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I experienced a few adjustments when I moved to London two years ago: how noisy the tube can be, how spread out the city is and how many e-bikes are strewn everywhere, blocking the sidewalk and access ramps. Now, Transport for London (TfL) is attempting to improve the latter, announcing new steps to regulate parking for Lime, Forest and other companies' 40,000-plus e-bikes across the city. Rental e-scooters in London already operate with more rigorous parking restrictions. The initiative will impact red roads, a networks of major streets TfL manages. Red roads make up about five percent of London's streets, but about 30 percent of its traffic. Namely, TfL will hold operators responsible "who allow their bikes to be parked outside of designated places on red routes and on TfL land, which includes areas such as station forecourts and bus garages," the announcement reads. It's unclear just how TfL plans to do this, though, whether it be by fines or restricting access. TFL simply states that it will take "a proportionate and pragmatic approach" to enforcement, focusing its efforts on areas where the e-bikes cause the greatest safety and access risks. "The right long-term solution is new legislation, setting out fair and consistent rules that all operators have to abide by. However ahead of that, it is clear the current operators could and should be doing much more to address these problems," says councillor Kieron Williams, London Councils Executive Member for Climate, Transport and Environment. TfL seems acutely aware of its dependence on the operators and has requested the government consider new powers for the transport organization that allow it to better regulate e-bike services. TfL is also working with the boroughs to increase e-bike parking compliance. London is notably made up of 32 boroughs plus the city of London, requiring widespread collaboration and enforcement. According to TfL, London's boroughs have created 2,000 parking bays this year, while the transport organization has allocated nearly 1 million ($1.3 million) this year to fund 7,500 parking spaces. It also plans to make at least 800 spaces before next summer and to reach 3,000 in total by 2026's end. TfL separately offers Santander-sponsored bikes with designated parking docking terminals, one in six of which are electric. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/london-is-taking-action-against-reckless-e-bike-parking-134626744.html?src=rss
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With launch of its Mate 70 and foldable Mate X6 smartphones, Huawei unveiled its latest mobile OS that it says no longer uses any Android open-source code, Bloomberg reported. HarmonyOS Next was supposedly built entirely in-house as part of Huawei's plans to do build a platform entirely free of major US tech sources, both for hardware and software. The Mate 70 series arrives in China on December 4 as follow up to the Mate 60. The latter model was also significant as it was the first Huawei smartphone to use a processor that was fully made in China, showing the company could get around US trade restrictions. However, Huawei will be limited to 7-nanometer tech for the next couple of years, while rival Apple is getting ready to move to 2-nanometer chips. Having in-house chips and software has long been Huawei's aim. The company first announced its own operating system way back in 2012, anticipating that partners like Google "won't let us use their system[s] one day." Seven years later the company confirmed that it did have a homemade operating system later revealed as HarmonyOS. That still used a lot of open-source Android code, but Huawei says the latest version is fully Android-free. Despite the company's claims of in-house chip manufacturing, it was discovered recently that TSMC chips were possibly shipped illegally to Huawei via a third-party company. The US imposed trade restrictions on Huawei in the first place after it tried to steal trade secrets from T-Mobile and bypass Iran sanctions. Huawei said that the new OS still needs several months of refinement to improve the user experience, but the aim is to install it on all future smartphones. The Mate 70 models will start at $760 for the 6.7-inch edition and go up for the pro models, with Huawei promising a 40 percent performance bump, partially due to the new OS.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/huawei-launches-its-android-free-os-133021431.html?src=rss
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DJI hasn't finished yet with its busy 2024, as it just announced the Mic Mini wireless microphone system. The company took most of the characteristics of the popular Mic 2 and shrunk it down considerably, while also making it much more affordable. The Mic Mini consists of a receiver and one or two transmitters with built-in microphones. To use it, you just affix the mics to your subject, either via a clip or magnetic attachment, and turn them on. Then, power up the receiver and connect it to your camera via a 3.5mm cable. Everything pairs automatically, and the final step is to adjust your levels using the dial on the side. Steve Dent for Engadget The mics feature omnidirectional recording and the receiver can work with two of them at once, either to separate channels or mixed together. If you use it with the DJI Mimo app, you can record backup audio at 6db lower than the main track to avoid any clipping issues. Audio can be transmitted up to 400 meters (1,300 feet) and DJI says it provides stable audio even in busy electronic environments thanks to the anti-interference tech. The Mic Mini is part of DJI's OsmoAudio ecosystem, so the transmitters can connect to other DJI devices like the Osmo Action 5 Pro, Osmo Action 4 or Osmo Pocket 3 without a receiver to simplify workflow. It also connects directly to smartphones via Bluetooth, again with no receiver required (if you want to use multiple mics with your smartphone, there's an optional USB-C adapter for the transmitter). It's available in a kit with a charging case that keeps everything in one place and provides 48 hours of extended use when fully charged. DJI The main feature missing that can be found on the more expensive Mic 2 is a 3.5mm port on the transmitters for an external microphone. The Mic Mini also lacks the Mic 2's internal 32-bit float recording that eliminates clipping. I've used the system for a short while and the microphones are the smallest and lightest I've seen yet and are relatively discreet apart from the DJI logo (which is nothing a piece of black tape won't fix). They're easy to attach with the magnetic clips and don't flop around like the Mic 2 or other larger wireless mics on loose clothing (t-shirts etc.) because they're so light at 10 grams. I used them for two videos and they offered crisp sound across all frequencies in fact, I couldn't tell the difference between the Mic Mini and Mic 2 by ear. DJI I also tested the Mic Mini with an Android smartphone, iPad and DJI's Action 5 camera, and it worked flawlessly. You can use the DJI Fly app to connect to a Neo drone and benefit from the noise reduction, much as you can with the Mic 2. The Mic Mini arrives shortly after Sennheiser launched its $299 Profile Wireless Mic, though that product competes more closely with the DJI Mic 2 (and lacks a Bluetooth transmitter). Another option is the $150 Rode Wireless Micro, which only works with smartphones and not cameras. For creators, the most interesting part of the Mic Mini is bound to be the price. For a one receiver and one transmitter, you'll pay just $89, and a full kit with a charging case, two transmitters, a receiver, cable and wind muffs is $169. It's available at DJI's store, Amazon and elsewhere. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/djis-tiny-mic-mini-offers-high-quality-wireless-sound-recording-starting-at-89-130036583.html?src=rss
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