Another batch of Jeff Bezos’ Kuiper broadband satellites are now operating in low Earth orbit as Amazon prepares to light up its high-speed low-latency Starlink competitor later this year. It comes almost two months after Kuiper’s inaugural launch of 27 satellites on April 28th.
For those keeping score: that other billionaire is launching a few dozen broadband satellites every two days.
A 2023 breach of genetic testing company 23andMe that leaked sensitive data for millions of customers already led to a $30 million settlement and, eventually, bankruptcy for the company once valued at $6 billion. Now the UK is layering on a fine of just over $3 million for failing to protect the genetic data of 155,592 UK residents. It comes just days after co-founder and former CEO Anne Wojcicki said she was buying back the company’s assets for $305 million.
It’s essentially an Edge 540 in a smaller tougher body that’s tuned for mountain bikers. That means super fast (5Hz) and accurate GPS for navigating your downhill bombs, timing gates to measure splits in real-time, new mounts, and plenty more. DesFit has a preview of Garmin’s new ruggedized $399 bike computer.
Ek’s investment company Prima Materia dumped its first €100 million in Helsing, the German defense tech group with roots in AI software, back in 2021. Now it’s leading a €600 million round to capitalize on the shift to drone warfare. Per the Financial Times:
“The world is being tested in more ways than ever before. That has sped up the timeline” for Helsing’s financing, Ek said, pointing in particular to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, where drones and other AI-powered systems have been deployed at scale for the first time. “There’s an enormous realisation that it’s really now AI, mass and autonomy that is driving the new battlefield.”
“The next evolution is coming on June 20,” reads the caption to a teaser video republished by Meta CTO Andrew “Boz” Bosworth. The Oakley x Meta tie-up was first reported back in January as the sporty alternative to the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, meant to appeal to cyclists and other outdoor athletes.
A test ride of its first new electric bikes since bankruptcy shows lots of promise.
At least five of Alphabet’s autonomous cars have been set on fire, according to the New York Times, as protesters rage against the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration. “We will not be serving any rides in the protest area until it is deemed safe,” a Waymo spokesperson said.
JW Zhang, founder of US-based Aventon, now has control over UK-based Gocycle — the financially troubled maker of premium, fast-folding electric bikes. “Aventon is going to help Gocycle unleash its true potential and bring more exciting products to people in the future,” said an unidentified Aventon spokesperson speaking to Cycling Electric.
What comes next is unclear, but it should accelerate global expansion for both brands once the deal is settled, and finally make Gocycle’s CX lineup of electric folding cargo bikes a reality.
[cyclingelectric.com]
