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It's Friday, February 28, 2020. Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.  These days, the internet community experience centers around social networking apps. But some of us recall the old days when it was weird to talk to strangers online, whether via BBS, IRC or Kris Holt’s preferred stomping grounds: a message board. The Foo Fighters fan page where he came of age has shut down, taking with it 20 years of memories and the usual share of low-grade internet drama. Its exit provides space to reflect on what that site (not #thatsite) got right and wrong in building space for all kinds of conversations. While Facebook, Twitter and TikTok struggle with issues of memes, disinformation and free speech at the billion-user scale, it certainly feels like they’re just repeating work that small community-moderated sites figured out years ago. -- Richard (View in browser.) The endurance race not the superhero.  Timex’s new Ironman smartwatch, the R300 GPS, bundles the workout essentials -- on-wrist heart rate monitoring, guided coaching, a range of performance metrics and water resistance up to 30 meters -- into a wearable that costs just $120. The company claims the battery will last up to 25 days, as long as you only use 20 hours of GPS. Like the Timex Ironman One GPS before it, this is really more of a fitness band than a smartwatch, or in the company's words a "sports-first smartwatch." | | Sponsored Content by Stack Commerce | | Or you can rent one for €0.26 per minute.  Meet the "Ami," a two-seater vehicle made for city transportation that's so small it doesn't even require a license. That is, so long as you're at least 14 years old in France or 16 in other European countries. It has a 5.5kWh battery under the floor, which can run for 44 miles on a single charge -- you can simply plug the EV into any standard 220v outlet and wait three hours to fill its battery. As far as purchasing, Citroën plans to sell the mini EV for €6,000 outright, or on a rental plan for €22 per month (after a significant down payment). | | iPadOS already brought mouse support, what's next?  The iPad has never been more like a conventional computing device, blurring the lines between tablet and laptop. Well, it might be about to get blurrier. A report from The Information suggests that Apple is kicking off production of a new keyboard accessory for iPads that would include a built-in trackpad. This would apparently arrive alongside a next-gen iPad Pro later this year. If you can’t wait til then, you could try Brydge’s third-party Pro+ keyboard for iPads, which adds backlit keys, a trackpad and a MacBook-esque vibe to your tablet. Prices start from $200, and it’s expected to launch in April. | | It's not even out, but reviewers have issues with image quality and the focus.  Samsung's Galaxy S20 Ultra isn’t even out yet, but reviews are suggesting there might be camera problems. The company says it’s working on a fix. "The Galaxy S20 features a groundbreaking, advanced camera system," Samsung told The Verge, that it is “constantly working to optimize performance to deliver the best experience for consumers. As part of this ongoing effort, we are working on a future update to improve the camera experience." Samsung didn't say what the problems were, exactly, but the Galaxy S20 Ultra indeed has a very advanced camera with a 108-megapixel sensor. It also packs a phase-detect system that's supposed to make autofocus (AF) quicker and more accurate. However, critics have found that it's slow and in some cases inaccurate, yielding out-of-focus photos -- something the cheaper S20 and S20+ don’t suffer from. The company hasn't said when the fixes will be coming, but the smartphone is due to arrive on March 6th. Our verdict is coming later today. | | But wait, there's more... | | | |
