While plenty of WhatsApp fans were already chatting over the platform's web browser option, the rest of us can now join them on the desktop.
On Tuesday, WhatsApp launched its first-ever native desktop app — a simple step that makes sharing emoji with your friends a lot easier to hide from your boss behind a dozen web browser windows.
SEE ALSO: There are thousands more bots for Facebook Messenger in the works
The app is available on both Windows 8 and Mac OS 10.9 or above, the company said in a blog post.
It's simple to set up. Download the desktop app, select your operating system, scan a QR code from your phone under the WhatsApp Web tab, and it will load your existing conversations. Usage is largely the same as on mobile — you'll be able to share photos in the same way, among other functions.
Your phone needs to be connected to the Internet for the app to work however, so the company advises users switch to Wi-Fi to avoid burning through a lot of data.
With more than one billion users globally, many of whom may be largely mobile-only, it would be interesting to find out how many installs the desktop app actually clocks up. Let us know, WhatsApp?
Lutron Electronics has added its Caséta Wireless system to the growing list of devices that support Amazon Alexa range, which includes the Echo, Dot, Tap, and Fire TV.
The Caséta Wireless system features various connected LED lights that can change color or brightness on demand. The integration of Alexa allows users to change the lights through voice commands, an ideal solution when you cannot find your smartphone.
See Also: Could smart cities improve indoor air quality with home sensors?
Amazon has been steadily improving the range of voice commands for the Echo, to the point it can now hear you from a few meters away. So if you want to turn the lights on when you enter your house late at night, there’s a good chance your Echo will hear you from the porch.
Lutron and Amazon continue to add to smart home family
Lutron already provides a mobile app, available on iOS, Apple Watch and Android, for turning on and changing the light’s colors. The system also supports other smart home hubs like Works with Nest and Apple’s HomeKit, so this is a completion of the smart home package to make sure all consumers are happy.
These aren’t the first lights to take advantage of Amazon’s Alexa platform, Philips Hue, LIFX and Belkin WeMo are already integrated and offer similar functionality.
Lutron’s Caséta Wireless kit currently retails for under $100, and most wireless lightbulbs launched after 2014 are compatible with the system. You can check Lutron’s compatibility page for more information.
Hundreds of other devices are starting to integrate with Amazon’s platform, as customers start to realise the benefits of the Echo, Dot, and Tap in everyday life. Even platform hubs like the Nest thermostat and SmartThings are integrated with Alexa, taking advantage of the voice commands and APIs Amazon has on offer.
The Chinese web search giant Baidu is looking to expand its autonomous car program to the United States by bringing a 100-person team to Silicon Valley. This puts it in the same space – and now, same neighborhood – as its closest American equivalent, Google.
Baidu isn’t a household name here in the United States, but in China, it is the go-to search engine for over 80% of its 1.35 billion citizens. It was also the first Chinese company to be listed on the NASDAQ-100 index, making it an easy company to compare to Google.
Like Google, Baidu has been branching out in recent years to social networking, mobile operating systems, and even self-driving cars.
See also: Baidu wants self-driving cars on the roads by 2018
Baidu says the Silicon Valley team will be known as Autonomous Driving Unit-US, or ADU-US. It will focus on areas integral to self-driving car development, including planning, perception, control and systems. ADU-US will work alongside Baidu’s existing Silicon Valley-based teams, including Baidu Research.
Earlier this month, Tesla opened its doors to receive pre-orders for its yet-to-be-unveiled Model 3. It received over 325,000 pro-orders – many of which were made sight unseen – in just a few days. One of the primary drivers of interest in this vehicle was Tesla’s self-driving mode that enables you to take your hands off the wheel and enjoy the ride while the car changes lanes, turns, and navigates you to where you want to go.
With interest in autonomous vehicles this high, it’s no surprise that Baidu has decided to jump in and develop its own platform that it can then partner with manufacturers like BMW to bring to market.
“Baidu is fully committed to making self-driving cars a reality,” said Jing Wang, SVP of Baidu and General Manager of Baidu’s Autonomous Driving Unit. “Autonomous vehicles will save lives and make transportation more efficient. Baidu’s Silicon Valley car team will play a significant role in building the car of the future.”
Worst kept secret in tech doesn't even begin to describe the upcoming Samsung's Galaxy S7.
After leaked images, specs, prices and other info (somehow, there's even a llama involved), now we've got the crown jewel of leaks: a full, 1-minute promo video.
SEE ALSO: WHAT DOES THIS LLAMA KNOW ABOUT THE SAMSUNG GALAXY S7 THAT WE DON'T?
The video, posted by Samsung Indonesia on Friday, shows what appears to be the Samsung Galaxy S7 and the S7 edge in a fitness-heavy scenario.
Given the video was not pulled from YouTube in five days, it's possible that it was "leaked" on purpose by Samsung to pique interest in the new devices. Be that as it may, it is now almost certain the new devices will have a very similar design to last year's Galaxy S6/S6 Edge.
The clip focuses on several important features of the upcoming phones — wireless charging, water resistance and an improved camera.
This is where things get interesting: One scene in the video shows the phone used in pouring rain. However, a note below the video claims the product is "not water resistant and it should not be exposed to and/or submerged into water/liquid."
Warning users that waterproof devices should not be fully submerged into water is fairly standard for smartphone makers, in order to stop users from destroying their devices with too many watery activities. But the note quite clearly says the product is "not water resistant," which could indicate that, while it may be able to withstand a little splash here and there, it does not officially have an IP code rating. For example, Sony's waterproof Xperia Z5 has an IP68 rating, meaning it can be continuously immersed in water, at depths beyond 1 meter.
Which is it, then? It's hard to say: Marketing videos, especially unlisted, possibly leaked ones, are not the best source of information when it comes to tech specs. We'll know more on Feb. 22, when the Galaxy S7 is scheduled to be officially unveiled to the public.
Worst kept secret in tech doesn't even begin to describe the upcoming Samsung's Galaxy S7.
After leaked images, specs, prices and other info (somehow, there's even a llama involved), now we've got the crown jewel of leaks: a full, 1-minute promo video.
SEE ALSO: What does this llama know about the Samsung Galaxy S7 that we don't?
The video, posted by Samsung Indonesia on Friday, shows what appears to be the Samsung Galaxy S7 and the S7 edge in a fitness-heavy scenario.
Given the video was not pulled from YouTube in five days, it's possible that it was "leaked" on purpose by Samsung to pique interest in the new devices. Be that as it may, it is now almost certain the new devices will have a very similar design to last year's Galaxy S6/S6 Edge.
The clip focuses on several important features of the upcoming phones — wireless charging, water resistance and an improved camera.
This is where things get interesting: One scene in the video shows the phone used in pouring rain. However, a note below the video claims the product is "not water resistant and it should not be exposed to and/or submerged into water/liquid."
Warning users that waterproof devices should not be fully submerged into water is fairly standard for smartphone makers, in order to stop users from destroying their devices with too many watery activities. But the note quite clearly says the product is "not water resistant," which could indicate that, while it may be able to withstand a little splash here and there, it does not officially have an IP code rating. For example, Sony's waterproof Xperia Z5 has an IP68 rating, meaning it can be continuously immersed in water, at depths beyond 1 meter.
Which is it, then? It's hard to say: Marketing videos, especially unlisted, possibly leaked ones, are not the best source of information when it comes to tech specs. We'll know more on Feb. 22, when the Galaxy S7 is scheduled to be officially unveiled to the public.
It's hard to remember, but things looked good forFacebook's ambitions in India last fall.
"India has 600,000 villages, and most people get scared when they hear this number. My vision is to connect them all with optical fiber cable in the next five years," Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said during atown hallwith Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg at the company's headquarters in Menlo Park, California, in September 2015.
Zuckerberg had begun the session by reciting India's importance in the history of Facebook. He said he was once unsure about his company's future, and his mentor, Steve Jobs, suggested he visit a temple in India, where he would find his answers, which Zuckerberg did. The revelation instantly struck a chord, not only with the prime minister, but also with many Indians watching the session online.
SEE ALSO:'Disappointed' Mark Zuckerberg responds to India's partial Facebook ban
Cut to three months later and Facebook has somehow managed to become an enemy of the very same people Zuckerberg was trying to connect with. Much ink has been spilled onFacebook's Free Basicsprogram and how it violates the tenets ofnet neutrality.Mashablehas extensively covered the tussle between Facebook and India's telecom regulator, which finally culminated yesterday withIndia banning Free Basicsalong with other zero rated services.
It's fascinating how Facebook could stumble so badly when it came to one of its boldest betsin its mission to connect the unconnected population in the world.
Let's begin with some numbers. Industry estimates suggestIndia had 375 million Internet usersat the end of October 2015, a number that was supposed to touch 402 million. Facebook has over 130 million users from India that log in at least once every month, which translates to roughly one in three connected Indians who access Facebook. If you throw in the more than 100 million monthly active users WhatsApp has in India, the number of users of Facebook-owned services is even higher — assuming there are many people who use WhatsApp but don't have a Facebook account.
With Free Basics, Facebook said it wanted to bring more unconnected users online. At a town hall held at theIndian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhilast December, Zuckerberg said Free Basics had already brought 15 million users online, of which a million came from India. And that's not all — he claimed half of people who came to Free Basics opted to pay to access the whole Internet.
Basically not doing its job
What was missing from the announcement was the number of people who accessed Free Basics that were not exactly first-time Internet users. ABuzzfeedinvestigationrevealedthat in most markets where Facebook had launched Free Basics with carrier partners, the majority of users already had a data plan and used Free Basics to access Facebook for free or used it when they ran out of data credit.
In other words, Facebook's carrier partners were using Free Basics to retain customers by helping them access Facebook for free, while subscribers on other networks had to pay for it. No wonder carriers were willing to foot the cost of serving Free Basics.
"The biggest reason why four billion people don’t access the Internet — bigger than issues of access or cost — is they don’t know why it might be valuable," Zuckerberg hadproclaimedin his IIT Delhi town hall. That proclamation might have some truth to it, but in India's case access and cost might be bigger issues. Which takes us back to where I started — Prime Minister Modi's ambition to connect 600,000 Indian villages with optical fiber cable.
According to the latestreportavailable with the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (the same body that banned Free Basics), India had a total of 131.49 million "broadband" connections at the end of Nov. 2015. (TRAI classifies any connection above 512kbps as broadband — this includes wired connections, wireless as well as fixed wireless connections like Wi-Fi, WiMax and VSAT.)
That's 131.49 million connections for a population of over 1.25 billion — only about 10%
of the country.What India needs is more connectivity.
TechnologistAnil Dashtold Zuckerberg why Free Basics is probably the wrong approach for Facebook in India: "Internet.org may be a fundamentally wrong structure for delivering these kinds of services because it doesn't empower people to create solutions for themselves that are culturally and contextually appropriate. What about pausing the Internet Basics effort and spending some time on a real effort to listen to Indian voices about what would help them have connectivity on their own terms, in a way they find acceptable?" hecommentedon Zuckerberg's Facebook post on being disappointed with India's decision.
The point being that rather than giving unlimited access to a restricted Internet, Facebook could have served India better by giving limited, free access to the entire Internet. Surprisingly, Facebook is working on a project in India, called Express Wi-Fi, where it is encouraging local entrepreneurs to purchase inexpensive hardware to setup a public Wi-Fi network and provide affordable Internet service. Guess how many people know about this project? Certainly not the millions of Indians who came to know about Free Basics via Facebook's multi-million dollaradvertising blitzkrieg.
How Google is picking up Facebook's dropped ball
India's telecom minister, Ravi Shankar Prasad, has set a target of adding another 100 million Internet users in the country over the next seven months. To achieve this figure, the state-run carrier BSNL will be setting up 2,500 public Wi-Fi hotspots across the country by Mar. 2017. Facebook could have played a big role in this mission, but it lost its way somewhere.
After addressing the town hall session at Facebook's headquarters, Prime Minister Modi visited the Googleplex in Mountain View, California, where India-born Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced a partnership with Indian Railways toinstall 400 Wi-Fi hotspotsat the busiest railway stations — 100 of which would go online in 2016.
"Even with just the first 100 stations online, this project will make Wi-Fi available for the more than 10 million people who pass through every day.
This will rank it as the largest public Wi-Fi project in India, and among the largest in the world, by number of potential users," Pichaiwrotein a blog post announcing the partnership.
"It will also be fast — many times faster than what most people in India have access to today, allowing travelers to stream a high-definition video while they’re waiting, research their destination, or download some videos, a book or a new game for the journey ahead. Best of all, the service will be free to start, with the long-term goal of making it self-sustainable to allow forexpansion to more stations and other places, with RailTel and more partners, in the future," he added.
Google's Wi-Fi project, which has largely been welcomed, shows why Free Basics was flawed from the start: While Facebook was peddling a limited Internet where users could access its services along with others that Facebook chose, Google was giving away the entire Internet, and at speeds faster than then norm.
It's still an open question whether Google's project will succeed in the long term, but at least it's an attempt to address the key issue of connectivity, and with a level of service that most of the world enjoys. In contrast, Facebook's Free Basics was treating India as the third world. Indians have had quite enough of that, thank you.
The Twitter community went into a virtual hyperventilating freakout on Friday whenreports surfacedthat the company might be planning on changing the way tweets are displayed (from reverse chronological to algorithmic).
But if one major, frequently outspoken Twitter activist investor is to be believed, there's nothing to worry about.
SEE ALSO:Death of Twitter is trending on Twitter as users freak out over algorithm
Early Twitter investorChris Sacca, who claims he has no inside information, took to the messaging platform to say that there is "zero percent chance Twitter eliminates the chronological feed."
There is a 0% chance Twitter eliminates the chronological feed.
Sacca was also careful to add that he doesn't work at the company. However, those familiar with his tweets, which sometimes presagemajor moves at Twitter, are likely to take Sacca's word as a relatively authoritative source on the topic.
Although it's not unusual for Sacca to speak out publicly on all things Twitter, it's particularly understandable that he'd carve out a couple of minutes on a Saturday to address the issue considering Friday's backlash.
Once reports began surfacing that Twitter might change the way tweets are read to an algorithmic system, likeFacebook's, the outrage on Twitter was swift and passionate.
So many users, high profile and devoted fans alike, spoke out against the change that a new hashtag is now trending worldwide: #RIPTwitter.
But those concerns may be premature.
In a related mini-tweet storm,TwitteriOS engineer Brandon Carpenter responded to the rumor-fueled backlash by attempting to calm everyone's nerves.
Seriously people. We aren't idiots. Quit speculating about how we're going to "ruin Twitter"
Unfortunately for Carpenter, Twitter users weren't in the mood to be talked down from the social media ledge, and quickly descended upon him with a raft of unflattering tweets responding to his original message.
The experience appears to have opened Carpenter's eyes a bit more to the oft-mentioned problem ofharassment on Twitter. But mean tweets aside, what Sacca's and Carpenter's Twitter messages add up to is that 1. no matter how many times someone tells you Twitter is on the decline, it still has a passionate user base that cares about its future and 2. those rumors about algorithmic changes may have just been rumors. Or not.
Either way, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey is now on notice from his users: If you are toying with algorithms on the Twitter timeline, don't expect a long list of favorites to come your way. The tweeple have already spoken.
With Facebook'sFriends Day videostaking over social media and reports that Twitter may be getting close to one of itsbiggest changes yet, you may have missed some of this week's best new apps.
SEE ALSO:How Facebook's fake holiday took over Twitter
Each weekend, we round up a few of our favorite new and updated apps. This week's list includes an interactive music app, a new email manager and an app that streamlines your social media feeds.
Check out the gallery below to see our top picks. If you're looking for more, take a look at ourlast roundupof can't-miss apps.
AirMail
Airmail, makers of the popular Mac email client, brought their app to iOS this week. The app handles the basics — multiple accounts, notifications, filters and folders — well but some of its best features remind us a lot of Mailbox (Dropbox’s acclaimed email app that’s set to go to the big inbox in the sky in the coming weeks.) Customizable swipes, snoozing messages for later, hooks into more than a dozen productivity apps and more personalization features than you ever thought you wanted all make for a damn useful email tool.
Pro-tip:The app has a special “actions” menu that enables handy one-touch shortcuts, like instantly turning messages into a PDF or add them to a to-do list.
This super cute endless jumper revolves around one simple task: jump from island to island while collecting coins and avoid falling in the water. The game features a pretty huge cast of animal characters, each of which must be unlocked through in-game achievements.
Pro-tip:Try to preview your jumps before you launch by holding down for a longer period of time to see the path.
Choose a song (the app’s songs are recorded by professionals) and be your own DJ as you swipe around the shapes — each of which represents different instrumental elements of the songs. Change your path and the songs and sounds change into something completely different.
Pro-tip:The app has a recording feature so you can save and share your creations and remixes.
SoFlow helps put all your social media streams in one place. Connect the app to your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr and SoundCloud accounts and the app pulls in the corresponding feeds, allowing you to check them individually or browse them all at once.
Pro-tip:The app’s search tool highlights Twitter’s trending topics and popular and trending Instagram posts.
Time for the Super Bowl. The app serves up a curated feed of news of the day but but you can also follow your favorite teams, watch videos and track headlines around the teams and leagues you’re interested in.
Pro-tip:Use the in-app game calendar to pin upcoming games you want to follow and set up game-day score alerts.
On Thursday, Facebook announced there are more than 800 million monthly active users on Messenger. While we can assume they're all at least chatting with each other, there's a whole lot more you can do in the app beyond instant messaging.
Over the last year, Messenger has shown it wants to be a one-stop shop for all your mobile needs — from sending GIFs to requesting an Uber. With so many updates, you may have missed some of the app's best new features.
SEE ALSO: The 100 best iPhone apps of all time
From paying friends to customizing your message threads, we've rounded up 10 of our favorite hidden tricks that will help you get the most out of Messenger.
1. There’s a standalone website for Messenger
Unlike having two different mobile apps, the two different websites make more sense. For example, you can keep chatting with your friends at work without the distraction of your news feed. The interface is minimal and clean — similar to the app but expanded. For each conversation, there’s a sidebar where you can mute notifications for that person, access a call or video chat and see photos you’ve shared with each other.
2. You don’t need Facebook to use Messenger
IMAGE: FACEBOOK
Anyone with a phone number can access Messenger and its features, even if you don't have a Facebook account. All you have to do is download the app, and you can select “Not on Facebook?” You can sign up from there.
3. Request an Uber
You can do away with your Uber app, and call a car through Messenger. From within a conversation, select the "More" icon indicated by three little dots and tap "Transportation." You can log in and request an Uber from there. Like the Uber app, you’ll receive updates on your driver’s status, notify friends, track the ride and pay for it.
4. Pin a group conversation for easy access
If you chat with the same group of people all the time, you can pin the conversation so you don’t have to scroll through to find it. Tap the Groups button at the bottom of the app, and you’ll see a Pin button in the top left corner. You can select the conversation you want to add, and you can assign a name to it. You can also add a photo as the group avatar by tapping on the camera button.
5. Mute notifications
You can silence specific conversations by tapping the name at the top of the message. In the drop-down screen of options, tap Notifications and select the period of time you want to mute it — like fifteen minutes, one hour, eight hours, 24 hours or indefinitely until you turn notifications back on. You can also turn off notifications entirely.
6. Make a payment
IMAGE: FACEBOOK
There are a few popular apps that let you pay your friends without any cash, but that means downloading yet another app. If you don’t have anymore room on your phone for Venmo, Messenger is an alternative, in case you don’t plan on deleting the app anytime soon.
7. Share photos instantly with facial recognition
Messenger’s Photo Magic feature uses facial recognition to make it easier to send photos to your friends. When the feature is on, the app will notify you to share photos when it detects a new picture with a friend in your camera roll. To enable it, click the settings gear icon on the bottom right, select Photos & Media and then Photo Magic, and switch the toggle on.
8. Send your location
IMAGE: FACEBOOK
Similar to dropping a pin in Apple Maps, you can send your location — or any location — in a message. Select a conversation, tap the More icon, click location, then you can search a place and send it.
9. Send GIFs
Tap More at the bottom of a conversation screen, and you’ll see a list of different apps you can install. You’ll see GIPHY as one option, and you can tap the INSTALL button, which will bring you to the App Store; download it as you normally would. Once installed, you can select the GIF icon at the bottom of a conversation to search and send GIFs directly in Messenger.
10. Customize your message threads with emoji
Change up your conversations with different people by changing the way the threads look. When you’re in a conversation, hit your friend’s name at the top of the screen, and you’ll see options for nicknames, color and emoji. The color will change the outline of icons as well as the chat bubbles.
First, we rang in the new year with a slew of techie debuts at 2016 International CES in Las Vegas. Now, we head straight into the the North American International Auto Show also known as the Detroit Auto Show.
SEE ALSO: If 2016 CES proved anything, it's that self-driving EVs are king
Though CES looked to the future with self-driving cars and long-range electrified vehicles, Detroit will keep it a little closer to Earth with some trucks, crossovers and sedans (let's not forget concepts) ready for showrooms as soon as this spring.
Coming off the heels of the very car-heavy CES, I've come away with a few predictions for 2016 Detroit. The show this year will be dominated by two major themes: Utility and luxury. No matter if its a concept or a production car, everything we're about to be shown in the Motor City falls into one of those two categories.
To underscore that prediction, here are the things we know will be there, and a few more we are anticipating.
Utility
Utility will take all sorts of forms in Detroit this week, ranging from the new Chrysler minivan up to an expected Nissan truck concept.
Nissan Titan XD
IMAGE: NISSAN
Intriguingly, right in the middle of the two will be the second-generation Honda Ridgeline pickup. That we expect to take the lead set by the new full-size Pilot crossover and add to it some, well, truck-y features. Rumor has it that unlike the last Ridgeline that was boxy and looked more like a Japanese Chevy Avalanche ripoff, the new Ridgeline will be rounder and also have a much more defined pickup shape.
The Ridgeline, while questionable in the marketplace when it first debuted in 2005, is much more relevant now. That's because the reintroduced Chevy Colorado mid-size pickup, along with the new Toyota Tacoma, has proved a sales juggernaut. Honda is likely keen to butch up the 2016 Ridgeline in order to compete.
Honda Ridgeline teaser
IMAGE: HONDA
Intriguingly, Kia is also rumored to be readying a full-size SUV concept called Telluride that, if sent into production, will ride an interesting line in the segment. Based upon the placement of the Kia K900 and Cadenza, it will likely be positioned against SUVs like the Acura MDX and maybe even the Mercedes-Benz GLS (though that last one might be more aspirational than anything).
Making full circle, we have the new Chrysler minivan, which is long, long overdue. In fact, it's been so long since Chrysler has redone a minivan that its questionable that there's even room in the marketplace for it. Not only do the Japanese with the Toyota Sienna and Honda Odyssey own the segment, the minivan market has all but dried up in the last few years. That's because, just as the minivan killed the station wagon, the crossover is killing the minivan.
Kia Concept Teaser
IMAGE: KIA
As the Gen-Xers and now the Millennials begin buying family-hauling rigs, they look away from the symbols of the Baby Boom buyer and into something a bit more modern. It'll be interesting to see what Chrysler can do to attract buyers to the minivan again. Likely, it'll use technology to entice buyers, as the Japanese have versatility and reliablity locked down.
Additionally, we'll see a new GMC Acadia crossover based upon the Cadillac XT5 make its debut as well as a new Buick said to be called the "Envision."
Luxury
Along with a strong showing of utility, Detroit will also pose the question, "Do you like luxury?", which, given the state of the city, is a strange question to ask. Regardless, that's how it appears to be shaping up.
That's because Detroit will mark the global debut of several luxurious offerings, including the semi-autonomous 2017 Mercedes-Benz E-Class loaded with tech from Mercedes' IAA conceptas well as the hotly anticipated 2017 Lincoln Continental.
That, however, is just where the luxury land-ship unveilings begin. Lexus will also show its all-new LC 500 range-topping coupe that was hinted with the LF-LC concept coupe in 2012. And Hyundai will also turn up its premium sedan game with the Genesis G90 sedan.
SEE ALSO: Audi says Apple CarPlay, Android Auto are not a 'connected car' solution
Lexus LF-LC
IMAGE: LEXUS
Speaking of the letter G, the formerly-named Infiniti G37 coupe has been remade as well and will debut with new styling as the Q60 this week. The Volvo S90 will make its North American debut in the Motor City. So, too, will the 2017 Porsche 911 Turbo and 911 Turbo S.
Intriguingly, Henrik Fisker, the namesake behind the now-infamous Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid sports sedan failure that originally competed with the Tesla Model S, will show his latest concept in Detroit. It's called the "Force 1" and will be a high-performance sedan with American-made components underpinning it.
Fisker Force 1 sketch
IMAGE: FISKER
Lastly, right before its all-new plug-in hybrid NSX goes on sale, Acura will debut a new design concept that will show what its updated design language will look like going into the second half of the decade. Hopefully, it will be a handsome beast indeed. Right now, Acura's cars are good but not very exciting to look at. A design reinvigoration as well as a new halo supercar could really turn the floundering Japanese luxury brand around — at least from a sales standpoint.
Of course, with these luxury offerings, we'll likely see sumptuous interiors, gobs of horsepower and some distinctive tech accoutrements as well. That's cool, but certainly none of it will overshadow what we saw at the International CES last week.
However, that's OK. CES showed where the industry will be in a few years — Detroit will underscore where it is right now.
