Your Hub for Tech News and Handy Online Tools.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has granted Zoox an exemption to demonstrate its custom-built robotaxis on public roads. This decision resolves a debate over whether Zoox's autonomous vehicles complied with federal safety standards, which typically require features like steering wheels and pedals.
NHTSA had opened an investigation into Zoox's self-certification process in March 2023 but has now closed it. Zoox has been testing its robotaxis in Foster City, Las Vegas, and San Francisco. While not yet operating commercially, Zoox has been providing rides to employees, family, friends and early public riders.
The exemption is connected to NHTSA’s new national framework, AV STEP, which aims to facilitate the deployment of autonomous vehicles without traditional manual driving controls. Zoox is working closely with NHTSA on obtaining both demonstration and commercial exemptions. As part of the agreement, Zoox will remove statements claiming compliance with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.
The author tests Amazon's new AI-powered digital assistant, Alexa+, focusing on its setup, calendar management, email handling, and price tracking capabilities. Alexa+ aims to leverage generative AI to better understand user needs and automate tasks.
Setting up Alexa+ on an Echo Spot was straightforward. The app, however, suffers from a cluttered and unintuitive user interface. Connecting services like Spotify was more convoluted than expected, and some previously linked services resulted in errors.
Alexa+ can access and summarize calendar events, though it occasionally interrupts when adding new appointments. While natural in conversation, there is a slight lag in responses. The voice chat history is also difficult to locate within the app.
The feature to store information like frequent flier numbers had issues. Alexa+ struggled to save and accurately recall the number, reading it out as a long numeral instead of individual digits.
Alexa+ can summarize emails, but it may miss important details. In one test, it only identified three out of twelve important dates from a school email, highlighting the need for users to still read emails themselves.
The price tracking feature for Amazon products was unreliable. Alexa+ successfully set up trackers but failed to provide current prices or acknowledge product availability. There were instances of silence and incorrect information regarding product stock.
Alexa+ shows promise but feels like a beta product, prone to errors and inconsistencies. Its ability to handle more complex tasks and navigate the web remains to be seen. Further testing is planned to explore its agentic AI features.
Google has officially launched its AI coding agent, Jules, out of beta, powered by Gemini 2.5 Pro. Jules is designed as an asynchronous coding tool that integrates with GitHub and Google Cloud, automating code fixes and updates.
Key updates from the beta phase include structured pricing tiers, starting with a free plan (15 daily tasks) and paid plans (Google AI Pro and Ultra) offering higher limits. Google has also updated its privacy policy to clarify AI training data usage.
During beta testing, Jules facilitated over 140,000 code improvements. New features include GitHub issue integration, environment snapshots for faster task execution, and broader accessibility, including mobile web app support.
Jules distinguishes itself from other AI coding tools by operating asynchronously in a virtual machine, allowing developers to initiate tasks and return later for completion.
Lava Payments, founded by Mitchell Jones, has raised $5.8 million in seed funding to develop digital wallets for AI agents. The platform aims to streamline transactions for AI by providing a unified credit system that eliminates the need for multiple subscriptions and authentications. Merchants can enable Lava wallets for their customers, allowing them to use credits across various services and foundational models like GPT and Claude. The funding will be used for hiring, product development, and go-to-market strategies, with the goal of enabling seamless AI transactions on the web.
Apple is increasing its investment in U.S. manufacturing by another $100 billion. This commitment aims to boost the production of Apple products within the United States. The new investment follows a previous pledge of $500 billion over the next four years.
The $500 billion investment includes initiatives such as opening an advanced manufacturing facility in Houston to produce servers for Apple Intelligence, producing Apple TV+ content in 20 U.S. states, and collaborating with U.S. suppliers.
This announcement comes amidst President Trump's threats of tariffs on iPhones made outside the U.S., pushing Apple to move more manufacturing to the United States. Tariffs have already cost Apple $800 million, and the company anticipates spending $1.1 billion in the next quarter.
Cohere has introduced North, an AI agent platform designed to address enterprise data security concerns. North enables private deployment, ensuring that sensitive data remains behind the customer's firewall, unlike cloud-based solutions like Azure or AWS. It can be installed on an organization’s on-premise infrastructure, hybrid clouds, VPCs, or air-gapped environments, even running on as few as two GPUs.
North offers features such as chat and search for customer support, meeting transcript summarization, marketing copy creation, and accessing internal and web-based information. It also includes granular access control, agent autonomy policies, and continuous security testing. Powered by Cohere's Command and Compass technologies, North integrates with workplace tools like Gmail, Slack, and Salesforce, and supports Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers for industry-specific applications.
Cohere has piloted North with customers like RBC, Dell, LG, Ensemble Health Partners, and Palantir. The platform aims to provide a smooth transition from AI augmentation to automation, fostering confidence in AI-driven workflows.
Instagram is introducing Instagram Map, enabling users to share their location and explore location-based content. This feature mirrors Snapchat's Snap Map, allowing users to see where their friends are and discover content from local businesses and events.
Key features include:
The Instagram Map feature is launching in the United States with global availability coming soon. This update also includes the ability to leave short messages or “Notes” on the map for others to see, enhancing location-based engagement.
Locket, the photo-sharing app known for its home screen widgets, is introducing 'Celebrity Lockets' to boost user engagement. This feature allows artists like Suki Waterhouse and JVKE to share exclusive content with a limited number of fans directly on their home screens. Locket aims to replicate the intimacy of sharing with close friends while offering fans a unique connection with their favorite artists. While early feedback is positive, the success of this approach in driving user growth remains to be seen, especially considering similar mixed results with BeReal's celebrity feature.