The Kia Sorento gets upgrades inside and out for 2024, but they’ll come with a price boost. The base model Sorento sees its price rise by $1,600 with the new model year. Most other trim levels rise by more. The starting price for a 2024 Kia Sorento LX is now $33,365 ($31,990 + $1,375 destination charge).

The Sorento is a 3-row midsize SUV more in line with the footprint of a 2-row midsize SUV. Its third row is too small for adults to use regularly, but it gives its owners flexibility many similarly sized models lack.

Our expert test drivers like the Sorento’s fuel economy and 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty. “Moreover, the popular turbocharged engine option makes the Sorento more exciting to drive than many true midsize SUVs,” we note in our expert review.

Brawnier Look, New Tech

Kia makes no mechanical changes to the Sorento for 2024. But it benefits from an exterior and interior makeover.

Outside, the new Sorento gets a larger grille and thin LED headlights stacked alongside it. That contributes to a more muscled look.

Inside, the infotainment system gets a faster processor and the ability to receive over-the-air updates, letting Kia upgrade it without necessitating a trip to the dealership. Owners can now use their smartphones as keys, and a new AI-based smart cruise control is designed to learn the owner’s driving style and mimic it.

Kia also adds an off-road-oriented X-Pro model for 2024, with all-terrain tires and an increased 4,000-pound towing capacity.

2024 Kia Sorento Pricing

All prices include the mandatory $1,375 delivery fee.

Amazon has released a new shopping assistant that uses generative artificial intelligence that can help customers with questions about the retail giant’s vast catalog of products. 

Named Rufus, the AI bot can answer specific questions as well as those that are vaguely worded. The new tech can help customers learn what to look for in product categories; get help comparing product categories; shop for special occasions; get recommendations; and ask specific questions about products. 

Amazon President and CEO Andy Jassy said in a LinkedIn post on Thursday that Rufus can help guide shoppers with a variety of questions, such as:

• “What is important to consider when buying headphones?”
• “What’s the difference between trail and running road shoes?”
• “What are the best Valentine’s Day gifts?”
• “Is this pickleball racquet good for beginners?”

“Rufus is built on a large language model that’s trained on our expansive product catalog, customer reviews, community Q+As, and the broader web — and is seamlessly integrated with Amazon to make it easy to take action in the shopping experience …” Jassy wrote. 

Jassy said the technology is out in beta form for a small group of U.S. customers. The assistant will roll out to U.S. customers in the coming weeks, he said. 

Customers using the beta version of the new shopping assistant can type their questions in the Amazon app or speak the questions out loud into the app search bar, the company said in a press release announcing Rufus. 

“Customers can expand the chat dialog box to see answers to their questions, tap on suggested questions, and ask follow-up questions in the chat dialog box. Customers can dismiss Rufus to return to their traditional search results at any time by swiping down to send the chat dialog box back to the bottom of their screen,” the company said. 

The AI model is trained on Amazon’s database, but the company acknowledges that users will have to use their best judgment because “the technology won’t always get it exactly right.”

Amazon said that it anticipates the responses will improve over time, as Rufus fine-tunes its responses to questions. 

The retail giant announced the launch of the new AI bot the same day it released its 2023 fourth quarter earnings report, which showed a net sales increase of 14% to $170 billion year over year. 

The results beat analyst expectations causing the company’s stock to eclipse 8% in after-hours trading.
 

Rizzoli

$83.00

Finally, a complete view of Piero Lissoni’s decades of work across architecture, interior design, furniture, furnishings, graphics, landscape and more. This substantial book, edited by Stefano Casciani, presents the Lissoni & Partners studio work in a well-organized and easy to peruse manner, from The Middle House hotel—our go-to in Shanghai, to the chic Sanlorenzo Yachts SP110 plus working, retail and living environments, there are beautiful images and inspiriting designs to inspire.

Added: December 2023

This product is sold by Amazon

The newly completed 14-story Aloft Hotel in Fort Lauderdale, designed by Adache Group Architects, has officially opened. The hotel’s modern architectural design perfectly embodies the brand’s standards, making it an exciting addition to the city’s skyline. With its sleek and sophisticated exterior, the Aloft Hotel is sure to catch the eye of any passerby. 

“We are excited to complete construction on Aloft Hotel in Fort Lauderdale,” Daniel Adache says, CEO of Adache Group Architects. “Business is booming in the City of Fort Lauderdale, individuals come from around the world to experience the beaches, culture, and food, this property will be an appealing hotel for business and leisure travel visitors coming to South Florida.”

The hotel, situated at 501 S.E. 24th St., covers an area of 100,000 square feet and boasts a stylish and modern design. It has a surface-level parking lot adjacent to it, containing 99 spaces for valet service. The Prodema wood panels on the porte cochere entrance give a natural feel to the ground floor. The hotel’s second floor houses a 5,000-square-foot lobby, which features indoor seating, a bar, and the Re:fuel by Aloft grab-and-go breakfast concept. Furthermore, an outdoor terrace provides guests with a warm and inviting space.

On the third to the 13th floors of the hotel, guests can access a variety of amenities, such as guest rooms with sizes ranging from 294 to 475 square feet, two guest laundry facilities, a meeting room, and a business center. On the 13th floor, guests can find a 964-square-foot fitness studio featuring a yoga terrace. Additionally, the hotel’s rooftop pool deck, which occupies the entire 14th floor, can be accessed by guests. This expansive space has a 540-square-foot pool, a bar, a gaming area, cabanas, and a fire pit.

For business travelers, the hotel is situated less than two miles away from the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center, FLL Airport, and Port Everglades, the No. 3 busiest cruise port globally.

Nestled in the heart of the highly sought-after Park Shore neighborhood of Naples, this waterfront haven, crafted by the esteemed builders Knauf Koenig, visionary architects Falconer Jones, and interior virtuosos Clive Daniel, stands as a testament to the seamless integration of timeless elegance and contemporary design.

Perched majestically on the shores of Inner Doctors Bay, the property offers an unrivaled waterfront lifestyle. With the iconic Venetian Village just a stone’s throw away, residents find themselves in the lap of luxury and convenience. Step inside, and the interior reveals a thoughtful fusion of opulence and refinement. Every detail has been meticulously curated, from the gourmet kitchen adorned with top-of-the-line Wolf and Sub-Zero appliances to the exquisite Ruffino Cabinetry that graces the heart of the home. 

The property seamlessly integrates indoor and outdoor spaces, creating panoramic views that stretch as far as the eye can see. Each room transforms into a sanctuary of tranquility and natural beauty, emphasizing a lifestyle that embraces the surrounding environment. For those with a passion for boating, the Gulf Access presents an unparalleled opportunity. 

As the epitome of waterfront luxury in Park Shore, this property stands as a testament to what Naples living can offer. From the meticulously curated interior to the breathtaking surroundings, every aspect contributes to an elevated experience—one that redefines the standards of elegance, comfort, and natural beauty.

3841 Crayton Road is offered at $14,995,000.

Represented by Chris and Kara Resop of The Agency Naples.

Chris Resop:(239) 231-6164
Kara Resop:(239) 280-8955

Strada promises to move your entire post-production workflow to the cloud. This week, the AI-enabled cloud editing platform launches its first private beta test.

Cloud-based video editing is becoming more common every day with collaborative platforms like Adobe’s Frame.io and Sony’s Ci Media Cloud. In fact, Strada was founded by former Global Senior Vice President of Innovation at Frame.io, Michael Cioni along with brother and former Director of Resource Planning at Netflix, Peter Cioni. Strada plans to enhance the cloud editing experience with integrated AI-powered utilities and an ala carte plug-ins marketplace. Strada says this combination will empower post-production teams of all sizes to work faster from anywhere.

“With recent advancements in artificial intelligence and machine learning, I believe there are new ways to leverage the cloud to automate and remove workflow hurdles,” says Michael Cioni.

How Strada works

Strada connects to cloud-based storage services like Dropbox, Google Drive, Frame.io and Lightroom, making it easy to access footage stored across various locations. From there, you can start editing virtually. You can even view multiple streams of video simultaneously — think multi-cam editing — all without transcoding.

AI integration

Strada’s true strength, however, comes from it’s AI integrations. These AI tools focus on streamlining the post-production process rather than generating new content. For example, Strada’s AI can identify specific objects, people, locations and even emotions. This should make searching for just the right take much faster and easier. And it all happens automatically — no tedious inputting of metadata.

Strada’s AI toolset also includes AI transcription and translation. A faster transcription process means you can transcribe all of your footage at the start, leaving you with a transcript ready for text-based editing. This is a great option when you need to find a specific quote in a long interview, for example. You also end up with ready-to-go closed captions automatically. Likewise, automatic translation helps you reach more viewers with subtitles in over 100 languages.

All of these tools aim to improve the creative process.

How to try Strada

Strada launched its first private beta today. If you’re interested in trying out the new cloud-based post-production platform, head to strada.tech to sign up for private beta access.

Searching for things on your Pixel 8 should be getting a whole lot easier.

Google is rolling out its recently-announced Circle to Search function to its latest smartphones, including the Pixel 8 and the Pixel 8 Pro. The new feature uses generative AI to quickly help you figure out what’s on your smartphone screen. Instead of bouncing back and forth between tabs and apps, the Circle to Search will directly identify whatever you highlight.

We first saw Google debut this feature during Samsung’s Unpacked event last month with its latest Galaxy S24 models. We knew Circle to Search wasn’t going to be exclusive to Samsung’s smartphones, but it seems like Google was waiting for the Samsung devices’ release to start rolling the feature out to its own smartphones. So far, Google has limited the Circle to Search feature to Android smartphones, which could be the move to convert iPhone users.

Circle, Scribble, or Highlight

We got a brief preview of how Circle to Search works during the Samsung event, but Google has detailed all the ways you can use this feature in a recent blog post. It may be called Circle to Search, but you can even scribble over or highlight whatever you’re trying to search for. You simply long-press the home button or the navigation bar, then draw on whatever it is you’re interested in to start a search.

For the obvious cases, you can quickly identify something like an article of clothing that you come across in a video you’re watching. That means no more wasted time sleuthing the internet just to ID something your favorite vlogger is wearing. In another example, Google says you can highlight a restaurant name in your group chat to quickly get a glance at the menu, location, photos of dishes, and reviews — all without leaving the messaging app.

In some other straightforward examples, you can circle a word or phrase to get the definition or scribble over a building to identify it and add its location to a travel itinerary. If you want more complex answers, Google gives you the option of adding a string of text for a deeper dive, like understanding why something is suddenly going viral.

A Better Way to Search

Some Pixel users have already been using Circle to Search, even though Google says it just started rolling the feature out to its Pixel 8 smartphones and Samsung’s Galaxy S24 models. Google hasn’t indicated if it will bring the feature to older Pixel models, though.

Residential electricity customers need to trust that the electricity that powers their lives will be available when they need it. With so much depending on having available electricity, from powering lights and appliances to charging electric vehicles, there’s pressure on electric utilities to balance supply with the ever-increasing demands of modern living. 

One way utilities are staying in control is by adopting smart metering technology for their residential electric meters. Smart meters, like the Stratus IQ+^™, leverage smart-grid technology to deliver near real-time usage data that can make more accurate distribution possible. That’s important for everyday usage, and times when service may be disrupted.

Mitigating risk with Stratus IQ+ smart meter technology

Stratus IQ+ is capable of measuring real, apparent, and reactive energy simultaneously. That means utilities have a real-time view of usage, and can be more efficient in distributing power. 

This visibility allows utilities to have a more complete picture of the grid. When an outage occurs, our unique smart-grid technology can help get customers back online safely and efficiently by telling you where every outage is located.

The data available to utilities via Stratus IQ+ can also help get power restored faster. Rather than relying on customer phone calls and disparate information to determine the cause, data from smart meters can point to where power has been lost. That can help utilities prioritize where to send crews, and get accurate information out to their customers. 

Seamlessly manage distribution decisions

Another way Stratus IQ+ smart metering can help utilities be more efficient is understanding usage in near real time. With 32 channels of load profile data in four data sets with varying interval lengths no other residential meter provides this type of system visibility. This level of insight gives utilities the concrete information needed to make data-driven decisions. 

For example, during a heat wave utilities can monitor how much energy is being used to power each customer’s home and manage the surge in demand by implementing energy saving programs where it’s needed most. Being able to meet demands can prevent the need for rolling brownouts, which in turn can keep power on in extreme heat or cold, keeping residents with power.

As the grid continues to evolve and modernize, smart metering technology utilities can rely on, has become more important than ever. Choosing Stratus IQ+ for smart residential metering can help utilities lead the way in smart-grid technology that has a real impact on safety and efficiency. 

Contact one of our reps to find out how Stratus IQ+ can help utilities take the grid to next-level smart.