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Posts Tagged ‘convenience’

Dockless Bike Shares: Convenience of Uber & Car2Go for Urban Cyclists

08 Apr

[ By WebUrbanist in Technology & Vehicles & Mods. ]

dockless share

Promising the convenient pick-ups of Uber (found all over) and drop-offs of Car2Go (which can be parked anywhere), new cycle-sharing services aim to overturn paradigm of dock-to-ride-to-dock. A single company in China has already put more than a million such bicycles on the streets. Users simply pull up an app to locate the closest bike then unlock it digitally (by scanning a QR code) and head on their way.

Anyone who has used dock-based bike sharing systems know they come with problems — they might not be close by, or could be filled (when you’re dropping off) or empty (when you’re picking up). On the automobile front, similar issues with some sharing companies have been solved by allowing users to leave cars wherever they want. This can result in concentrations of cars, though, that need to be spread back out — and a similar problem exists for bikes.

While small but similar programs exist elsewhere, The Guardian describes the problem as it has unfolded in China: “Seven hundred miles to the south-west, on the streets of the fast-growing Pearl River manufacturing hub of Guangzhou, the colourful dockless share bikes are everywhere. They are parked up by the hundred outside shopping malls and metro stations, often blocking the pavement; others, rendered useless by missing saddles, broken locks.” In other places, the shared bikes are piled up in alleys and vacant lots.

Some companies believe that docking stations are the long-term solution, but others continue to experiment with alternative approaches, like: marking out preferred spots on the sidewalk then adding or deducting credits based on bike drop-off placement. For now, though, these reports have to be done manually, relying on crowd-sourced participants. As GPS gets more accurate, though, it may be possible to do this automatically. In a way, this method would replace physical stations by creating virtual ones in the form of acceptable micro-areas on the digital map.

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[ By WebUrbanist in Technology & Vehicles & Mods. ]

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Posted in Creativity

 

Carry-everywhere convenience: Sony RX100 V samples gallery update

30 Oct
Photo by Carey Rose

The Sony RX100-series has always been about offering photographers better image quality than a phone without weighing them down or putting a kink in their necks – and the Mark V is no exception. Ours has been a constant companion, allowing us to take advantage of the last remaining flashes of autumnal Seattle sunshine. So in the course of putting the finishing touches on our full review, we’ve brought one more big update to our existing samples gallery – enjoy!

Check out our RX100 V
real-world sample gallery

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Posted in Uncategorized