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2017-11: Amazon Alexa gets a new version

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/nov/09/amazon-echo-review-smaller-cheaper-alexa-gadget-new-second-generation

Quoting:
"The new Amazon Echo is cheaper, smaller and has a less imposing stature, but is it still the best smart speaker going?

Amazon’s voice assistant Alexa has improved greatly since the Echo’s introduction to the UK at the end of last year, altered behind the scenes without users needing to do anything thanks the virtue of being a cloud-powered product. It has gained new skills, routines and other smart home control abilities. Its voice recognition and understanding has improved, and it is now a little more conversational, remembering certain topics that you’re talking about the way a human would.

But the outside of the speaker has not changed, until now. The new Amazon Echo for 2017 (find here) is just under 9cm shorter, standing 14.8cm tall and is covered in your choice of fabric, wood or metallic finish, standing in stark contrast to the monolithic black or white towering cylinder of the previous generation."

Details on link. Do read.

"Verdict
The new 2017 Amazon Echo is an absolute bargain at £80. Alexa is still the best voice assistant for smart home control, still hears you better than any other over noise and music, and is still getting better with feature updates and improvements behind the scene.

There are now better-sounding, more expensive smart speakers available such as the £199 Sonos One, and Google Assistant still beats Alexa on general knowledge, but at £80 the Echo undercuts the competition by some margin and sounds pretty good for the money."

2017-11: Autonomous vehicle in crash after 2h in LA

.... But it was the other party's fault:
https://news.sky.com/story/driverless-bus-in-crash-after-two-hours-on-road-in-las-vegas-11119198

I wonder what would happen if it was the other way around.

Quoting:
"
The bus, which can hold up to 12 passengers, has an attendant and computer monitor but no steering wheel or brake pedals.

It uses GPS and electronic kerb sensors to navigate the roads."

The F-35 (software) saga

Talking about pressure to deliver? Read below:
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/07/25/f35_software_block_3f_complete_end_2017_says_lockheed/

Quoting:
"Meanwhile, the Pentagon's director of operational test and evaluation told a US Congress committee earlier this year that the aircraft won't be ready before 2019, mentioning 158 "Category 1" software flaws that could cause death, severe injury or illness unless fixed.

The USAF hit back at these reports, announcing in May that Block 3F would be ready by "September or October" this year. Block 4 is said to be already in development, in spite of the delays to Block 3F. New software "drops" will be rolled out about every two years, with Block 4 scheduled for the beginning of the 2020s."
(...)
"The paper also pegged the cost of each aircraft at around £198m, though post-publication commentary appeared to suggest that the newspaper had included the through-life costs of each aircraft (i.e. spare parts, software upgrades, fuel, etc). The majority of public cost estimates are done on an "upfront" basis and do not include projected spares packages and the like.

Delays and cost overruns have been a frequent feature of the F-35 saga. Given the sheer quantity of software in not only the aircraft but its ALIS logistics suite too, it should be no surprise that costs have spiralled and unforeseen delays reared their heads. After all, since when did any Big Government IT Project run on time and within budget?"

And more news on the F-35:

• https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/07/20/f35_oxygen_system_algorithm_tweak/
• https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/01/12/f35_alis_software_delayed/

(Updated: 2017-07-31, link fixed, add. links)