Blea Shark e-surfboards let you surf on flat water at 30 miles per hour

Have you ever dreamed of getting into surfing, but wanted to flatten out the learning curve a little bit before you set foot in the ocean? If so, you may be interested in a new pair of electric surfboards which recently surfaced on Kickstarter. Called Blea Shark, the relatively low-priced e-surfboards promise you up to 70 minutes of surfing, a top speed of 20-30 miles per hour, and a learning time of only around five minutes, even for folks who have never tried surfing before.

“I was a surf coach and many of my students are from inland areas,” Singapore-based creator Ryan Chen told Digital Trends. “They need to travel hundreds of miles away to just get to the beach. I was inspired by electric scooters and thought, ‘Why not build a motor to push the surfboard so that they can surf in any water area near their hometown, like rivers, lakes, or ponds?’” Blea Shark was the result.

The campaign involves two different surfboards under the Blea Shark banner. The reinforced polymer Shark Performance weighs 66 lbs, including its swappable battery, and boasts a top speed of 20 miles per hour. The Shark Sport, meanwhile, is constructed out of carbon fiber, weighs a slightly lighter 60 lbs, and can travel at up to 30 miles per hour. Speed for both models is controlled using a handheld throttle, and both come with a kill switch to stop the board shooting off without you in the event that you take an unintended plunge.

If you are interested in getting your hands (and, well, feet) on the boards, you can currently pledge on the firm’s Kickstarter page. As always, we suggest that any would-be funders make themselves aware of the risks associated with crowdfunding first. If you do wish to proceed, however, the Performance and Sport boards start at $2,900 and $3,900, respectively — although those prices are only available to the earliest buyers.

Should all go according to plan, shipping for the two boards is set to take place in July. For those keeping track at home, that’s just in time to show off your fancy e-assisted moves at the beach this summer!

Towing 9,000 pounds, this trailer-moving robot is like a Roomba on steroids

Maneuvering a large trailer into a confined space like a garage isn’t the easiest thing to do, especially if you don’t have a second person present to help you guide it. That is where an impressive new robot aims to help. A bit like a Roomba robot vacuum cleaner packing some serious muscle, the new Trailer Valet RVR is a wireless miniature tracked tank that is capable of pulling remarkably heavy loads. How heavy? Try up to 9,000 pounds, from a unit that weighs only 77 pounds. Simply hitch the RVR to your RV or trailer and you can then remote control it from up to 40 feet away, with high levels of accuracy and an impressively full range of motion.

“The RVR is a highly advanced wireless remote-controlled trailer mover,” Jamie Buck, technical support and customer service representative for Trailer Valet, told Digital Trends. “Rechargeable with a lithium battery, the RVR can rotate 360 degrees with an easy-to-use remote control that comes pre-paired to each unit. Its caterpillar treads allow the RVR to operate on more types of terrain than previous models, including grass, dirt, gravel, and asphalt.”

The trailer-moving bot comes in three different sizes, each designed to accommodate a specific trailer. Each RVR has between two and four planetary motors, capable of moving both single and dual axle trailers, and a lightweight aluminum body for corrosion resistance. “With an RVR, everyone who owns a trailer can easily maneuver [it] wherever they need, with the luxury of standing back and controlling from any angle they wish,” Buck continued. “Most of our customers use their Trailer Valet when fishing, camping, traveling, or when moving trailers all day at work.”

The 3,500-pound capacity RVR3 model will set you back $2,100, while you will pay $3,400 for the 5,000-pound capacity RVR5 and $4,100 for the 9,000-pound capacity RVR9 unit. According to Buck, both the RVR5 and RVR 9 models are currently stocked in Trailer Valet’s warehouse in Southern California, while the RVR3 is available for pre-order with a two- to three-month wait.

Until self-driving trailers become an everyday thing, this is just about the best high-tech solution you could hope for.

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Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S vs. Samsung Galaxy S9+: Iterated to perfection

The Mi Mix 2S and Galaxy S9+ are iterative updates, but they offer key upgrades in several areas.

The Galaxy S9+ shares the same fundamental design as its predecessor, with Samsung instead focusing on improving the camera. Xiaomi is undertaking a similar strategy with the Mi Mix 2S, which has the same design as last year’s Mi Mix 2 but with an upgraded chipset and a new dual camera setup at the back.

When I compared the Galaxy S8+ to the Mi Mix 2 last year, I found that the camera on the S8+ was vastly superior to what Xiaomi was offering on its flagship. The Chinese manufacturer has committed to improving the camera quality on its phones this year, and we saw the same in the budget segment with the Redmi Note 5 Pro.

With the Mi Mix 2S, Xiaomi is touting a new AI mode that automatically picks the best shooting mode based on the lighting conditions. Let’s find out if the improvements make the Mi Mix 2S hold its own against the Galaxy S9+.

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S vs. Samsung Galaxy S9+: Specs

Where they’re both equal

Both the Mi Mix 2S and the Galaxy S9+ have a lot in common — they have minimal bezels up front and reflective backs, they feature the latest hardware available today, and both offer wireless charging. The Mi Mix 2S is compatible with the Qi wireless standard, whereas the Galaxy S9+ works with both Qi and PMA.

Both phones have top-notch performance as well: you’re not going to encounter any slowdowns or lags on either device. The Galaxy S9+ comes with 6GB of RAM as standard, as does the Mi Mix 2, and both phones can be configured with up to 256GB of internal storage. The 256GB option on the Mi Mix 2S comes with 8GB of RAM, as well as global LTE bands — the standard variant has LTE connectivity limited to Asian markets.

The similarities continue on the software side of things as well — both phones come with Oreo out of the box. The Mi Mix 2S features MIUI 9.5, and Xiaomi has significantly improved the stability and fixed numerous bugs. Samsung Experience 9.0, meanwhile, is nearly identical to what we saw on the S8+ last year. I’m giving MIUI the edge on this front just for the sheer improvement in performance from the previous iteration.

The camera on the Mi Mix 2S is incredible.

Over the last two years, the differentiator between a $500 phone and one costing over $800 was the camera. If you wanted a camera that consistently took great photos in any lighting scenario, you had to shell out the big bucks.

However, it looks like all that’s changing this year, at least if the camera on the Mi Mix 2S is any indication.

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S on the left, Galaxy S9+ on the right.

Xiaomi’s new AI-assisted feature is in use here, and it makes the Mi Mix 2S stand out. The photo taken by the S9+ has a yellowish tint throughout, but that isn’t the case on the Mi Mix 2S. The colors are accurate as well, and overall the Mi Mix 2S wins this one.

The Mi Mix 2S also edges out the S9+ in this photo. The S9+ image is washed out, and you don’t necessarily get accurate colors.

This is where the S9+ starts to take the lead. It was able to focus faster, leading to a crisper image. The colors are much more vibrant as well, and there’s more detail.

Low-light photography has been the main drawback on Xiaomi phones in the past, but the Mi Mix 2S vastly improves on that front.

This is a particularly tricky photo as there’s little light, but the Mi Mix 2S does a great job of preserving detail. If anything, it does better than the S9+.

Overall, it’s safe to say that the Mi Mix 2S has the best camera of any Xiaomi phone by some distance. It may just be the camera to beat in the $500 space.

What the Mi Mix 2S does better

The Mi Mix 2S has a ceramic back while the Galaxy S9+ comes with a glass back reinforced by Gorilla Glass 5, and when it comes to durability, the former takes the lead. The ceramic back gives the Mi Mix 2S added resistance to tumbles, and it doesn’t scratch as easily — after a month of use, the back of my Galaxy S9+ is littered with scratches.

The Mi Mix 2S also feels better to hold thanks to the subtle curves at the back and the smaller 5.99-inch form factor. The 6.2-inch 18.5:9 panel on the S9+ is a tad too large, and the narrow chassis combined with the tall display makes the phone unwieldy. It’s also easier to reach the fingerprint sensor on the Mi Mix 2S — it is located where your finger usually rests at the back, so you don’t have to contort your hand to access it.

The Mi Mix 2S runs rings around the Galaxy S9+ when it comes to battery life.

Then there’s the battery: the Mi Mix 2S comes with a 3400mAh battery, slightly lower than the 3500mAh battery on the Galaxy S9+. However, the FHD+ panel and MIUI’s battery-saving optimizations make the phone last significantly longer than the S9+. The difference is particularly noticeable when using cellular data throughout the day — the Galaxy S9+ barely managed to last over 14 hours, whereas the Mi Mix 2S delivered over 20 hours of battery life.

The Mi Mix 2S also has the upper hand when it comes to charging. The phone comes with Quick Charge 3.0 — allowing the phone to fully charge up in just over an hour and a half — whereas the Galaxy S9+ is still limited to Samsung’s Adaptive Fast Charging.

What the Galaxy S9+ does better

The display on the Galaxy S9+ is in a league of its own. Samsung dominates the OLED segment with its AMOLED panels, and the screen on the S9+ is about as good as it gets on a phone today. The colors are vibrant and saturated, viewing angles are excellent, and the panel is certified for HDR10, making it a delight to view content from Netflix or Prime Video.

Both the Mi Mix 2S and Galaxy S9+ have stereo speakers, although the setup on the Galaxy S9+ is better — you get more detail, and the soundstage is wider. Audio on the Mi Mix 2S gets garbled at high volumes, but that isn’t an issue on the Galaxy S9+. The built-in loudspeaker on the S9+ is one of the best around today, and a significant improvement from last year.

The display on the Galaxy S9+ is in a league of its own.

The Galaxy S9+ also wins out as it has a 3.5mm jack, a sore omission on the Mi Mix 2S. The AKG earbuds bundled with the S9+ are pretty great too, and while Xiaomi makes a decent set of USB-C earbuds, they’re not bundled in the box. All you get is a dongle to hook up your wired audio gear to the USB-C port.

Then there’s water resistance — the Mi Mix 2S is rated for the occasional splash of water, but it won’t survive a dunk in the pool. The Galaxy S9+, meanwhile, is certified IP68, making it more immune to the elements. And while it’s hard to quantify a feature like Samsung Pay, it is one of the best mobile payments services around.

Which should you buy? Galaxy S9+ (for now)

The Mi Mix 2S is the most refined Xiaomi phone I’ve used thus far — and that’s saying something as I used every single phone the company has launched over the last three years. Xiaomi nailed the hardware part of the equation from the beginning, and that was a large reason for the brand’s success. And while MIUI had a lot going for it, recent iterations have felt bloated, with basic features like push notifications being broken in early builds.

Thankfully, Xiaomi fixed a lot of these issues in MIUI 9.5 — the ROM finally feels like a cohesive effort and not something that’s been tacked down with new features following every update.

Xiaomi is closing the gap to Samsung.

For most of you reading this, the default option would be the Galaxy S9+. The Mi Mix 2S is limited to China for the time being, and while the phone is set to make its way to India and other Asian countries in the coming months, it won’t be available in most Western markets. Xiaomi now has a presence in Europe, and it’s likely the Mi Mix 2S would make its debut in Spain, but aside from that, you’ll have to go the reseller route to get your hands on the phone.

For around the $550 mark, there’s plenty to like in the Mi Mix 2S. The hardware is evocative (as always), and Xiaomi finally fixed long-standing issues in MIUI. Then there’s the camera — which is a significant upgrade over previous Xiaomi flagships. The phone is a legitimate contender for the best device in this category, but if you’re looking for an all-around option, the Galaxy S9+ is the better choice, particularly if you’re in the U.S.

See at Best Buy

Things are slightly different in India, however. The Galaxy S9+ costs ₹64,900 ($1,000) in the country, and the Exynos 9810 version isn’t as good as the Snapdragon 845 variant when it comes to battery life.

In fact, the battery life has degraded from the Galaxy S8 series, and seeing as how the Galaxy S8+ is available for ₹53,900 ($830), a better option would be to pick up last year’s flagship. Sure, the camera on the Galaxy S9+ is better — and you get two of them — but it isn’t worth the extra ₹11,000 premium the S9+ commands right now.

As for the Mi Mix 2S, if the phone launches at anywhere around the ₹36,999 ($560) mark as its predecessor, it has the potential to become one of the best smartphones in the country. I’ll update the post once the Mi Mix 2S makes its way to the subcontinent; but for now, the S8+ is still a great option.

See at Samsung India

Mercedes’ ridesharing ViaVan service comes to London

Add another company to the list of transportation services filling Uber’s London-sized void. Mercedes-Benz and Via have launched their jointly owned ViaVan service in Zones 1 and 2 of the city, giving Londoners a “ride-pooling” option that bridges the gap between plain ridesharing and mass transit. The allure, as you might guess, stems from the low cost that comes with multi-passenger rides — for a limited time, rides into and out of Zone 1 will cost a relatively low £3 (about $4). You just have to accept that ViaVan will choose nearby pickup and drop-off points rather than offering a lift at your exact location.

The service premiered in Amsterdam in March. On top of its reduced prices, it also makes a point of helping drivers make a “decent living” — a jab at Uber’s reputation for less-than-stellar pay. ViaVan claims it takes the smallest cut of any comparable service in London.

This isn’t as far-reaching as conventional ridesharing (which can typically cover a whole city), and even the discounted rate can be more expensive than a bus or the Tube if either option will get you where you want to go. Still, it might hit the sweet spot if you’re in a relative hurry, but not so much of a hurry that you’re willing to pay a premium for a private car.

Source: ViaVan

US’ proposed China tariffs would target robotics and satellites

The US Trade Representative has published the list of Chinese products that would be subject to its proposed tech tariffs, and there are a few clear themes. The move would hike the costs of about 1,300 products, including industrial robots, communication satellites, spacecraft and a slew of semiconductors.The aim, as before, is to punish China for allegedly goading American companies into transferring their patents and technology to Chinese firms for the sake of claiming economic superiority.

The USTR claimed the proposed tariffs would stymie Chinese plans will “minimizing the impact” on the American economy. The tariffs are still subject to a 60-day notice process that would include public comments until May 11th and a public hearing on May 15th.

Whether or not it plays out as claimed is another matter. Although China does have laws requiring joint ventures for some foreign businesses operating in the country (and thus sharing ideas), this won’t necessarily get officials to back off. There are concerns this will simply raise prices for American shoppers. And China has vowed to retaliate with “equal” measures if the tariffs go ahead — it may be expensive for everyone involved, whether they’re companies or customers.

Via: CNBC, Bloomberg

Source: USTR

YouTube shooting suspect had been angry over filtering, demonetization

News outlets including the New York Times and NBC report law enforcement sources identified the shooter at YouTube’s HQ as Nasim Aghdam, a 39-year-old woman from the San Diego area. While the sources have not confirmed a reason behind the attack, now that her name is known we’ve found a number of videos from her posted on YouTube and other sites saying that she was a vegan athlete and animal rights activist.

In several videos posted over the last year or so, she angrily spoke about the company’s policies, saying they were filtering her videos so they wouldn’t get any more views, and she was upset over demonetization. It appears the channels have now been completely removed by YouTube, citing policy violations.

On her website, she wrote: “There is no equal growth opportunity on YOUTUBE or any other video sharing site, your channel will grow if they want to!!!!!”

BE AWARE! Dictatorship exists in all countries but with different tactics! They only care for
personal short term profits & do anything to reach their goals even by fooling simple-minded people,
hiding the truth, manipulating science & everything, putting public mental & physical health at risk,
abusing non-human animals, polluting environment, destroying family values, promoting materialism &
sexual degeneration in the name of freedom,….. & turning people into programmed robots!
“Make the lie big, Make it simple, Keep saying it, And eventually they will believe it” Adolf
Hitler… There is no free speech in real world & you will be suppressed for telling the truth that is not
supported by the system. Videos of targeted users are filtered & merely relegated, so that people can
hardly see their videos!
.There is no equal growth opportunity on YOUTUBE or any other video sharing site,
your channel will grow if they want to!!!!!

CBS2 News reporter Tina Patel spoke to Aghdam’s father, who said he told police of her anger with YouTube after they called him and said that after being missing for a few days, she’d been found in her car in Mountain View. The network also said Aghdam asked for the male victim by name before the shooting started. Buzzfeed heard from Mountain View police in an email that officers found a woman by that name asleep in her vehicle in a parking lot there Tuesday morning.

Source: New York Times, CBS2, SFGate, AP, Buzzfeed

Reddit refurbishes its bland style, adds an endless scroll, new view options

Even CEO Steve Huffman calls Reddit a “dystopian craigslist” — but that could soon change as the social site launches a major redesign with multiple view options, scrolls that never end, and an upgraded posts editor. While the “front page of the internet” has been planning the update for over a year now, on Monday, April 2, a small percentage of users got the first glimpse at the website’s major overhaul.

A randomly selected group of Redditors now have access to an early version of the redesign. The company said it is are still adding in some earlier features, designing new ones, and incorporating feedback from early users — so what that small percentage of users see now will likely change before a more widespread rollout.

Reddit’s design overhaul was, in part, to create a code base that will allow the team to add new features faster than previously possible. Reddit explained that its code base has remained largely unchanged since launching more than 12 years ago and that the outdated code made it more difficult to add new features to the platform. The second major idea is to make Reddit more welcoming to new users, simplifying the process of finding new communities to join.

The new design gives users three different view options to choose from (and users part of the early launch can also opt out to get the old design back by going to old.reddit.com). The card view, as the name suggests, puts each post inside a Reddit community in an individual card, with some of the content expanded without the need to click on it. The company says this version is the most like Facebook and Twitter, which was a conscious decision to make the platform easier to use for Reddit newbies. Compact view is designed for scrolling through posts quickly and Classic view, as the name suggests, is closest to the old Reddit.

Besides just giving Reddit a new look, users will also see a handful of new features. For one, text, links, and images can now all be part of the same post, created inside a new post editor. The update also includes infinite scrolling — and when you do stop that scroll to click, a pop-up will show the content while keeping your spot in that scroll that never ends. The update also builds in some customization for communities that moderators previously created with their own workarounds.

Social media users have a tendency to resist changes at first (case in point: Snapchat’s redesign) and as Wired points out, Reddit has remained the same for so long that any user resistance might be more extreme than the norm. The company notes, however, that it does “not have plans to do away with the current site,” suggesting the option to revert to the old school Reddit will be available for some time. But of course, for users that don’t like the new design, there is a Reddit for that — the platform is taking feedback on the update at the r/redesign Reddit.

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Samsung goes on a gaming Odyssey with new Core i7 CPU, GTX 1060 graphics

Now that’s Intel’s latest eighth-generation CPU batch is finally out in the open, Samsung revealed a new laptop built for gamers: The Notebook Odyssey Z. It is based on a new Intel Core i7 processor packing six cores and 12 threads along with Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 1060 discrete graphics processor with 6GB of dedicated graphics memory. The laptop is available in Korea and China now with a North American launch slated for the third quarter. 

Here are the specifications: 

Screen size: 

15.6 inches 

Screen type: 

Unknown 

Screen resolution: 

1,920 x 1,080 

Processor: 

Intel eighth-generation Core i7 

Graphics: 

Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 

Memory: 

Up to 16GB DDR4 @ 2,400MHz 

Storage: 

Up to 1TB PCI Express-based NVMe M.2 SSD 

Sound: 

2x 1.5-watt speakers 

Camera: 

720p 

Connectivity: 

Wireless AC
Bluetooth 

Ports: 

1x USB-C 3.1 Gen1
2x USB-A 3.1 Gen1
1x USB-A 2.0
1x HDMI
1x Headphone / Microphone combo 

Battery: 

54WHr 

External power supply: 

180 watts 

Dimensions: 

14.78 x 10.03 x 0.70 inches 

Weight: 

5.29 pounds 

Color: 

Titan silver 

Samsung’s big pitch with the Notebook Odyssey Z is how it manages heat. The design relies on three components: The Dynamic Spread Vapor Chamber, Samsung’s Z Airflow Cooling design, and the Z Blade Blowers. The “intelligently made” vapor chamber is an area extending between the left and right sides of the laptop covering the processor and graphics chip. It’s designed to enable the laptop’s two fans — one over the CPU and one over the GPU — to push cold air to the hottest sections above and below the motherboard. All the hot air is thus ejected out through the laptop’s rear vents. 

According to Samsung, the Notebook Odyssey Z includes a Silent Mode option you can toggle via a shortcut key on the keyboard for a quieter operation. The keyboard itself sports Crater Keycaps highlighted by a silver, metallic theme and red backlighting. Meanwhile, Samsung crammed the precision touchpad to the right of the keyboard to provide a more natural desktop-like feel for right-handed individuals. Two front-facing speakers reside just above the keyboard. 

As the chart above shows, you can configure the laptop with up to 16GB of system memory, and up to 1TB of storage. This laptop only supports one storage option, and there is no SD card slot in sight. But you can add an external storage device using the laptop’s USB-C port, or one of the three USB-A ports. Adding to the USB complement is HDMI output and a headphone/microphone combo audio jack. 

“With the Notebook Odyssey Z, we set out to create a dynamic, user-friendly laptop that would take gaming experiences to new heights, from the vibrant display to powerful processing power output,” Samsung’s YoungGyoo Choi said in a statement. “The seamless visuals, combined with an industry-leading cooling system will help give our players an upper hand in their gaming experience.” 

Look for Samsung’s new gaming laptop to hit North America for a currently unknown starting price in the third quarter of 2018. 

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Snapchat reinstates Giphy stickers following removal of racist GIFs

Last month, both Snapchat and Instagram pulled Giphy stickers from their apps after users discovered a racist GIF with a slur. At the time, Giphy said that it had removed the GIF in question and fixed the bug that let it through. It also said it would be reviewing all of its GIF stickers manually. Last week, Instagram reinstated Giphy stickers and now, so has Snapchat.

A spokesperson for Snapchat, which has had issues with racist filters in the past, told TechCrunch today that it worked with Giphy to boost its moderation system and that it was content with the changes Giphy has implemented. Last week, Giphy said that it had reviewed all of its GIFs four times, adding that it would review any new GIFs going forward.

Source: TechCrunch

Facebook survey asks users if it is ‘good for the world’

Facebook has scrambled to win back trust after the Cambridge Analytica scandal and the leaked ‘ugly truth’ memo. The company has made it easier for users to delete their data, dump third-party apps in bulk and started rolling out news verification tools. Now Facebook just wants to know what you think of, well, Facebook. In a poll sent to an unspecified number of people, the company asked whether they think the social media platform is “good for the world.”

This poll appears under the heading “We’d like to do better,” according to The Associated Press. We’ve reached out to Facebook for comment and will confirm if we hear back.

Source: Popular Mechanics