Thứ Năm, 25 tháng 8, 2016
Uber users in London can now request a ride hours, days or weeks in advance, the company announced Thursday. London is the first European city to get the "Scheduled Rides" feature. It goes live at 4 p.m. Thursday local time for folks who have an Uber for Business account or a Business Profile, and it will be rolled out to other Uber customers in London "in the next fortnight." The feature works as follows: Tap on "Schedule a ride" on the main screen, select a pickup date and time — it can be as little as 15 minutes from now, or a maximum of 30 days in advance — your pickup location and destination and you're set. “Many of our riders, especially business customers, have asked us to introduce this feature and we’re really excited to bring it to Londoners from today," Tom Elvidge, General Manager of Uber in London, said in a statement. With the feature, Uber closes another gap between its service and regular minicab services, which usually offers the option to schedule rides in advance. Uber is not exactly popular among London cabbies, and massive protests against the service were staged in London and other European cities in 2014. That didn't stop Uber from greatly expanding its offering in London since it was declared legal there that same year; most recently, in May, the company introduced a wheelchair-friendly option in the city.
Thứ Hai, 8 tháng 8, 2016
As countries and companies plan for a future filled with drones, safety and efficiency have become top concerns. A London-based startup hopes to make the skies safer and clearer for everyone. It's called Flock, and it uses AI to analyze data, sourced from urban environments, that allows it to assess risk for drone flights. Flock works by licensing data about the position of buildings, people and cars in cities, in addition to weather conditions. Then it enters that into its risk assessment platform, which can calculate whether it's safe or not to fly. Its target market right now is mostly limited to insurance companies, whom Flock wants to help set premiums. The company is also marketing itself to drone operators. In the future, Flock is hoping to use its AI algorithms to predict which routes and times would have the least risk, allowing prescheduled flights and schedules. Even better, the more the AI gets a feel for patterns in the urban data, the more likely Flock will be able to offer real-time risk analysis. “The idea is to have a robust trend analysis built in to the system so we can analyze historic data on all the data sources that we collect over a given period of time, and then build up a really good understanding of how cities move generally, how cities breathe, and how populations and traffic conditions change over time,” Ed Leon Klinger, CEO and co-founder of Flock, told TechCrunch. From there, it can partner with insurers and drone companies to test its platform. Flock is hoping to have a minimum viable product developed within six months. The company has been funded so far with some grants from Innovate UK in addition to bootstrapping. At this time, Flock's major competitor is AirMap, based in Santa Monica, California, which also offers airspace data for drones, and already has an iOS and Web app. It has $15 million in backing from venture capitalists. Klinger, however, said that the company is different in that it's not focusing on the development of its real-time data, but is rather focusing on "static regulation." A sample search with filters on Airmap's web app Image: airmap The success of Flock, being based in the UK, where Amazon recently announced it would test its drone delivery program, could be considered an indicator of the drone market's future. The U.S., for example, is notorious for regulations that make it harder to test drones. Then again, some analysts believe that starting in the UK is just a way to test on a small scale for better footing in larger markets.
Thứ Tư, 22 tháng 6, 2016
Thứ Sáu, 17 tháng 6, 2016
LONDON — I'm sitting in a packed theatre on the opening night of a sellout production. It's a night I've been looking forward to for months, but right now I'm more interested in my phone. While everyone around me chatters excitedly before the play starts, I'm silently staring at Instagram, but it's not what you think. I tap the word "following" at the top of my notifications tab and I'm taken to a page that tells me what my friends have liked. And, more specifically, what my ex-boyfriend has liked. My heart's in my mouth as my eyes flit about the screen, trying to take everything in. Just a few words on a screen have confirmed what I've been dreading: that my ex has moved on. Image: rachel thompson / liz pierson / mashable Seconds later, the curtain rises, the lights dim and the play begins; but my thoughts are elsewhere. For the next three and a half hours, I'm oblivious to the scene in front of me. My mind is playing out the story of my ex and his new girlfriend as I blink back tears. Instagram's notifications section is usually a pretty innocuous feature. When set to "you," it tells you who's liked your photos, who's commented and who's followed you. If you flip to the "following" tab, you can find out what the people you're following have liked. Image: rachel thompson / liz pierson / mashable Image: rachel thompson / liz pierson / mashable Most of the time, this feature is pretty uneventful. It will mostly tell you which of your cousins has liked a dozen cat photos, or which of your friends is most obsessed with avocados. But, this feature that can also offer some revealing insights into what your lover, your ex-lover or your love interest is getting up to. In the throes of a painful breakup, I decided to check the "following" section of Instagram to see if I could gain any kind of insight into what my ex was getting up to. I — like so many other people during breakups — wanted to know if he was as sad as I was; if he was carrying on regardless; or if he had moved on completely. I checked periodically at first, and then the urge became greater. I kept seeing the same name appearing over and over next to his. A name I'd never heard him mention before when talking about friends or family. The more often her name appeared in the "following" section, the more frequent my visits to that feed became. Instagram notifications can spell disaster when you're going through a distressing breakup. Image: Thomas Trutschel/Photothek via Getty Images Each time I saw her name, the blood would rush to my face, my heart rate would quicken, and a feeling of sickening jealousy came over me. I hated what I saw, but I told myself I needed to see it. That final visit to the feed as I sat in the crowded theatre told me that my ex had commented on the girl in question's selfie with a kissing emoji. A further few clicks showed me more comments, more likes, and more emoji that had been passed between the two. Although I believed this information would help me, research suggests that it could have made my breakup worse than it needed to be. Researchers labelled this type of behaviour “interpersonal electronic surveillance,” a.k.a. social media stalking. I had before me what looked like the beginnings of a budding relationship. In a recent study published in the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, researchers labelled this type of behaviour “interpersonal electronic surveillance,” a.k.a. social media stalking. Researchers explored the impact of "online surveillance after relationship termination" and found that seeing exes flirting over social media actually makes it harder for people to get over their relationships. Dating and relationship expert James Preece says that repeatedly checking your Instagram following tab isn't just a breakup thing; people in healthy relationships do it too. "The problem with this is that it can really feed paranoia. Even if you are in a great relationship, if you like the wrong type of Instagram post then it can raise alarm bells. [Your partner] will wonder what you are up to and what your motivations might be," Preece told Mashable. Preece says that if your partner keeps liking certain people's posts, then you shouldn't be afraid to question their actions. But — he says — there could be a completely innocent explanation behind it. "If you are experiencing a breakup then it's even harder. You'll watch every single like and get more and more jealous. The best thing to do during a breakup is to take a break from social media," Preece continued. Student Kylie Hill from North Carolina thinks that incessant checking of Instagram's "following" notifications can be harmful for relationships, but it also helped her discover a boyfriend's cheating. "I used to check it all the time just to see what my boyfriend was doing," Hill told Mashable. "One time I was dating someone and I found out he had another girlfriend just by the pictures the was liking [on Instagram] so I went on the girl's page and saw that they had been dating for a while," Hill continued. She's not the only person to have unearthed a partner's secret through this feature. Ishita Ranjan — a marketing manager from London — found out that her boyfriend was in a relationship with someone else by checking the following tab. "It made me feel sick to my stomach." "He told me he'd been to a wildlife park with a friend. Then I noticed on Instagram's following page that a friend had liked a photo of a girl at the same wildlife park," Ranjan told Mashable. When Ranjan clicked on her profile, she saw that the two had been to the wildlife park together. It took a further 30 seconds to realise that they were in fact in a relationship. "It made me feel sick to my stomach," Ranjan continued. Instagram became Ranjan's source for finding out what her boyfriend wasn't telling her. "I trusted Instagram more than him," she continued. Whether you're in the middle of a breakup, or you're worried about what your partner is getting up to, Instagram notifications can offer an insight that might be otherwise unavailable to you. "I trusted Instagram more than him." In my experience, the "following" tab made my breakup even more painful than it needed to be, but it also told me what I needed to know: That I too should be moving on. The moment I got confirmation of his moving on, I knew that things between us were 100% over, and I was free to continue with my life. Nonetheless, it's an experience I don't wish to repeat, and since that breakup I've refrained from looking at that section of the app. Yes, this app could confirm a partner's cheating, but it's important to remember that Instagram 'likes' are often be totally meaningless. In short, use this feature sparingly: It can be a deal-breaker or a disaster. Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.You
Following
Thứ Tư, 27 tháng 4, 2016
LONDON — Volvo is starting a scheme that will see 100 families being driven around by driverless cars in London next year. Described as "UK's most ambitious autonomous driving trial," the Drive Me scheme will kick off with a limited number of semi-automatic cars taking to the streets of the capital early next year. The plan will then be extended in 2018 to up to 100 vehicles. The Swedish company says the introduction of automatic driving cars will "revolutionise Britain's roads in four main areas — safety, congestion, pollution and time saving," as up to 90% of all road accidents are caused by driver error or distraction. Similar tests are due to take place in Gothenburg and across China. “Autonomous driving represents a leap forward in car safety,” “Autonomous driving represents a leap forward in car safety,” Håkan Samuelsson, chief executive of Volvo, said in a statement. Volvo has not explained which parts of London will be used for the trial, but participants will have to sit behind the wheel because of the laws around autonomous vehicles. British towns such as Milton Keynes and Bristol already have testing areas for driverless cars but this would be the first time autonomous vehicles will take to the streets. Adapted Volvo's XC90 vehicles will be used in the trial. The Chancellor George Osborne has promised to introduce legislation that will allow autonomous vehicles on British motorways by 2020. Business Secretary Sajid Javid said: "Driverless cars will see our journeys become faster, cleaner and safer. "The UK is leading the way in developing the technology needed to make this a reality thanks to our world-class research base and these types of trials will become increasingly common." Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.
LONDON — Volvo is starting a scheme that will see 100 families being driven around by driverless cars in London next year. Described as "UK's most ambitious autonomous driving trial," the Drive Me scheme will kick off with a limited number of semi-automatic cars taking to the streets of the capital early next year. The plan will then be extended in 2018 to up to 100 vehicles. The Swedish company says the introduction of automatic driving cars will "revolutionise Britain's roads in four main areas — safety, congestion, pollution and time saving," as up to 90% of all road accidents are caused by driver error or distraction. Similar tests are due to take place in Gothenburg and across China. “Autonomous driving represents a leap forward in car safety,” “Autonomous driving represents a leap forward in car safety,” Håkan Samuelsson, chief executive of Volvo, said in a statement. Volvo has not explained which parts of London will be used for the trial, but participants will have to sit behind the wheel because of the laws around autonomous vehicles. British towns such as Milton Keynes and Bristol already have testing areas for driverless cars but this would be the first time autonomous vehicles will take to the streets. Adapted Volvo's XC90 vehicles will be used in the trial. The Chancellor George Osborne has promised to introduce legislation that will allow autonomous vehicles on British motorways by 2020. Business Secretary Sajid Javid said: "Driverless cars will see our journeys become faster, cleaner and safer. "The UK is leading the way in developing the technology needed to make this a reality thanks to our world-class research base and these types of trials will become increasingly common." Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.
LONDON — Volvo is starting a scheme that will see 100 families being driven around by driverless cars in London next year. Described as "UK's most ambitious autonomous driving trial," the Drive Me scheme will kick off with a limited number of semi-automatic cars taking to the streets of the capital early next year. The plan will then be extended in 2018 to up to 100 vehicles. The Swedish company says the introduction of automatic driving cars will "revolutionise Britain's roads in four main areas — safety, congestion, pollution and time saving," as up to 90% of all road accidents are caused by driver error or distraction. Similar tests are due to take place in Gothenburg and across China. “Autonomous driving represents a leap forward in car safety,” “Autonomous driving represents a leap forward in car safety,” Håkan Samuelsson, chief executive of Volvo, said in a statement. Volvo has not explained which parts of London will be used for the trial, but participants will have to sit behind the wheel because of the laws around autonomous vehicles. British towns such as Milton Keynes and Bristol already have testing areas for driverless cars but this would be the first time autonomous vehicles will take to the streets. Adapted Volvo's XC90 vehicles will be used in the trial. The Chancellor George Osborne has promised to introduce legislation that will allow autonomous vehicles on British motorways by 2020. Business Secretary Sajid Javid said: "Driverless cars will see our journeys become faster, cleaner and safer. "The UK is leading the way in developing the technology needed to make this a reality thanks to our world-class research base and these types of trials will become increasingly common." Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.
LONDON — Volvo is starting a scheme that will see 100 families being driven around by driverless cars in London next year. Described as "UK's most ambitious autonomous driving trial," the Drive Me scheme will kick off with a limited number of semi-automatic cars taking to the streets of the capital early next year. The plan will then be extended in 2018 to up to 100 vehicles. The Swedish company says the introduction of automatic driving cars will "revolutionise Britain's roads in four main areas — safety, congestion, pollution and time saving," as up to 90% of all road accidents are caused by driver error or distraction. Similar tests are due to take place in Gothenburg and across China. “Autonomous driving represents a leap forward in car safety,” “Autonomous driving represents a leap forward in car safety,” Håkan Samuelsson, chief executive of Volvo, said in a statement. Volvo has not explained which parts of London will be used for the trial, but participants will have to sit behind the wheel because of the laws around autonomous vehicles. British towns such as Milton Keynes and Bristol already have testing areas for driverless cars but this would be the first time autonomous vehicles will take to the streets. Adapted Volvo's XC90 vehicles will be used in the trial. The Chancellor George Osborne has promised to introduce legislation that will allow autonomous vehicles on British motorways by 2020. Business Secretary Sajid Javid said: "Driverless cars will see our journeys become faster, cleaner and safer. "The UK is leading the way in developing the technology needed to make this a reality thanks to our world-class research base and these types of trials will become increasingly common." Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.
LONDON — Wearable tech is this season's hottest trend, but it often comes with a hefty price tag. Topshop, however, is looking to change that. The high street brand just launched an innovation programme in collaboration with tech investment company L Marks to discover and co-develop emerging tech startups and bring fashion-forward wearable tech to the high street. Through Top Pitch, Topshop wants to draw fashionable yet functional wearable tech further into the fashion arena with a "democratic approach to pricing". The programme isn't limited to smart accessories; Topshop is also hoping to move into emerging high-tech apparel. Successful startups will have access to mentors, who will offer support and expertise during a month-long bootcamp of intense coaching. The winning team will be given the chance to secure equity investment, and they could eventually see their product launching in Topshop stores. "The merge of style and function has yet to have been seen in a true consumer-ready sense and our aim is to discover new-to-market, highly desirable product at accessible prices for our fashion-savvy customer,” Sheena Sauvaire — global marketing and communications director at Topshop — said in a statement. Applications for the programme are now open. Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.
