Uber will pay $100 million to settle lawsuits in two states

Uber announced tonight that it has settled a pair of class-action lawsuits from drivers in California and Massachusetts. The settlement will pay $84 million to the plaintiffs, plus an extra $16 million if the company goes public and its valuation exceeds a set amount. Key for Uber is the agreement that it will continue to classify its drivers as independent contractors instead of employees. According to the company, it will provide more info to drivers about their ratings and how they compare to other drivers and what can get drivers banned. Finally, it will also form a driver’s association in these two states, and meet with the group quarterly to discuss issues.

Developing…

Source: Uber

Microsoft’s Translator app gets image recognition on Android

Microsoft Translator’s image translation is simple: point your phone’s camera at a sign or menu in any of the 21 supported languages and the app translates it in real-time onscreen. The app’s iOS version got it back in February and now the feature comes to the Android one. But a few other features and language additions come along with the update.
Like the iOS version, it also works on saved images, but it should be noted that Windows Phones have had image translation since 2010. This is powered by Microsoft’s proprietary Deep Learning engine it uses for Bing’s and Skype’s translation options, something more advanced than Google Translate’s statistical models and crowdsourcing. That said, Google Translate’s Android app has had image translation since at least August 2012. So this is nothing really groundbreaking.

The Android app also gets Inline Translation, which lets users hover over text phrases to quickly convert them into any of the 50+ languages in the app’s online library. Finally, the Android update includes 34 additional languages that can be downloaded for offline translation, bringing the total to 43.

Source: Microsoft

iTunes Store Accepting Donations to Support Earthquake Relief in Japan and Ecuador

Apple today added banners to the iTunes and App Stores allowing customers to donate to the American Red Cross in support of people affected by the earthquakes that hit Ecuador and Japan last week.

Donations made through iTunes and the App Store can be placed using credit cards already on file with Apple, making the donation process simple. Customers are able to donate $5, $10, $25, $50, $100, or $200 to relief efforts. 100% of all donations made through iTunes will be given to the American Red Cross. [Direct Link to Donations]

48 people have died in Japan and thousands more were injured after magnitude 6.2 and 7.0 earthquakes hit southwest Japan on April 14 and 16, causing severe damage in the Kumamoto and Ōita prefectures. More than 140 aftershocks have also affected the region.

In Ecuador, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake hit approximately 110 miles from Quito on April 16, killing more than 500 people and injuring thousands more.

Apple has used the iTunes Store donation method multiple times in the past to raise money for charity, most recently accepting donations in September to support the refugee and migration crisis across the Mediterranean Sea and Europe. Other previous relief effort fundraising campaigns have included the 2015 Nepal earthquake, the 2013 Phillippines typhoon, Hurricane Sandy in 2012, the 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami, and the 2010 Haiti earthquake.

Tags: App Store, iTunes Store, American Red Cross
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Sprint pushes Marshmallow to Samsung Galaxy Note Edge and S5 Sport

Sprint has started pushing out a pair of new Marshmallow updates, this time bringing Android 6.0 to the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge and Galaxy S5 Sport.

For Note Edge users, Sprint notes that the latest OTA update will also include a bump up to the latest security patches from Samsung and Google, as well as miscellaneous bug fixes. The Galaxy S5 Sport update, on the other hand, simply moves the handset up to Android 6.0 Marshmallow.

Though both updates have just started rolling out, Sprint notes that they’ll take some time to reach everyone. For the Note Edge, the carrier expects the rollout to continue through May 2, while the S5 Sport rollout will wrap up by May 11.

Have you seen Marshmallow hit your phone yet? Let us know what you think in the comments, or chime in on our forums!

Watch our HTC 10 video review!

If you’ve got a few minutes, we’ve got everything you need to know about the HTC 10. From the camera to the battery to the beautifully chamfered edges to the software, it’s all there, in one video.

Enjoy.

More: Read our comprehensive HTC 10 review!

Bank of America app adds fingerprint sign-in for Marshmallow phones

Thanks to the latest update to Bank of America’s Android app, more users can now log in with just a touch. The latest update adds support for Marshmallow’s fingerprint authentication API, allowing anyone with a phone packing both and fingerprint sensor and Android 6.0 Marshmallow to sign-in with just a touch. Prior to this, Bank of America only supported Samsung’s fingerprint API.

Of course, there’s more to look forward to in this update as well. Here’s the full rundown of what’s new:

• Order checks—browse our catalog, customize your checks and track your order
• Choose how you deposit checks—either by letting your phone take the photo automatically (recommended) or taking the photo yourself
• Sign in with your fingerprint (if your device model has this feature, you’ll see the check box prompt when you sign in to the app)

If you’re a Bank of America customer, be sure to let us know what you think of the update in the comments below!

Project Fi app’s new widget will let you track your data usage at a glance

If you’re a subscriber to Google’s Project Fi, you’ll now be able to track your data usage via a handy widget. As detailed in a list of changes posted by a verified Googler over on Reddit, the latest Project Fi app update includes a new widget for your home screen that will allow you to easily track how much data you’re using at a glance.

Aside from the new widget, the update also includes a new call forwarding toggle and a notable bug fix. Here’s the full breakdown:

• [New] Data usage home screen widget – If you’re using the built-in launcher, long press an empty space on the home screen, navigate to “Widgets”, and scroll to Project Fi’s data usage widget to keep an eye on your data usage from the home screen.
• [New] Call forwarding on/off toggle – We’ve made it easier to enable/disable call forwarding with a simple on/off toggle. Select any number from the list and toggle the “Forward calls to this number” setting to temporarily disable a forwarding number. You won’t need to reverify the number when enabling it again.
• [Bug Fix] Data usage sometimes showing up one day in the future – Many of you let us know about an issue where data usage appeared one day in the future. This issue should be resolved with this update, please let us know if you’re still having issues.

It appears that the update has only just begun rolling out in the past day or so, and it’s set to continue throughout the weekend. We haven’t seen it land just yet on our end, and it’s likely it will be a few more days before everyone is able to check out the new widget. Still, if you’ve already managed to snag the update, let us know what you think in the comments below!

Google Project Fi

• What is Project Fi?
• Get the latest Project Fi news
• How Project Fi pricing compares to carriers
• How to move back to Google Voice
• Here’s what comes in the Project Fi box
• Discuss Project Fi in our forums
• Compatible phones: Nexus 6P | Nexus 5X | Nexus 6
• Sign up for Project Fi

Alphabet’s moonshots lost $802 million in the first quarter of 2016

Google’s parent company for the first time has reported quarterly numbers for its “other bets” companies.

Alphabet has posted its financial results for the Q1 2016, and the big takeaway is that Google’s advert business allows Alphabet to continue investing in experimental ventures. In the period that ended on 30 March, Alphabet’s “other bets” companies lost $802 million, compared to $633 million from the year-ago quarter, but they also brought in $166 million in revenue.

That revenue is more than double from last year, meaning “other bets” are growing faster than losses, though they still aren’t profitable. Alphabet’s “other bets” companies is a division that houses moonshots like Google X, Calico, Verily, Google Fiber, Nest, and the self-driving car team. It also includes robot builder Boston Dynamics, though that was recently put up for sale.

We’re assuming Alphabet has reported the earnings of these risky projects in order to ease investors concerns. Last quarter, Alphabet revealed its “other bets” companies lost $3.6 billion throughout 2015. Apart from moonshot losses, Alphabet posted revenue of $20.3 billion (up 17 per cent year-over-year) and a net income of $4.2 billion (up 20 per cent year-over-year).

Ruth Porat, Alphabet’s chief financial officer, said during an earnings call that mobile search drove growth, and the majority of costs for the “other bets” companies can be attributed to the expense of building out Google Fiber.

As for advertising, it made up the bulk of Google’s revenue: $18 billion, up 16 per cent year-over year. The search company also brought in $2 billion from App Store and hardware sales, up 24 per cent from the year-ago quarter.

Acer Predator G1 desktop comes with its own suitcase… for first 1,000 punters

We had an inkling that Acer was going to lift the lid on new Predator gear at its global press conference in New York. Front and centre of its line-up is the new Predator G1 desktop.

Which, it turns out, is sort-of portable. It even comes with its own branded wheely suitcase. Well, if you’re one of the first 1,000 punters to put your cash down on buying one anyway.

The Predator G1 might be small as desktops go (it’s 16-litres), but it’s a potentially formidable machine, supporting full-size Nvidia GeForce GTX graphics (to Titan X), 6th-gen Intel Core i processors and up to 64GB DDR4 memory. You won’t get all that for the €1,199 starting price, of course… but you might get that suitcase if you’re speedy enough.

Also unveiled was the Acer Predator 17X gaming laptop which, quite simply, might be the most powerful gaming laptop we’ve ever seen. It’s a huge 17-inch beast, capable of running over-clocked Intel Core i7 at up to 4Ghz, alongside Nvidia GTX 980 graphics – as in desktop graphics, not the usual M-designation of many other gaming laptops. It’s cooled by a tri-fan cooling system, including an air intake to the front of the design. Prices start at €2,499 which we think is worth it for the snazzy multi-coloured keyboard alone.

Acer is clearly keen to throw its weight around in the gaming desktop and laptop arena and, on the basis of these two key products, it’s certainly swinging hard.

Microsoft only sold 2.3 million Lumia phones over the last three months

Microsoft has post its third-quarter fiscal results for 2016, and one thing is clear: its phone business isn’t doing so hot.

The company made $3.8 billion in net income on $20.5 billion in revenue, both of which are down year-over year. Speaking of things going down, Microsoft only sold 2.3 million Lumia devices in the period that ended on 30 March. That’s a whopping 73 per cent drop from 8.6 million in the same period last year. For comparison, Apple sold 13 million iPhone 6Ss its opening weekend.

Microsoft’s mobile revenue therefore fell by as much as 46 per cent Still, the company saw growth from Surfaces. The segment grew by $1.1 billion during the quarter, up 61 per cent year-over-year. Microsoft attributed this growth to Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book sales, but of course it neglected to provide firm numbers for how many tablets and computers it sold in the last three months.

Windows OEM revenue dropped 2 per cent, outperforming the remainder of the PC market. Microsoft said it was able to outperform the PC market because of a “higher consumer premium device mix”. It also saw some growth in the cloud department. Office commercial and cloud services like Office 365 spiked 7 per cent this quarter, while consumer versions of Office went up 6 per cent.

Microsoft now has 22.2 million Office 365 consumer subscriptions. As for server products and cloud services, Microsoft said revenue increased 5 per cent. Azure revenue increased by 120 per cent.