Tesla hasn’t quite delivered its new Model X SUV yet, but at least we have a name for its first electric vehicle pointed at the mainstream. In an interview with AutoExpress , CEO Elon Musk revealed it will be called the Model 3 (with three bars to represent it), after Ford put the kibosh on calling it the Model E. Musk has repeatedly targeted 2017 as the release window for a smaller $35, 000 vehicle . He’s said it will be the third generation after the original Roadster and Model S, and in the interview claims it will have a range of over 200 miles per charge, probably using batteries built in Tesla’s planned Gigafactory . Musk also told the mag about a range boost upgrade coming for the original Roadster that will give it a modern battery capable of going up to 400 miles on a charge, “which will allow you to drive from LA to San Francisco non-stop.” [Thanks, Weapon] [Image credit: AP Photo/Paul Sakuma] Confirmed: Our Gen III car, due out after Model X, will be named Model 3. http://t.co/PLhUzycSlp pic.twitter.com/noZf17LXre – Tesla Motors (@TeslaMotors) July 16, 2014 FYI, the Model 3 images used by @AutoExpress were mock-ups based on their own speculation. – Tesla Motors (@TeslaMotors) July 16, 2014 Filed under: Cellphones , Transportation Comments Source: AutoExpress

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Tesla’s $35,000 car will be called the Model 3

Many websites are built for mobile devices these days, but you’ll still run into the occasional page that refuses to run. Wouldn’t it be nice if you got a heads-up before you wasted a click? As of today, you will: Google search now warns you when a site isn’t likely to work on your hardware of choice due to incompatible content, such as Flash. You can still visit if you’re convinced everything will be A-OK, or if you just have a masochistic streak. However, the new search policy may leave some site designers scrambling — now that Google is discouraging mobile users from visiting pages that insist on proprietary plugins, companies may have to switch to web standards like HTML5 if they want to get your business. Filed under: Cellphones , Internet , Mobile , Google Comments Via: TechCrunch Source: Google Webmaster Central Blog

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Google search now tells you when websites won’t work on your phone

If Joe’s Diner gives you a free slider every ten meals, you may no longer need to schlep around a punch card if you use PayPal. It’s latest iOS app now works with loyalty cards from select retailers just by scanning a barcode on your physical card. That’ll save it into your PayPal wallet in a similar way to Apple’s Passbook and Microsoft’s Wallet , letting you score discounts or other deals. The company also squashed a few bugs and killed the old-school check-scanning feature. So far, the update applies only to iOS devices , but we’d imagine it’ll hit Android soon as well. Filed under: Cellphones , Internet , Mobile Comments Via: TNW Source: iTunes

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PayPal’s app can now save your loyalty cards

With Glass and Android Wear , Google has already invested a lot of time and resources into developing the next-generation of wearables, but it’s another of its eye-focused projects that has today received its first major boost. The search giant’s secret Google[x] team has confirmed that it’s licensed its smart eyewear to healthcare specialist Novartis, which will develop the technology into a product that can improve eye care and help manage diseases and conditions. As part of the agreement, Google[x] and Novartis’ eye care division Alcon will create smart lenses that feature “non-invasive sensors, microchips and other miniaturized electronics” and focus on two main areas. The first will provide a way for diabetic patients to keep on top of their glucose levels by measuring the sugar levels in their tear fluid, feeding the data back to a smartphone or tablet. The second solution aims to help restore the eye’s natural focus on near objects, restoring clear vision to those who are only farsighted (presbyopia). Google’s role will be to develop the tiny electronics needed to collect data and will also take care of the low-power chip designs and fabrication. Alcon, on the other hand, will apply its medical knowledge to develop commercial versions of the smart contact lens. “Our dream is to use the latest technology in the miniaturization of electronics to help improve the quality of life for millions of people, ” says Google co-founder Sergey Brin. “We are very excited to work with Novartis to make this dream come true.” Filed under: Wearables , Google Comments Source: Novartis

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Google strikes smart contact lens deal to track diabetes and cure farsightedness

They grow up so fast, don’t they? It seems like only yesterday that Boston Dynamics’ AlphaDog (aka LS3 ) robot was finding its legs , and yet it has already gone out on training exercises with the US Marine Corps for the first time. The cargo-hauling machine dutifully trotted behind a Marine squad traversing a simulated combat zone in Hawaii, proving that it could both navigate rough terrain and resupply other platoons that would otherwise have to wait for an ATV. As you can see in the clip below, this mechanized pup is still going through some growing pains. There are occasionally places LS3 can’t go, and it’s still pretty noisy. It won’t be jogging around the front line any time soon. However, the semi-realistic test run will help Boston Dynamics refine the ‘bot and get it truly battle-ready. And besides, it’s clear that the Marines are already warming up to their new companion — they’ve affectionately nicknamed it “Cujo.” [Image credit: Sgt. Sarah Dietz, US Marine Corps ] Filed under: Robots , Google Comments Via: Sploid Source: DVIDS

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Watch an AlphaDog robot venture into (simulated) battle for the first time

Samsung has announced that it has suspended dealings with one of its manufacturing partners after an activist organization found “serious and persistent” labor violations at a facility in China. China Labor Watch investigated Dongyang Shinyang Electronics and found multiple instances where at least three underage girls were hired to work 12-hour shifts making parts for Samsung’s phones. The report also alleges more widespread issues at the factory, including a lack of safety training or equipment, refusing to hire male workers and forcing employees to work up to 120 hours of overtime — more than three times the legal limit. Samsung has issued a public statement saying that it will no longer source parts from the factory pending a full investigation. For its part, Dongyang Shinyang claims that a local employment agency is responsible for hiring its personnel, and would have intervened if they “had any idea what was going on.” For now, however, Chinese authorities are involved, and if the claims are found to be true, then Samsung will sever ties with its former partner for good. [Image credit: China Labor Watch] Filed under: Cellphones , Samsung Comments Via: NY Times , (2) Source: China Labor Watch (.PDF) , Samsung Tomorrow

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Samsung cuts ties with factory following child labor findings

Researchers from the University of Stanford have developed a microchip that could make it much less costly to diagnose type-1 diabetes. The debilitating disease often strikes children, and the quicker it’s detected, the easier it is to treat. The current test, however, is a time-consuming, costly burden for both hospitals and patients, requiring radioactive materials and several days of time. The new chip uses gold nanoparticles that cause fluorescent materials to glow when telltale antibodies are detected. Unlike the old tests, only a pinprick of blood is required, and the $20 chip can be reused up to 15 times. Such diagnostics could compliment other diabetes research, like Google’s glucose detecting smart contacts , along with potential treatments or even cures . Researchers said the test will be particularly useful in countries where the standard test is too expensive, and are now working to launch it globally. [Image credit: Stanford University/Norbert von der Groeben] Filed under: Science , Alt Comments Source: Stanford University

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$20 reusable chip detects type-1 diabetes quickly and cheaply

Let’s try something really quickly: pull your phone out, flip it over, and maybe squint at it a bit. Chances are you’ll see a series of FCC-mandated pictograms emblazoned there, little images you’ve probably never paid attention to before. If US senators Deb Fischer (R-Nebraska) and Jay Rockefeller (D-W. Virginia) get their way though, those curious icons may soon become a thing of past . Instead, the pair wants to replace those etchings with more informative digital equivalents that users can peek at if they so chose. Alas, your gadgets might not be completely clean if the bill passes — there are still those pesky CE labels to gaze upon. Anyway, it wasn’t long before the FCC released a set of guidelines for what should be displayed and how… but of course it did. FCC commissioner Michael O’Rielly wrote a blog post pushing to make e-labels a thing months ago. Why are these folks getting so worked up over digital vs. physical labels? There’s the design argument, for one. No longer will your shiny smartphone or terrific tablet be marred by oblique symbols. Manufacturers won’t have to worry about the very process of etching tiny logos on everything they make either, and Rockefeller thinks that’ll mean ultimately mean “lower device costs for consumers” too. We’re looking forward to seeing how right these folks may or may not be, but (just like anything involving US law-making) it’ll take a while to see anything concrete. Filed under: Mobile Comments Source: The Hill

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The E-Label Act may rid your future gadgets of FCC logos

Data pulled from a recent Freedom of Information Act request reveals that an overwhelming majority of 911 wireless calls made over a six-month period last year in Washington, DC were delivered “without accurate location information to find callers who are lost, confused, unconscious or otherwise unable to share their location.” Only ten percent of calls from the first half of 2013 within the city included detailed location data. At the moment, FCC regulations demand higher location accuracy only on outdoor calls, making built-up areas like DC harder to hone in on. Public safety officials told the Washington Post that these location issues are widespread. According to Find Me 911 , carriers typically able to offer “Phase I’ data, which covers a phone number and the location of the base station transmitting the call. ‘Phase I’I data, meanwhile, includes latitude and longitude coordinates, accurate to between 50 and 300 meters. According to the data, Verizon and Sprint offered this detailed information on 24.6 percent and 23.3 percent of emergency calls. However, T-Mobile included this location data on a dire 3.2 percent of emergency calls. Worse still, AT&T only did so on 2.6 percent of calls made. Fortunately, the FCC approved new technology last year that will apparently more accurately locate callers indoors. It reckons that updated rules regarding location accuracy from wireless callers would save around 10, 000 lives a year. Filed under: Misc , Internet Comments Via: Ars Technica

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90 percent of 911 calls made in Washington, DC lacked accurate location info

Come a guy’s 18th birthday in the US, he’s afforded new privileges. Aside from being able to legally buy cigarettes, lottery tickets and porn , he also has a couple of shiny civic duties to follow: signing up for the Selective Service System and voting on a regular basis. In terms of the former, draft dodging is a pretty serious offense, as the families of very old (and most likely very deceased) men in Pennsylvania were recently reminded. According to Boston , a database operator’s error caused some 14, 250 notices to go out to men born between 1893 and 1897, stating that their failure to fill out draft cards could result in fines and imprisonment. How’d that happen? Well, if you’re familiar with the Y2K Bug , the story makes a lot more sense. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s cataloging software apparently uses a two-digit birth-year field, and, as a result, the operator unknowingly selected gents hailing from a hundred years prior the actual target range of 1993 to 1997. Keystone State employees didn’t realize the issue until they were inundated by calls from understandably confused family members asking what the deal was. To its credit, the SSS issued an apology and noted that those files would be deactivated from the database and will send a personal letter of apology to President Lincoln posthaste. [Image credit: Getty] Filed under: Software Comments Source: Boston

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Computer glitch resurrects draft cards for 14,000 long-dead Pennsylvania men