Dutch ‘bicycle’ lock blocks rider’s phone
‘Ringing change’
THE HAGUE, Netherlands, June 22, (Agencies): A telecom company in the Netherlands has developed a bicycle lock that also blocks its mobile network, in a move aimed at protecting young riders who regularly pedal through busy streets while looking at their phone.
An app opens the lock and simultaneously blocks the KPN cellular network, meaning that the cyclist’s phone can only be used to call emergency services. Once the bike is locked using the app, the cellphone will work again.
The app, developed with the country’s traffic safety authority, does not stop users listening to music stored on their phone, but would prevent them playing streaming content.
The Dutch Traffic Safety Association said Wednesday that the “Safe Lock” is expected to go on sale by the end of the year for around 100 euros ($110).
The association said that one in five bicycle accidents involving children is caused by smartphone use.
KPN spokeswoman Victorina de Boer said the combination of a network-blocking app and lock, made by the AXA company, is believed to be a world first.
By blocking the network, the lock and app halts not only calls but also the beeps and buzzes that alert users to new messages.
“If you want to assure yourself of not being disturbed by ... notifications which can take away your attention from the traffic around you, then this is a good solution,” De Boer said.
The lock initially will be only for KPN clients, “but of course we’re open to working together with other providers on this. Anything to increase the safety of children on their bike in traffic,” De Boer said.
The app and lock, which will be tested over the summer, are initially only available for Android phones, but De Boer said KPN also is looking into the possibility of a version for Apple’s mobile software IOS.
Twitter Inc plans on Wednesday to launch a system for people to earn money by streaming live on its Periscope service, a first for Twitter and a way for the company to try to compete with YouTube and others in the search for internet talent.
People watching Periscope will be able to send performers and broadcasters they like a gratuity using a variety of heart shapes that are, in effect, a virtual currency they can purchase, the company said.
Broadcasters who receive the equivalent of about $175 in “super hearts” will be designated “super broadcasters” and be able to cash out the money as earnings, the company said.
At first only broadcasters in the United States will be eligible, but Periscope plans to expand to other countries soon, it said.
“The spirit and the goal is for all broadcasters to be able to do this,” said
Periscope’s director of engineering.
After fees and payment processing, broadcasters will get about 70 percent of the remaining revenue, Twitter said. It declined to provide an estimate of its own potential revenue from the service.
Periscope, which Twitter launched in 2015, said it streamed 77 million hours of live, user-generated video in the first three months of this year. It does not release the number of viewers.
YouTube, a unit of Alphabet Inc, said in February it was rolling out live streaming from mobile devices for users with more than 10,000 subscribers, expanding its own bid to help online performers make money.