Flying cars are coming to Texas

Archer Aviation will begin the first steps to support the launch of their Midnight aircraft by summer 2026.

https://www.keranews.org/news/2026-03-12/flying-cars-are-coming-to-texas

#Texas #FAA #ArcherAviation #FlyingCars #AirTaxis #TheJetsons #eVTOL

Weekly output: teens + AI chatbots, Android updates, Trump on data-center energy use, Archer + Starlink, balcony solar, customer feedback, CDA 230 + AI, Bluetooth updates

BARCELONA–It’s a treat to be able to start off a post with this dateline. This is the 13th trip that’s afforded me that opportunity and the 12th involving MWC. But this trip isn’t like the ones before it in one way; on my way across the Atlantic, my country started a war of choice because the president felt like it. The world is better without Iran’s worthless, murdering theocrat Ali Khameni, but I have little confidence in the Trump administration’s ability to do the right things for that long-suffering country.

In addition to the links you see below, Patreon readers got a bonus post from me in which I shared lessons learned from more than 10 years of booking Airbnbs.

2/24/2026: Most Teens Use AI for Homework Help. 10% Let It Do Everything, PCMag

Getting an advance copy of this new study from the Pew Research Center gave me a chance to note a new student-understudy chatbot called Einstein and quiz the CEO behind that app.

2/25/2026: Android Update Puts Gemini AI In the Driver’s Seat for Ride-Hail, Food Orders, PCMag

I have somehow become PCMag’s Android-updates guy. This report included a little testimony about Google’s call-scam-detection feature misfiring for me, an important bit of context to include in a post telling readers about Google bringing that tool to Samsung’s new Galaxy S26 series of phones.

2/25/2026: As Energy Costs Soar, Trump Pushes AI Giants to ‘Produce Their Own Electricity’, PCMag

I didn’t watch the entire State of the Union address because self-care is an important thing, but after reading about President Trump’s call for data-center operators to pay for their electricity and power infrastructure, I knew I’d have to write about that initiative.

2/27/2028: Archer Aviation Taps Starlink for Air Taxi Connectivity, PCMag

I still don’t quite get the point of adding Starlink connectivity to aircraft that won’t fly longer than 15 minutes or higher than 4,000 feet above major cities, but this was an easy post to crank out Friday morning before heading to Dulles that afternoon to start my journey to Spain.

2/28/2026: After Years of Shining in Europe, Balcony Solar Comes Out of the Dark in the US, PCMag

This story had been in the works for literally months–I took the photo you see at the top of the piece on the afternoon that I arrived in Berlin for IFA in September–but the policy picture has also changed dramatically, and for the better, over the intervening months.

2/28/2026: What’s the Best Way to Get Customer Feedback in 2026? Hint: It’s Not Email, PCMag

Two weeks after the customer-experience firm Medallia had me at its annual conference in Vegas (with my hotel covered upfront and my airfare to be reimbursed), PCMag ran my recap of what I learned there.

3/1/2026: Online Platforms Are Not Liable for What Users Post. Should That Include Gen AI?, PCMag

I spent Thursday at the Cato Institute for this enlightening conference marking the 30th anniversary of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, the 1996 act that bars you from suing an online platform for something that one of its users posted.

3/1/2026: Bluetooth Is Getting an Upgrade. Here’s What It Means for Your Devices, PCMag

I took almost all of the notes for this at CES in January, but I needed more time to confirm some details and then write the post, after which its lack of a news peg left it easy to set aside for a bit.

Saudi Arabia to roll out futuristic air taxis in major cities

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://dailytimes.com.pk/1417276/saudi-arabia-to-roll-out-futuristic-air-taxis-in-major-cities/

Weekly output: Android 16, Joby Aviation, Archer Aviation

We got our first snow of the season Friday morning, and it was such a treat to look out the windows of my home office and see the tree branches outside covered in white. It remains a delight to live in a place with distinct seasons.

I wrote an extra post on Patreon this week but broke from my usual practice by opening it to everybody on that site. So if you’ve been looking for a cheat sheet on how to get some money back on your holiday shopping via credit-card cashback offers and shopping portals, look no further.

12/2/2025: Second Major Android 16 Update Adds Expanded Parental Controls, AI-Condensed Notifications, More, PCMag

Google’s description of this update did not make it clear how this new parental-controls interface would appear in the Settings app, but now that it’s landed on my Pixel 9 Pro I can confirm that it bumps them up to a top-level menu item in that app.

12/3/2025: Are we finally closing in on a ‘Futurama’-like era of flying cars?, Fast Company

Before I could finish this piece based on my interview of a Joby Aviation executive at Web Summit, that eVTOL startup sued its competitor Archer Aviation. That required me to ping both companies for comment, and then filing and editing the story took a few more days.

12/3/2025: Archer Aviation Unwraps Plans for Air-Taxi Network Around Miami, PCMag

I wrote a second piece about eVTOL ambitions, this time about Archer’s plans for service around Miami. If you compare this piece to the posts I did about air-taxi startups three years ago, you should notice a lot more skepticism about the forecasts these companies have shared–and I can’t blame you for wondering why it was absent from my earlier coverage.

#airTaxi #android16 #archerAviation #evtol #jobyAviation #parentalControls

Joby Aviation makes ‘corporate espionage’ claims in lawsuit against rival Archer

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://techcrunch.com/2025/11/20/joby-aviation-makes-corporate-espionage-claims-in-lawsuit-against-rival-archer/

Archer Aviation buys Lilium’s €18M patent portfolio, gaining key eVTOL tech like ducted fans and flight controls. This boosts Archer’s edge in urban, regional, and defense electric aircraft, turning Lilium’s innovations into future flying products.

#ArcherAviation #Lilium #eVTOL #ElectricAircraft #Innovation #Aerospace #Patents #TECHi

Read Full Article Here : - https://www.techi.com/archer-acquires-lilium-patents-electric-aircraft-future/

Defunct electric aircraft startup Lilium’s tech lives on over at Archer

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://techcrunch.com/2025/10/16/defunct-electric-aircraft-startup-liliums-tech-lives-on-over-at-archer/