Michigan's new law 'clarifies' ban on Tesla's direct sales model

Michigan's new law 'clarifies' ban on Tesla's direct sales model

Jon Fingas

Engadget

If you're hoping to find a Tesla Motors store in Motor City, you may be waiting a long, long time. Michigan Governor Rick Snyder has signed House Bill 5606 into law, explicitly banning Tesla's direct sales model in the state. Snyder contends that the measure only "clarifies" existing legislation. It was already illegal to sell cars outside of franchised dealerships, he argues -- this new law just eliminates any room for confusion.
Snyder is quick to add that politicians should reexamine the existing business model and make changes if the status quo doesn't serve the public interest. If nothing else, he's open to Tesla stores at some point down the line. However, it's no secret that dealers (and to a lesser degree, Tesla's competitors) wanted to see this bill pass. Tesla accused Senator Joe Hune of adding anti-Tesla language to the bill to please the Michigan Automobile Dealers Association, one of his chief campaign contributors and a frequent opponent of Tesla's. GM, meanwhile, officially endorsed the bill with claims that it would make all car makers "follow the same rules;" the company may not like dealerships, but their requirement prevents Tesla from gaining an advantage. Whether or not the accusations are true, it's easy to see the economic incentives for keeping Tesla out. All of the US' automotive giants are headquartered in Michigan, and the state might not want to see the dealers for its best known business undermined by a handful of electric vehicles from California.
[Image credit: Emile Wamsteker/Bloomberg via Getty Images]
Source: Governor Rick Snyder, Michigan Legislature

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Update brings mood lighting, better battery life to your Moto 360

Update brings mood lighting, better battery life to your Moto 360

Chris Velazco

Engadget

When the Moto 360 last got an update, the painfully handsome smartwatch seemed to get a noticeable boost in battery life. Now, with a new bit of software, Motorola's itching to improve its battery life just a little more... as well as stamp out a few bugs for good measure. Perhaps the most notable addition is the 360's newfound ability to shut off Ambient Mode (which leaves the screen on, albeit at a lower brightness) automatically once its battery level hits 15 percent. Also on deck this time are some minor UI changes (you can temporarily dismiss a notification without leaving the watch face), the addition of mood lighting when you plop the thing in its dock, and some behind-the-scenes Bluetooth improvements. All of the above will be hitting your wrist sooner or later -- Motorola says the update is rolling out in waves, so be patient if your smartwatch doesn't get a little smarter as quickly as you'd like.
Source: Official Motorola Blog

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Finally, an open-source smart toothbrush with a subscription plan

Finally, an open-source smart toothbrush with a subscription plan

Timothy J. Seppala

Engadget

If you ever thought to yourself, "Self, I need a crowdfunded toothbrush that tracks my oral activities," you're in luck. The folks at Goodwell estimate that we'll each go through some 300 toothbrushes over the course of our lifetime. As such, it wants to do its part to wage a war against the "planned obsolescence" of traditional fang-cleaning apparatus. For just $69, you get a hollow aluminum handle with a compostable, replaceable, charcoal brush head -- even with a $79 per-subscription for replacement parts that's still cheaper than Oral B's SmartSeries. If you're feeling even more spendy though, you can get what's known as the premium kit, which comes with screw-on attachments for flosser and tongue-scraper accessories for $89.But let's say you really want to know just what you're doing with that fancy toothbrush via the web or your smart device. That option, my friends, will set you back $150, and grant software access to three-axis accelerometer and built-in microcontroller. The whole shebang is open source, so the development community can develop apps to take advantage of the hardware. Of course, none of this will be possible unless the $12,500 crowdfunding goal is reached. But you do want Oral B to have some competition (not to mention cleaner pegs), don't you?
Source: CrowdSupply

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Google now lets you prove your identity with a USB security key

Google now lets you prove your identity with a USB security key

Chris Velazco

Engadget

It shouldn't surprise you that Google's a big proponent of online security, and that's why it's rolling out support for a new way to prove you are you who are: a USB Security Key. Google's normal approach to two-step authorization involves getting a text on your phone to verify your identity, but that isn't always ideal. Maybe you suck at keeping your phone charged. Or maybe you're abroad (your author's had to deal with that particular headache a few times) and don't want to get slammed with roaming charges. Having a dedicated secure USB key around means you'll be able to log into Google's ecosystem without having to worry about phishing or having your phone handy.
Alas, there are a few caveats: you have to be a Chrome user, for one. You can't turn any ol' thumb drive laying around into a security key, either - it's got to be one that supports the FIDO authentication standard. Still, there's some more icing on this cake: other sites and services can choose to use FIDO authentication too, and
plenty of big name players
like Microsoft, Alibaba and PayPal have already pledged their support. Thinking of taking the plunge? You can claim some compatible hardware for just under $20, so there's no excuse for not locking your digital world down.
Source: Google

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MLB is bringing Apple Pay to the 2014 World Series

MLB is bringing Apple Pay to the 2014 World Series

Edgar Alvarez

Engadget

Tonight, Kansas City Royals and San Francisco Giants will begin battling it out for Major League Baseball's biggest prize: the World Series. And to make things better for ballpark attendees, MLB and MasterCard have announced that Kauffman Stadium (Royals) and AT&T Park (Giants) are going to support Apple Pay and other NFC-based payments throughout the series and beyond. Given how MLB usually adopts new technologies quickly, this shouldn't come as a surprise -- both stadiums are the first in sports to do this, and chances are the league will bring the feature to more places soon. While MasterCard and MLB are touting Apple Pay, the Cupertino company's recently launched payment system for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, services like Google Wallet also work with the newly implemented terminals. Don't worry, we knowGoogle Wallet has been a thing for a while.



[Lead mage credit: Getty Images]
Source: MasterCard

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Android 5.0 Lollipop: 5 Key Features Added To Latest Android Version

Android 5.0 Lollipop: 5 Key Features Added To Latest Android Version

Google announced the Android 5.0 Lollipop, the latest major version of the company’s mobile operating system, last week, along with the highly anticipated Nexus 6 smartphone, Nexus 9 tablet and a new streaming video device called the Nexus Player.

The Android 5.0 Lollipop, which was first showcased at the Google I/O conference in June as Android L, comes with many new features, such as a new material design user interface and updated notification functions. The new Android version is expected to be available for older Nexus models, including the Nexus 5, Nexus 7, Nexus 10 and Google Play Edition devices.

Here are five new key features of the Android 5.0 Lollipop:

1. WebView

WebView allows third party applications to display web content without launching the browser. The feature makes the update process independent from the update schedule of original equipment manufacturers, making it convenient for users of devices whose OEMs are slow in rolling out updates.

 2. Multi-User Support for Phones

The new Android 5.0 Lollipop offers multi-user support, which was only available for tablets, for phones. The first user of the phone will be the owner of the device and this person can decide if others can use the handset. The feature allows every profile to have its own welcome screen, application settings and wallpapers, and users can switch profiles by pressing the head button on the top right corner of the screen.

3. Application Pinning

Users of Android 5.0 Lollipop can lock any running application by applying a pin number or pattern. If the owner of the device has any protections enabled on the device, other users cannot access other apps without breaching the phone's security system. 

4. Application Back Up

Users will now be able to transfer all relevant settings and apps to new Android devices through Near Field Communication at the time of initial login. Apps that are to be downloaded will be displayed as gray-colored icons, which will launch the Play Store listing when tapped.

5. Two Factor Authentication from Initial Login

Users will now be able to enter the time-sensitive security code right on the login screen itself. In previous versions of the OS, the account login screen used to open up a browser window to let users enter the code.

[Source: XDA Developers, Android Police]

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Windows Phone features make their way into Windows 10

Windows Phone features make their way into Windows 10

Tom Warren

The Verge 

Microsoft is starting to bring some of its useful Windows Phone features directly into Windows 10. The software maker released an update to its Windows 10 Technical Preview earlier today, and the latest build now includes the same Action Center (Notification Center) from the phone side of Windows. alongside DataSense and Battery Saver. All three features come directly from the latest versions of Windows Phone and underline Microsoft’s plans to offer Windows 10 across PC, tablet, phone, and Xbox. It’s a single version of Windows so expect to see more of these shared features in the coming months.

DataSense isn’t fully implemented in Windows 10, but the feature is designed to track Wi-Fi and cellular data usage as well as the ability to limit background data when you’re approaching a monthly bandwidth cap. Battery saver is also a Windows Phone feature, and on Windows 10 it’s designed to limit background activity and hardware settings to save as much battery power as possible when it’s enabled. That’s a useful addition for a tablet or laptop, but it obviously won’t get much use on an always-on desktop PC.

Elsewhere in the latest Windows 10 Technical Preview, Microsoft is making some small user interface changes. There’s a new pop animation when you open and close apps or File Explorer windows, and a new animation when switching between virtual desktops. These are very minor changes, but alongside the subtle drop shadow changes we noticed in the first Technical Preview it's clear Microsoft will continue to adjust and tweak the Windows 10 user interface significantly in the coming months. Microsoft even admits that the current Action Center only caters for basic notifications and that "quick actions and cleaner UI will come later." It's only been three weeks since the original Windows 10 Technical Preview, so expect to see a new update between two to four weeks time.

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HP Will Unveil New Computing Product Called Sprout Next Week

HP Will Unveil New Computing Product Called Sprout Next Week

Arik Hesseldahl

Re/code 

When Hewlett-Packard announced it would split in two — one company devoted to PCs and printing; the other to enterprise IT — CEO Meg Whitman said one area the PC side would explore is, “new computing experiences.”

Sources familiar with the matter tell Re/code that HP will demonstrate one of them at an event in New York on Oct. 29, with a product it is calling Sprout.
The product combines a large flat screen display — similar to its Pavilion Touchsmart line of touch-enabled desktop PCs — with a flat touch-enabled work surface, and an overhead assembly that combines a projector and a 3-D scanner, according to people who’ve seen it.

The overhead device projects images downward onto the work surface, which users can manipulate their hands or with a stylus. They can resize pictures, move elements around and change colors. They can also easily add new elements to the image by scanning objects or other images directly on the work surface. This is where the overhead 3D scanner comes into play. Adding an image of any object at hand — is as easy as placing it on the work surface where it can be scanned and then included in whatever the user is working on.

Sprout will run Windows initially, but future versions could run Google’s ChromeOS, sources say. It’s unclear what the starting price will be.
The product has been created by a group headed by Eric Monsef, a former Apple hardware executive.
Sprout will primarily be sold to businesses but it’ll also be marketed to high-end customers, sometimes called “prosumers,” whose needs often mesh with those of professionals. Businesses could use it to show customers different options of product and help make buying decisions.

 A decorator or home improvement store could use a photo a room in someone’s home to show how it would look with different paint or wallpaper options. Fashion retailers could show exactly how a customer would look wearing a dress or jewelry. But it will also be marketed to companies for creating better presentations and to teachers, people familiar with HP’s plans say.
The product is also intended to demonstrate HP’s ability to break away from the pack in the personal computing business, where most vendors focus on notebooks, tablets and desktops, which generally compete with other manufacturers on price.

Sprout will be one of several products that HP demonstrates at the event in New York next week.

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Taylor Swift’s Best Surprised Faces

 Taylor Swift’s Best Surprised Faces

Taylor swift is famous for a lot of great things, like her catchy music and cute kitten. But she is also famous for her “surprised” face when she wins an award. You know the one!
Here are some of the best surprised faces of Taylor swift:

1.

2: 

3.

4.

5.

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10.

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Hands-On With The Nexus 6 And Android Lollipop

Hands-On With The Nexus 6 And Android Lollipop

Greg Kumparak,Kyle Russell

TechCrunch

Smack dab in the middle of last week, Google announced two new pieces of shiny: the Nexus 6 phone, and the Nexus 9 tablet.
Alas, both announcements came by way of blog post, rather than the standard fanfare-filled physical event — meaning no one actually got to touch the devices.
Until now!
While the amount of time I got to spend with each device is by no means enough for a full review, it was enough for those oh-so-important first impressions.
The short of it? These things are gorgeous.

The Nexus 6

The Nexus 6 is about twice the price of its Nexus 5 predecessor ($650 vs $350) – a difference that Google makes up, at least in part, in the device’s aesthetics. The Nexus 5 never felt cheap by any means; it was, at worst, generic. The Nexus 6 meanwhile is undeniably more polished, and looks like a higher-end smartphone should.
I was worried that the Nexus 6 would feel absurdly huge in my hand… but it didn’t. Bigger than my Nexus 5, of course — but if you’re comfortable holding an iPhone 6 Plus, you’d be fine with the Nexus 6. The two devices are absurdly similar in their dimensions and overall heft in the hand; close your eyes, and you’d probably have a hard time figuring out which is which without poking around to find the buttons.
We only got to spend a bit of time with the Nexus 6’s 13 megapixel camera (we’ll give it a proper spin in a review in the coming weeks), but it seems like an instant and immediate improvement over all Nexus prior. It boots quickly, and the shot-to-shot shutter speed seems as snappy as you could hope for.

The Nexus 9

You can find our hands-on with the Nexus 9 here.

Android 5.0 (Lollipop)

The Nexus 6 is running Android 5.0 – the very latest edition, otherwise known by it’s traditionally-sweet codename of “Lollipop”. While it brings many new APIs for developers to tinker with (Google estimates it at around 7,000), the most obvious change is an overhaul of its user interace.
At least running on a freshly-unboxed Nexus 6, Lollipop is smooth. Ridiculously smooth, even. Every animation (and Lollipop/Material Design uses a lot of animations and transitions) ran like butter, refusing to stutter even when I tried to trip it up by loading many apps in rapid fire.
A few neat things I noticed about Lollipop:

• If you use facial recognition to unlock your phone, Android’s lockscreen can now be set to detect your face passively as you read homescreen notifications. Your face will never show on screen, but the camera will be looking. Once detected, the handset will allow you to unlock it sans pin
• When setting up a Nexus 6 or 9, you can tap another NFC-enabled device to the back of your new handset to clone that device’s settings and apps. You’ll have to authorize this by entering your device’s pin, of course.
• the “Ok, Google” voice command should now work at all times, even when the handset is locked. While this has shown up in other Android devices before, Google now supports it at an OS level and suggests that Android handset makers integrate the required low-power voice recognition chip.

We look forward to giving all of the above — the Nexus 6, Nexus 9, and the Android 5.0 platform that ties them all together — in the coming weeks. Stay tuned for our full review in November.

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Justin Bieber Gets in Major Trouble on Vacation

GETTY IMGES

Justin Bieber is such a bad boy that you even nominated him for 2014's J-14 Teen Icon Awards' Iconic Rebel. Still, our jaws dropped when we heard about why he got in trouble for inappropriate behavior on vacation! According to CTV, the singer was reprimanded for kicking a soccer ball in the halls of the Vatican's historical buildings while on a private tour.

The Vatican isn't speaking up about the incident, but he reportedly annoyed the staff and even violated the dress code by wearing shorts!

While that definitely seems like an inappropriate place to play soccer, the singer posted an Instagram pic of himself with the incriminating soccer ball.

Of course, he seems pretty unfazed by the incident, and couldn't stop gushing about his trip to Rome on Instagram,  he should be more careful about where he gets into mischief! The Vatican is a really historic site.

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Taylor Talks about the Power of Reading

Taylor Talks about the Power of Reading

Scholastic is talking with Taylor about how reading and writing can open a world of possibilities for children. Taylor will share the books that have most influenced her and a never before seen clip from behind the scenes at one of her recent music videos.

 

As part of Scholastic’s new reading initiative, “Open a World of Possible,” the 30-minute exclusive video will air on Scholastic.com beginning on October 29, 2014, at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT. Registration to watch on 10/29 is open now at http://www.scholastic.com/taylorswift.

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