Gogoro 2 makes the electric scooter lifestyle more comfortable

About two years after we first rode the Gogoro Smartscooter, the company is back with a sequel. The Gogoro 2 and Gogoro 2 Plus lightly rework the original, with a second gen motor and powertrain that deliver the same amount of power (6.4kW), but promise smoother torque and more control. The choice of a Sport mode and Smart mode let riders choose between higher top speed and acceleration or increased efficiency and range. Predictably, they also are built for easier maintenance this time around, while larger wheels (14-inch up front, 13-inch on the rear), updated geometry with a longer 51-inch wheelbase and a synchronized braking system improve its stability. Oh, and a longer seat makes it easy to bring a friend along for a ride.

Beyond just the new scooters, Gogoro is upgrading its app to version 2.0 with better security that can require a fingerprint or PIN code to start, making its scooters (both old and new) “virtually unstealable.” Also, the company expanding its battery swapping Energy Network in Taiwan to offer more than 500 locations by the end of the year. The Gogoro 2 will go on sale in Taiwan in July (preorders are opening today) where pricing starts at TWD$38,800/USD$1,295, before it rolls out in other markets by the end of 2017.

These redesigned scooters have more under-seat storage space with enough room for two helmets, while its all-LED lighting shines brighter and wider at night, while also making the scooter more visible during the day. They can be had in six different colors, while Gogoro also plans to offer as many as 50 different accessories to help customize your ride. The Gogoro 2 Plus adds color to its LED dashboard, where riders can mount their smart device to get more riding information in real-time.

Source: Gogoro

Acer’s Nitro 5 notebook is meant for gamers on a budget

As a company with several indistinguishable product lines, the last thing Acer needs is another family of laptops to follow. But with the Nitro 5, it’s hoping to make a dent in the increasingly important budget gaming market. It’s not the most powerful laptop around — instead the company is hoping to attract people who game once in a while.

You can choose from configurations with up to NVIDIA GeForce 1050Ti graphics and 7th generation Intel Core i5 and i7 CPUs, or AMD FX, A10 and A12 CPUs, with up to Radeon RX550 graphics. Either way, you can stuff in up to 32GB of RAM, and you have the option of PCI-E SSDs to speed up performance.

Together with a 15.6-inch 1080p screen, the Nitro 5 includes a USB-C 3.1 port, a USB 3.0 port and two USB 2.0 connections. There’s also gigabit Ethernet, 802.11AC wireless and an HDMI 2.0 port. Design-wise, the Nitro 5 is unquestionably a gaming laptop, with bright lights, sharp lines and some serious air vents. While it’s a bit of a step down from the sleeker Aspire V Nitro, which sports a GeForce 1060 GPU, hopefully the Nitro 5 will come in significantly cheaper. Unfortunately, Acer isn’t revealing pricing yet, but we hear more information will be coming soon.

As for its existing lineup, Acer is also updating its Spin 1 convertible notebook with a sleeker metal case and some new hardware. It now includes Intel’s latest Celeron and Pentium processors, 4GB of RAM and up to 128GB eMMC storage. At 2.76 pounds, it’s not the sleekest convertible we’ve seen — especially considering its small 11.6-inch 1080p touchscreen. Just like before, the screen flips all the way around, allowing you to use the Spin 1 as a hefty tablet. Acer also claims it’ll get eight hours of battery life, though, as usual, we’d have to test that claim to be sure.

The Nitro 5 and the updated Spin 1 will both arrive in North America in July with prices starting at $799 and $329, respectively.

Twitter adds all 69 new emoji to its arsenal

Twitter has stepped up its emoji game in a big way. The social network is one of the first platforms to make all 69 Emoji 5.0 icons available to its users, and they include a few new flags, a woman with headscarf, persons with gray hair, the starstruck and the mind blown smiley. Before you fire up your Twitter app to check them, though, take note that there’s a chance you might end up disappointed. The new icons aren’t available on Tweetdeck, the iOS, Mac and the Android Nougat apps just yet, since they still haven’t implemented the Emoji 5.0 standard.

Twitter designer Bryan Haggerty says Apple will likely add support for the new emojis on iOS 11, while Tweetdeck will add them “soon.” For now, you’ll see empty blocks when you try to view the 5.0 icons on those platforms. If you want to use them yourself, though, all you have to do is open Twitter on a browser to emoji-bomb your followers.

🆕 🤩 We’ve just added all the new emojis to https://t.co/LOTAlBvtUR and updated our Twemoji open source repo 🥡 https://t.co/lD0IvE7ifj

— Bryan Haggerty 🤩 (@bhaggs) May 23, 2017

@Emojipedia all lose on an iPhone 🙁 pic.twitter.com/M4qURIYDZJ

— ADM (@Adamas_FR) April 20, 2017

Via: 9to5mac

Source: Bryan Haggerty

Americans are more satisfied with Apple’s iPhone SE than its larger-screen rivals

Why it matters to you

Looking to buy from Apple? You likely won’t be disappointed, as the company has the highest ranking for customer satisfaction in the U.S., according to a new report

While larger screens seem to be dominating the smartphone market, the iPhone SE took first place in the Annual Customer Satisfaction Index — receiving a score of 87 out of 100. The Galaxy S6 Edge Plus and iPhone 7 Plus trailed closely behind.

The ASCI measures customer satisfaction scores from May 2016 to April 2017, and the results are based on random interviews with a little more than 36,000 customers in the U.S. The iPhone SE’s top marks suggest consumers may be looking for smartphones that are not only smaller, but also less expensive.

The lineup of devices largely consists of products from Samsung and Apple — illustrating the dominance the two companies have on the U.S. market — but there are also a few surprises, such as LG’s G4 and the Moto G, which scored 73 and 75, respectively. The Galaxy S8 isn’t listed here, as it was just released last month.

The ASCI report also includes customer satisfaction data from other sectors, such as wireless carriers. Out of the big four carriers in the U.S., Verizon came first, and AT&T was last. Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint improved their customer satisfaction scores, but T-Mobile lost a percentage point, finishing second to last. More surprisingly, the big four were all beat out by smaller carriers such as TracFone Wireless and U.S. Cellular.

In terms of smartphone brands, Apple reigns king again at 81 percent, unchanged from last year. Microsoft Mobile, which offered Nokia Lumia devices, is shockingly tied for second place with Samsung — Microsoft hasn’t released a Windows phone in nearly two years, so it’s safe to say people were satisfied with their devices despite the phones’ lagging popularity. Samsung, like Apple, also remained unchanged with its score of 80 — a notable feat considering the Galaxy Note 7 recall last year. HTC jumped a percent, while Lenovo’s Motorola dipped a little.

While ease of text messaging and making calls, as well as phone design remained top scorers in the customer satisfaction report, battery life is still at the bottom of the list — though it posted a 1 percent improvement to a score of 76.

‘Castlevania’ series goes vampire hunting July 7th on Netflix

These days, Netflix isn’t just releasing a lot of streaming content, it’s betting on topicality and nostalgia to win. In the last week, it confirmed a Dark Crystal prequel and a tweet-inspired Rihanna/Lupita Nyong’o buddy series, with a possible Ellen standup special to boot. You could extend the childhood appeal to shows like Castlevania, an adaptation of Konami’s gothic adventure series Netflix announced would come out later in 2017. But the content provider’s Twitter account just released both a teaser and a release date: July 7th.

In darkness, a hero returns. Castlevania comes to Netflix July 7. pic.twitter.com/mTOEaiq2j3

— Netflix US (@netflix) May 24, 2017

Curiously, the trailer is a longer version of the one tweeted out by Netflix’s Latin American account earlier. US audiences got a nostalgia-inducing bumper ahead of the show trailer depicting someone blow on a Castlevania-emblazoned NES cartridge, blow on it, plug it in, and boot up the console. Like the video game commercials of yore that featured costume-and-prop dramatizations alongside chunky 8- and 16-bit graphics, this elongated trailer knows its audience.

When it was first announced back in February, we didn’t know the show would be animated. Given how bloody and bleak the first footage is, this seems a shrewd move. Regardless, the series is backed by incredible talent, with famed comics writer Warren Ellis penning the show, Adventure Time’s Kevin Kolde contributing and Adi Shankar (Dredd, The Grey) producing.

Source: Netflix (Twitter)

TSA may ask you to unpack tablets and cluttered carry-on bags

While it looks like the airline industry has successfully held off the US Department of Homeland Security’s proposed laptop ban for now, the government will soon be giving carry-on bags an extra thorough inspection at airports around the country anyway. Starting after this summer’s travel rush, the TSA is expected to implement a range of new policies that will likely lead to a lot more unpacking and re-packing at airport security checkpoints. Suddenly those automatic security screenings can’t come soon enough.

According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, the TSA’s plans are still vague, but the agency has been testing a variety of security procedures at smaller airports before expanding them to major cities like Los Angeles, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Boston and others. In some cases, passengers were required to remove all food items or put any electronics larger than a cellphone — meaning tablets and kindles too — in separate bins. In one failed test, confused passengers were even asked to take out any paper items in their bags, including notepads. The TSA hasn’t announced which rules it will implement yet and even when it does, enforcement will vary at each airport and security line. There’s even the possibility that an agent could ask you to take something out and put it in a bin without warning. While compliance is optional, non-compliance means stepping out of line for a manual check.

However, as TSA administrator Darby LaJoye told the Journal, agents won’t be looking for specific threats or dangerous devices. Instead, they’ll be monitoring the X-ray line to make it easier to scan each bag’s contents. “It is not any one particular item we’re worried about,” LaJoye said. “It’s not about paper or food or anything. It’s how best to divest those items.”

Apparently we can blame increased baggage fees for any extra hassle — as the Journal notes, fewer people are checking bags, which leads to overstuffed and cluttered carry-ons that cause a rash of slow-moving X-ray checkpoints. If you’re the sort of person who flies with a rat’s nest of cables, chargers and devices in your bag, then you might want to think about investing in a cable organizer or an extra sleeve for your gadgets. According to LaJoye, travelers who pay up for TSA PreCheck (an $85 five-year subscription) probably won’t be subject to the extra screening.

In related TSA news, the agency will also be installing new ID scanners around the country. The machines will read IDs and passports then automatically verify the name with the airport’s passenger lists, eliminating the need for agents to manually check boarding passes. The scanners will show up at Washington Dulles first and should be in every US airport sometime in the next two years.

Source: Wall Street Journal

Intel takes two big steps to push Thunderbolt 3 on PCs

Do you have Thunderbolt 3 on your PC? No? It’s not surprising. Your system needs a separate (read: expensive) chip to handle the ultra-fast connector, and Intel hasn’t made the specification available to other companies. You’re more likely to see the USB-C port that it’s based on. You might just see a lot more of Thunderbolt 3 in the future, though. Intel has unveiled plans to not only build the technology into its processors, but to open the spec through a non-exclusive, royalty-free license. Yes, you could theoretically see future AMD-based PCs with Thunderbolt 3 ports, not to mention more (and more affordable) Intel systems, peripherals and cables.

Intel is quick to point to growing adoption of Thunderbolt 3 as it is today. There are over 120 PCs that include both Thunderbolt 3 and a 7th-generation Core processor (the first platform to make the port widely available), and there should be just short of 150 by the end of 2017. However, there’s little doubt that the technology has been struggling. Outside of Apple, which helped create Thunderbolt, it tends to be limited to higher-end systems, and often with just one port. In a sense, this move was absolutely necessary — while Thunderbolt 3 is much faster than USB-C and is designed to usher in a future where one cable can do everything, it risks becoming a niche format compared to its slower counterpart.

The question is whether or not other companies will take up Intel’s offer. Just because they can easily use Thunderbolt 3 doesn’t mean they will, and they may decide that there aren’t enough peripherals to justify the technology. If AMD and others like the idea (we’ve asked AMD for its initial thoughts), the port could become relatively ubiquitous. If they’re cautious or avoid it altogether, though, this may be more of a symbolic gesture than a practical one.

Via: Wired

Source: Intel Newsroom

Amazon’s iOS app inexplicably adds photo stickers

Back in February, Amazon added its product- and barcode-recognition technology, “Flow,” to its iOS shopping app. The feature had its own standalone app, but bringing it to the main one let users scan items using their smartphone’s camera and add to their account’s lists. The latest version, updated yesterday, added something a little extra: Stickers. You know, the ones all the messaging services and social mediums are adding. Except these are stickers of actual products that you can click on to buy.

To find them, open the app, tap the camera icon to the right of the search bar and find the “Amazon Stickers” button on the left of the bottom bar. This opens up a menu of stickers organized by categories, and every one links to that product on Amazon. Simple. Once you place the sticker, click the “i” button to go its page. (The click-through feature is disabled when you save the image — and then it’s just a regular ‘ol goofy image with a big white border.)

Seeing the internet titan try to integrate social media trinkets into its shopping app is as amusing as it is bizarre, especially since the rest of the app is dedicated to price-matching or adding items to a buy-later list. You could obviously aim the app at your empty living room and drop a product’s sticker in to see how it would look, though the thick white border makes it awkward to get a real feel. It’s not a terribly elegant mix of Amazon’s product-hunting app and conversational gimmick, but if you have to look to fads for new functionality, perhaps that’s better than not trying at all.

As if there weren’t enough stickers in all the places, now @Amazon’s iOS app has’em too! And they’re shoppable products!! /tip @Techmeme pic.twitter.com/S2w32kd2XW

— Chris Messina 🦅 (@chrismessina) May 23, 2017

Via: TechCrunch

Source: App Store

Facebook will court ‘millennials’ with its original videos

Facebook’s dreams of pushing original video shows may be delayed, but that’s doing little to stop its ever-growing ambitions. Reuters sources claim that Facebook has landed deals with a slew of “millennial-focused” internet media companies, including BuzzFeed, Vox Media, ATTN and The Dodo operator Group Nine Media. The material would include both short clips under 10 minutes (owned by the individual providers) and longer videos over 20 minutes (owned by Facebook), and they’d naturally have ad breaks. You’d initially find the videos exclusively on Facebook’s website and apps, but they’d eventually migrate to other sites.

Not surprisingly, Facebook isn’t commenting on the apparent leak.

It doesn’t take much divination to understand why Facebook would sign up these brands: if it’s going to make a big deal out of original videos, it needs to cater to the audiences that already spend lots of time on its pages. And they may well be receptive, too. Although it’s still uncertain just how much money they’ll really make (Facebook is reportedly promising a 55 percent share from ads on shorter clips), they may be reassured knowing that they’ll make money even if people steal their videos. Whatever short-term uncertainty they face could easily be worthwhile given the many, many potential viewers.

Source: Reuters

Elgato Thunderbolt 3 Dock coming in June to relieve MacBook Pro dongle woes

Why it matters to you

If you’ve been struggling with dangling dongles on your MacBook Pro, then Elgato might have an answer.

The newest version of Apple’s MacBook Pro, released in 2016, offered some nice updates to the line including the OLED Touch Bar and a thinner, lighter chassis. Along with the welcome enhancements came some less-than-well-received subtractions, including the loss of all the legacy connectivity support and a complete conversion to USB Type-C.

In fact, customer complaints were so significant that Apple had a limited-time discount offer on its own dongles for MacBook Pro buyers who need legacy support. That deal ended weeks ago, and now users are likely looking for other options. Elgato announced a new Thunderbolt 3 Dock to help out, and it now has an official ship date, 9to5Mac reports.

The Elgato Thunderbolt 3 Dock is a color-matched docking solution that connects to a MacBook Pro via a USB Type-C Thunderbolt 3 port and provides for significant connectivity without all of the dangling dongles. The dock provides connectivity for a wide range of external storage, displays, and network connectivity, and also provides for pass-through charging to keep things particularly simple.

The Thunderbolt 3 dock comes with two Thunderbolt 3-enabled USB Type-C ports with the full 40Gb/s bandwidth, PC charging up to 85 watts, USB 3.1 Gen2 speeds of up to 10Gb/s, and DisplayPort support. In addition, the dock offers a dedicated DisplayPort 1.2 connection, a gigabit Ethernet port, and three USB 3.0 Type-A ports for legacy connections. 3.5mm headphone and microphone input jacks round out the options.

Up to 4K external displays are supported via DisplayPort, and users can plug into 5K displays using the Thunderbolt 3 ports. External charging for devices up to 15 watts is also supported.

The Elgato Thunderbolt 3 dock will be available in June from a variety of retailers. Pricing will be set at $300, which is a bit more expensive than purchasing a few dongles but definitely represents a real increase in convenience.