Tech Digest daily roundup: Record number want next car to be EV
A record number of drivers want their next car to be electric, but the cost of living crisis is forcing many to delay making the switch to a more eco-friendly vehicle. The RAC said a record 14% of drivers say their next car will be electric, up from 10% last year and just 3% in 2018. A further 29% said they intended to switch to a hybrid vehicle of some description, which combines petrol and electric power. “It’s great to see an increasing proportion of drivers saying they will go electric next time they change their vehicles, with more than twice as many saying their next vehicles will be zero-emission than before the pandemic,” said the RAC’s Simon Williams. Guardian
This year, 5.3 billion mobile phones will be thrown away the international waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) forum says. Its estimate, based on global trade data, highlights the growing environmental problem of “e-waste”. Many people keep old phones, rather than recycling them, research suggests. Precious minerals not extracted from waste electronics, such as the copper in wire or cobalt in rechargeable batteries, have to be mined. There are an estimated 16 billion mobile phones worldwide – and in Europe, almost a third are no longer in use. BBC
Netflix has revealed its plans for a lower-cost advertising-supported service, betting that a $6.99-a-month option for consumers will help it shore up revenues in more straitened economic times. Reed Hastings, chief executive, reversed his longstanding opposition to advertising support earlier this year when the company’s once-blistering subscriber growth went into reverse in a sign of market saturation in North America. The new ad-supported service, which launches in November, will “grow membership and, over time, build a significant incremental revenue and profit stream” across the 12 countries it will be available in next month, said Greg Peters, Netflix chief operating officer, on Thursday. FT
Sony Honda Mobility (SHM), the new name for the joint venture that Japanese electronics behemoth Sony (SONY) and Honda Motor Co. (HMC) created to develop electric vehicles, will build its cars in North America. The joint venture will sell the cars in the U.S. and Japan, where in a turnabout of sorts, the Japanese market will get cars exported from North America. Though Honda and Sony did not say where in the U.S. the cars would be built, it’s likely to be in Ohio, where Honda is putting in significant investments to build out battery, powertrain, and EV manufacturing capabilities. Yahoo!
Elon Musk is being investigated by federal authorities over his conduct in his $44bn (£39bn) takeover deal of Twitter, the social media company has said in a court filing. The world’s richest man recently announced he would go ahead with purchasing the platform for the huge sum, following months of legal battles. Twitter, which sued the Tesla boss in July to force him to close the deal, said Mr Musk’s attorneys had claimed “investigative privilege” when refusing to hand over documents it had requested. Sky News
Hot on the heels of the Pixel Watch, Fossil has announced it’s launching its first-ever Wear OS 3 watch — the Gen 6 Wellness Edition. It’ll also introduce a new Wellness mobile app for health and fitness tracking, but unfortunately, this watch doesn’t feature Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon W5 Plus platform. The Gen 6 Wellness Edition will retail for $299, and it’s available starting October 17th. The Gen 6 Wellness Edition looks like your typical Fossil device with its fashion smartwatch aesthetic. It’ll come in a 44mm case with a 1.28-inch always-on OLED display, as well as three color options: black, silver, or rose gold. The Verge
