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Lime launches its first car-sharing service in Seattle
It's true: after a long time focusing on scooters, Lime is ready to delve into four-wheeled transportation. The startup is launching a car-sharing service, LimePod, that will be available in Seattle as of this week. As with scooters, it'll cost just $1 to unlock a car that you can park wherever you need it -- the difference is that you'll pay 40 cents per minute (insurance included) instead of 15 cents per minute. Only 50 of the Fiat 500 cars will be available on launch, but there should be 500 by the end of 2018 and 1,500 by early 2019. That would make the largest park-anywhere offering in the US, Bloomberg said.
Lime launches recall over broken e-scooters
Lime is grappling with another recall just a matter of weeks over its battery issue. The service is recalling electric scooters made by Okai following reports they were breaking under normal use. The withdrawal is immediate and covers scooters across cities worldwide. The company plans to replace the affected Okai scooters with newer models it said are "best in class for safety." There shouldn't be any serious service disruptions, Lime told the Washington Post.
Lime puts $3 million toward promoting e-scooter safety
E-scooter companies have faced plenty of criticism for allegedly doing too little to foster safety (not to mention basic respect for the law) among riders, and Lime appears to be tackling this issue head-on. It's launching a $3 million "Respect the Ride" campaign to both promote safety and educate customers. The initiative will venture beyond existing efforts, such as safer scooters and a safety ambassador program, to include "multi-channel" ads asking riders to wear helmets, park properly and honor local laws. There's a new Head of Trust and Safety to manage the company's strategy, and there will be a summit to discuss safety and policies with key partners and governments.
Now Segway and Lime are sorting out blame for scooter battery issues
With electric scooters popping up in cities around the globe, people are wondering -- for many reasons -- if they're actually safe. Earlier this week Lime announced it had recalled Segway Ninebot scooters it operates, and restricted charging to only its own facilities because of a "potential issue" in "early versions of the scooter that could cause a fire risk. The only problem is that Segway released its own statement on Friday, suggesting that failure to properly monitor scooters for damage and properly maintain them could be the issue. Segway VP of global business development Tony Ho told the Washington Post that "We actually went to all of our shared scooter partners, and so far we've found that only the Lime operation has had fire incidents." In a statement (PDF), said that 80 percent of "shared scooters" in use came from one of its three Ninebot factories and suggested its own explanation for the discrepancy: " Considering the fact that the management and maintenance of shared scooters and the identification of damaged vehicles highly rely on the operators, we strongly recommend that operators strengthen their capability of fleet operation and maintenance to avoid potential safety problems caused by the improper use of damaged vehicles." Now the companies have said they're working "closely" to answer questions about any malfunctioning batteries.
Segway Ninebot fire risk caused a Lime recall and new charging policy
Lime revealed that in August it removed a number of Segway Ninebot scooters from its fleet of rentals following the discovery of a manufacturing defect that could cause batteries to catch fire. Now, after what it calls an "unconfirmed report" that another model may be similarly vulnerable, all Ninebot scooters are being charged at Lime facilities while it investigates.
Lime will reportedly test car-sharing service in Seattle
Bike- and scooter-sharing startup Lime is looking to test car rentals in Seattle, according to a report from The Information. Lime, which launched in early last year and operates in markets across 26 US states, has boasted that its scooters have taken cars off the road in cities where it operates. Now, it's reaching for a piece of the growing car-sharing market with a small host of around 500 cars made by Fiat Chrysler. There's no concrete date set for when Lime will begin offering the new service, but an application submitted to Seattle's car-sharing program in October indicates it could happen very soon.
Lime offers free bike and scooter rentals on Election Day
If you're looking for a way to the polls this Election Day, you can snag a free ride via bike or scooter from Lime. The company is offering free trips on its fleet of shared bicycles, e-bikes, and occasionally abused electric scooters on Tuesday, November 6th.
Lime's Gen 3 scooter is built to survive rider abuse
Lime might have lost access to San Francisco, but it does have a consolation prize: a new scooter to entice you in those cities where its shared service does operate. The Lime-S Gen 3 touts technology upgrades like a color screen (for speed, battery capacity and future parking zone alerts), improved location accuracy and a status light that indicates the charge level without making you check your phone. However, the biggest upgrades are to longevity -- you should see fewer dead scooters littering the sidewalks.
Judge rejects Lime request to block e-scooter rivals in San Francisco
Lime just lost a last-minute bid to delay the launch of San Francisco's electric scooter pilot program. A judge has denied the company's request for a temporary restraining order that would have blocked Skip and Scoot from launching their services in the city on October 15th. The company had wanted the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency to reevaluate its application for an e-scooter permit, and claimed it had "no choice" but to use the court to force the city's hand. Not surprisingly, both sides are clashing over the outcome.
Lime brings its electric scooter sharing to Canada
Like it or not, the electric scooter sharing trend is heading north. Lime has launched the first e-scooter sharing pilot in Canada, giving residents in Waterloo, Ontario (aka BlackBerry's home turf) a chance to see what this two-wheeled transport option is all about. It's not available across the entire city -- you'll have to be content with putting around a 6.5km (4mi) route between Waterloo Park and the David Johnston Research + Technology Park, including around the University of Waterloo's main campus. It's a start, though, and it makes sense given the tight links between academia and tech companies in the area.
Lyft's first electric scooters arrive in Denver
Lyft is making moves in the electric scooter market, as it is bringing the dockless devices to Denver, the first US city in which it will operate its scooter service. Lyft has permits to operate scooters and electric bikes in the Colorado city, and it's starting out with the former. Around 100 scooters will be centered in areas that are underserved by public transport, helping commuters get to bus and train stops more easily -- the Lyft app will soon alert you when you're close to a stop.
Bird, Lime, Uber and Lyft strike out on SF scooter permits
After months of deliberation, San Francisco's Municipal Transportation Agency has finally awarded scooter permits to two companies, and not to the ones you might expect. While Bird, Lime and Spin were the first to roll into the city earlier this year, their applications for scooter permits were denied. Permit applications from other big players like Uber and Lyft were denied as well. The only companies to have been awarded permits for a one-year powered scooter pilot program are Skip and Scoot, which are relatively smaller in size.
Alphabet invests in Lime's electric scooter service
You didn't think Silicon Valley's biggest names would stand on the sidelines while the electric scooter trend continued to grow, did you? The Financial Times sources have learned that Alphabet has invested directly in scooter service Lime as part of a larger $300 million funding round that already included Google Ventures. There's no mention of how much cash was heading Lime's way, but GV was reportedly leading the group, and Alphabet put in a similar amount -- there's a lot of money involved. It's not certain why Alphabet is so heavily involved (all the parties involved have declined to comment). However, it would reflect Alphabet's growing interest in transportation as it moves beyond the internet and mobile businesses that are its lifeblood.
San Francisco temporarily removes electric scooters for permit process
San Francisco is about to end its electric scooter scourge... for a while. The city's Municipal Transportation Agency has posted its permit application for companies wanting to operate e-scooters under a one-year pilot program and accompanying law, signalling that the two-wheelers need to leave the streets until services obtain permits. The firms have until June 4th to remove their scooters without facing impounding and fines (up to $100 per scooter), and have to submit their permit applications by June 7th. No more than five companies will operate at the same time during the pilot period.
Lyft may be getting into the electric scooter game
Lyft seems to be eyeing a move into the electric scooter craze -- the company is considering applying for a permit to run a service in San Francisco, The Information reported, and it's in the early stages of working on prototypes. Some companies like Bird, Lime and Spin already have scooters on the city's streets, but a established brand like Lyft making inroads could change the market drastically, opening the gateway for more big names.
Hexxeh adds a splash of lime to Chromium OS, brings extra hardware and plugin support
The open source version of Google's Chrome OS just got a zesty refresh. Capable of being housed in a mere USB stick, the latest image improves on Hexxeh's Vanilla release with hardware support for more WiFi models and NVIDIA 6 series GPUs and above. It will still benefit from regular updates to the latest Chromium build, while this Lime flavor arrives with full Java support and the promise of more plugins soon. The maker is also willing to accept suggestions for future device support. Chromium obsessives with hardware compatibility woes can try getting in touch at the source below.
Lime Odyssey to be published by Aeria Games
For those fans of all things citrus, Lime Odyssey will set you on a quest for pieces of LIME: key items used for the restoration of a ravaged realm. Don't worry, there's always the ever-present search for guts and glory with classes like Knight or Magician. You can also pursue wealth and fame as a Chef, Tailor, or other non-combat professions. Not only that, but the game will feature a farming system and other rich social tools. Roleplayers will be happy to know that there is also promise of rich roleplaying "features" combined with robust gameplay. We're not sure how exactly these features will be implemented, but it sounds inviting. You can sign up for the closed beta on the game's teaser site -- just make sure to make an Aeria Games account first. The closed beta is scheduled to start in late Q2 of 2011. %Gallery-107553%
First Look: Ping Pong Battle adds video-out, Killerspin
A few weeks ago, when we first looked at the hybrid iPhone/iPad game Ping Pong Battle, it wasn't quite ready for prime time; one of the marquee features, video-out from the 'table' iPad, wasn't finalized. With an update to the apps due to hit the App Store sometime today, PPB achieves that milestone and adds some key table tennis industry branding. PPB delivers a ping pong experience by making the iPhones into motion-sensitive 'paddles' and putting the table onto the iPad screen. Building a hybrid game for iDevices is tricky business. First of all, your market is self-limiting to those folks who have both iPhones and an iPad -- although in the case of PPB, you can play in 'finger mode' with just the iPad if you want. Secondly, you have to make sure the devices can talk to each other consistently; the PPB developers at LIME found that if one iPhone was using WiFi for connectivity with the iPad, and the other was using Bluetooth, things didn't go well. The update now warns players to pick one connectivity method or the other for all three devices, and to turn off the unused service; the developers have discussed this limitation with Apple engineering and they are looking for a workaround. With this version, the PPB paddles allow you to put spin on the ping pong ball, and give you feedback ("too soft!") on your hits. In my testing, I got the best results by shaking the iPhone gently on the swing, which you time by listening to the audio cue of the ball sailing towards you. Practice mode lets you play volleys against the computer opponent, but once you get another human player involved the fun really begins. You can also pick a custom table or choose from a list of available paddles. It's not particularly easy to get the hang of PPB, but with the video-out enabled (VGA only) and a big screen in play, it's got some real party potential -- that's probably why Killerspin is teaming up with LIME to put some table tennis muscle behind it. Killerspin is an up-and-coming US table tennis equipment brand, which aims to bring "youth and innovation to one of the world's most beautiful sports, table tennis." The app will soon feature KS-specific paddles and content. Ping Pong Battle for iPad is US$4.99; the iPhone paddle apps are free but don't do much without the mothership. If you've got the gear, and you're interested in seeing a tech-demo curiosity evolve into a playable, engaging game, check it out.
Sure sign of success: Palm to bring Centro to Sprint in two new colors
Nothing quite says "these puppies are selling well, and we'd like to ride the wave a bit longer" than reformulating an existing device in new colors -- a strategy Motorola played to the extreme, bitter end with the original RAZR -- and Palm's circling back to Sprint's Centro lineup to add a couple more (it's not getting out of hand with the Centro yet, Palm, but we're onto your game). It seems that the new shades will be "rose" and "lime," both of which sorta speak to the Centro's approach as a personal -- not business -- oriented smartphone. If the rumors hold up, these snazzy new shades should be hitting late next month.[Via Palm Infocenter]
Motorola's shockingly lime Q9c in the flesh
The great unasked question, "what would a buttoned-up, business smartphone look like in the same color as this pie I'm eating?" has finally been answered, thanks to the good folks at Motorola. This here Q9c is destined for Alltel and US Cellular, and we have to admit, it's actually pretty attractive. Could we actually see ourselves sliding one in our pocket? Eh, that might be going a bit far, but we think they'll manage to push a few of these suckers off shelves.%Gallery-19594%