Vespa’s first electric scooter will arrive in 2018

Last year, Vespa announced that it was working on an electric scooter and today it has released some specs and an approximate availability date. The Vespa Elettrica is a silent, fully electric scooter with acceleration capabilities in line with those of traditional scooters, according to Vespa. It has a 62-mile range and can be fully charged in just four hours through a normal wall-mounted electrical outlet. The battery will reportedly last around 10 years, but will drop to 80 percent capacity after 1,000 charge cycles or so. The Elettrica comes in a chrome grey color, but buyers can choose between seven color options for the decorative trim.

Along with the Elettrica, Vespa is also releasing a hybrid version — the Elettrica X — which can be driven twice as far as the fully electric version on a single charge. The scooters are set to be available for sale sometime in 2018, but the exact date and pricing haven’t been announced just yet.

Via: The Verge

Source: Piaggio Group

T-Mobile can keep Nest Secure online if your WiFi fails

In September, Nest released its Secure alarm system, complete with motion and door sensors and an app that lets you manage the system from anywhere. But arming the alarm through your phone or receiving alerts that motion has been detected in your home requires the Nest system to be actively connected to WiFi. If your internet service goes down or your home network stops working, however, you won’t get those alerts or be able to access your system through Nest’s app. That’s why Nest has worked cellular backup into the Secure system and T-Mobile announced today that it’s the exclusive cellular provider for Nest Secure.

Through T-Mobile, you’ll be able to get the full Nest Secure pack, including the Nest Guard base, two Nest Detect door/window sensors and two Nest Tag key fobs that let you arm or disable the alarm system without having to mess with a passcode. It also comes with a Nest Cam Indoor security camera with intelligent alerts provided through Nest Aware. And, of course, it comes with cellular backup that will kick in whenever your WiFi becomes inaccessible.

The T-Mobile Nest plan costs $240 down and $10 per month (for 24 months) once a $5 monthly credit is applied. That credit is only available for a limited time, according to T-Mobile, and it’s unclear how long the deal will last. If you cancel your wireless service plan before the 24 months are up, though, you’ll have to pay the remaining balance. If you want to buy the setup without T-Mobile’s service, you can get it for $698, which is what it would cost through Nest.

The Nest security pack will be available in T-Mobile stores starting November 10th.

Source: T-Mobile (1), (2)

Minneapolis Said to Have Fastest Average LTE Speeds in United States

Minneapolis has the fastest average LTE speeds of all major cities in the United States, according to a recent study conducted by OpenSignal.

OpenSignal found that the average LTE download connection in Minneapolis was 21.5 Mbps, almost twice as fast as the 11.65 Mbps average it measured in Las Vegas, which was the slowest among the 35 cities it tracked.

Four out of the five fastest cities were in the Midwest region, with Minneapolis joined by Detroit, Chicago, and St. Louis in the rankings.

OpenSignal said 29 of the 35 cities exceeded the national LTE download average of 13.98 Mbps. When compared to global speeds, though, only 14 cities had 4G speeds higher than the worldwide LTE download average of 16.6 Mbps.

OpenSignal collected its data from millions of smartphones with its app installed under conditions of normal usage.

Tag: OpenSignal
Discuss this article in our forums

Apple Developing Redesigned 2018 iPad With Face ID, Slimmer Bezels and No Home Button

Apple is working on a new high-end 2018 iPad that will adopt many of the design elements from the revamped iPhone X, reports Bloomberg. The new tablet device, which is likely to be a “Pro” model, will reportedly do away with the Home button.

It will feature slimmer edges, a faster processor, a custom Apple-built GPU, and built-in support for Face ID, allowing it to be unlocked with a facial scan much like the iPhone X. With Face ID, there’s no need for a Touch ID Home button.

By removing the home button, Apple plans to noticeably reduce the size of the edges on the top and bottom of the device for the first time since its introduction in 2010, bringing the design closer to that of the recently released flagship iPhone X. The new version will mark the first revamped look for the iPad since the first iPad Pro debuted in 2015.

While the new 2018 iPad is said to be adopting many iPhone X features, Bloomberg’s sources do not believe it will feature an OLED display. Instead, it will continue to use an LCD, likely because Apple suppliers are still working on ramping up OLED production. Samsung continues to be the only display maker capable of producing OLED displays suitable for an iPad, but technical and financial constraints will prevent Apple from adopting OLED at this time.

A new version of its Apple Pencil and new “software tools” for using the stylus are also said to be in development alongside the new iPad model.

According to Bloomberg, the revamped iPad is expected to be released “a little more than a year” after the prior iPad Pro update, suggesting it could see a launch sometime around September. Apple refreshed its iPad Pro lineup in June of 2017 at the Worldwide Developers Conference.

Today’s rumor is in line with prior reports from reliable KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who previously said he believes iPad Pro models set to be released in 2018 will come equipped with a TrueDepth Camera and support for Face ID.

Related Roundup: iPad ProTag: bloomberg.comBuyer’s Guide: 10.5″ iPad Pro (Caution), 12.9″ iPad Pro (Neutral)
Discuss this article in our forums

Netflix revives London street drama ‘Top Boy’ with Drake’s help

Netflix is continuing its tradition of extending popular Channel 4 TV shows after confirming that London street drama Top Boy is being revived. In a tweet, the show’s star Ashley Walters — also known as Asher D from the So Solid Crew — confirmed that the series has been picked up as a Netflix Original and will debut in 2019 with a little help from Canadian megastar Drake.

Top Boy follows the rise of Dushane (Walters) and his friend Sully (played by Kane ‘Kano’ Robinson) in the grimy underground drugs business. The show won a BAFTA for in 2012, but was dropped a year later. Last year, it emerged that Drake had swooped in and bought the rights from Channel 4, having earlier watched the show on YouTube and shared his appreciation for the series on Instagram. Walters has also said that Drake will play a significant role in the upcoming season.

In October 2014, @Drake posted this photograph on Instagram. pic.twitter.com/NtBlkKlhzy

— Netflix UK & Ireland (@NetflixUK) November 8, 2017

According to Hollywood Reporter, the third season will pick up from where it left up, with Dushane returning to London to reclaim his throne. “He teams with Sully (Robinson), his spiritual brother, partner, and sometime rival who is also returning to the same streets after his own form of exile — prison — comes to an end. Awaiting them both is Jamie, the young, hungry and ruthless gang leader whose ambitions leave no place for Dushane and Sully,” said the entertainment website.

So after years of speculation and anticipation I can finally reveal that we have managed to secure a brand new home for the new season of TOPBOY! In all honesty I’m more happy for you guys than myself.

“We’re going back to Summerhouse. @TopBoyNetflix 2019 pic.twitter.com/i2WoNPCwfy

— Ashley Walters (@AshleyWalters82) November 8, 2017

Netflix had already secured global streaming rights to the series, but this is the second time it has continued development of a major Channel 4 programme by turning it into an Original production. The first was Charlie Brooker’s Black Mirror, which will return to screens in the coming months.

Via: Hollywood Reporter

Silk Road investigator gets more jail time for second Bitcoin theft

A Secret Service agent already convicted to 71 months in prison for swiping Silk Road Bitcoins will get another two years for a separate Bitcoin theft, Reuters reports. Shaun Bridges pleaded guilty to stealing 1,606 Bitcoins — worth around $360,000 at the time and now valued at over $11 million — from a Bitcoin wallet controlled by the Secret Service. The theft was discovered when the agency tried to return some of the coins after they were seized from the European BitStamp exchange.

That sounds crazy, but there’s more. Bridges was actually caught a day before he was scheduled to turn himself in for the first theft with bags containing a passport, offshore account records, a non-US citizenship application for his wife and multiple bulletproof vests. In other words, he was apparently set to get out of Dodge and cash in his ill-gotten Bitcoin chips at the time of his second arrest.

The first time he stole Bitcoins, Bridges was working on the Silk Road case that eventually landed kingpin Ross Ulbricht, aka “Dread Pirate Roberts,” who received a life sentence for money laundering and other crimes. During the course of the probe, Bridges transferred $800,000 worth of Bitcoins to his personal wallet.

“Nothing in [Bridges’] background mitigates the shocking and reprehensible abandonment of his public duty” – Judge Richard Seeborg during Bridges’ initial sentencing

His co-defendant at the time was former DEA Agent Carl Force, who also stole Bitcoins during the Silk Road investigation. Those, and others seized from the BitStamp currency exchange, were stored on a digital wallet controlled by the Secret Service. Prior to his conviction for the first offense and while he was free on bail, Bridges used a key previously pilfered from the agency to transfer the 1,606 Bitcoins to accounts and wallets under his control.

The Secret Service tracked down 600 of the Bitcoins, and as part of his plea deal, Bridges agreed to hand over the remaining loot. The Secret Service sold off the 144,336 Silk Road Bitcoins after Ross Ulbricht was convicted (following a challenge by Ulbricht) for an average price of $334, claiming what would have seemed like a windfall of $48 million back in 2015. At today’s Bitcoin price of around $7,500, however, the coins are now worth (you might want to sit down) $1.08 billion.

Source: Reuters

Amazon teaches Alexa Japanese for Echo’s next destination

Amazon’s Echo, Plus and Dot speakers will finally be available in Japan starting next week. To prepare for the devices’ arrival in the island nation, the e-retail giant taught the voice assistant how to understand and respond in the Japanese language. Alexa SVP Tom Taylor said the company designed an all-new experience “from the ground up for Japanese customers, including a new Japanese voice, local knowledge and over 250 skills from Japanese developers.”

Users in the country can issue typical Alexa voice commands in their native tongue. They can, say, listen to news from Japanese media companies like NHK, TBS TV, TV TOKYO, Asahi Newspaper and Mainichi Newspaper. They can ask Alexa for the local weather forecast, as well as questions about local celebs, locations (“What is the altitude of Alexa, Mt. Fuji?”), prominent dates in the country and even the spelling of English words.

Amazon also wants to make sure third-party developers can create unique experiences for Japanese users, so it has given them access to Alexa’s Skills Kit. Japanese companies will even be able to use Alexa’s Voice Service soon, which will give them the power to embed Alexa into their devices, services and maybe even their robots. If you’re in Japan, the basic Echo, the Echo Plus with built-in smart home hub and the tiny Echo Dot speaker will set you back 11,980 yen ($105), 17,980 yen ($158) and 5,980 yen ($53), respectively when they start shipping on November 13th.

Source: Amazon Japan

Twitter launches $99 subscription tool to promote tweets

Twitter is making it easier for small businesses and power users to give their tweets a boost. The social network has officially launched its first ad subscription tool called “Promote Mode” as a public beta. Twitter started testing the always-on mode as an invite-only feature in July, giving users access to a feature that can automatically blast their tweets and profiles into strangers’ (aka non-followers’) timelines. Now that it’s available to the public, more people who don’t have the means, the know-how or the time to launch ad campaigns of their own can pay $99 per month for the service.

Promote Mode is primarily a mobile feature users can readily access through the Twitter app’s menu drawer. It’s where they can see all the numbers that matter, including how many followers they’ve gained and the number of people who saw their tweets and visited their profiles. On desktop, users can access the feature and those metrics through social media software Sprout Social.

Despite providing an automated way to promote tweets, the feature’s success all depends on the subscribers’ activities. Their tweets still need to be good, informative or witty enough to able to convince people to hit the Follow button. Unfortunately, even the most interesting accounts can’t access the feature yet if they’re not in the US or the UK. It’s only out as a public beta in those locations, though it will also come out in Japan in the near future.

From the time Twitter first introduced the feature, it was pretty obvious that the company conjured it up as a new way to make money. According to its Q3 earnings report, it just had one of the best quarters (if not the best quarter ever) after managing to trim down losses to $21 million. If the feature does well, it could even help the company finally turn a profit.

Source: Twitter Promote Mode

Reddit bans misogynist community as part of anti-violence crackdown

Reddit’s crackdown on hate-filled, violent communities isn’t just limited to banning racists: the social site has banned r/Incels, the misogynistic “involuntary celibates” subreddit. While the company isn’t diving into specific posts that prompted the ban, a spokeswoman pointed us to the October 25th policy change that forbids content which “encourages, glorifies, incites, or calls for violence or physical harm.” And given Incels’ history, it’s easy to see why the subreddit ran afoul of these limits.

The group styled itself as a haven for men frustrated with their lack of sex. This wasn’t a coping or self-improvement group, however. Rather, it attacked an allegedly superficial society and blamed women in particular. Many felt as if women were only interested in looks, and that men were entitled to sex. Members frequently discussed violent fantasies, including raping women and killing more attractive men. In other words, Incels crossed a line that even other misogynist groups wouldn’t touch.

Reddit’s clampdown on this and other violent communities has drawn criticism from users who feel it’s a betrayal of the site’s longstanding commitment to freedom of expression. However, it’s not likely to be swayed any time soon. Whether or not Reddit believes it has a moral responsibility to ban groups that promote violence in the wake of Charlottesville and other incidents, it’s clearly facing a lot of pressure to clean up its act. Violent communities can scare both users and advertisers away — Reddit might have trouble growing if has a reputation for courting extremists.

Source: Gizmodo (Twitter)

Soderbergh’s experimental ‘Mosaic’ HBO series hits iPhone and Apple TV

Director Steven Soderbergh has made a name for himself by pushing cinematic boundaries, so it’s no surprise that his upcoming series for HBO, Mosaic, isn’t your usual TV fare. Today, he’s launching the Mosaic app on iPhone and Apple TV (with Android and web versions to follow soon), which will let you decide how you watch the show. It’s not quite “choose your own adventure,” since you’re not making any decisions on the show’s outcome. Instead, the app, which was developed by PodOp, lets you determine how Mosaic’s narrative flows.

The first episode introduces you to Olivia Lake, an author played by Sharon Stone. After viewing that, the narrative path branches into two episodes. You could just watch them in parallel, or you could follow the path down all the way to the end, then go back and catch up on what you’ve missed. You can also unlock additional clips, documents and recordings to flesh out the story. HBO is making all 7.5 hours of the series available in the app, but it’s also going to air a six-hour version of the series edited by Soderbergh (naturally) on January 22nd.

“While branching narratives have been around forever, technology now allows, I hope, for a more elegant form of engagement than used to be possible,” Soderbergh said in a statement. “At no point were we reverse-engineering the story to fit an existing piece of technology; the story was being created in lockstep with the technical team. The fluidity of that relationship made me feel comfortable because I wanted it to be a simple, intuitive experience.”

Conceptually, Mosaic sounds similar to what Arrested Development creator Mitch Hurwitz attempted with the fourth season of that show on Netflix. He originally said you’d be able to watch those episodes in any order, but then later backtracked on that suggestion. Francis Ford Coppola also tried something similar with Twixt in 2011, a film that he could “remix” narratively with an iPad. He wanted to tour with the movie and edit it live, but eventually settled for a traditional release.

HBO

For Soderbergh, Mosaic is just the latest in a string of TV experiments. His Cinemax series, The Knick, tackled the early days of medical surgery with an anachronistic synth-heavy score. Soderbergh’s film The Girlfriend Experience is now a TV show, as well, and its second season is also dabbling with branching narratives. Soderbergh says he’s working on two more series using the Mosaic platform. Eventually, he hopes to open it up to other directors.

I’ve only seen part of Mosaic’s first episode, but I’ll definitely be devouring the entire series as soon as I can. It’s unclear if the app will appeal to anyone beyond Soderbergh fans and cinephiles, though. In the age of bingewatching, it seems like more viewers simply want to sit back and consume hours of content without lifting a finger.

Via: TechCrunch

Source: Mosaic (iTunes Store), HBO