Monthly Archives: November 2023

Revel is shutting down its shared electric moped service

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Revel is leaving behind its roots and ending its (at times controversial) electric moped service New York City and San Francisco. Company CEO and co-founder Frank Reig has sent a company-wide email, viewed by TechCrunch, telling staff that "the service has been strained and ridership isn't what it used to be." Revel has also sent out emails to its passengers, notifying them that the service will shut down on November 18 and encouraging them to use their account credits before then. 

As the publication notes, Revel pulled the service out of its other markets in 2022, and only has around 3,000 mopeds operational in NYC and San Francisco. A spokesperson from the company told TechCrunch that ridership has dropped by 30 percent in both remaining cities year-over-year and that it's no longer sustainable to keep that segment of its business running. 

Revel temporarily paused its moped service a few times over the years due to safety concerns. In 2020, it suspended the ridesharing solution following an accident wherein two customers were killed while riding its vehicles. It brought back the service after implementing a mandatory in-app safety test and requiring riders to take a selfie of themselves wearing a helmet. Revel also pulled its mopeds from the Bronx for over a year due to a string of battery thefts.

Going forward, Revel will focus on its EV ride-hailing service operated by employee drivers across the five boroughs of New York. It also plans to expand its EV fast-charging stations in New York and the Bay Area.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/revel-is-shutting-down-its-shared-electric-moped-service-113046594.html?src=rss

How to download iPhone maps for offline use

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How to download maps on your iPhone for offline use

With the introduction of iOS 17, Apple has made it possible for iPhone users to download maps for offline use. This feature provides a practical solution for users who may be traveling to areas with unreliable or non-existent internet connections. By downloading maps onto their devices, users can ensure that they will always have access […]

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Lucid cuts prices on Air luxury EVs by up to $10,000

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Lucid is selling several of its electric vehicle models at a discount until November 30, and as Reuters notes, it's another sign that the EV market is going through period of slow demand in the midst of tougher competition. The automaker is now selling the 2023 Air Pure All Wheel Drive (AWD) for $74,900, down from $82,400. Meanwhile, the Air Touring now costs $87,500 instead of $95,000, and the Air Grand Touring will set buyers back $10,000 less at $115,600 instead of $125,600. Lucid is offering these discounts as "Air Credits," which the company launched during an earlier round of price cuts. 

"We think our customers still deserve a $7,500 credit for choosing an EV," Zak Edson, Lucid's Vice President of Sales and Service, said back in February. Buyers can get federal tax credits of up to $7,500 for electric vehicles within certain price ranges, but Lucid's luxury sedans are too expensive and don't qualify for the incentive. 

To note, customers can only avail of Lucid's discounts if they can take delivery within seven days of their order being ready. One of the company's main reasons for cutting prices seems to be to sell its current inventory, because the limited-time offers only apply to "cars for immediate delivery." Upon checking its available vehicles, Lucid has dozens of the aforementioned models available for buyers within the next two weeks. 

Lucid isn't the only EV-maker to cut its prices more than once over the past year. Tesla notably lowered its prices several times since 2022, the latest of which was announced after it revealed that it fell short of market estimates for deliveries in the third quarter of 2023. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/lucid-cuts-prices-on-air-luxury-evs-by-up-to-10000-091529627.html?src=rss

How to use ChatGPT to manage your inbox and emails

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Using AI to manage your inbox and write emails

Email inboxes are the bane of many people’s lives, filling with spam and other promotional information perhaps we could do without reading. Allowing us to just focus on only the emails that are important to us, our business or workplace. If you are interested in letting artificial intelligence help you with this dilemma and sort […]

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Moon Deluxe Edition board game with playmat new coin chests and more

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Moon Deluxe Edition board game with playmat

If you missed the first Kickstarter campaign for the Moon board game, you will be pleased to know that it has been reprinted and is once again available on Kickstarter offering savings through early bird pledges. The playmat is £20 and you can also choose between four different coin chests each priced at £20 or […]

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How to use ChatGPT to analyze spreadsheets, reports, data and more

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analyze spreadsheets data using ChatGPT

If you have lots of spreadsheets you would like to analyze, but unfortunately don’t have the time to invest in trawling through each one to any great depth, but known they contain a wealth of valuable insights. You might be interested to know that you can harness the power of artificial intelligence within ChatGPT to […]

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Top 10 Travel Accessories To Pack In Your Suitcase For Your Next Jet-Setting Adventure

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Traveling has now become a full-fledged affair, since the terror of the pandemic has waned away, and everyone is jet-setting about freely. My travel bucket is currently brimming with places I need to visit. But as any experienced traveler will definitely tell you, before you set off on your next adventure, you need to put together a collection of handy, reliable, and well-designed travel accessories. Great travel accessories are essential, they have your back in the most sudden and spontaneous of situations, providing you with aid and relief when you least expect it. And, we’ve put together a bunch of innovative and functional travel-friendly products that you need to pack in your suitcase for your next trip! From KODAK travel cases to a mini washing machine– these products are the must-haves you need for your next holiday.

1. Nothing Power Bank

Dubbed the Nothing power bank, this transparent gadget showcases its innards with glory. The interiors are illuminated with a range of small warm-toned LEDS, that impart the accessory with a Cyberpunkish look on the inside and out.

Why is it noteworthy?

A power bank is an ideal match for Nothing considering its usability and no-frills nature. With an impressive amount of options on the market, a transparent power bank in Nothing’s product line would be an excellent addition to their ever-growing ecosystem.

What we like

  • Perfectly complements the Nothing Phone (2)
  • Sleek transparent aesthetics

What we dislike

  • It’s a concept, so we’re not sure how well it would translate into a real-time product

2. Mini Washing Machine

This tiny little washing machine is the perfect portable machine that works great for apartments, condos, motor homes, RVs, camping, and any other place where a full-sized washing machine can’t be placed and used.

Why is it noteworthy?

It provides the freedom of washing clothes whenever and wherever you want, which is of value especially when you cannot afford to use a limitless amount of water for the task.

What we like

  • Ideal for bachelors, travelers, and people who live a minimalistic lifestyle

What we dislike

  • Cannot wash any bulky clothing items like down jackets or heavy sweaters

3. G5 Clothes Steamer

Much like the G2 and G3 by Nesugar, their latest G5 clothes steamer packs the reliable functions of the predecessors while integrating new functions that are highly useful and functional.

Why is it noteworthy?

It doesn’t require any water addition for a week or so without compromising on the daily ironing needs. This is attributed to the larger panels and three-layer heating bodies for a more efficient vaporization efficiency and greater steam volume.

What we like

  • Equipped with a new feature to prevent high-temperature water splashes

What we dislike

4. Ringo Bottle

Combining the practicality of a water bottle with the convenience of a MagSafe-compatible iPhone stand, the Ringo Bottle quenches your thirst while turning your smartphone into a tripod on the fly.

Why is it noteworthy?

No more shaky videos or propping your phone against precarious objects—now you can FaceTime, create TikTok videos, and shoot IG Reels like a pro, along with the benefit of having glowing skin because you’re constantly hydrated!

What we like

  • Works rather intuitively without any adjustable clamps or grips
  • Is a handy little instrument to keep your phone propped up while you watch videos, take calls, or film viral content

What we dislike

  • Not sure if we can use the bottle cover/lid as a standalone tripod

5. Foldwave

The Foldwave concept was designed by Park Saun to show what a portable microwave could look like. It features a collapsible design that converts into a portable carry case when not in use.

Why is it noteworthy?

The Foldwave gives you the option of being able to carry your microwave around. Use it at home from one room to another, carry it to work, or even to a picnic.

What we like

  • Features a handle on the top makes it easy to carry around

What we dislike

  • It’s a concept, so we are unsure how the final product will pan out to be

6. Taco Device

This concept started out with the metaphor or pun “Let’s taco ’bout it” and it evolved into something that actually uses the idea of the taco, or at least the shape of it.

Why is it noteworthy?

The translation device is shaped like a taco and will be used by both the speaker and the listener. It’s actually like one of those two-way cup devices that you may have used when you were young (or at least those of a certain age) but now using digital technology.

What we like

  • Makes communicating more fun and functional

What we dislike

  • The shape, while good for holding, is not designed to catch sound correctly

7. DOTS

DOTS is a portable coffee machine that works specifically for automated vehicles but can be utilized in other on-the-go scenarios as well. The portable coffee machine is an excellent option for those long car journeys!

Why is it noteworthy?

It has a removable bottom so it can adapt to whatever or wherever you’re using it for. It also uses coffee capsules instead of the usual brewing method to make it easier to use.

What we like

  • A control or lever lets you adjust the intensity of the extraction method from the capsule

What we dislike

  • It has a lid to place a straw on it, but sipping hot coffee with a straw seems weird and uncomfortable

8. TA-205

This compact universal travel adapter is called the TA-205, and it can support plug points in more than 200 countries. The adapter features multiple plug-inlets, charging all your precious gadgets in one go.

Why is it noteworthy?

It includes a fast-charge USB-C port that outputs 35.5W for rapidly charging your smartphone so you can step out instead of being trapped in your hotel room. It offers dual AC sockets – a universal one and a US socket.

What we like

  • The TA-205 can deal with 1000W at 100V~ and a whopping 2400W at 240V~

What we dislike

9. Kodak Luggage

Designed as a set of three bags ranging from a small carry-on to a medium cabin/check-in case and a large check-in case, the Kodak luggage is a clever reinterpretation of the ‘Kodak Moment’ – the company’s famous slogan.

Why is it noteworthy?

Instead of photographs, however, the luggage focuses on travel, helping you create memorable experiences that are worthy of photographs. In doing so, Kodak still manages to be an integral part of the memory-making experience, but in an absolutely new way.

What we like

  • Available in 5 colors, they’re distinctly different from other travel cases we’ve seen just given their color palette

What we dislike

  • The luggage does not include any means of personalizing them, which could be a missed Kodak moment as there is no way to include our photographs on the luggage

10. Swift

Say hello to Swift – the world’s first 120W travel adapter built with 3rd GaN technology. The Swift can support sockets in over 15 countries, but it has a unique feature, unlike other adapters!

Why is it noteworthy?

Unlike any other travel adapter, it also lets you plug in as many as 6 devices at the same time and fast-charge all of them simultaneously. You’ll never travel the same way ever again.

What we like

  • Let’s you fast-charge every conceivable gadget from your phone to your tablet, laptop, power bank, camera, drone, or any other gadget

What we dislike

  • There are similar designs on the market

The post Top 10 Travel Accessories To Pack In Your Suitcase For Your Next Jet-Setting Adventure first appeared on Yanko Design.

Vollebak’s New Solar Charged Hat Is Perfect for Spelunking

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Vollebak is back, yet again, with a new piece of solar-charged apparel. Its new Solar Charged Hat looks exactly as comfortable as it is sustainably-designed, being that it’s made up of three layers of material insulating the head of whoever wears it. Plus, it’s covered in “membranes” that absorb light (like plants!) to power its biggest feature: it glows brightly in the dark wherever you “draw” light, meaning you can use it as an artist’s easel with a flashlight. But more importantly, you can store and communicate brightly-lit messages on the hat’s fabric.

Even without that, it’s a very nice glow-in-the-dark winter hat meant to pair with Vollebak’s other solar-powered apparel, like the Solar Charged Puffer. The expensive and intricate photovoltaic outer layer is cool-looking, and probably quite useful if you need all the light you can get, but it does come with a $395 price tag. According to Vollebak, it’s made for “the coldest, darkest places on Earth,” and if you’re going to those places anyway, you probably won’t mind spending on potentially life-saving functionality and maybe a little extra peace of mind.

Designer: Vollebak

It’s built for durability, using a wind and water-resistant three-layered material made of a Nylon mesh, ripstop, and the photovoltaic membrane that makes it solar-powered. The sides of the cap contain ultra-soft fleece lining and insulation. What stands out here is the Nylon used in the cap: Cordura, a reinforced material generally used in military-grade gear. Apparently, the ripstop layer is made of the same materials “found in parachutes”. And from that single revelation alone, if anything is certain, this is the hat you’d probably want on an expedition to Antarctica.

The kryptonite green color may be a bit too bright for high fashion; this Solar Charged Hat is definitely a piece of adventuring garb through and through, and — again if you’re in the freezing cold — it even comfortably fastens with a three-tightness chin fastener, giving you additional  warmth from the cold when needed. Of course, it doesn’t glow green all the time. When you go somewhere with a lot of natural light, as Vollebak puts it, “it’s a normal green during the day”.

It’s not just sustainable in the sense of storing energy from light. It’s also solved one of the biggest problems in sourcing insulation components: avoiding animal cruelty.

“Made from 100% recycled plastic bottles the engineered microfibres are so light and puffy that they trap enough heat next round your head to recreate the warmth of real down, without needing to pull feathers out of ducks or geese. And while down will clump and stop insulating if it gets wet, the synthetic fibres will continue keeping you warm even in damp conditions.”

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Knife Designer for the SpaceX Crew is back with a Damascus Steel and Titanium EDC Pocket Blade

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In 2021, SpaceX commissioned knife designer Darriel Caston to design a standard-issue EDC pocket blade for its crew. Now CRKT is teaming up with Caston to build a production-ready version of that very knife, with a titanium handle and a gorgeous Damascus Steel blade. Named Mbombo after the Kuba god of creation, the knife builds on the Central-African mythology of a god who helped create the sun, moon, and stars from within their body. The entire knife measures 7.63 inches when fully open, and weighs a mere 3.5 ounces (99.22 grams), making it absolutely ideal for traveling with. It’s a feisty little demon, with a precisely engineered flipping mechanism that makes the knife feel incredibly robust and well worth its $225 price tag.

Designer: Darriel Caston for CRKT

Caston’s knife for SpaceX had some very specific design guidelines. The build had to be reliable, infallible, and had to have the kind of precision you’d expect from a space exploration company. As a tribute to the company, Caston even incorporated materials from SpaceX’s launch pad, using the metal as the raw material for his knives. CRKT later approached Caston to help create a new derivative line of knives based on the SpaceX design. While it wasn’t entirely possible to get their hands on SpaceX’s launch pads, CRKT decided to outfit the Mbombo with some unique materials of their own.

The Mbombo’s blade is perhaps the first thing you notice about it. Crafted from Damascus Steel, the blade has a beautiful marbled pattern on it brought about by etching the steels’ different metal blends. The Mbombo comes with a cleaver-style blade with two edges, reminiscent of an American Tanto, but with a curved front profile that makes it versatile and good to look at. The blade measures a cool 3.23 inches (82mm) when open, and closes into its beautiful bead-blasted titanium handle.

The handle comes with a textured edge on the front, increasing dexterity and grip during use, while also being a hat-tip to the ridged design of the SpaceX flipper. The titanium handle also sports a nifty frame lock in the form of a thick lock bar that locks the blade in place once open, preventing it from accidentally shutting while in use. Lift the bar and the blade folds back into its handle.

The Mbombo also comes with a pocket clip as well as a lanyard hole built into it, allowing you to carry it with you everywhere you go. It starts at $225, with free shipping within the US.

The post Knife Designer for the SpaceX Crew is back with a Damascus Steel and Titanium EDC Pocket Blade first appeared on Yanko Design.

Sushi-themed suitcases bring joy to one of the most stressful aspects of traveling

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After being stuck indoors for so long because of COVID, people have started traveling again en masse and with such intensity that the term “revenge travel” was coined. Whether it’s just across the country or to another one, people have started to remember the feeling of freedom that traveling produces. At the same time, however, it also reminds them of some of the stress involved, particularly when it comes to packing and anxiously waiting for their bags to appear on the luggage conveyor belt. Truth be told, it’s probably impossible to completely get rid of all those negative emotions, so every little thing that lightens the mood can help. This design concept, for example, doesn’t make packing easier or make time go faster, but it adds a rather playful flavor to your suitcase that might give you joy, or even make you drool, every time you see it.

Designer: Yujeong Shin

Most travel bags are designed with greater emphasis on functionality and durability, especially for suitcases that can never escape rough handling and tumbling on flights or cruises. Of course, that doesn’t mean they can’t be made to look beautiful or visually interesting, especially when aesthetics also add value to the product beyond just appearances. With the right choice of materials and thoughtful design, almost any type of theme can be used to make a suitcase look enticing without sacrificing its core features.

These pieces of luggage, for example, were made to resemble the rather famous appearance of sushi. In particular, they’re made with the dual tones of “nigiri” in mind, with white “rice” topped by a colorful ingredient, something that’s a bit easy to pull off considering suitcases are made of two halves in the first place. Associating suitcases with food might be an odd idea, but the motif is almost perfect when you consider how these rectangular containers on the airport conveyor belt almost look like sushi on food conveyor belts that are popular in Japan.

The designs cover three popular types of sushi, each with its own distinct colors as well as ridges unique to the flavors. The yellow egg (“tamago”) design has the usual spiral design you’ll see on such sushi, while both the brown eel (“unagi”) and orange salmon (“sake”) have raised waves that run across the top. Admittedly, there are more flavors of nigiri available, though the collection is oddly missing the equally popular red tuna (“maguro”).

The sushi metaphor doesn’t stop there, however, and another aspect reveals a rather genius marriage of form and function. A strap wraps around the width of the suitcase, resembling the strip of seaweed (“nori”) used to hold the two halves of sushi together. This strap has an area for writing your information and saves you the trouble of having to buy a separate accessory for the suitcase. The sushi suitcase isn’t a groundbreaking new design that changes the formula completely, but it helps make traveling a bit more enjoyable and even fun, especially if you’re going to Japan.

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