LATEST TECH NEWS: VanMoof unveils new electric bikes. 4 other things and a trivia you need to know today, April 21, 2020

These 5 latest stories from the tech space will keep you updated with trends today.

1. VanMoof unveils new electric bikes

VanMoof has announced the launch of a new generation of its electric bike, named S3 and X3. According to the bike manufacturer, the VanMoof S3 and its smaller version the VanMoof X3 are refined versions of the VanMoof Electrified S2 and X2. Bike reviewers have stated that the new products come with an updated motor, hydraulic brakes and a familiar design.

While commenting on this new development, the company explained that its vision has been to build electric bikes with some smart features, such as an anti-theft systems. And, that its latest S3 and X3 were designed with an integrated motion detector combined with an alarm, a GPS chip and cellular connectivity. While this bikes might be more expensive, bike enthusiasts have commented the initiative, noting that the era of stolen bikes is over as the GPS and cellular chips on bikes can now go live for owners to track their bike in the VanMoof app.

2. Fandango acquires Walmart’s video on-demand service Vudu

Movie ticketing company, Fandango, has announced purchasing Walmart’s video on-demand streaming service Vudu. Although, Fandango didn’t disclose the sum of purchase but some industry analysts have connected the need to sell the service firm to the effect of the pandemic, speculating that Walmart needed to relieve its burden.

It’s, however, shocking that Walmart could let the hook off at this point despite the success recorded by the video service, already reaching more than 100 million living room devices across the U.S., including smart TVs, Blu-ray players, game consoles and other over-the-top streaming devices, as well as Windows 10 and Mac computers, and iOS and Android mobile devices. According to Walmart, its Vudu App on mobile has been installed more than 14.5 million times.

Tech Trivia: Which American politician and legislator invented the QWERTY keyboard?

A. Herbert Hoover
B. Christopher Sholes
C. Adams Smith
D. Andrew Johnson

Answer: See end of post.

3. Reddit records outage as users encounter error messages

While attempting to access Reddit on Monday, April 21, users on the social networking site noted that the online forum developed technical issues. According to users, the problem was noticed around 2:30 p.m. ET on Monday, when users took to Twitter to express their frustration. For many, who have found value on the platform, they resorted to lamenting the ordeal.

However, press have reported that most of the reports of the Reddit outage on Down Detector have come from within the United States, with an insignificant figure from other countries such as Canada and the United Kingdom. ICT experts have linked the outage to the heavy presence of the populace online as the lockdown continues, warning that more might be witnessed in coming days.

4. Uber disconnects from employee on account of fraud

Uber has refused to take responsibility of its employee’s misdeed, arguing in a recent court filing that its former employee, Anthony Levandowski, committed fraud, an action that frees the company from any obligation to pay his legal bills, including a judgment ordering the star engineer to pay Google $179 million. According to Uber, the fraud claim was part of its response to Levandowski’s motion to compel the ride-hailing company into arbitration.

Although, Anthony, had hoped that his former employee (Uber) will have to shoulder the cost of the $179 million judgment against him, Uber’s response comes shocking as a response to the court’s judgement. Uber, told the press that it rescinded the indemnification agreement several months prior to the inception of Levandowski’s bankruptcy case “because it was procured by his fraud, including his fraudulent concealment of the facts alleged in the indictment.”

5. Levi’s partners TikTok on social commerce

In order to double its product views, Levi’s is leveraging on its advertising partnership with TikTok to connect online shoppers with the denim brand amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the pandemic has forced retailers to close their doors — including most of Levi’s own stores, the new partnership is expected to improve sales.

The company made this announcement on Tuesday, April 21, while expressing excitement as it joins one of the first retailers to use TikTok’s “Shop Now” buttons to allow consumers make purchases through links posted on TikTok. According to the company, the implementation is still in its early stage, however, since its partnership deal, it has seen high engagement and increased traffic to its website.

Tech Trivia Answer: Christopher Sholes

Christopher Latham Sholes was an American politician and serial inventor who invented the QWERTY keyboard. Although, born in Mooresburg, in Montour County, Pennsylvania; Sholes moved to Danville to work as an apprentice to a printer. After completing his apprenticeship, Sholes moved to Wisconsin where he became a newspaper publisher and politician. He served in the Wisconsin State Senate from 1848 to 1849 as a Democrat, in the Wisconsin State Assembly from 1852 to 1853 as a Free Soiler, and again in the Senate as a Republican from 1856 to 1857. He was instrumental in the successful movement to abolish capital punishment in Wisconsin.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now