Autocycles want to be micromobility’s top dog

 

Cars are simply not built for the stresses of modern cities. From traffic to parking, it’s often more a hindrance than a boon to own a four-wheeler in urban environments.

But one company thinks its cracked the code for the perfect city vehicle: Arcimoto and its electric autocycles.

These are somewhere between a car, bike, and motorcycle. 

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Yesterday, Arcimoto cut the ribbon on a 250,000 square foot manufacturing facility — and launched two new vehicles in the process. 

I sat down with Mark Frohnmayer, CEO and Founder of Arcimoto, to learn more about the company and its plans.

The power of a platform 

Acrimoto's FUV

The Arcimoto FUV is designed for city commuting. Image: Arcimoto

Arcimoto’s key vehicle is the Fun Utility Vehicle (FUV), which retails for a mere €15,700 ($17,900) — excluding available tax credits and rebates.

It’s built on a platform the company also uses to create its other models. These are designed for use cases such as rapid response, and delivery work, with compact delivery van and flatbed truck-style vehicles available.

And this design and technology can be used by other automakers.

Faction Arcimoto van

The Faction D1 remote-controlled delivery van. Credit: Faction

For example, a company called Faction is deploying Arcimoto’s technology to create the Faction D1. 

This driverless vehicle system retains the FUV’s capabilities of a 120km/h (75mph) top speed and just over 160km (100 miles) of range, all while transporting up to 220kg (500 pounds) of cargo.

Faction has planned pilot customer trials for this year.

Why it’s time for an expansive micromobility sector

Most vehicle use involves two people traveling a short distance and carrying a relatively small amount of stuff in something constructed from over 1800kg of metal.

Autocycles offer an alternative. 

As Frohnmayer notes, “if batteries and precious earth resources are limited,” then they should build “the lightest [and] most efficient electric vehicles” they can.

Further, Arcimoto provides an alternative to the microcar trend. 

At 193cm, this is something Frohnmayer feels passionate about, as many microcars are unusable for him. “I can’t even fit in the front of the Twizy let alone the backseat,” he told us.

“The ride experience certainly doesn’t fit the “North American idea” of what driving should feel like.”

On top of this, many microcars are very low-slung, making them hard to get in and out of — and hard to see for other road users. 

This isn’t a recipe for success.

So what’s it like to drive an Arcimoto vehicle? 

I reached out to a community of Arcimoto users to get their take on the vehicles. They shared many thoughts about the vehicle, including the benefit of sitting at a cross-over height and seeing eye-to-eye with people walking on the sidewalk or riding bicycles.

Most stressed that you had to try it out to appreciate it, and one commented that, “you never feel as much like a rockstar as when you’re driving an Arcimoto.” 

The downsides  

But it’s not all smooth sailing for the Arcimoto either. It shares the same problems with weather-proofing as motorbikes, although a hard plastic half door is also available to reduce the impact. 

For commercial success, the challenge is that the vehicle looks like a fun ride for weekends away and long joyrides through the beach or countryside. But it simply doesn’t have the range, or charging capacity, especially when riding uphill at high speed. 

People also demand a lot from vehicles. While an autocycle looks like a fun ride for commutes or on holiday, it simply isn’t powerful enough to be an all-rounder.

In other words, it’s fine for short journeys, but it’s not gonna help you out much on a weekend trip.

On top of this, the legal status and safety requirements of autocycles differ from state to state. So, you might have a real challenge if you cross a border and suddenly need a motorcycle licence and a helmet.

It also suffers from a lack of fast charging. It’s only built for Level 1 (110V) and Level 2 (220V) charging, taking around eight and four hours to fully juice respectively.

Is the company broadening its scope too fast?

The oddest part of Arcimoto’s event was its second new vehicle reveal. Back in 2021, the company acquired Tilting Motor Works. Using that business’ expertise and technology, Arcimoto rolled out a new tilting three-wheeled, electric trike called the Mean Lean Machine.

 

trike from Arcimoto

The Green Mean Machine. Image: Acrimoto

It comes with a new pedal generator with no belt or chain. Instead, pedaling generates friction, which means you can ride it like an exercise bike that charges it while stationary. Users can also plug it in for more effortless charging. Arcimoto hopes it will develop its battery to provide a 320km (200 mile) range.

Look, this seems like a lot of fun. I mean, everyone is investing in ebikes and escooters from Porsche to Jeep — but I suspect the people waiting for their pre-ordered FUVs wish the company would focus on getting these to market first.

And we can’t escape the reality that Arcimoto’s manufacturing has been slow. It grew from a mere 47 vehicles in 2018 to a still unimpressive 300 in 2021.

Arcimoto has the lofty goal to produce 50,000 vehicles a year by 2025. Kudos for ambition, but can they achieve this in reality? I’m not sure, but I hope so.

It’ll be fascinating to see if Arcimoto achieves its plans. As our cities change, our vehicles should too — and autocycles may just be the technology to make it happen.

Sony’s VR2 headset shows virtual reality is growing up

 

It’s been five long years, but Sony has finally revealed the design of its second virtual reality headset.

Unsurprisingly named the VR2 (come on, what else did you expect from the company that brought you the PlayStation 5?), the hardware has been unveiled at an interesting time.

Not only is there a renewed interest in virtual reality tech (thanks, Meta), but it’s also arriving into a market that has significantly evolved in recent years. In fact, the VR2 serves as an interesting marker to show how the entire sector has changed.

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One point to note before we begin: the current announcement only covers the design of Sony’s headset. While there was some technical information revealed (we’ve included that below), this is really Sony showing off how the headset looks. And that’s the base we’re building this article on.

Now that’s out of the way, let’s start looking at what’s new with the PS VR2.

PS VR2: the technical updates

Fundamentally, the VR2 is similar to its predecessor — but includes the sort of improvements you’d expect considering the original was launched way back in… 2016?

The VR2 is lighter and slimmer, has a lens adjustment dial (so you can get the display the perfect distance from your eyes), and a built-in motor for haptic feedback.

It connects to a PS5 console via USB-C (we don’t know if it works with the PS4 yet) and can display in 4K with either 90 or 120Hz frame rates.

Basically, the VR2 is faster, better, and lighter than its predecessor. Quelle surprise.

What about the design of the PS VR2?

sony ps vr compared to ps vr2

From chump-tastic to… less chump-tastic.

This is where things get interesting.

Let’s get the obvious out of the way first. There’s a substantial difference between the design of the VR and VR2. It’d be utterly bizarre if there wasn’tAs stated in the announcement — and something you can plainly see from the image above — the VR2 is heavily “inspired by the look of the PS5 family of products.” It’s not as though it would’ve been inspired by the Sega Genesis after all.

But there’s a more telling quote a few lines down. There, the company says it wants the headset to “become an attractive part of [its users’] living room decor.”

Of course Sony is gonna say this. What’s the alternative? Stating that it’s created something so ugly and garish that only the unhinged would want it near them? That’d be a baller move, for sure, but an unlikely one all the same.

Now we’ve got that clear, onto my thesis. This design change points to how the world of virtual reality has moved on since the launch of the original PS VR back in 2016.

sony playstation vr

The first PS VR is a hard nope from me, brother.

From those goofy, colorful joysticks to the blue lights on the headset, the old device screams “gaming” as clearly as those sorta chairs. You know the ones I mean. Don’t pretend you don’t. You do.

Clearly, this isn’t the case with the aesthetics of the PS VR2. It is a far more serious-looking piece of kit.

To quote Biggie, in the time between the PS VR and VR2, “things done changed.”

Let’s take Oculus as an example. The Rift was launched the same year as the PlayStation headset, but since then Oculus has released the Rift S, Go, Quest, and Quest 2.

And it’s not just the hardware that shifted, its use cases have too.

The technology moved from gaming into something more transformative. To put it another way, tech giants are trying to take VR from a games platform into something more akin to a phone.

Much of this — but not all — has to do with Meta, and the company’s recent pivot to the, well, metaverse. It’s pumping billions into its attempt to move virtual reality from niche concern to mainstream player. Effectively, out of the basement, into the office.

And I can see this “growing up” mentality all over the design of the PS VR2. It’s sleek and modern, looking more like a futuristic piece of sci-fi hardware, as opposed than the RGB nightmare often associated with gaming.

Sony’s drawing a line in the sand

I’d like to make something clear though: I’m not suggesting Sony is giving up gaming — or even that the VR2 isn’t designed with that as its main purpose.

sony playstation ps vr2

As you can see from the buttons and joysticks, the PS VR2 is a device clearly made for gaming. But that doesn’t mean it needs to be chained to that.

It’s vital for Sony‘s future that the PS VR2 finds its place as the best headset for gaming. And that’s because of what its competitors have been up to.

Over the last five years we’ve seen a major divergence between conole makers.

Nintendo has stepped out of the power war and, with the Switch, has focused more on casual gaming. Microsoft has gone on an acquisition binge and appears to be focusing on making its Game Pass service a must-have.

But Sony? It’s seemed out of step with these strategies so far. In fact, it’s been unclear what the company’s goal was with its console — but the PS VR2 changes that.

If the hardware is good — and there’s no reason to expect it won’t be — the company can carve out a niche as being the console for VR experiences.

The PS5 is much cheaper than a gaming PC capable of running virtual reality titles, and far easier to get acquainted with.

Then, consider the fact that consoles also commonly function as household media centers. With this, Sony has an opportunity to provide an entry-point for non-gamers into the world of virtual reality — something the VR2’s accessible design will help usher in.

Yes, we still need to find out important details about Sony’s headset, like the price and release date, but it’s already gearing up to be one the most significant VR products of 2022 and beyond.

One thing’s for certain though: virtual reality is growing up. And, with the PS VR2, Sony has the opportunity to be at the forefront of this change.

Amidst the Russian invasion, Ukraine’s also fighting cyberattacks — here’s what you need to know

This morning, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered “a special operation,” allowing armed forces to move into Ukraine. The offensive wasn’t just limited to military forces, as Ukraine faced major internet disruptions.

In this story, we’ll aim to summarize how information flow in the war-affected country has taken a hit.

Cyberattacks

Yesterday, the State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine said several government websites were under a DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attack. As such, users wouldn’t be able to access these critical sites in the midst of this crisis.

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Today, the authority said, “phishing attacks on public authorities and critical infrastructure, the spread of malicious software, as well as attempts to penetrate private and public sector networks and further destructive actions have intensified.”

It has advised citizens to back up critical information, and isolate workstations that are not important at the moment.

Later in the night, researchers from security firm ESET said thousands of computers in Ukraine were under a malware attack. They found that this data wiper malware was aimed at corrupting data and taking over servers. Currently, this attack is not being attributed to a particular threat actor.

Netblocks, an agency tracking internet disruptions all over the world, noted this morning that internet services were disrupted in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-biggest city, after Russian forces attacked it early today. It isn’t clear if the infrastructure was damaged by shelling. The tweet describes this as happening after explosions were heard in the city.

Infrastructure company Cloudflare noted that it had seen a small uptick in cyberattacks against Ukrainian government websites, and it’s actively keeping an eye on the situation in the country.

Misinformation and Telegram’s role in it

Telegram is one of the most popular communication channels in Russia and Ukraine. As Jordan Wildon, a misinformation researcher noted, that app could be a key source of information to people in that region.

One of the examples is Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s recent address to the people of Russian through Telegram. As MSNBC reporter Cal Perry noted, he used the app to broadcast his message, because Russian media might not air his address — given the state has tight control over press information. After Russia began its attack, the country’s press watchdog, Roskomnadzor, indicated local media to use only state verified information. 

While a lot of Ukrainian officials and news channels are present on Telegram, the platform is also rife with misinformation.

Freelance reporter Justin Ling tweeted that several pro-Kremlin channels are justifying Russia’s invasion as steps to “denazify Ukraine.” This statement doesn’t make sense, as Ukraine is led by a Jewish non-nazi president.

Last week, Eliot Higgins, founder of Bellingcat, an Amsterdam-based investigative outlet, dissected a false video circulated on Telegram that showed “Polish speaking saboteurs” attempting to blow up a storage tank in Gorlovka.

On February 18, a pro-Russian separatist leader published a clip on his Telegram channel “ordering emergency evacuations” from eastern Ukraine to Russia. However, Bellingcat found from the metadata that the video was created two days prior.

Notably, false information is not limited to Telegram. Outlets from both countries are freely tweeting doctored info masquerading as news, and that could lead to confusion regarding the situation.

Kiev Post now spreading disinformation! This is not a Russia Air Force fighter shot down. It is a Russian Mig 29 which crashed at Fairford air display in 1993 https://t.co/m3a5yg6pTF pic.twitter.com/Dxx7DrGikR

— ᗰᗩᖇᑕEᒪ ᐯᗪ ᗷEᖇG (@marcelvandenber) February 24, 2022

What happens next?

In a tense situation like this, the internet plays a key role for people in affected countries to get reliable information from verified sources about what’s happening to them and around them. Internet shutdowns or service breakdowns in those regions could have devastating effects.

In a story last week, the New York Times pointed out that some of Ukraine’s internet services were being partially disrupted.

Experts noted that Russia could target the country’s telecommunication services to create an information blackout. However, given that Ukraine has more than 2,000 internet service providers, it could be a difficult task.

On the other hand, Russia could face tech challenges in the coming days, as the US is pondering new restrictions on the country.

Reuters reported that as a part of these sanctions, it could prohibit US-based companies from providing services to Russia. That could halt sales of future devices and cloud services that are critical for tech infrastructure.

We’ll update this story as the situation develops.

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Monopoly in jeopardy: The two US bills that have Big Tech worried

 

Update (January 21, 2022, 10:15 IST): Last night, The Senate committee voted 16-6 in favor of advancing the American Innovation and Choice Online Act. Senators have suggested more than 100 amendments to the bill, and antitrust subcommittee Chair Amy Klobuchar promised to keep working on it. 

With increased scrutiny from regulators around the globe these days, legal departments at the world’s biggest tech companies are likely working overtime on a daily basis. This week, the focus is on the US — home to Apple, Google, and Amazon — with two bills slated to be considered by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

These two proposals, the American Innovation and Choice Online Act and the Open App Markets Act, will focus on preferential treatment to indigenous products and the monopoly of app stores. In this story, we’ll break down both these bills and their impact on companies and consumers.

The American Innovation and Choice Online Act

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This bill was first introduced in the Senate last October with an aim to prevent companies from favoring their own products on their platforms.

It’ll primarily affect companies like Apple and Google as they place their own apps alongside third-party apps on their app stores, and in search results. It’ll also question Amazon, which sells private-label goods on its platform that compete with other sellers.

Amazon sells goods with its own label on the platform

Amazon sells goods with its own label on the platform

The act says companies should allow competing businesses the same access to features and operating systems as the platforms’ own apps. For example, Spotify should have the same access to system-level features as Apple Music on iOS, and YouTube Music on Android.

It notes platform owners should also let you remove their pre-installed apps from your devices. That means you should always have the option to remove Gmail from your Android phone, or Apple’s Mail app from your iPhone.

This way, consumers have more choice when looking for a product or service, and third-parties on a platform are on a more level playing field when it comes to becoming your preferred option for streaming music, searching the web, or shopping online.

The bill also prohibits these firms from taking advantage of non-public data to boost their own products, or making their own products more prominently visible in front of customers. In the past, Yelp and Tripadvisor have complained about Google boosting Maps over their products on Search.

Amazon has also been accused of toying with search results to give its own brands an advantage.

In 2020, firms like Epic Games, Spotify, Match Group (which owns Tinder, Match.com, OkCupid, and Hinge, among others), and Proton Mail teamed up to form a collation and protest against Google’s and Apple’s anti-competitive app store practices.

Coalition for App Fairness had some big name companies on board during its unveil

Coalition for App Fairness had some big-name companies on board during its formation

Last night, a group of companies, including Basecamp, DuckDuckGo, Genius, Quora, and Sonos, wrote a letter to the committee to support the bill.

You can read the full text of the bill here.

The Open App Markets Act

While the previous act focused on preferential treatment on all goods, this one focuses solely on mobile app store monopoly, i.e. Apple and Google’s domination on their respective platforms.

If you’re using an iPhone or an iPad, you have to download all your apps from the App Store. If you’re using an Android phone, you’re allowed to sideload apps or get them from other app stores on your device — but Google will show you a ton of security warnings when you do that.

That means it’s not easy for other companies to build a business around app stores to offer alternatives to these giants’ marketplaces — both of which take large cuts out of app developers’ revenue.

There’s also an argument about Apple and Google charging high fees from developers for in-app purchases. Many countries across the world have already forced these companies to allow third-party payment systems, so they don’t have to pay platforms between 15%-30% of their revenue for in-app purchases and subscriptions.

List of countries/regions where Apple and Google are facing anti-trust cases

List of countries/regions where Apple and Google are facing anti-trust cases

The bill proposes these companies lift the aforementioned restrictions on their platforms, and allow users to download third-party app stores — even set them as default sources. Plus, it wants platforms to clearly mark ads that promote their own apps.

The idea is that you should be able to download an app from any app store — not just Google’s or Apple’s. Plus, developers can offer discounts or different prices for digital goods on these alternative sources.

You can read the full text of the bill here.

Big tech’s defense

These bills have drawn similar responses from Apple and Google, and they both focus on maintaining user privacy. In a letter written to the Senate Justice Committee, the iPhone-maker said, “The bills put consumers in harm’s way because of the real risk of privacy and security breaches.”

It bashes these bills by saying they will give more power to bad actors:

If Congress responds by making it much harder to protect the privacy and security of Americans’ personal devices. Unfortunately, that is what these bills would do.

These bills will reward those who have been irresponsible with users’ data and empower bad actors who would target consumers with malware, ransomware, and scams.

The firm has vehemently discouraged sideloading to avoid security incidents. It even published a whitepaper to highlight how App Store protections keep users safe against malware and phishing campaigns.

Google also published a long blog post listing several negative consequences of these bills, such as harming US technological leadership, and disregarding user privacy. It tried to deflect the topic of discussion by saying regulators should focus on issues like privacy, and children’s safety:

There are important discussions taking place about the rules of the road for the modern economy. We believe that updating technology regulations in areas like privacy, AI, and protections for kids and families could provide real benefits. But breaking our products wouldn’t address any of these issues.

Both companies have tried hard to make the future look like doomsday if these bills are passed. However, there’s some hyperbole in their communication, and critics are not holding back to point that out.

Apple and Google are not the only companies under the antitrust scanner in the US. Meta is facing numerous investigations, including the latest US bill aimed at banning targeted online ads. Microsoft might also come under the radar with its Activision Blizzard acquisition. It feels like the beginning of a new antitrust season.

Why the Face ID unlock with a mask feature will only work on iPhone 12 and above

 We all cried and whined when we 

If you’re itching to use this feature, you can go ahead and sign up for the iOS public beta to download iOS 15.4. You can read more about how to install a beta version on your phone here.

If you don’t want to do that, you might have to wait for a while before the update arrives.

What about other iPhones?

At this time, you’re out of luck. But there are some alternatives: if you own an Apple Watch, you can read our guide to set up your iPhone to unlock when you’re wearing a mask. In other cases, Apple has made it faster to bring up the passcode screen in just a few seconds if Face ID detects you’re wearing a mask.

We’ll update you with a detailed guide when this feature rolls out to everyone.  Hopefully, we won’t have to wait long.

 

We all cried and whined when we discovered Apple’s Face ID system wasn’t compatible with face masks. And while the company introduced a few workarounds, it’s now ready for the real deal: Face ID that works with a mask on*.

You might ask why there’s an asterisk sign? It’s not a typo. It’s there because this new system will only work with iPhone 12 and above. BOOOOOOO!

Apple’s reasoning behind this is that the feature requires “advancements in the TrueDepth camera system.” And apparently, the pleb Face ID system on the iPhone 11 is not powerful enough.

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Sadly, this mask-unlocking feature won’t work with iPad Pros at the moment either.

How will this work?

Apple’s currently testing this out with the iOS 15.4 public beta, and will roll it out to all users in the coming months. To make Face ID work, the company has worked on new algorithms, trained to identify areas around the eye region to unlock your device.

The firm claimed that this new feature’s security levels are the same as Face ID without a mask — an error rate of 1 in 1,000,000 tries.

Currently, your iPhone can recognize your face when you’re trying to unlock it at an angle. However, to make it work accurately while wearing a mask, you’ll have to directly look at the iPhone.

The settings screen of upcoming Face ID feature that'll work with masks in iOS 15.4

The settings screen of the upcoming Face ID feature that’ll work with masks in iOS 15.4.

What if I wear glasses?

The new version of Face ID will support unlocking with a mask even if you were wearing glasses. While it’s advisable to register your full face with glasses when you do the initial scan, you can add spectacles later. For security reasons, Apple will allow up to four pairs of eyewear with each enrollment.

Okay, I have a compatible iPhone. What do I do?

If you’re itching to use this feature, you can go ahead and sign up for the iOS public beta to download iOS 15.4. You can read more about how to install a beta version on your phone here.

If you don’t want to do that, you might have to wait for a while before the update arrives.

What about other iPhones?

At this time, you’re out of luck. But there are some alternatives: if you own an Apple Watch, you can read our guide to set up your iPhone to unlock when you’re wearing a mask. In other cases, Apple has made it faster to bring up the passcode screen in just a few seconds if Face ID detects you’re wearing a mask.

We’ll update you with a detailed guide when this feature rolls out to everyone.  Hopefully, we won’t have to wait long.

 

PSA: Watch out for modded ‘silent’ AirTags that make it harder to stop stalkers

 Apple’s object-tracking AirTags have been rife with controversy since their launch, particularly around the unfortunate fact that they make good tools for thieves and stalkers. It is therefore my sad duty to inform you that one of the security measures Apple has implemented for the AirTags is already being circumvented. Long story short: people are modifying AirTags to have the internal speaker — which can serve as a warning for those being stalked — disabled.

Long story long: for those of you who have never used AirTags before, what makes them so good at finding stuff is the fact that Apple leverages its entire ‘Find My’ network to keep track of an object. Almost every iOS and Mac device can ping Apple’s network when it comes within Bluetooth range of an AirTag.

Considering there are over 1.8 billion active Apple devices as of January 2022, it’s rare an AirTag will go long without sending its location to a nearby iPhone or MacBook in a densely populated area. That massive network makes AirTags particularly good at tracking stuff without having to rely on battery-draining GPS — doubly so if you have a recent iPhone with Ultra Wideband support for extra precision.

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Unfortunately, precision and long battery life are also what make them such a cybersecurity concern. This isn’t just fear-mongering either; a simple Google search reveals myriad stories of AirTags being used for anything from stalking people to stealing cars.

In order to minimize improper use, AirTags are designed to beep annoyingly when the owner has been away from the object for 8 to 24 hours (the exact time is random). Apple will also send you an alert if it realizes someone else’s AirTag is following you, but that only works if you have an iPhone or the Apple’s Tracker Detect app for Android (or similar third-party apps) installed.

Naturally, disabling the speaker removes the most obvious way victims can find out if they’re being tracked.

As spotted by @publicdave on Twitter and later shared by Eva Galperin, Director of Cybersecurity at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a listing on Etsy was selling ‘silent’ AirTags. These devices had the built-in speaker physically disconnected so they are unable to make a sound.

The listing has since been removed by the seller, who told PCMag their intentions were innocent:

“The intent of this modification was to cater to the several requests of buyers interested in my other AirTag product who were interested in fitting an AirTag to their bikes, pets, and power tools.”

The idea appears to have been making AirTags better for tracking stolen items. Although Apple doesn’t intend for AirTags for this purpose — they’re purely meant to track lost items — it’s not surprising many have used them to retrieve items from thieves. So if you just want to keep an AirTag on your bike, it’s understandably annoying to have it beep when you leave its vicinity.

Speaker disabled AirTag from eBay listing

An image from an eBay listing for a silent AirTag.

It’s worth noting the seller also lists other AirTags-related products; their most popular item is a modified slim AirTag made to easily fit inside a purse or wallet.

“The AirTag is very easy to make ‘silent,’ either by electrical modification or simply muffling the noise with a clamping force. I can’t stop people from modifying AirTags themselves (there are various posts online instructing how to do so), but I can at least cease providing a tool that has the potential for malicious use.

While I believe there to be many positive uses for this product, there are some negatives, that I’m now aware of, that can’t be outweighed by any positive. In light of this, I have removed my listing from Etsy. I’m not affiliated with any other listings of silent AirTags.”

Indeed, a similar listing shows up on eBay, and there is no shortage of guides online on how to modify AirTags to be silent. It’s an unfortunately easy modification, with no clear solution. Apple could theoretically prevent AirTags from working if the speaker is disconnected, but that wouldn’t prevent people from simply muffling the speaker sound.

Don’t get me wrong, as a perpetual loser-of-stuff, I appreciate the convenience afforded by Apple’s AirTags. But as with any technology that can be used for harm, it’s important to be informed so you can remain safe; it’s unlikely Apple will stop selling AirTags any time soon. Android users, in particular, should make sure to download the Tracker Detect app if they think there’s any possibility they could be tracked by a bad actor with Apple’s controversial gadget.