Jan 7, 2020 - Technology

The race to own the media experience in self-driving cars

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

One of the big themes at CES this year has been the race to own the media experience when cars go driverless.

Why it matters: The complications around who will own the data, how connectivity will work and what "driverless" actually means haven't stopped companies from making big announcements this year.

Driving the news: Amazon announced a slew of deals to get its Fire TV software built into more televisions, soundbars and even the back seats of cars, Axios' Ina Fried reports. BMW and Fiat Chrysler Automotive will be among the first to offer such systems, Amazon said.

  • ViacomCBS, Accuweather, and others announced a partnership with Byton, an electric vehicle startup, to provide content and services for the massive 48-inch screen in its upcoming M-Byte plug-in SUV, Axios' Joann Muller reports.
  • Sony, the entertainment company, debuted an electric vehicle called "Vision S," which, like Byton, features a huge panoramic dashboard screen. The car was showcased to show off Sony's car tech, including entertainment tech.
  • Audi showed a concept car, the AI:ME, that bills itself as an "attentive companion," per Joann. The car familiarizes itself with its users and their habits and tailors its comfort and infotainment systems to suit their preferences.

Voice controls in cars were also on full display. Lamborghini said it's adding Amazon's Alexa voice assistant to its Huracán EVO this year. Amazon and Exxon announced a deal to allow voice-enabled gas purchases.

Go deeper: The product announcements to watch for at CES 2020

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Axios
Updated 1 min ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 8 a.m. ET: 32,595,105 — Total deaths: 989,663 — Total recoveries: 22,508,651 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 8 a.m. ET: 7,034,432 — Total deaths: 203,789 — Total recoveries: 2,727,335 — Total tests: 99,483,712 — Map.
  3. States: "We’re not closing anything going forward": Florida fully lifts COVID restaurant restrictions — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam tests positive for coronavirus.
  4. Health: Young people accounted for 20% of cases this summer.
  5. Business: Coronavirus has made airports happier places — The expiration of Pandemic Unemployment Assistance looms.
  6. Education: Where bringing students back to school is most risky.
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Mike Allen, author of AM
13 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Biden pushes unity message in new TV wave

A fresh Joe Biden ad, "New Start," signals an effort by his campaign to make unity a central theme, underscoring a new passage in his stump speech that says he won't be a president just for Democrats but for all Americans.

What he's saying: The ad — which began Friday night, and is a follow-up to "Fresh Start" — draws from a Biden speech earlier in the week in Manitowoc, Wisconsin:

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Jonathan Swan, Alayna Treene, Sam Baker
14 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Trump prepares to announce Amy Coney Barrett as Supreme Court replacement

Judge Amy Coney Barrett. Photo: Matt Cashore/Notre Dame University via Reuters

President Trump is preparing to nominate federal appeals court Judge Amy Coney Barrett of Indiana, a favorite of both the social conservative base and Republican elected officials, to succeed Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Republican sources tell Axios.

Why it matters: Barrett would push the already conservative court further and harder to the right, for decades to come, on the most important issues in American politics — from abortion to the limits of presidential power. If confirmed, she would give conservatives a 6-3 majority on the high court.

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