Boosted graces us with 4 skateboards, including its cheapest model yet

If you’ve been waiting to get an electric skateboard, wait no longer. Boosted, the company known for its brightly wheeled eboards recently expanded its product offerings in a serious way. There are four new boards in two different forms, including one that may make electric skateboards more accessible to folks who don’t want to be spending thousands of dollars on something that you used to buy for just a few bucks as a kid. The Boosted Mini S will cost you  $749 and begins shipping in May, and is officially Boosted’s cheapest board to date.

The Boosted Mini S is a standard range model, which means that it can last up to seven miles and tops out at speeds of 18 mph. On the other hand, there is the extended range version (X) that is capable of going for 14 miles at top speeds of 20 mph. The Boosted Mini X comes in at $250 more than its standard counterpart and will begin shipping in June.

Both boards, however, will feature a kicktail, custom 80mm wheels, three different speeds, and of course, a remote. The Mini will be only 29.5 inches long, but will still weigh about 15 pounds. The X, on the other hand, weighs just 1.8 pounds more as a result of its larger battery.

If you’re looking for a little more power, however, you might check out the new electric longboards from Boosted. First up is the Boosted Plus, which comes with an extended range battery that should take you 14 miles at a time, as well as a shorter, straighter, and wider custom deck constructed with new materials. The wheels are 85mm, and are still the trademark bright orange, and can take you up to 20 mph. This model will set you back $1,399.

The Boosted Stealth is largely similar, but it boasts five-speed modes — one more than the Plus. It can reach a top speed of 24 mph, and rather than orange, it has gray wheels, as well as a black and gray deck. There are also metal pulleys that help you go faster while keeping things quiet. This guy will cost $1,599, and like the Plus it should ship in “late May/early June.”

Boosted customers may miss the bamboo deck that has been the trademark of the company’s for quite some time now, but the eboard maker says that the new deck will still offer the same flexibility. In fact, the latest board draws inspiration from snowboarding and is made with a poplar wood spine and encased in high-density foam. This should help Boosted boards deal with vibrations at higher speeds, and also makes it just a little bit lighter (though having a bigger battery and larger wheels eliminates any weight saving). All in all, both the Plus and Stealth boards weigh in at 17 pounds.

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Accidental mutant enzyme sounds scary, but it could help eliminate plastic waste

Despite the public awareness drive that recycling has received in many states, the world still has a massive problem with polluting plastics. Right now there are millions of tons of unrecycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic bottles. Left alone, these will persist for hundreds of years before eventually decomposing. Researchers from the U.K.’s University of Portsmouth, the University of South Florida, and the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have engineered an enzyme that’s capable of significantly speeding up that process — by digesting the world’s most common polluting plastics.

Their “PETase” enzyme was isolated from a bacterium found in a Japanese recycling plant in 2016. Following its discovery, the project’s research team set out to explore the properties of the enzyme, which led to them inadvertently creating a mutant version that outperforms its natural counterpart. The results reduce the length of time it takes to break down PET plastics to just a matter of days.

At present, the mutated version of PETase is around 20 percent more efficient than the naturally occurring enzyme, but this could be improved in the future. To examine exactly how the enzyme functions, the team recently used X-rays to generate an ultra-high resolution model of the enzyme at molecular level.

“We are currently in the early stages of optimizing this enzyme’s efficacy, however, our efforts are a very encouraging,” H. Lee Woodcock, associate professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of South Florida, told Digital Trends. “We were able to clearly show that PETase is both a viable mechanism for plastic biodegradation, and that it is susceptible to engineering for improved activity. We already have plans in place to continue this work and envision a multi-fold improvement in the ability to recycle plastics in the near future.”

Woodcock said that there are no immediate plans to commercialize this biotechnology, although further research will absolutely take place. “We will have full access to NREL’s facilities that will facilitate the development of a pilot scale application,” Woodcock continued. “We will then work with industrial partners to move beyond the pilot scale.”

An article describing the work was recently published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

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You can help a cyborg drummer get a new, improved robot arm so he can tour

When it comes to robot technology that has the ability to genuinely change people’s lives, it’s difficult to think of anything more transformative than cutting-edge prosthetic limbs. These prostheses can allow their wearer to carry out activities that once appeared to be impossible. Case in point is drummer Jason Barnes.

Barnes lost his hand in an accident six years ago, leaving him devastated, depressed, and thinking he would never again be able to play music. Thanks to researchers at Georgia Tech, however, he was been kitted out with a robotic arm prototype that lets him play faster and better than ever.

As much a part of Barnes’ identity as his cyborg arm might be, it still belongs to Georgia Tech. It is also a heavy and complicated research platform that requires two computers and a technical team to operate. Both of these factors limit Jason’s ability to travel freely with the cyborg arm — and has precluded much in the way of musical touring.

But things could change with a new Kickstarter campaign. The project aims to raise $90,000 to cover the production costs of a new arm, as well as expenses associated with organizing concerts and making recordings to showcase Barnes in action.

“This project is so exciting for us because, for the first time since his injury, Jason has a real chance at becoming the touring musician he has always wanted to be, owning his arm, and making a living from his music,” Gil Weinberg, founder/professor of Georgia Tech’s School of Music, told Digital Trends.

People pledging money for the campaign can get hold of music videos, concert tickets, and merchandise. Weinberg continued: “We know that these kind of rewards are usually offered by musicians working on new albums, and that our project looks and feels as if it belongs to the technology category on Kickstarter. But we hope backers will understand the unique interdisciplinary aspect of our project, and that we will have enough of them backing the project, helping us reach our goal.”

As ever, we have to issue our warning about the potential risks of pledging money to crowdfunding campaigns. Nonetheless, this looks like a great project to get involved with — and we absolutely wish Jason Barnes every good fortune in realizing his dream.

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Nike’s 3D-printed uppers create super lightweight, custom shoes

Nike is no stranger to innovation when it comes to crafting the perfect shoe and now it has taken its quest to a new level. This week, the athletic company introduced Flyprint, a 3D-printed textile upper for your sneaker. It’s the first of its kind and may bring about a new standard in performance running shoes.

These Flyprint uppers are produced by way of solid deposit modeling (SDM), which as Nike explains, is a process in which a “TPU filament is unwound from a coil, melted, and laid down in layers.” While that is the technical definition, it doesn’t get to the heart of what Nike is trying to achieve with this new technique. By 3D printing the uppers, Nike is able to create key changes to the shoe and the textile as determined by athlete data. The exact textile geometry of the upper is actually determined by its wearer, allowing for what Nike calls “proprietary modification” of the shoe. And because it’s 3D printed, it can be rapidly customized and produced for specific sports or specific athletes. In fact, Nike says that it can prototype a shoe 16 times faster than in any previous manufacturing method.

But it’s not just speed of production that sets 3D-printed textiles over 2D fabrics. The brand notes that the Flyknit also allows for increased dynamism, and is also lighter and more breathable than other materials. And because the 3D-printed upper is fused, it does away with much of the frictional resistance inherent to fabrics.

We’ll be able to see the Nike Flyprint in action for the first time in the form of the Nike Zoom Vaporfly Elite Flyprint, designed and manufactured specifically for Eliud Kipchoge, frequently described as “the greatest marathoner of the modern era,” and the 2016 Olympic marathon gold medalist. He will be sporting the new shoes during his next 26.2-mile race on April 22 in London. The Nike Zoom Vaporfly Elite was created for the athlete after he provided feedback about how the 2017 Berlin Marathon, plagued by heavy rain and 99 percent humidity, created rather unfortunate conditions. Nike then took this information and determined how best to 3D print an upper that would not be bogged down by the wet and water.

Though Kipchoge will likely be the first person to run a race with the Flyprint technology, you may be lucky enough to get your hands on a pair, too. Nike is selling a limited run of these shoes in London via the Nike App during the London Marathon weekend.

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Ford takes on Uber and Lyft with its own medical transport service

Ford isn’t remaining idle while Uber and Lyft start medical transport services. It’s launching a GoRide service that offers non-emergency transportation for patients who may have challenges reaching appointments on time. Health care providers can book rides for patients in Transit vans with drivers and equipment that can handle special needs, including wheelchairs.

The initial GoRide fleet serves facilities in Michigan’s Beaumont Health network. There’s no mention of additional coverage plans so far.

GoRide could be a valuable part of Ford’s ever-growing list of mobility services, especially if there’s a sharp decline in car ownership. At the same time, it’s a not-so-subtle answer to criticisms of equivalent services from Uber and Lyft. Both ridesharing companies have faced multiple lawsuits over complaints they don’t properly accommodate passengers with disabilities, whether it’s a lack of wheelchair-friendly vehicles or drivers who avoid customers with special requirements. Ford is clearly hoping to win over patients and facilities by developing a service that guarantees this care.

Source: Ford

Drafts 5 Overhauls Note-Taking App With New Themes, Editor Options and Action Features

A new version of Drafts, the simple note-taking app from Agile Tortoise, was released today. Drafts 5 stays faithful to its predecessor’s primary goal of allowing users to quickly jot down text, thoughts, ideas, and notes, and builds on these functions by introducing a ground-up rewrite of the app with a raft of new features and customization options.

Agile Tortoise has opted to release Drafts 5 as a standalone app, which means it doesn’t replace Drafts 4, but installs alongside it, allowing users to migrate previous drafts, actions and keyboard customizations from the earlier app.

Once they’ve done that, long-time users can look forward to new interface theming options – like the ability to switch between light and dark modes – and granular control of a host of draft appearance settings in the new editor. These include the ability to adjust margins, line height, line numbering, auto-correct, smart quotes/dashes, and more.

Drafts 5 also introduces new organization options with multiple tags, which can be used to filter the draft list and queries for all inbox, archived, and flagged drafts. Elsewhere, a new Focus mode disables the automatic creation of new drafts after a specific time period, allowing users to continue adding to drafts long after they were first created. Siri integration is another new addition in this version, so users can add a note to Drafts by just using their voice.

Elsewhere, there’s enhanced support for inline syntax highlighting for several different types of markup, interactive to-dos, drag and drop support, multiple extended keyboards for grouping actions into categories, a new Action Directory, and automated backup. Small changes have also been made to improve the Apple Watch complication of Drafts 5, which allows dictation and note-taking from the wrist, as well as flagging and tagging of drafts.

The comprehensive list of changes and improvements can be found on the GetDrafts.com website. Drafts for iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch is a free download on the App Store [Direct Link], while Drafts Pro is a universal subscription ($20 per year / $2 per month) that unlocks more features. These include themes, custom icons, editing of actions, saving workspaces and more. According to the developer, Draft 4 will continue to be supported and available, so users can choose to migrate to Drafts 5 if and when they feel they are ready.

Tag: AgileBits
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It’s official: OnePlus is partnering with Marvel over an Avengers-themed OnePlus 6

The Avengers-themed variant of the OnePlus 6 will likely be exclusive to India.

OnePlus India inadvertently posted a teaser for an upcoming collaboration with Marvel Studios earlier this month, suggesting we’ll see an Avengers-themed variant of the OnePlus 6. OnePlus has now confirmed the same in a media note, stating that the company is partnering with Marvel Studios to introduce a OnePlus 6 model based on the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War movie.

OnePlus says the partnership is to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Marvel Studios, and that the collaboration “marks a step towards strengthening our association with Disney India” following the Star Wars tie-in last year. Given the wording, it looks like the Avengers-themed OnePlus 6 will be targeted at the Indian market, much like the Star Wars variant of the OnePlus 5T.

Although there’s speculation that the Avengers-themed OnePlus 6 will eventually make its way to the UK this year, that seems unlikely. OnePlus’ largest global market is India, followed by China, and it looks like the company will continue to focus its attention on these two markets for its limited edition models.

OnePlus is nothing if not strategic when it comes to product launches, and with Marvel boasting a huge fanbase in India, it’s easy to see why the company would select the subcontinent as the key market for the Avengers-themed OnePlus 6. From OnePlus:

Marvel is one of the most recognized and respected international entertainment brands in the world. The brand’s enduring success and unmatched popularity lies in its epic storytelling with human spirit. With its gigantic library of more than 8,000 characters including some of the most iconic Super Heroes in the world such as Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, The Incredible Hulk and more, Marvel has amassed fans across boundaries and age-groups.

Similarly, OnePlus has amassed an overwhelming and loyal fan following owing to its unwavering focus on bringing the best technology to its users. The rapidly growing brand is constantly incorporating feedback from the community to bring nothing but the best technology to its products.

OnePlus’ association with Marvel Studios is a manifestation of the enduring love and support they have garnered from its respective community over the years with a purpose to go beyond the ordinary and achieve groundbreaking innovations in mobile technology only to create the best user experiences.

There’s little in the way of information regarding the upcoming phone, but with the recent surge in teasers and leaks, we should see the OnePlus 6 make its formal debut very soon. What would you guys like to see from an Avengers-themed OnePlus 6?

Fake ad blockers in the Chrome store had over 20 million installs

If you can’t find that ad blocker you recently installed from the Chrome Web Store, you might want to do some browser spring cleaning. Google has killed five top-ranking ad blockers after AdGuard published a report revealing they’re fake extensions with extra code that harvest info on the websites you visit. They apparently send the data they collect to remote servers in order to manipulate Chrome’s behavior. “Basically, this is a botnet composed of browsers infected with the fake adblock extensions,” AdGuard wrote in its report. “The browser will do whatever the command center server owner orders it to do.”

Fake ad blockers have been fooling people since at least 2017 — last year, 37,000 people installed a fake AdBlock Plus created by what SwiftOnSecurity called a “fraudulent developer who clones popular name and spams keywords.” Like that AdBlock Plus impostor, the ones AdGuard discovered also spammed keywords to get to the top of the search results. Their creators simply ripped off legit extensions and added a few lines of malicious code hidden inside benign-looking images — they didn’t even bother thinking of creative names for their fake products.

Apparently, people don’t care if an extension’s name is something lazy and generic like “AdRemover” and will download it, so long as it’s somewhere near the top. According to AdGuard, the fake ad blockers managed to trick over 20 million users into installing them. So, how can you avoid fake extensions going forward? AdGuard says the best way to protect yourself is to check an extension’s author and making sure that it’s a company you can trust.

[Image credit: AdGuard]

Source: Gizmodo, AdGuard

Intel cancels its smart glasses due to lack of investment

When Intel showed off its Vaunt smart glasses (aka “Superlight” internally) back in February, we had high hopes for a new wave of wearable tech that wouldn’t turn us into Borgs. Alas, according to The Information’s source, word has it that the chip maker is closing the group responsible for wearable devices which, sadly, included the Vaunt. This was later confirmed by Intel in a statement, which hinted at a lack of investment due to “market dynamics.” Indeed, Bloomberg had earlier reported that Intel was looking to sell a majority stake in this division, which had about 200 employees and was valued at $350 million.

To avoid the awkwardness that doomed the Google Glass, Intel took the subtle approach by cramming a retinal laser projector — along with all the other electronic bits, somehow — into the Vaunt’s ordinary-looking spectacle frame; plus there was no camera on it. The low-power projector would beam a red, monochrome 400 x 150 pixel image into the lower right corner of one’s visual field, thus eliminating the need of a protruding display medium.

The Verge added that the projection was designed to be non-intrusive, such that it was only visible if you glanced in that direction. Of course, this would limit the amount of detail that could be shown to the user, but it could still deliver basic notifications, text messages and navigation info.

It’s unclear how Intel’s withdrawal from the smart glasses market will affect the industry as a whole, but it does mean we’re still some time away from seeing something just as impressively stealthy. Meanwhile, other tech giants like Amazon and Apple are still working hard on their own take on smart glasses, so here’s hoping these will be worth the wait.

The following is the full Intel statement sent to Engadget:

“Intel is continuously working on new technologies and experiences. Not all of these develop into a product we choose to take to market. The Superlight project is a great example where Intel developed truly differentiated, consumer augmented reality glasses. We are going to take a disciplined approach as we keep inventing and exploring new technologies, which will sometimes require tough choices when market dynamics don’t support further investment.”

Source: The Information

Sports Illustrated TV will start streaming on more platforms

Sports Illustrated launched its $5-per-month streaming service last fall exclusively through Amazon Channels, and now it’s preparing to open up for a wider release. Soon, users will be able to subscribe directly and watch on Roku, iOS, Android and web browsers. The modestly-priced service won’t livestream games to compete with the Disney-backed ESPN+, which just went live, or the upcoming Bleacher Report Live. Instead, Sports Illustrated TV offers its studio shows, sports films and the brand’s lauded documentaries.

“As a sports fan, I am excited that there is such a healthy and a lot of different ways to engage with sports content,” Sports Illustrated TV head of programming Josh Oshinsky told Deadline. “I don’t think it’s an either-or between ESPN+ or BRLive or us. We do things that they don’t.”

Sports Illustrated TV will feature ongoing weekly studio analysis shows like The Crossover, Planet Futbol and The Line. The streaming service’s other content includes documentary series like Under the Cover, three new 2018 swimsuit specials and the first feature-length doc created specifically for SI TV, We Town.

Source: Deadline, Sports Illustrated TV