How do you get a Bugatti to 304 mph? Grit, really good tires, and a lot of tech
Andy Wallace talked to Digital Trends about how he set a world speed record in a Bugatti Chiron, and he told us about the technology that made the run possible. Michelin engineer Benjamin Vilpert also explained what went into testing tires capable of safely carrying a car to speeds planes normally take off at.
The best new shows to stream in October
These are some of the hottest TV series streaming in October 2019, including both new and returning dramas, sci-fi sagas, hilarious comedies, and more. With so many options when it comes to streaming video, there's a lot to choose from, and this list should make that decision a little easier.
How Sara Crochet scooped up a top Nikon award with her very first movie
Sara Crochet entered her short movie into a prestigious Nikon contest on a whim — and won. Remarkably, it was her first proper effort at making a movie, and she completed it within a day using a camera borrowed from a friend. Here she tells the amazing story of how it all happened.
The Portal TV can track every move, but Facebook swears stalking isn’t the goal
Against the backdrop of a newly renovated historic San Francisco Victorian home, Facebook is showing off its latest consumer technologies powered by A.I. The company unveiled its new Portal TV and refreshed Portal smart home devices, which promise to track but not stalk you, with privacy being a big theme.
New algae-based bioreactor can swallow carbon dioxide 400x faster than trees
A.I. startup Hypergiant Industries has developed a prototype algae bioreactor which promises to be 400 times more efficient than trees at sucking carbon dioxide out of the air. Here's why it could turn out to be such a game-changer when it comes to battling climate change.
CarGenerator lets you power your entire house with your car
Generators are the kind of devices you’ve always wanted to buy – or know you need to buy – but can never pull the trigger on. But here’s the thing gentle reader, there should be no need for you to invest in a generator as your car’s alternator is pumping out juice any time your engine is running.
Every other U.S. state should follow California’s lead on gig economy laws
With California's gig economy legislation now the law in that state, it's time the rest of the country follows and protects gig economy workers. No regulation sets a bad precedent that other industries might follow, Digital Trends' Ed Oswald argues.
This biotech startup wants to put your DNA in a vault on the moon
A new space and biotech startup called LifeShip wants to build a pyramid on the moon to store the DNA of every plant and creature on Earth -- yours included. Here's what you need to know about the latest audacious attempt to create a record of Earth's life as it exists today.
Here’s why a Surface Laptop 3 launch with Ryzen is exactly the win AMD needs
AMD CPUs may be an option in Microsoft's Surface Laptop 3. If that turns out to be true, it would be a major win for AMD which desperately needs to improve its mindshare and marketshare in the mobile space. Before a Zen 2 APU launch in 2020, AMD can lay the groundwork with its competitive Ryzen 3000 mobile chips.
Everything that’s new and updated from Audi in 2020
Audi is holding steady, with only minor changes to most of its product lineup for the new year. The strategy is simple and designed to allow the new RS6 Avant performance wagon take the spotlight. Here's the full rundown of all 2020 changes.
Team Rubicon revolutionizes disaster response. Microsoft wants to help
Coordinating a network of more than 100,000 volunteers is no easy feat -- Team Rubicon would know. Thankfully, as the disaster response non-profit grows and the toll of Hurricane Dorian continues to grow, Microsoft has a custom solution to make it all manageable.
The world’s most freakishly realistic text-generating A.I. just got gamified
What would an adventure game designed by the world’s most dangerous A.I. look like? A neuroscience grad student is here to help you find out. Welcome to the algorithmically generated GPT Adventure, a text adventure game that rewrites itself every time it is played by gamers.
5 bizarre Hackintosh projects we wish we could buy
A Hackintosh lets you run MacOS on PC components, but that’s not enough for some people. For the most die-hard DIYers, you haven’t truly made it until you’ve run MacOS on a calculator. Here are our favourite Hackintosh projects we wish we could buy.
5 ways that future A.I. assistants will take voice tech to the next level
Since Siri debuted on the iPhone 4s, voice assistants have gone from sci-fi gimmick to the basis for smart speaker technology found in one in six American homes. But what will it take to drive these A.I. assistants to the next level? Here are 5 challenges just waiting to be solved.
Netflix’s Mindhunter: 10 shocking facts about the characters and killers
If you've binged Netflix series Mindhunter, you're probably wondering how true many of the stories are, who the characters are based on, and if the serial killers were real. Here's a breakdown of 10 of the most interesting facts from the series.
No laughing matter: The scariest clowns from movies and TV
Pennywise isn't the only killer clown to haunt the nightmares of movie and television audiences. In fact, there are quite a few other horrifying harlequins to appear on screen. Here's where Pennywise ranks among the 10 scariest killer clowns to appear in movies and TV shows over the years.
World of Warcraft Classic is an unfulfilling slog without friends
World of Warcraft is a piece of video game history at this point. Fans reverse-engineered the game to undo the last decade of Blizzard's patches until the developer created an official "Classic" server. But a change in tastes and time make it hard for this pseudo-veteran to enjoy WoW Classic alone.
Exclusive: How Land Rover’s designers resurrected the Defender
Few vehicles are as iconic and celebrated around the world as the Land Rover Defender. We spoke with the designers that had the difficult task of propelling the Defender nameplate, creating a modern vehicle while keeping it true to its roots as an exceptionally capable vehicle.
In the battle between AMD and Intel, which processors are more secure?
The horse-race between AMD and Intel is fun to follow, but when it comes to security, there’s far more at stake than framerates in games. Speculative execution exploits like Spectre and its variants are still as scary as ever. But which processor company is less impacted by its effects? Is there a safer option?
Entry-level smart displays: Google Nest Hub and Amazon Echo Show 5
The Google Nest Hub and Amazon Echo Show 5 are the entry-level displays for their smart home platforms. Both displays enrich user experience, but they're not equal. No one will switch between Alexa and Google Assistant because of a display, but the differences between the Nest Hub and the Show 5 bear scrutiny.
By Innovation Only? The Apple event barely showed us anything new
We gathered hoping to see something exciting and new. Apple hyped the event as "By Innovation Only" and then delivered slight, incremental improvements for the iPad, Apple Watch, and iPhones. The iPhone 11 Pro does little to live up to its name; the biggest surprise here was the price of the iPhone 11.
Netflix vs. Apple TV+: An early comparison of the soon-to-be streaming rivals
How does Apple's upcoming streaming service, Apple TV+, compare to industry leader Netflix? Here's a breakdown of what we know so far and how the two direct-to-consumer streaming platforms line up, from price and content to the devices they're available on and the video resolution they offer.
The HomePod launch was a letdown. Can Apple deliver a smaller, cheaper version?
The Apple HomePod smart speaker was not only late to come to market, but the device is expensive, complicated, and dying on the vine in the smart home market. A mini version, though -- one that's cheaper, easy to use, and versatile -- could be just what the company and its fans need.
Exclusive: 1000 hp Supra could be six-figure project Papadakis says
Stephan Papadakis has released the second installment of his quest to squeeze 1,000 horsepower from the new Toyota Supra engine. We sat for an exclusive interview as he delves into the hard parts he has to find or make to achieve his goal.
Huawei’s EMUI 10 Android skin is also a sneak peek at what HarmonyOS may be like
EMUI 10 is Huawei's latest version of its Android user interface found on its smartphones and tablets. While it's built for use with Android, its features and some underlying tech are a sneak peek at HarmonyOS, the company's other major piece of software. HarmonyOS is designed for an Android-free future.
Back to the beginning: These are the best TV prequel series
With television prequel series for Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones currently in the development, here are some of the best TV prequel projects that have turned back the clock and explored the early days of popular movies or TV series and earned heaps of praise while doing so.
Exclusive: TCL shares its plans for world domination at IFA 2019
TCL might not be a household name in the United States, but despite its lack of name recognition, it's one of the biggest electronics manufacturers in the world -- and it has big plans for expansion in the coming years.
DARPA is sending robots underground to teach them to save lives
What does the ultimate search-and-rescue robot look like? And how would it cope in an underground disaster zone? That's what DARPA set out to discover in its Subterranean Challenge. Here's what you need to know about the competition that's attracting the world's top research labs.
Designing new drugs takes years, but A.I. could help reduce that to days
A new biotech company called Insilico Medicine is using advanced artificial intelligence algorithms to potentially discover the next world-changing drugs. Here's what it recently demonstrated, and why it could potentially prove to be such a big disruptor in the pharma space.
How Samsung fixed the Galaxy Fold, and why it’s important to try it for yourself
Samsung has fixed the problems that plagued the early version of the Galaxy Fold, concentrating on 3 crucial fixes that have made the device more durable, without losing the super-premium edge. Digital Trends spoke to Samsung's Mark Notton about the changes.
At IFA, Qualcomm and BMW unveil the world’s first 5G connected car — almost
At a keynote presentation during IFA 2019, Qualcomm President Cristiano Amon and Christoph Grote, BMW's senior vice president of electronics, announced plans to evolve future vehicles with 5G, which will push next-generation connected cars even futher. Digital Trends sat down with the pair for a deeper dive.
F(x)tec Pro 1, the phone with a full-size keyboard, is available for pre-order
Want a full-size keyboard? Want a larger screen than BlackBerry's Key2 can provide? Well, check out the Pro 1 from a company called F(x)tec. It has outfitted a QWERTY keyboard on a large 5.99-inch smartphone for the best of both worlds. Now you don't need to miss out on the bezel-less trend.
Quirky and cheap: No wonder HMD sells more Nokia dumb phones than smartphones
HMD Global is one of the few companies still investing in feature phones, and it has announced three new models — the Nokia 110, the Nokia 2720, and the Nokia 800 Tough. Sounds like madness, doesn’t it? It's not, and we sat down with the company to understand why feature phones still matter.
The inside story of TCL’s display-driven, slow-burn plan for phone supremacy
TCL has launched its first TCL-branded smartphone in Europe, the TCL Plex. The phone is a very small part of the real story. Digital Trends sat down with the firm to talk about how it intends to make a name for itself, what's in store for the future, and to see some exciting foldable smartphone concepts.