May is coming to an end and with it so the season of spring marks its last full month. We at GROM would like to share with you some of the major news that is happen in car and tech this month including the big news about MP3 compression, Uber, and Microsoft Windows.
Here is what is happening this month:
1
MP3, the revolutionary file compression format for audio files, has ended their licensing fees. MP3 formatting is free. The standard format, which has changed the face of the music industry, enabled the labels to compress audio files into compact pieces of data that could fill up computers and portable audio players like iPods. The format also allowed internet radio pioneers like 8Track and Pandora to be broadcast music via the web. The format was first conceived in 1988 by a group engineers at the Fraunhofer Institute who eventual developed a compression algorithm to allow the compression smaller audio files without losing quality of replay.
2
Microsoft Fall Creators Update | Source: technews.com
Microsoft has released a new update for their Window’s 10 system called “Fall Creator’s Update.” This update, among other things, will provide several methods integration between Windows 10 and iPhone or Android phone. These integrations include a timeline activity history feature that allows Windows to track what you do on your smart phone and present the information to you in the order you were using them. You can pick up where you left off when using these apps your phone. Also and most exciting, the common cut and paste clipboard feature will be cross platform compatible between your computer and smart phone. This means you can cut or copy text from your computer and paste it on your phone, and vice versa.
3
Source: Kickstarter
Are both size and money something you’re looking to reduce in your next smartphone? Jelly may be the smartphone for you! With a 1.1GHz quad-core processor and 1GB RAM, Jelly offers everything you want within its 2.5-inch display. Jelly uses Android 7.0 and only cost $109. Jelly is being offered by Unihertz through Kickstarter. There is also a Jelly Pro for superstar performance at palm sized unit.
4
Source: lyft.com
Lyft, the ride-share competitor to Uber, has entered the self-driving car area as of this month as they announce their partnership with Google’s Waymo. This partnership offers each company feature from the other company. Lyft gets access Waymo’s industry-leader tech in antonymous car market, while Waymo gets access to Lyft’s rideshare data. Lyft’s new venture with Waymo mimics what Uber, Ford, and many other companies have already begun as the frenzied march towards a driverless car future continues.
5
Elon Musk, director and visionary for both Tesla and SpaceX, has a new initiative to kill traffic congestion in Los Angeles while having some fun. Through his new division called The Boring Company, Musk proposed a series of tunnels underneath the greater L.A. area where cars cruise through their rush hour commutes. Vehicles would pass through on tracks connected to “electric sleds” reaching speeds up to 125 mph.