Latest news with #KITT
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
10 Most Stolen Cars in the U.S. (Is Yours on the List?)
What do KITT from Knight Rider and a Chevrolet Silverado 1500 have in common? Both faced multiple attempts at theft. While we get why someone would want to swipe KITT, it could drive itself and made AI seem cool before we actually got AI and realized it mostly hallucinates. Everyone expects the cool stuff to be a target. Most car enthusiasts wouldn't dream of leaving their prized rides unlocked, whether it is a self-aware crime-fighting machines or just a well-loved project car. We naturally assume it's the rare, flashy, or high-performance cars that need protecting. However, it's actually the more mundane machines that face the greatest risk. Why? Because their owners tend to be less vigilant, their parts are in constant demand, and many lack modern anti-theft tech. That's a perfect storm for thieves and a goldmine for the black market. This isn't anecdotal, there are hard numbers from the National Insurance Crime Bureau, which tracks vehicle thefts across all 50 states. So before you assume your daily driver is safe because it's not flashy, keep reading. The next target might already be sitting in your driveway. The Hyundai Elantra surprisingly emerged as the most targeted vehicle for theft in 2024, with 31,712 reported incidents. Its broad presence on American roads makes it an easy mark in both urban and suburban areas. Some model years still in circulation are missing modern immobilizer technology, giving criminals an unfortunate advantage. The Elantra's steady resale demand further fuels its risk profile, and they are so common you probably won't think twice when you see one driving down the road or for sale from a private owner.. Compact, efficient, and frequently parked in accessible areas, it may not catch the eye of car spotters, but it does catch the eye of thieves looking to make some easy money. The Hyundai Sonata continues to appear prominently on theft reports, reaching 26,720 cases in 2024. Its sleek design and mainstream popularity make it a fixture in parking lots and driveways across the country. Thieves often exploit older models that were not equipped with electronic safeguards common in newer cars. The Sonata's versatility appeals to drivers and, unfortunately, to those seeking to steal it. Software updates have been introduced in recent years, but consistent adoption among owners is still in progress. Drivers benefit from awareness campaigns and community-led protection tips. Active monitoring and smart security practices make a meaningful difference. Chevrolet's Silverado 1500 remains a top pick among both working professionals and vehicle thieves, tallying 21,666 thefts in 2024. This full-size truck holds strong appeal in rural, commercial, and urban zones due to its utility. Its broad distribution and high parts demand increase the likelihood of being singled out. Criminals target it for both its engine and body components, all of it offering enough resale value that they can chop the car up into pieces and sell each part without a second glance. Owners often benefit from adding custom deterrents like reinforced locks or onboard GPS systems. The Silverado's prominence brings both convenience and exposure. The Honda Accord logged 18,539 thefts in 2024, maintaining its place as a recurring target. Its reputation for reliability means it holds long-term value on the used car market. This reliability, combined with widespread use, feeds into strong demand for salvageable parts. With basic maintenance, Accords can stay on the road for hundreds of thousands of miles, including models built before theft-prevention upgrades became standard. Its design prioritizes accessibility and comfort, two traits that can unintentionally favor fast intrusion. Installing visible deterrents like steering locks can add a layer of psychological resistance for would-be thieves. Staying alert and proactive keeps the Accord where it belongs: in your driveway. The Kia Optima attracted significant theft activity in 2024 with 17,493 stolen units, drawing concern across metro areas. This midsize sedan offers value and accessibility, but earlier versions lacked electronic immobilizers. Social media trends exposed its weaknesses, prompting swift responses from communities and industry partners alike. In several cities, the Optima became emblematic of broader security shortcomings in everyday cars. Security patches were introduced, though full implementation varied by region and owner diligence. Insurance providers and city police departments highlighted the Optima in public safety alerts. As awareness rises, protective habits among drivers are becoming more common and effective. Tuners love the Honda Civic, and thieves apparently do, too. The ever-popular Honda Civic faced 15,727 thefts last year, underscoring its enduring appeal to both buyers and car thieves. Its compact design and fuel efficiency make it a preferred choice for urban living. Unfortunately, this same accessibility also contributes to its theft risk. Older Civic models remain in circulation and are often missing the safeguards now standard in newer vehicles. Demand for its interchangeable parts remains high in underground markets. Drivers have found success in combining traditional anti-theft tools with new mobile tracking apps. The Kia Soul counted 13,562 thefts in 2024, becoming a frequent name in urban crime reports. People love to hate it, but thieves love to steal it. Gaps in past security designs created an unfortunate vulnerability for the hamster-mobile (remember the Kia Soul Hamster commercials?). Thieves often targeted models from years when immobilizers were absent or optional. Cities with dense street parking reported consistent issues involving the Soul. Law enforcement efforts to curb thefts have included free lock giveaways in some regions. With improved updates and more cautious ownership habits, the tide is gradually turning. Stealing this economy sedan is a thief's forte... get it? The Kia Forte has carved out a reputation for affordability and fuel economy, but it also appeared in 16,209 theft reports in 2023. Its compact build appeals to budget-conscious consumers, but that same popularity places it in thieves' sights. Some model years were built without anti-theft electronics, offering an open window to seasoned criminals. The Forte's components carry reliable resale potential, particularly in secondary auto parts markets. Campaigns promoting VIN etching and alarm system installation have shown results. Owners benefit from staying connected with local vehicle safety advisories. Proactive care has proven to significantly reduce its vulnerability. It was rated the most popular truck in America for decades, so you probably wouldn't notice if the one traveling next to you on the highway was stolen. The Ford's F-150 continues to dominate sales charts and, unfortunately, theft statistics, reaching 12,952 cases in 2023. As a workhorse of American roads, it is routinely parked at job sites, shopping centers, and curbside locations. Thieves prize it for its high-end parts and durable structure, which remain valuable even in damaged form. Older trims lack the layers of digital protection found in today's editions. Another Kia on the list? The Kia Sportage closed out the top ten with 15,749 thefts in 2023, signaling a clear need for enhanced driver awareness. The same traits that draw buyers have also caught the attention of those with criminal intent. Lapses in earlier design protections allowed bypass techniques to circulate widely online, making it a no-brainer for criminals looking for an easy target. Some municipalities responded with public service campaigns specifically addressing the Sportage. Drivers today are turning to combination solutions, pairing mechanical locks with remote monitoring tools. This evolving awareness is reshaping the ownership experience for Sportage fans. The last thing you want is to wake up for work and find nothing but tire marks where your car used to be. The numbers paint a clear picture: vehicle theft follows patterns. Popularity, accessibility, and design vulnerabilities all play a role—and the same models are targeted year after year. Knowing which vehicles are most at risk is the first step. Even if your car didn't make the list, that doesn't mean you're in the clear. Thieves look for easy opportunities, and without precautions, any vehicle can become a target. Factory-installed immobilizers, aftermarket alarms, smart parking habits—it all adds up. Awareness leads to smarter choices, and smart choices help keep your car where it belongs.
Hospitality Net
04-06-2025
- Business
- Hospitality Net
The Hotels Network's AI Receptionist KITT Now Available on Oracle Cloud Marketplace
The Hotels Network (THN), a leading provider of direct growth solutions for hotels and an Oracle partner, today announced KITT, THN's AI Receptionist, is available on Oracle Cloud Marketplace, can be deployed on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), and integrates with OPERA Cloud via the Oracle Hospitality Integration Platform (OHIP). Oracle Cloud Marketplace is a centralized repository of enterprise applications offered by Oracle and Oracle partners. KITT, one of the first AI-powered voice agents to fully integrate with Oracle OPERA Cloud hospitality platform, enables real-time access to offers, availability, and pricing directly from the property management system (PMS). The integration with OHIP enables hotels to automate voice bookings, process payments, and respond to guest queries in 40+ languages, all while syncing dynamically with live hotel systems. This streamlined experience not only elevates customer service but also drives direct revenue and operational efficiency for hotels worldwide. Oracle Cloud Marketplace is a one-stop shop for Oracle customers seeking trusted business applications and services that offer unique solutions. OCI is a cloud designed to run any application faster, and more securely, for less. OCI can help address a variety of data privacy, sovereign AI, and low latency requirements as it is the only hyperscaler capable of delivering 150+ AI and cloud services at the edge, in a customer's datacenter, across clouds, or in the public cloud. Oracle's distributed cloud delivers the benefits of the cloud with greater control and flexibility while also providing the consistent performance, SLAs, and global pricing for which OCI has become known. OHIP has enabled us to enhance KITT — a solution that answers questions, handles bookings, syncs with hotel systems in real time, and helps hotels deliver a cohesive direct booking experience, said Mercedes Blanco, Chief Partnerships Officer at The Hotels Network. Our participation in Oracle Cloud Marketplace further extends our commitment to the Oracle community and enables customers to easily reap the benefits of KITT. We look forward to leveraging the power of Oracle Cloud Infrastructure to help us achieve our business goals. This innovation unlocks a fully automated, real-time voice experience where guests can check availability, explore offers, and complete a full reservation over the phone, all synced directly with the hotel's live systems. As an Oracle partner, The Hotels Network continues to drive inventive technology at the intersection of AI and hospitality, delivering streamlined and scalable guest experiences for hotels worldwide. About Oracle's Partner Program Oracle's partner program helps Oracle and its partners drive joint customer success and business momentum. The newly enhanced program provides partners with choice and flexibility, offering several program pathways and a robust range of foundational benefits spanning training and enablement, go-to-market collaboration, technical accelerators, and success support. To learn more, visit Trademark Oracle, Java, MySQL and NetSuite are registered trademarks of Oracle Corporation. NetSuite was the first cloud company—ushering in the new era of cloud computing. About The Hotels Network The Hotels Network, a Lighthouse company, is an inventive technology company working with over 20,000 hotels around the globe. Boasting an international team of specialists with deep expertise in hospitality, product design and consumer marketing, the company offers clients a full-stack growth platform to power their direct channel. By leveraging a series of integrated tools and analytics, hotel brands can attract, engage and convert guests throughout the user journey. In addition to price comparison, reviews summary, and a suite of personalization options, THN's Direct AI Suite is deeply integrated in their platform, from predictive analytics to generative AI. Predictive Personalization uses machine learning to predict user behavior and automatically tailor messaging and offers for each user. BenchDirect's benchmarking tool provides unmatched competitive data for the direct channel. Recent innovations include KITT, an AI-powered receptionist, and Loyalty Lite, a seamless guest login tool for personalized booking experiences. THN is proud to have been recognized for the company's product innovations, rapid growth, and unique workplace culture for the third year in a row, most recently named the Best Direct Booking Tool for 2025 in the prestigious HotelTechAwards. For more information about THN, visit or contact [email protected]. Paige Lopez Content Marketing Manager View source
Daily Mirror
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Guide to LA ahead of FIFA World Cup including its very space-age stadium
A century of movie-making means nowhere blends science fiction and reality quite like Los Angeles – as I discovered from the back of a driverless taxi – hours after seeing KITT from Knight Rider in a museum. Seeing the steering wheel spin of its own accord was as nerve-racking as watching a London cab's meter spinning… But as the Waymo (an app like Uber, but no driver) safely navigated the streets, it gave a surreal taste of the future. And like any traveller landing at LAX for the first time I had plenty of preconceptions. But no matter if your movie taste is more Barbie than Blade Runner, LA is full of surprises. Thought the City of Angels was too big or busy for your little angels? Think again. It has entertainment for kids of all ages. Even big kids like me in their mid-40s. Ironically the home of the silver screen is perfect for a screen break, as it offers enough stimulation for even TikTok-addicted teenagers to put phones away. LA hosts the World Cup next year and the Olympics in 2028. For sports-loving families, catching a game while in LA is a great option. LA Clippers-owner Steve Ballmer sank £1.5billion into the Intuit Dome basketball arena - and boy, can you tell. The former Microsoft CEO wanted the world's best arena for his NBA team. Befitting a tech titan's toy, it is completely space-age. For starters, after booking a seat online, you upload a selfie on to the Clippers' app and your face acts as your ticket – you literally just walk in. Want a drink, hot dog or jersey? Pick one up from any bar or shop and stroll away. Facial recognition is also linked to your Google or Apple Pay. Pretty cool. I also caught the Lakers at the downtown Arena. Murals of late Lakers' legend Kobe Bryant can be found all over LA and there are always A-list celebrities courtside. The short trip to Anaheim for the original Disneyland will be on most family agendas. Mickey, Minnie and co have entertained generations there since 1955 and the park marks its 70th in July. In truth, every day at Disneyland is a celebration, particularly for younger visitors. The clear ride highlight was the incredible Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. Space Mountain also continues to wow and the Guardians of the Galaxy ride was exhilarating. Top tip, download the Disneyland app before arriving for live updates on queues, navigation and details of when popular parades take place. Viewing the fireworks displays from Main Street is a must. Of all the insider movie trivia gained during (ace) tours of Universal Studios and Warner Bros, the most jaw-dropping was that the latter employs gardeners to pick individual leaves from trees so Mafia sets convincingly replicate New York (the Big Apple has an autumn, LA doesn't). Warner Bros is a working studio and the 90-minute tour is unmissable. TV fans can sit on famous sofas from Friends and The Big Bang Theory, and seeing the tricks performed to create your favourite shows is eye-opening. As well as an equally informative tour – including sets from Psycho, Jaws and King Kong – Universal Studios is a full-blown theme park too. The coolest ride is the immersive MarioKart: Bowser's Challenge in Super Nintendo World. Imagine playing MarioKart with friends, while wearing 3D goggles and simultaneously spinning around in a dodgem car and you're not far off. Theme-park tickets, food and merchandise mount up, so it is a relief some top attractions are free. California's golden sands are legendary, and Venice and Santa Monica beaches are easy excursions. The 2.5 mile walk between Santa Monica Pier and Venice Beach Skatepark is a gem. And where else could you join posers pumping iron on Muscle Beach, watch skaters flip epic tricks, and barter for souvenirs with the merchants of Venice boardwalk? Another fab free excursion is to Griffith Park – named after a Welsh mining magnate who donated it to LA, though on the negative side of the ledger he later shot his wife. That nugget was a line from our guide from Bikes and Hikes LA, who as an actor played a doctor on ER. Before you ask, no, it wasn't a down-on-his-luck George Clooney… While Griffith Park is totally free, the guide (Michael) elevated the experience. The massive park on Mount Hollywood has brilliant views, hiking trails and is a great vantage point for photos of the Hollywood sign. Griffith Observatory is another free and fun way of learning about the stars. Checking how much you'd weigh on different planets is interactive amusement, at least until you get to Jupiter and the needle rockets. As well as celestial stars it regularly hosts cinematic ones, appearing in scores of movies, including La La Land. The Petersen Museum on Wilshire Boulevard is impossibly striking and home to not only Michael Knight's KITT and Herbie, the Batmobile and Lightning McQueen, but 250 other significant vehicles. LA is also well served by art museums for those after culture. The Broad in downtown boasts a stunning collection of contemporary works by Warhol, Basquiat and Koons and is also free. The magic cast by tacos in LA is intoxicating and I was enchanted. Angelenos insist LA dining doesn't get more authentic than at its 4,000 roadside taco trucks. I can honestly say I didn't have one mediocre taco – they were uniformly excellent and a bargain option for family dining. To push the taco boat out a little, head to Holbox inside the Mercado la Paloma in south LA. There aren't many Michelin-starred restaurants where you just turn up and join the queue. The 20-minute wait was rewarded by a counter seat where I could watch chefs expertly assemble spankingly fresh seafood tacos. Octopuses, scallops and Baja California Kanpachi with a bewildering array of salsas were among the delights I dived into. A final bill – including tip and tax – of $44 was an absolute steal. LA is a seriously exciting food city, though prices can seem high. For those staying downtown, Asterid by Ray Garcia is a swanky option where the short rib lives long in the memory. In the Arts District, De La Nonna is great value and a cut above most Italians, with its salads and vegetable-led dishes enticing, not to mention a killer cocktail list. On Venice's Abbot Kinney Boulevard, Gjelina is a celeb magnet. By LA standards it's affordable and the Mediterranean-inspired food really lets the Californian produce sing. LA has more than 1,000 hotels to suit all budgets, but I definitely backed a winner at the W Hollywood. Having recently undergone a £38million refurb, it is a glam choice, right on Hollywood Boulevard (Katharine Hepburn and Doris Day have Walk of Fame stars outside). The stylish rooms are huge, with great design touches. A rooftop pool offers breathtaking views and was a stunning spot for a dawn dip to defeat jet lag. Downstairs the Living Room is the sort of grand lobby bar American hotels do so well – great for first-rate drinks and people-watching. Breakfast, while pricey, was spectacular and sets you up until dinnertime. I also stayed at the Omni, located at California Plaza, near the Grand Central Market and downtown attractions. My comfortable room was massive and overlooked Angels Flight, the funicular railway – a staple movie backdrop. The service at the Omni stood out and the breakfast avocado toast at its Noé restaurant put UK versions to shame and was almost too pretty to eat. Almost. LA is famously vast and everything you have heard about its rush-hour traffic is true. Unlike London, where tourists rarely leave Zone 1, LA's attractions are spread out. Pre-planning which attractions can be visited on the same day is key. Most visitors – particularly those enjoying a wider Californian trip – will hire a car. For part of my stay I did without and found a combination of public transport and ride-hailing apps worked well. (LA's public transport doesn't have a great reputation locally, but I personally found it OK). The $11billion rail line from LAX to downtown is due to open for the World Cup and Metro extensions to Beverly Hills are being built. The bus network is more comprehensive than Metro, but unlike Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves in Speed, you definitely won't stay above 50mph for long… Movie directors know a great ending sets up the sequel by leaving the audience wanting more. It is just the same with holidays and on that score LA absolutely delivered. There is so much to see and do that you can only really scratch the surface in one trip. And in the immortal words of former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger – 'I'll be back'.
The Sun
13-05-2025
- The Sun
Swift, sleek, smart
DO brick-and-mortar offices cramp your style? Do you do most of your business and meetings over the web? Are you among the envied few who have hybrid or full work-from-home privileges? Then, the Acer Swift 16 AI was probably made for you – savvy, digital age professionals who are often on the move and prefer firepower in a svelte package. And svelte it is, measuring at 9.92mm thick and weighing a mere 1.46kg. You will not have any issues lugging this (essentially) thin crust pizza across the city or international borders. What is more impressive is what you get for all that weight. If you are used to IPS monitors at the office, the first thing likely to blow you away is the laptop's absolutely gorgeous 16-inch WQXGA+ Oled display. Watching movies – or pretty much any kind of content – during your downtime is a mesmerising experience, thanks to its deep, inky blacks and exceptional contrast. An indicator on the touchpad lights up whenever AI features are active. When it is time to work, the wide colour gamut and near-impeccable colour accuracy make photo editing and digital art creation an absolute joy. And with an Intel Core Ultra 7 (Series 2) processor, the laptop can deliver over 120 TOPS of computational performance, easily handling general productivity tasks and artificial intelligence (AI)-powered workloads. But what really impressed us is the thoughtful suite of quality-of-life features that Acer armed this thing with. Online meetings have exploded in popularity since the pandemic, but are still frequently plagued by low-quality video and sound. And given that first impressions matter – like it or not – your career may be riding on how you appear and sound on screen. That is where Acer's PurifiedView 2.0 and PurifiedVoice 2.0 come in. Powered by AI sorcery, the former helps visually with automatic framing, gaze correction and advanced background blur, while the latter squelches unwanted background noise to ensure your voice comes in clear and crisp. The laptop measures 9.92mm in thickness and weighs only 1.46kg. Speaking of AI, the laptop has a nifty Activity Indicator LED light on the touchpad's top-right corner that lights up whenever its AI features are active. Perhaps drawing inspiration from Hollywood sci-fi – think KITT's red lights from Knight Rider – you will always know when the device is firing up its smart capabilities. But if you know when it is 'thinking', it knows when you are around. Powered by the webcam sensor, Acer User Sensing 2.0 locks the laptop when you walk away and wakes it when you return – obviously useful against prying eyes and especially when you travel. You can also switch screens by glancing from your laptop's monitor to another. These conveniences may seem small at first, but will be pleasantly welcomed by nomadic professionals and freelancers who are just as likely to frequent cafes as they are beaches. Combined with its processing muscle and stunning display, the Acer Swift 16 AI makes a compelling package at RM5,699. If you move around a lot and/or have ever laboured (painfully) on a heavy company-given laptop, you might want to consider this investment.
The Sun
25-04-2025
- Automotive
- The Sun
Major car brand makes huge change to flagship motor that will make drivers feel like they're in a SPACESHIP
A MAJOR car brand has made a huge change to its flagship motor that will make drivers feel like they're in a spaceship. A refreshed version of the Mercedes Benz EQS EV limo is set to hit the market next year - but customers may be in for a shock. 3 3 Instead of a traditional steering wheel, the model will come complete with a futuristic "yoke" wheel. Yoke wheels are usually U or T-shaped - rather than circular. And unlike conventional steering wheels, where the driver's hands can be placed anywhere around the circumference, yokes generally have two horizontal grips - a bit like a joystick. In this way, they create a futuristic, techy feel that is also present in many F1 cars. Fans of the 1980s Knight Rider series may equally see similarities between the yoke and the steering unit in Michael Knight's talking car, KITT. Mercedes is not the first brand to introduce a yoke - with Tesla launching its own version in 2021 as part of its Model S and Model X. However, the feature drew criticism from customers for its lack of practical usability. Mercedes is determined to avoid the same mistakes - and has combined the funky shape with a host of snazzy controls for an optimal user-friendly experience. With the merest of hand movements, drivers will be able to access their audio settings, cruise control and hands-free phone operation on two panels in the middle of the wheel. Plus, the model will have what's called a "steer-by-wire" system, meaning the steering wheel and front wheels are connected electronically rather than mechanically. Mercedes reveals its new luxury EV with 'superscreen' passengers can play video games or watch Netflix on while on move The system will automatically know how much angle is required - meaning the driver is never required to fully rotate the yoke. This comes as part of the brand's transition towards self-driving cars. Markus Schäfer, chief technology officer for development and procurement, explained: "Steer-by-wire is another big step towards the mobility of tomorrow, and we're proud that we will be launching such a system in 2026. "The technology enables a unique customer experience that goes far beyond steering alone. "In combination with Level 3 conditionally automated driving, it will enable an even more immersive entertainment experience in the medium term. "That's because the flat steering wheel provides a better view of the display when streaming your favourite show, for example." It comes after the brand gave a sneak peak into its Vision V electric range, which is also set to launch in 2026. The vans will feature plush white leather seats and clear acrylic storage compartments attached to the doors. The cabinets are said to mimic display cabinets in high-end designer stores, and can be used to carry handbags or sunglasses. And, passengers can even separate themselves from the driver with a glass panel, which creates a "private lounge."
