The commonly accepted solution to launch your new automobile firm is by constructing one thing fancy and costly. Name it Founder’s Version or title it after a treasured metallic, hope individuals pay for the privilege of exclusivity, and go from there. Slate Auto is doing… the opposite. The three-year-old firm just announced its first vehicle, and it’s constructing a sub-$20,000 pickup with no stereo, no paint, and virtually no choices in any respect. It’s nothing like something we’ve seen. And but, a minimum of in keeping with the preliminary response to the Slate Truck, it is perhaps precisely what we’ve been in search of.
On this episode of The Vergecast, freelance tech and auto journalist Tim Stevens joins the present to speak all in regards to the Slate Truck. He tells us how the corporate’s manufacturing course of works, why it’s inserting such an emphasis on customizability, and whether or not Slate’s huge bets can truly repay. The automobile is meant to be out there someday subsequent yr, and there are causes to be optimistic it’ll hit that aim.
After that, Casey Johnston, who writes the She’s a Beast e-newsletter (and has a book coming soon!), tells us about her display screen time journey. Casey has spent months rethinking the way she uses her phone, how she interacts with social media and different apps, and simply how on-line she desires to be. She provides some tips about easy methods to make your cellphone much less attractive, and easy methods to embrace the house with out screens.
Lastly, we reply a query from the Vergecast Hotline (name 866-VERGE11 or e mail vergecast@theverge.com!) in regards to the Home windows ecosystem’s reply to the MacBook Air. The answer there was easy; now it’s something however. Nonetheless, we have some thoughts.
If you wish to know extra about all the pieces we focus on on this episode, listed here are some hyperlinks to get you began:“