Volkswagen’s US head knew of possible emissions trouble in 2014

It’s no longer a secret that Volkswagen’s management was aware of the company’s shady diesel emissions practices. Now, however, it’s evident that this awareness included some of the car maker’s top brass. American group CEO Michael Horn states that he was told of a “possible emissions non-compliance” in spring 2014, or significantly earlier than US execs had hinted at so far. Staff had supposedly told him that engineers would work with the Environmental Protection Agency to fix the problem. Clearly, that didn’t happen before word of the scandal got out.

VW is already trying to make amends, including global recalls and attempts to reform its structure so that this kind of deception won’t happen again. Still, Horn’s admission could hint at trouble ahead for the German brand. It supports beliefs that knowledge of the emissions cheating was widespread in the company, and that many either didn’t take it seriously or tried to sweep it under the rug — the company’s former CEO may not be the only major casualty by the time this is over.

[Image credit: Patrik Stollarz/AFP/Getty Images]

Source: New York Times

Vizio’s 120-inch Reference Series 4K TV with HDR costs $130,000

Although Vizio is known for making affordable 4K TVs, the manufacturer’s also busy exploring other areas. Revealed back in April, its Reference Series television sets are designed for home entertainment buffs, featuring Dolby’s Vision high-dynamic-range (HDR) imaging technology — which promises astonishing colors, contrast and brightness. Vizio’s making its Reference Series available in two sizes, 65- and 120-inch, and they are both LED-backlit, Smart UHD TVs with Dolby and DTS sound options to boot. If you’re interested, be prepare to break the bank: The 65-inch model costs $6,000, while the bigger 120-inch is priced at a whopping $130,000. You can order either one now from Vizio’s site.

Source: Vizio

Adidas Futurecraft 3D: A running shoe made with 3D-printed materials

While Kanye West is worried about people 3D-printing shoes at home, his contractor Adidas believes the technology will play a major role in the future of footwear. (West designs the Yeezy shoe and clothing line for the Three-Stripes brand.) To show this, Adidas today introduced Futurecraft 3D, a running shoe made with a 3D-printed midsole which can be tailored to your foot — down to the cushioning needs. While this is a conceptual prototype, the company does emphasize it’s still a real statement of intent, noting it has developed proprietary 3D printing tech to deliver the product in the future. “Imagine walking into an Adidas store, running briefly on a treadmill and instantly getting a 3D-printed running shoe,” Adidas says, “this is the ambition of the adidas 3D-printed midsole.”Slideshow-326763

According to Adidas, each person could have a Futurecraft 3D shoe that matches their own footprint elements, including exact contour details and pressure points — it would be custom-made for you. “Futurecraft is our sandbox,” Adidas’ creative director, Paul Gaudio, said about the company’s new design project. “It is how we challenge ourselves every day to explore the boundaries of our craft. Driving material and process innovation, bringing the familiar into the future. Marrying the qualities of hand crafting and prototyping with the limitless potential of new manufacturing technologies.”

It’s too early to tell if Futurecraft 3D is going to be the future of running shoes, but we’re interested to see what Adidas to push its initiative forward.

Source: Adidas

DraftKings bans employees from betting on fantasy games

Well that didn’t take long. After a strong, almost oppressive initial marketing blitz at the start of the NFL season and the announcement that it would soon expand into eSports, DraftKings has come under fire for insider trading. An employee at the company reportedly used non-public information to place winning bets on rival fantasy gaming site, FanDuel, and net roughly $350,000 in a week. New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has already opened an investigation into the scheme but not before the DraftKings preemptively banned its employees from putting money down on these games.

Per a statement published on the DraftKings website:

As a leader in the Daily Fantasy Sports industry, we take the trust of our community very seriously and remain fiercely committed to the integrity of DraftKings’ Daily Fantasy Sports product.

Effective immediately, DraftKings employees will be permanently prohibited from participation in any public daily fantasy games for money. We will also prohibit employees from any Daily Fantasy Sports contest operator from participating in games on DraftKings. We are glad to see that others in the industry have followed suit and believe that this is an important next step in retaining the trust of our players.

What’s more, the company has also hired a legal team from Greenberg Traurig to perform an independent investigation into the allegations as well as advize the company on “ensuring that our policies and practices are second to none.” Better late than never, I guess.

[Image Credit: Bloomberg via Getty Images]

Via: IB Times

Source: DraftKings

Activeon CX action camera review

The Activeon CX is an affordable entry-level action camera with specifications and features that are on par (if not higher) than what competitors such as GoPro can offer. The camera has a very compact and premium-looking design with a soft touch finish. It directly competes against the original base GoPro Hero, and comes with extra features such as a 2-inch LCD display and built-in WiFi so you can view your content directly from the camera or from your mobile devices through the companion app.

You definitely get more bang for your buck with the Activeon CX, as the display definitely makes setting up and framing shots a lot more easier and more reliable, and it is bright enough to view under direct sunlight. The app lets you use your smartphone or tablet as a viewfinder to monitor live video, allows you to control and manage files and even share content directly to social media. Another great advantage over the GoPro Hero is that the Activeon CX comes with a built-in micro-HMDI port for streaming high definitino content to your television or external display. The Activeon CX retails at $119, $10 cheaper than the GoPro Hero.

The settings lets you set the camera to record in a narrow, medium, wide and super-wide modes and has the option of four levels of digital zoom. In addition, to optimize image quality, there are different recording modes for different situations; such as sports, night-time, and underwater. You also have the option of adding filters to videos and photos; however, I do not recommend using them as you cannot remove them once your shot has been taken. Finally, there is also a time lapse option shooting one image per second.

The camera has a resolution of 5MP (2592×1944) and has a fast six-element F/2.4 lens with a CMOS sensor to reduce battery-power consumption. In fact, with the Activeon CX you get approximately two hours of recording time. It can capture video at up to 1080p at 30 frames per second, and you have the option to record at 720p at 60 frames per second (slow motion). The waterproof case (airtight up to 196 feet under water, which according to Activeon is deeper than the competitor’s case) and adhesive mount are also part of the package. The interface of the device is easy to use, and the 2-inch LCD display and two-button navigation system definitely makes it easier to navigate through the settings. The camera also has a photo burst mode feature that lets you capture pictures at a rate of three or five frames per second.

Video and picture quality is excellent, however videos can sometimes be grainy, especially when moving the camera a lot.  Although this not that noticable, if you’re looking for professional level video then this isn’t your way to go. Recording at 1080p/30 frames per second gives a fluid and clear image, with good color reproduction. Recording underwater is not a problem for the CX, and images are bright and crisp as well. If you’re looking for a low-budget action camera, then the Activeon CX might definitely be a better option over the base model GoPro Hero, given the extra features that come part of the package.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

In terms of accessories, Activeon offers a large selection of them, such as a classic selfie-stick, as well as a suction mount, a roll-bar mount, a surfboard mount, a chest trap, 6 different faceplates for customization, as well as a WiFi remote.

The Activeon CX captures great HD video and competes head to head with the original GoPro Hero. And at $10 cheaper, you get built-in WiFi and a decent display to view your shots. I definitely recommend it to someone looking for a reasonably priced camera that can shoot clear wide-angled HD video, to take it out for adventures and outings.

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