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Tim Stevens for Engadget I've been on a bit of a quest to replace all the LCD panels in my life with OLED. I recently swapped an aging (and shattered) iPad Pro with a Samsung Galaxy Tab S9, which is much easier on the eyes when watching late-night, trans-Atlantic movies. I've been a Galaxy S user for many years now, and I also switched to a Lenovo X1 Carbon laptop with an OLED display this year. I guess you could say I'm quite drawn to the rich color reproduction and stellar contrast, especially in low-light situations. Given that, I was intrigued by Audi's new Q6 E-Tron, which has the most expansive suite of OLED displays I've ever seen in a car. Not only did Audi's engineers splay a series of curved panels across the dashboard, reaching practically from the left door to the right, they even embedded them into the taillights out back. It's an OLED smorgasbord, but it'd be a big waste of electroluminescence if the car weren't any good. Thankfully, it is. The Q6 E-Tron is Audi's new crossover SUV, a five-passenger model that pairs nicely with the current Q5. The new Q6, though, is slightly larger in most dimensions and more significantly battery-powered. This is in keeping with the brand's current mission to differentiate its EV line from its ICE offerings by assigning even-numbered designations to electric models and odd numerals to the gas-powered ones. Tim Stevens for Engadget At first, I thought this numerical nomenclature was just that odd. But with the market increasingly skeptical about electrification, this gives Audi the ability to position its battery-powered and internal-combustion (ICE) cars in the market in parallel while also differentiating them, catering to buyers who are happy to plug in as well as anyone who still sees filling up at a gas station as preferable. No judgments, you do you, but for those ready for an electric lifestyle, the Q6 E-Tron is Audi's most compelling offering yet. It starts with a fresh look. This SUV carries enough familiar styling cues, like the brands four rings, to make it immediately identifiable as an Audi. Despite that, it looks thoroughly fresh and clean. From the big, aggressive front fascia and lighting on the nose to the evocatively curved fender flares on the side (a nod to the E-Tron GT), it looks great at any angle, up to and including the pert and clean lighting at the rear. That continues on the inside. Overlapping shapes and contours create an interesting space, while a selection of mostly quality materials make for surfaces as nice to touch as they are to admire. Tim Stevens for Engadget As you step from the Q6 to the sportier SQ6, that just improves, with a slash of racy microsuede material across the dashboard paired with a bit of carbon fiber. The SQ6 delivers a healthy 509 horsepower to all four wheels in launch mode (483 without) thanks to a dual-motor configuration. The lesser Q6 Quattro still impresses with 456 hp from the same dual motors (422 not in launch mode). There's also a rear-drive, single-motor Q6 with 322 hp in launch mode (302 without), but I don't think many folks will choose that one, for reasons I'll delve into a bit later. At Audi's US launch of the Q6, I sampled both the Q6 Quattro and sportier SQ6 and was really impressed by their disparate driving characters. The Q6 is comfortable and quiet, with generally good ride quality when outfitted with the optional air suspension and engaging handling. As you cycle through the various drive modes, there isn't a radical change, but switch to Dynamic mode, and it does get a fair bit more exciting. Those who want a more vigorous experience, though, will want to step up to the SQ6. The extra power is nice, yes, but the combination of larger wheels with sportier tires and a more aggressive suspension tune makes for a car that feels substantially more engaging. It handles nicely for a small SUV and actually delivers good feedback through the steering, making for something that wants to be pushed through the corners. Tim Stevens for Engadget But that extra helping of aggression does come at a cost. The SQ6 has a noticeably harsher ride quality, even when its air suspension is at its most comfortable mode. There's also a good bit more road noise from the tires, too. That noise is still quite scant compared to a typical, internal-combustion car, making the Q6 a great venue for the 20-speaker, 830-watt Bang & Olufsen sound system. It's optional, but it's a worthy upgrade if only thanks to the extra speakers mounted into the headrest. Many cars have stuck speakers behind your head in the past, but Audi's doing some interesting things here, like directing voice navigation prompts and even call audio directly to the driver's ears. Initially, the effect is a little unnerving. It almost feels like bone conduction, as if the nav system were announcing the next turn directly inside your head, but that direct connection means it's far less distracting for anyone else in the car. I always turn off voice prompts in my cars because they disrupt the flow of music, but with this, I could see myself actually leaving them on. Tim Stevens for Engadget As good as the sound is, the visuals are much better. The hallmark of the interior are those aforementioned OLED displays, three of them, measuring 11.9 inches on the left behind the steering wheel, 14.5 in the center for the primary, curved infotainment display and an optional third, 10.9-inch screen for the passenger on the far right. These three aren't as tidily integrated as Mercedes-Benz's mighty Hyperscreen, but the quality of the displays seems higher, and the capability is impressive, too. The passenger can cue up YouTube videos and watch them if they like, while a dynamic privacy filter keeps the driver from snooping. There are plenty of other apps, too. I installed The Weather Channel to get an update on the forecast while I was in the passenger seat to see whether there was any sunshine ahead for the next photo stop (there wasn't), but familiar media apps like Audible and Spotify were primed for download, too. Audi The revised MMI interface is busy, and I occasionally struggled to find settings in various submenus, but it is at least responsive. And, with both wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay on offer, you can bring your own experience. My biggest interface problem was actually with the steering wheel. The controls on the spokes are capacitive touch, and during a half-day behind the wheel, I accidentally hit the volume up button a half-dozen times. What's wrong with actual buttons, again? If all those displays aren't enough, the Q6 also offers an optional, augmented reality HUD that sits right in your field of view. This means it can do things like project hovering blue arrows to tell you exactly when to turn but also identify on the road where the speed limits change and even paint warning arrows over cars that you're following too closely. The sweeping and flashing graphics in the HUD are distracting at first but effective. If you're the sort who's never quite sure which turn to take when your nav tells you to take the third exit from the next roundabout, this HUD is for you. So, the tech and the drive are quite compelling. How much are you going to pay for this privilege? It is, predictably, not cheap but also not outrageous in the grand scheme of today's luxury SUV EV offerings. Tim Stevens for Engadget The base, rear-drive 2025 Audi Q6 E-Tron starts at $63,800 and will do 321 miles on a charge from a 100 kWh (94.4 net) battery pack. Stepping up to the dual-motor Quattro edition costs just $2,000 more and only loses 14 miles of range, an EPA rating of 307. This is why I think few people will opt for the RWD flavor. The RWD car also charges more slowly: A 260 kW max charge rate compared to 270 kW for the Quattro cars. The SQ6 Quattro does 275 miles on a charge and starts at $72,900, while the version I drove with all the displays and toys was $83,840. Yes, that's a lot, but if you don't need all that performance, the loaded Q6 Quattro I drove was $76,790. Still not cheap, but a bit less than the $77,295 starting price of the electric Porsche Macan, which shares virtually the entire drivetrain and platform. The problem? That's a huge premium over the starting price of Audi's most comparable gas-powered machine, the Q5, which can be had for as little as $45,400. Is the Q6 worth the extra cost? I wouldn't necessarily spring for the sportier SQ6, but even the base Q6 offers far more power and tech than the Q5, plus lower running costs and a lack of maintenance. Despite the similar name, it's in a different class. Sure, it's a bit of a splurge, but I'd rather have the even-numbered one in my garage. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/the-audi-q6-e-tron-is-an-oled-dream-machine-140018286.html?src=rss
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It's an expensive day for Meta. First, Australia announced a $50 million AUD ($31.7 million USD) settlement with the company over the Cambridge Analytica scandal and now the Irish Data Protection Committee (IDPC) has issued Meta a 251 million ($263 million) fine. The IRDC's fine stems from a personal data breach on Facebook in 2018. Hackers had exploited a "vulnerability in Facebooks code," related to the View As feature, the company said at the time. It allowed them to get hold of users' access tokens and take over those accounts. The bad actors were able to log on to about 29 million global users' Facebook accounts, including three million users in the European Union and European Economic Area. They gained access to information such as a users full name, email address, phone number, location, date of birth, religion and childrens personal data. The IDPC holds Meta responsible for not having proper data protection when designing its processing systems, not processing personal data only when specifically necessary and not disclosing all the information about the breach. "This enforcement action highlights how the failure to build in data protection requirements throughout the design and development cycle can expose individuals to very serious risks and harms, including a risk to the fundamental rights and freedoms of individuals," DPC Deputy Commissioner Graham Doyle stated. "By allowing unauthorised exposure of profile information, the vulnerabilities behind this breach caused a grave risk of misuse of these types of data." Down under, the Cambridge Analytica scandal settlement stems from a whistleblower who revealed in 2018 that the company had "exploited Facebook to harvest millions of peoples profiles." Facebook had found out about it three years earlier. Cambridge Analytica took this information to influence US voters for Donald Trump's 2016 campaign and the Pro-Brexit campaign. The company was previously led by Steve Bannon, who recently served time in jail for his refusal to cooperate in the January 6 investigation. The settlement should provide payment to an estimated 311,127 people. Eligible parties must have had a Facebook account from November 2015 to December 2015, spent more than 30 days in Australia during that period and personally or had a Facebook friend who installed the This is Your Digital Life app. Meta previously agreed to pay $725 million to users in the US. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/ireland-fines-meta-263-million-for-2018-view-as-data-breach-133042475.html?src=rss
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The stench of Cambridge Analytica is still hovering over Facebook, as parent Meta just agreed to pay 311,000 Australian users AUD $50 million ($31.7 million) over the scandal. The settlement with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) comes after a four-year dispute with Meta and follows a $725 million award in the US, along with payouts in the UK and elsewhere. "It represents a substantive resolution of privacy concerns raised by the Cambridge Analytica matter; gives potentially affected Australians an opportunity to seek redress through Metas payment program; and brings to an end a lengthy court process," said Australian information commissioner, Elizabeth Tydd. Cambridge Analytica, now defunct, accessed the personal data Australian users by an app (This is Your Digital Life) and used the information gathered to target individuals with personally tailored messages. The scandal was exposed by The New York Times and The Guardian in 2018, thanks in large part to whistleblower Christopher Wylie. Though the app was only downloaded by a small number of users, it also accessed the data of their friends, affecting 311,127 people overall. Meta will be required to set up a payment system run by a third-party administrator starting in early 2025. Lesser payments will be issued to people who've experienced "generalized concern or embarrassment," with higher sums meted out to those who can demonstrate that they suffered loss or damage. Anyone affected should be able to apply in Q2 2025. In a statement, Meta displayed no contrition and said the settlement was more or less a business decision. "We settled as it is in the best interest of our community and shareholders that we close this chapter on allegations that relate to past practices no longer relevant to how Metas products or systems work today," a spokesperson told The Guardian. The case took four years to resolve largely because Meta claimed it wasn't technically doing business in Australia, but that argument was finally slapped aside by the nation's highest court. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/cambridge-analytica-scandal-still-lingering-on-as-meta-settles-with-australian-users-130016215.html?src=rss
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