Component Planet: September 2019

Monday 30 September 2019

Tate Modern fountain shows history of slavery

The piece by artist Kara Walker is in the London gallery's Turbine Hall until April.

from BBC News - London https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-49888240

Microsoft Says AI-Powered Windows Updates Have Reduced Crashes

Microsoft has invested heavily in AI and machine learning, but you wouldn’t know it from how little attention it gets compared with Google. Microsoft is using its machine learning technology to address something all long-term Windows users have experienced: faulty updates. Microsoft says that AI can help identify systems that will play nicely with updates, allowing the company to roll new versions out more quickly with fewer crashes.

It seems like we can’t get a single Windows update without hearing some stories of how it completely broke one type of system or another. You have to feel for Microsoft a little — the Windows ecosystem is maddeningly complex with uncountable hardware variants. Microsoft started using AI to evaluate computers with Windows 10, version 1803 (the April 2018 Update). It measured six PC health stats, assessed update outcomes, and loaded all the data into a machine learning algorithm. This tells Microsoft which computers are least likely to encounter problems with future updates.

By starting with the computers with the “best” update compatibility, Microsoft can push new features to most users in short order. With most OS rollouts, things move very slowly at first while companies remain vigilant for issues. PCs determined to have likely issues by the AI will get pushed down the update queue while Microsoft zeros in on the problems.

The ML models seem effective, even if Microsoft didn’t bother to label the Y-axis.

The first AI-powered employment was a success, with adoption rates higher than all previous Windows 10 updates. Microsoft expanded its original six PC metrics to a whopping 35 as of the Windows 1903 rollout (May 2019). The company claims this makes update targeting even more accurate. This does not guarantee perfect updates, though. Microsoft’s blog post glosses over 1809 update from late 2018. That rollout used AI technology, but you might recall the widespread file deletion bug that caused Microsoft to pause the release. AI might help determine compatibility, but it can’t account for unknown bugs like that.

Still, Microsoft is happy with the results from its machine learning deployments. According to the new blog post, systems chosen for updates by the algorithm have fewer than half as many system uninstalls, half as many kernel-mode crashes, and one-fifth as many post-update driver conflicts. Hopefully, you can look forward to fewer Windows update issues going forward, and you’ll have AI to thank.

Now read:

from ExtremeTechExtremeTech https://www.extremetech.com/computing/299294-microsoft-says-ai-powered-windows-updates-have-reduced-crashes

Is being labelled a hippy a form of insult?

The Duke of Sussex says calls to protect nature should not be dismissed as "hippy".

from BBC News - London https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-49875728

Flood warnings: Alerts in force with heavy rain expected

Almost 60 flood warnings are in place and a yellow rain alert has started.

from BBC News - London https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-49876987

Councils first in London to apply new domestic violence strategy

Waltham Forest and Hackney councils are the first to adopt the "Safe and Together" model.

from BBC News - London https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-49879597

Dina Asher-Smith wins 200m heat to reach World Championships semi-finals

Dina Asher-Smith runs the fastest time of the day to reach the 200m semi-finals at the World Championships in Doha.

from BBC News - London https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/49883537

Tottenham v Bayern Munich: Jan Vertonghen 'important part of project', says Pochettino

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino says defender Jan Vertonghen is "an important part of my project" as they prepare to face Bayern Munich.

from BBC News - London https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/49872949

NASA’s TESS Satellite Spots Star Being Ripped Apart by Black Hole

NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) is orbiting the Earth to search for alien worlds, but it spotted something much different recently. NASA says TESS observed a rare phenomenon known as a “tidal disruption event.” As TESS watched from a safe distance, a star spiraled toward a black hole before being torn to shreds.

TESS is a followup to the dearly departed Kepler Space Telescope. Whereas Kepler focused on small parts of the sky out to great distances, TESS aims to search for exoplanets across the entire sky out to a distance of about 300 light years. It uses the same transit method as Kepler for spotting exoplanets: when a planet passes in front of its host star, there’s a small dip in brightness. TESS watches for changes in brightness, and that’s how it spotted the tidal disruption event.

The data from TESS shows a distant object getting brighter over the course of several days in January 2019. A tidal disruption event like this occurs when a star passes too close to a black hole. It becomes trapped in the black hole’s gravity and spirals in toward the event horizon. In the process, the extreme gravity breaks the star apart into an elongated stream of gas. Some of the matter escapes into space, but most of it forms an accretion disk around the black hole and is eventually consumed.

TESS saw the first hint of the event now known as ASASSN-19bt on January 21st, 2019. It took place about 375 million light years away in a galaxy called 2MASX J07001137-6602251. The black hole is believed to be 6 million times as massive as the sun. Luckily, the break-up of the star was quite bright, and it happened in the satellite’s continuous viewing zone above the south pole.

TESS only transmits data to Earth every two weeks, and it needs to be processed at NASA’s Ames Research Center before anyone can evaluate it. So, no one knew TESS had seen ASASSN-19bt until March. The All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae (ASAS-SN) is a network of robotic telescopes designed to detect events like ASASSN-19bt. However, ASAS-SN didn’t see the event until a week after TESS. Astronomers were able to gather data from ASASSN-19bt with the ASAS-SN array as usual before they knew anything about TESS’s observation.

Having the data from TESS allows scientists to track how ASASSN-19bt behaved when it was still too dim for other instruments to see. The smooth increase in brightness detected by TESS also confirms this was a tidal disruption event and not another high-energy outbursts like a supernova. The TESS observational campaign is still ongoing, so there’s still time to spot some more tidal disruption events. We’re hoping for exoplanets, too.

Now read:

from ExtremeTechExtremeTech https://www.extremetech.com/extreme/299223-nasas-tess-satellite-spots-star-being-ripped-apart-by-black-hole

Stella Creasy urges action on anti-abortion poster 'harassment'

The anti-abortion campaign posters targeting Stella Creasy appeared across her constituency.

from BBC News - London https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-49875980

Reading v Fulham

Preview followed by live coverage of Tuesday's Championship game between Reading and Fulham.

from BBC News - London https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/49805860

Kirill Belorusov guilty of Laureline Garcia-Bertaux murder

Laureline Garcia-Bertaux was strangled and buried naked in a shallow grave in her garden.

from BBC News - London https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-49881698

Beat Saber Arcade on the Oculus Quest Is a Ton of Fun

Earlier this month, a box showed up at my door. Main Event Entertainment, a family entertainment company that operates businesses throughout the US providing various video and real-world games, including billiards, bowling, arcade titles, laser tag, and rock climbing, has recently added Beat Saber as a starring attraction for its facilities. The box contained an Oculus Quest preloaded with Beat Saber Arcade, the same version of the game that the company has rolled out in its entertainment centers.

Beat Saber, for those of you that haven’t played it, is a rhythm game. In it, you slash red and blue boxes that approach you at speed, in time to the music. There are a variety of ways to modify a song to increase or decrease the difficulty, a practice mode to run through a song at a slower (or faster) speed than normal, and a campaign mode for those who don’t want to run songs one by one.

I’ve had fun with Beat Saber when I’ve played it, but I’ve always used an Oculus Rift tied to a PC. The Oculus Quest is different from the Rift in several respects. It has four corner cameras for tracking your controller locations, so it isn’t tied to the cameras that the Rift uses. The headset is a little heavier (20.1 ounces versus 17), but it feels better to wear and is more balanced overall. Internally, games are rendered on a Snapdragon 835.

While the screen resolution is slightly higher than the Rift, at 1600×1440, I was afraid the overall experience might not be as good as on the Rift. I needn’t have worried. If I liked Beat Saber on the Rift, being able to play it on the Quest has been transformative. The device’s cameras will switch to displaying a view of the room around you if you step outside the Guardian area defined for play, which makes it much easier to move confidently with a bulky, view-obscuring camera strapped to your face.

I’ve made it clear in my various writing that I prefer PC-based VR, and I was a bit dismissive of Quest when it launched. I can’t speak to how the headset works in other titles beyond the Apollo Creed boxing demo and Beat Saber itself, but in my experience, this headset is phenomenal. I’ve had far more fun with it than I’ve had on the Rift, because I don’t have to contend with the bulk of the PC-connected cable. I’ve been using it for exercise on a regular basis. And while I’m no kind of Beat Saber god, I’ve definitely improved at the game during the few weeks I’ve played it. Even without headphones, the Quest’s audio is more than loud enough for a fulfilling experience.

I can’t speak to the experience of playing the game at a Main Event, because there isn’t one near me. From the images the company sent over, it looks like they use a setup with a fair bit of extra hardware:

Credit: Main Event.

Including a display for other people to see makes sense — watching someone wave their arms around in the air probably isn’t all that much fun otherwise — but there’s a substantial bit of stabilizing headgear at the top of the Oculus Quest and the controllers are clearly tethered to the rest of the hardware in some fashion. The experience looks different enough that I don’t want to assume they’re identical in that regard.

But as far as the base game is concerned? Definitely great. Beat Saber is the closest thing to a killer app for VR that I’ve seen yet, and while I wouldn’t recommend dropping $400 (the base price of the Oculus Quest) to play any single title, it’s worth checking out a Main Event if there’s one near you just to get a taste of what good VR gameplay can look like. The game is easy to pick up and play and the cost of a visit to ME is smaller than the Quest itself.

I’m glad to see companies adding VR options like this because it helps overcome a major problem with VR adoption. Like 3D before it, VR is difficult to demonstrate to people if they can’t put a headset on and see it for themselves. And few people are willing to drop $400 for a product if they haven’t spent time with it. This is eminently reasonable, but it creates a chicken-and-egg problem without an easy solution. Putting VR gear into entertainment venues makes sense as a means of exposing folks to it, and if you’ve been curious about the medium, Beat Saber is a genuinely great game.

Now Read:

from ExtremeTechExtremeTech https://www.extremetech.com/gaming/299226-review-beat-saber-arcade-oculus-quest

Astronomers Find ‘Impossible’ Planet Circling Tiny Star

One of the ongoing puzzles in astronomy is that very few solar systems that we’ve examined to date look anything like ours. It’s common, for example, for solar systems to have so-called Hot Jupiters, planets the size of Jupiter that circle their host stars at a closer distance than Mercury circles our own Sun. Many solar systems have planets that fall in-between the size of Earth and Neptune, while we have no such worlds. In other solar systems, Super-Earths — rocky planets — are often found much closer to the Sun, while our largest and farthest planets are all gas giants.

These differences imply that our own theories of planetary formation and evolution may need tweaking to account for how our solar system appears to be odd, for lack of a better way of putting it. As if to reinforce that argument, astronomers have found a planet that appears to be much too large for the star it’s orbiting. Their work, published in Science, raises questions about how a system like this could form in the first place.

GJ 3512 b is a gas giant orbiting a tiny red dwarf, GJ 3512. The planet itself is in an eccentric, 204-day orbit around its star, but spends most of its time closer to its parent than Mercury is to Sol. GJ 3512, however, can only manage ~0.2 percent of our Sun’s solar output. But a planet the size of GJ 3512 b isn’t supposed to exist.

“The discovery was surprising because theoretical formation models suggest that low-mass stars typically host small planets, similar to Earth or small Neptunes,” said astrophysicist Juan Carlos Morales of the Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia, who led the research. “In this case, we have found a gas giant planet similar to Jupiter around a very small star,” Morales said.

To put this in perspective, GJ 3512 is only about 250 times the mass of GJ 3512 b, whereas the Sun is more than 1,000 times the mass of Jupiter.

Credit: C. Bickel/Science

According to their measurements, GJ 3512 is only about 35 percent larger than Jupiter, while the planet, GJ 3512 b, is at least 46 percent the size of Jupiter. Thus, we have a Jupiter-sized planet circling a very small star, where Jupiter-sized planets are not expected to form. Furthermore, GJ 3512 b isn’t the only planet orbiting GJ 3512; there’s a GJ 3512 c signal in the data as well. The standard model of planetary formation, in which pebbles accrete together until a core of at least 5-15 Earth masses exists followed by a relatively quick growth to gas giant size, does not fit the known circumstances in this case.

In order to form a gas giant, there has to be enough gas in a protoplanetary disk in the first place. As a solar system forms, the amount of gas within it is continually reduced by the wind of the nascent star and by other planetesimals and planets, which pull material into their own orbits. Around red dwarfs, the accretion process is typically too slow for gas giants to form this way before gas is lost to surrounding space. Giant planets only have a limited window to form around their host stars, typically estimated at 3-10 million years.

There is, however, an alternate theory of planetary formation known as gravitational disk instability. According to this theory, clumps of dust and gas may have differential temperatures, with cold areas becoming denser over time until the gas cloud collapses into a planet. Unlike theories of core or pebble accretion, this process could theoretically occur extremely rapidly, within a matter of some thousands of years as opposed to over millions of years.

Up until now, core accretion has been the favored explanation for how planets form, but GJ 3512 b is enough of an oddball that scientists don’t think our standard models can explain it. It may be an example of a planet that formed via gravitational disk instability, evidence that our existing models don’t account for all necessary variables in the process, or both. Either way, we now know there’s at least one other oddball solar system out there — even if it’s still completely different than our own.

Top image credit: Guillem Anglada-Escude—IEEC/Science-wave, using SpaceEngine.org (CC BY 4.0))

Now Read:

from ExtremeTechExtremeTech https://www.extremetech.com/extreme/299218-astronomers-find-impossible-planet-circling-tiny-star

Grab This DJI 4K HD Action Cam for $50 off Today

In the world of action cameras, DJI has made a name for itself as a top-tier brand, and while its equipment usually comes at top-tier prices, you can grab their Osmo 4K HDR camera for just $299 today, $50 off the usual price.

Featuring front and rear displays, this adventure-ready action cam lets you effortlessly capture your best moments in stunning 4K quality.

You’ll be able to frame yourself quickly and easily in any setting or environment using a vivid front screen, while a back screen delivers a crystal-clear image of your captures.

This ultra-durable camera can also survive the elements—making it perfect for frequent adventurers who need to constantly brave the outdoors—and you’ll be able to capture the action shake-free thanks to a series of custom settings.

The DJI Osmo Action 4K HDR Camera usually retails for $349, but you can get your own today for just $299.

Prices are subject to change.

from ExtremeTechExtremeTech https://www.extremetech.com/deals/299056-grab-this-dji-4k-hd-action-cam-for-50-off-today

Women's Champions League: Manchester City to face Atletico Madrid in last 16

Manchester City are drawn against Spanish club Atletico Madrid in the last 16 of the Women's Champions League.

from BBC News - London https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/49871642

AMD’s Server Market Share Could More Than Double by the End of 2020

When AMD launched Epyc, it made it clear that the server CPU would face a slow and cautious ramp into market rather than a full-on sprint. Prior to the launch of its 7nm Epyc CPUs, AMD’s total server market share had edged upwards to ~3.4 percent. Now that 7nm hardware is in-market, there are reports that AMD is gaining market share more rapidly.

DigiTimes reports that AMD is pulling roughly 5 percent market share today and could blow past 10 percent by the end of 2020. This would represent a significant short-term share gain for the company. Prior to the launch of Epyc, AMD’s server market share had fallen to ~0 percent, with Intel estimated to have more than 99 percent of the market. It took AMD roughly two years to grow to 3.4 percent, but that made sense, given the slow pace of servers and the conservative nature of the space. Moving from 3.4 percent to 10 percent in 12-18 months would represent a much faster gain.

Data by Dean McCarron, Mercury Research. Chart by ExtremeTech

The chart above shows gains through Q2 of 2019. All eyes will be on AMD’s Q3 results this year. AMD had Navi and Ryzen chips in-market for almost the entire quarter and it launched its Epyc 7nm chips early in August, which means the company’s 7nm hardware has been available for the majority of the time. AMD wasn’t sure how strong console demand would be in Q3, which may limit our ability to see into server sales — the company combines Enterprise, Embedded, and Semi-Custom reporting into the same business segment.

Slide: AMD. Benchmark results based on SPECrate 2017_int_base.

Outside of unit sales, the past few weeks have been strong for AMD. The company has unveiled a new, HPC-focused Epyc 7H12, announced dozens of new world records in tests conducted by third parties, and been making a serious play for attention across the HPC and server markets. Even Intel has acknowledged in its quarterly calls that AMD is now competitive across a range of markets that Intel had dominated for most of the past decade. In my own opinion, AMD is doing well enough to call this the second “Golden Age” of the company.

AMD hitting 10 percent of the server market by the end of 2020 seems like a fairly reasonable goal given how well the company is executing on 7nm. The one fly in the ointment may be the overall health of the server market itself. The space boomed sharply in the back half of 2018 but sales have been slower in the first half of the year. AMD might take 10 percent of the market but wind up making significantly less money than it might have during a period of higher sales. Then again, when you’ve previously had 0 percent of a space, any sales are better than the alternative.

It’s not fair or accurate to say that companies “haven’t been” paying attention to Epyc. They have. In some cases, customers that are now publicly announcing AMD availability are companies that have likely been testing Epyc for years. Server and HPC customers install hardware for significant periods of time, and it’s not unheard of for compute clusters to be upgraded as new chips become available. Even when installations aren’t updated, it’s beneficial to companies to know that they’ll be able to count on the same CPU vendor to deliver improved parts year-on-year. This reduces the amount of validation work that has to be performed on an ongoing basis.

If you look at where AMD has historically had trouble, it’s been in the transition from one node to the next or when rolling out a major architecture update. The Zen 3 CPU core is a significant update on Zen 2 and moving to 7nm at TSMC was a significant shift from 12/14nm at GlobalFoundries. AMD has had some supply issues that required it to push back the introduction of a 16-core chip, but the company appears to be selling every chip it can make. We’ll find out more about what sales have looked like in about a month when AMD announces quarterly results.

Now Read:

from ExtremeTechExtremeTech https://www.extremetech.com/computing/299191-amds-server-market-share-could-more-than-double-by-the-end-of-2020

Lukasz Fabianski: West Ham goalkeeper out for two months with hip injury

West Ham goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski is ruled out for at least two months with a torn hip muscle.

from BBC News - London https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/49875670

Tashan Daniel's family saw him die after Tube stabbing

Tashan Daniel's family describe how they arrived in the London Underground as medics tried to him.

from BBC News - London https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-49872522

Claim over Boris Johnson's behaviour 'deeply concerning'

Ex-minister Justine Greening speaks out after the PM denies squeezing a journalist's thigh at a lunch.

from BBC News - London https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-49877508

Be More Chill: The word-of-mouth hit musical now heading to London

Be More Chill was kept alive thanks to the cult following its soundtrack built up on streaming.

from BBC News - London https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-49833734

Dina Asher-Smith's World Championships silver bodes well for Olympics - Denise Lewis

Dina Asher-Smith's 100m World Championships silver puts her in the frame for further success at next year's Olympics, says Denise Lewis.

from BBC News - London https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/49874040

Man Utd v Arsenal: Has the Premier League match become a 'lost rivalry'?

Manchester United and Arsenal were the two best teams in English football, but has it become a lost rivalry?

from BBC News - London https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/49844922

Sunday 29 September 2019

Man charged after woman fatally stabbed in Enfield

A 28-year-old man will appear before magistrates in north London charged with murder.

from BBC News - London https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-49875978

Tashan Daniel: Tube murder victim's father saw son die

Tashan Daniel's says he raced to Hillingdon Tube shortly after his son was fatally stabbed.

from BBC News - London https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-49870488

Arrest as woman stabbed to death in Enfield

Police say a 28-year-old man arrested on suspicion of murder was related to the victim.

from BBC News - London https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-49870490

Osvaldo Carvalho stabbing: Three brothers charged with murder

Post-mortem tests found Osvaldo Carvalho died from shock and haemorrhage following a stab wound.

from BBC News - London https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-49870486

England's Socca World Cup team grew up on estates

Thirteen men will be heading to Crete to compete at the 2019 Socca World Cup.

from BBC News - London https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-49870484

Women's Super League: West Ham United v Tottenham Hotspur

Live coverage of Sunday's Women's Super League game between West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur.

from BBC News - London https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/49785342

Women's Super League: Arsenal v Brighton & Hove Albion

Live coverage of Sunday's Women's Super League game between Arsenal and Brighton & Hove Albion.

from BBC News - London https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/49785343

Women's Super League: Bristol City v Chelsea

Live coverage of Sunday's Women's Super League game between Bristol City and Chelsea.

from BBC News - London https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/49785341

Four teens held after Enfield to Loughton police chase

The pursuit ended after the car hit stationary traffic and the suspects were dragged from the car.

from BBC News - London https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-49867363

Margaret Hodge: Labour MP 'disappointed' over reselection contest

Margaret Hodge has been critical of Jeremy Corbyn and the party's response to anti-Semitism claims.

from BBC News - London https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-49869114

Tottenham: Mauricio Pochettino finds relief at end of difficult week

Mauricio Pochettino has finished the week with three points against former club Southampton after getting knocked out of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday.

from BBC News - London https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/49867650

Barnsley v Brentford (Sun)

Preview followed by live coverage of Sunday's Championship game between Barnsley and Brentford.

from BBC News - London https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/49785334

Manchester United v Arsenal

Preview followed by live coverage of Monday's Premier League game between Manchester United and Arsenal.

from BBC News - London https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/49791610

Government plans billions for hospital projects

The plans, unveiled at the start of the Conservative party conference, include £2.7bn for six hospital trusts over five years.

from BBC News - London https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-49867376

Boris Johnson denies wrongdoing over Arcuri link

The PM says there was "no interest to declare" regarding links with US businesswoman Jennifer Arcuri.

from BBC News - London https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-49869360

Saturday 28 September 2019

Boris Johnson's referral to watchdog 'politically motivated' - No 10

It is alleged businesswoman Jennifer Arcuri received favourable treatment due to friendship with PM.

from BBC News - London https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-49862859

At a Glance: LG UltraFine 24MD4KL-B 4K Display Review

LG’s UltraFine 24MD4KL-B is a rather unique display. Obviously it’s a monitor, but it doesn’t have any HDMI, DisplayPort, or DVI jacks. LG designed it specifically as a solution for users of Apple devices, and as such, it was designed to accept video over USB Type-C. Clearly, the LG UltraFine 24MD4KL-B fills a specific niche in the market, but unless you own an iPad or MacBook, you should probably steer clear.

Design and Features

In addition to the unusual video connection options, this display is also rather unique in that it features a 24-inch 4K Nano IPS panel. Most 4K monitors on the market today use larger panels with 24-inch monitors such as this one being quite rare. The small physical size of the screen has a negative impact on desktop real estate, but it does give the LG UltraFine 24MD4KL-B a pixel density of 186 pixels per inch, which is unusually high for a desktop monitor.

The monitor has a modern set of ports consisting of three USB Type-C and two Thunderbolt 3 ports that also use the Type-C connector. The decision to build this monitor with just USB Type-C and Thunderbolt 3 connections for video reflects the growing influence of these solutions on the market today, but it still feels like a mistake that LG didn’t add at least one HDMI or DisplayPort. It’s also worth noting here that the display’s stand supports height and tilt adjustments, and the display can be removed from the stand and mounted on a wall using a 100mm VESA bracket.

Continuing the trend of odd features is this display’s controls, or lack thereof. This display doesn’t have a power button or indeed any buttons at all. Instead, the display powers up automatically when a compatible device is connected to one of the Type-C ports. If you are using a Mac, you will be able to access the display’s internal settings to adjust the display’s brightness, color, and various other options. While you can use this display with a non-Mac computer, you will be unable to make changes to the monitor’s settings on a Windows or Linux based system right out of the box.

The LG UltraFine 24MD4KL-B reportedly also has excellent color accuracy and brightness. In PCMag’s review of this display, the monitor was tested with a Klein K10-A colorimeter and the SpectraCal CalMAN5 software. These tools showed the display to have a max brightness of 538 nits and a contrast ratio of 1,350:1, both of which exceed LG’s official rating. LG also reports this display ships factory-calibrated to cover 98 percent of the DCI-P3 color spectrum, but PCMag’s tests showed the display slightly underperformed here with just 97.5 percent of the DCI-P3 color space covered.

The reviewer at PCMag also noted that the monitor’s built-in pair of 5W speakers had reasonable volume and sound quality for a monitor.

Conclusion

LG’s UltraFine 24MD4KL-B retails for $699.95 and all things considered, it appears to be a well-made display, but only if you use a Mac. LG’s decision to not add a single HDMI or DisplayPort jack to this monitor feels poorly thought out as it would have allowed the monitor to work for countless other devices as well as for Apple’s iPads and MacBooks. The lack of access to the display’s settings on non-Mac systems also limits its use, with the end result being that this display simply shouldn’t be used with non-Apple products.

Now read:

from ExtremeTechExtremeTech https://www.extremetech.com/computing/299144-at-a-glance-lg-ultrafine-24md4kl-b-4k-display-review

Chelsea v Brighton & Hove Albion

Preview followed by live coverage of Saturday's Premier League game between Chelsea and Brighton & Hove Albion.

from BBC News - London https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/49778503

Bournemouth v West Ham United

Preview followed by live coverage of Saturday's Premier League game between Bournemouth and West Ham United.

from BBC News - London https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/49778509

Crystal Palace v Norwich City

Preview followed by live coverage of Saturday's Premier League game between Crystal Palace and Norwich City.

from BBC News - London https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/49778506

Tottenham Hotspur v Southampton

Preview followed by live coverage of Saturday's Premier League game between Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton.

from BBC News - London https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/49778504

Friday 27 September 2019

Foldable Moto Razr Reportedly On-Track for Late 2019 Debut

(Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images

The rumor mill has been abuzz about Motorola’s supposed folding phone all year, and a new report says the device is still on track for a 2019 debut. Motorola initially wanted to launch the phone over the summer, but that didn’t work out. It’s now expecting to announce the device at the very end of 2019.

Foldable phones are a popular diversion among smartphone makers right now. Samsung just re-launched the Galaxy Fold, and Huawei has shown off the Mate X foldable a few times. The high price tag and general fragility of these devices have made them a tough sell, though. The Motorola foldable might have a leg up because it’s allegedly a bit less ambitious and will cultivate technology nostalgia.

A Motorola patent showing a Razr-style folding phone.

Based on leaks and a recent Motorola patent filing, we expect the foldable to be a revamp of the classic Razr flip phone. Instead of a small screen and a keypad, the new Razr will have a large folding OLED inside. There will reportedly still be a small display on the outside like the classic phone. The Galaxy Fold and Mate X both have giant tablet-sized folding displays, which no doubt increase the cost. While we don’t expect the Razr to be cheap, it’s not going to cost $2,000 like the Fold — previous leaks have pointed to around $1,500.

We don’t know why Motorola pushed back the launch of its foldable, but it might have something to do with Samsung. Analysts speculate that Motorola is watching how consumers respond to the Galaxy Fold to help it decide how to position the new Razr. Samsung delayed the Fold to rework its design, so Motorola decided to hold off as well.

A render of the alleged foldable Razr.

This timeline matches previous leaks, and it fits makes sense in the context of Motorola’s current product lineup. Over the summer, Moto announced the Moto Z4, which is a mid-range phone rather than a flagship. There are no flagship phones in its 2019 lineup at all. The foldable Razr might have been meant as a summer blockbuster that would distract from the company’s yawn-inducing G and Z phones.

The source for this report can only say the announcement is currently on the books for the last few weeks of the year. It’s possible the phone won’t be available for purchase until 2020.

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from ExtremeTechExtremeTech https://www.extremetech.com/mobile/299190-foldable-moto-razr-reportedly-on-track-for-late-2019-debut

Cops Abandon High-Speed Chase When Their Tesla Battery Runs Down

Don’t feed the sheriff’s horse tonight and Blaze won’t much feel like chasing cattle rustlers tomorrow. Don’t gas up the Ford Interceptor and you not make it much farther than Dunkin in the morning. Now the cops are learning: If you don’t charge your Tesla police car, the next shift won’t mount a very long high-speed pursuit. It happened this month in Fremont, California. The police department’s Tesla ran low on juice and the chase was called off after about eight miles. The Fremont PD said it was for reasons of public safety.

The 2014 Tesla Model S, purchased used, is believed to be the first electric police car placed on patrol duty in the US. It’s part of a pilot program for the city to determine how well EVs can slot into mainstream police work. EVs are already used for peripheral use, such as patrolling metered public parking lots.

Tesla Model Model S 85 when it was acquired. (Photos: Fremont Police
Department)

Here’s what happened: Sept. 20, the Tesla was on patrol. It began pursuit of what police described as a “felony vehicle” on Interstate 680 South in Fremont. The chased reached peak speeds of 120 mph. Several minutes into the chase, officer Jess Hartman noticed the Tesla was low on power. He radioed the dispatcher and said, “I am down to six miles of battery on the Tesla so I may lose it here in a sec.” Moments later, he added, “If someone else is able, can they maneuver into the number one spot?”

Shortly after Hartman reported his low-battery condition, traffic began to clog up and the driver of the pursued vehicle took to the breakdown lane. That led the Tesla to break off the chase and exit the highway in San Jose. Hartman radioed, “I’ve got to try to find a charging station for the Tesla so I can make it back to the city.” That he did, took on some more juice, and drove back to headquarters.

The pursued car was later found crashed in bushes and abandoned. The driver apparently fled on foot. He was wanted on a felony warrant from Santa Clara, police said.

As to what went wrong, a police spokesperson said that “[officer] Hartman was monitoring the charge and responsibly notifying everyone of its status.” (The cops don’t like to say somebody messed up.) While the car is being driven, the officers inside are responsible for checking the fuel or battery level, although it’s seldom an issue in urban/suburban patrols. Larger police departments typically have maintenance workers responsible for refueling. In smaller departments, it may be an end-of-shift task. The Fremont PD did note the car somehow hadn’t been plugged in to charge at the end of its previous shift.

The Fremont Tesla is part of a pilot program to determine the suitability of EVs for patrol duty. This one was bought in 2018 for $61,000 directly from Tesla — which has its main factory in Fremont — and a year and $20,000 was spent getting it ready for first police use in March 2018. The 2014 Model S 85 is rating as having a range of 265 miles on a full battery. Urban police work is ideal for an EV because of the frequent starts and stops that regenerate power. Fremont police say a typical shift involves 70-100 miles of driving. Fremont Police Captain Sean Washington told the East Bay Times in July:

Things were going well with the Tesla pilot program, which had already been involved in at least one other pursuit at that time. “So far so good,” Washington said, noting there is usually about 40 to 50 percent battery life left after a normal shift. “We are easily able to make it through an 11-hour shift with battery power to spare.”

No matter what an EV’s stated range is, running at high speed causes a huge hit on the battery.

Ford Police Interceptor Utility Hybrid SUV.

Ford is currently the leading seller of police cars, more of which are SUVs these days. The company is promoting the hybrid as the ideal police car, in particular, a Ford Explorer modified as a “Police Interceptor Utility” with a 3.3-liter V6 and a hybrid battery.

The car can run off battery power for the better part of an hour with radios and computer active; 10-15 minutes of engine-on time brings the hybrid battery back to full charge. Ford says its hybrid gets 40 percent better mileage than a gas-only vehicle and reaches 137 mph. Ford still recommends a non-hybrid V6 turbo — sorry, no V8s — for rural and highway pursuits of up to 150 mph.

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from ExtremeTechExtremeTech https://www.extremetech.com/extreme/299166-cops-abandon-high-speed-chase-when-their-tesla-battery-runs-down

Investigation launched into 'segregated' London garden

Residents at Westbourne Place say council housing tenants cannot access gardens and a car park.

from BBC News - London https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-49854787

Michael Winner's ex-lover jailed for robbing his widow

Michael Winner's former lover is jailed for her "revenge" robbery at his widow's Knightsbridge home.

from BBC News - London https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-49855151

Jay Sewell death: Daniel Grogan guilty of murdering love rival

Daniel Grogan's parents were also convicted of killing 18-year-old Jay Sewell.

from BBC News - London https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-49851006

NASA Produces Stunning Simulation of a Black Hole

It was just this year that we got our first real look at a black hole, and it matched many of the theoretical predictions that came before the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) project made history. An impressive new NASA simulation shows us what that black hole might look like if we were closer.

A black hole pulls in all the matter and energy around it, so we can’t directly visualize the structure itself. However, we can see what it does to the space around it. What we’re looking at in the new NASA simulation is the accretion disk, the super-heated remnants of other objects as they fall into the black hole. Some aspects of the simulation don’t look right, but it’s all intentional. The physics of a black hole are just so extreme that it seems wrong.

The image depicts a black hole seen almost edge-on, with the accretion disk extending toward and away from the observer. The top and bottom humps aren’t really there — they’re the result of the black hole’s extreme gravity altering the path of light (a type of gravitational lensing). We’re actually seeing warped images of the top and bottom of the flat disk from the opposite side. This effect is most pronounced when looking at the black hole edge-on. You may also notice the left side of the disk looks brighter than the right, but that’s not a mistake. The glowing gas on the left is moving toward us, and Einstein predicted that would make it look brighter. Indeed, the EHT image showed the same effect.

According to NASA, the banding in the accretion disk comes from the churning magnetic field and the acceleration of matter near the event horizon. Gas nearest to the black hole orbits at almost the speed of light, but the outer areas move much slower. This stretches out the brighter sections, producing bands of light and dark. And what about that stationary bright line inside the main accretion disk? That’s the photon ring, a sort of “reflection” of the black hole’s accretion disk caused by photons that orbit very close to the event horizon two or three times before being thrown out where an observer can see them.

Inside the photon ring is the black hole “shadow,” which is about twice the size of the event horizon itself. Gravitational lensing and the capture of light makes this region pitch black. Anything that passes the event horizon is stuck there. Images like this help us visualize the extreme environment around a black hole, and we can be much more confident in their accuracy thanks to the EHT project.

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from ExtremeTechExtremeTech https://www.extremetech.com/extreme/299178-nasa-produces-stunning-simulation-of-a-black-hole

Cross-Channel people smugglers arrested in Belgium, Germany and UK

Fifteen people were arrested in Belgium, England and Germany for smuggling Albanians into the UK.

from BBC News - London https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-49853438

Oculus CTO John Carmack Mourns the Death of Gear VR

Samsung was one of the first companies to embrace virtual reality with its Gear VR platform, and it looks like it might be among the first to give up on the technology. With the company’s latest flagship phone lacking VR support, Oculus CTO John Carmack is sounding the alarm over this “missed opportunity.”

Carmack’s comments came at the annual Oculus Connect developer conference. During his keynote, Carmack spoke frankly about the state of mobile VR in general and Gear VR in particular. While Gear VR is technically still supported, and developers can release games for it, Carmack admitted its days are probably numbered.

Samsung first partnered with Oculus on mobile VR back in 2015 when it released the “Innovator Edition” headset for $99. This device required a Galaxy Note 4, which slotted into the front to run and display VR content. The headset itself contained lenses and dials to adjust the phone position. Later versions of the Gear VR headset cost less, but Samsung had to release frequent hardware revisions to accommodate its ever-changing phone lineup.

The Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10+ are the first Samsung flagship phones since the Note 4 that lack Gear VR support. There’s also no Google Daydream VR support, which Samsung only added with the release of the Galaxy S8. Samsung is clearly over mobile VR, and it’s not hard to see why. Even Google has gone more than a year without so much as mentioning mobile VR even though the Pixel 3 had support for Daydream.

The Oculus Go offers mobile-style VR without the phone.

Carmack expressed regret that mobile VR was dying, but he brought up several lingering issues that made it a tough sell. For example, running VR content on a phone was extremely hard on the battery. Phones also struggle to create truly immersive, realistic VR experiences without overheating. So, most people set the headsets aside after using them once or twice. Carmack considers this a missed opportunity because of the low barrier to entry. The Gear VR sold in large numbers (more than all standalone Oculus headsets) because it was so cheap compared with other ways to try VR.

Oculus has moved on to the standalone Oculus Go headset, which offers similar features to the Gear VR, but it doesn’t require a smartphone to be the brain of your VR experience. Now, Carmack seems ready to let Gear VR fade away, but he’s not happy about it.

Now read:

from ExtremeTechExtremeTech https://www.extremetech.com/mobile/299135-oculus-cto-john-carmack-mourns-the-death-of-gear-vr

2019 BMW X7 Review: The Best Big SUV Yet

Your first thought upon viewing the BMW X7: The massive front grille turns this amazing full-size SUV in the direction of self-parody. But step into the cockpit, where you don’t see the schnozz, and you’ll find a wealth of performance, handling, and driver-assist features that make this the best big SUV you can buy, at least until the next-generation (2020) Mercedes-Benz GLS arrives in quantity. What makes the X7 worth the better part of $100,000 is the seamless Level 2 self-driving with automatic lane changes, the big cockpit displays, the camera systems, the fabulous seats, the ride and handling, and reasonable third-row room.

The biggest (non-grille) downside is cockpit switchgear that has become at once prettier, harder to use, and harder to read. Also, a car this big would be more socially conscious if a plug-in hybrid version was offered in the first wave of X7 shipments rather than waiting for 2020 or 2021. And: Before you commit to lease payments up to $1,600, make sure you really need the marginally bigger interior the X7 provides. The BMW X5 is nearly as big in most ways unless you must have that third seat. On price, the X7 is clearly bigger, as much as $122,000, and even something of a public service: BMW is doing more to claw back money from the rich than Bernie and AOC combined.

x7__P90326022_highRes_the-first-ever-bmw-x

x7__P90327241_highRes_the-first-ever-bmw-x

x7__P90326056_highRes_the-first-ever-bmw-x

Fabulous on Highways and Back Roads

I test-drove the 2019 X7. The 2020 model is virtually the same, adding a higher-power M design version. The BMW X7 is in its element gliding along the highway on 400-mile treks, whether you drive it yourself or engage the Active Driving Assistant Pro self-driving feature and let radars, cameras, and microprocessors do the work. Perhaps surprisingly — if you don’t know BMW-Audi-Mercedes-Porsche SUV engineering — it’s also quite at home on country roads as long as you factor in the 5,500 pounds of weight.

There are a lot of cars that have Level 2 self-driving, meaning your car paces the car in front up to the speed you set using adaptive cruise control and keeps the car in the middle of the lane (lane centering assist), while you lightly keep hands on the steering wheel. BMW does it as well as anyone. I was impressed by the auto-lane-change feature. Tap the turn signal, the car checks to the rear and side, and if the coast is clear, shifts lanes left or right. Not once was there an issue with the car trying to shift lanes at the same time a car behind was coming up quickly. Although it doesn’t hurt to look in the side mirror just to be sure, as some Tesla drivers have learned.

An X7 slides through the primordial soup. Actually, an off-road course at the BMW Performance Center outside Palm Springs, California. The X7 fords up 20 inches of water.

Long-haul driving is helped by the quality of BMW’s seats, the optional seat massagers, the side window shades in row two, heated and vented seats, and even the pillows attached to the headrests. At night, the mood lighting makes the car feel like a private jet. The console cupholders warm or cool drinks. USB jacks are abundant. Onboard Wi-Fi is available. Many of these features are optional (and desirable, and not cheap), and BMW’s close competitors offer many of the same features and options.

The mondo front grille is mostly trompe l’oeil (trick of the eye) that makes you suspect the X7 is bigger in every way than BMW’s other SUVs. It took me a day of driving to realize that the X7 is fine on twisty back roads because it’s no wider, just a bit longer, and about 500 pounds heavier than the X5, a happy back-road-warrior.

Among European automakers, there’s an arms race to have the family SUV be an off-roader and river-crosser. BMW has a package that lets you climb rocks and then cross a stream 20 inches deep. It’s an option. If you want to tow a trailer, you can, and with the trailer package, you can tow 7,700 pounds.

BMW’s self-driving suite, the Driving Assistance Professional Package, is slick; it even changes lanes by tapping the turn signal. (Note that mail truck is being towed and not wrong-way driving.) And only Wikipedia presents more information than BMW’s head-up display.

BMW in the Lead on Tech

BMW in the US has been the ultimate driving machine for half a half-century. Now it dazzles you with technical brilliance as well. Example: If you get the surround camera package, when you park, you see the view ahead (if you’re pulling in going forward) on the big center stack display side-by-side with a stitched 360-degree overhead view; as you get closer to the car in front or to the garage wall, the view-ahead camera angle rises up to help gauge the final couple feet, all automagically. Or if you get the parking assistant option, you can let the car ease itself into parallel or perpendicular spaces. If you do it yourself, nearby vehicles, walls, raised curbs, or light stanchions shown onscreen radiate green-yellow-or-red force fields outward to indicate how close you are. When you’re away from the car, the cameras let you monitor its well-being from your phone. At a time when even some mainstream cars — Ford Explorer, say — have auto-parking, BMW marshals overwhelming-show-of-force technology to make the case for premium cars.

The dual 12-inch displays (instrument panel and center stack) allow multiple panes of information. If you want, the center display can be dialed back to, say, just the moving map. The iDrive controller works well and you have multiple ways to interact: the control wheel, a finger-writing pad on top of the wheel, adjacent buttons to summon common features, voice input, and gesture controls including a Tinder-like swipe to answer the phone. Okay, gesture control may seem like a stupid pet trick, but BMW’s point is: We give you every way possible to interact with the car. The modes you don’t like? Don’t use them.

The head-up display is big with lots of information that you can choose to show or hide. When the HUD maps out the lanes you need to be in for the exit, it’s pretty hard to mess up. BMW monitors the driver for inattention via an instrument panel camera, which is faster and more accurate in determining if your attention has drifted. You won’t like being ratted out, but you’ll live longer. Most of BMW’s USB jacks are Type C, which is the way the industry is heading. You may need to buy a $5 adapter now, but your next phone will probably be Type C at both ends, and you’re ready.

And this is tech of a sort: the Panoramic Sky Lounge LED Roof creates six LED light patterns in the roof — white, blue, orange, bronze, lilac, and green — for more enjoyable nighttime driving.

BMW X7 center console: The function selectors forward of the iDrive controller are blocked by the optional crystal shifter, and the button cluster lost its find-by-shape pronounced vee-design.

Cockpit Controls Won’t Please Everyone

When a car costs this much, the owner has high expectations. Repeat buyers may be disappointed with the direction taken by the interface to the iDrive controls and control surfaces. Function buttons to control entertainment, phone, map, and navigation were arrayed in side-by-side vee shapes with the home button in between. You could tell without looking if you were touching the front or rear button by the way it sloped, and the left or right button set by where the flat home button was in relation. The buttons now are hard to access because the driver’s hand has to reach around the gearshift selector.

On the steering wheel, buttons are now finished in brushed satin chrome with black lettering that glows a weakish red at night. Drivers over 40 with imperfect eyesight may find them a challenge, especially those who don’t use their reading half-glasses while driving.

The X7 includes no adaptive cruise control in the base version, reserving it for the $1,700 self-drive package called the Driving Assistance Professional Package. BMW should include adaptive cruise control in the base price as Honda and Toyota do so the basics are all there: ACC as well as the provided lane departure warning, blind-spot detection, forward collision warning, and auto-emergency braking.

BMW does give you 10 free years of telematics service (not 10 years of free data) so emergency calling and crash notification are always there, BMW can download software updates, and you can reach out to the dealer to set up service. But there is no Android Auto, and access to Apple CarPlay costs $80 a year (after a free first year).

Cockpit fit and finish are fabulous on the X7.

BMW X7 Trim Walk

A basic X7 is $75K. But move up the ladder to the V8 and the M version, and/or add in as much as $20K in options, and you can easily surpass $110,000. The X7 SAV, or sports activity vehicle, as BMW calls it, comes in three variants with an eight-speed automatic transmission and air suspension. Plus lots of options packages and standalone options. All models are all-wheel drive with three rows of seating along with with Active Driving Assistant (daytime pedestrian protection, frontal collision warning with city collision mitigation, lane departure warning, active blind-spot detection, and rear cross-traffic alert), adaptive LED headlamps with auto high beams, panoramic moonroof, ambient cockpit lighting with 12 lighting themes, telematics with a Wi-Fi hotspot, and 21-inch alloy wheels.

BMW X7 xDrive 40i ($74,895 including $995 freight). The 3.0-liter 335 hp turbo inline-six-cylinder engine is rated at 5.8 seconds 0-60 mph with an EPA rating of 20 mpg city / 25 mpg highway / 22 mpg combined on premium fuel. The base audio system has 10 speakers, a 205-watt amplifier, satellite, and HD radio.

BMW X7 xDrive 50i ($93,95). The 4.4-liter turbo V8 reaches 60 mph in 5.2 seconds and is EPA-rated at 15 / 21 / 17 mpg. Audio is branded Harman Kardon with 16 speakers (464 watts).

BMW X7 M50i ($100,595). The V8 hits 523 hp and goes 0-60 in 4.5 seconds (EPA rating pending). Standard alloy wheels are 22 inches. There even-nicer upholstery and trim choices. Note to enthusiasts: While there’s an M in the name, this is not the same as an M in front of the series number (M3 versus X7 M50i). But it will still outperform every most other big SUV currently on the road.

There are a half-dozen options packages for the X7 from $800 to $4,100. The Premium Package ($2,800) has the HUD, rear side shades, soft close doors, 12-speaker Harman audio, soft-close doors, and gesture control. The Executive Package ($4,100 on the six-cylinder) incorporates the Premium Package plus the Panoramic Sky Lounge LED Roof, heated and cooled cupholders, and “hand-made, diamond-cut glass trim elements” for the shifter, audio volume control, start button, and iDrive wheel.

The Driver Assistance Package ($1,700) is a must-have twice over: once because BMW omits adaptive cruise control from the base price and secondly because BMW rolls in a raft of other truly useful assists including Level 2 self-driving. The Cold Weather Package ($1,200) has heated front seat armrests and steering, and five-zone climate control. A Luxury Seating Package is $1,600.

You can order one or the other of these two: an Off-Road Package ($1,650) has specific modes for sand, rock, gravel, and snow); or the Parking Assistance Package ($800) with automated parallel parking, surround-view of the car while driving or while parked and way from the car, plus a video drive recorder.

Standalone options included Night Vision ($2,300), a trailer hitch that boosts towing capacity to 7,500 pounds ($550), a leather dashboard ($850), scented cockpit aromas (350), second-row captain’s chairs ($850), Alcantara (synthetic suede headliner, $1,000), “Shadowline” trim ($350), rear entertainment ($2,200), M Sport brakes ($650), and integral active steering ($1,150). All these have some degree of utility and can also drive the six-cylinder version to $87,000. More if you add premium paint (up to $1,950), pothole-finder 22-inch wheels ($1,300), specialty seat leathers ($3,700), or an M Sport design package ($4,350) that is about show more than go (it does include an aero kit to glue the car to the road at near-Autobahn speeds). The most costly X7 I managed to price reached $121,845, about $1,600 a month on a lease.

BMW X7 is 203 inches to the X5’s 194 inches. Width and height are essentially the same.

The Big SUV: What Took BMW So Long?

The Berlin Wall had barely come down when BMW first pondered an SUV, the X5. It arrived in 1999 and was a more immediate hit than the first Mercedes-Benz ML (now GLE) that rode like a truck (because it was built on a truck frame), or the first Lexus RX, 1998. BMW added the compact X3 as a 2004 model, the subcompact X1 in 2008, and fastback SUVs (X6, X4) along the way. The X7 was almost a decade in gestation if you count the years of internal deliberations and the five years from public announcement to first shipments this year. In the meantime, Mercedes-Benz ruled with the full-size GL (now GLS) that dates to the 2007 model year. The first X7 barely beat the third-generation GLS to market.

Why did BMW wait? For certain, BMW wanted to be sure the big honker would handle decently. Perhaps it had doubts about the propriety of building such a big vehicle at a time when many parts of the world have concerns about the car’s impact on the planet. You might approach 30 mpg in very cautious highway driving with the six-cylinder if you stick to the speed limit), and with a 21.9-gallon tank, cruise 550 miles or more between refills. Actually, if you gauge your speed by the amount of road and wind noise, you’ll think you’re doing 55, look at the speedometer, and realize you’re rolling at 85.

When you parallel park the X7, you’ll know it’s bigger: 203 versus 194 inches long. The 122-inch wheelbase, 5 inches more than the X5, smooths out the highway ride. Interior head, leg and shoulder room are no more than an inch better for the X7. Rear legroom, often the measurement that most determines rear-seat comfort, rounds to 38 inches for both, fair-to-good for a full-size SUV, but almost 7 inches less than the decade-only Ford Flex. Put all but the front seats down and the X7 trumps the X5 on cargo space, 90 to 72 cubic feet. But with all the seats up, there is a puny 13 feet behind the X7’s third-row versus 33.9 for the X5.

Be sure to try the third row for comfort. I’d describe it this way: good headroom, decent legroom, seat too low to the floor (but that allows for decent headroom). If you want a comfortable third row, either go to something like a Ford Expedition that is 2 feet longer, or get a — gasp — minivan. In other words, the third row is okay but you might have expected a little more room. The third row does get its own sunroof.

BMW offers two V8 engines with 523 or 465 hp (X7 M50i, X7 xDrive50i) or or an inline six 335 hp (X7 xDrive 40i). Choose your 0-60 time: 4.5, 5.2, or 5.8 seconds 0-60 mph.

BMW X7 vs. Mercedes GLS and the Field

Lincoln Navigator.

Among full-size luxury/sport SUVs, they all do a good job wrapping you in leather seating surfaces and making the straight-line driving experience joyful. Take a look at the direct and wannabe competitors:

The US-flagged brands, for the most part, do not pretend to be SUV versions of the brands’ sport sedans. Most come in big and bigger editions, including the Cadillac Escalade (204 and 224 inches long) and Lincoln Navigator (210 and 222 inches long), with the ability to tow at least 7,900 pounds. They weigh 5,500-6,200 pounds and use body-on-frame rather than a weight-saving unibody construction. The Navigator is new for 2019 and gets high marks for luxury appointments (even in this class), straight-line acceleration, second- and third-row room, and highway ride thanks to wheelbases of 123 and 132 inches. (The new Lincoln Aviator is more X5-sized.)

The Chevrolet Suburban, Ford Expedition, and GMC Yukon (especially Denali trim line) can be considered luxury vehicles: You can easily get the price over $70K, twice the average of a new car. The unibody Buick Enclave (204 inches long) and new Cadillac XT6 (199 inches) are less bulky than the Escalade-Yukon. Some reviewers found the XT6 didn’t match the luxe feel of the equally new, and larger, Navigator.

The Audi Q7 at 199.6 inches is borderline full-size with a tasteful cockpit and excellent technology; it is more of an X5 competitor. The Audi Q8 is a fastback Q7 that is shorter despite the higher numbering, and more of a BMW X6 competitor. The Porsche Cayenne is a midsize model with only two rows, but it is a Porsche, which means handling and cachet (also a pricey options sheet).

There are also off-road-centric big SUVs such as the aging Toyota Land Cruiser living off the same design since the 2008 model year and the sibling Lexus LX, with V8 engines and snug third rows. The Land Cruiser has reliability and exclusivity on its side: US sales average just 3,000 a year (although global sales dating to 1951 just passed 10 million). These vehicles are not remotely BMW X7 / Mercedes GLS competitors except that if you buy one, it will probably be the only such vehicle in the prep school pickup lane, and exclusivity has value. Just remember: 15 mpg on a good day.

Acura’s biggest SUV, the MDX, is more of a midsize three-row SUV at 196 inches, it’s aging (the third generation dates to MY 2014) and the next-gen MDX arrives within the year, but it’s a solid value. The well-regarded Lexus RX 350 L is an even smaller, still midsize, three-row. From Korea, the new Hyundai Palisade and Kia Telluride are also midsize three-row SUVs and exceptionally well outfitted for the price, offer Level 2 self-driving, for less than $50K; they define “class above” SUVs. That reduces to one the significant Asian competitors: Infiniti, with the 210-inch QX80 featuring a roomy interior, good cargo capacity, and outstanding fit and finish; handling will not be as inspired as the X7’s.

The Land Rover Range Rover has evolved to a beautiful car inside with plenty of room (especially the $110K long-wheelbase model), and superb off-road and wading capabilities.

The 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLS is the closest competitor to the X7.

That leaves the 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLS, now arriving at dealers. It offers six- or eight-cylinder engines and dual 12-inch dashboard displays (same as BMW), excellent handling and safety, and a starting price, like BMW, in the low- to mid-$70s, in part because so many desirable features are extra, such as the E-Active Body Control that scans the road ahead for bumps and continuously adjusts the adaptive suspension. A loaded V8 GLS 550 reaches $120,000 and the AMG version starts at $125K. Specs suggest the GLS will be more comfortable for passengers aft of the first row compared with the X7, and a look at the front end shows one of the few big SUVs that haven’t succumbed to the big-grille fetish.

What to choose? Right now, the 2019/2020 BMW X7 is the best premium big SUV you can buy. Most likely the X7 and GLS will separate themselves from the field for those whose criteria include great handling, a tasteful interior, good passenger room in all three rows, state-of-the-art driver-assist features including Level 2 autonomy, and comprehensive safety features to avoid, deal with, and reach out after accidents. Look at the Lincoln Navigator long-wheelbase if you need to carry three rows of people most of the time and you’re less concerned about spirited driving on country roads. Or about getting it in the garage at night.

Before you commit, take one last look at the X5. Unless you must have three seating rows or need 7,500 not 6,600 pounds of towing capacity, the X5 is a match for the X7 in interior spaciousness (first two rows), technology features, and engines. Either one, X7 or X5, is fine with the six-cylinder engine. Where the BMW X5 and X3 are the top SUVs in their categories, the X7 may wind up sharing the crown.

Now read:

from ExtremeTechExtremeTech https://www.extremetech.com/extreme/298217-2019-bmw-x7-review-the-best-big-suv-yet