Florida may finally implement full ban on texting while driving

There are 43 states that currently treat texting while driving as a primary offense, but Florida isn’t one of them — you have to break another law before texting enters the picture. However, less-than-attentive commuters might not get away with it for much longer. The state legislature is about to consider a bill that would make texting a primary offense. In other words, officers could finally pull drivers over without waiting until they speed or otherwise put other road-goers at risk.

Whether or not the measure works is another story. The AP notes that there are conflicting studies on the effectiveness of these laws. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety said that those states without texting as a main offense had higher-than-average highway death rates, but also stated that existing bans haven’t led to a decrease in accidents despite many people putting their phones down.

There’s also a concern that police may use texting as an opportunity for racial profiling. An unscrupulous officer could theoretically cite texting while driving as a reason to stop a black person when they’re really just looking for an excuse to indulge in racist suspicions. The bill could prevent crashes and save lives, but there may need to be close oversight to be sure that police aren’t abusing their power.

Source: Associated Press

Telegram suspends channel for encouraging violent Iran protests

Iran is currently engulfed in demonstrations: many are protesting the clerical leadership, corruption and increasing costs of living, while counter-protestors are trying to protect the regime. And Telegram finds itself caught in the middle. The chat service has suspended the Amadnews channel after it started encouraging subscribers to lob Molotov cocktails at police, breaking the company’s policy against calls for violence. The move came after Iran telecoms minister Mohammad-Javad Azari Jahromi complained to company founder Pavel Durov, who said Telegram would have to block the channel if it was promoting violence as claimed.

It’s not clear if or when the channel might come back.

The incident highlights the fine line Telegram has to walk. It doesn’t want to be seen as supporting an oppressive government, especially one that wants to spy on Telegram users, but it also has to maintain a consistent anti-violence policy. If it’s going to ban ISIS, it also has to ban activists that explicitly set out to hurt others, even if it ultimately helps governments silence resistance movements. Durov has been quick to object to complaints from Edward Snowden and other that he was facilitating Iran’s crackdown on dissent, noting that “thousands” of Iranian opposition channels are “thriving” on Telegram.

At the same time, this raises questions about just when violence becomes an issue. It’s one thing to encourage unprovoked Molotov cocktail attacks, but what if protesters discuss arming themselves knowing that the government will likely be the first to act? Even with fairly minimal policies like Telegram’s, that’s not always an easy call.

Via: Recode

Source: Pavel Durov (Twitter 1), (2)

The DryGuy boot warmer will keep your feet toasty all winter long

One of the worst things about playing outdoors in the winter is having to put on cold boots that are still wet from a previous outing. If you’ve ever done any skiing, snowshoeing, or winter hiking, you’ve probably experienced the uncomfortable feeling of slipping your foot back into a boot that hasn’t quite dried yet. But this annoying side effect of the winter season could be a thing of the past thanks to DryGuy.

With a line of products designed to both heat and warm our winter boots, DryGuy has made it a mission to stamp out wet winter footwear. The company’s flagship model is the Force Dry DX, which is equipped with four pillars on each of its corners that can accommodate two pairs of boots, shoes, or gloves at the same time. Those garments are slipped over the pillars, which then blow air inside to help speed the drying process.

The dryer also comes with a built-in three-hour timer that allows users to set exactly how long they want the unit to run before it automatically shuts itself off. It also features an optional heating switch that lets them decide if the air used in the drying process is warmed up or not.

Using a process called “forced air drying,” the Force Dry DX removes moisture from wet boots and quickly makes them comfortable to wear again. That process begins with the dryer’s onboard fans pulling in outside air and forcing it through an internal heating element, where it is warmed up to a temperature of 105 degrees Fahrenheit. The hot air is then pushed into the boots or other garments, where it helps the moisture to evaporate at a faster rate. In most cases, the device will dry a pair of boots in about an hour, though it can take longer depending on the level of saturation and the materials used to make the shoes.

In addition to removing excess moisture from boots and shoes, the Force Dry DX can also help eliminate odors caused by bacteria found in sweat. The unit is designed to be safe to use with any type of boot liner, and is equally useful in the summer with sweaty running shoes too.

Priced at $80, it is an affordable option that your feet will absolutely love. Find out more at dryguy.com.

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Digitize your paper life with the best scanner apps for Android and iOS

Smartphones are the most versatile computers that we own. A lot of the work that we used to do with our laptops we can now do with a smartphone. One of the things that some of us need to do on a daily basis is to scan documents. Have you ever had to keep track of receipts or bank checks? Maybe you need to have copies of your passport, ID, or you need to put a PDF together with multiple pages. Well, you’re in luck! You don’t need a laptop to do any of that. You would be surprised at the amount of work and productivity that you can squeeze out of a smartphone with the right apps.

We put together a list of what we consider to be the best document scanner apps available for iOS and Android. So let’s get to it!

Did you know you that you can transform your smartphone into a portable office? These are our picks for the best productivity apps, the best calendar apps, and the best note-taking apps you can find.

The best

CamScanner

If you’re serious about document scanning and need as many features as possible, we believe that CamScanner is the app to get. It uses your phone’s camera to scan a document and then lets you crop and enhance the scan so that all graphics and text look crisp. It’s perfect for scanning receipts, notes, whiteboards, books, and any other type of document, and you can upload photos straight from your camera roll. You can also invite others to view and comment on your scans. Another great feature is that you can password protect the app, so that if someone else is using your device, they won’t be able to open the app and view your documents. You can even add annotations and watermarks, and share your scans as JPEG or PDF files.

If you think that’s a lot of features, you have even more available to you if you opt for the premium subscription at $5 per month or $50 per year. You get access to the OCR (optical character recognition) features that extract text from images so that you can edit and export them as text files. You also get 10GB of cloud space and the ability to add up to 40 collaborators. You can send password protected links with an expiry date, and upload your documents to all the most popular cloud storage services like Google Drive, Evernote, Dropbox, and OneDrive.

Download now for:

Android iOS

The rest

Genius Scan

Genius Scan is a very easy-to-use app that will scan anything, correct the perspective, and give you tools to enhance it in black and white for better legibility. You can also batch scan so you can add pages quickly. You can create JPEG or PDF files with multiple pages. Similar to other document scanning apps, you can organize all your scans in folders and export them to your favorite cloud service. You’ll have to pay for a subscription to take advantage of the Genius Scan cloud service. The subscription costs $3 per month or $30 per year. This app is compatible with Touch ID.

Download now for:

Android iOS

TurboScan

TurboScan also features a very easy to use interface, and it adds SureScan which takes three consecutive scans to make sure you have the sharpest image possible. It boasts document edge detection and perspective correction just like most premium scanner apps. The app works with iCloud, Dropbox, and Google Drive. The TurboScan app costs $6, but there’s a free version of the app you can download to make sure that you like it before you buy.

Download now for:

Android iOS

Tiny Scanner

Download now for:

Tiny Scanner is a very simple app. While it may not be as feature-rich as the rest of our list, it certainly gets the job done. Sometimes you just want to scan documents via a simple interface without any added complexity. It allows you to scan in color, grayscale, or black and white. It lets you set five different levels of contrast after you take the picture. It detects the edges automatically, but you can adjust them before you commit to saving the scan. It also allows you to protect the documents with a passcode. It doesn’t work very well with color photos, so this app is more at home when you just want to scan written documents. For access to unlimited documents, batch scanning, cloud services, and AirPrint you can purchase the app for a one-time fee of $5.

Android iOS

Office Lens

Office Lens from Microsoft is the simplest document scanning app there is. It is so easy that all you have to do is position your device above the document and as soon as it detects the corners of what you’re scanning just press the shutter button. Office Lens has one of the best document edge detections that we’ve seen in document scanner apps. You can then adjust the corners to fit it perfectly if needed, but it’s rare that you’ll need to. It will give you a choice of whether you’re scanning a business card, photo, document, or taking a photo from a whiteboard. The interface is so simple that it is the most intuitive document scanner app you’ll find. Once you’re finished scanning, you can save your scans as JPEGs in your camera roll or as PDFs.

Download now for:

Android iOS

Let us guide you through the enormous number of apps in the App Store and the Play Store. Check out our picks for the best apps for Android and the best apps for iPhone.

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Boeing unveils prototype refueling tanker drone for aircraft carrier operations

On December 19, Boeing released the first photo of its MQ-25 “Stingray” prototype entrant, an unmanned aircraft for the new century designed to refuel Navy jets flying from carriers. Developed at the secretive “Phantom Works” facility, it’s the opening salvo in the MQ-25 competition between Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and General Atomics to build a fleet of drone tankers capable of taking off and landing from an aircraft carrier.

Whichever company gets awarded the Stingray contract, it must be able to deliver 15,000 pounds of fuel to fighters within 500 miles of the carrier.

As many as 76 of these aircraft would be built by the contract winner, according to The Washington Post, and they’re expected to join their robot brethren and enter operation in the mid-2020s. Hoping to avoid an expensive boondoggle like the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, the Navy will “fly before buy” with a purchase of four prototypes to ensure the aircraft can meet the program’s specifications.

This particular drone hasn’t flown yet, although Boeing says it’s completely functional. Next up are engine tests on the ground and deck handling practices.

General Atomics has released some concept art for its entrant, based on its Sea Avenger program, but Boeing is the first to show off an actual prototype. “Boeing has been delivering carrier aircraft to the Navy for almost 90 years,” said retired admiral Don “BD” Gaddis of Phantom Works. “Our expertise gives us confidence in our approach. We will be ready for flight testing when the engineering and manufacturing development contract is awarded.”

The Stingray program will support carrier-based F/A-18 Super Hornet fighters, EA-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft, and the F-35C Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters. “The MQ-25 will give us the ability to extend the air wing out probably 300 or 400 miles beyond where we typically go,” said Vice Admiral Mike Shoemaker in an interview with the naval journal Proceedings. “That will extend the reach of the air wing, and when we combine that with additional weapons we are buying, we will get an impressive reach.”

As The War Zone blog notes, the MQ-25 program is desperately needed to replace the current aerial refueling missions fulfilled by F/A-18E/F Super Hornets. The resulting stress of near-continuous operation has impacted the effectiveness of the Super Hornet aircraft, with only 30 percent of them combat ready.

“The readiness level for [the Super Hornet] community has been on a declining trend for the last few years,” Shoemaker told Congress in November. “We’ve been forced to take risks in maintenance and production.”

Final proposals to the Navy from all three companies are due by January 3.

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A cyclist is riding from NYC to Vegas on a bike with an Electron Wheel for CES

Cyclist Max Lippe is taking the long way to the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) with a 2800-mile trek through the Midwest over 10 days, from New York City to Las Vegas. He’ll have a few high-tech toys to help him make the journey, such as an Electron One bike wheel and Google Assistant to make sure he finds his way there.

It’s all part of a publicity stunt by Google, which is showcasing its new Google Assistant integration with the Electron Wheel at the big expo in January.

The Electron Wheel promises to “electrify your bike in 30 seconds,” by just replacing your front wheel. It includes such features as active hill assist, a top speed of 20 mph on full-assist mode, a range of 50 miles, and a 400-watt motor powered by lithium ion batteries.

Google Assistant adds a host of new features, letting you talk to the bike and access all the information of the Electron Wheel app. In addition to basic navigation, you can record your ride, alter the assist level of the wheel, and monitor vital signs such as battery life.

James Parker of Electron told TechCrunch that voice commands and bicycle riding seemed like a natural fit. “It’s really made us excited about how to make the user experience as simple as possible and how voice technology can be integrated while riding,” he said. “There’s all of this nice command technology in cars. We think there’s so much opportunity to use that technology while riding a bike.”

Lippe will leave Union Square in New York on December 31 and arrive on the Vegas strip 10 days later, if all goes according to plan. According to the Ride to CES website, where you can follow his journey, that’s more than 2800 miles, with an electricity cost of $4.76.

With plans to ride about 17 hours each day, Lippe will be escorted by a van with six wheels onboard, ensuring that he has a freshly charged wheel every 50 miles or so.

The second-generation Electron Wheel is now available onlinee for $799 pre-order (700c or 26-inch), with expected delivery in February. The main components are the wheel cover for the bike’s front wheel and a wireless pedal sensor. Google Assistant functionality may not be available at launch, but will likely follow soon after.

While we won’t be biking cross-country to get there, Digital Trends will have all the sights and sounds direct from CES in Las Vegas.

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A cyclist is riding from NYC to Vegas on a bike with an Electron Wheel for CES

Cyclist Max Lippe is taking the long way to the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) with a 2800-mile trek through the Midwest over 10 days, from New York City to Las Vegas. He’ll have a few high-tech toys to help him make the journey, such as an Electron One bike wheel and Google Assistant to make sure he finds his way there.

It’s all part of a publicity stunt by Google, which is showcasing its new Google Assistant integration with the Electron Wheel at the big expo in January.

The Electron Wheel promises to “electrify your bike in 30 seconds,” by just replacing your front wheel. It includes such features as active hill assist, a top speed of 20 mph on full-assist mode, a range of 50 miles, and a 400-watt motor powered by lithium ion batteries.

Google Assistant adds a host of new features, letting you talk to the bike and access all the information of the Electron Wheel app. In addition to basic navigation, you can record your ride, alter the assist level of the wheel, and monitor vital signs such as battery life.

James Parker of Electron told TechCrunch that voice commands and bicycle riding seemed like a natural fit. “It’s really made us excited about how to make the user experience as simple as possible and how voice technology can be integrated while riding,” he said. “There’s all of this nice command technology in cars. We think there’s so much opportunity to use that technology while riding a bike.”

Lippe will leave Union Square in New York on December 31 and arrive on the Vegas strip 10 days later, if all goes according to plan. According to the Ride to CES website, where you can follow his journey, that’s more than 2800 miles, with an electricity cost of $4.76.

With plans to ride about 17 hours each day, Lippe will be escorted by a van with six wheels onboard, ensuring that he has a freshly charged wheel every 50 miles or so.

The second-generation Electron Wheel is now available onlinee for $799 pre-order (700c or 26-inch), with expected delivery in February. The main components are the wheel cover for the bike’s front wheel and a wireless pedal sensor. Google Assistant functionality may not be available at launch, but will likely follow soon after.

While we won’t be biking cross-country to get there, Digital Trends will have all the sights and sounds direct from CES in Las Vegas.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Cut down on emissions and traffic time with a GenZe 200 ebike
• Leave the car behind with this commuter-focused ebike from Gazelle
• 2018 Infiniti QX80 First Drive Review
• No matter the shape, turn any bicycle into an ebike with the Swytch kit
• Engineered for fighter pilots, Everysight Raptor AR goggles are built for bikers

Android Oreo beta for OnePlus 5T now available

Available to flash right now.

So far, OnePlus has released Oreo updates for the 3, 3T, and 5. The company teased that its new 5T would be seeing similar treatment a couple days after Christmas, and now we have our first Open Beta of OxygenOS that’s based on Android 8.0.

Since this is the first Open Beta that OnePlus has released for the 5T, you’ll need to follow the instructions for flashing the new software onto your phone. Once you do this and get it up and running, you’ll be enrolled in the beta and receive over-the-air updates for any new versions that are released.

With the new software on your 5T, you’ll find all of the following items:

• Optimized the app shortcut style
• Combine icon options with app shortcuts
• Now able to upload photos to Shot on OnePlus
• Added Picture in Picture
• Added Auto-Fill
• Added Smart Text Selection
• New Quick Settings design
• Updated Android security patch to December

The OxygenOS Open Beta is perfectly usable as a daily driver, but keep in mind that it may not be quite as stable as an official release.

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Apple’s $29 iPhone battery replacements are available a month early

Apple was only poised to offer discounted iPhone battery replacements to Americans in late January, but they’re already here. The company has issued a statement announcing that the $29 replacements are available today (December 30th) in the US for affected users with an iPhone 6 or later, whether or not they have an active AppleCare warranty. It didn’t explain the move beyond saying that it “expected to need more time to be ready,” but it was “happy” to provide the lower prices “right away.” It warned that there might be initial shortages of batteries for some models.

As before, the discount should last through the end of 2018.

The $50 price slash is part of Apple’s public apology for failing to disclose that it slows processor speeds on iPhones with severely degraded batteries. The company claimed that it slows the phones down to prevent unexpected shutdowns and extend longevity, but the lack of transparency led to accusations that it was trying to push customers toward earlier upgrades — there’s even the possibility of criminal charges in France. An iOS update in early 2018 will offer transparency on battery health, but that might not satisfy users wondering whether or not the slowdowns are needed in the first place. While battery degradation certainly isn’t unique to Apple (it’s the nature of lithium-ion technology), other vendors have said they don’t slow their devices.

Source: TechCrunch

Cryptocurrency expert kidnapped for $1 million bitcoin ransom

On Tuesday, cryptocurrency expert Pavel Lerner was snatched by an armed gang wearing ski masks near his office in Ukraine. It was a kidnap-for-ransom scheme, but with a high-tech twist: instead of asking for easily traceable paper money, the kidnappers demanded to be paid $1 million worth of bitcoins. Turns out NY County District Attorney Cyrus Vance was right when he said we can expect cryptocurrency-related crimes (outside of cyber attacks) to be more common as its value surges. Vance made the statement after armed robbers held up a victim at gunpoint earlier this month to steal $1.8 million worth of virtual coins in New York.

For the robbers, Lerner was a great target: he’s a known bitcoin authority in Ukraine and is an executive at cryptocurrency exchange Exmo. He was thankfully released (shocked but alive) a couple of days later, but it’s unclear who made the transfer for him and whether he did it himself. His company has assured users, though, that their coins are “absolutely safe” and that the kidnappers wouldn’t have gotten access to their wallets and personal data since Lerner himself has no access to them.

We’re going to assume the criminals have already sold or moved their stash whatever the source was, since they’d have to deal with the virtual currency’s fluctuating prices otherwise. Ukraine’s National Police already launched a criminal case to investigate Lerner’s abduction — it’s the first bitcoin-related one in the country, but it’ll probably be just one of the many we’ll hear about going forward.

Source: Financial Times, The Guardian