Archive for the ‘Free Software’ Category

How does a library function under the pandemic? Heres how this community library innovated – Scroll.in

Its hard to avoid clich and hyperbole when writing about the pandemic and all its effects; the ground we stand on has shifted and continues to shift. It will take years for us to develop a new language for the changes we are seeing in all aspects of life: science, health, economy, politics, education, friendship and more.

Those of us who work in the free library movement, which is as much about bringing people together as it is about issuing books, have faced many challenges in the past few months. Here, Ill talk about what the pandemic has meant to libraries and library members, and what we are learning about the future of reading, thinking and the importance of citizen participation.

The year leading up to the lockdown was a good one for The Community Library Project (TCLP). In our fifth full year, our total membership reached 4,000 and we issued close to 40,000 books. In addition to our first library in Sheikh Sarai, we were running two libraries in Gurugam one in Sikanderpur and one in Sector 43. We were nearly finished with the construction of a major new branch in South Extension. We ran special programmes every week, ranging from poetry readings to science workshops.

Perhaps most importantly, we held more than two thousand read-alouds during the year, reaching a cumulative audience of 23,000. All library programmes are important. But over the years, weve learned that read-alouds are key to making readers, because in the communities we serve, they provide a bridge between living oral traditions and books. Our members have a right to, and a need for, both.

Then at the end of 2019, we learned that the trust that had for years donated space for our main library in Sheikh Sarai was selling the building and wed need to relocate. A few weeks later, the NGO that had housed our Sikanderpur library pulled out of that partnership, leaving us searching for a new space for that branch as well.

Having to shift two libraries with two months notice would have been challenging in the best of times. It is always difficult to find good, affordable space in the NCR. In the end, we found new locations, but both required significant and costly renovation. We started packing up books in the first part of March.

After reading the emerging literature on virus transmission, we shut our doors to members the week before Delhi schools did. We sent our staff home to catalogue books for our South Extension library. Because we had a non-negotiable March 31 deadline to vacate our largest library, small, masked teams of volunteers worked long hours to pack up books and furniture. We got the last load moved to a safe storage place the day before the Janta Curfew.

With the lockdown came even more bad news: a major CSR funder backed out of commitments they had made, dealing a significant blow to our financial stability. That hurt, but we knew there were more pressing things to work on.

Within days, our leadership council, comprising volunteers, staff and young member leaders, decided that in this time of crisis, community libraries had two important responsibilities: first, to continue to provide as many members as possible with access to quality reading material; and second, to act as a clearinghouse for information that our members and their families desperately needed.

Ill talk about these separately; but overlapping teams of volunteers, staff and member leaders worked on both, starting from the first day of the lockdown. Were very proud of the work weve done, but in both areas, weve had failures as well as successes.

Right away, the curriculum team faced an enormous problem: our libraries have been built over the years by face-to-face interactions. We have thousands of excellent books, but we gain and retain our members, many of whom are first generation readers and most of whom have never read a book outside of school, because we work very hard to follow three principles: first, All are welcome; second, we must do everything pyaar se; and third, Reading is thinking. Our libraries are places where members know they and their friends will be treated with respect and invited to think deeply about things that matter to them.

We knew that no on-line programme could ever match our in-person library programme, but we also felt our members had a right to the best resources we could offer. In the early days of the lockdown, the internet was exploding with read-alouds and other educational resources, but almost none of these were in Hindi, and many of them required access to large amounts of internet data and advanced smartphones.

First, we compiled lists of Hindi reading material from a wide variety of publishers, including Pratham Books, Eklavya, Tulika, Storyweaver and Ektara. Then, meeting by Zoom for the first time, we trained librarians, student leaders and volunteers to record high quality digital read alouds using open source books and free software, such as OBS, X-Recorder and Screencastify.

Having just learned these technologies myself, I wasnt sure this would be possible, but there are few things that committed librarians and library movement activists cant do when they put their mind to it. Within a week, we were producing excellent digital Hindi read-alouds.

The next problem we faced was how to get this material to our members. Some were active on our Facebook page, but we knew that most were not. Working with members of our student council and other member leaders, we decided that the most accessible medium for the communities we serve would be audio and video read-alouds designed for Whatsapp. We knew video read-alouds would be best, pedagogically speaking, but we also knew that some members could only access sound files.

Because of this, from the start, we created two versions of each read-aloud; one where the books pictures and the face of the reader were visible, and one with audio only, where listeners were encouraged to make pictures in their minds. Along with each story, we chose links to related on-line reading material.

We extracted phone numbers from our membership database and set up ten Whatsapp groups. On April 12, we launched Duniya Sabki, our on-line Whatsapp library. Since then, weve sent issues of Duniya Sabki to members three times a week; each issue contains a morning read aloud and an afternoon piece of reading material. Two weekly issues are aimed at young readers; once a week we target young adult and adult members. In addition to picture book read-alouds, weve sent science and arts and crafts activities, poetry, information about Covid-19, and many other things.

We knew that at best, wed reach about half our members this way, and weve lost some in the past months as data packs ran out or families left Delhi. But even after all this, we still have 1150 member phones in our groups, along with over 200 educators and librarians. Link click and survey data suggests that in a typical week, we reach between 250 and 400 library members.

Until all students have access to devices and internet data, on-line education will never be universal or free. Our digital library reaches a few hundred members with read-alouds. But we know that few of them are actually reading books on-line. Part of this is their lack of data and access to devices. We have worked with community members and other NGOs on the #internetkholo campaign, which calls for free data for all Delhi students.

Weve got some good press and a lot of retweets, but making real progress here will take time and will likely require action from both the government and the private sector. Increasing digital access is worth working for, especially during the pandemic. But in the long run, we dont think excellent community libraries can or should be replaced by on-line programmes. Our experience suggests that the same is true for schools.

Once our Duniya Sabki Whatsapp library was up and running, we set out to share these resources and learnings with a larger audience. Now read-alouds, reading material, and teacher resources are available on TCLPs website, and we also post regularly on YouTube and Soundcloud.

To pass on our learning, weve worked with the Azim Premji Foundation, the Community Library Network as well as independent volunteers and volunteers in companies including DK Books to train more than 50 librarians and library volunteers in how to access our material and how to make quality, accessible read-alouds and reading content available to diverse learners. Weve offered our material and training free of charge to MCD and Delhi Government schools.

Although some Delhi teachers are already using our material, we dont have an official partnership with Delhi schools yet; we are still hopeful, because we know we produce world class Hindi read-alouds, perfect for all kinds of young readers in the NCR.

Were doing many other things. For example, were currently adapting our reading fluency program so classes can run on-line. This is exciting work, and we expect to begin our first batch on August 17. But in the long run, we know readers need real libraries, just as students need real schools. Of course health and safety must always be the priority, but Covid is not the only danger our members face.

Recently, as volunteers and staff have walked through the neighborhoods around our libraries, weve met many members who are not able to access our on-line programmes or any on-line classes. Talking to them, we are reminded that closing schools and libraries carry risks of their own.

Many members lack access to reliable information about all kinds of things, including Covid. And research shows that long interruptions in education can cause lifelong problems, especially for students from poor and working class families. We cannot solve these problems on our own, but we are reading as much current research as we can with the goal of opening our libraries as soon as we can do so safely.

Alongside this curriculum work, from the first days of the lockdown we understood that in times of crisis one job of any library or school is to provide good information about community resources. I come from a family of teachers, and I know my sisters in the US spent the first week of the lockdown calling the parents of all their students to tell them where and how to get food, healthcare and other essential services. The phone numbers they gave out worked; the food banks and hospitals were open.

During the lockdown we called more than 2,000 families of members. We learned that many government hotlines were impossible to reach. A few families were able to get e-ration cards, most were not; even with information and assistance from us, the system didnt work for them. Some were able to get food served at Delhi schools, but the lines were too long and the distance too far for many others.

TCLP has never been a social service organisation: we do provide snacks and meals during library workshops, but our reason for being has always been to provide books and a welcoming place to think to anyone who walks through our doors. We were now confronted with a new reality: hundreds of families in our library community were in real distress because they did not know where their next meal would come from.

After much deliberation, we decided we had to act; it was not enough to provide information about resources when there were not adequate resources. We reached out to NGOs doing ration work and asked them to partner with us. Between April and mid-July, our volunteers helped deliver more than 1,500 ration kits to about 900 needy families in our library communities.

We were clear with members: these rations were from other organisations, we were only helping with the coordination and distribution. TCLP never funded this work directly, but even as our own resources were dwindling, our volunteers did everything we could to raise money for partner organisations.

Last week, we finally had to make the difficult decision to stop this work. Though the lockdown is over, we know many families are still in distress. But the reality is that organisations providing relief are also running out of funds, and we are a library, not a relief organisation; we cannot do this alone. Were now calling families to tell them what we know about resources that do exist, but also to say that we are no longer able to help as we have in the past.

Were surveying them to find out more about the reality of the situation on the ground. Well do our best to advocate for their needs, but we cant pretend this is anything but a failure, not just of us in the free library movement, but of all of us in this great city.

Now, as we move forward, were reflecting on what weve learned and where we need to go next. We know a lot more than we once did about how to provide excellent, accessible digital educational content to all kinds of readers and thinkers. But it is important to be clear about the limitations of these efforts. Many people in Delhi lack the devices and data to access web-based content, and even those children who do have access to phones and data will not learn as much on-line as they do in person.

The conclusions we can draw about ration work are more limited; we are librarians, not relief workers. But democracy is always richer and more effective when more voices are heard, and organisations like ours that depend on member leaders and community involvement have learned important things about the ways our city has both met and failed to meet many of the challenges weve all faced in the past few months. In years to come, free, community libraries will help produce more and more readers and thinkers who will in turn make this city more thoughtful, responsive and vibrant.

There are many challenges ahead; as an organisation which struggles each month to make payroll, we understand this only too well. Because of lack of funding, as I write this, we are informing our staff that we will have to cut pay and reduce hours to survive as an organisation. We hope this will be a short-term measure, because we know the longer it goes, the more well trained librarians and reading teachers we will lose. This will be a loss for our members, and for community libraries all over the country that look to us for resources and training.

This has been a difficult time for all of us. It is hard to see a silver lining. But if there is one lesson we can draw from this, it is that if were willing to examine and talk honestly and carefully about our collective failures, as well as our successes, there is a great deal we can learn from each other. The more we think together and talk with each other pyaar se, the better off well all be.

Michael Creighton came to Delhi in 2005. He is a teacher, poet, and curriculum coordinator at The Community Library Project.

This series of articles on the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on publishing is curated by Kanishka Gupta.

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How does a library function under the pandemic? Heres how this community library innovated - Scroll.in

Electromagnetic Simulation Software Markets, 2020-2025: Industry Outlook, Case Studies, Key Application Areas, Competitive Landscape Analysis -…

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The "Global Electromagnetic Simulation Software Market - Growth, Trends and Forecasts (2020-2025)" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global electromagnetic simulation software market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 9% over the forecast period 2020-2025.

Rising demand for consumer durables, electronics goods, and high-end technology products due to technological advancement and increased dependency on automation. Increasing penetration of the internet across the world has encouraged vendors to improve the speed and connectivity and has led to the development of 5G.

Market Highlights

The demand for low-cost, accurate, electromagnetic simulation software has grown rapidly during the last decade, in industrial, automotive, commercial, and communications systems. Increasing demand to upgrade the power infrastructure in developed countries to reduce the heat generated through thermal dissipation with the usage of electromagnetic transients' simulation is expected to drive the market. In 2020, Ameren, one of the largest utility companies in the United States, would spend USD 7.6 billion on a five-year grid modernization plan.

The updated power infrastructure utilizes a smart grid that uses computer technology to improve the communication, automation, and connectivity of the various components of the power network. The smart grids work on advanced technologies to modernize electricity networks, extending from the end-user to distribution and transmission. They use smart meters at the homes which are capable of two-way communication and provide information on supply and demand between producers and consumers. Electromagnetic simulation software is used to analyze the interference of the power-frequency magnetic field from the key parts of the smart meter and is expected to boost the market in the future. According to the IEA report, smart meter deployed has advanced considerably in recent years, as China is in the midst of the full deployment, and Japan, Spain, and France are poised to achieve full rollouts in the next few years.

Mobile devices are becoming thinner, smaller, and more complex with every generation with better performance and more frequency bands to meet the high demand of consumers. The market players are expanding their manufacturing capacity to meet the demand with adequate supply. For instance, in 2020, Samsung has invested USD 500 million to intensify operations in India. The company would set up a manufacturing plant on the outskirts of New Delhi to produce displays for smartphones as well as a wide range of other electronic devices. Electromagnetic simulation software is employed to measure the antenna efficiency and return loss of a smartphone, and the demand for smartphones is expected to drive the market.

Market Trends

Telecommunications Sector Will Experience Significant Growth

North America Will Hold a Significant Market Share

Competitive Landscape

The global electromagnetic simulation software market is concentrated and dominated by a few major players like Remcom, Altair Engineering, Mician, Sonnet Software, and ElectroMagneticWorks. These major players, with a prominent share in the market, are focusing on expanding their customer base across foreign countries.

These companies are leveraging strategic collaborative initiatives to increase their market share and increase their profitability. However, with technological advancements and product innovations, mid-size to smaller companies are increasing their market presence by securing new contracts and by tapping new markets.

Recent Developments

Key Topics Covered

1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Study Deliverables

1.2 Study Assumptions

1.3 Scope of the Study

2 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

4 MARKET DYNAMICS

4.1 Market Overview

4.2 Market Drivers

4.2.1 Increasing Utilization of Solver Tools to Handle a Multitude of Component Shapes and Sizes

4.2.2 Growing Applications in RF Module, MMIC, and RFIC Design

4.3 Market Restraints

4.3.1 Complexity Regarding Computationally-Intensive Processing Required by Simulators

4.4 Value Chain / Supply Chain Analysis

4.5 Porter's Five Force Analysis

4.6 Industry Value Chain Analysis

4.7 Assessment of COVID-19 Impact on the Industry

5 METHODS OF ELECTROMAGNETIC SIMULATION

5.1 Integral or Differential Equation Solvers

5.1.1 Methods of Moments (MOM)

5.1.2 Multilevel Fast Multipole Method (MLFMM)

5.1.3 Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD)

5.1.4 Finite Element Method (FEM)

5.2 Asymptotic Techniques

5.2.1 Physical Optics (PO)

5.2.2 Geometric Optics (GO)

5.2.3 Uniform Theory of Diffraction (UTD)

5.3 Other Numerical Methods

6 RELEVANT USE-CASES & CASE STUDIES

(Major use-cases and case studies such as Surrogate Models for Antenna Placement on Large Platforms, Development of Wireless Sensors to Detect Lightning, among others, will be discussed)

7 KEY APPLICATION AREAS

(Qualitative Analysis pertaining to major applications such as 5G MIMO, Circuit co-simulation, among others, will be provided)

7.1 Antenna Design and Analysis

7.2 Mobile Device

7.3 Automotive Radar

7.4 Biomedical

7.5 Wireless Propagation

7.6 Others

8 MARKET SEGMENTATION

8.1 Geography (Revenue in USD million as a part of the Market study)

8.1.1 North America

8.1.2 Europe

8.1.3 Asia-Pacific

8.1.4 Rest of the World

9 COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE - KEY VENDOR PROFILES

(Business Segments, Products & Strategies, SWOT Analysis, Recent Developments)

9.1 Company Profiles

9.1.1 Remcom Inc.

9.1.2 EMPIRE (IMST GmbH)

9.1.3 Altair Engineering Inc.

9.1.4 WIPL-D d.o.o.

9.1.5 Mician GmbH

9.1.6 Sonnet Software, Inc.

9.1.7 ElectroMagneticWorks, Inc.

9.1.8 COMSOL Inc.

9.1.9 Keysight Technologies

9.1.10 ANSYS, Inc.

9.1.11 Dassault Systmes SE

9.1.12 Cadence Design Systems, Inc.

9.1.13 ESI Group

10 COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

(Comparison of major Electromagnetic Simulation software will be provided, based on metrics such as License, GUI, and Algorithm, among others)

11 INVESTMENT ANALYSIS

12 FUTURE OF THE MARKET

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/5cwpi0

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Electromagnetic Simulation Software Markets, 2020-2025: Industry Outlook, Case Studies, Key Application Areas, Competitive Landscape Analysis -...

COVID-19 Impacts: Game Development Software Market Will Accelerate at a CAGR of over 4% Through 2020-2024 | Demand for PC Games and Gaming Consoles to…

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Technavio has been monitoring the game development software market and it is poised to grow by USD 53.53 million during 2020-2024, progressing at a CAGR of over 4% during the forecast period. The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current market scenario, latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment.

Technavio suggests three forecast scenarios (optimistic, probable, and pessimistic) considering the impact of COVID-19. Please Request Free Sample Report on COVID-19 Impact

Frequently Asked Questions-

The market is fragmented, and the degree of fragmentation will accelerate during the forecast period. Audiokinetic Inc., Autodesk Inc., Epic Games Inc., Microsoft Corp., NVIDIA Corp., Playtech Plc, Scirra Ltd., The Game Creators Ltd., Unity Technologies Inc., and ZeniMax Media Inc. are some of the major market participants. To make the most of the opportunities, market vendors should focus more on the growth prospects in the fast-growing segments, while maintaining their positions in the slow-growing segments.

Demand for PC games and gaming consoles has been instrumental in driving the growth of the market.

Game Development Software Market 2020-2024: Segmentation

Game Development Software Market is segmented as below:

To learn more about the global trends impacting the future of market research, download a free sample: https://www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR40408

Game Development Software Market 2020-2024: Scope

Technavio presents a detailed picture of the market by the way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources. Our game development software market report covers the following areas:

This study identifies the growing popularity of AR/VR games as one of the prime reasons driving the game development software market growth during the next few years.

Game Development Software Market 2020-2024: Vendor Analysis

We provide a detailed analysis of vendors operating in the game development software market, including some of the vendors such as Audiokinetic Inc., Autodesk Inc., Epic Games Inc., Microsoft Corp., NVIDIA Corp., Playtech Plc, Scirra Ltd., The Game Creators Ltd., Unity Technologies Inc., and ZeniMax Media Inc. Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the game development software market are designed to provide entry support, customer profile and M&As as well as go-to-market strategy support.

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Game Development Software Market 2020-2024: Key Highlights

Table of Contents:

Executive Summary

Market Landscape

Market Sizing

Five Forces Analysis

Market Segmentation by Component

Customer Landscape

Geographic Landscape

Drivers, Challenges, and Trends

Vendor Landscape

Vendor Analysis

Appendix

About Us

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavios report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavios comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

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COVID-19 Impacts: Game Development Software Market Will Accelerate at a CAGR of over 4% Through 2020-2024 | Demand for PC Games and Gaming Consoles to...

Should You Invest in the Invesco Dynamic Software ETF (PSJ)? – Yahoo Finance

The Invesco Dynamic Software ETF (PSJ) was launched on 06/23/2005, and is a passively managed exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Technology - Software segment of the equity market.

Retail and institutional investors increasingly turn to passively managed ETFs because they offer low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency; these kind of funds are also excellent vehicles for long term investors.

Additionally, sector ETFs offer convenient ways to gain low risk and diversified exposure to a broad group of companies in particular sectors. Technology - Software is one of the 16 broad Zacks sectors within the Zacks Industry classification. It is currently ranked 8, placing it in top 50%.

Index Details

The fund is sponsored by Invesco. It has amassed assets over $481.40 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs attempting to match the performance of the Technology - Software segment of the equity market. PSJ seeks to match the performance of the Dynamic Software Intellidex Index before fees and expenses.

The index is comprised of stocks of software companies. The Index is designed to provide capital appreciation by thoroughly evaluating companies based on a variety of investment merit criteria, including fundamental growth, stock valuation, investment timeliness and risk factors.

Costs

Investors should also pay attention to an ETF's expense ratio. Lower cost products will produce better results than those with a higher cost, assuming all other metrics remain the same.

Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.58%, making it on par with most peer products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.09%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

Even though ETFs offer diversified exposure that minimizes single stock risk, investors should also look at the actual holdings inside the fund. Luckily, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

This ETF has heaviest allocation in the Information Technology sector--about 63.30% of the portfolio. Telecom and Healthcare round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Docusign Inc (DOCU) accounts for about 5.79% of total assets, followed by Snap Inc (SNAP) and Adobe Inc (ADBE).

The top 10 holdings account for about 47.53% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

So far this year, PSJ has gained about 14.95%, and is up roughly 22.49% in the last one year (as of 06/26/2020). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $74.11 and $115.05.

The ETF has a beta of 1.07 and standard deviation of 26.32% for the trailing three-year period, making it a high risk choice in the space. With about 32 holdings, it has more concentrated exposure than peers.

Alternatives

Invesco Dynamic Software ETF holds a Zacks ETF Rank of 1 (Strong Buy), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Because of this, PSJ is an excellent option for investors seeking exposure to the Technology ETFs segment of the market. There are other additional ETFs in the space that investors could consider as well.

SPDR SP Software Services ETF (XSW) tracks S&P Software & Services Select Industry Index and the iShares Expanded TechSoftware Sector ETF (IGV) tracks S&P North American Technology-Software Index. SPDR SP Software Services ETF has $240.74 million in assets, iShares Expanded TechSoftware Sector ETF has $4.69 billion. XSW has an expense ratio of 0.35% and IGV charges 0.46%.

Bottom Line

To learn more about this product and other ETFs, screen for products that match your investment objectives and read articles on latest developments in the ETF investing universe, please visit Zacks ETF Center.

Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free reportInvesco Dynamic Software ETF (PSJ): ETF Research ReportsAdobe Systems Incorporated (ADBE) : Free Stock Analysis ReportSPDR SP Software Services ETF (XSW): ETF Research ReportsiShares Expanded TechSoftware Sector ETF (IGV): ETF Research ReportsSnap Inc. (SNAP) : Free Stock Analysis ReportDocuSign Inc. (DOCU) : Free Stock Analysis ReportTo read this article on Zacks.com click here.

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Should You Invest in the Invesco Dynamic Software ETF (PSJ)? - Yahoo Finance

2021 F-150: Fords new truck has hands-free driving and hybrid options – The Verge

Ford has revealed the 2021 model of the F-150, and many buyers will find the newest version of the automakers super popular pickup truck stuffed with technology when it gets released later this year. The new F-150 will have an optional hands-free driving mode, be capable of receiving over-the-air software updates, and come with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The company will also start selling a hybrid version of the 2021 F-150 that can travel about 700 miles on a full tank of gas.

The hands-free driving feature which Ford calls Active Drive Assist is the same thats coming to the Mustang Mach-E electric SUV next year. That will make the F-150 one of the only vehicles in the US that has hands-free driving when the feature is available, along with Cadillacs And GMs Super Cruise-equipped cars and SUVs. Active Drive Assist will only be available on divided highways that Ford has mapped, and customers will have to buy a specific hardware package that enables the feature, which will include a driver monitoring system that uses a driver-facing infrared camera to make sure theyre watching the road. Theyll also have to pay extra for the Active Drive Assist software.

Even if buyers dont opt for Active Drive Assist, the new F-150 will still offer the rest of the features that make up Fords Co-Pilot360 driver assistance system. Some will come standard, like automatic emergency braking and pedestrian detection which is good news considering the behemoth size of the F-150. Others will cost extra, like adaptive cruise control, lane centering, post-collision braking, trailer backup assist, and more.

The bigger versions of the new F-150 will come with a 12-inch landscape touchscreen in the center of the dashboard (as opposed to the vertical display found in Fiat Chryslers competitor, the Dodge Ram), while smaller versions of the truck will have an eight-inch screen. Both will run Sync 4, the newest version of Fords infotainment system. It is one of the only vehicles on the road to offer wireless versions of both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and theres a wireless charging pad under the infotainment screen, as well as USB-A and USB-C ports. All models will have a 12-inch digital instrument cluster behind the steering wheel.

The new F-150 can be updated over the air, too. Ford says that wont just be for improvements to the infotainment system. Rather, the company says the updates are bumper-to-bumper, meaning they can support preventative maintenance, reduce repair trips, provide improved performance and ultimately result in more vehicle up-time.

Ford is working on an all-electric version of the F-150 due out in 2022. But in the meantime, its now finally going to offer a hybrid version of the truck, following in the footsteps of General Motors and Fiat Chrysler.

But while those other trucks were mild hybrids that used small electric motors and batteries to increase efficiency, Fords will be a full hybrid powertrain, utilizing the companys fourth-generation version of the technology. A 35kW (47 horsepower) electric motor will pull power from a 1.5kWh battery pack, giving the truck a boost during acceleration and allowing it to get around 700 miles on a 30.6-gallon tank of gas, roughly 23 miles per gallon.

Unfortunately, Ford isnt releasing official fuel economy figures just yet, so its hard to say exactly how much more efficient the hybrid version will be compared to its gas-only counterparts. The hybrid F-150 will be sold in rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive variants, with each truck marrying the electric components to a twin-turbocharged V6 engine. And the hybrid F-150 does not have a plug, so the onboard battery will be recharged by the energy created when the truck uses the electric motor to help brake.

All told, the new F-150 represents what is likely Fords biggest year-to-year jump when it comes to the technology that powers the companys most popular vehicle segment. Ford says its not just cramming in technology for technologys sake, and that each of the new additions serves a genuine purpose. There are plenty of more straightforward truck feature, and new utility options that should please those who spend the most time inside these vehicles, like an onboard generator and a new center-console work surface that can hold a laptop. The new seats even fold back 180 degrees, so owners who really love their trucks can spend some real downtime inside them, too.

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2021 F-150: Fords new truck has hands-free driving and hybrid options - The Verge