Once home to most electric scooters in the US, Miami is turning its back on the micromobility vehicles. Per the Miami Herald, city commissioners voted on Thursday to end a multi-year pilot that had allowed companies like Bird and Lime to operate shared scooter rentals within the city’s core. Those companies now have until 5PM on Friday, November 19th, to collect their electric scooters. If they don’t comply in time, the city will impound any remaining vehicles.

“We’re shutting it down,” Commissioner Alex Díaz de la Portilla told the outlet. “That’s it.” Like in many other cities across the US and other parts of the world, electric scooters were a source of controversy in Miami. Supporters claimed they were an effective solution for last-mile travel, while detractors said they made city sidewalks unsafe. It’s that latter point of view that swayed the commission’s vote.

“On Biscayne Boulevard, at whatever hour of the day, you see kids on these scooters,” said Commissioner Díaz de la Portilla. “This is an accident waiting to happen.” Ken Russell, the lone commissioner who voted against ending the program, pointed out it had been a revenue generator for the city. Miami had earned approximately $2.4 million through the pilot program, and it had used that money to fund new bike lanes.

The vote caught the scooter companies off guard. “We’re extremely disappointed in the Commission’s hasty and short-sighted action to end the scooter program, taking away a safe and popular transportation option used by thousands of Miami residents daily and putting dozens of workers out of a job the week before Thanksgiving,” said Caroline Samponaro, vice president of transit, bike and scooter policy at Lyft, in a statement shared with Engadget.

As the Miami Herald points out, there is a chance scooters could return to Miami. City staff are drafting rules that would allow rental companies to bid for a contract to operate in the city as part of a permanent program. But based on the fact the Miami City Commission would need to vote to authorize such a program, it’s not clear if there’s enough support.

Since 2017, Instagram has allowed users to combine up to 10 photos and videos in a single post, but only now, some four years later, is the company adding a way to delete a single image or clip from a carousel. Instagram head Adam Mosseri detailed how the new feature works in one of his recent weekly video updates.

You can delete a photo or video from a carousel by first tapping the three dots icon, then the edit button. At that point, swipe over to the image or clip you want to remove and then tap the delete icon. According to Mosseri, the feature is currently only available on iOS, though it’s coming to Android soon. He was also quick to admit it was something Instagram should have added a while ago.

If you live in the US, you also have access to another new feature. This one is called “Rage Shake,” and it’s exactly what it sounds like. If you’re using Instagram and something isn’t working properly, shake your phone. Doing so will cause the app’s bug report interface to appear. You can then tell the company what happened. Mosseri says it will help Instagram prioritize the specific bugs it needs to address. Rage Shake is currently only available in the US.

Both features won’t change how you use Instagram, but they should be welcome additions all the same. Now if only the company would release a dedicated iPad app.

Clubhouse may have popularized the live audio format, but in many ways, it’s been forced to play catchup with its competitors. Nowhere is that more apparent than on the feature front, where it’s missing functionality found in other apps. However, this week the company filed a significant gap by adding support for live captioning on iOS. That’s a feature Twitter Spaces already had on offer, and it’s one that will make the app accessible to those who are deaf or hard of hearing.

In a statement to TechCrunch, the company said the feature supports 13 languages at launch, including English, Cantonese, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin and Russian. However, as the outlet also points out, some users have found that the feature sometimes doesn’t recognize a language properly, leading to incomprehensible captions. There’s also no word yet on when Clubhouse will make closed captioning available on Android.

To its credit, Clubhouse has added a lot of handy features in recent weeks. One of the more notable additions was Wave, a tool you can use to invite friends to a private audio room quickly. It also recently made it possible to share 30-second previews of public rooms. Those are all essential additions as the company attempts to stave off Twitter and Facebook.

The US Department of Justice has charged two Iranian hackers for their involvement in a disinformation campaign that targeted American voters ahead of the 2020 presidential election. In October of last year, Seyyed Kazemi and Sajjad Kashian allegedly sent threatening emails to Democratic voters in Florida in which they threatened to physically hurt them if they did not vote for former President Donald Trump. When the incident first happened, the US Director of National Intelligence held a press conference to warn voters of the emails.

Additionally, Kazemi and Kashian allegedly attempted to break into 11 state voter registration and information websites. In one instance, the DOJ alleges they successfully downloaded the information of more than 100,000 state voters. They may have also carried out a disinformation campaign on Facebook that saw them contact, among other individuals, Republican senators and members of Congress. They claimed they were volunteers with Proud Boys and said they had evidence the Democratic Party planned to exploit security vulnerabilities in election systems to edit mail-in ballots.

Kazemi and Kashian’s efforts to sway the election culminated on November 4th when they allegedly attempted to hack the network of a US media company. They were unsuccessful because the FBI had warned the firm in time.

“This indictment details how two Iran-based actors waged a targeted, coordinated campaign to erode confidence in the integrity of the U.S. electoral system and to sow discord among Americans,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the DOJ’s National Security Division in a statement. “The allegations illustrate how foreign disinformation campaigns operate and seek to influence the American public.”

US officials told The Washington Post they believe the two hackers are currently in Iran, suggesting they may not face authorities anytime soon. The DOJ also didn’t directly link their actions to the Iranian government.

Meta and Microsoft aren’t the only companies with ambitions for the metaverse. On Thursday, Nike announced a partnership with Roblox to offer a free virtual playspace called Nikeland. In its current iteration, Nikeland includes minigames such as tag, dodgeball and the floor is lava that players can check out with their friends. Mobile integration allows you to use your phone to translate real-life movement into the game. In that way, you can do things like long jumps and fast sprints. Naturally, there’s also a digital showroom where players can get Nike swag for their avatar.

According to CNBC, that’s only the start of what the brand has planned for the space. In the future, it could host competitions tied to global sporting events. For instance, it could host soccer games when the 2022 World Cup kicks off in Dakar. The showroom could also one day tease future product releases and allow users to co-create items.

It’s no surprise to see Nike partner with Roblox on a metaverse play. With more than 200 million estimated monthly active users, it’s one of the most popular games among kids and teenagers. By offering a free space where those young people can interact with the brand, Nike creates an avenue for them to become its customers in the real world.

Following not one but two teases, Subaru has finally shared more information on its first EV, the Solterra, after the AWD crossover made an appearance at the 2021 LA Auto Show. As expected, the Solterra shares many similarities with Toyota’s upcoming bZ4X crossover. That should come as no surprise since the two automakers jointly developed the e-TNGA powertrain at the heart of both electric vehicles.

Subaru’s crossover features a 71.4 kWh lithium battery that the automaker estimates will provide 220 miles of range on a single charge. Subaru says it’s possible to charge the Solterra’s power cell from dead to 80 percent in under an hour with a DC fast charger. The dual motors can output 215 horsepower and 248 lb.-ft of torque.

Subaru

The Solterra will come with Subaru’s symmetrical all-wheel-drive system and X-Mode feature. The latter offers better traction in off-road conditions. Inside the cabin, there’s a 12.3-inch touchscreen display that works with both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The Solterra will also mark the debut of a couple of new safety technologies for Subaru. First, there’s a 360-degree “Surround-View” camera the company says allows for better situational awareness. Second, there’s a feature called Safe Exit Assist that will warn your passengers if a vehicle is approaching as they’re about to exit the car.

Subaru will start selling the 2023 Solterra sometime in mid-2022. The automaker has yet to announce final pricing for the crossover, but it’s expected to start somewhere in the $39,000 range.

Police in Canada say they recently arrested a teen who allegedly stole $46 million CAD (approximately $36.5 million) worth of cryptocurrency from a single individual in the US. According to authorities in Hamilton, Ontario, a city about one hour west of Toronto, the incident is the largest-ever cryptocurrency theft involving one person.

The owner of the currency was the victim of a SIM swap attack. Their cellphone number was hijacked and used to intercept two-factor authentication requests, thereby allowing access to their protected accounts. Some of the stolen money was used to purchase a “rare” online gaming username, which eventually allowed the Hamilton Police Service, as well as FBI and US Secret Service Electronic Crimes Task Force, to identify the account holder. Police seized approximately $7 million CAD ($5.5 million) in stolen cryptocurrency when they arrested the teen.

2021 has been a banner year for crypto thefts. In June, investors in South Africa lost nearly $3.6 billion in Bitcoin when the founders of one of the country’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges disappeared. That same month, police in the UK seized approximately $158 million in various digital currencies. At the time, it was the largest seizure of its kind in the country’s history.

After debuting in Korea last year, Nreal’s Light mixed reality glasses are finally making their way to the US. Starting on November 30th, 20 Verizon stores nationwide will begin selling the device, with online availability to follow on December 2nd. The carrier will sell the glasses for $599, and while you can use them with either an Android or iOS device, Nreal says you’ll get the best experience with a OnePlus 8 or recent Samsung Galaxy phone — both of which Verizon will happily sell you.

We got our first look at the Light mixed reality glasses at CES 2019. The primary focus of the device is on entertainment and productivity applications. Nreal's Nebula software allows you to access your phone's Android apps without taking the glasses off. You can also use them as makeshift VR glasses, but the 52-degree diagonal field of view is limited compared to a dedicated headset.  

Three years after its initial announcement, Windjammers 2 doesn’t have a release date yet, but the good news is it’s coming to Xbox Game Pass. Developer Dotemu shared that tidbit of new information in a trailer it posted on Wednesday. When it finally launches, Windjammers 2 will be available on Game Pass for both PC and Xbox, and it will support online crossplay across all Xbox and PC versions of the title. That means Steam and Game Pass users will have the chance to play against one another.

The trailer also offers a look at the two final characters that will make up the game’s initial 12-person roster. There’s Jodi Costa, who fans will recognize from the 1994 original, and newcomer Sammy Ho. Both have their own set of special moves you’ll need to master to make the most of their capabilities. In addition to PC and Xbox, Dotemu will release Windjammers 2 on Nintendo Switch, Google Stadia, PlayStation 4 and PS5.

Instagram will shut its standalone Threads messaging app by the end of the year. Following reports of the potential shutdown last week, the company confirmed it was moving forward with the decision in a statement to TechCrunch.

“We’re now focusing our efforts on enhancing how you connect with close friends on Instagram, and deprecating the Threads app,” a spokesperson for Instagram told the outlet. “We’re bringing the fun and unique features we had on Threads to the main Instagram app, and continuing to build ways people can better connect with their close friends on Instagram.”

Instagram will start notifying users of the impending sunset on November 23rd. The notification will direct those individuals to use the company’s mainline app to continue chatting with their friends. When Instagram discontinues support for Threads, it will remove the software from the App Store and Google Play. It will also log users out of the experience.

It’s not a surprise to see Threads join the Meta (formerly Facebook) graveyard. Despite some interesting features and the fact it’s been around since 2019, it never attracted a dedicated user base. What’s more, Meta’s messaging ambitions have evolved significantly since the app’s debut. In 2020, it started unifying Instagram and Facebook Messenger, allowing users on the two platforms to message one another. At that point, there wasn’t much of purpose to Threads.