StubHub and Viagogo raided in UK ticket touting probe

Scalpers aren’t unique to the UK, but the government has made stamping out ticket touts one of its top priorities. Ministers have already set out legislation as part of the Digital Economy Act that will make the use of ticket-buying bots illegal, but regulators are also putting the squeeze on secondary ticket sellers. The Guardian reports that the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) raided the offices of secondary ticket marketplaces StubHub and Viagogo as part of a probe into “suspected breaches of consumer law.”

According to sources, CMA officials raided the offices in August and seized information about the companies’ dealings with popular ticket touts, who buy up tickets for popular events with the intention of selling them on with a high mark-up. The watchdog had earlier issued four ticket resale companies — including GetMeIn and Seatwave — with an “information notice” asking for information on their relationships with major resellers and the money they’ve earnt from ticket sales.

GetMeIn and Seatwave handed over what was asked of them, but eBay-owned StubHub and Swiss-based Viagogo did not comply.

It’s believed that officials targeted data relating to StubHub’s “top seller” programme, which provides its biggest resellers — who sell more than $250,000 worth of tickets a year — with exclusive discounts on fees and a dedicated platform that allows them to better manage their listings.

StubHub said in a statement: “We understand the CMA investigation is ongoing and therefore await the outcome of this.”

Source: The Guardian

Facebook relaunches Events app with a Yelp-like focus

Last year, Facebook launched Events as a standalone app to help you find something to do. It wasn’t exactly a runaway hit; you’d be forgiven if you’d never even heard of it. That’s why it’s not surprising that Facebook has relaunched the app as “Facebook Local,” with an emphasis on finding restaurants, bars and local businesses. It appears to be a direct competitor for Yelp. You can download it now for iOS and Android.

While plenty of people use Facebook’s integrated local features, including business reviews, it’s not clear why it needs to be spun out into a separate app. Facebook Local Product Manager Aditya Koolwal told TechCrunch that the goal of the product is to basically make it easier to quickly look up information when making plans with friends.

However, the information is still available within Facebook itself — the “Nearby” tab is being rebranded as “Local.” It’s not clear what would attract people to Facebook Local from the apps they already use, such as Yelp, but having such a broad user base is a constant advantage for the social network. Time will tell how the company chooses to develop the service going forward.

Source: TechCrunch, Facebook

ESPN Plus standalone service will start streaming in spring 2018

After purchasing streaming company BamTech for $1.58 billion, Disney said it would offer content via its own on-demand service, rather than going through Netflix. That’s not just going to be Star Wars, Marvel and other movie content, but sports from ESPN, too. During its earnings call yesterday, Disney CEO Bob Iger revealed that ESPN’s streaming service would be called ESPN Plus (ESPN+) and launch in the spring of 2018.

“The product will be accessible through a new and fully redesigned ESPN app, which will allow users to access sports scores and highlights, stream our channels on an authenticated basis and subscribe to ESPN+ for additional sports coverage, including thousands of live sporting events,” Iger said. “This one app [will offer] sports fans far more than they can get on any other app, website or channel.”

It’s not clear whether the service will be offered by itself to cord-cutters or require a cable TV package. ESPN previously said that consumers would be able to purchase packages for individual sports, however. Iger didn’t reveal any pricing, but suggested that since it would have less volume that streaming services like Netflix or Hulu Plus, “the pricing will reflect that.”

Ironically, ESPN will lay off more than 100 staff after the US Thanksgiving, according to Sports Illustrated. That will reportedly include on-air talent, producers, executives and digital tech staff. In 2015, the company laid off around 300 employees, representing about five percent of its workers. Despite that, Iger said yesterday that ESPN never “lost confidence in ESPN,” and plans to launch a new morning program on the regular cable channel.

IBM’s processor pushes quantum computing closer to ‘supremacy’

IBM Q research has built and tested an operational 50 qubit prototype processor, a huge leap up from its previous record of 17 qubits. The company is also set to make a 20 qubit quantum system available online for clients to try, with an updated superconducting design, connectivity and packaging. That’ll let users run computations with a “field-leading” 90 microseconds of coherence, allowing “high-fidelity quantum operations,” IBM says.

Quantum computers work much differently than regular supercomputers, taking advantage of weird quantum physics principals like “superposition.” In theory, they can run specific programs, like encryption-cracking algorithms, many, many times faster than regular computers.

The 50 qubit system (shown below) is a significant leap toward practical quantum computers. In September, Harvard University researchers said they built a 51 qubit model, but it appears that IBM’s model held “coherence” longer, allowing more calculations to be done. “We are really proud of this, it’s a big frickin’ deal,” IBM AI and quantum computer director Dario Gil told MIT Technology Review. Other players in quantum computing including Google, Intel and Rigetti.

IBM’s 50 qubit computer is just a prototype, but it will soon have a working 20 qubit computer that users can try online by the end of 2017, with improvements planned throughout 2018. The company has already made lower-powered machines available for cloud use, and used a 7 qubit model to simulate a molecule, for example. IBM says around 60,000 users have run 1.7 million experiments, resulting in 35 research papers.

Quantum computers haven’t been able to run programs that a regular computer can’t, so the massive speed breakthrough many have hoped for has yet to arrive. Still, Google researchers said last month that a 50 qubit computer they’re working on could surpass current supercomputers, achieving an (excellently-named) milestone called Quantum Supremacy. The technology is tricky, though, so there’s good reason not to get too excited. But, there’s also a good chance that quantum computers will finally break that barrier sometime in the next year or two.

Source: IBM

GenZe has a commuter e-bike for a connected world

Cities have started to embrace their bike-riding commuters. More and more bike lanes are appearing on city streets as transportation departments realize that more bikes means less congestion. For long-time riders, it’s a blessing. For those bike-curious folks, the chance to get to work without weaving in and out of cars means the jump to riding to their job is less daunting.

The only problem is, while you want to be a better, fitter person, what if you’re like me: out of shape and the thought of riding a bike (especially up the hills of San Francisco) is a bit intimidating? That’s where e-bikes like the GenZe 200 Series come in. With its assisted pedaling, the bike gives you as much of a helping hand as you need. It can even operate like a low-level motorcycle, at up to 20 miles per-hour and has a connected app. As a bike it’s great. As a connected device, it still needs a little polish.

The $1,900 200 Series has some solid numbers. It has five levels of assistance (one being the lowest level, five the highest). At level one it has a range of up to 40 miles. More than enough for most commutes. There’s also the “zero” mode that transforms the activates a handlebar throttle for effort-free speeds of up to 20 miles per hour. Going full lazy like this will get you up to 20 miles of range, according to GenZe.

Even at its lowest setting, the assistance is apparent once you start riding. You get a sudden feeling of acceleration when the rear-wheel’s 350-watt hub motor kicks-in that’s quite satisfying. Sure you’re pedaling, but the bike is giving you a boost that’ll keep you up with more experienced riders. Which is nice, because typically I’m the guy trying to catch my breath blocking bicycle traffic.

During a round-trip commute of approximately 11 miles through varying San Francisco terrain, the 200 Series kept me moving even up some pretty steep gradients. I will note that my 220-pound frame did tax the pedal-free zero mode enough on some hills that I had to actually help the bike out. Your experience may vary, based on your weight and local hills.

On 95 percent of my ride I used the highest level of pedal assistance: mode 5. During that trip I depleted 42 percent of the battery which, if you factor in my weight and the hills, is pretty much on par with GenZe’s range estimates.

The bike has eight gears, but frankly, once I got going, I always set it to the highest gear. Only when I had to take off on hills did I lower it. On flat terrain, once you pump the pedals a few times, you’re off and downshifting just makes your legs spin faster with no actual benefit.

So, the bike itself is great on its own. But GenZe (which also makes a scooter that we’ve ridden a few times) added a companion app that connects via Bluetooth. Technically, it just updated the scooter’s app to include the bike. It’s great for data junkies and seeing how much actual battery life is left on the bike. GenZe even added a mount and, more importantly, a USB port to charge your phone while riding (because map apps are battery hogs).

The app displays local weather, the battery condition, range, logs your trips and shows you how much effort you put into a ride. For example, during a ride home, I only exerted 33 percent of the power needed to get to my destination. To be fair, there were a lot of hills and again, and as I say, I’m out of shape.

Nonetheless, that information is helpful for anyone wanting to be more active. Maybe on the next ride you’ll do a bit more work and that’ll increase over a few months. Now you’re in better shape while getting to work without showing up the first few weeks incredibly winded and sweating through your clothing.

But there is a rub. The apps’ mapping feature is a disappointment. It uses Google Maps, but when you put in a destination, it seems to offer car directions. San Francisco has lots of newish bike lanes in or around high traffic areas. The app’s routing feature seems to ignore those and directs you down streets that aren’t bike friendly.

Fortunately, because of the bike’s mount and charging port, I just used the Google Maps app directly, as it does take into account the many bike lanes in the city. Even though it steered to more hills than I expected. Thanks Google.

The closest rivals price wise to the GenZe e-bike are the Rook Electric Cruiser and Magnum Metro Plus. Both have a slightly more range but are 10 pounds heavier than the 200 Series’ 46-pound weight. Also, neither has a connected app, but they do come with rear racks that you have to purchase separately for the GenZe.

Yet, even with a wonky mapping system, the app and its hardware additions of a phone mount and USB charging port are nice touches to the solid 200 Series bike. It’s a turnkey solution to a better commute. Cities continue to grow and the infrastructure can’t keep up, so we’re seeing more and more gridlock. Bikes get around that. Plus, they don’t pollute, they’re quiet, and they give you the cardio workout that so many of us are sorely missing. You’ll also get to work a bit more refreshed and more importantly, not super sweaty for the morning meeting.

iPhone X Owners Encountering Green Line on Display Due to Potential Hardware Defect

An increasing number of iPhone X owners have encountered a green line appearing on the smartphone’s display.

Photo via Twitter user mix0mat0sis‏
At least 20 customers have shared photos of the potential hardware defect across the Apple Support Communities, Twitter, and the MacRumors discussion forums since the iPhone X launched a week ago.

“So I was playing with my new phone and all of a sudden, this happened,” said one MacRumors forum member with the alias tmiles81. “It’s a really bright line going down the entire right side of the phone.”

Photos via Twitter users MACinCLE and Nate Heagy‏
The green line wasn’t visible on any of the affected iPhone X units when they were first taken out of the box, but rather developed spontaneously after some period of usage in normal conditions. The devices involved also don’t appear to have been dropped or damaged in any way.

“Day one and a bright green line has appeared down the right side of the iPhone X,” said Apple Support Communities user benvolio1979.

Many of the user reports claim that restarting or even fully restoring the device doesn’t remove the green line, which typically runs vertically along the right or left side of the display, but can show up elsewhere on the screen.

Photos via MacRumors forum member irusli9‏
The issue doesn’t appear to be limited to specific iPhone X models or locations. We’ve seen reports from owners of both 64GB and 256GB configurations in Silver or Space Gray in the United States, Canada, Poland, and Australia at a minimum. If you are affected, share a photo in the comments section below.

MacRumors hasn’t been able to reproduce the issue. Apple declined to comment in an emailed response from a spokesperson.

Apple has been replacing affected iPhone X units free of charge, according to customers who contacted the company. Apple also appears to be collecting data from the incidents so that its engineers can investigate the matter, as it routinely does with any potential hardware or software issues.

Photo via Apple Support Communities user tomek80
The green line could be an isolated defect with the iPhone X’s OLED display. Samsung’s Galaxy S7 also uses OLED and suffered from a similar issue last year in which a pink line appeared on some displays. Samsung acknowledged the issue as hardware failure and worked to replace affected devices.

If you experience this problem, we recommend booking a Genius Bar appointment or contacting Apple’s support team via phone, email, or online chat. Apple is generally helpful in these situations.

Related Roundup: iPhone XBuyer’s Guide: iPhone X (Buy Now)
Discuss this article in our forums

Apple Community Envisions Better Ways to Activate Control Center on iPhone X

One of the biggest software changes on Apple’s new iPhone X is the location of Control Center, the useful user interface that provides you with quick access to music playback controls, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi toggles, the flashlight, calculator, and much more thanks to iOS 11’s customizable layout. On pre-iPhone X devices, the Control Center is awoken by swiping up from the bottom edge of the device. Because that action is now the default “go home” gesture on iPhone X, Apple has moved Control Center to the top right edge of the smartphone.

This location change has removed the simplicity and ease-of-access to Control Center for many iPhone X users — particularly those who are left handed — who have been posting about the iPhone X-specific issue in the MacRumors forums, Twitter, and on Reddit. Some of these users have also provided interesting alternative locations and invoking gestures that Apple could potentially implement in future iOS updates, but it should be reiterated that these are simply community ideas and not in any way an indication that we’ll see them added to the iPhone X.

How to activate Control Center on iPhone X
Reddit has been the source of multiple ideas for new Control Center gestures on the iPhone X, with a few that replace existing gestures (so you’d have to choose between two options in Settings) and some that are new. One user theorized that the iPhone X’s new Reachability gesture (swiping down on the Home indicator, which must be activated in Settings) could have an alternate option for invoking Control Center.

Further threads provided variations on this idea: 3D Touch on the Home indicator for Reachability and pulling down on the indicator for Control Center, or keeping Reachability as it is and using 3D Touch on the Home indicator for Control Center. The 3D Touch solution has been put forward by multiple people over the last few days and appears to be a favorite, particularly because Reachability’s new swipe-down gesture on the Home indicator can be difficult to execute and could potentially be an even more frustrating location for Control Center.

Other ideas have been shared on the MacRumors forums, including one that could be an additional option for the swipe-down gesture that enacts Search anywhere on the Home Screen, but that would make Control Center impossible to call up within apps. iOS developer Guilherme Rambo posted his own idea on Twitter this week, suggesting that a 3D Touch edge swipe could house Control Center. Currently, this is used as an app switching gesture, which Apple at first removed from iOS 11 and then brought back in a later update, so it’s another idea where you’d have to pick one setting over another.

This feels really natural, 3D Touch swipe from the edge to bring up Control Center would be an awesome option to have on iPhone X pic.twitter.com/SIYNWlh1LW

— Guilherme Rambo (@_inside) November 8, 2017

While Rambo’s idea appears to be focused on Control Center replacing an app switcher gesture, a few users have also had ideas where Control Center is added into the app switcher. In these, you’d swipe up and hold to access other apps as normal, and Control Center would potentially be the first app you see instead of the last-used app. Or, Apple could place it on the right side of the app switcher, as one Redditor posited. Another mockup by Twitter user @jwangARK placed buttons under the app switcher for easy access to both Notifications and Control Center.

Another iOS developer, Riley Testut, theorized a simple solution that would place Control Center at the bottom right edge of the iPhone X display instead of the top right edge, while swiping up from the center would still go Home. A few iPhone X users have also pointed towards Assistive Touch in Accessibility as a workaround for easier Control Center activation, but that comes with a permanent, virtual Home Button on your iPhone screen, which will be a hard trade-off for some iPhone X owners.

With the iPhone X out in the wild for one full week as of today, November 10, the location of Control Center is one of a few gripes that early adopters have had with Apple’s newest smartphone. Another notable point of contention focused on the iPhone X keyboard’s “wasted space”, with users presenting a few potential solutions to that as well, including placing recently used emoji or punctuation in the empty field below the space bar.

Make sure to check out our iPhone X Roundup for more details on the smartphone’s new features.

Related Roundups: iOS 11, iPhone XTag: Control CenterBuyer’s Guide: iPhone X (Buy Now)
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Appeal tribunal rules Uber drivers are definitely workers

Is Uber a taxi firm or a technology company, and are its drivers self-employed or mistreated employees? These questions are being asked of Uber the world over, and last year an employment tribunal case in the UK concluded two drivers were, in fact, employees entitled to minimum wage, holiday pay and other benefits. The ride-hailing service contested this potentially precedent-setting decision, as you’d expect, but today Uber lost its appeal. In other words, the appeal tribunal upheld the original ruling that drivers should be classed as employees.

The appeal tribunal agreed that when a driver is logged in and waiting for a job, that’s still tantamount to “working time.” Working time they aren’t getting paid for, of course. Interestingly, the ruling also noted that Uber basically has a monopoly on private hire via an app. Therefore, drivers are beholden to them and can’t reasonably engage in other work while also being at Uber’s disposal.

GMB, the union for professional drivers that’s behind the original case, is calling it “a landmark victory.” Naturally, the law firm representing the GMB and Uber drivers feels much the same. No points for guessing who has a slightly different opinion.

“Almost all taxi and private hire drivers have been self-employed for decades, long before our app existed. The main reason why drivers use Uber is because they value the freedom to choose if, when and where they drive and so we intend to appeal. The tribunal relies on the assertion that drivers are required to take 80% of trips sent to them when logged into the app. As drivers who use Uber know, this has never been the case in the UK. Over the last year we have made a number of changes to our app to give drivers even more control. We’ve also invested in things like access to illness and injury cover and we’ll keep introducing changes to make driving with Uber even better,” the company’s statement reads.

It’s the same old arguments on both sides of the fence. Uber says the average driver earns well over minimum wage and appreciates the flexibility of the service. Previously, Uber’s also argued that in drawing up employments contracts for drivers, it might have to set minimum hours and defined shifts, which goes against the whole point of the business model. On the flip-side, organisations such as the GMB assert that Uber is simply trying to avoid coughing up for benefits and a guaranteed wage.

While today’s judgement is an interesting development, this is far from the end of the road. Uber will now take the case to the Court of Appeal, followed by the Supreme Court after that, if necessary. And the reality is, drawn-out legal proceedings such as this are unlikely to provide a best-fit solution for the gig economy as a whole, which some call exploitative and others, innovative. It’s eventually going to come down to regulation and legislation by the government, which is taking a long, hard look at the gig economy as we speak.

Between this and losing its London licence, not much is coming up Uber right now.

Via: James Titcomb (Twitter)

Source: Employment Appeal Tribunal

Apple pledges to fix iPhone X cold-weather issues

Some iPhone X owners have apparently been having issues using their brand new devices in the cold. According to a few users on Reddit, the pricey phone would stop recognizing most of their touches as soon as they step outside. It would happen even if temperatures are still within 0 to 35 degree Celsius — Apple’s recommended ambient temperature range when using iOS devices. The issue sounds like a dealbreaker for people living cold climates or anywhere with four seasons, but based on Apple’s response to The Loop, it could be fixed with a software update.

A spokesperson told the publication that it’s aware of “instances where the iPhone X screen will become temporarily unresponsive to touch after a rapid change to a cold environment.” Cupertino is already working on a fix, and while it wasn’t included in the software update that gets rid of an autocorrect bug, it will be rolled out in the future.

While the spokesperson didn’t explain why it happens in the first place, he said devices should only be affected for a few seconds before functioning normally again. Those who’ve been experiencing the problem for longer than a few seconds, however, can always lock and unlock the screen to regain full use of their new phones.

Via: 9to5mac

Source: The Loop

Daimler’s electric school bus will have a 100 mile range

Most school buses don’t scream “high-tech,” but they’re actually perfect candidates for electrification — most run two short routes and have long breaks for recharging. Daimler and its Thomas Built Buses division have unveiled an electric bus called the Jouley that should be able to handle that task perfectly. It’s got a 160 km (100 mile) all-electric range and can pack up to 81 kids “safely, quietly and emission-free,” Thomas said. Should operators need more range, they can add another battery pack.

Jouley is just a first step in an electric future, Thomas suggested. “We snuck up on our competition, they didn’t see it coming,” said CEO Caley Edgerly on Facebook. “I’ve had the pleasure to drive it, it’s super smooth, it’s going to allow us to develop future electric vehicles.”

Thomas points out that it’s equipped with both 120 volt and USB charging ports for laptops and cellphones, an obvious must for students nowadays. The company also implied that it might one day serve as a Tesla Powerwall-type device that could, say, backup power for a school or even a neighborhood.

Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz, much like other automakers, has said it will greatly expand its electric vehicle range over the next few years with the EQ lineup of electric cars. Daimler is also set to start making its first electric truck deliveries in Japan and the US.

Whether schools will jump on board the Jouley, however, likely depends on the economics. School boards are chronically short of money, so the overall cost would have to be less than regular school buses, unless they’re supplemented by local, state or federal governments. In Europe and Asia that’s a given, but under the fossil fuel-loving Trump and Republican administration, the situation is less clear.

Via: Electrek

Source: Daimler