Skip to main content

DT Daily: Samsung’s Gear VR takes flight, drone gun cam, Tesla shocks passengers

Today on DT Daily: Samsung’s Gear VR headsets take flight, yet another lesson in what not to do with a drone, and why are these people freaking out?

Strapping a virtual reality headset to your melon is still a practice reserved for the techiest of tech users, but don’t tell that to Quantas airlines.

The Aussie air carrier has begun a three-month pilot program that gives first-class passengers the option to don the VR headsets and briefly forget about the fact that they’re whizzing through the air 7 miles up at 500 miles an hour in tube covered in thin aluminum. The system uses the Gear VR headset and Note 4 handsets, and content includes VR tours of Quantas destinations along with looks at products and services.

The headsets will also be offered at certain airport lounges in Australia and Los Angeles, and we’d bet that once the trial run ends, this could be a cool new in-flight movie solution.

Yesterday, we told you about the drunk drone pilot that crash-landed his quad copter on the White House lawn. Today, we’ve stumbled across another crazy video: some Einstein decided to arm a drone with some roman candles.

Since video is already part of the drone’s package, we have to admit the gun camera footage is, well, pretty awesome, and we’re glad to see the hapless targets at least wore helmets. Anyway, reminder: the FAA is still trying to figure out the rules for drones, and we’re pretty sure that arming them isn’t going to be one of the things that gets an OK. That’s for the really big military drones.

Don’t think electric cars are the future? Then you haven’t taken a ride in a Tesla P85D set to “insane mode” yet.

So what’s so insane about it? Just this: it lets the car access nearly 900 pound feet of torque from the get-go, which rockets it to 60 miles an hour in 3 seconds. Drag Times recently posted a video of what that looks like to unsuspecting passengers, and the results are comical.

Our favorites? A woman doing the “oh lordy,” one guy getting his O-face on, and two jaded, gadget-toting youngsters getting their tech pinned to the rear seat by the horizontal g-forces. The Tesla also gets its gallop on in near silence, except for all the swearing by those inside, so that’s kinda weird too. And when it’s not scaring people, we hear it’s actually a pretty nice car to drive normally.

Your host today is Holly Resnick. Miss a day? Watch all the episodes of DT Daily right here. And be sure to catch our latest podcast.

Bill Roberson
Former Digital Trends Contributor
I focus on producing Digital Trends' 'DT Daily' video news program along with photographing items we get in for review. I…
Apple One, Ubisoft Forward wrap-up, life on Mars, and more | Digital Trends Live
digital trends live episode 457 curiosity at work on mars  artist s concept

On this Digital Trends Live, host Greg Nibler talks the top tech stories of the day, including how Twitter and Google handle preelection misinformation, Apple's accidental reveal of Apple One, an Ubisoft Forward wrap-up, the Mars Curiosity rover begins its search for life, and more.

 

Read more
Work/Life: How to remain focused during times of distraction
worklife episode 26 featured

On this episode of Work/Life, Ciara Pressler, author of Pregame and Game Plan, talks with Greg Nibler about how to remain focused during the constant distractions, chaos, and confusion of the current climate, whether it’s pandemic fatigue, protests, wildfires, the election, or any number of other things out of our control that can take our attention or bog us down.

“There’s a lot going on,” Pressler said, “so how do we focus when there’s so much going on?” The first step of gaining focus, she says, is to acknowledge what’s going on -- not just with the constant barrage of news, but with yourself. “You might not be feeling like working at 100%, and that’s ok!” she says.

Read more
Oracle eyes TikTok, Oculus 2, LG’s dual-screen phone | Digital Trends Live
The Oculus Quest 2 on a table.

On this Digital Trends Live, host Greg Nibler takes on the top tech news of the day, including Oracle’s bid for TikTok, Facebook removes false fire posts, LG’s dual-screen smartphone, Oculus 2 is coming, and more.

John Velasco joins the program to rate the various models of robotic vacuums on the market, including the Shark IQ, the Roborock S6 Max V, the iRobot Roomba S9+, and more.
Julia Daviy

Read more