| Tesla's Model 3 is here, and it drives like a dream. Snap employee lockup expires today, and the iPhone 8 looks more likely to match up to the leaks. All that and more in The Daily Crunch for July 31, 2017. 1. I got to drive the Tesla Model 3, and it was everything it promised to be Tesla's Model 3 got handed over to its first 30 customers last Friday and I was there to check out the event. Tesla surprised us with the chance to drive the car, which came as a very welcome addition to the agenda, of course. Driving the Model 3 revealed a car that's fun, and that punches way above its weight in terms of acceleration and handling. It's also spacious inside, both front and back, despite the smaller exterior measurements relative to the Model S. Its most unique feature might be its single-display console, however – this is dashboard unlike any other. 
2. The Model 3's quality isn't Tesla's issue, though... The Tesla Model 3's a terrific car, and that may be a bigger issue for Tesla in the near-term, since its biggest challenge is going to be satisfying demand for the vehicle. Pre-order reservations extend well beyond 500,000 at this point, and Elon Musk says that's despite Tesla basically doing what it can to "unsell" the car. Not the worst problem to have, however. 3. Snap lockup period expires today Snap's stock lockup expires today, which could result in a considerable sell-off from employees. Indeed, in early trading it looks down a bit, which might be very bad news indeed for a stock that's already taken a beating since hitting the public market. 4. Google adds its ad blocker to Chrome pre-release app on Android Google's native ad blocker for Chrome is now in the wild; the Canary pre-release version of the browser on Android has the feature, which is disabled by default, but which says it will block ads from sites known for "intrusive" advertising methods. 5. Apple's HomePod firmware spills potential iPhone 8 details The iPhone 8 rumors about a nearly full-face screen and facial recognition seem a little more likely, now that Steve Troughton-Smith has found some details in the HomePod firmware (which somehow arrived well ahead of the actual HomePod). These describe an infrared face unlock method, and an iPhone front face image that shows the screen depicted in many renders. 6. Japan space startup tries first commercial launch Japan's Interstellar Technologies would like very much to be another commercial launch provider in the style of SpaceX. First, however, it has to get a rocket to orbit, and while it tried on Sunday, the rocket lifted off but didn't make it to its target altitude. They plan to try again, however, and in the rocket industry even failure has the potential to lead to future success. 7. Apple's removing China VPN apps, except those blessed by the government Apple is playing ball with Chinese regulations that require VPNs to get a government license, and removing any of those that don't comply. Which are the only ones that actually work to get around China's overly restrictive internet regulations, of course. Not a move that's winning Apple may fans around privacy advocates, which is ironic considering that's who Apple is marketing to by promoting the fact that it doesn't sell user data. | 
