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fliptop writes:

The Internet of Things (IoT) may have a somewhat bad rap on SN, but big companies are forging alliances and appliance manufacturers are in the mix. From GE's May 11 press release:

Canonical is collaborating with some of the world's smartest technology brands, including GE's FirstBuild, Acer, Microsoft and DataArt, to reveal a slew of new and innovative IoT devices; all built on 'Snappy' Ubuntu Core and designed to delight developers and consumers alike.

ChillHub is a refrigerator with two USB ports, Wi-Fi and an open-source iOS-compatible app:

Developed by FirstBuild community members, ChillHub is not only a refrigerator, but an open development platform designed for makers, hackers, tinkerers and developers. FirstBuild community members continue to collaborate on products and features to customize and create new uses for their refrigerators. ChillHub, an 18-cubic-foot top-freezer refrigerator, will retail for $999 and can be ordered through FirstBuild.com. Limited pre-orders will also be available at an early-bird price of $799.

Hopefully no one will keep spam in their fridge. Spotted on ZDNet.

kaszz writes:

GE Aviation's Additive Development Center near Cincinnati has produced a number of firsts but they are now demonstrating a working 3D-printed jet engine for an RC-sized model. The engine turns at 550 rotations per second and is made entirely from metal 3D-printed parts. They used the same EOS M270 3D printer that they use to produce the first and only FAA flight-approved 3D-printed hardware, a T25 pressure and temperature sensor for use in GE90 jumbo jet engines.

AnonTechie writes with a Gizmodo article:

When a jetliner's engine explodes moments before take off, people ask questions. Now, less than a week after that very thing happened to a British Airways 777, answers are starting to emerge—and they're scary.

Turns out the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) warned both Boeing and General Electric, the 777's engine-maker, about a flaw in the plane's engine design that could result in the very catastrophe that took place last week at McCarran Airport in Las Vegas.

What's worse is that the safety warning was issued over four years ago. Then again, Boeing doesn't have a super great track record when it comes to using defective parts on planes full of people.

[Source]: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/09/14/exclusive-boeing-and-ge-warned-about-airplane-engine-that-exploded.html

Original Submission

takyon writes:

Companies are misleading European Union consumers about the efficiency of some light bulbs by making full use of tolerance thresholds allowed under current regulations:

Lightbulb manufacturers are misleading consumers about the brightness and energy use of their products by exploiting a loophole in European tests, lab results seen by the Guardian show. Ikea, Philips, GE and Osram are among the companies exaggerating energy performance up to 25% higher than that claimed on packaging, according to the Swedish Consumer Association tests. Ikea told the Guardian as a result it would refund customers who were dissatisfied with bulbs they had bought from its stores.

The discrepancy is caused by manufacturers taking advantage of leeways – known as "tolerances" in official testing procedures for bulbs. The Swedish tests, conducted between, 2012-14, found that a 42W Airam halogen lamp consumed 25% more energy than claimed on the label to achieve its declared 630 lumens of brightness. A GE 70W halogen bulb guzzled 20% more energy to reach its stated 1,200 lumens. A 28W Philips halogen bulb was found to be 24% less bright than claimed while Ikea's 53W and 70W bulbs both underperformed by 16%.

[...] There is nothing illegal about the mislabelling, which cuts across brands and ranges and affects the lightbulbs' advertised brightness per unit of energy – rather than their A-G energy label ratings. But the same whistleblower, who has two decades of experience in the industry, said that many companies manufactured products with lower-grade components knowing that they would fall short of the required wattage and lumens specifications, as his firm was now reluctantly doing. "The industry just follows the letter of the regulations, and they're not in line with today's technology," he explained. "The net result is that consumers are being cheated by the system and I'm fed up with it."

[...] The European tests for bulbs allow for a 10% tolerance threshold, meaning a bulb advertised as rated at 600 lumens, a measure of brightness, could in reality be 540 lumens. A 2-3% tolerance threshold would be fairer and easily doable at little extra cost to consumers, the Guardian's source said.

Original Submission

takyon writes:

General Electric is thirsty for "complementary additive technology modalities":

GE, the US industrial jack-of-all-trades, has pledged to invest a whopping $1.4bn in two 3D printing suppliers to boost materials science and improve manufacturing capabilities. Arcam AB and SLM Solutions Group both specialise in metal-based 3D printing with applications ranging from aerospace to the healthcare industry. Both companies are part of GE's wider efforts to expand production and improve existing work on powder metals through the use of 3D printing.

Since 2010, GE has invested $1.5bn in 3D printing, leading to better manufacturing processes and 346 patents in the powdered metals field. [...] 3D printed components are reportedly lighter and more durable than traditionally manufactured parts as because they need less welding and produce less waste material.

Also at Reuters and Bloomberg.

Original Submission

takyon writes:

SoftBank will reportedly sell a 25% stake in ARM ($8 billion) to the ~$100 billion investment fund it has jointly created with Saudi Arabia, Apple, and others. ARM Holdings was bought by SoftBank for around $32 billion last year.

SoftBank Chairman Masayoshi Son met with Saudi King Salman during the King's state visit to Japan. Son gave the King one of his company's humanoid robots. Saudi Arabia is seeking investors as it prepares to launch an initial public offering for Saudi Aramco. Toyota agreed to conduct a feasibility study into the idea of production in Saudi Arabia, the result of one of twenty memorandums of understanding signed by Japanese companies and institutions with Saudi Arabia.

Also at The Telegraph, and Arab News (extra).

Related: Softbank to Invest $50 Billion in the US

Original Submission

butthurt writes:

Ahead of the US president's visit to Saudi Arabia, a series of multi-billion-dollar arms deals have been outlined. The previous US administration suspended some supplies because of human rights concerns.

—Deutsche Welle

When President Trump arrives in Riyadh this week, he will lay out his vision for a new regional security architecture White House officials call an “Arab NATO,” to guide the fight against terrorism and push back against Iran. As a cornerstone of the plan, Trump will also announce one of the largest arms-sales deals in history.

Behind the scenes, the Trump administration and Saudi Arabia have been conducting extensive negotiations, led by White House senior adviser Jared Kushner and Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The discussions began shortly after the presidential election, when Mohammed, known in Washington as “MBS,” sent a delegation to meet with Kushner and other Trump officials at Trump Tower.

After years of disillusionment with the Obama administration, the Saudi leadership was eager to do business. “They were willing to make a bet on Trump and on America,” a senior White House official said.

[...] The most concrete part of the idea is a mammoth U.S. arms package for Saudi Arabia that Trump will also announce in Riyadh. Final details are still being worked out, but officials said the package will include between $98 billion and $128 billion in arms sales. Over 10 years, total sales could reach $350 billion.

The sales include huge upgrades for the Saudi army and navy to include Littoral Combat Ships, THAAD missile defense systems, armored personnel carriers, missiles, bombs and munitions, officials said. Some of the production and assembly could be located in Saudi Arabia, boosting MBS’s project to build a Saudi domestic defense industrial capability. But most of the items would be built by American defense contractors.

—The Washington Post

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