Fully Charged: Google plans drone deliveries for 2017, and Call of Duty getting modding tools

Google plans drone deliveries in 2017

Man, 2017 sure sounds magical: first we get a new Star Trek series, and now Google says it’ll be delivering packages via drones by that time. David Vos, who heads Google’s Project Wing, made the proclamation yesterday at an air traffic control convention, according to Reuters. He says that Google is working with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration to try and clear regulatory hurdles

“We think we can accomplish a lot in the next three, six, 12 months. And we’re hoping to get some strong support to make this happen,” he said. Vos believes the FAA’s recent announcement of a drone registry is an important first step, and says that low-altitude drones are planned for the service.

Black Ops 3 modding tools

For the first time ever, a Call of Duty game will get official modding and map-making tools. Activision and Treyarch announced the news yesterday for Black Ops III on PC, noting that they hope to get a closed alpha of the features up and running in March 2016. The game itself comes out this Friday, 6 November.

You’ll be able to make your own modes, maps, and other content, and the PC version will let you run dedicated mod servers and allow players to browse the unranked servers from within the game interface. This is a huge addition that will make the PC version even more appealing; contrast that to Batman: Arkham Asylum on PC, which is still something of a mess months after release.

Facebook has too many iPhones

Here’s a fun little story out of the world’s preeminent social network: Facebook’s chief product officer, Chris Cox, said he’s forcing a large number of his team members to switch from iPhone to an Android device.

Why the switch? He wants a large chunk of them using Android “so they can be reporting bugs and living in the same experience that most Facebook users experience today,” according to Wired. He added that, “people, when left to their own devices, will often prefer an iPhone.” Clearly that’s not the case for Facebook’s user base, but apparently it’s true for the company’s likely well-compensated employees.

[Source: Wired via 9to5Mac]

First Preacher trailer

DC/Vertigo’s Preacher by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon remains widely beloved now 15 years after its original monthly run ended, and after a few failed attempts to bring it to film and TV, something finally stuck. AMC’s Preacher series, developed by Seth Rogen and creative partner Evan Goldberg, begins next year.