Google is bringing a handful of new features to its Google Play store on Android today. There are new categorized “Collections” that highlight content from apps you’ve already installed. The company’s reward program is adding more prizes including Pixel hardware. Google’s Play Pass subscription service is introducing more versatile gaming capabilities. And in Japan, Google is rolling out a curated space for comics, which will let people dive into first chapter previews without needing to install third-party apps first.

Taken together, these changes are intended to make Google Play “an end-to-end experience that’s more than a store.”

The company previewed some of the latest updates at a media briefing in New York City on Tuesday. Google Play VP Sam Bright highlighted a few upgrades announced back at I/O such as AI-generated app reviews. Those AI features are being expanded with a new tool that will make it simpler to compare apps in similar categories (like photo editing software or fitness apps).

Then Bright moved on to some of the bigger new features. First is a new section of Google Play called Collections.

Rather than try to sell you on new apps, Collections are designed to surface content from those you’ve already installed and organize everything into categories like shop, watch, and listen. You’ll see a “continue watching” row for various streaming apps, plus the latest deals from select retailers. “With your app content in one place, it’s easier to pick up right where you left off,” Google’s blog post reads.

Gaming is another big focus of today’s updates. When searching, you can now select from a list of interest filters to refine the types of games that Play suggests. And starting today, Play Pass subscribers on PC are able to play multiple titles at the same time, so you can get your Clash of Clans fix in one window while playing another game elsewhere onscreen. Google launched Play Games for PC as a beta in 2022 and has continued to iterate on it with 4K support and now this.

Google is also trying to make its Play Points reward program more appealing by adding “super weekly prizes.” Available to gold, platinum, and diamond members, these level up the usual prizes by throwing Pixel devices, Razer gaming products, and other hardware into the mix. Prizes will rotate on a weekly basis and can be claimed from the Play Points perks tab.

Android customers in Japan are getting a new curated space in Google Play that’s entirely devoted to comics. “You can access comics-related content all in one place — including free first chapter previews, live events and trailers, editor picks and fan reviews even from apps you haven’t installed,” Google’s blog post reads. A new “comics” tab is coming right to the Google Play homescreen. The company is continuing to explore how it can best use these curated spaces in other regions; the first example was a cricket section in India.

Importantly, Google is also giving everyone greater control over exactly what data is used for Play’s personalized recommendations. Now you can choose apps that might contain sensitive data that you don’t want to be factored into the store’s personalization algorithms. You can find this option by navigating to “Personalization in Play” from the main menu.

Will these new features lead to people spending more time in Google Play? Perhaps, but many of them (like Collections) are easy to ignore if you prefer to keep using it as a destination for apps like always.

Years after Twitter replaced the pistol emoji with a green-and-orange water gun, X has decided to change it back to a regular handgun. An X employee announced the change in a post last week.

Emoji are universal insofar as they share common designations across platforms (U+1F52B is the water pistol), which are decided by the Unicode Consortium. But it’s up to each platform owner to decide how they’re visually represented. That’s how we got the Great Cheeseburger Emoji Debacle that was resolved in November 2017.

You’ll only see the gun if you’re looking at X on the web — as of this writing, it doesn’t appear to have updated in mobile versions of the app, though that’s apparently on its way at some point.

In the world of heavy industry, change often comes at a glacial pace. But every once in a while, an innovation emerges that sends shock waves through the sector. Enter Hitachi Construction Machinery’s latest creation: the world’s first ultra-large, fully electric mining dump truck. This isn’t just another incremental improvement; it’s a game-changer that could reshape the future of mining operations worldwide.

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Revolutionizing mining with zero emissions

Picture a machine as tall as a three-story building, capable of hauling over 200 tons of earth in a single trip. Now, imagine that this colossus runs entirely on electricity without a drop of diesel in sight. That’s exactly what Hitachi has achieved with their groundbreaking electric dump truck.

Developed in collaboration with ABB Ltd., a leader in electrification and automation, this electric titan represents the culmination of years of research and development. The project, which kicked off in 2021, aimed to tackle one of the mining industry’s most pressing challenges: reducing greenhouse gas emissions without sacrificing productivity.

Electric mining dump truck (Hitachi Construction Machinery) (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

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The technology behind the electric dump truck

What sets Hitachi’s electric dump truck apart is its innovative charging system. Unlike electric cars that need to stop and plug in, this behemoth keeps on rolling thanks to a clever combination of overhead charging lines and regenerative braking.

As the truck moves along its route, it draws power directly from overhead lines, much like an electric train. Simultaneously, its regenerative braking system captures energy that would otherwise be lost during deceleration, feeding it back into the batteries. This dual-charging approach allows for continuous operation, eliminating the downtime associated with traditional battery charging.

The result? A mining truck that can operate for up to 20 hours a day, 350 days a year, matching the grueling schedules of conventional diesel-powered vehicles while slashing emissions to zero.

Electric mining dump truck (Hitachi Construction Machinery) (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

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From Japan to Zambia: The road to real-world testing

Hitachi isn’t content with proving their concept in controlled conditions. Instead, they’ve taken their electric dump truck to the heart of the mining world: First Quantum’s Kansanshi copper and gold mine in Zambia.

This choice of location is no coincidence. Zambia, with its abundance of renewable energy sources, provides the perfect backdrop for testing a zero-emission vehicle. The country’s energy grid, powered by hydroelectricity and an expanding portfolio of solar and wind projects, aligns perfectly with the ethos behind Hitachi’s electric truck.

Moreover, the Kansanshi mine already boasts an extensive network of overhead power lines for its existing fleet of trolley-assisted trucks. This infrastructure, coupled with the site’s varied terrain and real-world operating conditions, offers an ideal proving ground for Hitachi’s revolutionary vehicle.

Electric mining dump truck (Hitachi Construction Machinery) (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

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The impact: Beyond just another truck

The implications of Hitachi’s electric dump truck extend far beyond the confines of a single mine. If successful, this technology could pave the way for a dramatic reduction in the mining industry’s carbon footprint.

Consider this: a single one of these electric giants could eliminate the need for 1,200,000 liters of diesel fuel annually. That translates to a staggering 3,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions avoided each year per truck. Now, multiply that by the hundreds of trucks operating at major mining sites worldwide, and the potential for emissions reduction becomes truly monumental.

However, the benefits don’t stop at the environmental impact. The electric dump truck’s design, with its smaller battery pack and dynamic charging system, allows it to maximize payload capacity. This means more efficient operations, potentially leading to increased productivity and reduced operating costs for mining companies.

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Electric mining dump truck (Hitachi Construction Machinery) (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

Looking to the future of mining

As the two-year trial at the Kansanshi mine unfolds, all eyes in the mining industry are on Zambia. The success of Hitachi’s electric dump truck could signal the beginning of a new era in mining operations, one where the roar of diesel engines is replaced by the quiet hum of electric motors.

This shift wouldn’t just benefit the mining industry. The technologies developed for these massive vehicles could find applications in other heavy industries, from construction to logistics. We might be witnessing the first steps towards a broader electrification of heavy-duty vehicles across various sectors.

Electric mining dump truck (Hitachi Construction Machinery) (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

Kurt’s key takeaways

As we watch this electric titan tackle the rugged terrain of Zambia’s copper belt, we’re not just observing a new piece of machinery at work. We’re witnessing the potential dawn of a new, cleaner era in mining. It’s a future where the extraction of Earth’s resources no longer comes at the cost of polluting its atmosphere. The road to a zero-emission mining industry may be long and challenging, but with each electric haul, Hitachi’s dump truck is bringing that future a little bit closer. And that’s something worth digging into.

What other big machines or vehicles do you think could go electric next? How might that change things in your city or town? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.

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