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California proposes unlimited speed limits on some highways https://ift.tt/2SZM39w If you’re one of those people who wants to put the peddle to the metal and feel restricted by those pesky speed limits, this should pique your interest. A legislator in the state of California has proposed a bill that would introduce new, unlimited speed lanes that would be added to two of the state’s most traveled highways. While it would let drivers push their cars to new speeds, it also could cut down on emissions. California state Senator John Moorlach of Orange County has proposed a piece of legislation that would direct the state Department of Transportation to build two new lanes on two major highways: Interstate 5 and State Route 99. The bill would place a new lane on either side of the roads, which link the cities of Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Sacramento. Those new lanes would allow drivers to go as fast as they see fit. Because the stretches of highway mostly go through flat areas, it lends well to higher-speed driving. Were the bill to pass, California would pay for the new lanes using the state’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund and would effectively replace the funding originally marked to be used for a bullet train between Los Angeles and San Francisco. While it may seem counterproductive to add more lanes of highway, potentially courting more traffic, the California legislator believes the lanes would actually help the state cut down on carbon emissions. As the highways are currently constructed, bottlenecks and traffic jams result in slower moving traffic and more carbon emissions being put into the atmosphere. By ditching the speed limits, cars would be able to spend less time on the road and more efficiently burn fuel, using to travel at high rates of speed rather than to sit in traffic. “Why don’t we provide people with vehicles the opportunity just to drive at 100 miles an hour, get to San Francisco in a shorter period of time than the train would?” Moorlach told the CBS affiliate in Sacramento. “You’re burning the fuel efficiently, as opposed to just sitting in slow traffic waiting for one truck to pass another truck for 20 minutes.” It’s not clear if the plan to build unlimited speed lanes will go anywhere. The California state Senate will take up the bill at some point this year, so keep your eyes out for a potential autobahn-style road in California in the future.
Digital Trends via Digital Trends https://ift.tt/2p4eJdC February 24, 2019 at 06:36PM
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Amazon hacks $79 off the price of the newest 2018 Apple iPad https://ift.tt/2EdbZUT When it comes to tablets, the iPad pretty much owns the lions share of the market. Sure, Samsung and Amazon offer some decent tablets of their own, but none of the hold the weight of Apple behind them. Despite its popularity, the iPad doesn’t come cheap — which is why we’re always on the hunt for iPad deals. The newest version would normally cost you about $329, but with this offer from Amazon, you can pick one up for a lot less. The latest iPad is really just a slightly upgraded version of the previous model. With a 9.7-inch retina display, an A10 Fusion chip, an 8MP camera, and a Touch ID fingerprint sensor, this iPad comes with all of the bells and whistles. It also comes with up to 10 hours of battery life, allowing you to use it most of the day without having to worry about finding a charger. Though you would normally have three different colors to choose from, the sale is only applicable to the Black iPad. The Rose Gold and Space Gray options will cost about $30 more. iPads are excellent devices for playing games, reading news, or simply streaming your favorite shows from Netflix and Hulu. However, there is one thing you should know about these tablets before you buy from Amazon. Unlike buying directly from Apple, you will not receive a free Apple Pencil with your purchase. If you don’t plan on doing any drawing or manual writing, this deal is great. But if you really want that pen, it’s better to buy directly from Apple. Normally priced at $329 on Amazon, the 32GB Apple iPad is on sale for just $250 right now. This sale is valid for the Black 32GB version with WiFi only, so if you’re hoping to connect it to a cellular service, you’ll be out of luck with this model. If you need more than 32GB of space, you can also check out the 128GB version for $50 off right now.
More Tablet DealsIf you’re just hoping to save big on a new tablet, there are plenty of Amazon deals to choose from. Whether you’re shopping for the heftier iPad Pro, an Amazon Fire HD tablet, or the Samsung Galaxy Tab A, we’ve found a few extra deals to help you out. Here are the best additional savings we could find:
Looking for more Apple deals? Find iPhone deals, MacBook deals, Apple Watch Deals, and more from our curated deals page.
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Digital Trends via Digital Trends https://ift.tt/2p4eJdC February 24, 2019 at 06:36PM
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Arizona House Panel Votes to Expand Vaccine Exemptions Amid Ongoing Measles Outbreak https://ift.tt/2H18S5O As the measles outbreak in the Pacific Northwest continues to worsen, an Arizona House panel has reportedly approved multiple bills to expand vaccine exemptions in the state, the Arizona Republic reported Friday. Digital Trends via Gizmodo https://gizmodo.com February 24, 2019 at 06:33PM
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Lenovo’s latest IdeaPad laptops get faster with Ryzen 7 and new MX250 graphics https://ift.tt/2BQLbtj At Mobile World Congress, Lenovo is taking the wraps off a series of new IdeaPad laptops. The ultra-slim Windows 10 devices are getting subtle design changes and options for AMD’s latest Ryzen 7 processors, as well as the newest Whiskey Lake processors from Intel. IdeaPad C340We begin first with the IdeaPad C340. Coming in April, and starting at $450, this is Lenovo’s most affordable IdeaPad. It will be available in either a 14- or 15-inch size with Intel or AMD processors. A 15-inch Intel-based version will also be released, but will be priced at $500. Key features on this device include slimmer 3-sided narrow bezels, up to 8 hours of battery life, and a new “True Block Privacy Shutter” for webcam privacy. It also comes with a glass fiber top cover, as well as an optional fingerprint reader. Colorways include Abyss Blue, Platinum Grey or Onyx black. Alongside a jump to Whiskey Lake processors, the 14- and 15-inch Intel versions of the IdeaPad C340 are getting a graphics upgrade to the GeForce MX250. The 14 inch AMD version, meanwhile, features options for Radeon RX Vega integrated graphics. Processor options on the AMD version range from the Ryzen 7 3700U, Ryzen 5 3500 U, Ryzen 3 3200U, or AMD Athalon. It only features up to 4 or 8GB RAM but has configurations with up to a 512GB PCIe SSD. Connectivity is the same as the Intel version, but it only will come in the Platinum Grey, Onyx Black colorway. IdeaPad S540Next up is the IdeaPad S540. Also coming in April, this is a higher-end IdeaPad model. Its displays bezels are 25 percent smaller when compared the last generation, and it comes with a TrueBlock Privacy Shutter privacy mechanism for covering up the webcam. For more efficient cooling, it also has dual-action fans. Under the hood, the S540 features Intel’s eighth-generation Intel Core i7 processor, or up to the AMD Ryzen 7 3700U mobile processor. Lenovo is promising up to 12 hours of battery life and says its support for a Rapid Charge technology can give the S540 up to 80 percent battery capacity in one hour. The 14- and 15-inch Intel versions of the IdeaPad S540 come with options for a PCIe SSD of up to 512GB, or up to 12GB RAM. It also comes with options for either standard Intel integrated graphics, the Nvidia GeForce MX250 graphics card or the GeForce GTX 1050. Connectivity includes 1 USB-C port, 2 USB-3.0 ports, and HDMI. It will be available in Abyss Blue, Copper, and Mineral Grey. The AMD version only will be available in 14 inches and comes with Radeon RX Vega10 Graphics, up to 12GB RAM and up to a 512GB SSD. Battery life is a bit lower at 8 hours, and the connectivity and color options remain the same as the Intel version. Pricing starts at $730 for the 14-inch AMD version (April release), $850 for a 15-inch Intel version (April release), and $880 for a 14-inch Intel version (June release). IdeaPad S340Final of the group is is the IdeaPad S340. Available in 14- or 15-inch sizes, Lenovo has trimmed the bezels down by 20 percent on this model. Also getting upgraded are both the Intel and AMD processors. It features up to an FHD IPS Touch Display and the same TrueBlock privacy shutter webcam found on the other IdeaPads. Battery life on the Intel version is promised at between eight and 10 hours. Specifications on the AMD versions are relatively the same but come with the Ryzen 7 3700U Mobile Processor and Radeon RX Vega 10 graphics instead. Battery life is rated down a bit between 6-8 hours. Pricing on the AMD 14-inch version is not yet available, but Lenovo is aiming for an April release. The 14-inch Intel variant will go on sale in April for $370, and the 15-inch version for $450. A 15-inch AMD version will come in at $430. IdeaCentre AIO A340Alongside the IdeaPads, Lenovo is also launching a new IdeaCentre All in One PC. Featuring a slim metallic stand, it comes with a narrow-bezel design with a 90 percent screen-to-body ratio. Under the hood are options for the Core i5-8400T, i5-8265U, or Pentium Silver J5005 processors. Graphics are provided by AMD Radeon 530. RAM comes in at either 4GB or 8GB, and the storage is set up to a 512GB SSD. There’s an option for a touchscreen on both models. Connectivity includes two USB-2.0 ports, 2 USB-3.1 ports, HDMI out, and a 3-in-1 Card Reader. Two color options are available: Business Black and Foggy White. Pricing starts at $500 on the 22-inch version and $680 on the 24-inch version, with both coming in April.
Digital Trends via Digital Trends https://ift.tt/2p4eJdC February 24, 2019 at 05:38PM
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Lenovo revives phablets from the dead with the 6.95-inch Tab V7 smartphone https://ift.tt/2U7Dlmq Folding phones like the Samsung Galaxy Fold may be coming to offer us a mix of smartphone and tablet, but they’re still a long way off from being offered at a price that isn’t close to the cost of two flagship phones. Thankfully, it’s not your only choice if you’re looking to get a smartphone’s versatility along with the big screen of a tablet. Lenovo has chosen MWC 2019 to reveal the Lenovo Tab V7, a tablet with smartphone capabilities and a price tag that’s a fraction of the Galaxy Fold’s. Despite the low price, the Lenovo Tab V7 manages to look good. The display is a 6.95-inch IPS LCD running a 2,160 x 1,080 resolution and a maximum brightness of 350 nits. Lenovo has slimmed down the bezels dramatically, allowing for a screen-to-body ratio of 81 percent, while still ensuring there’s enough bezel to grab during use. The bezels have been put to good use too, thanks to the inclusion of two front-facing speakers that are enhanced with Dolby Audio. At 195 grams, it’s lighter than the iPhone XS Max. You’ll find a fingerprint sensor on the back, and there’s also support for unlocking with iris and facial recognition. It’s powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 450, so while it shouldn’t be your first choice — or even second — for serious mobile gaming, it should be able to handle simple tasks without much issue. It comes with options for 3GB and 4GB of RAM for multitasking, and either 32GB and 64GB of onboard storage. You’ll also find a 5,180mAh battery that should provide excellent battery life when combined with the modest hardware. There’s a 13-megapixel fixed-focus camera lens on the back, while the front-facing selfie camera is a 5-megapixel fixed-focus lens. It’s all powered by Android’s latest and greatest — Android 9.0 Pie. It’s fully 4G-compatible, backing up its smartphone qualifications, and it also comes with a dual SIM slot, making it perfect for world travelers. Unfortunately, we’ve got bad news if you’re in the U.S. — Lenovo has only announced availability for Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. However, it’ll be coming to those markets for the bargain price of 249 euros (roughly $282), making it a great option for anyone in those areas who needs a super-large phone. We’ll keep you updated if U.S. availability and release dates are announced.
Digital Trends via Digital Trends https://ift.tt/2p4eJdC February 24, 2019 at 05:38PM Ezra Miller Still Thinks the Flash Movie Will Connect the 'Disparate Pieces' of the DC Film Universe2/24/2019
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Ezra Miller Still Thinks the Flash Movie Will Connect the 'Disparate Pieces' of the DC Film Universe https://ift.tt/2T9xNdT It’s been a while since we’ve heard much about the Flash movie, set to star Ezra Miller as the speedster, reprising his role from Justice League. As the ongoing cohesion of the universe has sort of fallen to the wayside, the film, too, has shifted out of the spotlight, with much more attention placed on Aquaman and… Digital Trends via Gizmodo https://gizmodo.com February 24, 2019 at 05:21PM
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The Google Assistant gets a button https://ift.tt/2U6sZ60 Traditionally, the Google Assistant always lived under the home button on Android phones, but as the company announced at MWC today, LG, Nokia, Xiaomi, TCL and Vivo are about to launch phones with dedicated assistant buttons, similar to what Samsung has long done with its Bixby assistant. The new phones with the button that are launching this week are the LG G8 ThinQ and K40 and the Nokia 3.2 and 4.2. The upcoming Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 5G and Mi 9, as well as new phones from Vivo (including the Vivo V15 Pro) and TCL will also feature a dedicated Assistant button. With this, Google expects that over 100 million devices will soon offer this feature. With a dedicated button, Google can also build a few new features into the Android OS, too, that’ll make it easier to bring up some Assistant features that were traditionally always a few taps away. As expected, a single tap on the button will bring up the Assistant, just like a long tap on your phone does today. A double tap will bring up the Assistant’s visual snapshot feature that provides you with contextual information about your day and location (similar to the sorely missed Google Now of days gone by). A long press activates what Google calls a “walkie talkie feature.” This ensures that the Assistant listens to longer queries, which Google says is “perfect for emails or long text message.” It’s interesting to see that the Android ecosystem is now building these buttons into phones (and we can probably assume that Google’s own next-gen Pixel devices or the fabled low-end Pixel 3 will have one, too). They will make it easier to discover the Assistant, of course, and maybe get people to use it more often, too — and that’s surely what Google is hoping for. Digital Trends via TechCrunch https://techcrunch.com February 24, 2019 at 05:18PM
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Lenovo's External USB-C Display Could Be on Every Laptop User's Wishlist https://ift.tt/2XkRG0F Portable monitors for laptops aren’t an entirely new class of gadget, but prior to the widespread adoption of USB-C, they were always kind of a pain in the ass. That’s because you needed one cord for data, and another cord for power, with older models often ending up too big and bulky for most people to want to carry… Digital Trends via Gizmodo https://gizmodo.com February 24, 2019 at 05:03PM
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Huge Storms Sweep the South, Resulting in At Least Three Fatalities https://ift.tt/2tDhuHE Violent storms across swathes of the Southeast have caused several deaths and caused major flooding this weekend, with landslides also reported in several areas. Rain in parts of Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee reached an astonishing one to one and a half feet, according to CBS News contributing meteorologist Jeff… Digital Trends via Gizmodo https://gizmodo.com February 24, 2019 at 05:03PM
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As Android’s nav bar fades, dedicated Google Assistant buttons are on the rise https://ift.tt/2IzPcZ4 Google Assistant is present on almost all Android phones now, but more devices are going to get a dedicated hardware button you can use to access it. The announcement, which Google made at Mobile World Congress 2019, comes after we’ve already seen some of the new phones with the dedicated button. The first phone to feature a dedicated button to access Google Assistant was the LG G7 ThinQ last year. Most Android phones can access Google Assistant by holding down on the home button, but as Google and other manufacturers start to move away from using the traditional Android navigation keys in favor of new gesture controls, a new way to access Assistant is not just beneficial, but necessary. New phones with the dedicated button will come from the likes of HMD Global, with the Nokia 4.2 and Nokia 3.2, and LG, with the G8 ThinQ as well as the midrange K40. Xiaomi is also a partner, so the Mi Mix 3 5G and Mi 9 will have the button, and so will Vivo’s V15 Pro. TCL is also on the list, but Google said its device will come later this year. BlackBerry, which is under the TCL brand, already has an extra button you can remap to use Google Assistant, so it’s not a stretch to see something similar on Alcatel devices (also under the TCL brand). With all these partnerships, Google said it expects more than “100 million devices to launch with a dedicated Google Assistant button.” The single button offers three ways to use it. A single tap launches Google Assistant, letting you quickly ask it questions — from Google queries to what’s next on your calendar. A double tap will open Visual Snapshot, which is sort of a hub with curated information about your day, that varies based on time of day, location, and your recent interactions with the Assistant. Then you can long-press the button to trigger a Walkie-talkie feature, so Assistant will listen for a full query, which Google said is ideal for when you want to send an email or long text messages. The big question is whether you will be able to disable or remap the Google Assistant button to do something else if you don’t use the voice assistant much. Currently, LG lets you disable the button on the G7 ThinQ, but there’s no option to remap it. It’s the same qualm people have with Samsung’s Bixby button on its Galaxy smartphones. As smartphones continue along the bezel-less trend with gesture navigations to interact with the operating system, we’re also seeing a small push to eliminate physical buttons in favor of haptic ones as well. It’s interesting to see a new physical button on the phone becoming more prevalent, and it only shows the speed at which artificial intelligence assistants are growing. Soon it may be commonplace to expect a dedicated A.I. button on phones as you would the power button or volume rocker.
Digital Trends via Digital Trends https://ift.tt/2p4eJdC February 24, 2019 at 04:34PM |
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