Black cab feud with Uber will be decided by London’s High Court
It’s safe to say that London’s black cabbies don’t like Uber, or anything like it. While it could simply be that they’re bothered by the new-style competition, traditional taxi drivers also argue Uber’s use of smartphones to calculate fares is illegal, since private cars aren’t allowed taximeters. Transport for London (TfL) doesn’t believe they’re the same thing, and it has long said it’s happy that Uber complies fully with regulations (as the company itself has pointed out). To add more legal weight to its stance, TfL has now asked the High Court to step in. All interested parties will have a chance to say their piece before the court gives a definitive ruling on whether Uber acts within the law. The decision isn’t expected for several months at the earliest, but in the meantime black cabbies are planning a protest against Uber in London on June 11th.
[Image credit: sjiong / Flickr]
Filed under: Transportation
Via: BBC
Source: TfL
Lian Li’s new desk is a computer, no, wait, it’s a desk, no, wait…
We’ve seen plenty of modders build gaming PCs into their desks, but what about those of us without any DIY skills? Lian-Li has stepped in, offering the DK-01 and DK-02, a pair of Table PC chassis that straddle the intersection between high-end technology and furniture. The big difference between the 01 and its bigger brother is the 02 can house a pair of PCs instead of just one, so where the former has a quartet of USB 3.0 ports and an audio jack up front, the latter doubles it. Inside, there’s room for a HPTX motherboard, as well as a secondary mini-ITX board if you go for the 02, as well as 10 expansion slots for HDD or SSDs. Unfortunately, this technology does come at a price, since the DK-01 will set you back $990, and the larger variant marked up at $1,200 — even before you start buying components.
Filed under: Desktops
Via: Tom’s Hardware
Doctors urge the World Health Organization to lighten up on e-cigs
The World Health Organization suspects that e-cigarettes should be treated with the same regulatory scorn as Tobacco, even if it hasn’t yet made this conclusion legally binding. A group of 53 doctors, however, are now urging the WHO to take a gentler approach. They’ve signed an open letter admitting that while the dangers of vaping aren’t fully known, the technology is vastly preferable to people choking down on the real thing. One of the signatories, Professor Robert West, can back up his claims with the study he published last week, which says that e-cigs are much more effective at getting people to quit than patches or cold turkey. We’re expecting a lot more back-and-forth on this matter in the next few months, since the WHO’s anti-smoking treaty group doesn’t meet to reveal its final decision on the vaping issue until mid-October.
[Thanks, Ronny]
Filed under: Misc
Nexus 8 “flounder” to appear at Google I/O
Although the leak that claimed to be the Nexus 8 was actually eventually revealed to be an early image of the Nexus 10, evidence suggests that the Nexus 8 is a real product and will appear at Google I/O.
The device, codenamed Flounder, which ties in with the use of fish names for Nexus devices, was found in recent code and now also has been spotted on several posts on MYCE, of which they say is solid evidence that the device exists and will be revealed at Google I/O.
Further entries seem to confirm the device will be Tegra based and potential 64-bit support.
If the rumours are true, then we just might see the Nexus 8 appear at Google I/O, which is scheduled for June 25th and June 26th.
The post Nexus 8 “flounder” to appear at Google I/O appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Apple Reportedly Testing Wireless Charging Coils for iWatch Ahead of Fall Launch
Apple is once again said to be considering wireless charging capabilities for the iWatch, according to a various Chinese media reports citing sources at Apple supplier Luxshare (Google Translate, via GforGames).
Traditional watch-style iWatch concept by Gábor Balogh.
The Shenzen-based company has reportedly sent Apple wireless charging coils for certification, and pending approval, will likely be providing the wireless charging modules for the iWatch. The report also notes that the iWatch will launch in the second half of this year pending production times.
A report last December also stated that Apple would include wireless charging capabilities in the iWatch, allowing the device to charge from up to a meter away. The iWatch’s battery life has been previously reported as a problem for Apple, with iWatch prototypes lasting only 1-2 days on a charge and the company hoping to find ways to extend that to 4-5 days. While wireless charging would be one way to reduce the burden of frequent charges, it is still unclear exactly how it would be implemented in the device’s body.
Rumors have indicated Apple’s iWatch will contain several different biometric sensors allowing it to track health-related metrics like heart rate, sleep quality and more. The sensors will aggregate data that will be stored in a rumored “Healthbook” application, slated for inclusion in iOS 8.
Along with health-related functionality, the iWatch will likely integrate with the iPhone and iPad to provide notifications and quick access to frequently used apps and services.
Apple’s iWatch is rumored to ship later this year two different sizes to accommodate different sized wrists. A report last week stated the the device will feature a round face similar to that of Motorola’s Moto 360 smart watch, with production beginning in late July.
RSS Feed Viewer ‘Reeder 2’ Now Avaliable for Mac with Support for Multiple RSS Platforms [Mac Blog]
A month after a public beta was made available, RSS news reader Reeder 2 has officially launched in the Mac App Store. The original Reeder app was discontinued following the shutdown of Google Reader last July. The new version of the program is compatible with RSS platforms such as Feedbin, Feedly, Feed Wrangler, Fever, and Readability along with support for local and standalone RSS.
Other features:
– Themes
– Gestures
– Customizable shortcutsSharing services:
– Safari Reading List
– QUOTE.fm Read
– Buffer
– Readability
– Instapaper
– Evernote
– MarsEdit
– Pinboard
– Delicious
– App.net
– Messages
Reeder also launched Reeder 2 for iOS devices [Direct Link] this past September, which featured compatibility with numerous RSS services, in addition to gesture-based navigation, view modes, and the ability to share stories through a variety of services.
Reeder 2 for Mac is a $9.99 download and is available through the Mac App Store. [Direct Link]
Not even Snapchat’s CEO can make his embarrassing email history disappear
Snapchat’s CEO has previously shared his emails to show his business dealings with Facebook, but we imagine he now regrets making his inbox fair game. Silicon Valley gossip site Valleywag has leaked messages from Evan Spiegel’s days at Stanford, in 2009, where the executive let his frat boy-side a little too far out of the closet. In addition to encouraging his fellow fraternity folks to commit sexual acts, he confesses to peeing on a female friend and even requested a “kilo of blow” for a party. For his part, Spiegel has now apologized for his “idiotic emails,” saying that they no longer reflect the person he is, or his attitudes towards women. Of course, we’ve all made the odd off-color joke or poorly thought-out statement that we’d prefer to forget, but perhaps this is why Spiegel was so committed to building a messenger where your missives (ostensibly) self-destruct after 10 seconds.
Filed under: Internet
Via: Time
Source: Business Insider, Vallleywag
Android Developers share their favourite Android Wear Notifications
The wearable industry took an interesting turn when Google announced that it was launching a new software OS specifically for wearable devices called Android Wear. Since then, we’ve been enthralled at the possibility of having a more Android-like experience on smartwatches with Motorola and LG promising their own devices in the near future. What we haven’t seen that much of yet are the Android Wear notifications, it looks like the Android Developers’ Timothy Jordan is now happy to show off some of his favourites.
In screenshots presumably from Android Wear devices (or a developer’s emulator), we see different apps pushing their notifications, which are natively supported by Android Wear, to the wearable device. A sneak peek of notifications from Nest, Calendar, Clash of Clans and music players look well within Android Wear’s abilities, and it will be exciting to see what else the wearable OS is capable of in the near future.
What do you think about the Android Wear notifications? Are you liking what you see so far? Let us know your opinion in the comments below.
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Google employee shows what to expect from Android Wear notifications
There’s plenty we know about Android Wear already: It’s Google’s software platform for wearables; it’s designed to allow you to interact with your phone and with Google Now straight from your wrist; and numerous manufacturers, from HTC to Motorola, have Wear-powered smartwatches coming in the near future. Now there’s even more we can glean, thanks to increasing activity at Google’s developer hubs. For example, in-house developer advocate Timothy Jordan has just highlighted the three examples shown above as being some of his favorite Wear notifications so far — including a slightly panic-inducing warning from a Nest thermostat. (Don’t worry, a follow-up message reassures everybody that the smoke is clearing.)
There’s also a regular calendar notification on show, a message from a game (Clash of Clans), and what looks to be the playback of a StarShipSofa science fiction podcast. The origin of each notification is identified by an icon in the top right corner, or by a background image. Meanwhile, although these particular examples are all short enough to fit on a single screen, Google has also recently demonstrated how longer notifications can spread over multiple screen using right-to-left swipes. In fact, Mountain View insists that it only requires a tiny bit of code to add this functionality to the notification system of an existing Android smartphone app, which hopefully means it’ll be easy for third-party app developers to make their full-length notifications work on Wear.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wearables, Software, Mobile, Google
Eddy Cue: Steve Jobs Would Be ‘Extremely Proud’ of Apple’s Current and Future Products
Apple’s SVP of Internet Services Eddy Cue and Beats co-founder Jimmy Iovine spoke on the impact of Steve Jobs on Apple during an interview with Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher yesterday at the Re/code Code Conference. While the pair noted that a transition was inevitable after Jobs’ death, both spoke on Apple’s commitment to quality and putting together an exceptional executive team.
When asked about the late-cofounder, Cue noted that Jobs wanted to “create a culture that was going to last longer than he was going to be CEO.” Cue also maintained that the company’s values remain in strong attention to every detail and putting product quality first, all while “doing a few things and doing them really great.”
Cue was also asked if Apple had to go through a “reset” period when Jobs passed away three years ago and his current feelings on the company:
I never felt like we had a reset. I feel like we have an amazing executive team, many of us who have been there for a long time, working together as a team, building those products whether it’s hardware, software, services, completely integrated.
Look, Steve was a great friend, a great mentor, I miss him, you can’t say it doesn’t mean anything from that standpoint; but when I look at what he set up at Apple and what we’re doing, I think he’d be extremely proud of the all the work we’re doing today and the products we’re building, and I think we’re continuing a lot of the legacy he built.
Iovine also commented on the former CEO, praising Apple’s executive team and stating that Jobs “put the greatest team in the world together” despite an inevitable transition period for the company. The Beats CEO also admitted that he was surprised on how “flexible” Apple is, noting that it “moves like a small company” despite its large presence.
Cue and Iovine also discussed a number of other topics during the interview, mostly pertaining to Apple’s $3 billion acquisition of Beats that was made official yesterday. Cue shared that Apple has the best product pipeline in 25 years coming later this year, all while noting new milestones for iTunes and the company’s quest to “fix” the TV experience.
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