Lawsuit claims Uber discriminates against people with disabilities

Uber launched a couple of new programs back in 2014 to serve people who use wheelchairs. UberAssist is a way to hail an UberX driver trained in accessibility and whose car can accommodate a folding wheelchair. UberWAV will send you an actual accessible vehicle with a rear-entry ramp and safety features for riders with accessibility needs. These programs are only available in a handful of larger markets like New York Washington DC or Portland, unfortunately. In addition, Uber may not have provided these services in equal ways to riders who need them even in cities where these programs exist. The Washington, DC-based Equal Rights Center (ERC) is suing Uber for denying that equal access to people with disabilities, claiming that the company is in violation of Title 3 of the Americans with Disabilities Act as well as the DC Human Rights Act.

The organization conducted an investigation that compared the experience of customers with and without disabilities. The ERC claims that Uber makes people in wheelchairs wait an average of eight times longer for an accessible solution to arrive and had to pay twice as much in fares. Further, it alleges that none of the more than 30,000 Uber cars in DC is capable of serving individuals who can’t use a folding wheelchair.

“Uber had the power to design and implement services in the District that connect wheelchair users to employment and educational opportunities, support services and cultural events,” said Michal Allen, a partner at the firm representing the ERC. “It just chose not to do so. By flouting federal and local accessibility laws, Uber deprives wheelchair users of the life-changing benefits of the convenient, affordable, on-demand services that Uber delivers to its customers who don’t use wheelchairs.”

This isn’t the first lawsuit Uber’s faced over accessibility, either. A couple of wheelchair users from Mississippi filed a suit last May, which alleged that Uber had no accessible options in the city of Jackson. A Chicago disability group also sued Uber for violating wheelchair accessibility laws last October. We’ve reached out to Uber for comment, and will update this post with their reply.

Via: TechCrunch

Source: Equal Rights Center

New Charging Sound Discovered in iOS 11, Perhaps for iPhone 8 Inductive Wireless Charging Functionality

Buried in iOS 11, there seems to be a new sound file that could potentially be implemented when the rumored “iPhone 8” is released with inductive wireless charging capabilities. Highlighted on YouTube, the sound file is called “engage_power.caf,” and it is distinct from the existing “connect_power.caf” sound file that’s used whenever an iPhone is connected to a Lightning cable.

In the video below, the unused charging sound is compared to the existing charging sound in iOS 11. The new audio file provides a longer, more distinct sound that could perhaps be used to assure iPhone users that their devices are properly charging should the iPhone 8 indeed include an inductive-based wireless charging function as has been rumored.

While both the name of the file and the sound seem to indicate that it is related to some kind of charging purpose, there’s no way to confirm why the sound has been added, so this is all pure speculation at this point.

In fact, there are several other sound files in iOS 10 and 11 that are unused and do not have a purpose, so it’s not entirely clear if the new charging sound will actually be added to the iOS 11 operating system or what it will be used for. The hidden sound file in iOS 11 is not accessible on a device running iOS 11 and must be accessed using a computer.

Wireless charging is expected to be included in the radically redesigned “iPhone 8” coming in the fall of 2017, and perhaps its two companion devices (presumably the iPhone 7s and the iPhone 7s Plus), but there’s still some question about the form the wireless charging functionality will take.

Early 2017 iPhone rumors suggested Apple was aiming to implement long-range wireless charging, perhaps through a partnership with a company like Energous, but that technology may not be advanced enough to be used in the iPhone. Long-range wireless charging continues to suffer from problems like object interference and much slower charging rates as the distance between the receiver and the transmitter increases.

Apple is no doubt working on long-range wireless charging, but recent information suggests a simpler solution will be added to the iPhone 8 – inductive charging. An inductive charging solution, which is what’s used for the Apple Watch, would require the iPhone to attach to some kind of charging puck, mat, dock, or other device. It would perhaps be simpler than a Lightning port, but it isn’t a full wire-free contactless solution.

Regardless of how wireless charging is implemented, there’s overwhelming evidence that this is a technology Apple is aggressively pursuing. Apple joined the Wireless Power Consortium in February, hired dozens of employees with expertise in wireless charging, and has sourced wireless charging components from a range of manufacturers including Lite-On Semiconductor, MediaTek, and Luxshare.

Related Roundups: iPhone 8, iOS 11
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‘Bang! The Bert Berns Story’ Coming Exclusively to Apple Music This Fall

A documentary about “Twist and Shout” songwriter and producer Bert Berns is set to come to Apple Music this fall, reports Variety. “Bang! The Bert Berns Story” chronicles the life of Berns, a well-known record producer in the 1960s responsible for hits like “Brown Eyed Girl,” “Here Comes the Night,” “Piece of My Heart,” and more.

Berns started out as a songwriter before moving on to Atlantic Records, where he worked as a staff producer. Following his success and his work with bands like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, he went on to form his own record labels, BANG Records and Shout Records, where he signed artists like the McCoys, the Strangeloves, and Neil Diamond.

The documentary covers Berns’ relationships with Carmine “Wassel” DeNoia, his manager and best friend, and mobster Tommy Eboli, once the acting boss of the Genovese crime family in New York. Van Morrison, Paul McCartney, Keith Richards, Ben E. King, Solomon Burke, and more, all make appearances in the film.

Berns’ son, Brett Berns, directs, and the documentary is narrated by Bruce Springsteen guitarist and “Sopranos” star Steven Van Zandt.

The documentary will first debut on iTunes Movies in the fall, and then it will be exclusively streamed on Apple Music. It will join several other documentaries Apple has secured for Apple Music, including Sean Combs’ “Can’t Stop Won’t Stop: A Bad Boy Story” and “Clive Davis: The Soundtrack of Our Lives.”

Tags: iTunes, Apple Music
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Nearly One in Four Windows Users Surveyed Plan to Switch to Mac Within Next Six Months

Nearly 21 percent of current Windows laptop owners and 25 percent of current Windows desktop owners intend to switch to a Mac within the next six months, according to a recent survey conducted by market research firm Verto Analytics.

Verto Analytics told MacRumors the survey is based on 6,000 current Windows PC owners age 18 and older in the United States.

Of the respondents, those with an average annual income of $150,000 or more showed the highest likelihood of switching to a Mac.

By comparison, the research firm said at least 98 percent of current Mac owners surveyed intend to stick with Mac as their next computer. In other words, only 2 percent of current Mac users surveyed are planning to switch to another computer brand, be it running Windows or another operating system.

Microsoft is experiencing a resurgence in the post-PC world with an attractive lineup of devices, such as the new Surface Pro and Surface Studio desktop computer, which have even caught the attention of some Apple aficionados.

Last December, Microsoft said more people were switching from Mac to Surface devices than ever before following the supposed “disappointment” of the 2016 MacBook Pro, particularly among professional users.

In April, however, Microsoft said Surface revenue declined 26 percent to $831 million last quarter, down from $1.1 billion in the year-ago quarter. By comparison, Apple reported Mac revenue of $5.84 billion last quarter, a 14 percent increase from $5.1 billion in the year-ago quarter, on the strength of a new MacBook Pro.

Microsoft’s new Surface devices should help it combat that decline, while Lenovo, HP, and Dell, the top three worldwide Windows PC vendors, saw shipment growth last quarter, according to market research firm Gartner.

Tags: Microsoft, Windows
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Most popular Android apps this week: Firefox Focus, Sonic, KingRoot, and more!

The Google Play Store is filled with many apps, which is great for consumer selection, but can often make app discovery difficult. Some apps just never make it to our homescreen. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of this weeks hottest Android apps that have most likely gone under the radar or are so new that they haven’t had enough downloads to be featured or make it onto a top list.

Firefox Focus
App Info: Browse like no one’s watching. The new Firefox Focus automatically blocks a wide range of online trackers — from the moment you launch it to the second you leave it. Easily erase your history, passwords and cookies, so you won’t get followed by things like unwanted ads. Free

Sonic the Hedgehog
App Info: The Sonic game that started it all is now free-to-play and optimized for mobile devices! Race at lightning speeds across seven classic zones as Sonic the Hedgehog. Run and spin through loop-de-loops as you collect rings and defeat enemies on your mission to save the world from the evil Dr. Eggman. Free

KingRoot-2017

App Info: KingRoot-2017 verify proper root (superuser or su) access is configured and working using KingRoot! Free, fast, easy, and used on over 10 million Android devices, Root Checker shows the user whether or not root (superuser) access is properly installed and working. KingRoot-2017 is a root tool for “lazy people” who just want to get root access but don’t want to flash any third party Recovery into their lovely device. Free

Clipboard Actions
App Info: Clipboard Actions creates actions based on your copied text shows them in the status bar as notification or in a nice list in the App. Free

Network Signal Refresher Pro
App Info: Network Signal cannot be boosted by an app, Network signal can be refreshed and recovered. Network Signal Refresher is not a network signal booster. No network signal boost is achieved here. NSR tries to refresh the network several times till you get a better network signal. Free

If you like these apps then drop us a comment below with your thoughts. Also if you have spotted a new app that you think is worth a mention, leave a comment below with your suggestion and we’ll be sure to check it out.

Yahoo Mail gets a radical redesign and new ad-free subscription options

Why it matters to you

Yahoo Mail, the world’s third-most popular email service, just got its first major update in years.

It’s been 20 years since the launch of Yahoo Mail, the third-largest web-based email service in the world, and at least five years since its last major overhaul. But hot on the heels of a multibillion-dollar Verizon acquisition, Yahoo Mail is relaunching with a fresh coat of paint, a new ad-free premium tier, and a bevy of new features aimed squarely at competitors like Outlook and Gmail.

Yahoo Mail’s interface has been redesigned from the ground up. It’s minimalist, with increased spacing between elements and a library of switchable color themes (including some that change in response to the time of day). Rich previews show hover-over snapshots of links, and a revamped search mode lets you filter files, emails, and other attachments with a combination of names, keywords, and dates. There’s a new GIF library, too, and a collection of open source emojis and stationary.

Things are a lot more organized now. The new Yahoo Mail serves up quick links to auto-generated folders (like Photos and Documents) in the left-hand navigation bar, and the settings screen has been redesigned to reflect any changes you make instantaneously. And accessibility has been improved — there’s support for NVDA (NonVisual Desktop Acess), VoiceOver, and other screen readers, in addition to options for light-sensitive and low-vision readers.

A lot has changed behind the scenes, too. Yahoo says it’s using modern web technologies like Javascript, Ajax, React, Redux, and others to speed up browsing, which have helped to shrink its footprint by 50 percent compared to earlier versions of Yahoo Mail. In day-to-day usage, it should be a lot faster and more responsive.

Alongside the redesign this week. Yahoo took the wraps off Yahoo Mail Pro, an ad-free, premium version of Yahoo Mail that includes priority support of desktop and mobile. It starts at $35 per year/$3.50 per month, or $10 a year/$1 a month for a mobile-only version.

The new Yahoo Mail is available starting Wednesday for English users, but there’s an option to switch back to the old look if you decide it’s not for you.

The redesign is part of a broader effort by Yahoo’s new corporate parent, Oath. Earlier this week, for example, Yahoo backed out of a deal with AT&T that let the internet provider’s subscribers log into Yahoo websites with their subscription accounts.

But Yahoo has a lot to prove. This year, it suffered by two massive security breaches that affected more than a billion users, delayed Verizon’s acquisition, and knocked $350 million off its valuation. And an independent committee found Yahoo at fault for not sufficiently responding to the incidents.

These photos could be the best images shot with an iPhone this year

Why it matters to you

Find inspiration from a small camera in the gallery of this year’s winners for the iPhone Photography Awards.

The iPhone is now a decade old — and the iPhone Photography Awards (IPPAWARDS) continue to prove that small cameras can still pack a pretty big punch. This week, the IPPAWARDS announced the winners for the tenth annual global competition.

Brooklyn-based photographer Sebastiano Tomada took the grand prize as the iPhone Photographer of the Year with a photo of two children playing in Qayyarah, Iraq, as an oil well burns in the distance. The vertical shot utilizes leading lines and a punch of contrast to add artistic interest to the photojournalist’s shot.

The contest continues this global focus — with over 140 countries represented this year — and awards Branda O Se of Cork, Ireland, first place for the shot of a dock worker in Jakarta, Indonesia. The image, shot with an iPhone 6S is striking for the same reason that compelled the photographer to snap the shot — the texture created by the layers of dirt and grime on the worker’s hands.

The second-place photographer, Yeow-Kwang Yeo of Singapore, earned a slot in the honors for a behind-the-scenes shot of a performer in the Chinese Street Opera, a tradition that is quickly disappearing due to a lack of interest from younger generations. The photographer was struck by the light coming through a plastic curtain and the performer’s calm expression.

Kuanglong Zhang snagged the third-place title for a shot of a worker gazing out the window of a colorful Udaipur city palace in India. Zhang, a China native, took the shot with an iPhone 7.

The contest also hosted a special category for the tenth annual competition, The America I Know. Winners for the special category include Juan Carlos Castañeda of New York, Davis Bell of California, and Maria K. Pianu of Italy.

Along with the grand prize winners and special category, the contest also awarded the top three photographers in 19 different categories.

“We are amazed to see how IPPAWARDS has  grown from a small circle of people and friends of friends into a truly global audience with thousands of participants,” said Kenan Aktulun, the contest’s creator. “In this time of political upheaval we feel very thankful to host such a truly diverse group of people and their view of the world.”

The IPPAWARDS is now both the first and longest-running iPhone competition in the world, launched shortly after the first iPhone was released.

Sony joins the 3D facial recognition trend by demoing tech on an Xperia phone

Why it matters to you

Facial recognition is expected to play a massive role in authentication going forward — not simply for unlocking your phone, but for authenticating payments as well.

One day in the not-too-distant future, you’ll be able to unlock your phone safely and reliably through facial recognition — not through a two-dimensional image capture, mind you, but with a camera that can sense three-dimensional depth. We know Apple is working on the feature, as is LG. And this week at Mobile World Congress Shanghai, Sony will reportedly demo the tech running on an Xperia phone in real time.

Considering there’s not a smartphone out there currently that supports three-dimensional facial recognition, and just a handful of Project Tango-enabled Asus and Lenovo products that can measure depth, it might seem like a great deal of buzz has been made over nothing. But there are a variety of far-reaching applications for depth-aware cameras besides authentication.

Augmented reality is perhaps the most obvious one, affecting everything from gaming to shopping. There have also been depth-sensing stand-alone cameras in the past, like Lytro’s products, that enable refocusing after the shot.

Sony’s test, however, will be centered around authentication. The company’s SoftKinetic subsidiary, responsible for building imaging components, has partnered with Swiss firm KeyLemon, based on a report from TechCrunch. The result of their cooperation will be shown at the Shanghai trade show, though there is no indication that the feature will launch in an upcoming Xperia phone just yet.

Much of the news surrounding 3D front-facing cameras has concerned Apple, which has been rumored to implement the functionality in the next flagship iPhone, expected to be released this fall. The company snapped up PrimeSense back in 2013, a developer of depth-tracking technology which previously worked on Microsoft’s Kinect sensor for Xbox. Since then, we’ve heard the phone may sport iris scanning capabilities as well, thanks to a report from one of Apple’s suppliers, Largan Precision.

Ironically, some have speculated Apple is precisely the reason why Sony phones in the United States have historically lacked a different form of biometric authentication: Fingerprint scanning. The iPhone maker received a patent for embedding the sensor inside the power button back in 2015, as Phandroid reported earlier this month. Although it has never used that solution in any of its devices, Sony has taken exactly that approach with many of its phones produced over the past several years, and may have had to disable it in the U.S. to avoid infringement.

If Apple isn’t the one responsible, it could be the carriers, as Sony has cited “business reasons” in the past while referring to the strange omission for stateside customers. Either way, if 3D facial recognition is truly the next wave of smartphone security, it’s probably best for Sony to start riding it as soon as possible.

Google launches redesigned Google News with an emphasis on fact checking

Why it matters to you

Google is making it easier to keep track of breaking and developing stories with a simpler, more customizable Google News.

Not to be outdone by Yahoo’s major redesign of Mail, Google on Tuesday, June 28 launched a streamlined, refreshed version of Google News, its one-stop news search tool.

The new version of Google News is divided into three distinct sections: Headlines, which features the day’s trending stories; Local, which lets users follow news from certain locations; and For You, which consists of topics in which users have expressed interest.

“Our goal here was to make every frequent task and every user need smooth and frictionless so they are connected to the news and journalism, which is why they come to Google News — to read the news and find out what’s going on,” Google News product manager Anand Paka told Neiman Lab. “To give them that multitude of facts, voices, and perspectives, you want the UI to disappear and not be a sense of overload or cognitive load on them but just be transparent.”

Stories themselves have a cleaner look, appearing as spaced-out cards with images, bold headlines, and links to related coverage. Longtime Google News features like videos and real-time coverage remain in place, but the new News interface lets users expand cards to show more coverage or follow a given publishers’ stories. And new settings permit a greater degree of control over the types of stories that populate the feed — now, it’s easier to specify which topics users want to follow and the news outlets they’d like to prioritize.

The new Google News places a greater emphasis on fact checking, in addition. A new widget on the right-hand side shows verified sources from PolitiFact, Snopes, and other third parties. Fact-checked recommendations are available in the United States for now, but Google plans to roll it out more widely in the coming weeks.

Google News’ new, more prominent “fact-checked” column follows on the heels of the search giant’s other efforts. In April, it began to showcase fact-checking sites in search and news results, and launched a series of initiatives to promote more accurate content across its services.

But for now, the redesign is focused on improving user interfaces.

“Because it’s a redesign, it’s more about the surface-type touches to the user for the most part,” Paka told Neiman Lab. “Under the hood, we continue to use and build upon all the best practices both from search and as well as from Google News … We take an open-web philosophy. As long as a publisher is actively publishing news content, they are included in News and we maintain that policy bar for the people who show up in Google News. Once you have these quality sources within our index, then it’s about ranking and picking the best article to show at any given time.”

Xiaomi Redmi Pro 2 and Redmi Note 2 Pro news and rumors

Xiaomi had quite a year last year with the Redmi Note 2 and the Redmi 2, and it looks like the company is set to follow up on those devices with a few new handsets for 2017. In fact, rumors have been circulating quite a bit about the new phones, called the Redmi Note 2 Pro and the Redmi Pro 2, and we now have a pretty good look at what the phones could have on offer.

The rumors are interesting for a few reasons — perhaps the most notable being that Xiaomi launched the Redmi Pro last year only in China — suggesting that it would be a one-off device. Does the existence of a follow-up suggest we’ll see the phone in other markets? We’ll have to wait and see.

Here’s everything we know about the Redmi Note 2 Pro and Redmi Pro 2 so far.

Xiaomi Redmi Pro 2

It’s looking more and more like Xiaomi will launch a follow-up to the Redmi Pro, called the Redmi Pro 2. In fact, press shots and specs have appeared online showing that the phone could offer some pretty nice specs. But when will we see the device? The latest rumors indicate it could be soon. Pocket Now has published a report suggesting the phone will be launched at some point in April.

First up in the specs department is the camera. While it was initially believed that Xiaomi might have decided to ax the dual-camera setup for the Pro 2, per Weibo, a more recent leak alleges it will return. GizChina provided a full spec sheet for the device this week, and reported it will feature a 12-megapixel Sony sensor coupled with another 5-megapixel Samsung unit. Around the front, the phone is purported to offer a 16-megapixel shooter.

Otherwise, GizChina’s report does not mention the processor, though it does say the Redmi Pro 2 could feature 3GB of RAM. In terms of the display, it seems we’re looking at a 1080 panel.

Information from Weibo previously stated phone will come in two variants, and with one offering 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, and the other boasting a cool 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. We don’t yet know exactly which processor the phone will feature, but some speculation suggests it could be the Qualcomm Snapdragon 660.

According to the leak, the phone should be quite reasonably priced. The 4GB variant will come at 1,599 yuan, which equates to $232, while the bigger 6GB version will come at 1,799 yuan, or around $261.