Day: August 27, 2020

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Google Assistant Snapshot Gets Even More Useful as Your Daily Planner

https://www.droid-life.com/2020/08/27/google-assistant-snapshot-gets-even-more-useful-as-your-daily-planner/

Read the original post: Google Assistant Snapshot Gets Even More Useful as Your Daily Planner

The Google Assistant Snapshot, the page that shows you a briefing about your day, is getting an upgrade this week. Google is adding more information to it, including recommendations and important stuff, like birthdays.

The new Snapshot, which you typically access by the bottom left corner icon in Google Assistant, can just as easily be accessed by saying, “Hey Google, show me my day.” I actually thought that was there previously, but whatever, it’s there now and works.

Once in the Snapshot, Google says you’ll still find the essentials, like commute times, reminders to pay your credit card, that sort of thing. But now, reminders for birthdays and holidays will appear, you’ll see different snapshots depending on the time of day, and there will be recommendations for things like recipes or podcasts or nearby restaurants.

Finally, you should start seeing notifications from the Assistant with information about Snapshot items. For example, I think I saw a birthday notification reminder this morning for my brother, because his birthday is happening next week. Once you tap on those types of notifications, you should see related suggested actions to take.

As I mentioned two years ago when Google first introduced Snapshot, it felt a bit like the return of Google Now. I can’t help but think Google should put it back as a side panel on the home screen, though. Because I either have to talk to my phone or access it via a couple of taps or swipes in Assistant, I rarely go to this screen. It needs to be more accessible.

Be on the lookout for the new Snapshot!

// Google

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August 27, 2020 at 12:01PM

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As Tesla talks about going smaller, Honda’s first all-electric car is already there

https://www.autoblog.com/2020/08/27/honda-e-goes-on-sale-in-europe/


UTSUNOMIYA, Japan — Many automakers are betting on sedans and SUVs in the switch to electric cars. And Tesla is only now realizing that it needs a cheaper, smaller hatchback for overseas markets. But Honda already has that car, deciding smaller is better for its first-ever all-battery EV.

The Honda e was released in Europe earlier this month. It’s an upscale, compact model meant solely for city driving. That contrasts with Tesla, whose Model 3 sedan dominates the battery EV market, and others such as Audi AG and Hyundai that are focusing more on SUVs with long driving ranges.

High battery costs have kept EVs at the premium end of the car market, and many automakers are developing bigger, all-purpose models, some of which can drive as far as 350 miles on a single charge.

The Honda e, however, has a battery capacity roughly half that of the Model 3, driving just 137 miles per charge based on Honda’s internal data. And the decision to use a smaller battery was made on purpose.

“Most EVs use large capacity batteries, but often, much of that capacity goes unused during city driving,” Tomofumi Ichinose, chief engineer of the Honda e, told reporters earlier this week.

“We question whether larger vehicles are appropriate for urban areas, and believe that smaller is a better option for cities.”

With a retro, ultra-compact design evoking Honda’s classic N360 and N600 models from the 1960s, the two-door Honda e is intended as an upmarket city car, whose price tag of around 33,000 euros ($39,000) is higher than Renault’s Zoe ZE50, which is roomier and has a longer driving range. But it’s far cheaper than the Tesla Model 3s most people buy, and is around the price Tesla is targeting for a smaller hatchback.

Ichinose said Honda engineers had prioritized accurate and sharp handling to enable easy u-turns in narrow streets. Side mirrors have been replaced with interior displays to avoid bumps and scrapes during parking.

The model will only be sold in Europe and Japan. It goes on sale in its home country in late October. Honda expects annual sales of only around 10,000 in Europe, and 1,000 at home, where it will also introduce the model into its car-sharing fleet.

The automaker said it had no plans to market the car in North America or China, its biggest markets where SUVs dominate.

 

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August 27, 2020 at 08:38AM