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Taiwan’s Gogoro has a new scooter coming out that’s smaller and more adaptable than anything else in the company’s growing stable. It’s called “Viva,” and it will be available for $1,800 in Taiwan in October, and “some global markets” starting in 2020.

At 80 kilograms (176 pounds), the Viva is the smallest and most nimble scooter that Gogoro’s created to date. It’s meant to be a city commuter, something that can replace a 50-100cc gas scooter that’s often used for short trips. As such, it has a range of just 85 kilometers (just shy of 53 miles).

But like all of Gogoro’s other scooters, the Viva is powered by swappable batteries. So any time a user is...

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• Some people are jailbreaking their Peloton stationary bikes to use the attached tablets for purposes other than what the company intended, like watching Netflix.
• Others are seemingly hacking the exercise bikes to artificially log impressive race times and shoot to the top of the service's leaderboard rankings.
• The practice illustrates how people are finding ways to use products outside the traditional business model of Peloton, which relies on subscription fees for its software.
• Peloton started trading publicly on the Nasdaq last year.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Peloton gives you no choice but to work out.

For the 500,000 paying subscribers of the exercise-bike startup, this rigidity is a major draw. Peloton's bikes come with a touchscreen tablet meant to show just one type of video: Peloton's rotation of personal trainers shouting words of encouragement.

These workout videos are packaged with preselected music and software that tracks cyclists' speed, and sold for a $39-per-month subscription on top of the cost of a stationary bike. This is the only software that Peloton intends its users to access while spinning.

But some users are jailbreaking their Pelotons to get around those parameters.

For some, this means "rooting" the Android-based tablet attached to the Peloton to access apps like Netflix and Spotify instead of Peloton's own software.

Others are seemingly hacking the exercise bikes to artificially log impressive race times and shoot to the top of the service's leaderboard rankings, much to the annoyance of the broader Peloton community.

The practice of jailbreaking cycles is relatively niche, but it illustrates how people are finding ways to use products outside the traditional business model of Peloton, which relies on subscribers paying to use the services that the cycles' tablets are intended for.

Peloton’s business model doesn’t just rely on selling $2,245 stationary bikes.

The company also needs to persuade users to buy into a $39/month subscription that gives them access to Peloton's instructor-led workout videos and exercise-tracking software.

As such, the bikes ship with a tablet that comes preloaded with Peloton's own software. Users aren't supposed to be able to use other apps that could stream competitors' workout videos or other entertainment on their Peloton tablets. But by "rooting" their devices, users can get around that and stream third-party content while working out.

Here's how people are “rooting” Peloton tablets to install third-party apps.

The tablets that come with Peloton bikes run on an Android software. While there's not an intuitive way to exit Peloton's app and access other Android apps, users on the Peloton subreddit have discovered a way to do so.

While Peloton warns that making "modifications that are unauthorized or not recommended by Peloton" aren't covered in the touchscreen's 12-month warranty, there's a full walkthrough of how to install Netflix and other apps on the Peloton tablet on the subreddit. Following these steps will apparently refigure the app's home screen, making it resemble a more traditional Android interface with an easily accessible browser and other apps.

Meanwhile, some people appear to be fleecing Peloton’s rankings system to climb its internal leaderboards.

When Peloton users take a "class" led by a virtual instructor, they can see statistics on other users' performance who took the same class, including a leaderboard of users with the highest energy output. However, for years, Peloton users have publicly pointed out that the people at the top of leaderboards consistently have outputs that seem impossibly high.

Peloton bikes calculate energy output as a function of users' pedaling speed and the bike's resistance setting. While Peloton doesn't disclose exactly how this calculation is made, users can use their energy output to gauge how much they're improving from session to session.

Some people on the rankings appear to be twice as fast as Tour de France racers.

One Reddit user noted that the top seven riders in a class on December 23, 2018, posted energy outputs that the user estimated were two to three times the amount of energy expended by cyclists in the Tour de France.

Another user, writing under the handle Okraball, posted in March 2018 that they were disheartened by unrealistic figures at the top of their class' leaderboard.

"Frustrating and demotivating. Not even worth looking at anymore. Until Peloton figures this out, I am done with the leader(fake)board," they wrote.

No one is exactly sure where these seemingly fake leaderboard-topping outputs come from.

Some users have speculated that some people's cycles are simply miscalibrated, while others guessed that cheaters are using mechanical tools like cranks to artificially climb the rankings.

Users say they reported these problems to Peloton in posts dating to 2017. A Peloton spokesperson declined to comment, citing the company's quiet period leading up to its IPO.

However, Peloton’s website suggests that outputs shouldn’t be taken as purely scientific readings, but rather a way to track one’s own progress.

"These readings are taken at the time of manufacture and due to manufacturing variability, we expect ~10% bike-to-bike variability in Output readings. The Peloton leaderboard and Output readings are intended to be fun and useful tools offering directional performance measurement that helps riders motivate and achieve their individual fitness goals," the website says.

Logitech has agreed to acquire Streamlabs, which makes the popular live streaming app Streamlabs OBS, for approximately $89 million in cash. The pairing seems like a natural fit, as Logitech already makes widely-used gaming peripherals and streaming gear.

Streamlabs OBS already helps streamers set up their streams, track donation alerts, set up stream overlays, follow their chats, and more. Logitech makes popular gaming and streaming peripherals like keyboards, mice, and webcams, and owns Blue Microphones, a frequent mic choice for streamers, so owning Streamlabs should, in theory, should make for better integration with all of its hardware already used by streamers.

On its website, Streamlabs boasts that 70 percent of Twitch uses...

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HP’s latest Chromebooks, the x360 12b and 14b, are the company’s first to support the Universal Stylus Initiative (USI), the new standard that lets compatible styluses work seamlessly across a range of different devices. The Chromebooks have been released as part of a first wave of USI 1.0 devices, meaning they should be compatible with any of the USI styluses that have been released, in addition to HP’s own $70 stylus due for release in November.

The launch of the first USI devices has been a long time coming. The initiative kicked off back in 2015, but it wasn’t until early last year that Google signed on to support the standard. Yesterday, the Universal Standards Initiative announced that 12 companies were releasing their first...

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• Cars tend to gradually lose their resale value over time. It is safe to say that most vehicles will be worth less money the older they get.
• But there are certain cars that defy this trend. Their values increase with age.
• A confluence of circumstances can create this type of scenario. For example, a vehicle that is unique or rare and also highly desirable can cause its overall value to increase. These cars can become great investment tools as a result.
• To that end, here are a handful of vintage vehicles you might be wise to scoop up sooner than later.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

As time progresses and the years go by, certain cars start to see a rise in value and become vintage, collectible items that can make great investments.

Unlike the average used car that will depreciate in value with time, these vehicles can appreciate as they get older. Reasons for this vary but often a major factor is supply and demand, with some cars being more desirable than others.

People remember cars and vehicles from their younger years in life and in later life they have the funds available to purchase them, creating a demand. If the supply of the vehicles is limited, then the vehicles start to spike in price as they are bought up, creating a scarcity in supply.

There are many cars that have the potential to increase in value, continue reading to see 11 hand-picked examples of these.

For all things supercars, car reviews and automobiles have a look at The Car Spotter website at www.thecarspotter.co.uk.

1. Original Fiat 500

Launched in 1957, the four-seat small city car has become an iconic Italian classic. Perfect for narrow streets and maneuvering into tight parking spots; the charming Fiat 500 is practical, economical and reliable.

Pristine examples sell for over $30,000 with models requiring restoration available for less than $10,000. The popular, retro-chic motor has a timeless appearance. The modern-day version of the Fiat 500 launched in North America in 2010. It sold poorly and is set to be discontinued for the 2020 model year.

2. Jaguar E Type

Cited by Enzo Ferrari, the founder of Ferrari, as one of the most beautiful cars ever made. The Jaguar E Type impresses with swooping lines, elongated hood and striking wire wheels. Available as a coupe or convertible, the performance sports car has a top speed of 241km/h (150mph).

Also known as the Jaguar XKE or Jaguar V-12; immaculate models fetch prices at over a quarter of a million dollars. E Types that require restoration can be bought for as little as $20,000, so there's money to be made. These British classics are only increasing in value.

3. Mk1 Volkswagen Golf GTi

First revealed at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1975, the Volkswagen Golf GTi is one of the original hot hatchbacks. With imposing red grille trim, golf ball shift knob and boxy good looks the Mk1 Golf GTi is an eye-catching piece of engineering. 

Look out for rust when buying to avoid taking on more work than you bargained for. Due to the scarcity and dwindling numbers, these German classic hatchbacks are only going up in price.

4. BMW M3 E30

One of BMW's most recognizable cars, there was less than 20,000 BMW M3 E30 models produced, with less than 5,000 of these made for the US market. 

Due to low supply and high demand the value of the E30 M3 has shot up drastically in recent years with a low mileage example selling for $102,000. 

You can purchase the late 80s early 90s high performance German sedan with strong motorsport history from around $60,000.

5. Porsche 911

The high performance rear–engine luxury sports car first produced in 1963 is a vehicle desired by many. The body shape hasn't changed since inception due to the popularity of the 911. With room to seat four, it is versatile and can accommodate two children or small adults in the rear.

Porsche engines were air cooled until 1998 when they became water cooled. It is the air cooled models before 1998 that are the most desirable and therefore the most likely to appreciate further in value. Carrera, Turbo, RS and limited production models are the ones to look out for.

6. Ford Mustang

A vintage Ford that needs little introduction. Appearing in global blockbuster films such as Bullitt and Gone in 60 Seconds, the Mustang is iconic, a true American masterpiece.

The Ford Mustang was sold as a hardtop and convertible back in 1964. The Mustang was the original "pony car", an affordable sport coupe recognizable from the long hood and short rear deck. Over 10 million Mustangs have been produced in the U.S. alone.

Less desirable models can be picked up for below $10,000 with rarer, more sought after examples going for over $300,000. The late 60s Fastback models are the ones to look out for.

7. Ford Sierra RS Cosworth

Continuing the Ford theme, the next car on the list is the high performance version of the Ford Sierra. The Ford Sierra RS Cosworth was created as part of the Ford Motorsport project.

Created in both 3 door hatchback and 4 door saloon variants between 1986 and 1992, and popular amongst both motorsport and rally enthusiasts, the Sierra RS Cosworth brings back nostalgic memories of the 80s and 90s. Large tailgate wing and 2 litre turbocharged engine are what made the car so lusted after.

Low production numbers in the thousands make the Sierra RS Cosworth desirable and able to fetch between $25,000 and $95,000 depending on condition.

8. Ford Escort RS Cosworth

The Sierra RS Cosworth couldn't be chosen alone without mentioning the equally unique Escort RS Cosworth. 

Following the Sierra RS Cosworth, Ford again teamed with Cosworth this time to create the Escort RS Cosworth. With the Ford Escort being an everyday family car, the modified rally version was loved for a variety of reasons. Fitted with a huge whale tail spoiler, 0-100km/h acceleration in just 5.7 seconds and bright paintwork options to choose from, this is a car to get pulses racing.

Prices have increased dramatically for the vehicle produced 25 years ago as people are able to purchase their childhood poster pin ups.

9. Mercedes SL500

SL derives from the German Super-Leicht which means Super Light in English. Introduced in 1954 as a coupe with the recognizable gullwing doors, the SL has been a firm favorite for those looking for a fun two-seater grand tourer. 

The rare gullwing SL models fetch prices of hundreds of thousands of dollars; however the fourth generation R129 models that were produced between 1989 and 2001 have the makings of a future classic at a more reasonable price.

With angular bodywork and a highly powered 5.0L V8 engine, the German engineered Mercedes SL 500 is a luxury vehicle that will always remain in fashion.

10. First generation Acura NSX

The Acura (Honda) NSX is a 2 seater mid-engine sports car made from 1990 and 2005 in Japan. It produces almost 300 bhp from 3.0 litre and 3.2 litre VTEC engines and draws design inspiration from Ferrari, Porsche and Lamborghini.

Ten years later in 2015, the second generation hybrid Honda NSX sports car was released, winning plaudits and making Business Insider's 2016 Car of the Year. 

Despite being a brilliant car, the $157,500 price tag may be a little too steep for some. Original models go for between $45,000 and $90,000 and with a huge fan club and cult following, the price of the petrol variant is likely to go only one way.

11. Land Rover Defender

The Land Rover Defender is a truly British vehicle that can be driven on any terrain. Rugged and versatile, the multi-purpose functionality has made it a huge hit with off-road enthusiasts, farmers and those who love the look.

After a continuous production run spanning 67 years which ended in 2016, Land Rover recently introduced the all-new 2020 Defender.

For the Land Rover purists, the new refined and modern Defender doesn't compete with the proven, time tested Defender which means it has the potential to increase in value as people look to purchase historic models. This is one legendary off roader to watch out for in the future.

• Amazon's new mesh network could enable the company to track your phone's location, even if you don't use its WiFi or products. 
• Privacy watchdogs are sounding alarm bells about what that means for the company's ability to surveil individuals.
• Amazon regularly partners with law enforcement, turning over insights from its network of Ring cameras to police.
• The company has not clarified many details surrounding how the mesh network will be used. 
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Among the avalanche of new products unveiled at Amazon's hardware event on Wednesday were two features that are a bit less tangible: "Sidewalk," a new wireless protocol that links smart objects, and "eero," a brand of WiFi router the company acquired and is selling for people to use in their homes.

With the new offerings, the number of Amazon-made routers and devices in homes and stores is set to increase nationwide. Sidewalk will use this proliferation of devices to build a "mesh network" —  a wireless network where each device communicates with one another, working together to transmit data across the network — that spans broad geographical areas. According to Amazon's announcement, the company found that placing 700 devices across Los Angeles was enough to cover the entire metropolitan area of the city. 

Now, privacy watchdogs are sounding alarm bells about what that means for the company's ability to surveil individuals.

Tech activist Liz O'Sullivan flagged the mesh network's potential for surveillance during the Amazon hardware event and tweeted about it Thursday.

Here's what you need to know about the new Amazon update and what it could mean for your privacy.

Amazon's mesh network could help the tech giant monitor your phone's location

Even if you don't use Amazon's wireless networks in your own home — or join its WiFi networks when you go out — the mesh network could enable Amazon to get data about the location of your devices.

Owners of WiFi networks can track what devices are nearby even if those devices don't sign onto the network, just like a smartphone can detect nearby networks without signing on. 

If you're in range of a wireless network owned by Amazon, the company could receive information like your device's MAC address, a unique identifier assigned to each device. If you've used that device to download an Amazon app or log into your Amazon account, the company could pair that MAC address with your user profile.

Why does this matter?

The technology that allows owners of WiFi routers to track nearby devices is nothing new. But it's unusual for companies to build such sprawling mesh networks using devices that users set up in their own homes.

On top of that, Amazon is a company with a demonstrated interest in tracking users' data and location. Geographic data is an important tool for building user profiles and targeting advertisements accordingly, a growing business for almost all big tech companies.

Additionally, Amazon has multiple contracts with police, turning over insights from its network of Ring cameras to as many as 200 police departments nationwide, according to a Motherboard report.

For the time being, many of the details surrounding how Sidewalk and eero networks will work remains unclear. Amazon has not specified what sort of data it will track with its new mesh networks, or whether that data will be up for grabs by the law enforcement agencies it partners with. 

An Amazon spokesperson did not respond to Business Insider's questions regarding how it will use geolocation data gleaned from its mesh network.

SEE ALSO: Amazon is more cozy with the police than you might realize

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NOW WATCH: Amazon is reportedly seeking a new space in New York City. Here's why the giant canceled its HQ2 plans 5 months ago.

• Big tech leaders are excited for a future of robotics and automation, but the common worker worries about what it means for them. 
• Nobel Laureates weigh in on how new technologies could affect future workplaces. 
• Discover Nobel Perspectives, which explores the questions that shape our world with Nobel award-winning economists.

As technological change speeds up, there is a growing fear of being left behind. Should more be done to address the challenges imposed by disruptive tech?

The big tech leaders celebrate a future of robotics and automation, a kind of utopia for both man and machine. During the World Economic Forum 2019, the fourth industrial revolution remained a hot topic of debate. What does this mean for the common worker? According to a 2017 Pew Research Center study, 72% of Americans are worried about robots replacing them at work. Why is it that some people embrace the forthcoming automation stage, while others feel so apprehensive?

"They have every reason to have fears about the future," says Nobel Laureate James Heckman. Having worked on skill formation in adult training programs in the 1990s, he saw firsthand that it's not easy for people to adjust when their job skills are no longer needed. "What we are finding is that people are not equipped to the extent they could be and should be to deal with these changing technological patterns. They will naturally blame globalization, robots, technology, and they will flock to somebody who promises them a solution."

"People are not equipped to the extent they ... should be to deal with changing technological patterns." — Heckman

Even if you have a relatively future-proof job, the question could remain whether you'll be provided a sufficient salary. There are some economists who believe that it is the combination of technological progress and global trade that has led directly to the stagnation of lower and middle-class incomes, while the top incomes are growing rapidly. "Those distributional effects are now front and center in lots of analyses but also in political processes," says Michael Spence. The Nobel Laureate thinks it's time to reassess the definition of economic well-being.

"Growth patterns in which there is extreme inequality don't work," says the expert on economic development. "They don't work because there's economic waste, but more importantly, they don't work because of some failure of political and social cohesion." His solution within his own field and the political sphere is simple: Stop looking at growth based on GDP alone. 

"Growth is best thought of as a multidimensional thing, and it needs to be tracked on that basis," he says. "It includes opportunity, health and a bunch of other things."

"Growth patterns in which there is extreme inequality don't work." — Spence

If we want to generate not only more growth but better shared growth, opportunity is a keyword. 

"The last thing you want to do is create groups of people who are outside society," says Heckman. "We want to engage people. We have to be a little more creative, but I think we want to make a society that includes everybody." 

Christopher Pissarides also emphasizes how important it will be to create a more positive narrative about technological advances and how it will improve everyday life. "I'm very excited about new technologies," he says. "They give you the potential to create other types of jobs."

"Governments should encourage the ownership of new technologies." — Pissarides

Political leaders should be encouraged to share the positive aspects of new technologies, and more importantly, they need to make sure that no one is left behind. Realizing that growth and inclusion go hand-in-hand is a crucial part of this. 

"What governments can do is to, first of all, make it possible for companies to adopt the new technology, keep a flexible labor market, and negotiate with social partners in a way that makes it positive for all of them," says Pissarides. "In other words, it should encourage the ownership of new technologies."

Pissarides also believes that new policies will be most effective regarding inequality. "Government needs to step in and provide good social support, provide subsidized health care, and help reeducate people with new technologies," he says. "Lifelong learning is important. The focus of government policy should be at lower incomes, to help those who will be hurt." 

In a world of uncertainty, it's no surprise that many people feel technology is making it worse. Still, we can't forget that a constant strive for progress has brought us a long way. With efficient government policies and a more aspirational narrative, more people will see technology as an opportunity rather than a threat. 

Learn more about UBS.

This post was created by UBS in partnership with Insider Studios.

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Over the past few years, some of the largest tech firms have come under fire by US lawmakers for a whole host of issues. Whether it’s potential antitrust violations or historic data breaches, Google and Facebook have been forced to beef up their lobbying arms to stave off regulation and shut up members of Congress.

On Friday, 2020 presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) announced a new plan aimed at making lawmakers less susceptible to these lobbyists and their “disinformation” over sensitive issues like tech consolidation and climate change: an army of government-mandated tech nerds housed in a reinstated Office of Technology Assessment (OTA).

“Members of Congress aren’t just dependent on corporate lobbyist propaganda...

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Your business doesn’t have thousands of employees or millions of dollars to spend on unnecessary extras. Don’t waste money on conferencing software that charges you for features you don’t need and users you don’t have.

Instead, check out the best conference services for small or medium-sized businesses. You’re more likely to find a solution that provides what your growing company needs.

1. Vast Conference

For the perfect combination of simplicity, value, and flexibility, look no further than Vast Conference, which offers a host of features across all devices at a low price. Not only does Vast Conference offer the usual — HD audio conferencing, online meetings, video calls with screen sharing, and mobile meetings — but it also provides unique perks that make SMB owners’ lives a little easier.

Vast Conference puts the user experience first by allowing an unlimited amount of users to join from all popular browsers. They can do this on any device, with no downloads required. For $11.99 per month, customers get access to rich analysis tools, calendar integrations, and easily accessible meeting recordings.

2. GoToMeeting

Used by enterprises and small businesses alike, GoToMeeting set the standard for what to expect in video conferencing. The starter plan of $14 per user per month lets up to 10 participants engage with one another through a tried-and-true video solution.

GoToMeeting gained traction by creating one of the easiest tools to use. You only need a moment to join a video call from either your desktop or mobile device. Hosts can customize each meeting with options like voice commands and cloud recording. Even mobile users can share their screens with the group, a great feature for SMBs with remote teams.

3. Zoom

A top freemium solution in video conferencing, Zoom can help SMBs with limited budgets find their footing. The free plan allows companies to host up to 100 participants and hold unlimited meetings. Group meetings in the free version cap out at 40 minutes, however. The basic plan of $14.99 per user per month ups that limit to 24 hours, though, in case you want to break some records.

Zoom integrates with a variety of productivity tools, including Stack Overflow and MailChimp, enabling SMBs to keep their digital ducks in a row. With a variety of solutions from meetings to webinars to phone systems, Zoom lives up to its name by helping businesses grow and connect quickly.

4. Google Meet

The familiarity of Google products makes Google Meet an easy-to-use video conferencing option for SMBs. The conferencing function is fully integrated with G Suite, providing easy meeting setup and invites from Gmail and Google Calendar. Add in the fact that there’s no need to worry about whether your teammates, clients, or customers have the right accounts or plug-ins to join. This ease makes it a great option for SMBs looking for a hassle-free solution.

Conferencing is bundled with other G Suite services, such as business email and cloud storage. Plans start as low as $6 per user per month. Face-to-face meetings can happen with up to 25, 50, or 100 people at a time, depending on the level. You can utilize the Enterprise plan to live stream your meeting to up to 100,000 viewers.

5. Zoho

Spanning the business software space, including CRM and marketing solutions, Zoho does more than handle your video conferencing needs. Zoho does that, too, though — and does it well. Users can create and join meetings via desktop or mobile, chat via an instant messaging client, and share downloaded meetings at the touch of a button.

Zoho provides a robust tool kit for managers and moderators as well. Meeting hosts can swap presenters, mute participants, and lock meetings to eliminate interruptions. They can even standardize camera settings for attendees to ensure everything looks clean and polished for the recording. 

6. Whereby

A perfect entry point for solopreneurs, freelancers, and small shops, Whereby is a video conferencing-only solution that offers Free, Pro, and Business tiers. Each offers some level of customization, from branded rooms to custom domains, but users are capped at 12 meeting participants at a time. 

Where Whereby stands out is its usability. Ranked by review site G2 Crowd as the easiest video conferencing tool to use, Whereby’s interface is simple. Users can join with one click, and they can adjust settings like chat from a six-button toolbar at the bottom of the window. For most SMB users, the $9.99 Pro plan is a good balance of features and price. 

Which video conferencing solution should your business choose? Most providers offer free trials that last up to two weeks, so take advantage of the opportunity to explore your options and test different features. Your business is unique, and it deserves a unique solution to match.

The post 6 Best Video Conferencing Services for Small Businesses appeared first on ReadWrite.

Sprint took millions of dollars meant to subsidize phone and internet service for low-income consumers, even while those consumers were not using the service, according to the Federal Communications Commission. FCC chairman Ajit Pai called it a “careless disregard” for taxpayers and commission rules and called on the agency’s enforcement arm to conduct a full investigation.

“It’s outrageous that a company would claim millions of taxpayer dollars for doing nothing,” Pai said.

The FCC’s Lifeline program offers a $9.25-per-month subsidy for low-income consumers on either a phone or broadband plan. But in 2016, under former FCC chairman Tom Wheeler, the commission...

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Mercedes-Benz parent company Daimler has been hit with an €870 million (roughly $960 million) fine as part of a settlement with German prosecutors over the automaker’s own diesel cheating scandal. The fine comes in at the lower end of what was expected earlier this year.

The news comes just about four years to the day after Volkswagen’s Dieselgate scandal was exposed by the Environmental Protection Agency and California’s Air Resources Board. Volkswagen’s massive emissions cheating scandal, which affected 11 million cars worldwide, kicked off several investigations and lawsuits that helped uncover similar efforts at automakers like Daimler to skirt regulations on diesel vehicles.

Germany’s motor authority found that some 280,000...

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Xiaomi’s Mi Mix series has always pushed the boundaries of phone screens and form factors, from the original model that kicked off the bezel wars to last year’s sliding, notchless Mi Mix 3. Now, just as we’re starting to see “waterfall” displays with extreme curved edges, Xiaomi is taking this to a wild new level with the Mi Mix Alpha.

The “surround screen” on the Alpha wraps entirely around the device to the point where it meets the camera module on the other side. The effect is of a phone that’s almost completely made of screen, with status icons like network signal and battery charge level displayed on the side. Pressure-sensitive volume buttons are also shown on the side of the phone. Xiaomi is claiming more than 180 percent...

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• Apple's software update for the iPad, which launches on September 24, will bring a handful of useful new features, such as improvements to the way the iPad multitasks and handles file management.
• The company is calling the update iPadOS, making it the first time it's separating its tablet software from the iPhone's iOS software.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Although the iPad isn't meant to be a complete replacement for your laptop, Apple's tablet has slowly become a more viable productivity tool in recent years. That's truer than ever with iPadOS, the new software update Apple will be launching for the iPad on Tuesday.

It marks the first time Apple has separated its iPad software from its iPhone operating system, a move that further  distinguishes the two products from one another. It's a sensible move — now that smartphones generally have much larger screens today than they did when the original iPad launched in 2010, people are using their phones for some of the tasks they may have turned to a tablet for in the past.

As such, companies like Apple, Microsoft, Samsung, and others have been positioning their tablets as productivity-oriented devices that offer larger screens than smartphones and better portability than laptops. The iPadOS update will provide new features that are critical in boosting the iPad's performance in this role as a work device.

The new iPadOS will be compatible with 11 iPad models, ranging from the iPad Air to the iPad Pro. 

From new copy and paste gestures to improved multitasking, here are our favorite new features coming to the iPad on Tuesday.

SEE ALSO: Apple Maps is getting a huge update in iOS 13 — and it could finally help it catch up to Google Maps

You'll be able to pin widgets to the home screen.

Widgets in iOS are usually just a swipe away from the home screen. But when iPadOS launches, you'll be able to pin certain widgets to the device's home screen, making it easy to see information like upcoming calendar appointments at just a glance. 

You'll also be able to choose favorite widgets that will always appear on the home screen. It's a useful addition that can help you make the most out of the extra screen real estate the iPad has to offer. 

Your iPad will be capable of functioning as a second display for your Mac.

Third-party apps like Duet Display have made it possible to use your iPad as a secondary display for years, but now this functionality is finally coming to iOS natively. Apple's next big Mac update, called Catalina, and iPadOS will bring a new feature called Sidecar that turns your Apple tablet into a second Mac display.

That means you'll be able to extend your desktop so that it stretches across your Mac and your iPad, making it possible to drag content between both. You can also use the iPad to mirror your Mac's display, and to edit content on the iPad using the Apple Pencil while seeing the changes occur live on your Mac. 

You'll be able to cycle through multiple apps that are open in Slide Over mode.

Apple's Slide Over feature, which allows you to pin an app to the side of your iPad's screen in a column view alongside another app, is getting a noteworthy update in iPadOS. When the update launches, you'll be able to open multiple apps in Slide Over simultaneously and cycle between them with a swipe. 

The iPad is finally going to be compatible with thumb drives.

The iPad's inability to support external drives has always hampered its ability to serve as a work computer, but that's finally changing. The iPad will soon be compatible with external devices such as a USB drive, hard drive, and a microSD card, making it much easier to get content that isn't saved in the cloud onto your iPad. It's a feature that competing Windows tablets like Microsoft's Surface Pro have had for years.  

The Files app is getting new views that make it easier to manage content.

Apple launched the Files app for the iPad back in 2017, an addition that was necessary in order for the tablet to be taken seriously as a productivity machine. Now, with iPadOS, Apple is making the Files app even more robust and comprehensive with a new column view and other helpful features.

Based on Apple's presentation, it seems like the column view will make it much easier to find documents quickly without having to dig through your folders. You'll be able to view sub-folders in a column alongside your main folders, and a new preview pane lets you see images and other content without having to open it.

The Files app is also getting a new downloads folder for keeping your downloads from the Mail app and Safari all in one place.

You'll be able to view the progress of files downloaded in Safari.

Apple's web browser will finally offer a means of easily managing downloads.

Safari will now have a download manager that enables you to view download progress and quickly access recently downloaded files. That's a huge win for those who often use their iPad for work-oriented tasks and frequently download material from the web. 

Safari will now show the desktop versions of a website on the iPad.

If you're going to use your iPad like a desktop computer, it should be better at behaving like one. That's presumably why Apple is adding the ability for Safari to automatically show the desktop version of websites on the iPad, making better use of its larger screen. Apple also says that despite being designed for the desktop, these websites will still be optimized for touch. 

You'll be able to view the same app in different windows.

Apple's Split View feature for the iPad is limited in the sense that it's not possible to run the same app in multiple windows.

For example, if you want to open two documents in the Notes app side-by-side, or two tabs in Safari alongside one another, you're out of luck with Apple's current software.

But that's going to change soon enough, as iPadOS brings the ability to run multiple windows showing the same app. That should make it much easier to work on projects that require multitasking across several documents or websites.  

You'll be able to navigate webpages and documents more precisely with a scroll bar.

To make it easier to navigate through long documents, Apple is adding support for scroll bar scrubbing on the iPad. When iPadOS launches, you'll be able to drag the scroll bar to a designated area on a webpage or document, allowing for more precise scrolling just like on the desktop. 

The iPad is getting new gestures for copy, paste, and other actions.

While mouse and touchpad is probably still the most natural form of input for work-related tasks, Apple is improving the way touch works on the iPad. 

Consider the new copy and paste gestures in iPadOS, for example. You'll be able to copy text by pinching up from the screen with three fingers, while pinching outward with three fingers will paste the content in the location of your choosing. The gestures are meant to mimic the motion of picking something up and putting it back down, making it easy to remember.

Similarly, Apple is launching new gestures  that make it possible to undo an action by swiping to the left with three fingers and redo by swiping to the right with three fingers. 

The Apple Pencil is becoming more useful.

One advantage that Samsung's S Pen stylus has always had over the Apple Pencil is its ability to tie into Samsung's software to enable certain shortcuts and features.

With iPadOS, it looks like Apple Pencil owners will get a small taste of this type of functionality, too. You'll be able to take a screenshot in iPadOS by dragging the Apple Pencil from either bottom corner of the screen. While the Apple Pencil is still largely intended to be a tool for drawing, sketching, writing, and annotating rather than user interface shortcuts, it's refreshing to see another use case for Apple's stylus.

Other than the new screenshotting feature, the Apple Pencil will be capable of working at a lower latency thanks to Apple's improved prediction algorithms. 

Google’s big hardware event in October will likely focus a lot on the excessively leaked Pixel 4. But the company apparently has some other products to announce, too, including its newest Chromebook: a 13.3-inch, 4K new Pixelbook, according to 9to5Google.

The Chromebook, officially to be called the Pixelbook Go, is said to harken closer to Google’s original Chromebook Pixel from 2013, with a simple clamshell design, as opposed to the transforming 2-in-1 design of the Pixelbook or the tablet-style Pixel Slate.

The Pixelbook Go has apparently been in development for a while, with Google confirming that it had future Chromebooks in the works back in April, along with FCC filings for the product hitting in...

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As Facebook prepares to launch its new cryptocurrency Libra in 2020, it’s putting the pieces in place to help it run. In one of the latest developments, it has acquired Servicefriend, a startup that built bots — chat clients for messaging apps based on artificial intelligence — to help customer service teams, TechCrunch has confirmed.

The news was first reported in Israel, where Servicefriend is based, after one of its investors, Roberto Singler, alerted local publication The Marker about the deal. We reached out to Ido Arad, one of the co-founders of the company, who referred our questions to a team at Facebook. Facebook then confirmed the acquisition with an Apple-like non-specific statement:

“We acquire smaller tech companies from time to time. We don’t always discuss our plans,” a Facebook spokesperson said.

Several people, including Arad, his co-founder Shahar Ben Ami, and at least one other indicate that they now work at Facebook within the Calibra digital wallet group on their LinkedIn profiles. Their jobs at the social network started this month, meaning this acquisition closed in recent weeks. (Several others indicate that they are still at Servicefriend, meaning they too may have likely made the move as well.)

Although Facebook isn’t specifying what they will be working on, the most obvious area will be in building a bot — or more likely, a network of bots — for the customer service layer for the Calibra digital wallet that Facebook is developing.

Facebook’s plan is to build a range of financial services for people to use Calibra to pay out and receive Libra — for example, to send money to contacts, pay bills, top up their phones, buy things and more.

It remains to be seen just how much people will trust Facebook as a provider of all these. So that is where having “human” and accessible customer service experience will be essential.

“We are here for you,” Calibra notes on its welcome page, where it promises 24-7 support in WhatsApp and Messenger for its users.

Servicefriend has worked on Facebook’s platform in the past: specifically it built “hybrid” bots for Messenger for companies to use to complement teams of humans, to better scale their services on messaging platforms. In one Messenger bot that Servicefriend built for Globe Telecom in the Philippines, it noted that the hybrid bot was able to bring the “agent hours” down to under 20 hours for each 1,000 customer interactions.

Bots have been a relatively problematic area for Facebook. The company launched a personal assistant called M in 2015, and then bots that let users talk to businesses in 2016 on Messenger, with quite some fanfare, although the reality was that nothing really worked as well as promised, and in some cases worked significantly worse than whatever services they aimed to replace.

While AI-based assistants such as Alexa have become synonymous with how a computer can carry on a conversation and provide information to humans, the consensus around bots these days is that the most workable way forward is to build services that complement, rather than completely replace, teams.

For Facebook, getting its customer service on Calibra right can help it build and expand its credibility (note: another area where Servicefriend has build services is in using customer service as a marketing channel). Getting it wrong could mean issues not just with customers, but with partners and possibly regulators.

[Update Note May 2019]
Adding an nearby Microsoft Teams Room is now available for your desktop and mobile clients May update (see more details bellow).

Two years ago we introduced the next generation of Skype Room Systems, a center of room control with one-touch join, to add the best audio and video to your meetings.  We started with one hardware partner and now work with six leading device manufacturers, to deliver the best quality experiences for both Skype for Business and Microsoft Teams meetings. To date, customers have conducted more than 130 million minutes of meetings through Skype Room Systems. In light of this momentum, and to mark our commitment to making Teams a complete meetings and calling solution, we are rebranding Skype Room Systems as Microsoft Teams Rooms.

This rebranding signifies the continued delivery of features being built to enhance Teams meetings experiences. Our goal is to extend Teams meetings into every space from small huddle rooms to large conference rooms.

We’ve recently announced and delivered several capabilities that enhance the Teams Meetings experience in meeting rooms:

• Proximity detection (Update May Available NOW), makes it easy to discover and add nearby, available Microsoft Teams Rooms to any meeting.
• Companion experiences with mobile, to join your devices in content-only mode.
• Support for dual screen rooms.

And it’s important to note that Microsoft Teams Rooms still work with Skype for Business calls and meetings.

Meetings Simplified

Meetings are easy to schedule, simply use Microsoft Outlook or Microsoft Teams to invite your conference rooms to a meeting just as easily as inviting your colleagues.

Schedule Teams in Outlook

One touch-join

Instantly start your meeting from the center of the room control with one touch.

Microsoft Teams Rooms Console

Add nearby meeting room

Proximity based meeting join, for an available Microsoft Teams Room, the Microsoft Teams client on your PC and mobile has a proximity sensor that detects the room and you can add the room easily to the meeting from your pre-join screen on your client.

On your PC the pre-join screen of your meeting will highlight that an Teams Room is nearby. 

Add nearby room from your desktop
On your Teams mobile client you can add the room to your meeting and find nearby rooms quickly.

Add Conference Room from your Mobile

Inside the meeting room, the front of the room display and console will show that you are trying to add the room, and simply accept the incoming invitation on the console to bring the room into the meeting.

Proximity join from Microsoft Teams Rooms

Microsoft Teams will automatically join the meeting in content-only mode from your desktop, allowing the room to provide audio and video into the meeting without echo and feedback generated by the other clients in the room.  Also your mobile client will switch to content-only mode after adding the room.

If the Microsoft Teams Room is already in the meeting and you like join from your devices as well, Teams now detects this and recommends to join the meeting with audio off as well.

Pre-join screen when the room is already in the meeting

Learn more about how Microsoft has deployed Microsoft Teams and Microsoft Teams Rooms internally to more than 2,400 meeting rooms around the globe and how Microsoft is using the integrated meeting solution to reshape the collaborative environment into a simple, consistent, and reliable experience for thousands of employees.

Additionally in our phones business, we recently added our first native Teams Phones from Yealink, the T56A, T58A, and CP 960.  These desk and conference room phones all have a touch screen and existing customers can now instantly upgrade to Teams as they migrate their platform.    

Look for more exciting announcements from our partners at Integrated Systems Europe in February, and please visit aka.ms/teamsdevices to learn more about our portfolio of Teams certified devices.

Let us know what you think!

Try the new features on your Microsoft Teams Rooms and provide feedback via User Voice or vote for existing ideas to help us prioritize the requests. We read every piece of feedback that we receive to make sure that the Microsoft Teams Rooms experience meets your needs.

- Christian Schacht, senior product marketing manager Microsoft Teams Rooms

• Apple has tumbled in a ranking of China's top brands put together by the US consultancy Prophet.
• The firm found that Chinese consumers were becoming increasingly patriotic when it came to the brands they chose to use, and experts say this is due to the US-China trade war and President Donald Trump's ban on the Chinese tech giant Huawei.
• Apple slipped to 24th place in Prophet's rankings in 2019 compared with 11th in 2018. At the same time, Huawei crept up the rankings to second place from fourth.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Apple has tumbled in an annual ranking of China's top brands.

The brand consultancy Prophet surveyed 13,500 Chinese consumers for its latest brand-relevance index, released Wednesday, and asked which brands were most indispensable to respondents' lives.

The survey found that Chinese consumers were increasingly patriotic when it came to which brands they chose to use.

In this year's ranking, Apple slipped to 24th place after being 11th in 2018. At the same time, the Chinese tech giant Huawei crept up the ranking to second place from fourth.

Huawei has suffered extensively from the US-China trade war.

The firm is blacklisted from doing business with any US firms, its phones are locked out of the US market, and its latest flagships won't run with Google's services because Google is an American company. The US is also pressuring its allies to keep Huawei from supplying infrastructure for their 5G phone networks over fears the firm could spy on behalf of the Chinese government, a charge it denies. Huawei blasted the US government earlier this month, accusing it of "trying to disrupt Huawei's operations with every tool at its disposal."

Read more: Apple already has a China problem. Here's why it could get worse.

Apple is also likely to suffer from the trade war. Products like the iPhone, AirPods, and the Apple Watch will become more expensive because of President Donald Trump's tariffs on Chinese goods. The bulk of these products are manufactured in China.

'Chinese consumers interpreted what happened to Huawei as an attack'

Jay Milliken, a senior partner in Hong Kong at Prophet, told Bloomberg that Chinese consumers were becoming more "nationalistic" in their shopping habits and in the brands they used.

"There's a lot of nationalistic buying in that category because Chinese consumers interpreted what happened to Huawei as an attack," he told Bloomberg.

The US-China trade war and Trump's ban on Huawei are encouraging these consumers to opt for alternatives to US-made products. And some experts say this wave of nationalism will stretch beyond the trade war.

"It's not temporary," Melissa Guzy, a managing partner at Arbor Ventures, recently told Business Insider's Troy Wolverton. "It's a long-term shift that's happening." She continued: "I think most Chinese don't believe they need the US for anything."

SEE ALSO: Huawei reportedly knew it was over-reliant on Google’s Android before the US-China trade war and considered alternatives like Sailfish

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NOW WATCH: The incredible story behind Slack, the app that's taken over offices everywhere

After a week that saw renders, photographs, and even a couple of hands-on video reveals much about Huawei’s latest flagship phones ahead of their announcement, the Mate 30 series is now official, starting with the Mate 30 Pro and the Mate 30.

Both phones have a Leica-branded rear camera array contained within a circular camera cutout that Huawei is calling a “Halo ring design.” However, the Mate 30 Pro has a 6.53-inch screen which curves around the edges of the device, while the regular Mate 30 has a more traditional flat display that’s slightly bigger at 6.62-inches in size. Battery sizes also differ between the two phones; the Mate 30 Pro has a larger 4,500mAh battery, compared to 4,200mAh in the Mate 30. Both phones support...

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Without checks and balances, artificial intelligence can replicate harmful biases and veer away from its initial intent.

• Stripe has raised another $250 million in a new round of funding that includes Silicon Valley heavy hitters like Andreessen Horowitz, General Catalyst, and Sequoia.
• The round values Stripe at $35 billion — up from its $20 billion valuation about a year ago — making it more valuable on paper than companies like SpaceX or Airbnb. 
• All told, Stripe has now raised over $1 billion in venture capital funding, from investors that also include Visa, Kleiner Perkins, and CapitalG (formerly Google Capital).
• Still, Stripe President John Collison tells Business Insider that he takes "deep umbrage" at the idea that it's a "late-stage startup" — he says that there's so much opportunity for Stripe, they'll still be building it up a decade from now. 
• He says that the lofty valuation is based on the strength of Stripe's business, which now processes "hundreds of billions of dollars" in payments each year. As long as they can keep executing on their mission of helping internet businesses and startups grow, he says, the sky's the limit. 
• However, Collison says not to expect an IPO any time soon. 
• Click here for more BI Prime stories.

Stripe, the San Francisco-based payments startup, has raised $250 million in a monster funding round that now values the company at $35 billion. That's up significantly from the $20 billion at which it was valuedwhen it raised funding late last year. 

Founded and led by brothers and Irish immigrants Patrick and John Collison, Stripe has become one of Silicon Valley's highest-profile startups since it was founded in 2010. The new funding round includes venture capital heavy hitters like Andreessen Horowitz, General Catalyst, and Sequoia — all of whom had previously invested in the company. 

This round brings Stripe's funding to date to over $1 billion, thanks in part to previous investors including Visa, Kleiner Perkins, and CapitalG (formerly Google Capital). The $35 billion valuation propels it ahead of contemporaries like SpaceX, valued at about $33 billion, and Airbnb, last valued at $31 billion.

Read more: The president of $20 billion Stripe explains the 3-pronged master plan as it opens a new service for small business loans

Despite all of this, John Collison, president of Stripe (his brother Patrick is CEO), says that the company is still "a toddler in our life cycle." He says that he and his brother take "deep umbrage" at any description of Stripe is a "late-stage startup." In their view, it's only getting started, and the Collisons expect to be at this for at least another decade, if not more. 

He says that there's no trickery or "artificial" inflation to Stripe's rich new valuation: It's Stripe's view that it's an accurate reflection of the strength of the business and the opportunity in front of the company — and Collison says he wouldn't have it any other way. 

"You want the valuation and the business to be in sync," Collison says. "Bad things can happen when you don't." 

The funding itself will go towards continuing on with Stripe's existing master plan, says Collison. While Stripe is a "capital-efficient" business, he says, it's "useful" to raise outside capital to help it keep pace with its ambitions. That said, Collison says that the company has no immediate plans to go public.

A growing business

Stripe started as a simple way for developers to add the ability to take credit card payments into their apps, but has since expanded its vision into helping make it easier for entrepreneurs, all over the world, to run internet-based businesses. It counts Airbnb, Amazon, and Target as customers, and Collison says that Stripe now processes "hundreds of billions of dollars of transactions" per year. 

In general, Collison says, there's still a lot for Stripe to do before it can consider its mission accomplished.

"Life is still more difficult for startups and internet businesses than it needs to be," says Collison. 

Even as Stripe's core payments business continues to grow, the company has expanded into new product lines and markets, amid a larger international expansion. 

Earlier this month, for example, the company introduced Stripe Capital, a new business unit to provide small business loans to internet companies. Not long after, it launched Stripe Corporate Card — which, as the name implies, provides its own twist on the company credit card. 

The funding will also go towards generally reinforcing its infrastructure, as it brings new merchants and stores into its platform. Collison says that the Stripe payments API — the tool for connecting an app to Stripe's payments system — is used 30,000 times per second, and the company works hard to stay ahead of the curve. 

If it can succeed on all these fronts, Collison says, it won't have any problems living up to the lofty expectations that come with a high valuation. 

"Of course, that depends on our execution," says Collison — and that while today might involve a "brief moment of celebration," he says, "then it is back to work." 

SEE ALSO: The founders of Lunchclub, a startup for making better professional connections, used this pitchdeck to raise $4 million in funding

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NOW WATCH: Nxivm leader Keith Raniere has been convicted. Here's what happened inside his sex-slave ring that recruited actresses and two billionaire heiresses.

Copying has a long and rich history in Silicon Valley, from Apple co-founder Steve Jobs’ infamous raiding of Xerox PARC to the legal nightmare that is the Apple-Samsung smartphone design dispute to the almost company-crushing extent Facebook has gone to keep Instagram ahead of Snapchat.

But while Facebook has earned itself a reputation as a modern tech giant unashamed of cloning its biggest competitors’ best features, Amazon has gone one step further. That’s right, it’s cloned a shoe. To be precise, Amazon has copied the hallmark product of Bay Area-based apparel company Allbirds, which coincidentally took Silicon Valley by storm a few years ago with its low-maintenance, ultra-comfortable running shoe.

Kudos to Tinder product chief...

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Salesforce has always tried to be a socially responsible company, encouraging employees to work in the community, giving 1% of its profits to different causes and building and productizing the 1-1-1 philanthropic model. The company now wants to help other organizations be more sustainable to reduce their carbon footprint, and today it announced it is working on a product to help.

Patrick Flynn, VP of sustainability at Salesforce, says that it sees sustainability as a key issue, and one that requires action right now. The question was how Salesforce could help. As a highly successful software company, it decided to put that particular set of skills to work on the problem.

“We’ve been thinking about how can Salesforce really take action in the face of climate change. Climate change is the biggest, most important and most complex challenge humans have ever faced, and we know right now, every individual, every company needs to step forward and do everything it can,” Flynn told TechCrunch.

And to that end, the company is developing the Salesforce Sustainability Cloud, to help track a company’s sustainability efforts. The tool should look familiar to Salesforce customers, but instead of tracking customers or sales, this tool tracks carbon emissions, renewable energy usage and how well a company is meeting its sustainability goals.

Image: Salesforce

The tool works with internal data and third-party data as needed, and is subject to both an internal audit by the Sustainability team and third-party organizations to be sure that Salesforce (and Sustainability Cloud customers) are meeting their goals.

Salesforce has been using this product internally to measure its own sustainability efforts, which Flynn leads. “We use the product to measure our footprint across all sorts of different aspects of our operations from data centers, public cloud, real estate — and we work with third-party providers everywhere we can to have them make their operations cleaner, and more powered by renewable energy and less carbon intensive,” he said. When there is carbon generated, the company uses carbon offsets to finance sustainability projects such as clean cookstoves or helping preserve the Amazon rainforest.

Flynn says increasingly the investor community is looking for proof that companies are building a real, verifiable sustainability program, and the Sustainability Cloud is an effort to provide that information both for Salesforce and for other companies that are in a similar position.

The product is in beta now and is expected to be ready next year. Flynn could not say how much they plan to charge for this service, but he said the goal of the product is positive social impact.

Hear Salesforce chairman, co-founder and CEO Marc Benioff discuss business as the greatest platform for change at Disrupt SF October 2-4. Get your passes to the biggest startup show around. 

Workers spend more than three hours a day on work email, and another two hours on personal email.

• Delta CEO Ed Bastian said on Wednesday that the airline was getting closer to being able to offer free Wi-Fi on every flight.
• Bastian, speaking at Skift Forum, said the challenge was figuring out how to handle the higher capacity that would come with making Wi-Fi free, while ensuring that connection speeds stay at the levels they're at today for paying users.
• The airline conducted a trial in May. Bastian said "we learned a lot."
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Delta CEO Ed Bastian said on Wednesday that free Wi-Fi on board is coming soon.

"We're working on it," he said.

Speaking in New York at the Skift Forum, a travel industry conference, Bastian said that the airline was working to get the on-board Wi-Fi bandwidth to a point that it could handle a plane full of users without sacrificing the high speeds that paying users can currently access on board.

Bastian first announced that the airline would offer free Wi-Fi in October 2018, also at Skift Forum. In March 2019, Bastian told Barron's that it could take "another year or two to make that happen."

In May, Delta announced that it would begin testing free high-speed 2Ku Wi-Fi on select domestic flights, with the test "designed to understand customer experience preferences, system performance, customer feedback and more." The airline warned, however, that "due to the complexity of the project, it will likely take several more test phases and lots of listening to ensure the free product Delta delivers, adds value."

"We learned a lot," Bastian said about the May trial. "There were some successes, and some things we found out in terms of more work needed. But every step we take, we're getting better and learning more along the way."

"Up in the sky, we're traveling at 500 mph," he added. Down here, we're stationary, so it's a lot easier."

Bastian said that the main delay has been ensuring that connectivity speeds can remain consistent with what's available to paying users today, despite more people being connected.

See also: Apply here to attend IGNITION: Transportation, an event focused on the future of transportation, in San Francisco on October 22.

"It's really just a question of technical depths," he said. "I'm worried that if we turned it on now, it's going to cause system outages."

Bastian insisted, however, that Delta and Gogo — the airline's Wi-Fi provider — were making progress toward figuring out how to effectively offer free high-speed Wi-Fi used by everyone on-board.

"We're not there yet, but Gogo and Delta, working together, have dramatically improved the overall performance of Wi-Fi on our planes," he said.

The airline currently has on-board Wi-Fi available across most of its fleet, with about 60% of its mainline aircraft featuring 2Ku high-speed satellite-based connectivity.

"We're well on our way, that Wi-Fi is going to be ubiquitous and have high capacity capabilities," Bastian said. "That's still our goal, and we're not backing down from that."

"You will have it soon."

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NOW WATCH: Will Boeing recover from the 737 Max crisis?

Remember how Google paid the Fossil Group $40 million for its secret smartwatch tech and R&D personnel? At the time Fossil and Google told Wareable that Google had acquired “new product innovation that’s not yet hit the market,” that would sit within the Wear OS family. Well, this may be our first look at that product. Pictured above are three hybrid wearables that go by the name “Fossil Collider DIANA Smartwatch,” currently available for preorder from a variety of retail sites for around €200 / $220.

The most important word in that name is “Diana.” According to a new report from Wareable, Diana (a blend of “Digital” and “Analogue”) is Fossil’s internal name for the hybrid smartwatch technology that Google licensed. It was originally...

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Starbucks is releasing a new hardware product in Japan this month, and it’s a pen. Not a stylus or anything — an actual pen, with “coffee brown” gel ink, a drip coffee machine-inspired design, and the built-in ability to pay for things at Starbucks.

“Starbucks Touch: The Pen,” for that is its name, contains an NFC reader that’s linked to a digital wallet. It works with FeliCa technology, which is ubiquitous in Japan and powers Starbucks’ popular domestic card system. I’m not totally sure how this is better than using mobile payments, but I guess if you want to leave your phone at home and get down to Starbucks for a hardcore study session, this could be useful.

This is actually the fourth product in the Starbucks Touch line in Japan,...

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Pocket Casts, a popular podcast app, is changing up its money-making strategy and launching a subscription service. The company previously charged users between $4 and $10 to download the app, depending on the OS and platform. The app will now be free, but users will have the option to pay $0.99 per month, or $10 per year, for a premium service.

The subscription service, called Pocket Casts Plus, includes access to desktop apps, exclusive app icons and themes, and 10GB of cloud storage for people who want to upload their audio and video content. People who previously purchased the desktop app will be given three years of Pocket Casts Plus for free.

Pocket Casts CEO Owen Grover imagines that podcast creators will use the cloud storage to...

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This year at IAA 2019, an international motor show hosted in Frankfurt, Germany, Mercedes-Benz announced a new Mobile SDK that the company hopes third-parties will use to enhance the customer experience for owners using the Mercedes Me mobile application. The auto manufacturer announced the SDK by allowing a select group of developers to work with it at a 24-hour hackathon during IAA 2019.

Digital transformation has arrived.

Not a single industry is safe from the unstoppable wave of digitization that is sweeping through finance, retail, transportation, and more.

And in 2019, there will be even more transformative developments that will  our businesses, careers, and lives.

Business Insider Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, has put together a list of 40 Big Tech Predictions for 2019 across Apps and Platforms, Digital Media, Payments, The Internet of Things, E-Commerce, Fintech, Transportation & Logistics, and Digital Health.

Some of these major predictions include:

• Amazon will launch an Alexa-powered car product similar to Apple's and Google's.
• Amazon will buy Snapchat as the social app struggles to add users, compete with Instagram, and make money.
• Despite the hype around the Chase-Visa deal, it alone won't mark an inflection point for contactless payments in the U.S.
• Smart speaker prices will hit $20 for the newest models.
• Social commerce will fail to gain adoption despite social platforms' efforts.
• US-based trading app Robinhood will go public in 2019 — and it won't be the only one.
• While drone delivery regulation inched forward in 2018, the rise of 5G will see companies taking their drone delivery tests to the next level. 
• Telemedicine won't take off. 

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