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Hitting the Books: What the 'Work from Home' revolution means for those who can't
In his new book, Going Remote, urban economist Matthew E. Kahn examines how the tectonic shift in work-life balance brought about by the pandemic might eventually play out, as well as the increased economic and social divides that it harbingers.
Microsoft thinks remote workers need a 'virtual commute'
Microsoft Teams wants to recreate the daily commute for remote workers.
Alexa can now provide traffic updates and severe weather alerts
Depending on where you live, traffic can be unpredictable, making it yet another thing to check while getting ready for work. Alexa should make planning your commute a bit easier with a new voice control skill. Just ask Alexa about your commute, traffic conditions or directions. You can also have that information sent to your phone. A notification will appear on your device -- tap that and your preferred map app will open with the route guidance. Google Assistant has done this for a while, but Amazon customers will likely enjoy the added convenience.
‘Jeopardy!’ fans can now answer trivia questions while they drive
Jeopardy! fans can now test their knowledge while they drive. To celebrate the 36th season of Jeopardy!, which premieres tonight on CBS, Sony has partnered with Drivetime. Starting today, fans can answer trivia questions from seasons 1-35 through the in-car Drivetime app. Like other games on the app, Jeopardy! will be voice-based and hands-free.
Spotify is testing podcast suggestions for your commute
In the past couple months, Spotify has doubled down on its podcasting efforts. It's invested hundreds of millions and acquired Gimlet, Anchor and Parcast. One thing the company lacks is a way to recommend podcasts to its audiences. But, according to The Verge, that could be changing. An early test shows podcast recommendations alongside personalized music suggestions in a new feature called Your Daily Drive -- hinting that Spotify wants to secure a spot in your commute.
Waze's carpooling service is now available all over the US
Waze has gradually been expanding its Carpool app to states around the US, and now it's rolling out everywhere. From today, drivers and ride-seekers in all 50 states can use the app to save time and money getting around, while helping reduce congestion on the roads.
The case for Boosted's Mini electric skateboard line
Electric skateboards are riding a surge in popularity this past year, with Boosted being one of the more notable players. It's also one of the more recognizable, with its iconic orange wheels. Until now the company's output has strictly been longboards, which is par for the course barring a few exceptions, but the floodgates of mutation are opening. The company's recently released 2018 lineup includes two Mini versions, which is a form factor I've been on the fence about for a while. There are the obvious benefits, including improved maneuverability and portability (they weigh a couple pounds less than longboards). On my part, at least, there's a desire to try and apply street-skating tactics to these smaller boards, but they're new and unique creatures. Is this hybrid format the best of both worlds? No. These are still transport boards, but given some time, I'm sure someone will get a bit crazy with them.
Electrameccanica's Solo is a single-seat EV commuter car
If you're looking for an electric vehicle but don't need the extra seats (or long delivery times) that a full-sized Tesla Model 3 demands, you could always take a shot with the Solo. This electric vehicle from Canadian startup ElectraMeccanica Vehicles Corp, boasts a 100 mile range and a $15,500 price tag.
Hollywood strikes back against illegal streaming Kodi add-ons
An anti-piracy alliance supported by many major US and UK movie studios, broadcasters and content providers has dealt a blow to the third-party Kodi add-on scene after it successfully forced a number of popular piracy-linked streaming tools offline. In what appears to be a coordinated crackdown, developers including jsergio123 and The_Alpha, who are responsible for the development and hosting of add-ons like urlresolver, metahandler, Bennu, DeathStreams and Sportie, confirmed that they will no longer maintain their Kodi creations and have immediately shut them down.
Denver will test its own Hyperloop-inspired transport system
Colorado's Department of Transportation has teamed up with Arrivo to use Hyperloop-ish technology to connect the city of Denver. The partnership is looking at ways to use vacuum tubes to reduce congestion and create a local transport area that bridges distances far faster than at present.
California Republicans want to block high-speed rail funding
A 14-member contingent of the California GOP have sent a letter to newly-installed Transportation Secretary, Elaine Chao, asking that the DOT halt approval of a $650 million dollar grant for an electrification project that would have directly benefitted the proposed bullet train system running between San Francisco and San Jose. That grant would have gone to California's Caltrain agency (as early as this week) and be used to install a power system for the future train system. The letter cites cost increases and a lack of private funding as reasons to defund the project.
New Jersey town's parking solution is free Uber rides
The city of Summit, New Jersey has a bit of an infrastructure issue. The NJ Transit Summit Station doesn't have enough parking for all the people who commute through it. But fear not, the city has a solution: Uber! The city announced on Monday that it is launching a pilot partnership with the ride-hailing company to provide residents with free rides to the station.
Uber carpooling experiment helps you commute between cities
Ridesharing services already have carpooling services that let you share a ride with strangers, but they're designed for typical commuting distances, not the city-to-city jaunts that can define commutes in places like the San Francisco Bay Area. That's where Uber hopes it can make a difference. It just launched a trial run for Pool to SF, an option that gets you from South Bay cities to San Francisco in the morning. You'll usually pay between $20 to $26, but that's potentially much cheaper than the fuel and parking costs you'd face with your own vehicle. If you have a friend tagging along, you can slap on another $10 and divvy up the fare later on.
This map shows you how far you can go in 10 minutes
Commuting is often, no, regularly, hell. And now there's a map to prove it. Enter a city into the Isoscope map, and it will show how far a two, four, six, eight and ten-minute drive will take you, specific to the day of the week -- and to a prescribed hour of awful, awful rush-hour traffic. You can click multiple areas and adjust the hour, increasing or decreasing where you're able to go. If you've only get a 30-minute lunch break, you can try to make that work. "We wanted our project to shed light on situations when urban mobility is compromised, when the pulse of the city falters, such as during traffic jams," developer Sebastian Kaim told Fast Company. There's also a pedestrian option for non-drivers, and after testing a few cities and times, we're thinking next week could well be a work-at-home kind of a week.
Cities use online ticket tracking to save you time on the subway
Many commuters know the agony of mass transit at rush hour; it's no fun to skip packed buses and subway cars when you're already desperate to get home. Urban Engines clearly shares in that pain as well, as it's rolling out an internet service that uses commuting patterns to spot choke points in public transportation. Ticket purchases, pass card swipes and similar behavior create an activity map that reveals just where and when the delays are; it's easy to tell that there need to be more buses at 6PM, or that the lines are too long at the subway turnstiles.
Vanhawks' connected bike helps you avoid traffic and potholes
Vanhawks' Valour is a connected commuter bicycle that hopes to make your travels both smarter and safer. The 16-pound carbon fiber bike can help you find a route to the office that avoids heavy traffic, and gives you turn-by-turn bike-specific directions to your destination along with blind spot detection while you're on the road. It's a combination of features that's likely to have you traveling on two wheels a lot more often.
IRL: Timbuk2's Commute Messenger and Fujifilm's EF-X20 flash
Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we're using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment. When he's not copy editing Engadget, Philip Palermo likes to write about his gadget collection. And that gadget collection includes an impressive pile of camera gear (like this and this and this). Now he's back, taking Fujifilm's EF-X20 flash for a spin alongside his X-E1. Meanwhile, Dan's found a bag spacious and compartmentalized enough to fit several days of clothing and all his trade show gear. Not an easy feat, folks.
Cardboard bicycle 'close to mass production': tough, green and just $20
Cardboard never ceases to amaze. Having been deployed in gramophones, stereos and even digital cameras, one inventor now believes it can be used to make the ideal bicycle. Izhar Gafni, from Israel, spent 18 months just folding the material every-which-way in order to discover a strong enough design, and now he claims his technique is almost ready for mass production. His maintenance-free bike uses a "secret" mix of organic materials to make it waterproof and fireproof, and is then lacquered to give it a friendlier appearance. It's expected to cost a mere $20 and weigh about 20 lbs (9 kg) -- that's 65 percent lighter than an average metal ride. In fact, this bicycle doesn't use any metal parts at all -- the solid tires are made of reconstituted rubber and a car timing belt is used instead of a chain. It lacks the swank of a Faraday Porteur, perhaps, but then you could buy 175 of these for the same money. Want proof that it actually works? The bike's not-so-featherweight inventor takes it for a spin after the break. [Image credit: Reuters / Baz Ratner]
Nokia Drive 3.0 arrives with My Commute, your Lumia is no excuse for being late (video)
Nokia gave us a hint of Nokia Drive 3.0's commuter-friendly additions all the way back at Mobile World Congress in February. It's been quite the wait, but the update is at last lurking in the Windows Phone Marketplace. Although developed at the same time as Google Now, the Drive update will feel like a small slice of Android 4.1 for Lumia owners through its predictive routing: it can learn when you leave for work and how driving habits will affect the trip, giving a heads-up about traffic jams before you turn the ignition. Windows Phone reasserts itself through the option of pinning favorite destinations as tiles on the home screen, and an automatic switch between day and night modes is just as new. Drive's My Commute feature will initially work only in the US, but it should be available within the next day or two for any Lumia owner -- so those being denied Windows Phone 8 still won't have any justification for being late to the office.
Ask Engadget: Electric commuting on the cheap?
We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget inquiry is from is from Warren, who wants to find an electrical moped within his budget. If you're looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com. "What's the cheapest two-wheeled electric vehicle that goes over 45mph available in the US? I looked at the Gas-powered $2,500 Sym Symba, but as far as I can tell, I'd have to spend four times that much for an electric equivalent. Am I missing something? Thank you!" Unfortunately, you are. The biggest barrier to joining the EV parade is the price of batteries, which are often more expensive than the vehicles they're situated inside. For example, even a motorized bicycle like the Grace One is $6,000 -- but that's as far as our knowledge goes on the subject. Perhaps there is a solution out there, all it needs is for one of our friendly commenters to tell all in the river of text below.
