Uber is reportedly launching a family-friendly ridesharing service
Uber’s ridesharing service has primarily catered to an adult crowd that rarely needs to bring more than a suitcase, but it may soon offer a solution for those whose kids have to tag along. VentureBeat hears from a source that the company is near launching Uber Family, a premium option for parents. Reportedly, you’d pay a $10 premium to guarantee both a trustworthy (that is, highly rated) driver and a pre-supplied child’s car seat. We’ve reached out to verify the claims, but you may not have long to wait; Uber Family is supposed to be launching in New York “soon.”
There should also be good news even if you don’t have any young ones to tote around. Job listings have revealed that Uber is near expanding into several significant US cities, including Austin, Kansas City and Las Vegas. Just when they’ll be available could vary, although a driver in Bloomington, Indiana understands that a local launch is coming within about a month.
[Image credit: Getty Images]
Filed under: Transportation
Source: VentureBeat
Samsung plans an event ‘around health’ for May 28th
Health. It’s the new smartphone — or the current best excuse to buy a fancy new wearable. And apparently, Samsung isn’t done with merely the Gear Fit and a (possibly unused) S Health app. We just received an invite to SF-based event on May 28th, where the company is planning a “new conversation around health”. That’ means it’s scheduled just before Apple’s annual WWDC, where it’s expected to show off a health-centered refresh to its product family. Our invite came from Samsung’s Semiconductor arm so it could be about forthcoming sensors and components, rather than, say, Fit Version 2. (The original Galaxy Gear was kicking around for less than six months before the company wheeled out a sequel, so who knows). We’ll be there and we’ll tell you more when we hear it.
Google Glass community goes on charm offensive, plans a #glassnightout
Glass has gotten a bad rep over the past few months, particularly in bars where other patrons think mistakenly think Explorers are recording their every move (or they actually are). To help improve that image, Google is encouraging owners to go out on the town this Saturday night wearing their high-tech glasses. To some, a bar full of Glass wearers might sound like the Worst Saturday Night Ever, but the hope is the cyborg masses will be able to educate the public a little better than when they’re flying solo. The #GlassNightOut also offers the opportunity to mix and mingle with other Explorers — a rare experience if you’re living somewhere outside of San Francisco, and probably a lot more fun than going on Field Trip by your lonesome. If you’re interested in checking out one of the Meetups this weekend, hit the source link for a full list of participating cities and locations. Not a people person? Well, Google Glass might be the wingman you’ve been looking for.
Image credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Filed under: Wearables, Mobile, Google
Source: Google+
Apple Will Begin Notifying Users of Information Requests from Law Enforcement
Apple will begin notifying its users of secret personal data requests from law enforcement, according to The Washington Post, as the company believes users have a right to know in advance if their information is being targeted by the government.
Apple, Microsoft, Facebook and Google all are updating their policies to expand routine notification of users about government data seizures, unless specifically gagged by a judge or other legal authority, officials at all four companies said. Yahoo announced similar changes in July.
Prosecutors, however, say the move could tip off criminals, allowing them to destroy potential digital evidence, cover their tracks and intimidate potential witnesses before law enforcement can build their case. Alternatively, the Post notes that some companies who already notify users before a government requests have found that investigators have dropped data requests to avoid having suspects learn of their inquiries.
In the United States, the typical search warrant requires the police to notify the suspect that they are being searched. However, so-called “sneak-and-peek” warrants are not unheard of and allow investigators to search a suspect’s house or other property without any notification. This ability was expanded in the PATRIOT Act, allowing the Federal Government to utilize such warrants in nearly any crime.
Apple and the other companies are seeking to nullify these sneak-and-peek warrants as they pertain to the digital realm.
Apple’s changes will be unveiled in an updated privacy policy later this month, an Apple spokeswoman told the Post, and users will be notified in “most cases” when their information is requested by a government entity. Cases in which Apple would not notify users include data requests from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court and subpoenas from the FBI for national security investigations.
“Later this month, Apple will update its policies so that in most cases when law enforcement requests personal information about a customer, the customer will receive a notification from Apple,” company spokeswoman Kristin Huguet said.
The Cupertino company has been increasingly concerned about privacy matters since the discovery of secret intelligence program PRISM, with CEO Tim Cook saying the NSA would have to cart them “out in a box” before it could access Apple’s servers. Apple has also hired certified privacy professional Sabrina Ross as privacy counsel to oversee the protection of customer data.
Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.
Engadget Live is coming to Austin on June 20th!
Austin, we love you. We mutually understand that things should be kept weird (otherwise, life would be boring). With that in mind, we’re kicking off the Engadget Live series in the live music capital of the world: 7PM on June 20th at the Austin Music Hall!
Austin’s Chaotic Moon, the people behind this damn electricity-shooting helicopter will stun you with another incredible creation. Perhaps you want a life-sized replica of Oprah printed? Re3D‘s got you covered with the world’s largest 3D printer. Building a robot? Charmed Labs’ Pixy is a sensor that can teach it to find things and you’ll get to check it out. Techjango, which brought us the Darkmatter Xbox laptop, will show off even more gadgets for makers. If that wasn’t enough, AF1 Racing will bring its totally electric (and fast!) Zero Motorcycle so you can experience it yourself.
Also on hand: Engadget editors, in person, with high fives at the ready! And yes, booze and giveaways. Act quickly, Austinites, as these events tend to fill up quickly — get your tickets right here.
Not in Austin? That stinks! Though we’ll miss you, there are plenty more Engadget Live events on the way — Seattle, Boston and Los Angeles — all leading up to Expand later this year in NYC.
Filed under: Announcements
‘Notability’ Named App of the Week, Available for Free [iOS Blog]
Popular note taking app Notability has been named Apple’s App of the Week, and as a result, it is available as a free download for the first time since it was released in 2011.
Notability allows users to make sketches, take notes, annotate documents, sign contracts, record lectures, and more. It supports input via a finger or stylus and includes palm rejection to make note taking easier.
In addition to touch-based input, the app has a built-in text editor and it also has the ability to record audio. Notability lets users import documents in a wide variety of formats, including PDF, DOC, and PPT.
Notability is a universal app and it has iCloud support, so notes can be transferred between the iPad and the iPhone. It also has support for several different services, including Dropbox, Box, and Google Drive.
Welcome to Notability, a powerful note-taker on iPad and iPhone: sketch ideas, annotate documents, sign contracts, complete worksheets, keep a journal, record a lecture, jot travel notes, or teach a class. With iCloud support, your notes always travel with you!
Write, illustrate and annotate using gorgeous ink. Notability’s zoom window helps you quickly and clearly draw every detail, while the palm rest protects your notes from unwanted marks. Choose the right pen and paper for any project.
As Apple’s App of the Week, Notability will be available as a free download from the App Store for the next seven days. [Direct Link]
Tablet demand hits a wall as many are happy with the devices they own
It looks like Apple wasn’t the only tech firm to see its tablet business take a hit this winter; according to IDC, others suffered a similar fate. The analyst group estimates that overall tablet shipments grew just 3.9 percent year-over-year in the first quarter, a sharp contrast with the breakneck pace of the past few years. Amazon took a particularly severe blow, as its shipments dropped almost 50 percent. So what prompted the suddenly chilly market? If you believe researchers, many are happy with the devices they’ve got — they either have a good-enough tablet or a big-screen smartphone that will do in a pinch. Simply put, there was no compelling reason to splurge on something new.
It wasn’t all doom and gloom. Samsung’s shipments grew by a third, in part because it encouraged carriers to bundle cellular tablets with smartphones. Lenovo’s success with slates also continued unabated. While it’s still relatively small in this field compared to Apple or Samsung, its unit numbers more than tripled in the past year thanks to hits like the Yoga Tablet. These are shipments and not sales, so they don’t tell a complete story — Apple claims that pent-up iPad mini demand skewed its figures last year, for instance. Even with that in mind, it’s evident that tablet makers will have to fight harder to capture people’s attention.
Filed under: Tablets, Apple, Samsung, ASUS, Amazon, Lenovo
Source: IDC
Logitech’s modular iPhone case lets you change features on a whim
As clever as smartphone cases can get, their features are usually set in stone; if you decide you need a battery pack after you bought a wallet case, you might be stuck. Logitech hopes to eliminate that accessory anxiety with its new Case+ add-on for the iPhone 5 and 5s, built in part by the TT Design Labs crew it acquired last year. The modular design starts with a basic protector, but lets you attach components depending on what you need. A +Drive piece gives you a magnetic car mount, while +Energy more than doubles your battery life; +Wallet offers space for your credit cards, and +Tilt (based on TT’s TidyTilt) provides both a kickstand as well as a magnetic mount for your fridge.
Do be prepared to pay for the convenience, though. Logitech currently plans to ship Case+ in the US this month as a $200 bundle that includes everything. Given that a 16GB iPhone 5s typically costs the same amount on contract, that’s an expensive proposition — it’ll only make sense if you crave flexibility. We’ve reached out to Logitech to see if it will let you buy components one at a time like you can elsewhere, but we wouldn’t count on it. If your needs aren’t quite so varied, you may want to pick up a more focused (and likely cheaper) case instead.
Filed under: Cellphones, Peripherals, Mobile
Source: Logitech
Sony trolls the US by accidentally showing off an Xperia Z2 for Verizon
Hey, what’s this? Sony said that it would only sell the Xperia Z2 in the US as an unlocked model, but the company has briefly teased Google+ followers with a picture of the high-end Android phone sporting a conspicuous Verizon logo. The image has since vanished, but it hints that Sony has at least been considering a reunion with Big Red — notable when the carrier hasn’t offered a Sony smartphone since the Xperia Play in 2011.
Sony isn’t saying much about the significance of the image at this stage. In a statement (available below), it tells us that the device was a “mock-up” that wasn’t supposed to go online, and that it’s still “excited” about the launch of the unlocked model. We certainly wouldn’t bet on the Z2 hitting Verizon any time soon, even if there’s more to the story than what Sony is saying. As Android Central warns, Verizon is no stranger to backing away from devices (such as the HTC Merge) before they ship. It’s entirely possible that this is just a glimpse at a launch that might have been.
“A mock-up image was mistakenly posted to the Sony Mobile Google+ page. The image has since been removed and we apologize for any confusion this may have caused. For our U.S. customers eager to find out more information about the availability of Xperia Z2, we are excited to share that the device will be coming to the U.S. unlocked this summer.”
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Sony, Verizon
Via: Pocketnow
Source: Android Central
iTunes Match Expands to Japan [iOS Blog]
Apple is expanding its iTunes Match service to Japan, according to a MacRumors tipster and the company’s iTunes Match availability website. The service, which costs ¥3,980 per year, allows iTunes users to match their existing iTunes libraries with high quality versions of songs from Apple’s iCloud. After matching, content is available in iCloud and can be accessed from any device. iTunes Match is $25 per year in the U.S and, at current exchange rates, the Japanese version costs roughly $39.
Japan was one of the few countries where Apple sold music but did not offer iTunes Match. Finland, Denmark, Norway and Sweden all gained iTunes Match last December, and Apple launched its iTunes Radio music streaming service in Australia in February.
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