Google gets first self-driven car license in Nevada
Google's self-driven cars will soon be appearing on Nevada roads after the state's Department of Motor Vehicles approved on Monday the nation's first autonomous vehicle license.
The move came after officials rode along on drives on highways, in Carson City neighborhoods and along the famous Las Vegas Strip, the Nevada DMV said in a statement.
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The Nevada legislature last year authorized self-driven cars for the state's roads, the first such law in the United States. That law went into effect on March 1, 2012.
Google's self-driven cars rely on video cameras, radar sensors, lasers, and a database of information collected from manually driven cars to help navigate, according to the company.
The DMV licensed a Toyota Prius that Google modified with its experimental driver-less technology, developed by Stanford professor and Google Vice President Sebastian Thrun.
Google's self-driving cars have crossed the Golden Gate Bridge and driven along the picturesque Pacific Coast Highway, according to the company.
Autonomous vehicles are the "car of the future," Nevada DMV director Bruce Breslow said in a statement. The state also has plans to eventually license autonomous vehicles owned by the members of the public, the DMV said.
Legislation to regulate autonomous cars is being considered in other states, including Google's home state of California.
"The vast majority of vehicle accidents are due to human error. Through the use of computers, sensors and other systems, an autonomous vehicle is capable of analyzing the driving environment more quickly and operating the vehicle more safely," California state Senator Alex Padilla said in March when he introduced that state's autonomous car legislation.
Other car companies are also seeking self-driven car licenses in Nevada, the DMV said.
Thanks to : techgig
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Wednesday, May 09, 2012 | 0 Comments
LG to launch second version of Google TV in May?
South Korea-based LG Electronics is reportedly planning to give Google TV another try in the U.S. -- possibly as soon as this month.
According to Reuters, Ro Seogho, executive vice president of LG's TV business unit, told reporters in Seoul on Monday that U.S. consumers will be able to buy the TV based on Google's platform beginning the week of May 21.
LG's current Google TV offering in the LG G3 series, has received lukewarm reviewsand hasn't caught on with consumers. And while Google hopes Google TV will do for the TV market what Android did for the mobile market, it's been plagued with problems like high prices, low sales, and difficulty with program distribution.
Features of Google TV include being able to use a smartphone as a remote control, searching the Internet on the TV while watching a show, and creating a home page with app launch icons and TV channels.Google TV is getting a second try at the marketplace this month, thanks to South Korea's LG Electronics.
According to Reuters, Ro Seogho, executive vice president of LG's TV business unit, told reporters in Seoul on Monday local time that U.S. consumers will be able to buy an update to the Google TV-based set beginning the week of May 21.
Seogho was referring to LG's G2 series, which was announced at January's Consumer Electronics Show. The TV -- soon to be available in 47-inch and 55-inch sizes for $1,600 and $2,100, respectively -- is LG's first line of Google TV-compatible televisions. But it's actually the first second-generation model, after Sony's 2011 GT1 series, which failed to generate excitement or sales among consumers.
Other first-generation Google TV offerings included Sony's Google TV-powered Blu-ray player and Logitech's Revue set-top box. The latter product met with disastrous sales, spurring financial problems that continue to plague Logitech.
Indeed, while Google initially had hopes of Google TV invading the TV market as Androiddid for with mobile, the product has so far appeared to be a dud. The LG G2 seems unlikely to reverse that trend, already earning a decidedly mixed review from CNET.
Features of Google TV include being able to use a smartphone as a remote control, searching the Internet on the TV while watching a show, and creating a home page with app launch icons and TV channels.
While the original Reuters story linked to above was vague on the product details, CNET has confirmed with LG representatives that Seogho was referring to the previously announced G2 product series described above.
CNET's John Falcone contributed to this report.
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Wednesday, May 09, 2012 | 0 Comments
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