Rate your friends like they’re restaurants with Peeple

A ‘Yelp’-style app for rating people is not a new idea, but nobody’s been terrible enough to actually build one in real life — until now. A startup company has launched an app called “Peeple” which has already raised $7.6 million in venture capital, according to the Washington Post. It lets anyone with a Facebook account and cell phone rate another person and assign them a star rating out of five in one of three categories: personal, professional and romantic. Though Peeple calls itself “a positivity app for positive people,” the idea of the app is largely being panned on social media.

Genuinely don’t understand how anyone who’s ever been on the internet could think #peeple is a good idea. Is it a parody? Is this art?

— Rachel Feltman (@RachelFeltman) October 1, 2015

For the many, many people who raised concerns about online bullying and shaming, Peeple founder Julia Cordray told the Post that the app’s “integrity features” will largely stem such problems. Namely, you must be 21, have a Facebook account at least six months old, and make reviews under your real name. In addition, you must affirm that you know the person you’re reviewing and input their cellphone number if they’re not in the database. Negative ratings for people won’t show unless they’ve registered for the site, and you have 48 hours to dispute a negative rating if you do register.

As Twitter users have already pointed out, there are a host of potential issues, however. Isn’t assigning a person a number Orwellian and ridiculous? What about the aforementioned bullying? What about the fact that reviews for restaurants, objects or sites are usually biased, a problem that could be exponentially worse with people? What if you give your phone number to someone on a date and they decide to use it to rate you romatically? And finally, what if you don’t want unsolicited opinions? Even the founder thinks that’s a bad idea, apparently.

Such issues haven’t discouraged the team, however — they think they’re “bold innovators” who help people get “feedback” on their lives. In fact, they created a blog post dedicated to themselves called “An Ode to Courage,” saying that “people are scared and they don’t understand” the app. “We are… sending big waves into motion and we will not apologize for that because we love you enough to give you this gift.” (We’re assuming the whole thing isn’t a joke, of course, because it certainly seems like one.)

Ironically, for a time they set the Peeple Twitter account to private following the deluge of criticism, though it’s now public again. In response, one Twitter critic said, “color me shocked; two blond-haired, conventionally pretty, well-off white women can’t conceptualize of why a ‘Yelp for people’ is a bad idea.”

Via: Washington Post

Source: Peeple

Hailo ditches private hire vehicles and recommits to black cabs

As the debate over whether private hire taxi apps like Uber are good for London continues to rage on, Hailo has announced it has resigned its licence and will go back to supporting regular black cabs. In a statement, Andrew Pinnington, CEO of Hailo, confirmed that the company will become a champion for the licenced taxi trade in London by campaigning “every level of government, every day” to protect the industry. It also intends to reinforce the benefits of the Knowledge and make “all transport 100 percent accessible, safe, green and reliable – and lead the world on standards, professionalism, and values.”

They are strong words, but Hailo’s announcement is certainly well timed. Earlier this week, Transport for London (TfL) announced a second consultation that proposed tighter regulation of private hire apps like Uber. One proposal suggests that drivers should be made to wait five minutes before they can pick someone up, while another asked whether they should be made to pass English-language and navigation tests, similar to those put forward by the London Mayor.

To Hailo’s credit, it was one of the first major apps to allow Brits to hail a regular Hackney Carriage. However, back in May 2014, the company confirmed it would extend its service to include private hire cars. This led to a massive backlash by disgruntled drivers, who vandalised the company’s HQ and actively boycotted the company and its app. The company has tried to rebuild those bridges over the past year, and today’s announcement appears to reinforce its commitment to the industry.

There is another way of looking at it, though. Britain now plays host to a number of successful private hire and taxi booking apps, but Uber is the one that hogs the limelight. When (dis)interested parties attempt to take action, it’s Uber that takes the heat, even though it only serves to boost its popularity. With increased competition and lower margins, Hailo’s private-hire business may not have been as successful as it would’ve liked, and TfL’s upcoming reforms gave it the perfect platform to further its support for traditional taxis.

Whatever the cause, Hailo hopes it can win back the hearts of Londoners and cab drivers alike with improved card payments, lower commission fees and reward programs. “At the heart of this is our commitment to go back to black,’ Pinnington says. “100 percent Hackney Carriage. No ifs, no buts, just taxis.”

Source: Hailo Blog

Starbucks’ app lets UK users pre-order drinks and skip the queue

Starbucks first allowed US customers to begin pre-ordering drinks and food at the end of last year, but it took until late last month for it to become available to both iOS and Android users across the country. Meanwhile Brits were left out in the cold. Luckily, the coffee giant has now decided to include the UK, as Mobile Order & Pay has today begun rolling out across 150 of its London stores.

If you’re new to Starbucks, it already has a fully-featured app that lets you pay for your order in store and earn rewards for doing so. Mobile Order & Pay comes in a new update, allowing you to select hot/cold drinks and food via its in-app menu. As soon as you’ve ordered, the app will give you an approximate pickup time, allowing you to rock up, slip past the queue and grab your bits.

While US customers can now order from their Android device in any of Starbucks’ 7,000 stores, the “first phase” of the UK trial only lets iOS device owners order ahead. The company reckons you can save between 10 and 15 minutes using this option, giving you more time to savour the real pumpkin in your Pumpkin Spice Latte (hey, we’re not judging).

Source: Starbucks