly isn’t very smart.”

The said laptops were named Project Valerie and are described as “a new standard of immersive entertainment.” The units had three built-in 17-inch screens to give gamers a less cluttered multi-monitor setup. Tan has said they are working with show’s management and law enforcement to get into the bottom of this issue.

Source: CNN