Uber kills plans to track passengers after their trips

Following criticism by consumers and privacy groups, Uber will change an app setting that lets it track you after a trip ends, company security chief John Sullivan told Reuters. Back in December, it stopped allowing users to limit tracking to “while using” the app, offering only “always” or “never” location tracking options. A new clause stated that “always” meant it could track you for up to five minutes after a ride ended, even if you weren’t using the app.

App users got just one chance to opt in or out once the update rolled out. Uber justified the changes by saying they used the data to “improve pickups, drop-offs, customer service, and to enhance safety.” However, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) pointed out in December last year that “there are many legitimate reasons that a rider would want privacy in their final destination, perhaps stopping the ride a block or three away from their true destination.”

I think it’s a lot creepy, and I would hesitate to use Uber as a woman alone https://t.co/hdts8q5lWz

— Rosalie Donlon (@RosalieDonlon) December 5, 2016

The EFF added that opting out by choosing “never” wasn’t a great option either, as it required users to manually enter addresses, making the app much less usable. Switching back and forth before and after rides requires a lot menu diving and manipulation.

As a mea culpa, Sullivan said that Uber shouldn’t have made the change without explaining what it would offer in return. He added that the tracking was never actually implemented for iPhone users, and was suspended on Android. However, Uber may yet decide to implement the tracking in the future, but would explain it better to customers and allow them to opt in to the setting if it did, he said.

Uber has been criticized in the past for using its “God View” to track individual riders and saving user “fingerprints” on iPhones, even if they’re wiped. Sullivan, however, said his 500-strong team has working on making the app more privacy-oriented since he arrived in 2015. Whether or not new CEO Dara Khosrowshahi can fix the rest of its toxic culture cultivated under ex-CEO Travis Kalanick remains to be seen.

Source: Reuters

Apple Wants to Sell 4K Movies for $20 in iTunes, While Film Studios Want $25 to $30

Apple is said to be “scrambling” to strike deals with movie studios in Hollywood regarding the exact prices of 4K movies in the iTunes Store, taking places just weeks ahead of the rumored debut of the new 4K Apple TV in mid-September.

While the talks have been ongoing for some time, discussions have been recently hampered by disagreements over the pricing of 4K movie purchases, according to sources close to the talks (via The Wall Street Journal). Apple wants to charge $19.99 for 4K movie purchases in its digital iTunes Store, the same price it currently charges for newly-released HD films.

However, many Hollywood studios it has talked with are pushing back on that price point and are looking to charge customers a premium for the new 4K content: $25 to $30 for a 4K movie in iTunes.

Apple wants to have major Hollywood films available in ultra-high definition on the new device, expected to go on sale later this year. However, it wants to charge $19.99 for those movies—on par with what it sometimes charges for new HD movies, the people with knowledge of the discussions said. Several Hollywood studios want to charge $5 to $10 more for 4K movies, the people said.

Apple is said to be trying to finish these discussions well before September 12, the currently rumored date that will see the unveiling of the new 4K Apple TV, iPhone 8, iPhone 7s, iPhone 7s Plus, Apple Watch Series 3, and more software-related announcements. As iTunes loses market share to companies like Amazon and Comcast, Apple is hoping that a revitalized Apple TV streaming box with 4K content — which many rival devices have already supported — will help boost iTunes sales into the last half of 2017 and the new year.

In other Hollywood-related talks, earlier this month it was reported that multiple studios were pushing forward with a plan to offer digital movie rentals mere weeks after they appear in theaters. Studios like Universal Pictures and Warner Bros. were said to be in talks with partners, including Apple, to offer movies in iTunes as early as 17 days after their theatrical debut for about $50, or four to six weeks from release for $30.

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NYPD Defends Choosing Windows Phones, Confirms Plans to Switch to iPhones

The New York Police Department has confirmed it will begin transitioning to iPhones for its 36,000 police officers in the fall, less than one year after completing a rollout of Windows Phones to its police force.

Image: ABC7 Eyewitness News – WABC-TV New York
Jessica Tisch, the NYPD’s Deputy Commissioner of Information Technology, said “improvements in Apple controls” will enable the department to “responsibly and cost effectively move its mobility initiative to the Apple platform.”

When the NYPD chose Windows Phone devices in 2014, Tisch said “neither iOS nor Android phones allowed it to cost-effectively utilize prior investment in custom Windows applications” that it had deployed at the time.

“Moreover, we assessed that the Windows platform would be most effective at achieving our goal of securing 36,000 devices that would be used for sensitive law enforcement operations,” added Tisch. “This was of paramount importance.”

The NYPD said its contract provided for Nokia’s Lumia smartphones at no cost. It also allowed for the department to replace the smartphones with devices of its choosing two years later, also at no cost.

As a result, the NYPD said its smartphone initiative is 45 percent under budget. Based on its current rate of spending, the department expects to stretch what was initially budgeted at two years of spending to more than four years.

Tisch said the NYPD’s mobility initiative has made its police officers “smarter, faster, and more agile” in their response to 911 calls, with response times down more than 8 percent compared to an unspecified period.

Tag: Windows Phone
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Apple Partnering With Accenture to Help Create Modern Enterprise iOS Apps

Apple today announced a new partnership with Accenture, a global management consulting and professional services company, which aims to combine iOS with Accenture’s business expertise to guide companies in unlocking new revenue streams, increasing productivity, improving customer experience, and reducing costs.

The partnership will result in a dedicated iOS practice inside of Accenture Digital Studios in certain locations around the world, where Apple experts will be placed to work alongside Accenture team members. These combined teams will include designers, programmers, data architects, and more experts, all working on launching a new set of tools and services to help enterprise clients “transform how they engage with customers using iPhone and iPad.”

“Starting 10 years ago with iPhone, and then with iPad, Apple has been transforming how work gets done, yet we believe that businesses have only just begun to scratch the surface of what they can do with our products,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “Both Apple and Accenture are leaders in building incredible user experiences and together we can continue to truly modernize how businesses work through amazing solutions that take advantage of the incredible capabilities of Apple’s technologies.”

Specifically, the iOS-related tools are said to include three major services to help increase a company’s analytic capabilities. To facilitate a smooth transfer process, a migration service will assist clients in quickly transferring their own existing legacy apps, and all the information found within, into modern iOS apps.

After they have a new iOS app up and running, new ecosystem services will help clients more easily integrate iOS devices into their own corporate ecosystem, while an Internet-of-Things service will include various templates and predesigned code to streamline gathering data from IoT platforms in their own iOS apps.

Apple has added the Accenture partnership to its business partners web page, alongside partners like Cisco, SAP, Deloitte, and IBM. Accenture has also updated its website with more information about the partnership.

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Moto G5S Plus with dual cameras launches in India for just ₹15,999

Moto G5S Plus introduces a better imaging setup while debuting at the same price point as the G5 Plus.

Following the success of the Moto G5 Plus, Motorola is launching a special edition dubbed the Moto G5S Plus. The highlight of the phone is dual 13MP rear cameras — a standard shooter augmented by a monochrome lens — along with an 8MP front shooter with LED flash. The phone will go up for sale exclusively on Amazon India for ₹15,999, which is ₹1,000 less than the price of the G5 Plus when it debuted earlier this year.

Other specs of the Moto G5S Plus include a 5.5-inch Full HD display, Snapdragon 625 SoC, 4GB of RAM, 64GB storage, microSD slot, dual SIM card slots, 4G with VoLTE, water-resistant nano coating, and a 3000mAh battery with TurboPower charging.

Motorola is also launching a Moto G5S with a 5.2-inch Full HD display, Snapdragon 430, 4GB of RAM, 32GB storage, 16MP rear camera, 5MP front camera with LED flash, and a 3000mAh battery for ₹13,999. On the software front, both phones run Android 7.1.1 Nougat out of the box.

As always, Motorola is incentivizing the launch of the Moto G5S Plus with several offers. Customers picking up the device will be eligible to receive 50GB of Jio data, Kindle promotion worth ₹300, and have the chance to pick up Motorola’s sports headphones worth ₹1,599 for just ₹499.

There are no-cost EMI options available as well, and Motorola is throwing in an additional ₹1,000 off if you’re exchanging your older Motorola device for the Moto G5S Plus. A caveat here is that the aforementioned deals are only valid for Moto G5S Plus purchases.

Both the Moto G5S and G5S Plus will go on sale later tonight, with the latter exclusively sold online via Amazon India. Motorola will also make the two phones available for purchase at its Moto Hubs retail stores, and the G5S will be sold at large format retailers across the country.

Motorola absolutely nailed it out of the park with the pricing of the Moto G5S Plus — the phone offers double the storage and twice as many cameras at the back as the G5 Plus, and is more affordable. The G5 Plus continues to be one of the best phones in the budget segment five months after its launch, and the G5S Plus will continue that trend for Motorola.

See at Amazon India

Google offering $20 credit to Project Fi customers affected by Hurricane Harvey

Google is providing additional relief to Project Fi customers affected by Hurricane Harvey.

As Hurricane Harvey wreaks havoc throughout southeastern Texas, carriers are doing their part to ensure that customers in affected areas are able to connect to their loved ones. AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, and Sprint have all announced that they will be waiving overages and fees for customers in the affected regions, and Google has now stated that it will issue a $20 service credit to Project Fi customers in areas impacted by the hurricane.

From the Project Fi sub-reddit:

We understand that many of you may have been impacted by Hurricane Harvey. Whether you’re searching for resources or reaching out to loved ones, we know it’s critical for you to stay connected.

For those of you whose indicated billing zip codes are part of impacted areas, we’ll be automatically applying a $20 service credit to your account over the next few days.

If you have any other questions or concerns, please know that our support teams stand ready to help and can be reached by dialing 611.

Hurricane Harvey is turning out to be one of the most devastating natural disasters in recent memory, and every little gesture helps in these difficult times, particularly when it comes to keeping families stay connected.

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HTC launches 6GB/128GB U11 in the UK

Pre-orders open today, shipping in September.

HTC has today opened up pre-orders for the 6GB RAM/128GB storage version of its high-end U11 handset in the UK. Previously only available in Asia, the new U11 also comes with dual-SIM functionality and will be available in all four color variants — black, blue, silver and red.

The full retail price is a hefty £699, and this new version of the U11 will only be available to order directly from HTC.com. HTC Club members get a 10%, making the price a slightly less eye-watering £629.10.

Pre-orders are now open, and HTC says the device itself will start shipping in “early September.”

Though it hasn’t received as much fanfare as many rivals, the HTC U11 still ranks among our top Android phones of 2017, thanks to speedy performance, lightweight software and an impressive camera. HTC no doubt will be hoping this new U11 can drum up a little more interest in the device as rivals like Apple, Samsung and LG prepare to launch new flagship phones.

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The Morning After: Tuesday, August 29th 2017

Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.

Welcome to Tuesday. We’re swapping out trade shows and investigating the case of Japan’s broken internet.

Ten years in the game.Fitbit’s new Ionic smartwatch and Flyer wireless headphones

The first true smartwatch from Fitbit is here, along with a pair of wireless headphones built for working out. Cherlynn Low gave the $300 Ionic a try and found it surprisingly well-rounded. Building on the company’s years of experience with wearables, it has a surprisingly robust OS and battery that goes for days. Unfortunately, the Flyer wireless headphones didn’t have the same impression, failing to justify their relatively high $130 price.

Here’s what stood out at Europe’s biggest gameshow.The hits and misses of Gamescom 2017

Now that the show is over, our editors are ready to share what they liked (The Evil Within 2) and didn’t like (Xbox One X, Little Witch Academia: Chamber of Time) at Gamescom.

Get smart.What to expect at IFA 2017

Gamescom ends and IFA begins. The big European electronics show kicks off in just a few days, so we’ll get you up to speed on what to expect. Phones, watches, speakers — they’re all getting smarter and more connected, and we’ll find out exactly how, in Berlin.

Oops?Google accidentally broke Japan’s internet

A mistake on Google’s end caused ISPs like Verizon to send traffic headed for Japan to its network instead. It was fixed within an hour, but on Friday afternoon nearly half the country experienced connection problems.

Take a peek at what might have been.NVIDIA Shield 2 prototype shows up in a Canadian pawn shop

A Redditor found the unreleased follow-up for NVIDIA’s Shield handheld in a strange place.

For collectors only.Nintendo launches special ‘Pokémon’ and ‘Fire Emblem’ bundles

Nintendo has just announced a special FE Warriors edition for the Switch and a Veteran Trainer’s dual pack that includes both new Pokémon games.

But wait, there’s more…

• Canon’s mirrorless M100 gets a big sensor upgrade
• The NYPD is already replacing its Windows phones — with iPhones
• Amazon sets up Echo sales stands at Whole Foods
• ‘Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle’ tempers insanity with charm
• Dell’s latest Inspiron PCs include the first 17-inch 2-in-1
• ‘Biliscreen’ app detects pancreatic cancer from the whites of your eyes

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Ocado’s Alexa skill lets you call out your shopping list

With Amazon now a major player in the UK grocery market, supermarkets have been forced to adapt or risk losing some of that all important market share. Some have mimicked their rival by offering one-hour deliveries, while others have attempted to match the online retailer’s technological prowess. Already a pioneer of grocery-sorting robots and autonomous deliveries, Ocado has stepped things up a notch, today becoming the first UK supermarket to launch a dedicated Amazon Alexa skill.

As you’d expect, the Ocado skill focuses mainly on getting the right products in your basket. But be aware: it’s currently not capable of starting a new order, it can only add items to an existing one. A simple “Alexa, ask Ocado to add milk” will drop fresh dairy into your basket, while “Alexa, ask Ocado what’s in season” can deliver some much needed cooking inspiration. The app also provides the ability to edit orders, check whether a delivery on time and query what you’ve already added.

For Ocado, the Alexa skill is merely an extension of its existing apps, which are already available on iOS, watchOS and Android. While it might be the first to provide a dedicated Alexa offering, Tesco was the first to trial voice ordering on the Amazon Echo, thanks to its clever IFTTT recipes.

While you won’t be able to see what you’re ordering, the company says it’ll use its understanding of customer preferences and previous orders to ensure it suggests the most appropriate items — at least in theory.

Source: Ocado (Amazon UK)

An autonomous Ford Fusion will deliver Domino’s in Michigan

Domino’s has been experimenting with high-tech delivery methods for years, from UAVs to drones with wheels. This time, the pizza chain might send a self-driving Ford Fusion to deliver your food if you’re in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Domino’s has teamed up with the automaker to test people’s response to an autonomous delivery car. They’ll use one Fusion equipped with all the trappings of a self-driving vehicle, including Ford’s full suite of cameras, sensors, radar and LIDAR, to deliver pizza for the month-long test.

Despite the full equipment, a human engineer will be behind the wheel, since the test is all about observing customers’ reactions. He’ll be hidden behind tinted windows, though, and won’t be ringing anybody’s doorbell. Customers who agree to be part of the trial will get a text when their order arrives. They’ll then have to walk out, meet the car, punch in the last four digits of their phone number on a touchscreen display installed at the rear passenger-side window and take out the pizza from a warming oven inside.

The partners will be keeping an eye on whether customers are willing to meet the self-driving car at the curb or if they want it to park in their driveway. They’ll observe how long it takes for people to punch in their codes and to take out their pizza from the oven. Most importantly, the test will help them determine if people are inclined to touch the car’s pricey LIDAR system spinning atop the vehicle. Ford will tweak the self-driving Fusion based on the trial’s results — we’ll bet the LIDAR system will end up hidden inside a tough casing if customers can’t stop themselves from touching.

The trial is a perfect fit for the automaker’s vision for its self-driving vehicles. Like many other companies working on autonomous vehicles, Ford aims to develop a self-driving car with no steering wheel, brake and accelerator pedals. The automaker plans to use them for ride-sharing fleets, but it believes the vehicle has many other potential applications, including delivery. Sherif Marakby, Ford VP of autonomous and electric vehicles, said:

“It’s not just ride-sharing and ride-moving or people moving, but it’s also moving the goods. We develop the plan to go to market as we develop the tech. We work with partners (and) this is one example. There will be more in the future.”

Source: Ford Motor Company, The Detroit News, Bloomberg