Top 4 Ways to Market Your Business

Marketing your company can now be done in a number of different ways. This is the case due to the expansion of technology and innovation, and as a result the tools available at your disposal that you can use. One example of this can be pointed to social media channels, which have now become a necessary marketing platform if the modern business wants to reach their target audience. In addition to this, it’s necessary to have a strong online presence via a website, engage in email marketing and remain consistent in everything that you do. For more information on these aforementioned tips, continue reading.

1. Social media channels

The very first way to ensure that you are searchable and are able to embark on various marketing endeavors is to create social media channels. This includes Instagram and Facebook, as well as another that you consider would be important for targeting your audience. Nowadays many people spend a lot of time on these various platforms, and you would miss out on communicating with consumers if you do not establish yourself on them as well. Not to mention, some people now get their source of daily news from these various outlets.

2. Have a website

A business without a website is not credible. Even the average person has a website, whether it’s for their hobby or to showcase their portfolio. It has become easier than ever to create one, and it can even assist with your various sales efforts if you set up an e-commerce component. Of course, don’t forget that the quality of content you post is incredibly important if you want consumers to re-visit your site and tell their friends and family about you. Make sure that it is user-friendly and thus easy to navigate, and you will improve your company’s visibility as a result of it.

3. Email marketing

A cost-effective method for promoting your business is through free email marketing. There are plenty of online software programs that offer the necessary templates and know-how for how to do this. All that will be necessary from your part is to come up with the content that will captivate people’s attention when they open up the email. No matter what message you are trying to promote, whether it’s a sales promotion or welcoming a new subscriber, you can easily communicate and reach anyone.

4. Consistency

Once you get into the groove of marketing, you need to remain consistent. In other words, stick to the branding that you have set up for yourself, and remember to post on a regular basis. This includes on your website and social media, and also stay in contact with your audience by reaching out to them. This could be done through the aforementioned email marketing tactics or another way.

How many of the steps already outlined have you taken in order to properly market your goods and services? At the end of the day, if you don’t put in the effort and money behind it, consumers will not know about you and the result is falling behind on your profitability, and not to mention your competitors. Strive towards success at all times and continue marketing your various goods and services.

Kobo Forma review

Over the past few years, indie bookstores have experienced a renaissance while eBook sales have declined significantly. While digital book sales still make up nearly a quarter of book sales, the ebook reader market is diminishing as a growing number of readers are downloading books to smartphones.

Can a fresh ebook reader from Kobo help? Likely not, because the Kobo Forma is quite pricey at $280,  but it manages to hold its own over Amazon’s second-gen Kindle Oasis.

Designed with comfort in mind

With a few exceptions, the Kobo Forma maintains the same design aesthetic as other Kobo ebook readers, with one major exception: It is remarkably thin. Coming in at 8.5mm at its thickest point, the Forma is slightly thinner than the Samsung Galaxy Note 9.

Steven Winkelman/Digital Trends

There’s an eight-inch E Ink display accompanied by a grip on one side. The grip curves slightly upward, making the Forma easy to hold with one hand. It doesn’t matter which way you hold the Forma, because there’s an accelerometer that will automatically change the screen orientation however you hold it, in whichever hand.

The grip is home to the Forma’s page turn buttons, power button, and MicroUSB charging port. The page turn buttons are responsive and easy to tap, but the power button is spongy and located in an awkward spot. And while It may be a minor quibble, we wish Rakuten — the company that manufactures the Kobo — would switch to the more universal USB-C charging port for its flagship ebook reader.

The 8-inch E Ink screen is larger than any other Kindle or Kobo ebook reader currently on the market.

Flip the Kobo Forma over and you’ll find a textured plastic back with a rubberized coating. The texture and finish make the Forma easy to hold, but it feels a bit cheap when compared to the less expensive second-generation Kindle Oasis. But the Forma has an IPX8 rating, meaning it can survive when submerged in up to a meter of water for an hour. That’s the same rating you’ll find on the Kindle Oasis as well as the 2018 Kindle Paperwhite.

Although you’re not going to be able to put the Kobo Forma in your pocket, it’s small enough to easily store in a bag without taking up too much space, and it’s lightweight so it never feels cumbersome.

Big screen

At eight-inches, the E Ink screen on the Kobo Forma is larger than any other Kindle or Kobo ebook reader currently on the market. It comes in an inch larger than the Kindle Oasis, and two inches larger than many other ebook readers. While those extra inches make the Forma less portable than its competitors, we think it’s a great trade off for a more immersive reading experience.

Steven Winkelman/Digital Trends

The Forma’s screen produces crisp text, and images are surprisingly sharp. Page transitions are almost instantaneous, and we didn’t notice any screen ghosting thanks to intermittent screen refreshes.

It’s also easy to customize the reading experience easily on the Forma. The ebook reader allows you to choose from nearly a dozen different fonts and 50 font size options. There’s also options to tweak font weight and sharpness as well.

Content on the Forma loads quickly and page turns are nearly instantaneous.

Like most E Ink devices, the Forma is easy to read in direct sunlight. Even in different situations and environments, the Forma does a superb job of keeping brightness and color temperature perfect for any scenario. We do think the automatic brightness doesn’t go low enough in dark environments, but you can easily make adjustments manually with the brightness slider.

You’ll find an excellent blue-light filter on the Kobo Forma called ComfortLight Pro. It uses your timezone and sleeping habits to determine when to minimize blue-light exposure. The screen turns more orange as it inches closer to your bedtime, to ensure you get a good night’s sleep. Blue-light exposure at night can have adverse effects on your health.

Snappy hardware, intuitive software

The hardware for the Forma doesn’t stray far from what you’d expect for a premium ebook reader. It has a 1GHz processor paired with 512MB of RAM. You should have no problems, as content loads quickly and page turns are nearly instantaneous.The 8GB of onboard storage also allows you to store about 6,000 ebooks.

Steven Winkelman/Digital Trends

These specs are nearly identical to the Kobo Aura H2O. They’re also very similar to what you’ll find on the Kindle Oasis and All New Kindle Paperwhite. The primary difference is Amazon now offers 32GB storage options for its newer ebook readers, which helps for readers that plan to store audiobooks on the device.

One feature that’s missing on the Forma is Bluetooth connectivity. Amazon added this feature to the Kindle Oasis in 2017, and more recently to the Kindle Paperwhite. Bluetooth connectivity allows readers to pair headphones to the ebook reader and listen to audiobooks. It’s surprising Rakuten Kobo didn’t add this feature to the Forma since it has been heavily pushing its audiobook store as an alternative to Audible.

With stats like overall read time and book completion percentage, Forma’s Activity feature is a fun glimpse into your reading habits .

The software side is where the Forma shines. For newcomers to the ebook reader space, you should have no problem setting up and using the Kobo Forma. The homepage shows your current book along with your personal library. There’s also an icon for the bookstore, with a best sellers carousel front and center. The menu bar at the top of the screen has a battery life indicator, a search bar, sync icon, brightness control, and a drop-down menu that allows you to quickly access ebook features.

While reading, you’ll still be able to access all the features in the top menu as well as a bottom bar that allows you to customize your reading experience. Simply tap the top of the screen and both menus will appear. In the bottom menu, you can quickly access a page slider and table of contents icon. You can also change screen settings, see your reading activity, change the font, and even see a selection of recommended books here.

But there are a few features that are hard to find worth mentioning. Overdrive allows you to easily check out digital titles from your local library. Once you’ve set up Overdrive, just search for a title in the Kobo store, tap the three dot icon and you’ll see an option to check out or reserve from your local library if the title is available.

Steven Winkelman/Digital Trends

Pocket is also available on the ebook reader. Pocket, which is also an Android or iPhone app, lets you send articles from your computer or phone to the Forma to read offline. Amazon offers a similar feature on its Kindle ebook readers with Instapaper, but charges $20 a year for it.

Finally, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention Activity. This feature provides in-depth stats about your reading, with data such as overall reading time, average reading time per session, how quickly you read, and percentage of books you’ve completed. It’s a fun and enlightening glimpse into your reading habits.

Kobo Store is a great alternative

It’s no secret Amazon has amassed the largest digital bookstore on earth, but don’t let that fool you into think Rakuten won’t have all the titles you want. It’s massive, with more than six million books. We didn’t have much trouble finding titles we wanted to read, however, be prepared for disappointment if you’re looking for digital magazines or newspapers as content is limited to ebooks and audiobooks.

In addition to the Kobo Store, you can also easily download books from other retailers in just about any format imaginable. And since the Kobo Forma also has Overdrive integration, you can also check out books from your local library.

Read for weeks on a single charge

A 1,200mAh battery powers the Kobo Forma. That’s slightly smaller than the battery on the Kobo Aura HD, but Rakuten Kobo claims you should get weeks of use between charges.

Kobo Forma Compared To

Kobo Clara HD

Sony Digital Paper DPT-RP1

Boox Max 2

Kindle Oasis (2017)

Kobo Aura H2O Edition 2

Kobo Aura One

Kindle Oasis

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2013)

Kobo Aura HD

Kobo Mini

Sony Reader PRS-T2

Spring Design Alex

Barnes & Noble Nook

Amazon Kindle 2

Sony PRS-700

While we have not had the opportunity to fully drain the battery on the Kobo Forma just yet, we think you should have no problem getting at least two to three weeks per charge. If you turn off ComfortLight PRO expect to eek out another week. And while its not the best battery life we’ve seen on an ebook reader, it’s on par with the similarly priced second generation Kindle Oasis.

Price, availability, and warranty information

The Kobo Forma costs $280, and it’s available for purchase now from Rakuten’s website.

The Forma is covered by a one-year limited warranty that covers manufacturing defects. Warranty claims are made via the company’s return hotline and require an RMA from the manufacturer along with the original receipt. You’re responsible for shipping costs when sending in an item for repair or replacement.

Our Take

At $280, the Kobo Forma is on the expensive side of ebook readers. While we wish the build quality reflected its premium price point, it is still an excellent value for serious readers.

Is there a better alternative?

Possibly. If you’re a fan of self-published books, listen to lots of audio books, or are deeply entrenched in the Amazon ecosphere, you’ll probably want to check out the second generation Kindle Oasis. It has a smaller display, but you’ll have access to Amazon’s immense library of traditional ebook titles along with more than a million self-self-published titles. You can also store audiobooks on the Oasis and listen to them with Bluetooth headphones.

The Kobo Clara HD is also an option for readers who are looking for a less expensive option from Rakuten. It offers many of the same features you’ll find on the Kobo Forma, but has a smaller six-inch display, and is not waterproof.

How long will it last?

Given you take care of the Kobo Forma and don’t crack the display, we believe it should last four to five years. Ebook readers do not evolve as quickly as other mobile products, and we don’t expect to see a product that would render the Kobo Forma obsolete any time soon.

Should you buy it?

Yes. It may not feel as premium as we’d like, but the Kobo Forma ticks off all the boxes of what you’d want in the perfect ebook reader.

Nikkei: Apple Told Suppliers to Cancel Plans for Additional iPhone XR Production Lines

Apple has told iPhone assemblers to halt plans for additional production lines dedicated to the iPhone XR, claimed a new report on Monday.

According to sources cited by the Nikkei Asian Review, Apple has informed Taiwanese smartphone manufacturers Foxconn and Pegatron of the cancelation, which the report said signaled “disappointing demand” for Apple’s lower cost flagship model, which launched late last month.

“For the Foxconn side, it first prepared nearly 60 assembly lines for Apple’s XR model, but recently uses only around 45 production lines as its top customer said it does not need to manufacture that many by now,” a source familiar with the situation said.

That means Foxconn, the Taiwanese company traded as Hon Hai Precision Industry, would produce around 100,000 fewer units daily to reflect the new demand outlook — down 20% to 25% from the original optimistic outlook, this person said.

As for Pegatron, the iPhone assembler is said to be “suspending plans to ramp up production and awaiting further instructions from Apple,” according to Nikkei’s supply chain sources.

Apple has reportedly also asked smaller iPhone assembler Wistron to stand by for rush orders, but Nikkei’s sources said the company will receive no orders for the iPhone XR this holiday season.

Nikkei’s reporting on iPhone supplies has been off the mark in recent years, with claims of Apple slashing iPhone production orders on weak demand being at odds with later sales figures.

The latest report also clashes with recent remarks made by noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who said that iPhone XR pre-order demand in the first three days of the device’s availability was “better than that” of the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus during the same period last year.

Kuo said that although pre-order demand immediately after launch has been lower for the iPhone XR versus the flagship iPhone XS models, overall iPhone XR shipment momentum is “more stable” because it will drive more customers to upgrade than the iPhone 8 series over time.

On the flip side, some analysts expressed concerns that the iPhone XR’s strong availability following launch implied weak sales of the $749 handset.

In addition, Apple’s $89 to $93 billion revenue forecast for the first fiscal quarter of 2019 was cautious in its earnings call, but Apple blamed this on foreign exchange costs, issues with supply/demand balance, and weakness in emerging markets.

Apple CFO Maestri also explained that Apple had “some uncertainty” around supply/demand balance for the “unprecedented number” of new products the company had launched over the last six weeks.

The launch timing of the new iPhones was also said to be a factor, with the iPhone XR coming later than the XS and the XS Max. This had an effect on Apple’s Q4 revenue and is also expected to impact Q1.

Related Roundup: iPhone XRTag: nikkei.comBuyer’s Guide: iPhone XR (Buy Now)
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iPad Pro Reviews Roundup: Blazingly Fast With a More Balanced Design, But Some Face ID and USB-C Quirks

The first wave of reviews of Apple’s redesigned iPad Pro were published this morning. We’ve collected some of the key takeaways below.

The new upgraded 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models feature edge-to-edge displays that do away with the Home button, slim bezels all the way around, and a TrueDepth camera system that enables Face ID. Apple’s new iPad Pro models also work with the Apple Pencil 2 and revamped Smart Keyboards.

On the new iPad Pro design:

• Engadget’s Chris Velazco:

Apple says this is the iPad it’s wanted to build all along, and I’m not surprised. All the horsepower tucked away inside (and there’s a lot of it) is more accessible because of this streamlined design, and I don’t think I could go back to an iPad that wasn’t this trim.

• TechCrunch’s Matthew Panzarino:

The overall aesthetic is much more businesslike and less ‘friendly’ in that very curvy sort of Apple way. I like it, a lot. The flat edges are pretty clearly done that way to let Apple use more of the interior space without having to cede a few millimeters all the way around the edge to unusable space. In every curved iPad, there’s a bit of space all the way around that is pretty much air. Cutting off the chin and forehead of the iPad Pro did a lot to balance the design out and make it more holdable.

On the Liquid Retina display:

• iMore’s Rene Ritchie:

Apple’s doing all the color management and individual color calibration you expect here, so iPad Pro looks dead accurate — so much so that, like iPhone XR, it can be hard to tell Apple LCD from Apple OLED in anything but the deep blacks and the off-axis. And yeah, that’s still impressive.

• The Verge’s Nilay Patel:

Apple keeps saying the iPad Pro now has an “all screen design” that “goes from edge to edge,” but let’s just be honest: nothing about these bezels is edge-to-edge. It is, however, an extremely nice 264ppi LCD screen, and I continue to be a fan of Apple’s fancy technique to round off the corners of LCDs.

Apart from the corners, the new iPad Pro display is substantially the same as last year’s Pro, with Apple’s extremely smooth 120Hz ProMotion variable refresh rate system, True Tone automatic color calibration, and wide color support. This is one of the best, most accurate mobile displays you can look at.

On Face ID:

• The Wired’s Jeffrey Van Camp:

It works well, and doesn’t require that cut-out notch on the screen like the iPhone. It’s not quirk-free, though. We usually hold our iPhones in a portrait (vertical) orientation because that’s just how they fit in our hand. With an iPad like this, you almost always use two hands, and that means there isn’t really a “right” or “wrong” way to hold it. From time to time, my hands would sometimes accidentally block the Face ID camera when I held it in landscape (widescreen) orientation. And if I’m lounging around, my face may also be out of view. As I’ve gotten used to keeping my head in front of the tablet screen, and my hands away from its front-facing camera, Face ID evolved from a hindrance to a helpful, secure aid.

On the second-generation Apple Pencil:

• iMore’s Rene Ritchie:

The new Apple Pencil has the same tip and core technology as the original but just about everything else has changed. There’s no cap on the back to lose anymore and no Lightning plug either. It charges inductively now by magnetically piggy-backing right onto the side of the iPad Pro. It uses a series of magnets carefully arranged with alternating poles to force precise alignment and, when it gets it, locks into place with a satisfying, AirPods style thunk.

• TechRadar’s Gareth Beavis:

We had a few issues with the Pencil. The first is with synchronisation: when it clips on magnetically, it’s supposed to pair with the iPad Pro (which ours did) and then be ready to use when removed (which ours did not always do). It also came unclipped easily when the iPad Pro was taken out of a rucksack, with the Pencil slipping off into some dark recess rather often.

There were multiple times when we’d remove it to no result – another connection was needed to get it to work, and we’d have to ‘tap to connect’. Not what you’d expect for something that costs $129.

On the USB-C port that replaces a Lightning connector:

• Pocket-lint’s Stuart Miles:

Included in the box is a 18W USB-C charger that means you can charge much faster and if you’re a heavy user you’ll need it. Using USB-C means you can charge it with your MacBook charger and it also supports reverse charging – so you could use it to charge your iPhone if your battery is low.

• The Verge’s Nilay Patel:

I tried a handful of USB-C hubs with an assortment of USB-A, HDMI, card readers, and Ethernet ports, and everything worked as intended… other stuff didn’t work, though: printers didn’t do anything. A Native Instruments Maschine mk3 audio controller sat in silence. A Beyerdynamic USB-C microphone only worked when we used an A-to-C cable plugged into a hub. USB-C is still kind of messy and weird, so you’ll just have to try things and see what works for you.

But one extremely important category of devices will definitely not work: iOS does not support external storage. You can plug as many flash drives or hard drives as you want into the iPad Pro’s USB-C port, and nothing will happen.

On the iPad Pro’s battery life:

• Mashable’s Raymond Wong:

Battery life is also as excellent as on previous iPads. Apple advertises “up to 10 hours” for mixed usage and I got just about exactly that for reading, playing some games, watchings lots of YouTube and Netflix, and typing out some of this review. More intensive apps like Rush CC and iMovie will drain your battery quicker, so keep that in mind. But even still, I still got around 7-8 hours while working with pro-level apps.

The iPad Pro can be purchased from the Apple online store and it will be available in retail locations starting on November 7.

Pricing on the 11-inch iPad Pro starts at $799 for 64GB of storage, with 256GB of storage available for $949, 512GB of storage available for $1149, and 1TB of storage available for $1549. Models with cellular connectivity are available for an additional $150 over the base price for each storage tier.

Related Roundup: iPad ProBuyer’s Guide: 11″ iPad Pro (Buy Now), 12.9″ iPad Pro (Buy Now)
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How to Use Apple’s Live Listen Feature With AirPods in iOS 12

Since 2014, Apple has included a feature in iOS called Live Listen that allows an iPhone or iPad to serve as a remote microphone for an MFI-compatible hearing aid.

When Apple released iOS 12 in September, it added Live Listen support for AirPods, making it possible to use your iOS device as a directional mic and have the audio relayed to Apple’s wireless earphones.

As an accessibility feature, the idea behind Live Listen is for it to be used by people who are hard of hearing or need extra help separating voices in a loud environment, but it can be useful in other ways, too.

If you’re on a family vacation, for instance, you could use your iPhone or iPad as a makeshift baby monitor for when the baby’s napping and you’re in another room with the TV on. All you’d need to do is put the iOS device near the baby’s crib and wear a single AirPod, which should have a strong enough Bluetooth range to allow you to listen in from afar.

Live Listen will work even when other audio is being played on your iPhone or iPad – so you could listen to a podcast, say, and still be keeping tabs on the baby. Just note that whatever it is that you’re listening to will switch to mono output to match the Live Listen stream, and the AirPods’ tap gestures will be disabled for as long as the feature is active.

Live Listen is easy to set up and use once you know how. The following steps show you how it’s done on an iPhone or iPad running iOS 12.

How to Set Up Live Listen on iPhone and iPad

Launch the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.

Tap Control Center.

Tap Customize Controls.
Scroll down and tap the green plus (+) button next to Hearing.

How to Use Live Listen on iPhone and iPad

Put your AirPods in and connect them to your iPhone or iPad in the usual way.

Launch Control Center on your iOS device: On an iPad with a Home button, double-tap the Home button; on iPhone 8 or earlier, swipe up from the bottom of the screen; and on a 2018 iPad Pro or iPhone R/X/XS/XS Max, swipe down from the upper right of the screen.

Tap the Hearing icon.
Tap Live Listen.
Place your iPhone or iPad close to the person you want to hear, preferably in front of them.If the output to your AirPods is too quiet or too loud, use the volume buttons on your iPhone or iPad to adjust the volume level.

If you see the message “Unavailable for current route” when you try to turn on Live Listen, restarting your iOS device and then forgetting and re-connecting your AirPods in the Settings app’s Bluetooth menu should fix the issue.

Related Roundups: iOS 12, AirPodsBuyer’s Guide: AirPods (Caution)
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Apple Pay Rolling Out in Germany

Apple Pay is about to launch in Germany. Banks such as HVB and Bunq this morning sent out emails to customers announcing their imminent support for Apple Pay in the country.

An Apple Pay page has also gone live today on Apple’s own regional German website. We’ll update this article as soon as we can confirm that the mobile payment system is operational for end users.

Apple Pay support in Germany has been rumored for some time, while Apple has been working to establish deals over fees and other factors with German banks.

(Thanks, Lukas!)

Related Roundup: Apple PayTag: Germany
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Elon Musk shows off Boring Company‘s ‘disturbingly long’ tunnel under Los Angeles

Billionaire entrepreneur and Twitter enthusiast Elon Musk took to the microblogging site on Sunday to show off the interior of a “disturbingly long” tunnel.

This, of course, is no ordinary tunnel as it’s been built by Musk’s Boring Company, the outfit that’s aiming to create a new high-speed transit system beneath the streets of Los Angeles, and other cities if the scheme proves viable.

The two-mile-long test tunnel in south-west Los Angeles is gearing up for a grand opening on December 10, with members of the public to be offered free rides along its track the following day.

“Walked full length of Boring Co tunnel under LA tonight,” Musk said in his tweet, describing it, rather curiously, as “disturbingly long,” a description that leaves us wondering how he might describe Line 3 of China’s Guangzhou Metro, which, at 37.5 miles (60.4 km), is currently the longest transit tunnel in the world.

Accompanying the tweet is a trance-inducing video (below) that takes you on a ride of the full length of the tunnel ahead of its official opening in December.

pic.twitter.com/xGJ4Bc6HpL

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 3, 2018

The tunnel travels a short distance north from below the headquarters of SpaceX — another of Musk’s ventures — before turning and traveling west for several miles.

The route that the tunnel takes is probably the least important part of its design. For Musk and his Boring Company team, it’s the first real chance to showcase a functioning system as he seeks to convince city planners of its potential to transform transit in cities facing such challenges — which means pretty much all of them.

So how would Musk’s high-speed, subterranean transit system work?

The idea is to use electric-powered sleds to move vehicles, as well as foot passengers and cyclists, to multiple destinations across a city at speeds of up to 150 mph.

As demonstrated in the video at the top of the page, vehicles and passenger pods would be lowered from street level onto the sleds via an elevator system, with recent reports suggesting the elevators could also connect to office buildings and private residences.

At the start of a journey, the sled transfers from a side tunnel onto the main track, so all of the passengers are constantly on the move. “This is a big difference compared to subways that stop at every stop, whether you’re getting off or not,” Musk said.

Another important part of the project is to revolutionize the tunneling industry with faster, more efficient boring machines.

In a positive sign for the Boring Company, it’s already been chosen to enter into talks for the design of a high-speed, 18-mile tunnel link between downtown Chicago and O’Hare International Airport, and the company’s idea for a fast transit tunnel between Dodger Stadium and a transit hub in Los Angeles has also been welcomed by the authorities.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Elon Musk to give free rides in first Boring Company tunnel in December
• Elon Musk’s Boring Company wants to dig a tunnel to Dodger Stadium
• Elon Musk’s Boring Company turns digging machine into ‘best video game ever’
• An elevator in your garage? Boring Company gets OK to test Loop Lift from tunnel
• What is the Hyperloop? Here’s everything you need to know

GM is getting into ebikes and it wants you to help name them

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As part of efforts to broaden its business and fulfill its commitment to an all-electric future, General Motors has announced plans to enter the ebike market.

The American car giant is developing not one but two pedal-assist electric bikes — one compact model and one that folds up.

At this stage, it’s not offering any specs for the machines, opting instead to release a few photos of each of the bikes. Certainly, the casual designs seem geared toward city dwellers looking to speed up short journeys, while the foldable machine in particular could appeal to commuters looking for an easy way to zip between public transit and their home or workplace.

“As an avid cyclist and urban commuter, I know how great it feels to get where I’m going easily and to show up sweat-free,” Hannah Parish, director of General Motors Urban Mobility Solutions, said in a release. “We blended electrification engineering know-how, design talents, and automotive-grade testing with great minds from the bike industry to create our eBikes.”

$10,000 contest to name the bikes

Parish added that GM is keen to expand its thinking “beyond the company walls and hear from people who like to move and have rad ideas.”

She’s talking about finding a name for GM’s ebike brand, though ever since the internet voted to name a polar research vessel Boaty McBoatface a few years back, asking members of the public for naming suggestions clearly carries some risk.

So, once GM has spent what could be several days filtering out all of the daft suggestions (think Bikey McBikeface, Wheely McWheelface, or perhaps Spokey McSpokeface), the company should be left with at least a handful of more sensible entries that it can choose from.

Tips for those keen to enter the contest include coming up with “simple, smart, and bold concepts capable of bringing the ebike brand to life,” as well as something that’s “capable of being understood around the world.”

Detroit-based GM is offering a $10,000 cash prize to the person who comes up with the winning name for GM’s new ebike brand, while nine other entrants offering excellent-but-not-quite-good-enough suggestions will each receive $1,000, which, looking at the cost of some of the best ebikes on the market today, is unlikely to be enough to purchase so much as the saddle on one of GM’s new bikes when they launch next year.

You have until November 26 to dazzle GM with your ideas.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Yamaha brings Power Assist ebikes to the U.S. for the first time
• This low-maintenance ebike makes it easy to get into urban commuting
• Airbnb calls off Great Wall sleepover contest after backlash
• Zero Motorcycle’s latest electric bikes boast more power, longer range
• Vespa Elettrica: Piaggio’s first all-electric scooter is about to hit the road

OnePlus 6T ‘Thunder Purple’ color variant could be launching soon

Say hello to OnePlus’ most advanced smartphone to date.

The OnePlus 6T has arrived, and similar to past T models, it retains most of what made its predecessor great while adding a couple of new features and slightly increasing its price.

We were already quite enthralled with the OnePlus 6 from earlier in the year, and the 6T aims to offer an even better experience for about $20 more.

Need some help deciding if this is the phone for you? Here’s everything you need to know about the OnePlus 6T!

The latest OnePlus 6T news

November 5, 2018 — OnePlus 6T ‘Thunder Purple’ color option shows up in renders

OnePlus unveiled the 6T with just two color options — Mirror Black and Midnight Black — but it looks like that’s set to change soon. Images obtained by Mr. Gizmo (via FoneArena suggest we’ll see a Thunder Purple variant of the 6T debut shortly.

The images and renders suggest the color option will have a gradient effect, not unlike what we’ve seen from the likes of Huawei and others. OnePlus is known to launch limited-edition color options a few months after the release of a new phone, so there’s no telling when this particular variant might be available.

November 1, 2018 — The OnePlus 6T is officially on sale!

Just a few days after it was announced, the OnePlus 6T has exited the pre-order stage and is now available for purchase.

If you live in the United States, you can buy the phone from both OnePlus’s website and through T-Mobile. While T-Mobile is only selling the 128GB + 8GB RAM model in Mirror Black for $579, you can drastically lower the price by trading in an eligible phone, buying it on a monthly installment plan, and then get a total of $300 back in bill credits.

Alternatively, OnePlus’s website has all available models with prices starting at $550 for the 128GB + 6GB RAM configuration and going up to $629 for 256GB + 8GB RAM.

See at OnePlus

See at T-Mobile

All the big details

Read (and watch) our full review

The OnePlus 6T is a great piece of tech, but is it something that you should spend your hard-earned dollars on?

If you’re in the market for a flagship smartphone experience but only want to pay a fraction of what Samsung, Apple, and Google are charging, the 6T delivers on almost every front. It’s outfitted with top-of-the-line specs, a pair of fantastic rear cameras, and one of the best software experiences that you can currently find on Android.

The lack of an IP water resistance rating and removal of the 3.5mm headphone jack could be dealbreakers for some, but if you want the most bang-for-your-buck in the $500 – $600 price range, you’ll be hard-pressed to do much better than the OnePlus 6T.

OnePlus 6T review: 90% of the phone for 60% of the price

Check out the specs

Every single year, OnePlus packs its smartphones with the very latest and greatest specifications it can get its hands on. With the 6T, that’s no different.

Some of the highlights this time around include the Snapdragon 845 processor, 6 – 8GB of RAM, 128 – 256GB of storage, a 3,700 mAh battery, and Android 9 Pie available right out of the box.

OnePlus 6T specs: 6.41-inch display, 3700mAh battery, 128GB base storage

OnePlus removed the 3.5mm headphone jack…

All that glitters is not gold, and for some potential buyers, the 6T will no longer be a viable option once they realize that the phone does not have a 3.5mm headphone jack.

OnePlus was one of the few remaining brands that continued to outfit its devices with the legacy port year after year, and for die-hard fans, this has the potential to be a deal-breaker.

…But there’s now an in-display fingerprint sensor

On the upside, the removal of the 3.5mm jack allowed OnePlus to equip the 6T with an in-display fingerprint sensor.

Similar to phones like the Vivo NEX, the 6T’s fingerprint sensor has been removed from its backside and now lives underneath the display. Just hold your finger on the new fingerprint icon on the screen, the sensor will ID you, and then unlock your phone.

While it’s certainly a cool party trick and the first big phone in the U.S. to ship with the feature, it’s not quite as fast or reliable as the OnePlus 6’s fingerprint sensor.

The notch is even smaller

The OnePlus 6T follows in the OnePlus 6’s footsteps by having a notch at the top of its display, but this time around, the notch is considerably smaller.

OnePlus adopted the “waterdrop” style for the 6T’s notch, and while there aren’t any functional changes that come with this, it does make the front of the phone look a lot cleaner and doesn’t cut off as much screen real-estate as the 6’s notch.

Nightscape and Studio Lighting come to the 6T’s cameras

Google recently wowed us with its new Night Sight feature for Pixel phones that drastically improves low-light photos, and in an attempt to build its own version of that feature, OnePlus ships with the 6T with its take on this called “Nightscape.”

Nightscape is described as being perfect for “capturing low-light urban environments with improved clarity, less noise, more accurate color reproduction and better dynamic range.”

Also new is Studio Lighting. OnePlus says it worked with photographer Kevin Abosch on this feature that’s “been fine-tuned to recognize faces and adjust the lighting accordingly to simulate professional lightning. In other words, it’s OnePlus’s take on the iPhone’s Portrait Lighting.

There are just two launch colors

At launch, the OnePlus 6T is only available in two colors — Midnight Black and Mirror Black. These are the exact same finishes that were available for the OnePlus 6, with the former featuring a matte finish while the latter has a glossy coating.

It’s entirely possible (and very likely) that OnePlus will offer additional colors later on down the road, but for the time being, you need to choose between black and black.

The phone’s available for purchase now

If you’re interested in buying a OnePlus 6T it’s available for purchase right now with pricing starting at $549 for the model with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. Along with that, you can get 8GB RAM + 128GB storage or 8GB RAM + 256GB storage for $579 and $629, respectively.

The 6T is being sold through OnePlus’s website, and for the first time in the U.S., it’s also being offered directly through a wireless carrier — T-Mobile, specifically.

T-Mobile’s only carrying the 128GB + 8GB RAM model in Mirror Black, but if you trade in an eligible phone and buy the 6T on a monthly installment plan, you can get $300 back via monthly bill credits.

See at OnePlus

See at T-Mobile

To make more room for livestock, the Dutch will moove cows to a floating farm

Floating Farm/Beladon

In the next three decades, the global population is expected to grow by more than two billion people. That could be a problem. We already fail to feed the roughly seven and a half billion people currently living on the planet, so we’ll need to initiate entirely new agricultural systems to accommodate more.

Soon, a Dutch company will begin testing a system they think could help provide locally grown food to coastal communities: a floating farm. For centuries, the Netherlands, one of the most densely populated nations in the world, has staved off encroaching seawater through innovative engineering techniques, while making use of limited land to feed its citizens. The floating farm idea combines these two Dutch specialties — maritime engineering and agriculture.

The first floating farm will focus on dairy cows, in particular a Dutch breed called Meuse-Rhine-Issel, but Beladon, the group behind the project, hope to expand to include crops and other livestock. Intriguing as the concept may be, it’s not clear that it’s environmentally beneficial, lucrative, or scalable.

Illustrations and concept art for the Floating Farm. Floating Farm/Beladon

We spoke with Minke van Wingerden, co-owner of Beladon. She described a partially automated operation, where robots do the milking as cows are treated to a “bougie” experience. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Digital Trends: How did the idea for a floating farm first com about?

Minke van Wingerden: My husband came up with the idea. Seven years ago he started Beladon, a company that designs floating structures. He was busy with a project in New York in 2012 when Hurricane Sandy hit and Manhattan was flooded. He realized it’s important to produce fresh foods nearby cities because after two days shelves in the shops were empty.

The floating farm has three layers. The concrete layer at the bottom. Then the first floor, or the process floor. And the cows are on top.

It wasn’t the smartest idea to start with a floating dairy farm because cows are very big and curious, and they move together, so the structure has to be fairly stable. But, in the Netherlands, we’re used to floating structures and building on water. In our project, maritime technology and agriculture technology come together. That combination makes makes this project so interesting for the Dutch.

Can you describe the layout of the structure?

Well we are going to use a rubber floor that is a little elastic, so it’s good for the cows’ bones and joints. It has small canals, which we are going to clean with a manure robot. It’s easy to clean and then the robot takes away the manure, and it immediately separates the manure and urine. That’s important because when you separate that quickly it has less smell.

A video graphic showing each layer of the Floating Farm. Floating Farm/Beladon

Where does the robot take the waste?

The floating farm has three layers. The concrete layer at the bottom. Then the first floor, or the process floor. And the cows are on top. The manure goes from the top to the floor beneath, where we process the manure.

We split the manure and urine, then dry it and sell it the city as a fertilizer for grass or plants on your balcony. We are also going to use it for the cows so they can lie on it. It’s a raw material and they like lie on it.

Before we went through all the permits, we asked veterinarians if it’s OK for cows to live on platform like this.

You currently plan for 40 cows. Have you considered adding more to the herd?

This is now a private project, so we have zero subsidy and limited money. We made it as small as possible. For us, animal welfare is very important.

Cows need more space than in a regular stable, but we think that now they have about one and a half times more space than in a regular stable, so they will feel fine. This small floating farm, we call it our living lab, because this is how we are going to show the world that we can make it happen.

Minke van Wingerden, co-owner of Beladon. Floating Farm/Belaon

How much do you plan to invest in the project?

About €2.6 million ($3 million). But we think it would be much more interesting to make it bigger and start with about 100 cows.

Who will be milking the cows?

We have hired a real farmer, who is the son of a farmer from the northern part of the Netherlands. Now he can live in the city and be a farmer. In the Netherlands, farmers have a lot of troubles with succession. A lot of young people don’t want to be farmers. I think the agriculture sector needs a little boost to be a little more sexy. That’s also why we want to make this structure so iconic — to show the world that agriculture is important because it’s our daily food source.

[The cows] can choose to stay all day but there’s also a bridge to a small pasture next to the floating farm.

As far as animal welfare, I’m wondering about potential seasickness and discomfort that the cattle might experience. How are you making sure they’re comfortable in that environment?

Before we went through all the permits, we asked veterinarians if it’s OK for cows to live on platform like this. They agreed. We are convinced that cows will be very happy on the platform because we constructed it so stable. There will be almost no movement.

How long will the cows be on the floating farm?

They can choose to stay all day but there’s also a bridge to a small pasture next to the floating farm. On the platform there is the milking robot and there will also be fresh fodder for the cows. We will create a kind of a bougie environment. Cows like to live in bougie environments, so we think that they will be very happy on the platform

Construction of the Floating Farm has been underway since early March and is expected to be completed before the end of the year. Floating Farm/Beladon

What are you doing to mitigate any risks of pollution? Whenever you have animals you have quite a bit of waste that goes along with that. How are you ensuring that none of them waste or any other pollution from the farm gets into the waterway?

There’s a border around the side that the cows cannot walk on. There’s two meters between the water and the cows, so they cannot pollute the water in that way. And the bridge is completely closed, so there also can be no pollution of the water from the cows.

The plans are to make a complete floating food strip … in the harbor that you can [use to] feed, more or less, part of the city.

People are also afraid that there will be pollution of water. But the water we use we also clean on the platform, so the water we put back into the river will be cleaner than the water which is now already in it. Before we got the permit, we had to prove this.

This sort of structure seems like it could be appropriate for certain areas, like the Netherlands, but not for areas that experience strong weather or seas. Where do you think this type of structure could be used?

That’s something we have to research. In Rotterdam, we have no hurricanes and so no troubles there. But we also went to China where, for example, there are places where there has been mining and now there are wetlands. That might be a nice opportunity for a floating farm.

A video graphic showing each construction phase and overall design plan for the Floating Farm. Floating Farm/Beladon

When do you expect construction to be complete?

We expect the cows before the end of the year. The structure is almost completed. So we are now working inside it with electricity, water, and engineering. We expect we can invite all visitors in the beginning of 2019.

And when do you expect to have the first milk available?

Before the end of this year. We have also already designed a chicken farm and greenhouse. Our plans are to make a complete floating food strip to show in the harbor that you can feed more or less part of the city. We are now in a small part of the harbor, which is in transition. In the next 10 or 15 years there will be only housing and offices. Our idea is that we are going to transform this part of the area, because for us it’s important that a social community in the heart has its own food production to reconnect citizens to their food.

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