UK car industry issues warning over EV sales, Google launches AI Overviews video search
The UK car industry has warned its efforts to support the transition to electric vehicles cannot be sustained indefinitely as it faces the prospect of fines for missing climate-linked sales targets. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said that a government mandate, which requires its members to sell a minimum percentage of zero-emission vehicles each year, was proving to be problematic as the share of electric vehicle (EV) sales in the UK had stalled below 18%. Sky News
Google has released a new feature which will allow people to search the internet by taking a video. Video search will let people point their camera at something, ask a question about it, and get search results. Android and iPhone users globally will gain access to the feature from 1700 GMT by enabling “AI Overviews” in their Google app, but it will only support English at launch. It is the latest move from the tech giant to change how people search online by utilising artificial intelligence (AI). BBC
Some far-right extremists have fled Telegram for a new haven: SimpleX, a messaging service that just secured over $1m in funding with the help of Jack Dorsey, once the CEO of Twitter, now known as X. The migration from Telegram began after the app’s founder and chief executive, Pavel Durov, announced a crackdown on illegal content and cooperation with law enforcement requests. Just weeks ago, Durov was arrested in France on a litany of charges that allege Telegram helped spread child sexual abuse material and fuelled criminal activities among its users. The Guardian
The dust has barely settled on the iPhone 16 launch, but it looks like Apple is readying itself for yet another major product showcase in 2024. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, a redesigned Mac mini, M4-powered MacBooks, and a new iPad mini (aka the iPad mini 7) could launch “by the end of 2024,” with October looking the most likely month for a third major Apple Event of the year. This isn’t new news, per se – Gurman has long hinted at the potentially imminent arrival of a new iPad – but a new Best Buy leak has added more fuel to the fire. Tech Radar
In an effort to make it a little easier to find all the stuff buried in your inbox, Gmail is releasing a big update to the “summary cards” feature that tries to surface the most important information in your messages before you even need to ask. If you’ve encountered summary cards before in Gmail, it’s probably in the context of buying something. If you open an order confirmation email, Gmail might put a box at the top that shows the items you bought and the total purchase. Going forward, that box should be more useful and more timely, says Maria Fernandez Guajardo, the senior director of product for Gmail. The Verge
Sony’s £700 pricing for the PS5 Pro has furrowed many an eyebrow since the new hardware was announced, so now it’s up to the supported games to show us why spending the equivalent of a package holiday on a games console is a good idea. With that in mind, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the stage: Gran Turismo 7. Even before graphics had been invented, the first Gran Turismo found a way to look like a supermodel on the PS1. The series has long been known as a benchmark for driving game gorgeousness so it makes a lot of sense for PlayStation to leverage GT7 as a poster child for the PS5 Pro’s increased graphical heft. Top Gear
