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Seth Weintraub

llsethj

Founder, Publisher and Editorial Director of the 9to5/Electrek/DroneDJ sites.

Seth Weintraub is an award-winning journalist and blogger who won back to back Neal Awards during his three plus years  covering Apple and Google at IDG’s Computerworld from 20072010.  Weintraub next covered all things Google for Fortune Magazine from 2010-2011 amassing a thick rolodex of Google contacts and love for Silicon Valley tech culture.

It turns out that his hobby 9to5Mac blog was always his favorite and in 2011 he went full time adding his Fortune Google followers to 9to5Google and adding the style and commerce component 9to5Toys gear and deals site. In 2013, Weintraub bought one of the Tesla’s first Model S EVs off the assembly line and so began his love affair with the Electric Vehicle and green energy which in 2014 turned into electrek.

In 2018, DroneDJ was born to cover the burgeoning world of drones and UAV’s led by China’s DJI.

From 1997-2007, Weintraub was a Global IT director and Web Developer for a number of companies with stints at multimedia and branding agencies in Paris, Los Angeles, New York, Sydney, Hong Kong, Madrid and London before becoming a publisher/blogger.

Seth received a bachelors degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering from the University of Southern California with a minor in Multimedia and Creative Technology in 1997. In 2004, he received a Masters from NYU’s Tisch School of the Art’s ITP program.

Hobbies: Weintraub is a licensed single engine private pilot, certified open water scuba diver and spent over a year traveling to 60 cities in 23 countries. Whatever free time exists is now guaranteed to his lovely wife and two amazing sons.

More at About.me. BI 2014 profile.

Tips: seth@9to5mac.com, or llsethj on Wickr/Skype or link at top of page.

Connect with Seth Weintraub

Rivian updates

Exclusive: Rivian to acquire ABRP (A Better Route Planner)

Update: Deal closed

Sources tell Electrek that Rivian has been in talks to acquire the world’s most popular EV route planning service, Sweden-based A Better RoutePlanner, or ABRP for short. Financial details weren’t disclosed, but ABRP is a wholly owned subsidiary of Iternio, which lists a small employee count of under 10 people and 8 people on LinkedIn.

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Spacetop AR ‘laptop’ shows potential of Apple’s Reality Goggles

Spacetop

Apple’s AR/VR headset is set to be revealed in less than a month at WWDC, yet we still know very little of how this technology will work and what Apple’s use cases will be. Interestingly, this week I got a look at what I’d consider the first applicable workplace augmented reality tech for the masses from Sightful, a company founded by former developers of Apple’s acquired PrimeSense.

I don’t think the timing was a coincidence.

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DJI Mini 3 Pro review: 249g pocket drone plays with the big boys

DJI Mini 3 Pro

DJI is at it again, bringing technology from its bigger, more expensive products down to its diminutive sub-250-gram DJI Mini 3 Pro drone, which means you don’t need a license to fly it in the US and other jurisdictions. That makes it a great high-end first drone for people who are just getting into the sport or for people who want an ultraportable drone that can do tricks that until now, only the much bigger drones could do.

For in-depth coverage of the DJI Mini 3 Pro, hit up our coverage on DroneDJ: DJI Mini 3 Pro review, DJI Mini 3 Pro: Top 10 things to know, and coverage of the new DJI Remote Controller.

Buy the DJI Mini 3 Pro from DJI here

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AirTags for your dog? Fi will track your buddy everywhere for $150

When Apple Airtags came out, I bet a lot of you were thinking, “this will be a great way to track my pet if it gets lost.” While adding a $29 AirTag is better than nothing, and AirTag collars already exist, they only work if an Apple device is nearby. That’s why Apple doesn’t recommend using AirTags for pets (or kids!) The same goes for Tile trackers, which rely on the app on people’s phones nearby.

I’ve had a Fi on our escape-artist Husky for a year now, and it’s already found her twice in the woods where AirTags won’t work.

Note: Fi is $100 off at $50 for Black Friday

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‘Long Way Up’ trailer gives new look at 13,000-mile electric Harley and Rivian trip

Late last year, actor Ewan McGregor and his longtime friend Charlie Boorman began a 13,000 mile (21,000 km) trip from the southern end of Argentina to Los Angeles. They traveled on a pair of Harley-Davidson LiveWire electric motorcycles with a pair of Rivian electric pickup trucks as support vehicles for a new show on AppleTV+…

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DJI Mavic Air 2 review: Major upgrade with 48mp/4K60 cam is more Mavic 2 than Air

All the rumors were true: The DJI Mavic Air 2 is now official, and we’ve had a few days head start evaluating the new $799 wunderkind. (Buy at DJI or Adorama/$988 Fly More)

Talk about big numbers in a small (570g) package: 48 Megapixel camera which shares the Sony IMX586 sensor with recent flagship smartphones. Add the ability to record 4K video at 60 frames per second, which is double the framerate of the big brother Mavic 2 Pro.

There’s a lot more to this, so read on as we bring you exclusive footage and takes below:


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DroneDJ's DJI Mavic Mini Giveaway

DroneDJ’s DJI Mavic Mini Giveaway – Winners will be announced on March 15th

To start off the weekend right, we have a great giveaway for you today. DroneDJ teamed up with DJI for this promotion and we will give away one DJI Mavic Mini, our new favorite travel drone, and one Mavic Mini Care Refresh package. All you need to do to have a chance to win this amazing little folding drone is sign up using the form below. The winners will be announced on March 15th.

Don’t forget to participate in the DJI Mavic Mini Giveaway, if you haven’t done so already. Winners will be announced at 6 pm EST today.

The winner of the DJI Mavic Mini is Noah LaRoy from Michigan. And the Mavic. Mini Care Refresh package goes to John Meyendorff in Michigan as well. Congratulations to both! Be sure to check your email with instructions to claim your prize. 


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Logitech’s $170 USB-C StreamCam/Capture software is fantastic way to start streaming video

Logitech sent us its new $169.99 StreamCam in September to review before its Logitech Capture for Mac software was even ready. Something happened and the project got pushed out a few months until today, but I started using it for the Electrek Podcast in September. Logitech got back to us this week and told us the project was back on and the Mac software was ready.

So this is kind of a weird “first look” at a product I’ve been using for almost a half year…


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Best noise cancelling headphones you’ve never heard of: Broski Lety at $100

I’ve been a happy Bose QC35 Noise cancelling headphone user since the day they came out. These were the first “consumer priced” ANC headset combos and have since been matched by excellent products from Sony and Apple’s Beats brand. But Active Noise Cancellation has always come at a price. In the case of the QC35s and Sony’s, prices start at $350 retail unless you find deals.

Broski Lety sent me a pair of their new active noise cancelling headphones which are on Indiegogo now for $99 and will soon be on Amazon for 50% more. You wouldn’t be reading this if I wasn’t super-impressed…
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Review: Sony WF-1000XM3 true wireless noise-canceling earbuds are the new champs

Over the past month, I’ve used the Sony’s poorly-named but pretty incredible WF-1000XM3 wireless earbuds for gym workouts (recommended) and bike rides (at your own risk). These $228 earbuds fall between Apple’s $159 AirPods and $259 PowerBeats Pro but offer something both don’t: active noise cancellation.

In fact, I reviewed the PowerBeats Pro last month and thought I was done with my search for the perfect wireless earbuds. Turns out I was wrong…


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LifeFlix quickly and easily imports old DV tapes, before it’s too late

Something that has been sitting at the back of my mind forever is that pile of DV tapes I have in the attic which were taken before smartphone cameras existed. For one reason or another, I didn’t import them after I made them and now the FOMO is starting to creep in as the hardware to pull these videos off the tapes rapidly becomes obsolete.

LifeFlix to the rescue?
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Quick Review: Sensibo Sky smartens up your in-window air conditioner with web connected thermostat

There are now a few HomeKit-enabled window mounted air conditioners on the market, but what about the millions of installed and working dumb air conditioners already in homes and apartments? Does it make sense to trash a perfectly good air conditioner just to get a smart one?

Perhaps! But an Israeli-based company called Sensibo has a quicker/easier/better solution. For most air conditioners with a remote, the Sensibo Sky is will add an app/web controlled and timer equipped thermostat to your air conditioner in minutes, and today it is $99 as part of Amazon’s Prime Day. 


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Review: Lumos and Coros bring Bluetooth helmets to bikers with lights and music

If you are like me, Spring means biking season and I want to tell you about two great bike helmets that connect to your iPhone via Bluetooth to not only make your ride more safe but also more fun too. For over a year, I’ve had the Coros LINX helmet which uses bone conducting conduits to safely send audio signal to your eardrums without blocking natural sound.

A few weeks ago I peeped the new $179.99 Lumos Helmet at the Grand Central Apple Store touting bright lights and a turn signal activated from your phone.


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Tesla’s battery bank will charge your iPhone with same battery as Model S/X

For Tesla fans, the Electric vehicle/energy company just put out a iPhone/iPad powerbank “designed and inspired after Tesla’s supercharger monument at the Tesla Design Studio”.

In case you missed it last night, Tesla put on quite a show – check our sister site Electrek for all the details on the Tesla Semi and 250+mph, 0-60 in 1.9 sec, 1000km range Roadster. 
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Major Apple casemakers updating internal SKUs to ‘iPhone 8’, ‘iPhone 8 Plus’ and ‘iPhone Edition’

I’m here at IFA in Berlin, Germany which opens to the public today. Behind the scenes I’ve been discussing the upcoming iPhone launch on September 12th with many case vendors. At least two have heard, and have moved on, knowledge of the upcoming iPhone nomenclature and some details which they’ve separately learned from sources in Shenzhen who claim to have seen the new iPhone packaging.


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