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Lime launches a weekly subscription for scooters and e-bikes

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The company has been testing the subscription service since March in a pilot program and is now ready to roll it out to the general public. The exact price of a LimePass subscription varies by region, but a screenshot shows a price of $4.99 per week in San Fransisco. To tempt users to try the service out, Lime is offering a week of free unlocks to new subscribers after paying an opt-in fee.

LimePass

The program is aimed at commuters, as Lime says that more than half of their riders use scooters for traveling to work or taking personal daily trips. Users in the US will save $1 per ride on the unlock fee, so the cost of a subscription can be covered in just a few days.

To sign up for the service, open the Lime app, tap the menu icon, then go to the LimePass icon and follow the on-screen instructions. If you live in a different country, Lime confirms it will be rolling the subscription program out to other counties starting in January next year.

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WhatsApp exploit let one user render the app unusable for entire groups

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After joining a group chat, a user could edit specific message parameters using the WhatsApp web interface and a browser debugging tool. Then they could create an “unstoppable crash-loop for all group chat members” which could only be fixed by uninstalling and reinstalling the app. The exploit would prevent members from returning to the group and and also lose all history of the chat.

This follows another WhatsApp vulnerability discovered by Check Point last year. The FakesApp vulnerability, as it is known, allowed people to manipulate messages in group chats to make it appear as if other users had said things they had not. This worked by manipulating the parameters used by the WhatsApp web interface to fake the apparent sender of a message.

After finding the latest defect, Check Point disclosed the problem to WhatsApp in August as part of a bug bounty program. WhatsApp patched the issue in September with version 2.19.58, so take this as a reminder to keep your apps up to date.

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OpenStreetMap Haiku project generates poetry about your location

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The system considers various aspects of the location you choose using the information users add to OpenStreeMap, a collaborative map project people can edit. It then uses words that can be associated with certain elements: salad, cabbage and carrots, for instance, could show up in the haiku if there’s a supermarket in the area. Meanwhile, a swimming pool might produce a verse with the line “smells of chlorine.” We don’t know if “soaked pants” kept showing up for various places in New York because it’s rainy or because of something else, but figuring out where the lines come from is just part of the fun.

According to Satellite Studio, the team was inspired by a project called Every Thing Every Time by artist Naho Matsuda. That project used various data points from Austin, such as the local humidity levels, to generate poetry. Just like Matsuda’s project, OpenStreetMap Haiku produces a variety of results, most of which don’t follow haiku’s 5-7-5 structure. You’re bound to read some weird stuff that make no sense, but you’ll also find poems that flow beautifully if you just look around.

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New Android phones in Turkey will have to do without Google apps

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Back in 2018, the competition board ordered Google to change its software distribution agreements in order to allow consumers to choose a different search engine for their Android devices. It gave Google six months to make the changes and also slapped it with a 93 million lira ($17.4 million) fine. Now, the board has ruled that the changes the tech giant already made were still inadequate, since the ability to change search engines still isn’t available.

Google says it’s working with authorities to resolve the issue, so Android fans in Turkey may want to cross their fingers if they want to be able to access the Play Store and other Google apps on their future phones. That said, current models won’t be affected. The tech giant said in a statement: “Consumers will be able to purchase existing device models and will be able to use their devices and applications normally. Google’s other services will be unaffected.”

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Segway-Ninebot adds electric scooter, moped options

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Ninebot

This eScooter is Ninebot’s first one intended for mid- to long-range use, and it can hit 24 MPH in four seconds. There are five variants, with a top-of-the-line E200P model that has a 62 MPH top speed and estimated 124 mile range from its 54Ah battery.

Apex

Both the scooter and moped connect to the Segway-Ninebot app to enable various smart features including a “triple GPS” anti-theft system. There’s no word yet on pricing or exact release date, We’ll see these next month at CES, along a couple of concepts: an Apex electric motorcycle capable of 125 MPH and 0 – 37 MPH acceleration in 3.2 seconds, as well as an eScooter T that adds self-balancing and autonomous capabilities. The eScooter T can be remote controlled via app, sort of like Tesla’s Smart Summon — but with a vehicle that’s much smaller.

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Nikon Z6 and Z7 owners can now pay $200 to add RAW video capture

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Nikon announced the upgrade all the way back at CES 2019, so it’s taken nearly a year to deliver it. By recording RAW to the Atomos Ninja V, you’ll get a lot more flexibility for color grading than with any other option. “As RAW video is not subjected to in-camera processing, all information that is outputted from the image sensor is preserved,” Nikon said in a press release. “This abundance of information can later be used in post-production.”

You’ll have to be careful to choose the right type of external recorder. “Operation is not guaranteed with recorders other than the [$695] Ninja V (as of December 2019),” Nikon clarified. In addition, full-frame RAW 4K is only available on the Z6, while it’s cropped down to an APS-C (DX) size on the higher-resolution Z7. Nikon also said that the RAW video upgrade will be available for free to buyers of its Nikon Z6 Filmmaker’s kit, shown below.

Nikon now has bragging rights over Sony, Canon and other camera companies with RAW recording, a desirable feature for filmmakers. RED recently won a court battle with Apple over the use of RAW video codecs, but Atomos had already locked up a license deal with RED early in 2019.

In addition, Nikon’s latest firmware update finally delivers support for CFexpress cards on top of the XQD cards you can use right now. CFexpress cards can hit much higher speeds than XQD, so it should make for faster buffer clearing and photo transfers. However, Nikon said that for now, the Z6 and Z7 are only guaranteed to work with Sony’s Type B CFexpress cards, at a price of $200 for the 128GB model.

Nikon’s full-frame models have become a lot more useful since they were first released, with the previous firmware update unlocking eye-detection support. Other manufactures, including Panasonic, Canon and Sony, have also introduced new features via free and paid updates. This is good news for buyers, as it will greatly extend the life of some very expensive products. For more information on Nikon’s RAW program, check out the link here.

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Hulu will stream a Greta Thunberg documentary in 2020

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Back in September, the 16-year-old Swedish climate activist bravely called out world leaders for failing to do enough to address the climate crisis at the UN Climate Action Summit. More recently, Time’s Person of the Year for 2019 also spoke at the COP25 Climate Change conference, blasting wealthy countries and massive corporations’ pledges to combat climate change as “creative PR.” The documentary doesn’t have a release date yet, but it does have a working title: Greta. It will join other documentaries about culturally relevant personalities and experiences when it becomes available, including Hillary, which will be come out on Hulu in March 2020.

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Instagram will automatically label false content shared from Facebook

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The social media giant reiterated that it will pull users from the Explore and hashtag pages if they repeatedly receive these flags.

This auto-labeling could help curb some of the more obnoxious attempts to spread misinformation. You’ll hopefully see fewer instances of friends sharing old hoaxes or junk science. This won’t necessarily stop the most determined charlatans, and it certainly won’t help you avoid false political ads. It’s a step in the right direction, though, and the newly global reach of the fact-checking program is bound to help as well.

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Boeing will freeze 737 Max production as FAA review carries on

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Boeing has about 400 completed aircraft sitting in storage, and said that focusing on delivering those aircraft would be “least disruptive” to its long-term plans. Staff will either continue working on the 737 or receive temporary assignments with other teams.

There’s little doubt this production stop will hurt Boeing’s bottom line. As the company acknowledged, though, safety takes priority here. The software mistakes that led to the 737 Max’s two crashes cost hundreds of lives — the solution has to be completely trustworthy for regulators, airlines and the public. Whatever financial hit Boeing takes is a small price to pay if it prevents another tragedy.

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