Lyft’s All-Access Subscription Plan Rolling Out Nationwide, $300/Month for 30 Rides

In March, Lyft began testing a monthly subscription plan for select high-frequency users, and today the company announced that a version of this plan will now be available to everyone in the United States by the end of the week. Called the “All-Access Plan,” passengers will be able to pay upfront every 30 days, locking in a set price for their rides and not having to pay out for each individual Lyft trip.

Subscribers of the All-Access Plan will get 30 rides (for up to $15 each) for a monthly fee of $299, and can cancel their plan anytime. If a ride goes over $15, subscribers will have to pay the difference. If the 30 ride limit is exceeded, Lyft will offer five percent off additional rides. Additionally, unused rides will not roll over to the following monthly pay period.

During its test, Lyft tried out plans that cost $200/month, $300/month, and $400/month for different amount of rides and incentives, but it appears that the company landed on $299/month as the sweet spot. At the time, Lyft CEO Logan Green discussed the subscription plan tests, saying, “We are going to move the entire industry from one based on ownership to one based on subscription.”

In today’s press release, Lyft says the nationwide rollout of the All-Access Plan is the first step toward “delivering on our goal of making car ownership optional.”

When you spend less time driving (and parking), you have more freedom — and more savings. Americans who use the All-Access Plan for all of their personal car needs can save up to 59%* per month compared to owning a car.

This is the first step toward delivering on our goal of making car ownership optional, and we’re constantly looking for more ways to provide passengers with the easiest, most convenient options possible.

Lyft launches its subscription plan after rival Uber trialed its own similar monthly subscription payments in 2016, without following up with a full launch. Lyft has also partnered with Google’s Waymo “to bring autonomous vehicle technology into the mainstream.”

Tag: Lyft
Discuss this article in our forums

Apple Apologizes After Stolen Apple ID Credentials Aided in Phishing Attack in China

Apple has formally apologized to users in China over the hacking of some Chinese accounts in a series of phishing scams that hit the country last week. The successful phishing attacks used stolen Apple IDs to gain access to customer funds, leading to “a small number of…users’ accounts” being accessed through these scams (via The Wall Street Journal).

In a statement shared in China today, Apple said: “We are deeply apologetic about the inconvenience caused to our customers by these phishing scams.”

When news of the incident emerged last week, Chinese mobile payment companies Alipay and WeChat reported that hackers were able to take an unknown amount of money from accounts using stolen Apple IDs. Some users were said to have lost up to 2,000 yuan ($288) following the breach.

According to Apple’s new statement, these victims had not enabled two-factor authentication, making it easier for the hackers to gain access to their accounts. Apple didn’t confirm how many users were affected in China, how much money was stolen in total, or how the hackers gained access to the Apple IDs in question. The company encouraged all users to enable two-factor authentication on their accounts to ensure further security protections are in place.

China remains important to Apple’s overseas expansion plans, but the company has faced numerous speed bumps in this regard over the years. In 2018, Apple moved Chinese iCloud data to state-owned China Telecom, which brought up user privacy concerns; faced an issue with an overabundance of illegal gambling apps on the Chinese iOS App Store; and is now attempting to clamp down on iMessage spam in the country.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Tags: China, Apple ID
Discuss this article in our forums

Get twice the juice with Nomad’s Tesla Model 3 wireless charger

With Tesla’s Model 3 production lines turning out cars at a good clip, custom accessories for the Tesla’s entry-level electric vehicle (EV) will roll out at a faster pace as well. Nomad’s new Wireless Charger for the Tesla Model 3 is built to fit the car’s charging dock and can charge two phones at the same time.

The Nomad wireless charger slides into place snugly in the Model 3’s front-console charging dock with room for two smartphones side-by-side. According to Nomad, the Tesla Model 3 wireless charger works with all Qi-enabled Android phones but is optimally sized for Apple’s iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone 8 and 8+.

If you want to use a Samsung Note 8 or Note 9 with the Nomad charger, neither phone will fit the charger with a case. Smaller phones can fit using an included optional spacer, so the charging coils align with the phone.

The Nomad charger has an integrated 6,000 mAH battery so it can charge one smartphone twice as fast as usual or charge two phones simultaneously.

Dual USB cables permanently attached to the charger plug into the Model 3’s two front USB ports. You can use the charger with just one USB cable plugged in, but then you lose the advantage of faster charging, although you can still charge two phones simultaneously.

If you already rely on one of the front USB ports to power another device, you’ll have three choices: run a USB cable from one of the two rear USB ports, plug into a USB adapter in the center console’s 12V power outlet, or use one of the front USB plugs, which cuts the Nomad charger’s power in half.

LED status lights on the Nomad device indicate charging status: amber for charging and white for fully charged.  If one the LEDs blinks amber that means the charger doesn’t recognize your phone.

Previous

Next

1 of 5

Charge two phones at once

Two USB plugs for twice the power

Anti-slip rubber surface

An exact fit for the Model 3 charging dock

Dual 7.5W wireless phone charging

Made from molded thermoplastic elastomers (TPE), a mixture of polymers and rubber, the Nomad has a polycarbonate frame. An anti-skid rubber grip should help keep your phone in place during somewhat spirited driving, but it won’t overcome the laws of physics. If you’re going to push the car to its limits, closing the charging dock’s cover would be prudent.

You can order Nomad’s Tesla Model 3 wireless charger now for shipment on November 30. Pre-orders get a $20 discount from the $150 retail price, according to the company. Nomad backs the Tesla 3 wireless charger with a 2-year warranty.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Nomad creates a wireless charging pad just for the Tesla Model 3
• Best wireless chargers of IFA 2018
• Google Pixel 3 XL review
• How to fast charge your iPhone
• Pixel 3 XL vs. iPhone XS Max: Which plus-sized flagship reigns supreme?

Palm maakt rentree met 3,3 inch kleine companion telefoon

TCL heeft samen met een Amerikaanse start-up een telefoon uitgebracht onder de naam Palm. Het idee er achter is niet dat hij je smartphone vervangt maar dat ze samen gebroederlijk naast elkaar leven. Laat je grote telefoon thuis en stop deze Palm in je broekzak. Nieuw is dit idee echter niet.

Deze Palm telefoon heeft niets te maken met het oude Palm. Er is geen webOS besturingssysteem, geen uitschuifbaar toetsenbord en geen enkele knipoog naar het vroegere Palm dat z’n sporen in nagenoeg ieder aspect van de telecommarkt heeft achtergelaten. Het idee achter deze nieuwe Palm is een soort hulpje van je huidige smartphone. Soms wil je die gewoon ook even thuislaten maar je toch voor noodgevallen bereikbaar zijn. Het toestel is alleen verkrijgbaar bij het Amerikaanse Verizon en je moet er een apart abonnement voor af sluiten om je huidige telefoonaansluiting te klonen.

Dat klinkt als een dure oplossing voor een eenvoudig probleem; laat je dure smartphone thuis en koop een goedkope featurephone. Behalve dat deze Palm phone geen featurephone is, het is een redelijk volwaardige Android-telefoon. Om toch de hele dag met de 800 mAh batterij te doen is er “Life Mode” dat notificaties uitschakelt. Dat is geen wonder als je bedenkt dat de telefoon in deze modus alle radio’s uitschakelt en dus geen enkele verbinding meer met de buitenwereld heeft. Palm’s nieuwe telefoon doet in de verte wel wat denken aan de HTC Mini en Mini+. Dit was een als telefoon vormgegeven afstandsbediening voor je smartphone. Het flopte gigantisch. Dat belooft dus nog wat voor Palm’s nieuwe avontuur.

Apple Shibuya Store in Tokyo to Re-Open October 26

Apple has announced the reopening of its Shibuya retail store in Tokyo on Friday, October 26 – the same day as the launch of iPhone XR – following renovation that began almost a year ago.

The Shibuya store opens its doors again on the same date as Apple’s Covent Garden retail location in London, although the Japan store has been out of action for significantly longer.

During the near 11 months of renovation work, the medium-sized store is likely to have undergone significant remodeling to bring it in line with SVP Angela Ahrendts’ objective to increase and modernize Apple’s retail presence in the country, which is currently home to nine Apple stores.

Back in March, Ahrendts announced a five-year plan for Japan, which aims to boost and significantly increase the company’s presence with “extensive modernization” and significant investment.

The Shibuya store has been around since 2005, but Apple opened a new store in Shinjuku, Tokyo, in April and another in Kyoto in August, after teasing the opening of more retail locations in the country.

(Via Storeteller.de)

Tags: Japan, Apple retail
Discuss this article in our forums

Microsoft co-founder, Seahawks owner Paul Allen dies at 65

PaulAllen.com

Paul Allen, a Microsoft co-founder and owner of the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks and NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers, died due to complications from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in Seattle on Monday. He was 65. News of his passing was confirmed on the website of his media company, Vulcan Inc.

“It is with deep sadness that we announce the death of our founder, Paul G. Allen, co-founder of Microsoft and noted technologist, philanthropist, community builder, conservationist, musician, and supporter of the arts. Mr. Allen died on Monday afternoon, October 15, 2018, from complications of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in Seattle. Mr. Allen was 65 years old,” Vulcan said in a statement.

Allen co-founded Microsoft alongside Bill Gates in 1975 after the two entrepreneurs started marketing a BASIC programming language interpreter. Allen called the software Micro-Soft. Allen’s ambition for Microsoft was to build software for personal computers. He was able to achieve that goal by helping Microsoft acquire Q-DOS. Together, Gates and Allen transformed Q-DOS into MS-DOS, which eventually became the operating system installed on IBM’s personal computers. In total, Allen holds 43 patents from the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Because of Microsoft’s success, Allen’s personal wealth also grew with the company. He became a billionaire in his early 30s; Allen’s net worth is estimated to be close to $20 billion. He made a number of investments in emerging and new technologies and was a frequent contributor to charities. Allen also owned sports franchises in the Pacific Northwest.

“While most knew Paul Allen as a technologist and philanthropist, for us, he was a much-loved brother and uncle, and an exceptional friend,” Allen’s sister, Jody, said in a statement. “Paul’s family and friends were blessed to experience his wit, warmth, his generosity and deep concern.” Allen described himself as a philanthropist, investor, entrepreneur, author, owner of two sports team, guitarist, neuroscience supporter, space pioneer, and Microsoft co-founder.

pic.twitter.com/msJhSPZBXm

— Paul Allen (@PaulGAllen) October 15, 2018

After being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 1982, Allen left his role at Microsoft. He overcame the disease after months of radiation. In 2000, Allen resigned from his board position at Microsoft, but remained with the company as a strategy consultant. In 2009, Allen was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The disease was successfully treated until the cancer returned in 2018.

Though Allen never married and isn’t survived by any children, his spirit of entrepreneurship lives on. “As long as we work together — with both urgency and determination — there are no limits to what we can achieve,” his last tweet stated on the day of his death.

Details about Allen’s memorial services will be released as soon as they become available, Vulcan said.

Here’s a useful solution for saving clumsy drone pilots a few bucks

Drone technology has advanced markedly in the last few years, with improved stability and handling making them easier than ever to fly.

But whether through mechanical malfunction or sheer pilot incompetence, there will always be occasions when we’re left watching helplessly as our crippled quadcopter plummets from the sky as if it was never meant to be up there in the first place.

One solution is to stick a parachute on the drone that automatically activates when it detects problems. Such a system would not only save the drone from breaking into multiple pieces when it hits terra firma, but also reduce the risk of injury if the machine lands on someone’s head on the way down.

Among a growing number of such offerings is one from Austria-based Drone Rescue, which has been working on incorporating parachutes into drones for a while now. This week it’s planning to carry out its first public demonstration of its latest system at the tech-focused Intergeo event in Frankfurt, Germany, New Atlas reports.

Drone Rescue has created two parachute modules, the DRS-5 and DRS-10, that can be attached to a range of remotely controlled copters. The DRS-5 is effective for drones weighing up to 18 pounds (8 kg), while the DRS-10 is for drones weighing between 11 and 44 pounds (5 and 20 kg). The team has also created the DRS-M600, which is essentially the DRS-10 designed especially for DJI’s Matrice 600 drone, a machine popular with professional aerial photographers and independent filmmakers.

The automatic parachute system comprises a carbon container for the parachute, together with sensors that tell the system when things are going awry in the sky. The moment the drone begins to drop rapidly, the parachute automatically deploys to decrease the speed of the machine’s descent. An important part of the system ensures that the drone’s motors automatically cut out at the same time as the parachute deploys to eliminate the risk of the propellers slicing through the lines or causing injury to individuals on the ground.

Drone Rescue CEO and co-founder Andreas Ploier says in a release that its system “has the advantage that it manages completely without explosive, pyrotechnical solutions.” This means the parachute can simply be quickly repackaged for reuse, and also results in a system that’s “considerably lighter, and functions even in a worst-case scenario.”

A neat but important touch is the inclusion of a data recorder that allows for more detailed analysis of a drone failure.

While regulators are still wary about letting commercial drones fly out of the line of sight, as well as over populated areas, a system like the one created by Drone Rescue — together with a drone traffic control system — could pave the way for broader use of drones by businesses.

When you see how hard this broadcaster’s hefty camera drone came down at a skiing event a few years ago, narrowly missing one of the skiers, it’s easy to understand how effective a parachute-equipped drone could be when things go wrong in the sky.

Drone Rescue plans to launch its parachute system for drone owners before the end of 2018.

Editors’ Recommendations

• 7 amazing anti-drone technologies designed to swat UAVs out of the sky
• This is the result when a quadcopter strikes the wing of an aircraft
• This quadcopter is a ‘flying battery’ that can stay in the sky for 2 hours
• Prisons are fighting back against contraband-dropping drones. Here’s how
• 7 Drones that can stay airborne for hours — and the tech that makes it possible

‘Bloodhound’ rocket car needs a speedy cash injection to survive

Bloodhound

A company bidding to drive a car at an eye-watering 1,000 mph has been forced to put the brakes on the project while it seeks extra funds to help it reach its goal.

The U.K. team behind the rocket-powered Bloodhound car needs investment of 25 million British pounds (about $33 million) in the next few weeks or it may have to wave goodbye to its speed-record dream, the BBC reported on Monday.

The troubling news comes exactly a year after the extraordinary vehicle reached 210 mph in a public test run ahead of a planned 1,000-mph drive in Hakskeen Pan — a vast, dried-out lake bed — in South Africa in 2020.

For last year’s run, which tested the car’s responsiveness and stability among other things, the Bloodhound car was powered by a Rolls-Royce EJ200 jet engine that’s normally found on a Eurofighter Typhoon combat aircraft.

For the record attempt, however, the team wants to use three Nucleus rocket motors developed by Scandinavian firm Nammo, in addition to the EJ200 jet engine. But those plans now appear to be balanced on a knife edge as the company, Bloodhound Programme, seeks emergency funding.

Speaking to the BBC, Andrew Sheridan of FRP Advisory, the firm aiming to free Bloodhound Programme from its financial difficulties, described the rocket-powered car as “a project that is very much alive and on the cusp of delivering its goal, which is ground-breaking with leading technology.”

Sheridan added: “However, it does need circa 25 million British pounds to get it over the line, and that now requires an investor, be that a wealthy individual or a corporate of some kind.”

If the team behind the supersonic car can secure the vital funds and continue toward its goal, it could yet have a chance to break the current land speed record of 763.035 mph set in 1997. The record-breaking vehicle was the Thrust SSC and in the driving seat was Andy Green, the very same guy behind the wheel of the Bloodhound during its 210 mph test run last year and the person hoping to have a go at setting the new record in South Africa.

Mark Chapman, Bloodhound‘s chief engineer, told the BBC that if they can find an investor, then they could be prepping for the speed record within just 10 months. “We’re that close,” he said.

Editors’ Recommendations

• At Bonneville, a 210-mph Volkswagen Jetta is nothing unusual
• The fastest cars in the world
• Apple Car: What you need to know about Project Titan
• The best diesel cars of 2018
• Amazing future transports promise to supercharge our commutes

How to Use the Preview Loupe Tool in macOS

All of Apple’s Macs come with Preview, the powerful file viewer that’s built into macOS. Preview is the default app that opens up whenever you double-click an image or a PDF, and features several annotation tools for you to use when working with these file types.

The most obvious and oft-used markup tools include things like arrows, lines, ovals, rectangles, and text, but in this article we’re highlighting what is arguably one of the more under-appreciated of Preview’s annotation options: the Loupe tool.

The Loupe tool is useful if you want to zoom in on certain areas in an image or document for the purposes of clarity or to bring attention to something in particular.

You can access the Loupe tool by selecting Tools -> Annotate -> Loupe from the Preview menu bar, or by enabling the Markup toolbar and then clicking the bottom right icon in the Shape menu.

Once you’ve added a loupe to your image, you can easily increase or decrease its magnification level by dragging the green circle along the loupe’s circumference.

Similarly using your mouse, drag the blue circle outwards or towards the center of the loupe to expand or contract the area of magnification.

You can add multiple loupes to the same image or document, and even have them overlap to zoom in on an area that’s already magnified.

Additionally, if you arrange two loupes so that one is stacked on top of or behind the other, you can right-click (or Ctrl-click) them to rearrange their order using the contextual menu options Bring Forward, Bring to Front, Send Backward and Send to Back.

You can easily delete a selected loupe with the Delete key, just remember that the Loupe is an annotation tool rather than a simple zoom function, so if you save or export the file with a loupe still in use then it becomes a permanent feature of that image or document.

Related Roundup: macOS Mojave
Discuss this article in our forums

Tech Evolution: How To Adapt in the Era of Digital Darwinism?

“Digital Darwinism” is another industry buzzword that has been making rounds lately in online space. It simply denotes the idea that in the digital era, businesses are embroiled in a struggle for survival not unlike one that occurs in the state of nature. To extend the analogy further, we can say that prey animals, i.e. consumers, are evolving at an accelerated rate, and predators, i.e. companies, are finding it hard to keep up. Businesses that fail to adapt themselves to the current environment are bound to perish, whereas those that manage to develop some form of competitive advantage are likely to stick around, at least for a while.

Just like in nature, these adaptations can take many forms. Some businesses are developing new methods for understanding consumer behavior in order to exploit them more easily. Others are incorporating cutting-edge technologies to surpass present limitations on how they do business. Others yet are mimicking what their more successful competitors on the market are doing to ensure some baseline of success. Finally, there are businesses that use some or all of these approaches in tandem to have the best possible shot at coming out ahead.

If your own company is starting to feel the pressure to adapt or perish, as per the tenets of (digital) Darwinism, take a look at our showcase of modern business survival strategies.

The Impact of New Technologies

Economic thinkers such as Karl Marx have argued that there is an intrinsic relationship between technological development and commercial interest. Mechanical looms, steam-powered mining carts, and other examples of industrial machinery have enabled capitalists to mechanize and automate production, netting them substantial profits in the process. While the dominant technological paradigm has changed significantly since the 19^th century, it is still very much the case that technological sophistication is strongly correlated with commercial gain.

Even though the defining technologies of our age are not all digital in nature, the ones that are influencing the business world as a whole come from the domain of computer science. Distributed communication networks, artificial intelligence software, large dataset analytics, and numerous other implementations of modern computer-based technologies are enabling prosperous digital companies to improve the efficiency of their workflows, to better understand and predict marketplace fluctuations, and to respond more rapidly to changing consumer demand.

A company that wishes to remain competitive in our tech-driven world should therefore keep a close eye on the latest technological trends, and adapt to ones that are likely to be advantageous in their particular business niche. This can mean using AI to automate repetitive tasks, leveraging search engines to strengthen online presence, and other similar technological adaptations.

Changing Market Conditions

Marketplace competition lies at the heart of modern economic theory. This means that companies that respond well to what others of their kind are doing on the market, have a better chance of coming out ahead in the struggle. However, some would argue that the aforementioned struggle became more fierce in recent decades as a result of globalization. Because businesses operating in digital industries are now facing competition from countless companies scattered around the globe, it is difficult to keep track what everyone is doing, or figure out the countermoves one ought to make.

As a result, the majority of business now have to rely on observing loosely defined trends to get a sense of what’s going on the marketplace. Based on this knowledge, they have to make a decision on which trends are worth following, and which can be safely disregarded as passing fads.

It is difficult to give concrete guidelines on this matter, but some business analysts are predicting that companies will increasingly rely on freelance work in their day-to-day operations. Another trend that’s worth keeping an eye on would be workplace automation – more and more companies are utilizing systems for automating certain processes to save on time and resources.

Understanding Consumer Desire

Consumers are the third pillar of the modern economy. Their demand for goods and services is what ultimately decides what the commercial sector will look like. As a result of global economic development, there are now proportionally more consumers than at any previous point in history. This situation is inherently favorable for business, as there is more spending power to go around.

However, this change in numbers was also followed by a change in structure. Modern day consumers are in many respects similar to their predecessors, but they are also exhibiting a range of new behavioral tendencies, some of which businesses have a hard time adjusting to. And if a given company fails to appeal to the modern consumers, its odds of surviving on the modern marketplace will plummet.

There are two main consumer tendencies that modern businesses should take into account. One is a preference for self-service options – contemporary consumers prefer to have access to tools, and not pre-built solutions. The other is a demand for personalization – consumers view the goods and services they purchase as a representation of their persona, so they like having different means at their disposal to express themselves.

Conclusion

Every business generation experiences its share of economic difficulty. Factors outside their control frequently push companies to actively fight for their place under the sun, and many are cast aside in this struggle. “Digital Darwinism” is just a new way to name this fact, but it has little explanatory power on its own. So instead of focusing on the way the problem is phrased, companies looking to ensure their long-term existence ought to take measures for adapting themselves to current technologies, marketplace conditions, and consumer preferences.