Volkswagen’s e-Golf to hit US highways this fall with a $35,445 price tag
We first got word that Volkswagen’s e-Golf would finally make its debut in the States last year, and now there’s a more precise arrival date. The VW EV is set to hit the road in the US this November with a pre-tax credit ($7,500) sticker price of $35,445. If you’ll recall, the hatchback sports all-LED headlamps, goes from zero to an 80 percent charge in 30 minutes and 115 horsepower. While we’ve seen reports of a 118-mile range, this announcement doesn’t include an EPA rating, but states the expected mileage should be between 70 and 90 before needing to plug in. While it is more expensive than the popular Nissan Leaf, the e-Golf does offer more horsepower, interior space and fast charging comes standard. As you might expect, the auto will be available in the handful of states that are part of the zero emissions vehicles (ZEV) action plan: California, Oregon, Connecticut, Vermont, Rhode Island, New York, Massachusetts and Maryland.
Filed under: Transportation
Via: Autoblog
.CPlase_panel display:none;
The Big Picture: Inflated steel suit gets you up close and personal with fireworks
Making things — it’s pretty awesome whatever you’re creating. But, some things really encapsulate the maker spirit — and this is one of them. It’s an “inflatable” (or rather, inflated) steel suit, designed so you can enjoy the next fireworks display up close. Real close. Like the inside, kinda close. Its creator, Colin Furze, welded together sheets of steel, and hydroformed them into shape in sections. He originally tried doing the suit in one go, but the joints apparently tore at his “man bits.” As you can imagine, mobility is a bit of an issue, but you’ll see in the video — there’s a knack to it that Furze soon picked up. Anyway, the making of the suit is one thing, but you probably want to know what it’s like to use it among £500′s worth (about $830) of fireworks? Luckily enough there’s a video of exactly that (from inside and outside perspectives), and it’s just a click away.
Via: Inside
Source: Colin Furze
.CPlase_panel display:none;
Google Launches New ‘Slides’ iOS App, Updates Docs and Sheets With Microsoft Support [iOS Blog]
Google today launched a new Google Slides app for the iPhone to complement both Google Docs and Google Sheets, putting it in a position to better compete with business-oriented iOS software suites from both Apple and Microsoft. With Slides, Google now offers apps for creating word-based documents, spreadsheets, and presentations directly on the iPhone.
Slides is designed to allow users to create, edit, and collaborate with other users on presentations from the iPhone, iPad, or desktop. The app allows users to create new presentations or edit existing presentations, and it’s possible to share presentations with others as well as work on a single presentation with multiple people at the same time. Like other Google apps, Slides saves automatically and works offline.
Along with launching Slides, Google has also updated both Docs and Sheets with support for Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel, respectively, allowing users to open and edit Microsoft documents with Google apps. Slides is also able to open Microsoft PowerPoint files.
Here’s the lowdown on what you can now do with Docs, Sheets, and Slides:
You can truly get stuff done from any device–your iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet, laptop or desktop computer. Any change you make on any of these devices is saved automatically, so you can pick up right where you left off any time, anywhere that you can sign in.
The Docs, Sheets and Slides apps come with offline editing built right in. Just make the files you want to edit available offline. Any changes you make offline get automatically synced when you reconnect, just like when you make offline edits from your computer.
And while converting Office files to Docs, Sheets and Slides is a cinch, the new iPhone/iPad apps also let you edit Office files directly — just like on the Android apps and the web.
All three of Google’s productivity apps can be downloaded from the App Store at no cost.
– Google Slides [Direct Link]
– Google Docs [Direct Link]
– Google Sheets [Direct Link]
.CPlase_panel display:none;
[Deal] 3 year VPN Unlimited Premium plan for 70% Off
VPN stands for Virtual Private Network. In a nutshell it encrypts your transmissions over the web so that you can access sites and content that may other wise be blocked. Beyond the uses of accessing region specific websites and content, it is also an excellent way to protect yourself and your information while online. Having a solid VPN service can certainly make your life a little bit better and more secure. Check out this little video to get a better understand. (Sorry about it being iOS geared)
TOP FEATURES
VPN Unlimited – 3-Year Premium Plan
- Secure Public WiFi Connection – No matter where you are or what network you’re using, when you connect to VPN Unlimited server, your data and activities are 100% safe
- Protect Online Activities – Hackers are no longer a problem because your internet activity and all data remains hidden and encrypted
- Unlimited Traffic Bandwidth – VPN Unlimited doesn’t limit your traffic bandwidth, so there’s no need to worry about your data usage
- Unlimited Connection Speed – VPN Unlimited provides you with a high-speed connection
- Connect to Territory-Restricted Web Resources – Connect to a VPN Unlimited server in the country of your choice and get access to all local web sites, meaning you can be in China and access US websites no problem
- Select the server in the country you want – VPN Unlimited provides a growing selection of servers in the most popular countries with the most demanded web resources
- Prevent Interceptions of Data – Encrypts your data right on your electronic device, using the powerful encrypting algorithms
- Access VPN Service From Any Device – Pay once and use VPN Unlimited on apps for iPhone, iPod and iPad as well as Macs, PCs, and even Linux
The top features list doesn’t mention Android, but Android is supported. The usual price tag for VPN Unlimited on a 3 year plan is $65. However, you can pick up the same package from Stack Social right now for the next 10 days for $19. That is a pretty good savings and considering that the service will work on a number of devices, they mention up to 5, it seems well worth the nominal fee.
As with anything, do a little research before you buy. You can check out their services at the VPN Unlimited website ahead of time. If it looks and sounds like something you are looking for, then direct yourself over to Stack Social and pick up the package. Don’t forget to grab the associated app for your various devices afterwards.
VPN Unlimited 3 year plan for $19.
//<![CDATA[
ord = window.ord || Math.floor(Math.random()*1E16);
document.write('‘);
//]]>
The post [Deal] 3 year VPN Unlimited Premium plan for 70% Off appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
.CPlase_panel display:none;
T-Mobile Simple Starter plans to get 4X the data for just $5 a month
Watching the cellular industry duke it out for phones, data plans and general plans is sort of fun. The changes that one company makes often trickles over to another in some fashion that generally is better for the consumer. Sometimes it is all in the wording and the marketing of a new feature of plan, but sometimes these guys do make a change that is pretty beneficial. T-Mobile has announced a new add-on feature today that should sit nicely with Simple Start plan users.
Starting September 3rd Simple Starter plan subscribers will be able to up their 4G LTE plan from 500MBs to 2GBs for just $5 more a month. That puts the monthly total, prior to taxes and all that jazz, at just $45 a month.
“People who use loads of data use T-Mobile,” said John Legere, president and CEO of T-Mobile. “And it’s no wonder. The old guard telecoms punish people for using more data on their networks with crazy overage charges and fees. Get Verizon’s $50 plan and use just one gig more data, and the price jumps to $65. It’s crazy. At T-Mobile, we designed our network data-strong so our customers could use the hell out of it. And that’s just what they’re doing.”
That is still $5 less a month than the standard Simple Choice plan that offers the same unlimited talk and text with only 1GB of LTE data. The key difference is that on the Simple Starter your data is suspended after you reach the cap where as the Simple Choice just slows you down.
//<![CDATA[
ord = window.ord || Math.floor(Math.random()*1E16);
document.write('‘);
//]]>
The post T-Mobile Simple Starter plans to get 4X the data for just $5 a month appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
.CPlase_panel display:none;
Amazon reportedly ready to snatch Twitch away from Google
Remember that rumored $1 billion deal Google worked out to purchase the internet’s most popular game-streaming service? Amazon may be taking it over. According to The Information, folks close to the deal say that Twitch and Amazon are in late stage talks for a $1 billion acquisition. Why the change in buyer? It’s not clear (or confirmed), though it might be a response to concerns that joining Google could stifle innovation or competition. Either way, neither company is talking about the rumor right now, though one person involved suggested that the deal could be formerly announced soon.
Filed under: Gaming, Google, Amazon
Source: The Information
.CPlase_panel display:none;
Political TV ads will soon know who you are
Like it or not, another US election is almost upon us — and this time around, the incessant political advertising may cut a little too close to home. Both Democrats and Republicans are using a new TV ad targeting system from DirecTV and Dish that takes advantage of voter records to put personalized campaign ads on your DVR. If you tend to swing between both parties, you may get different commercials than lifelong supporters. You may also get reminders to vote early if you frequently cast absentee ballots. And unlike conventional targeting methods, which run ads on shows they believe certain demographics will watch, these promos will automatically appear on any show you record as long as there’s a free slot.
Yes, there’s a chance these pitches will get very annoying; there’s enough data that they could chastise you when you haven’t donated or volunteered. However, the sheer expense of producing customized ads makes it unlikely that candidates will get that specific. The DVR technology may actually spare you some grief, in fact, since politicians won’t waste your time if you’re set in your ways. There is a risk that this approach will further polarize voters by limiting their exposure to different views. With that said, many political TV spots aren’t exactly honest to start with — this may just reduce the amount of propaganda you have to put up with during commercial breaks.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
Source: Washington Post, Dish
.CPlase_panel display:none;
iPhone 6 ‘Phosphorus’ Component Likely a Barometric Pressure Sensor, Not Next-Generation M7
Earlier today, Weibo user GeekBar continued his leaks of claimed wiring schematics of iPhone 6 components with a new “Phosphorus” component he had interpreted as the next-generation version of Apple’s M7 co-processor. The M7 collects and tracks motion data from various sensors in the iPhone 5s, iPad Air, and Retina iPad mini, and with the iPhone 6 rumored to be including a number of new health- and fitness-related sensors, a more powerful version of the M7 seems possible for the new device.
But according to MacRumors forum poster leecbaker, who is clearly familiar with these types of components, the item depicted in the schematic is not a next-generation M7 and actually appears to be a barometric pressure sensor. The iPhone 6 has been rumored to include a number of new environmental sensors such as an atmospheric press sensor.
The chip pictured has the part number BMP282. I’m 99.99% sure this is a Bosch barometric pressure sensor, similar to this part BMP280. Variants of one part often have slightly different part numbers- if Apple got Bosch to customize the chip for them with different packaging, or a slightly different measurement range, that would explain the difference in part number.
Bosch’s MBP280 barometric pressure sensor
leecbaker goes on to highlight a number of applications for that Bosch pressure sensor, including GPS and indoor/outdoor navigation enhancement, weather forecasting, altimetry, and spirometry, the lung function measurements that were added to Apple’s Health app in a recent iOS 8 beta.
Another MacRumors poster, kdarling, corroborates leecbaker‘s conclusions, noting that the pins on the Bosch sensor match those outlined in the schematic. He also notes that the BMP series is limited to pressure sensing and does not include the humidity and temperature sensing capabilities found in Bosch’s BME series of sensors.
Assuming this new information is correct, and it certainly appears to make sense, this marks the second time GeekBar has incorrectly identified a component shown in the leaked schematics. The poster had previously claimed a schematic showed the iPhone 6 carrying the same 1 GB RAM found in previous A-series chips, but that was quickly revealed to be a reference to an aspect of flash storage rather than RAM.
(Thanks, @anexanhume!)
.CPlase_panel display:none;
Governments are buying tools that track your phone nearly anywhere
Don’t think that widespread cellphone surveillance is the sole province of big nations like the US and UK; apparently, it’s within reach of just about any country with enough cash and willing carriers. The Washington Post understands that “dozens” of countries have bought or leased surveillance tools that let them track phones around the world with relative ease, so long as providers cooperate. The software exploits poor security in SS7, an inter-carrier network, to get your rough location by plugging in your phone number. With enough queries, suspicious governments (and well-connected gangs) can easily find out where you’re going, whether you’re in town or on the other side of the planet. To make things worse, these systems are frequently paired up with StingRays and other devices that can both get more accurate positioning and intercept phone traffic.
The FCC is already investigating whether or not StingRays are falling into the wrong hands, and it tells the Post that the SS7-based tools might be subjected to an equal level of scrutiny. Preventing abuse in the short term may be difficult, however. The newspaper found that 75 percent of carriers accepted location requests, and many networks can’t block them successfully. SS7 should be replaced by a more secure system with 10 years, but that’s not comforting if you have to visit a paranoid regime right now — especially since the tools are marketed as ways to get personal data that providers refuse to offer. While you’re not necessarily a target, you’ll want to be cautious about who gets your phone number in the future. It might be used for a lot more than just annoying telemarketing calls.
[Image credit: AP Photo/Francisco Seco]
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Internet, Mobile
Source: Washington Post
.CPlase_panel display:none;
Sounds of Street View takes you on a virtual vacation
You can only experience so much of a place by poking around it in Google Maps, and that’s why Amplifon, a hearing aid company from the UK (seriously), put together a little getaway-in-a-browser called Sounds of Street View. The name really says it all – once you pop on your headphones (trust us, it’s important), you can virtually explore Place du Palais, Hawaii’s Hapuna Beach and Balboa Park in San Diego complete with some much-needed aural ambience. It’s a surprisingly comprehensive experience too: as you “cruise” down the streets of Avignon, France, you’ll hear the lilting tune of an accordion give way to the din of a dining crowd and a church bell ringing in the distance. Is it just like being there? Erm, not quite, but it’s way cheaper than a plane ticket at the very least. Alas, those are the only three locales available at the moment so you can’t vicariously experience the ceaseless thrum of Hong Kong or New York City… until a crafty developer uses the provided cobbles together the soundscape for you, anyway.
Source: Sounds of Street View
.CPlase_panel display:none;
AIVAnet 