VCV Rack 2 has arrived, and it could help you figure out if modular synthesis is something you can get into before blowing a fortune on it. The original app dropped in 2017, giving you access to thousands of virtual modules that let you try Eurorack for free. This upgraded app comes with a completely redesigned user interface with a dark room mode and a much better module browser than its predecessor. VCV has a library of almost 2,700 modules, and the new browser will make them easier to sort with its category filters and the capability to highlight the modules you use the most.
While the app itself is still free to download and use, there's now a Pro version that includes a VST plugin for full integration into the digital audio workstation of your choice. That means you'll be able to use VCV Rack within Ableton, Logic or even GarageBand. The Pro tier also comes with professional support — and the promise of more plugin formats in the future. Rack 2's paid version will set you back $99 until 2022, though you can also get it bundled with VCV Drums and VCV Sound Stage for $209. You can get both paid and free VCV Rack 2 versions right now from its official page.
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Twitch has rolled out another feature designed to bring viewers closer together. The livestreaming service now supports SharePlay on iPhone and iPad, so up to 32 people can watch the same stream while they're on a FaceTime call.
Everyone on the call will need to log in to the Twitch app, suggesting each participant will count as an individual viewer. The first time you open a stream while you're on FaceTime, Twitch will ask whether you want to play it for yourself or everyone on the call, and it will remember your choice. If you choose to share it with everyone, SharePlay will sync the stream on everyone's devices, so they're all watching the same moment simultaneously. Play and pause controls will sync across devices too.
Want to watch Twitch with all your friends? Now you can on iPhone and iPad devices through SharePlay! 📱
Learn more about how to watch streams together in a FaceTime call here: https://t.co/PIWwZ3OkpO
Anyone on the call can move everyone over to another Twitch channel. Everyone will be able to interact with the streamer's chat, follow or subscribe to them and send Bits from their own account. You can watch the stream in either portrait or landscape orientation but, at least for now, you can't continue a SharePlay session on Twitch's Apple TV app.
A SharePlay session ends when the stream is closed, you leave the FaceTime call or end SharePlay. If you close the stream, you'll be asked if you want to end it for yourself or everyone. Choosing the latter won't actually close the stream on everyone else's devices, but playback won't be synced.
Twitch is one of the biggest streaming platforms around. It's a welcome addition to the growing lineup of services that support SharePlay, which Apple rolled out last month in iOS 15.1. Corralling a bunch of friends on a FaceTime call to watch some killer speedruns at Awesome Games Done Quick sounds like a fun way to spend time together, even when you're in your own homes.
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Google's classic "don't be evil" mantra may have been more of a philosophical statement than a practical guideline, but former staff members now want to hold the company accountable for it. NPR and The Verge say ex-engineers Paul Duke, Rebecca Rivers and Sophie Waldman have sued Google for allegedly violating the "don't be evil" segment of the company's code of conduct. They claim Google fired them for organizing worker opposition to controversial projects, like working with the Trump-era Customs and Border Protection. They were supposedly punished for pointing out evil like Google as instructed, in other words.
The one-time employees claimed Google rejected the famous phrase as it was both expensive and leading workers to organize. The internet firm supposedly decided it was better to fire people than admit its approach had changed and give up the "accompanying benefits" that came with its well-known motto.
There are concerns the lawsuit is too vague. What defines evil, exactly? However, plaintiff lawyer Laurie Burgess argued "don't be evil" was specific enough that it could be enforceable. The saying "must have meaning" if it was in the company code and thus binding, Burgess said.
We've asked Google for comment. It has previously accused all of the workers (plus Laurence Berland) of repeatedly violating data security policies by obtaining or sharing confidential data, but the workers and other critics have said this was just a cover for retaliatory action.
The lawsuit won't necessarily lead to stiff penalties. Google settled with Berland over his departure, for instance. There's a lot of pressure on Google to avoid a drawn-out legal battle when the National Labor Relations Board is still investigating the other firings. Still, this could be an important case — even if there is a settlement, it might open the door to other complaints about the company's ethical standards.
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David Marcus, the longtime Facebook executive who has overseen the company’s embattled cryptocurrency plans, is leaving the company. Marcus will step down from the company at the end of 2021, he wrote in a Facebook post.
The former PayPal executive first joined Facebook in 2014; he ran Messenger for four years before leaving the post to kickstart Facebook’s blockchain division. Since then, he’s overseen Meta’s long-troubled cryptocurrency plans, as well as other payments products like Facebook Pay.
“While there’s still so much to do right on the heels of hitting an important milestone with Novi launching — and I remain as passionate as ever about the need for change in our payments and financial systems — my entrepreneurial DNA has been nudging me for too many mornings in a row to continue ignoring it,” Marcus said.
While there’s still so much to do right on the heels of launching Novi — and I remain as passionate as ever about the need for change in our payments and financial systems — my entrepreneurial DNA has been nudging me for too many mornings in a row to continue ignoring it. (2/7)
Marcus spent the last two years trying to get Novi, the company’s cryptocurrency wallet off the ground. He announced a “small pilot” of the wallet in the United States and Guatemala earlier this year. But the wallet launched without support for Diem, the cryptocurrency previously known as Libra, that Marcus co-founded. That project, which is now independent from Meta, has been repeatedly delayed amid pushback from regulators and officials around the world. And even news of the test of Novi prompted immediate pushback from lawmakers who urged the company to halt the test, citing disclosures from a whistleblower.
In his Facebook post, Marcus said “the Novi years were the most mission-driven and intellectually stimulating ones,” during his time at the company. He said he plans to take some time off before he begins “building something new and exciting again.”
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The latest season of Fall Guys is underway and although there's a party vibe this time around, those on Nintendo Switch and Xbox are unfortunately unable to join the festivities. Developer Mediatonic has once again delayed the adorable battle royale on those platforms. The Switch and Xbox versions were initially supposed to arrive last summer, but they were pushed back until later this year. Now, according to an updated Xbox Wire post, Fall Guys will land on those platforms in 2022.
"We know everyone’s excited about Fall Guys coming to Nintendo Switch and Xbox, with good reason," Mediatonic wrote in a blog post. "There's been a lot of speculation on social media connecting these new console releases to the Season 6 launch and we want to clarify that that's not the case so no one’s left confused looking for the game on these platforms. Thank you for being patient with us, it's one of our top priorities in active development and we can't wait to share more details with you in 2022."
— Fall Guys - Season 6 Out Now! 👑 (@FallGuysGame) November 30, 2021
Although the news will come as a disappointment for would-be Switch and Xbox players, Fall Guys fans on PlayStation and PC have a lot more to check out after season six started today. Along with new levels, obstacles and cross-platform progression, there are a couple of fantastic costumes based on Jin Sakai from Ghost of Tsushima to unlock. There will be more limited-time events too, such as one starting tomorrow in which players can earn a super-cute Sackboy costume.
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It might soon be easy to build living robots — because they'll build themselves. New Scientistreports Harvard University, Tufts University and University of Vermont researchers have learned that their frog cell-based Xenobots can self-reproduce. The custom organisms can collect "hundreds" of individual cells in their dishes to spontaneously assemble baby bots that grow up within a few days. As this happens over and over, you could use the reproduction to amass however robots you need to deliver drugs, remove microplastics from rivers or otherwise complete small-scale tasks.
The replication method is as notable as the bots themselves. The cells would normally develop into tadpole skin, but the computer-designed cell mix instead uses the "kinematic" (motion-based) replication normally seen only with molecules. No known animal or plant reproduces this way, according to study lead Sam Kriegman — the robots effectively broke the 'rules' of biology.
Yes, the researchers are aware of the technical and ethical problems with robots that copy themselves without prompting. The team's goal is to understand the self-reproduction and learn how to "control it, direct it, douse it, exaggerate it," according to project co-leader Joshua Bongard. Honing this development in a tightly-controlled lab could lead to carefully managed growth. That, in turn, could lead to regenerative medicine and anti-pollution tools that simply weren't possible before.
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In 2018, astronauts aboard the International Space Station plugged a 2mm "hole" in a Soyuz MS-09 vehicle that had docked with the station in June of that year. While the pressure leak never posed an immediate threat to those aboard, it set off a bizarre turn of events that saw Russia open an investigation to find out if the incident was the result of sabotage.
Per an RIA Novosti article spotted by Ars Technica, the country's Roscosmos space agency recently completed its probe of the event and sent the results to Russian law enforcement officials, opening the door for them to announce criminal charges. Roscosmos didn't' say anything official about the cause of the pressure leak, but that hasn't stopped Russian media from spreading misinformation.
The RIA Novosti article references Russian media reports that allege the hole may have been drilled by NASA astronaut Serena Auñón-Chancellor, a crew member of the ISS at the time of the incident. Specifically, per Russia's TASSnews agency, the country's Izvestia newspaper claimed Aunon-Chancellor may have drilled the hole out of a "desire to return to Earth because of a blood clot or a fight with her onboard the International Space Station." Citing its own source, TASS claims "the hole had been drilled in weightlessness by a person not acquainted with the spaceship's design."
The possibility that a NASA astronaut was involved in creating the pressure leak is non-existent. As Ars Technica notes, NASA knew the location of all of its astronauts before the leak started and the moment it began. None of the US astronauts aboard the ISS at the time of the incident were near the Russian compartment where the Soyuz was docked when it started leaking air. The US shared this information with Russia when Roscosmos began its investigation in 2018.
"These attacks are false and lack any credibility," NASA Administrator Bill Nelson told the outlet. "I fully support Serena and stand behind all of our astronauts." We've reached out to NASA for additional information.
The accusations come at a time when the relationship between NASA and Roscosmos is already fraught. On November 15th, Russia conducted an anti-satellite missile test that created a debris field that forced astronauts on the ISS to seek shelter aboard their spacecraft. The US condemned the trial, accusing the country of putting everyone aboard the ISS, including Russian cosmonauts, in danger.
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Starfieldis just under a year away from landing on PC and Xbox Series X/S, and Bethesda has offered another peek at what's in store with a mini documentary. The seven-minute "Into the Starfield: The Endless Pursuit" featurette shows a lot of concept art and brief shots of things like robots, alien worlds and a spaceport.
The video is centered around the evolution of Bethesda Game Studios and the worlds it has built over the years. Given that many of the studio's games are about exploration (such as those in the Elder Scrolls and Fallout series), progressing to space exploration with Starfield is a logical next step. Art director Matt Carofano noted the upcoming game has a "more realistic, science-based backing to it" than, say, the fantasy world of Skyrim.
Game director Todd Howard also offered a "cryptic" tease. He said Starfield has "two step-out moments." Many other games typically only have one of those, in which the player sees the expanse of an open-world environment for the first time.
There isn't a ton of detail about what Starfield is in this video, but it gives folks who are excited about the game a little more insight. There will be more episodes of "Into the Starfield" in the coming months as the release date edges closer. Starfield will arrive on November 11th, 2022.
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After a six-year stint as CEO (again), Jack Dorsey is leaving Twitter in a very different place than when he took it over in 2015. Back then, not everyone was excited about the return of the company’s cofounder. Even though he initially came back temporarily, employees and investors were concerned that dual CEO roles — he was, and still is, the CEO of Square — would keep him from being able to tackle the company’s many problems.
“The general feeling among Twitter employees now is trepidation,” The New York Times wrote in 2015 of Dorsey’s surprise return. “Many are concerned at the prospect of Mr. Dorsey’s interim title becoming permanent, given his divisive and sometimes erratic management style and the fact that he had been dismissed and returned to the company before.”
At the time, the company was often described as being “in turmoil.” Twitter was churning through executives, and investors were concerned about lackluster user growth. Journalists and other pundits often noted that Twitter never knew how to explain what it was or why it mattered. The actual service had barely changed in years. Harassment was rampant, and relatively unchecked.
Much has changed since then. Hand-wringing over Dorsey’s two jobs never really abated, but turnover at the top of the company eventually slowed, and Twitter started growing again. The platform still struggles with harassment, but has made a concerted effort at encouraging “healthy conversations” and has significantly ramped up its policies against hate speech and harassment.
More recently, the company has undertaken a number of ambitious initiatives to change its core features and create new sources of revenue. In the last year alone, Twitter has introduced new features for live audio, groups, and payments. It rolled out creator-focused features like Super Follows, and acquired a newsletter platform for longform content. Last month, it introduced Twitter Blue, a subscription service aimed at power users. The company is also in the early stages of BlueSky, a plan to create a decentralized standard for social media platforms.
But incoming CEO Parag Agrawal will still be inheriting significant challenges alongside all the shiny new projects. Though the company has made strides in increasing conversational “health,” it’s also grappled with where to draw the line between free speech and toxicity, particularly when political figures are involved. And, like other platforms, the company struggled to rein in misinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic and 2020 presidential election.
“Dorsey leaves behind a mixed legacy: a platform that's useful and potent for quick communication but one that's been exploited by a range of bad actors, including former President Donald Trump, who did his best on Twitter to undermine democracy—until Dorsey's people finally had enough and shut him down,” says Paul Barrett, deputy director of the NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights, who has researched social media polarization.
That Twitter under Dorsey did eventually permanently ban Trump has only made the company more of a target for politicians. And that’s unlikely to change just because Twitter’s new CEO has been one of the company’s lowest profile executives.
Agrawal is taking over as social media platforms face a bigger reckoning about their role in society. As lawmakers eye regulating algorithms and other reforms, Twitter has started to research algorithmic amplification and potential “unintentional harms” caused by its ranking systems. It will now be up to the company’s former CTO to steer that work while navigating scrutiny from lawmakers.
Agrawal will also inherit ambitious goals Twitter set earlier this year: To double its revenue and grow its user base to 315 million monetizable daily active users (mDAU) by the end of 2023 (the company reported 211 million mDAU in its most recent earnings report). And there are some signs he may be well positioned to make that happen. While Twitter under Dorsey has been slow to make decisions and release updates, Agrawal has been a proponent of new features like Bitcoin tipping. He also over saw Bluesky, the decentralization project.
The company has been betting that moving away from advertising and leaning into subscription services and other new features will help it get there. But Twitter is hardly alone in pursuing creators and subscriptions, and it’s not clear the company will be able to easily persuade large swaths of users to start paying for extra content or premium features.
Twitter’s new CEO seems to be well aware of the challenges ahead. “We recently updated our strategy to hit ambitious goals, and I believe that strategy to be bold and right,” Agrawal wrote in an email to employees he shared on Twitter. “But our critical challenge is how we work to execute against it and deliver results.”
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The holidays can be messy, but iRobot is betting its robot vacuums will make the cleanup somewhat bearable. It's updating the Roomba J7 and J7+ with the ability to recommend a Christmas tree zone through the iRobot Home app. Accept the suggestion and your bot should clean the pine needle carnage without touching the tree skirt or presents.
The upgrade might also be helpful if you're having guests over for the holidays. The J7 and J7+ can now detect loose shoes and socks. Your relatives won't find their footwear damaged or relocated if it wasn't sitting in a 'safe' area. This might help if your laundry doesn't always stay put in the basket or hamper.
And yes, there's an improvement if you're buying a Roomba (currently on sale, we'd add) or as a gift. All iRobot devices with Smart Mapping support, including Braava mops, can finally transfer existing maps to other compatible models. This will mainly be useful if you're either upgrading a not-too-old robot or buying a second model to complement the first, but it should save your robovac from having to re-learn a floor.
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Formula E has announced what it claims is the planet's most efficient race car. Teams will use the third-generation (Gen3) electric car in the 2022-23 season and can start testing it in the spring.
Not only is the Gen3 lighter and smaller than the Gen2, Formula E and the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) say that at least 40 percent of energy used in a race will be produced through regenerative braking. As such, Gen3 will be the first formula car without rear hydraulic brakes.
The Gen3 is also the first formula car with powertrains at both the front and the rear. The rear 350kW powertrain will be complemented by a 250kW one at the front. With a total of 600kW, they'll more than double the regenerative capability of the Gen2.
In addition, the motor can provide up to 350kW of power (470 brake horsepower) and a top speed of 200mph. Formula E and the FIA say the power-to-weight ratio is twice as efficient as an equivalent combustion engine.
Formula E
The Gen3 was designed for sustainability. It is net-zero carbon and broken carbon fiber parts will be recycled. Tires, meanwhile, will use 26 percent sustainable materials.
“In designing the Gen3 car, we set out to demonstrate that high performance, efficiency and sustainability can co-exist without compromise," Formula E CEO Jamie Reigle said in a statement. "Together with the FIA, we have built the world’s most efficient and sustainable high performance race car. The Gen3 is our fastest, lightest, most powerful and efficient racing car yet."
Formula E hasn't fully shown off the design of the Gen3 yet. It only released some teaser images. However, since teams will be testing the car in a few months, it shouldn't be too long before we get a proper look at the vehicle.
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You now have a way to flaunt your NBA Top Shot NFT to house guests, provided you're willing to pay a premium for it. As The Vergenotes, Dapper Labs (the company behind Top Shot) and hardware startup Infinite Objects are now offering video "prints" of NBA NFTs in physical display frames. Link your Dapper Wallet and you can showcase a classic basketball moment wherever it's convenient, not just from a device like your computer. A QR code and a holographic sticker will help prove it's yours.
These are expensive pieces, to put it mildly. Attaching your NFT to a 7-inch display costs $199, while a 10-inch display will cost $399. Initial purchases should ship sometime in January. You're effectively buying a digital photo frame that can only display one picture, albeit one with intrinsic value.
There are multiple catches beyond this. You can't yet 'print' Moment Sets, Showcases or any moment that includes either a retired NBA player or anyone in the WNBA. Dapper and Infinite are working on support for all of these, but it's still an odd restriction if you were expecting these frames to serve like artwork — imagine not being allowed to buy Van Gogh prints that show the artist. Still, this does give you something to do with an NFT besides the occasional glance on your private devices.
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DJI’s Mavic 3 created early buzz when a leak suggested it would have a large 4/3 sensor and dual camera system, along with an incredible 46 minutes of range. However, potential buyers were also shocked to learn that it has a $2,200 starting price, compared to $1,449 for the Mavic 2 Pro. And that goes way up to $5,000 if you want advanced features like ProRes HQ video.
Early footage shows that the camera is indeed impressive and the 50 percent extra flight time is extremely useful. Buyers have also complained, though, about the price, overly basic Fly app and features like ActiveTrack 5 that won’t be available until a January 2022 update.
I wanted to find out if it was worth that kind of money, particularly if you already have a Mavic 2 Pro. I’ve had the standard model for a couple of weeks and have been testing it around the French countryside with a licensed drone pilot, Samuel Dejours. Here’s what we found out.
Steve Dent/Engadget
As I mentioned, there are two versions of the DJI Mavic 3: The standard model and the Cine. Both have identical cameras and drones, but the Mavic 3 Cine has a built-in 1TB SSD, MicroSD slot and Apple ProRes 422 HQ video support. It also comes with the screen-equipped RC Pro remote, while the standard model includes the more basic RC-N1 that requires a smartphone.
ProRes 422 HQ is desirable for professional film shoots, because it delivers higher image quality and better color fidelity, especially for detailed scenes. The drawback is that it takes up a lot more space, using 1GB for around 10 seconds of video, for a total SSD record time of 167 minutes. The only way to get that footage off the drone is via the USB-C Thunderbolt port and supplied cable, but it can transfer at speeds very quickly, at up to 700MB/s.
The Cine model comes in a bundle with three batteries, a carrying bag, two sets of ND filters and more. As mentioned, it also costs $5,000, so you’d need a good reason to have those features. Since the Cine is aimed more at professional filmmakers, we tested the standard model in the $3,000 Fly More Combo. That includes three batteries, a charging hub, one set of ND filters and a nice carrying bag that converts into a backpack. It’s equipped with a MicroSD slot and 8GB of storage that’s only really useful for emergencies
Much like the Air 2S, the Mavic 3 folds into a compact, easy-to-carry size. It weighs 899 grams with a battery, slightly under the 907 gram weight of the Mavic 2 Pro. It has a slightly larger wingspan, as the arms are a hair longer to accommodate the bigger propellers.
Steve Dent/Engadget
Because of the dual camera system and larger main camera sensor, the camera module is bigger too. As a result, it protrudes a bit beyond the drone body, leaving it more exposed to damage in a crash.
The camera module itself no longer pans like the Mavic 2 Pro’s camera, so all panning must be done by moving the drone. However, it now tilts up 30 degrees, which can come in very handy for certain types of shoots, inspection work and so on. The camera locks when the drone is turned off, and is protected by a harness that my colleague jokingly called a bondage mask.
The Mavic 3’s battery is much larger than the one on the Mavic 2 Pro, at 5,000 mAh compared to 3,850 mAh. That, along with some aerodynamic tweaks, gives it a 50 percent boost in range from 31 to 46 minutes — a huge and incredibly useful gain. The 65-watt charger, now powered by USB-C, can juice up a battery in about an hour and 50 minutes.
Steve Dent/Engadget
DJI notes that flight time is 46 minutes with a hover time of 40 minutes. As you might expect, though, that depends heavily on the outside temperature and how you operate it. In sunny skies and lowish 47 degree F (8 degree C) temperatures, with a mix of sport, cinema and normal flying, we were easily getting about 35 minutes of range. That’s really good, and as a result, Samuel didn’t feel the need to rush as he sometimes does with his Air 2S or FPV. And those numbers should be considerably higher in the summertime.
Now, let’s get to the cameras. The primary camera was built by DJI in collaboration with Hasselblad and features a 24 mm f/2.8-f/11 lens and 4/3 sensor. For reference, that’s a third bigger than the one-inch sensor on the Mavic 2 Pro and the same size as Panasonic’s mirrorless GH5 II camera sensor, for instance.
The video specs are nearly as impressive as the GH5 II, as well. It can shoot 5.1K at 50 fps or 4K at 60 fps using the entire width of the sensor, yielding sharp, supersampled video. You can also shoot 4K at 120 fs if you don’t mind cropping of about 50 percent. That won’t be a big deal for most people, as 4K 120fps footage is extremely useful on a drone for action, wildlife, moving water and so on.
The larger sensor also delivers better low light performance, more detail, improved dynamic range and a more cinematic look in general. At the same time, the variable f/2.8 to f/11 aperture makes the camera more flexible in different lighting conditions. If you shoot in really bright sunlight a lot, however, I’d recommend getting the neutral density filter kit.
Shooting at ISO 1600 and 3200, we got clean footage with some noise in shadows and dark areas. However, the noise is well controlled and organic, so it’s not bothersome and can be tamped down with some mild noise reduction. Noise levels start to get excessive at ISO 6400, but that setting is still usable for night scenes if you don’t need a lot of shadow detail.
DJI boosted the H.264 data rate significantly from 100 Mbps to 200 Mbps, and introduced H.265 capture at up to 140 Mbps. That’s an important update, as aerial footage captured by drones can have detail that confounds long-GOP (MP4) compression. As a result, quality is improved under most circumstances, and noticeably so for detailed shots.
That begs the question of whether you even need the ProRes option and 1TB SSD, considering the high price difference. I’d say that it’s a valuable feature for broadcast shooters, as it pushes the drone into professional territory. For others like YouTubers or industrial users, the H.264 quality is easily good enough.
Taken with the Mavic 3 main camera.
Samuel Dejours/Engadget
The Mavic 3 uses Hasselblad’s color profile that’s supposed to deliver accurate hues. In general, it performed well across the color spectrum, whether we were shooting in cities, coastlines or countryside. Skin tones are warm, and while you might not think that’s terribly important for a drone, the Mavic 3 could see a lot of use in weddings, documentaries and even movies. It’s so smooth that it can replace a crane or dolly for certain shots.
To max out dynamic range and editing flexibility, you can shoot 10-bit D-Log footage. Shooting directly into the sun and other tricky situations, I found that it allowed me to retain dynamic range and bring out extra detail in highlights and shadows.
One of the key new features of the Mavic 3 is the 162mm equivalent telephoto camera with a half-inch sensor. I’ve seen some confusion about zooming on the Mavic 3, so here’s how it works.
Shot with 7X telephoto (MP4).
Samuel Dejours/Engadget
The main camera with no digital zoom is equivalent to a 24mm full-frame lens, or what DJI calls a 1X zoom. To zoom in further, you flip the drone into explorer mode on the Fly app. From there, you can either select discreet zoom settings (1X, 2X, 4X, 7X, 14X and 28X) or use a slider for in-between settings. Zooming up to four times is done digitally with the main camera, but the 4X zoom is very pixelated and not usable for any production work.
The 161mm, 12-megapixel f/4.4 telephoto camera kicks in at a 7X zoom, offering 4K video at up to 30 fps. It can digitally zoom up to 28X, but again, quality suffers. For the best-looking footage, you’ll need to stay between a 1X and 2X zoom, or go up to 7X exactly.
The Mavic 2 (not pro), by contrast, has a 28mm lens with a 2X zoom. The Mavic 3’s 7X zoom is more extreme, but does open up some interesting creative possibilities. However, the optical quality on that camera isn’t amazing given the smallish sensor size. In terms of professional use, then, it has limited value.
Photo shot with DNG and retouched in Lightroom.
Samuel Dejours/Engadget
On the subject of JPEGs, it’s also a solid photo drone. I was a bit disappointed when I heard that the Mavic 3 had the same 20-megapixel sensor and less dynamic range than the Mavic 2 Pro (12.8 stops compared to 14 stops claimed). However, the larger pixels more than make up for that with improved light sensitivity and lower noise levels.
That said, you’ll want to make sure your footage is properly exposed. The Mavic 3 generally nails the exposure in automatic shooting modes, but it can get tripped up if you’re shooting into the sun. It helps to shoot using RAW DNG files, which give you much more latitude to adjust images in Lightroom.
Photo quality using the telephoto lens was better than the video quality, delivering crisp photos with good color accuracy, but with one key caveat. You can only shoot JPEGs and not RAW files, which limits your ability to adjust shots in post. Again, that makes the telephoto lens less useful for professionals. On the other hand, it could be extremely handy for other types of work, like inspections, search and rescue, bird spotting and so on.
Steve Dent/Engadget
The Mavic 3 is DJI’s easiest drone to fly, thanks to improved obstacle avoidance, and other features. It offers three flying modes: Cine, a slow flight mode for capturing smooth footage, Normal and Sport, the fastest setting.
The Mavic 3 works with DJI’s simplified Fly app, rather than the Go 4 app used with the Mavic 2 Pro. Camera settings like shutter, ISO, video resolution and so on are adjusted on the main flying screen at the bottom right. The record button and various video/photo settings (QuickShot, Hyperlapse, etc.) are found on the right side. For more advanced settings like Safety, Control, Cameras and Transmission, you have to dive into the three dot menu.
Once you fire up the app and connect your smartphone to the RC-N1 controller, you’re ready to turn on the drone. It plays a jaunty three-note tune on startup and is ready to go in less time than the Mavic Air 2S or 2 Pro.
When you take off, it remembers your home position for the RTH (return to home function). It maneuvers flawlessly, helping pilots easily capture smooth footage under manual control. It’s not quieter than the Mavic 2 or 2 Pro, but it has a slightly lower tone that’s less likely to disturb people or wildlife.
Steve Dent/Engadget
It’s also faster, hitting speeds of up to 42 MPH in sport mode. Just remember that obstacle avoidance is disabled in that mode, so you’ll need to be careful to avoid (high-speed) crashes.
The Mavic 3 is covered with omni-directional sensors on the front, back, top and bottom. The app shows potential obstacles to help you avoid them, while the APAS 5 system lets you program the Mavic 3 to either stop when it encounters an obstacle or go around it.
We ran it through a gauntlet of hazards, including gnarly trees, power lines and more. It either stopped or dodged them, depending on the option we set. It did skim a leaf once while descending in RTH mode, though it didn’t phase the drone. However, it could indicate potential issues with the lower sensor array of the drone. The obstacle avoidance feature can be disabled in all modes, if you dare.
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The RTH feature brings the drone back when the battery runs low, choosing the most efficient route possible. We found that it worked in all circumstances, even around tricky terrain and from miles away. The only drawback is that it doesn’t bring the drone back at a great speed, so many pilots may prefer to return manually in normal or sport mode.
One key feature that’s unfortunately not coming until January is ActiveTrack 5. As with DJI’s previous tracking systems, it’s designed to follow you around while you bike, windsurf and do other activities. The latest version is designed to track subjects no matter which way they’re moving and continue tracking even if they move out of frame. As this is an important feature, I may update this review later once I get a hold of it.
Other missing features include QuickShots to do fancy camera maneuvers like circles and boomerangs, along with MasterShots, designed to produce quick video clips for social media users. It also lacks the popular Panorama mode to create stitched photos, and QuickTransfer for rapid WiFi video and photo transfers.
This missing features aren't ideal, but delaying them at least allowed DJI to release the drone. Cameras from Sony, Canon and others often have key features added after the fact with firmware updates, so DJI isn't alone in doing this. Buyers will likely forgive the delays, but only if the updates arrive in January as promised.
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With its starting $2,200 price tag, the Mavic 3 is designed to take great videos and photos for professional and prosumer users. It strongly delivers in that regard, thanks to the pro-level sensor that delivers stunning image quality, along with stabilization that allows for insanely smooth shots. The ProRes video and 1TB internal SSD are also huge features for pro shooters.
It’s not perfect, though. Those same users may find the telephoto camera to be somewhat useless because it doesn’t deliver even close to the same level of quality as the main camera. They may also wonder why the standard model comes with a basic controller and limited Fly app, considering the relatively high price. The missing features like ActiveTrack 5 are a bummer, but once they arrive, everyone will quickly forget that they weren’t there at launch.
In terms of competition, DJI doesn’t have any peers when it comes to image quality (its tagline for the Mavic 3 is “Imaging Above Everything”). In other words, it’s laser-focused on cameras, as it recently showed with its crazy, amazing Ronin 4D. Other companies like Skydio, however, arguably offer better flying drones with superior obstacle avoidance.
Should these factors impact your buying decision? I’ll leave the final word to Samuel, the professional photographer and certified pilot who owns multiple DJI drones and assisted in this review.
“I am definitely interested in buying it, because it has a sensor that’s larger and performs at a high level so it’s a big step up in terms of image quality. The extra battery life also makes planning easier, and the drone is extremely stable, even in wind, so you feel like you have a ‘tripod in the sky.’ It has some flaws for sure, but for me, those are outweighed by the image quality benefits.”
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Twitter has expanded its private information policy to include media, banning users from sharing photos or videos of a private individual without their permission. The company notes that tweeting such images can violate someone's privacy and potentially lead to harm against them.
Beginning today, we will not allow the sharing of private media, such as images or videos of private individuals without their consent. Publishing people's private info is also prohibited under the policy, as is threatening or incentivizing others to do so.https://t.co/7EXvXdwegG
The Twitter Safety team wrote in a blog post that although anyone can be impacted by private media being shared, it "can have a disproportionate effect on women, activists, dissidents and members of minority communities." If someone reports a photo or video that violates the policy, Twitter will remove the media and take action based on its enforcement options. Those include downranking the visibility of the tweet in replies and search results or telling the person who posted it to delete the tweet. Twitter also has the right to permanently suspend users who violate the policy.
There are some exceptions to the policy. It doesn't cover private media of public figures or others if a photo or video, and the text in the tweet, "are shared in the public interest or add value to public discourse." In other words, if it's newsworthy, Twitter may allow the media to remain on the platform. The company will consider factors such as whether the images are available elsewhere, such as on TV or in newspapers.
That said, if the goal of sharing private photos or videos of public figures "or individuals who are part of public conversations is to harass, intimidate or use fear to silence them," Twitter might remove the media. The abusive behavior and non-consensual nudity (i.e. revenge porn) policies still apply.
Twitter has long banned sharing private information about other people, such as addresses, phone numbers, ID or financial information (in other words, doxing someone). It also doesn't allow users to intimidate others by threatening to release such details. The company says it will start enforcing the private image rule today and that the new measure is part of its work to bring its safety policies in line with human rights standards.
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A patient has been fitted with a highly realistic 3D printed prosthetic eye for the first time ever, Fraunhofer Technology has announced. Patient Steve Verze received the high-tech version as a permanent replacement for his traditional prosthetic eye. "It makes me feel more and more confident," he told On Demand News. "If I can't spot the difference, I know other people won't spot the difference."
Fraunhofer worked with British company Ocupeye Ltd on a new process that's faster and far less invasive. Previously, doctors would need to make a mold of the eye socket, something that's so difficult for kids that they need to go under a general anesthetic.
Now, the team can do a non-invasive 2.4-second scan using a specially modified ophthalmic scanner that delivers a precise measurement of the eye socket. That data is combined with a color-calibrated image of the healthy eye and transferred over Fraunhofer's "Cuttlefish:Eye" system, which rapidly creates a 3D print model. The software is particularly apt at making a "realistic representation of even transparent materials," according to Fraunhofer.
The model is then printed out by a company called Fit AG which has experience in additive manufacturing for medical technology. From there, the prostheses are inspected and given a final polish and touchup by ocularists. "With a single 3D printer, Ocupeye can potentially fulfil the annual requirement of around 10,000 prostheses required for the UK market," according to the press release.
Verze's prosthetic is a precursor to a forthcoming clinical trial that will evaluate the effectiveness of 3D printed eyes vs. traditional, hand-made eyes, according to University College London. Around 40 patients will be recruited two assess the prostheses for motility (movement), cosmesis (look), fit, comfort, mucous discharge and more. "This new eye looks fantastic and, being based on 3D digital printing technology, it’s only going to be better and better," Verze said in a statement.
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Don't worry if you missed out on Black Friday multicooker deals — there are still big bargains available. Ninja's OS301 Foodi 10-in-1 cooker is back on sale at Amazon for $119, or 41 percent off its usual price. As with a similar deal in October, this might be the best value-for-money sale for one of Ninja's do-everything devices.
This Foodi model remains an easy pick. It offers the usual multicooker features like pressure cooking, slow cooking and and steaming, but adds air frying and other perks you don't always see. You might also appreciate a 6.5-quart capacity that's ever-so-slightly larger than the typical 6qt Instant Pot size.
Once gain, the main catch is simply the ecosystem. Ninja has its supporters, but Instant Pot's fan base offers plenty of recipes and other advice you won't necessarily find for competing cookers. If that's no issue, though, Ninja's machine is a safe pick at this price given the broad feature set.
YouTube Gaming has been aggressively luring Twitch creators to its platform, and the latest to defect is "Ludwig" Ahgren. Ludwig is perhaps best known for his marathon streaming session that allowed him to break the Twitch all-time subscriber record held by Ninja, eventually hitting 283,066 all-time active subs.
Ludwig broke the news in an amusing Twitter video that showed him driving with his manager "Slime" in a purple car that eventually explodes after they get out. He then jumps into a red model, driving home the point that he's leaving team purple for team red. "It's pretty much the same one," says Slime. "Yeah, it's just like a different color," Ludwig replies. ("We actually blew up a car and one-take-jaked it," Slime tweeted separately.)
In a reply on Twitter, Twitch said "You're a mogul in every sense, Ludwig. Best of luck and keep doing big things out there. However, the site has been bleeding talent to its rival of late. Ludwig's departure follows recent moves to YouTube Gaming by Benjamin Lupo ("DrLupo") and TimTheTatMan (Tim Betar), along with previous defections by big-name streamers Lannan "LazarBeam" Eacott, Elliott "Muselk" Watkins and Rachell "Valkyrae" Hofstetter. Jack "CouRage" Dunlop also jumped ship in 2019.
In a separate video explaining the move, Ludwig said that he first spoke to YouTube gaming as "leverage" but planned to stay with Twitch "because I'm a Twitch guy." However, he later realized that YouTube made more sense, in part because he wants to produce content like Mogul Money on top of game react videos.
He also noted that if he had stayed with Twitch, "I would have to be grinding hours," and that "I loved Twitch, but it wasn't necessarily a two-way street." Finally, he said that while the change wasn't necessarily about money, "YouTube offered me more money. Straight up."
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If you weren't able to grab a smartwatch this past Black Friday and Cyber Monday, here's a deal you may want to take a note of: Samsung's Galaxy Watch Active 2 is currently available for only $149 on Amazon. That's $101 less than retail and the lowest price we've seen for the mid-range smartwatch, which typically sells for $250.
Samsung's Galaxy Watch 4 also sold for $110 lower than its retail price on Cyber Monday, but that deal is no longer available. The good news is that the Watch Active 2 is a solid smartwatch, as well. In our review, we praised it for having better health tracking capabilities than its predecessor, thanks to its upgraded sensors. The one for heart rate measurements contain twice as many LEDs, for instance, giving it the power to determine your heart rate faster. Its accelerometer is also apparently twice as sensitive than the first Watch Active, making it better at sensing whether you're moving.
While the watch doesn't have a physical rotating wheel, its bezel is touch-sensitive (with haptic feedback) and can be easily used for navigation. We also found Tizen OS easy to use, responsive and proactive with its various reminders. Overall, we concluded that the Watch Active 2 is a well-rounded choice that offers a lot for its price point. That was when the watch sold for $280 a piece, so $149 is a steal if you've been eyeing the wearable for quite some time.
All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
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Big tech news normally slows as the year winds down, but Jack Dorsey isn’t letting that happen. The Twitter CEO has resigned from the company, with CTO Parag Agrawal replacing him as chief executive.
"I've decided to leave Twitter because I believe the company is ready to move on from its founders," Dorsey said in a statement.
Over the last six years, Dorsey has run two major tech companies: Twitter and Square. His first stint as CEO of Twitter, which he co-founded, ended in 2008 when he was pushed out. He returned as CEO in 2015 when Dick Costolo departed.
With Agrava at the helm, will Twitter go in a different direction? Will it chase more money-making ventures? (Advertising remains its best way of making money, but there are newsletter projects and premium membership options happening in the background — and there's also that newly created crypto division.
But for many Twitter users, the hope is the company will get a better handle on the trolls, disinformation spreaders and bullies. That might be harder to achieve than interest in a Twitter Blue subscription.
So there were some bargains waiting for Cyber Monday to strike. Adorama and B&H have discounted the base 14-inch model by $200. That’s a 10 percent discount off its usual $1,999 starting price. Amazon discounted both the 14- and 16-inch variants by $50 the week they came out. But $200 off is an all-time low — already — for a computer that only went on sale at the end of October. Alas, only the Space Grey option of this highly rated laptop is on sale, however.
It plans to develop 23 new electrified cars by 2030.
Nissan will invest trillions of yen over the next five years developing new EVs and battery technology as part of a grand plan it calls Ambition 2030.
This will include 23 electrified vehicles over the next eight years, with 20 of those in the next five years alone. It's aiming for a market mix of 75 percent electrified (EV and e-Power PHEV/hybrids) in Europe, 55 percent in Japan and 40 percent in the US and China by 2030.
This could even include EVs with all-solid-state batteries (ASSB) by 2028, with a pilot plant in Yokohama primed to start manufacturing as early as 2024. ASSBs promise benefits like reduced charging times and improved stability.
It would be the first Competition and Markets Authority reversal of a major tech acquisition.
According to the Financial Times, the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is expected to reverse Facebook parent company Meta's purchase of Giphy. If so, it would mark the first time that the country's competition regulator has unwound a major tech acquisition.
Meta (or Facebook, at the time) announced in May 2020 that it bought the GIF platform with the goal of rolling it into Instagram. Reports pegged the price of the deal at $400 million.
The CMA raised concerns about the acquisition, however. It opened an investigation into the deal the following month. The regulator ruled in August that the deal could prevent rivals such as TikTok and Snapchat from accessing Giphy's library of GIFs. It also said the deal could remove a potential competitor to Meta in the UK advertising sector.
CD Projekt Red is "on track" to release the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S versions of Cyberpunk 2077 in the first quarter of 2022, the studio's parent company announced on Monday. CDPR had initially planned to release the update in late 2021.
The company also confirmed anyone who purchased the game on either PlayStation 4 or Xbox One will receive the next-gen update for free. Pro tip: If you don't already have Cyberpunk 2077, you can buy it while it's currently 50 percent off on the PlayStation and Microsoft stores. You’ll then have the next-gen version in your back pocket when it eventually launches.
BMW M, the famous automaker's subsidiary in charge of high-performance vehicles, has introduced its second standalone model over 40 years after the M1 was first sold to the public. The new vehicle is a plug-in hybrid model called the Concept XM, and it's apparently the most powerful BMW M car to ever go into series production. It will use the company's newly developed M Hybrid drive system that combines a V8 engine with a high-performance electric motor. That will give the vehicle an all-electric range of 80km (50 miles), the capability to make 750 horsepower and to reach peak torque of 1,000 Nm (737 lb-ft).
In addition to being the second-ever pure M model, Concept XM is also the subsidiary's first electrified vehicle in the high-performance segment. That "points the way for the future of the M brand," the company's announcement says, which hints at more electric-powered cars in the future.
It will be the first car to sport BMW's new front-end design, as well. Based on Concept XM's images, BMW's front ends will have split headlights and near-octagonal kidney grills between them bearing the vehicle's logo. The company calls the vehicle's overall design "a highly progressive and distinctive take on BMW X," but not everyone would use those adjectives to describe it — BBC's Top Gear sounds downright disappointed with how it looks. Inside, there's a driver-focused cockpit, brown leather and BMW's curved screen for its infotainment system.
The series production version of the vehicle — the BMW XM — will start production by the end of 2022. It will be manufactured at the BMW Group Plant Spartanburg in the USA and will be available as a plug-in hybrid model only.
BMW
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As rumored, the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has ordered Meta (Facebook) to sell Giphy, saying the deal "could harm social media users and UK advertisers." It found that the deal would boost Meta's already prodigious market power by limiting other platforms' access to Giphy GIFs, "driving more traffic to Facebook owned sites — Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram."
The CMA said that Meta's sites dominated social media user time to the tune of 73 percent and that it could further muscle out rivals like TikTok, Twitter and Snapchat by leveraging Giphy. It added that prior to the merger, Giphy launched "innovative advertising services" used by brands like Dunkin' Donuts and Pepsi that it could have brought to the UK.
"Facebook terminated Giphy’s advertising services at the time of the merger, removing an important source of potential competition," the regulator wrote. "The CMA considers this particularly concerning given that Facebook controls nearly half of the £7 billion display advertising market in the UK."
We disagree with this decision. We are reviewing the decision and considering all options, including appeal.
Facebook purchased Giphy in May of 2020, reportedly for $400 million, with the aim of integrating it into Instagram. A month later, the CMA launched an investigation into the deal and ruled in August that Facebook could stop rivals like TikTok and Snapchat from accessing Giphy's GIF library. At the same time, it said the deal could remove potential UK display advertising competitors after Meta ended Giphy's paid ad partnerships.
Meta previously said that the CMA had no jurisdiction because Giphy has no operations in the UK, adding that Giphy's paid services weren't display advertising by the CMA's definition. In October, the authority fined Meta $70 million for breaking rules related to the deal by refusing to report required information and changing its chief compliance officer twice without permission.
The CMA said that after consulting with interested businesses and organizations, it "has concluded that its competition concerns can only be addressed by Facebook selling Giphy in its entirety to an approved buyer." It's not clear how this would be done, however.
"We disagree with this decision. We are reviewing the decision and considering all options, including appeal. Both consumers and Giphy are better off with the support of our infrastructure, talent, and resource," a Meta spokesperson told Engadget in a statement. "Together, Meta and Giphy would enhance Giphy’s product for the millions of people, businesses, developers and API partners in the UK and around the world who use Giphy every day, providing more choices for everyone."
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The UK's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has provisionally fined the facial recognition company Clearview AI £17 million ($22.6 million) for breaching UK data protection laws. It said that Clearview allegedly failed to inform citizens that it was collecting billions of their photos, among other transgressions. It has also (again, provisionally) ordered it to stop further processing of residents' personal data.
The regulator said that Clearview apparently failed to process people's data "in a way that they likely expect or that is fair." It also alleged that the company failed to have a lawful reason to collect the data, didn't meet GDPR standards for biometric data, failed to have a process that prevents data from being retained indefinitely and failed to inform UK residents what was happening to their data.
The ICO noted that Clearview's services were used on a free trial basis by a number of UK law enforcement agencies, "but that this trial was discontinued and Clearview AI Inc’s services are no longer being offered in the UK."
The images in Clearview AI Inc’s database are likely to include the data of a substantial number of people from the UK and may have been gathered without people’s knowledge from publicly available information online, including social media platforms.
The UK and Australia opened up a joint investigation of Clearview AI last year. Regulators were concerned with Clearview's practice of scraping data and gathering photos from social media site like Facebook. It sells that data to law enforcement agencies, purportedly allowing them to identify criminals or victims. However, the company's business practices have raised numerous privacy concerns.
Clearview AI said it was considering an appeal, according to The New York Times. "[Clearview only] provides publicly available information from the internet to law enforcement agencies," said company lawyer Kelly Hagedorn in a statement. "My company and I have acted in the best interests of the UK and their people by assisting law enforcement in solving heinous crimes against children, seniors and other victims of unscrupulous acts," added Clearview AI chief executive Hoan Ton-That in a separate statement.
Earlier this month, Australia's regular issued a similar ruling, saying Clearview AI breached the privacy of residents by scraping their biometric information. The country's regulator, the OAIC, ordered Clearview to "cease collecting facial images and biometric templates from individuals in Australia and destroy all facial images and biometric templates collected."
In the US, the ACLU recently sued Clearview for violating Illinois state laws. Twitter, Google and YouTube have all sent cease-and-desist letters to the company, alleging that it violates their terms of service. Facebook has also demanded that Clearview stop scraping its data.
The fine would be the first Clearview has faced, the company told the NYT. It can still contest the ruling with the Commissioner, so the fine and enforcement "may be subject to change," the ICO wrote. The ICO expects to make a final decision by mid-2022.
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After launching into pre-season earlier this month, the mobile game Rocket League Sideswipe is rolling out to iOS and Android users around the world, 9to5Mac has reported. The side-scrolling car soccer game was unveiled earlier this year as a mobile, 2D version of Rocket League that lets you play solo or team with friends for two vs. two matches.
Like the original, Sideswipe is all about that car soccer life, but with a 2D side-on instead of a 3D view. It uses touch controls designed to be easy to master, with advanced control mechanics available for better players. Like the original, there's a ranking system and numerous car customization options. The game is free on mobile, with in-app purchases for Rocket Pass and cosmetics.
As with the pre-season trailer, the official gameplay video brings a similar look and feels as the original but adapted for simpler mobile play. Logging in with an Epic Games account for online matches will let you earn extra XP across both the regular Rocket League game and Sideswipe. The game launched in pre-season in Oceania to shake out any bugs, but it's now available to everyone on the iOS App Store and Google Play.
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Amazon will have to redo the union election held at its Bessemer, Alabama fulfillment center back in April. According to Politico, Lisa Henderson, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) Region 10 Director, has ordered the e-commerce giant to hold another vote mostly due to the fact that Amazon installed a US Postal Service mailbox in front of the warehouse to collect ballots.
The election results were 1,798 to 738, with workers voting against joining the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU). After those results came out, the RWDSU filed 23 objections, accusing the company of interfering with the elections. One of those complaints pointed out that Amazon installed the ballot box without approval from the NLRB and in view of security cameras that made workers feel they were under surveillance. The labor relations board sided with the union and found that Amazon interfered with the election by installing the mailbox and offering employees anti-union badges and signs.
Henderson wrote in the documents ordering a new election:
"By causing the Postal Service to install a cluster mailbox unit, communicating and encouraging employees to cast their ballots using the mailbox, wrapping the mailbox with its slogan, and placing the mailbox at a location where employees could reasonably believe they were being surveilled, the Employer engaged in objectionable conduct that warrants setting aside the election.
The Employer’s flagrant disregard for the Board’s typical mail-ballot procedure compromised the authority of the Board and made a free and fair election impossible."
Amazon, of course, criticized the NLRB's decision. In a statement sent to The Washington Post, spokesperson Kelly Nantel said in a statement:
"Our employees have always had the choice of whether or not to join a union, and they overwhelmingly chose not to join the RWDSU earlier this year. It's disappointing that the NLRB has now decided that those votes shouldn’t count."
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CD Projekt Red is "on track" to release the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S versions of Cyberpunk 2077 in the first quarter of 2022, the studio's parent company announced on Monday. CDPR had initially planned to release the update in late 2021 until it announced a delay to early 2022 in October.
Next-gen update for Cyberpunk 2077 will be free for anyone who bought the game on the old-gen consoles.
CD Projekt also confirmed anyone who purchased the game on either PlayStation 4 or Xbox One will receive the next-gen update for free. Since the game is currently playable on the current generation systems through backward compatibility, everyone who owns the game on a console will get the upgrade for free. If you don't already have Cyberpunk 2077, you can buy it while it's currently 50 percent off on the PlayStation and Microsoft Stores and get the game at a discount before the updated version comes out next year.
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On November 18th, Miami voted to end a multi-year pilot that had allowed companies like Bird and Lime to operate electric scooter rentals within the city’s downtown core. The practical result of the decision was that scooters weren’t allowed in the city. Less than two weeks later, Miami commissioners have now voted to launch a new temporary program that will allow six companies to rent out the vehicles in the city’s Edgewater, Brickell and Coconut Grove neighborhoods until January 5th, 2022.
"This news comes as a relief to Miami residents who've long relied on e-scooters as a safe, affordable and sustainable way to get around. We look forward to working closely with the commissioners and Mayor Suarez to develop a permanent program that prioritizes safety for riders and non-riders alike,” said Bruno Lopes, senior manager for government relations at Lime. “We specifically hope the city will continue to invest the millions of dollars in e-scooter fees Lime and other operators pay into protected bike lanes, the most proven way to ensure the safety of all road users."
Under the new program, riders will need to wear helmets when they travel on a scooter. Additionally, the city will enforce a stricter parking limit to reduce sidewalk clutter. Commissioners voted three to one in favor of implementing a new rental program after they voted four to one to scrap the previous one 11 days ago. Both votes were led by Commissioner Alex DÃaz de la Portilla. The short duration of this latest pilot is due to a local city law that limits the length of temporary programs. It’s possible Miami could once again outlaw scooters while the city conducts a public bid to select three companies that will operate under a permanent program.
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