Light Start – Tag’s new smartwatch, Ford Mach 1, piloted exo-suits, and Altered Carbon

Tag Heuer has a new, smaller and (slightly) cheaper modular smartwatch heading our way

Tag Heuer’s very first crack at a smartwatch left more than a little to be desired, its second, the Connected 45, was a substantial improvement. Now meet the Connected 41, a smaller version of the 45 which comes in a 41mm diameter case. There’s a 390×390 display, 8GB of storage, 1GB of RAM and a whole mess of wearability options in the shape of straps. Expensive straps, if we know Tag, but also stylish straps. Oh yes, and GPS, NFC, 50 metre water resistance, and Android and iOS compatibility are part and parcel. What is it going to cost you? Launch pricing is slated for $1,200 overseas, which comes out to about R15,000 in South African money. Worth it for a Tag? You be the judge on that one — at least until we’ve got a review done.
Source: Engadget

Ford’s going a new (electric) SUV called the Mach 1 heading our way (in 2020)

Ford, if you haven’t been paying attention over the last few years, has been very interested in both electric and autonomous vehicles of late and they’re teasing something big coming soon. That something is the Mach 1, which appeares to be an SUV. An “…all-electric performance” SUV, according to the company. In the teaser video (at the link below) we see a couple of Ford’s most recognisable vehicles enter a warehouse. After a brief Frankenstein moment, something… leaves the warehouse at high speed. We’re expecting a high-performance electric SUV — probably with Ford’s usual aggressive lines but with electric engine ninja stealth capabilities and the sort of acceleration that makes an astronaut nervous. We’ll know more later but the vehicle — however it actually looks — is slated for a 2020 release.

Source: Ford (Twitter)

People in exo-suits competing against in each other? We’ve been expecting this

Look, we’re not saying that people in exo-suits (basically mechanical frames that  augment human strength) signal a complete change to warfare, policing, and the way that people move around but if anything can get mech-tech up and running it is presenting it as a competitive sport. That’s what the folks at Furrion Exo-Bionics are hoping to do by introducing an exo-suit racing league – which, to be fair, may or may not get off the ground. But if it does, expect it to be a few short years before we have jump-jets, multi-lock-on rocket arrays and high-intensity lasers wandering around the planet blowing stuff up. We wonder what insurance on a Gundam unit is going to cost…?

Source: Furrion Exo-Bionics

Go on and add Altered Carbon to your Netflix Watch list right now

Swords, guns, combat, neon, dystopia, science fiction. These things go together in Blade Runner/cyberpunk sort of way that just feels very right at the moment and upcoming Netflix series Altered Carbon is looking to be a fine addition to the genre. You don’t have to believe us, though, the latest trailer for the series was recently released. It looks to have everything you need to fall into a dreadful future world where you can download your brain into a brand new body and just keep living — provided you can afford it, that is. Or if you’re in possession of a… shall we say, particular set of skills. The first season lands on 2 February this year.

Source: Netflix (YouTube)