MyOpinion

Royal Enfield is a company that's been around for over a century. It started as a British company, and has a long and storied past, including a little lightweight machine designed to drop from the literal sky for RAF dispatch riders during WWII. After the war, the original Flying Flea found new life as a lightweight urban commuter as the country worked to get back on its feet.

The Flying Flea C6 is one of two new Flying Flea designs that Enfield first introduced to the world ahead of EICMA 2024. Technically, they're in Milan right now, but the event doesn't kick off in earnest (even for press) until November 5, and they've chosen to get out ahead of the scrum by launching it today.

Flying Flea isn't just a revived model badge for Royal Enfield in 2024. Instead, it's meant to be the company's new electric sub-brand, and to have an identity of its own. It even has its own social media channels, although the livestreamed press conference for the event was shown on the existing Royal Enfield YouTube channel.

What you're seeing here is the Flying Flea C6, which is the first production EV that Enfield will be releasing. It's meant to be a lightweight, nimble, urban-focused motorcycle; part of what Royal Enfield Managing Director Siddhartha Lal describes as "City Plus."

By that, he explained, he means a bike that shines in city riding, but that can also go beyond and offer a bit of fun on top of that. That's the intended ethos for all Flying Flea models, in fact.

Specs aren't available yet, so we can't offer opinions on them at this time; only the design. Given Enfield's track record of more than reasonable pricing for its gas models, though, it seems like a safe bet to think that Flying Flea will be priced much more in line with what riders want to pay than some other EV motorcycle brands.

A few years back, General Motors had to recall 142,000 Bolts in a major fiasco due to fire risk. This time around, however, just a small number of Bolts are being recalled, only 107. But the risk of fire is deemed high – according to the NHTSA – if these vehicles are charged to full or nearly full capacity.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) posted a recall of the Chevrolet Bolt EVs and its larger version, the EUV, covering model year 2020-22 that were recalled and repaired previously over the same risk. Apparently, the previously installed advanced diagnostic software, which is supposed to detect whether or not the battery is defective, is itself faulty, which could, in turn, lead to a fire risk.

“The installation of advanced diagnostic software may have failed,” the NHTSA stated. “As such, the high voltage battery could catch fire when charged to full or nearly full capacity.”

According to a recent post citing He Zhiqi, BYD executive vice president, the NEV (new energy vehicle) automaker added production capacity of nearly 200,000 vehicles per month from August to October of this year. The capacity addition of nearly 2.4 million vehicles over the course of a year is greater than Tesla’s total annualized global production (469,796 units in the 3rd quarter multiplied by four equals 1,879,184 units). Note that Tesla’s production capacity, without adding new lines, appears to be about 3 million — but consumer demand is apparently lacking.

In addition, BYD added nearly 200,000 employees, significantly more than Tesla’s total employee count, especially following the layoffs earlier this year.

The BYD executive said that this level of growth is without precedent, which seems like a fair assessment. Despite the growth, BYD is now reportedly still running at capacity and will need to expand more to meet demand. BYD currently has factories under construction in countries like Hungary and Brazil, with several other factories in various stages of planning and construction around the world.

BEIJING (Reuters) -U.S. automaker Tesla sold 68,280 China-made electric vehicles in October, down 5.3% from a year earlier, data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) showed on Monday.

Deliveries of China-made Model 3 and Model Y vehicles fell 22.7% from the previous month.

Chinese rival BYD, with its Dynasty and Ocean series of EVs and plug-in hybrids, hit another monthly record, with a 66.2% year-on-year increase in passenger vehicle sales to 500,526 units last month.

Overseas shipments made up 6% of total sales, according to a BYD filing.

The U.S. EV company's third-quarter earnings beat estimates after one-offs for layoffs in the prior quarter and it posted the first annual gain in deliveries this year owing to sales promotions.

It still outsold BYD in EV shipments last quarter, but was bested by the Chinese rival in revenue terms.

In late October, Tesla extended a zero-interest financing scheme it first introduced in China in July for some Model 3 and Model Y cars by another month to the end of November.

Suzuki has unveiled its first true mass-market EV, the eVitara, which it plans to sell in Europe and Japan starting next summer. The Suzuki eVitara will also go on sale in India, where it will be built alongside a future Toyota bZ sister model that will debut at a later date.

In Europe, it’s entering a hotly contested segment of the EV market where Kia, Hyundai, Stellantis, Volvo and even BYD already offer attractive electric crossovers in that space. The eVitara is almost exactly the same size as its direct rivals, measuring 4.275 meters (168.3 inches) in total length and sitting on a 2.7-meter (106-inch) wheelbase.

The EV’s front and rear fascias are all Suzuki, but if you look at it from the side, you can easily recognize that it has the same profile as the Toyota Urban SUV concept, which will also spawn a production model.

If you’ve been in a recent Suzuki, then you know interior quality, design or flamboyance are not strong points. However, the eVitara looks great inside, even with the “tough-looking panels” that the manufacturer advertises in the official presentation blurb. The brown leather-like material on the dashboard and parts of the seats gives the eVitara a premium appearance, especially when compared to other current Suzuki models.

More details about the Suzuki eVitara will be revealed closer to its official debut. Its all-important range rating has not been made public yet, but given its size and battery capacity, we estimate its WLTP range to not exceed the 320 km (200-mile) mark. Pricing will also be revealed later, but since the eVitara is built in India, not China, it shouldn’t incur the same steep import duties that Chinese-made cars face when entering Europe.

Human Within explores the profound impact of AI and other advanced technologies on society and is coming to Meta Quest on January 9th and to SteamVR soon.

The story follows cyber-engineer Nyla and her sister Linh, who are developing a groundbreaking supercomputer for a corporation that harnesses the computing power of the human brain. When Nyla tries to withdraw from the project, the two sisters are held captive and forced to continue working, even though they suspect their employer's hidden motives. In a daring attempt to break free, Nyla is forced to connect the technology to Linh and use it in exactly the way she feared.

You can pre-order Human Within now in the Horizon Store and add it to your wish list on Steam.

The most promising competitor is Apple, but the Vision Pro flopped as I predicted in 2023. Hopes are now pinned on a cheaper version of the mixed reality headset, which could be delayed beyond 2027, according to the latest claim from supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Whether this is true or not is irrelevant in my opinion. Even with a device that costs half as much as the Vision Pro, Apple is unlikely to steal much market share from Meta. I am convinced that there is no significant market for VR headsets above $500. For that to happen, they have to become general-purpose devices that can compete with desktop computers and laptops, and they are a long way from that.

Where there is no significant market, there are no developers. Where there are no developers, there are no apps. And where there are no apps, there are no consumers to create a significant market. Meta has made huge investments to create a VR ecosystem that can support many developers. Apple, on the other hand, just built a very expensive VR headset with no discernible market strategy and no plan to help developers.

What about other competitors?

HTC lacks the resources to keep up with Meta Pico owner Bytedance recently scaled back VR investments Valve hasn't released a VR headset in more than five years Sony didn't have much success with Playstation VR 2, and PSVR 3 is years away (if Sony plans to continue supporting its VR ecosystem). Samsung and Google are working on a pricey mixed reality headset that has yet to be unveiled and will likely suffer the same fate as the Apple Vision Pro due to its high price tag The reason Meta is the market leader after ten years and will remain so for a long time is that Meta is willing to invest billions in these technologies for years and perhaps decades to come, regardless of the losses, while other companies push for short and medium term profits and give up when they don't see a return on their investment (I certainly hope Apple isn't one of them, but we will see).

Since launch, Apple Vision Pro has been able to replace your physical Mac screen with a giant virtual display. To do so, you just look at your MacBook and click a floating virtual button that appears, or use Control Center for a desktop Mac. Apple's software then almost instantly creates a direct wireless connection between the headset and Mac, meaning you don't even need a Wi-Fi network, and if you are on one you won't suffer from any congestion issues. Because of this, and because the experience has high quality and low latency, we strongly praised Mac Virtual Display in our review of Vision Pro.

Until now though, Mac Virtual Display has been limited to a 16:9 widescreen virtual display. Now with visionOS 2.2, as Apple announced at WWDC 24 earlier this year, you can choose to expand the display to a Wide aspect ratio, or even to an enveloping panoramic Ultrawide experience. And for all three modes, Mac Virtual Display is now curved. Apple says the ultrawide Mac Virtual Display has 8K horizontal resolution, as if you have two 4K monitors side by side. The company explained that this is made possible thanks to foveation, where eye tracking is used to prioritize resolution in the region of the screen you're currently looking at. Further, with visionOS 2.2 the audio from your Mac is now routed to Vision Pro, whereas previously it still played through the Mac.

Andreessen Horowitz founders Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz said on their podcast that Chinese automakers have developed high-quality and affordable vehicles supported by a robust supply chain ecosystem.

With the American auto industry struggling with slowing growth in its EV market, American automakers need to be able to offer a compelling $20,000 EV that also competes on quality if the US doesn't want to "lose the auto industry," Andreessen said.

"What China has now is not just really good car companies, but they've got this entire constellation of supply chain componentry," Andreessen said.

China's government has spent at least $230 billion to support electric vehicle makers such as BYD since 2009, according to a study published in 2024 by the Centre for Strategic & International Studies think tank.

Andreessen said that Chinese car brands are outperforming American EV automakers in affordability and quality, calling them "super technologically sophisticated."

"For example, they've got this feature where you just come in, and you just drop your phone down on the center divider, and basically, the car lights up," he said. "The whole system inside the car comes off your phone — like all your music and your maps and your calendar and all that stuff is just automatically there."

The venture capitalist also highlighted other features, such as customized dancing animations in the LED headlights that greet the driver and self-driving capabilities, which are already integrated into several lower-cost Chinese EVs.

To keep up, American automakers need to be able to offer a similarly affordable and full-featured car at the $20,000 price point, Andreessen said.

The v71 firmware update will be rolled out to Quest 3, Quest 3S, Quest 2 and Quest Pro owners beginning November 4, 2024. As always, it may take up to a week or more for the update to reach all users.

This update is one of the biggest in recent years and includes the following new features and enhancements:

A new look for Horizon OS: Meta has optimized the dark and light theme of Quest's operating system to improve the readability and contrast of the menus. Other improvements include the appearance and behavior of the control panels, the position of the control bar, the colors of various interface elements, and much more. The Meta Quest settings have also been completely redesigned, and the search function has been improved. Continuous Space Setup: You can now continue with your room setup and update your room scan with a new room layout and furniture instead of having to create a fresh new room scan. Meta Quest will also now display a representation of the scanned environment after you have scanned the room and when you return to the Space Setup to update the scan. Passthrough improvements: Meta says it has adjusted the frame rates of the cameras to match the frame rates of the display. More realistic facial expressions for Meta avatars: A new AI feature called Audio to Expression derives convincing facial expressions and lip sync signals from microphone input. A similar feature called Lipsync already existed, but it only animated the mouth, while Audio to Expression covers the upper half of the face, including the upper cheeks, eyelids, and eyebrows. Dolby Atmos and Dolby Digital Surround: Meta Quest now supports Dolby Atmos and Dolby Digital Surround in selected browser content. Meta plans to expand support for other content providers in the near future. Improvements for Meta Quest Link: Meta's solution for PC VR streaming is now enabled by default and the Meta Quest Link PC app has been enhanced in several ways: Remote Desktop is now part of the PC app, eliminating the need to download a separate app, and the option to connect can now be found in the Quick Settings. Another new feature is the ability to cast your headset content to the Meta Quest Link PC app. Previously, casting to second screens was only supported via the mobile Meta Horizon app, Chromecast, and browser. Volume mixer: Meta has implemented a volume mixer that lets you adjust the volume of calls, apps, and media independently of each other (see video). You can find the volume mixer in the Quick Settings by clicking on the advanced option next to the main volume. Improved travel mode: Travel mode has been extended to include trains. Previously, only air travel was officially supported. Calendar app: A new calendar feature helps you keep track of important appointments (see video). It supports integration with Google and Outlook calendars and provides direct access to events in Horizon Worlds and meetings in Horizon Workrooms. More transparency for app notifications: The universal menu now shows in real time what permissions apps are accessing. Share videos in Horizon Chats: You can now send and receive video using the Horizon chat feature, either in VR or through the companion app. This also works with spatial videos. You can read the full release notes for the v71 update in the Meta Quest Release Notes.

War

We call those particular head-mounted displays First Person Viewers, but the biggest difference from consumer VR headsets is that they are single-purpose devices rather than general purpose computers. Instead of multitasking computing power, they feature long-range antennas designed to transport the operator into the body of a fast-moving flying machine packed with explosives. So what happens when you hook up an antenna to a general-purpose computer like the $300 Quest 3S? Does it offer any benefits over the dedicated FPV headset? Anduril’s page for command and control already outlines the general idea while depicting the older Quest 2. A fleet of aircraft or satellites could map the landscape from far above and draw the surrounding terrain with all the people inside it. Such a tool, laying out the physical world in front of you like the chess pieces on a game board, could look much like the playful app Wooorld, one of the best mixed reality experiences, whose users simply revisit their childhood home or play geography quizzes with friends. Floating above that live 3D map will be a 1080p virtual display, bigger than a 70-inch television mounted to a wall, showing the live view of an explosive-packed low-altitude remote-controlled drone that’s closing in on-the-ground targets. Meta’s recent updates to Quest headsets, which bring multitasking to Horizon OS, could offer side panels with relevant information or even views to backup drones. What’s more effective than commanding a single explosive-packed drone? As soon as it explodes, the pilot’s eyes turn to the next one. Each aircraft obliterates itself like a World War II kamikaze, without the loss of the pilot, as the next death package is already ready for a final run.

Sex

VR is also used in large numbers by adults to partake in a more impactful kind of sexual interaction than traditional “sexting”. Any partner you want can seem to perform any act you desire with bluetooth-connected accessories remotely connecting the actions of these individuals in real-time. It’s already a more common aspect of modern sex than most people realize, and you can look at the economics of OnlyFans ($6.3 billion in gross revenues for 2024) for an indication of its reach. With the Internet moving bits, and a head-mounted display delivering embodiment, VR enables sex which neither transmits disease through contact nor results in unwanted pregnancy. What is risked by handing over the most fundamental of human bonding and evolution to the Internet as intermediary? Many people already lament leaving their first impressions to swipes on photos, but those connections are often still geo-restricted because many people value what they learn from the smell, taste, and warmth of another’s skin before committing long-term to significant time together. VR is changing this particular game, so to speak, and we’ll discover how relationships and people change as we go. The key thing to convey here is that this transformation is already well underway.

Sometimes reading the stats is not enough. I like to see for myself. So, we went to China. We had been looking forward to cruising the Yangtze River upstream from the Three Gorges Dam and thought it an opportune time to see what “53% of new cars sales in China are plugins” looked like in the flesh — so to speak. The short answer is: spectacular! “What do all the green number plates mean?” the tour guide was asked repeatedly by our group. “Green number plates means the car is electric!”

We had been in China 8 years ago, and the transformation since then has been dramatic. The country is much wealthier. We landed in Chengdu (a city of over 25 million) and were immediately impressed by the fact that most cars on the road were less than 5 years old. (The Chinese government is giving incentives to update to cleaner, newer cars. I wonder where all the old ones went? Scrap metal by the looks of it.) Gone were the human-powered vehicles and the three-wheeled, smoke-spewing rickshaws. There were even fewer motor scooters — and the ones that were on the road were — you guessed it — electric.