Vespa Elettrica: Piaggio’s first all-electric scooter is about to hit the road
Italian scooter manufacturer Piaggio has launched online pre-orders for its first all-electric scooter, with shipping starting in Europe toward the end of the year and in the U.S. in early 2019. The Vespa Elettrico features a 4-kW motor, has a range of 62 miles, and takes four hours to fully charge.
This is the result when a quadcopter strikes the wing of an aircraft
Responding to increasing concern over drone flights near airports, researchers in the U.S. have conducted lab tests to see what happens when a quadcopter collides with an aircraft wing at high speed. Launching a DJI Phantom drone at the wing of an airplane, the results of the experiment may surprise you.
Google Slides now auto-transcribes verbal presentations for real-time captions
A new feature for the Google Slides presentation software uses a PC's built-in microphone to transcribe the words of a speaker in real time, displaying them for everyone to see. While aimed at those with hearing loss, the feature could also prove useful in noisy rooms or when the speaker fails to project their voice.
Amazon may be prepping its first checkout-free store overseas
Amazon is reportedly looking to take its cashier-free store to its first overseas market. It already has four Amazon Go stores operating in the United States with many more to follow in the next three years, and is now believed to be looking for potential sites in the United Kingdom.
Banksy artwork self-destructs after it auctions for $1.4 million
Banksy pulled a spectacular stunt on Friday by shredding one of his most famous works just seconds after it fetched $1.4 million at a Sotheby's auction. The secretive street artist said later he built a shredding machine into the frame in case the artwork — Girl With Balloon — was ever put up for auction.
There are now vending machines in London that dry-clean your laundry
Londoners who have neither the time nor inclination to do their own dry-cleaning can now shove it in a vending machine and collect it, all ready to wear, within 24 hours. The new machines are heading to 200 locations across the capital, with the first ones opening at a number of its subway stations.
Twitter’s new Data Saver feature does what it says on the tin
If you want to use less data with Twitter, a new feature rolled out for the app on October 3 has your back. Called Data Saver, it prevents videos from auto-playing and loads lower-resolution images. Should you want to view a higher-resolution image in Data Saver mode, you can do so in a couple of taps.
Uber’s first electric-scooter service takes on Lyft in Santa Monica
Though still arch-rivals in the ridesharing space, Uber and Lyft are expanding their respective services to other modes of transport. Besides bike-sharing schemes, both companies are also getting into scooters, with Uber launching its first such service this week in Santa Monica, California.
Disney takes to the air with an autonomous paint-spraying drone
Look what has just flown out of Disney Research's workshop. It's an autonomous spray-painting drone that can apply colorful designs to 3D objects as well as flat surfaces. The PaintCopter, as Disney is calling it, offers "accurate and fast painting results" and could be useful in industrial settings.
Freewrite Traveler is a portable writing device for the easily distracted
The Freewrite Traveler is a better looking, more portable device than its somewhat clunky predecessor. The bare-bones machine is aimed squarely at those who are easily distracted, its lack of features enabling users to focus purely on the writing task in hand. At least, that's the idea.
Google’s Voice Access app gives Android users total hands-free control
Aimed at those with mobility issues, Google's free Voice Access app offers Android users hands-free control of their device in a way that builds on the functionality already offered by Google Assistant. It has just come out of beta and is usable with English commands, with more languages on the way.
Lyft wants to know about your ride experience before it’s even over
Lyft is so keen to know how your ridesharing trip is going that it wants to ask you about it while you're still in the car. The feature, which is now being tested, is designed to help it hone its carpooling service, with Lyft believing that it can get more thoughtful responses during the ride rather than later on.
Instagram names new boss: Facebook veteran Adam Mosseri
Instagram's new boss is Adam Mosseri, a 10-year veteran of Facebook — the company that owns Instagram. More recently, Mosseri ran Facebook's news feed before moving to Instagram's product division in May. In an online post, he said he was excited to take on the role and promised to maintain Instagram's core values.
‘No-selfie zones’ suggested to prevent fatal accidents at tourist spots
OK, it's highly unlikely you're going to succumb to a nasty accident with your next selfie effort, but the rising number of cases where selfie-takers are putting themselves in unnecessary danger has led researchers to suggest banning the practice at some tourist spots.
Some iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max handsets appear to have charging issues
Some owners of Apple's new iPhone XS and XS Max handsets are apparently having problems charging their devices using the cable. In such cases, the charging process fails to begin automatically when the screen is off, or stops after a short time. Apple has not yet publicly acknowledged the issue.
Nintendo wins battle against Tokyo’s Mario-inspired go-kart tourist attraction
Nintendo has won a copyright case against MariCar, provider of a hugely popular Tokyo tourist attraction that lets you go-kart around the city's streets wearing costumes inspired by Nintendo's famous video game characters. The court's decision may force MariCar off the road, though a hasty rebranding exercise could save it.
Fujifilm’s new SQ20 instant camera is the first to include video
Fujifilm's new Instax Square SQ20 instant camera is a hybrid device offering digital shots as well as instant prints using the Instax film system. It's the first Instax to offer video, though it's mainly for fancy photo effects. The camera starts shipping on October 20 for $200.
Uber agrees to pay $148 million for 2016 hack and cover-up
Uber has agreed to pay $148 million for failing to immediately come clean about a 2016 hack that resulted in the theft of personal data belonging to 57 million of its riders and drivers worldwide. Uber had hoped to cover up the security breach and paid the hackers $100,000 to destroy the stolen data.
Amazon is opening a new brick-and-mortar store with a twist
Adding to its physical book stores and Amazon Go grocery outlets, the online shopping giant is opening a new retail store in New York City that only sells items that have been rated four stars and higher on its site. Amazon 4-star, as it's called, will offer products from across its range, with better prices for Prime members.
Kodak relaunches Ektachrome film after 6-year absence
After a six-year absence, Kodak has relaunched its Ektachrome 100 film for photographers and filmmakers. The company stopped making the color transparency film in 2012 citing falling sales amid growing pressure from the digital camera market, but has brought it back following growing calls from film photographers.
This is surely the coolest way yet to solve a Rubik’s Cube
If your attempts to complete the Rubik's Cube usually end with the thing flying out of the window or against a wall, then what you need is one that solves itself. A Japanese creator has just created such a cube, squeezing a tiny computer and motors inside the world's most frustrating toy.
Delta tech issue grounds planes, could affect Wednesday flights
A "technology issue" that temporarily grounded all Delta planes across the U.S. on Tuesday night has been resolved. The carrier says disruption from a knock-on effect is expected to be "minimal," but it's advising anyone flying on Wednesday to check the status of their flight before heading to the airport.
Esports protest sees soccer fans hurling controllers and consoles onto field
Soccer fans in Switzerland annoyed at the game's growing involvement in esports staged a protest on Sunday that saw them throw controllers and consoles onto the field during a game, forcing the ref to stop play. But with esports a huge business and money to be made, regular sports look set to cozy up to the platform.
Microsoft and Shell build A.I. into gas stations to help spot smokers
Microsoft and Shell have teamed up to incorporate artificial intelligence into gas stations as part of a system that's capable of quickly identifying someone who's smoking or about to smoke. The platform uses multiple cameras, local computing power, and Microsoft's cloud intelligence system to do the job.
Instagram’s co-founders have resigned from the Facebook-owned company
In a move no one was expecting, Instagram co-founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger are stepping down from their roles as CEO and chief technology officer, respectively. Systrom said in a statement that they were both "planning on taking some time off to explore our curiosity and creativity again."
A Japanese spacecraft just landed two rovers on an asteroid
Japan's space agency has succeeded in landing two rovers on the surface of an asteroid around 200 million miles from Earth. The deployment is part of the ambitious Hayabusa 2 mission aimed at unlocking some of the enduring mysteries of our solar system, and involves getting samples from the space rock back to Earth.
Roll over, SpotMini — here comes the ALMA robo-dog
If two robo-dogs met on the street, would one attempt to sniff the mechanical components located at the rear of the other? We have no idea, but with Robotic Systems Lab's robo-dog recently showing off its improved skills, and SpotMini hitting the market in the coming months, we may soon find out.
How much!? Harrison Ford’s Indiana Jones hat fetches $520,000 at auction
Described by the auctioneer as "a globally recognized cinematic treasure," the fedora worn by Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones in the 1981 blockbuster Raiders of the Lost Ark has gone under the hammer for more than $500,000. The hat featured in many of the movie's key scenes, and includes Ford's signature on the inside.
Instagram feature that lets you reshare others’ posts may be on its way
Despite constant calls from many of its billion-plus users, Instagram has always refused to offer an option that lets Instagrammers reshare others' posts that appear on their feed. New reports suggest that this state of affairs could be about to change.
Tesla says dash cam feature using car’s built-in cameras is coming soon
Tesla CEO Elon Musk is promising the next version of Autopilot, which is expected imminently, will include a dash cam feature that uses the car's built-in cameras. It's a feature many Tesla drivers have long been asking for, with Musk saying it's currently going through final testing and will launch with Autopilot 9