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NYC cabs will test app-based system to challenge Uber
Around 7,000 NYC cabs are currently beta testing a new e-hail app called Arro, which the industry hopes can help it get back the customers it's lost to Uber. Arro isn't the first hailing app for cabs -- it actually works quite similarly to Uber -- but the startup believes it can do better than its predecessors. Why? Because; (a) it doesn't have surge pricing, meaning you'll just have to pay whatever shows up on the meter, and (b) it has a partnership with Creative Mobile Technologies (CMT). That's the company that controls the video screens and payment systems in about half of the 20,000 green and yellow cabs in the city.
Daily Roundup: HP Chromebook 11 review, Samsung's Galaxy Round, a gold HTC One and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
NYC taxis simply running mapping app over unsecured Windows
It's always interesting when electronic billboards, kiosks, and other installations go haywire and show you the dark heart of Windows lurking underneath, but it's even more fun when you can actually start poking around -- and it looks like there's a fair bit of poking to do in all those NYC taxis with backseat screens. According to Billy Chasen, dismissing the error message will allow you to get to the Start menu, from which it's trivial to run the Windows Connection Wizard, set up the Sprint broadband card, and start surfing away. Billy could also browse the filesystem -- which may or may not contain credit card data -- and it looks like he even had enough access to install any software he could find online. Hmmm, looks like there's 1000 experience points waiting here for the first person to send in a photo of Engadget on one of these screens -- with a 5000 point bonus if it's in Firefox.
NYC cab drivers say "no thanks" to GPS installation
As the Bloomberg administration sets out to install a high-tech GPS video monitor in every NYC taxi cab, many drivers are prepping to strike. Philadelphia cab drivers faced the same challenges last year and decided to strike, however, units were installed anyway -- indicative of what we might see later on this year. The monitors would be mandatorily installed in the backs of all 13,000 NYC cabs, providing entertainment with commercials and allowing credit card transactions -- great for the customer, but what do drivers get? Well, they'll pretty much get the shaft. The meter activates GPS tracking of each trip's beginning and end destination, which many drivers claim is an invasion of privacy. Also, drivers who are buying their vehicles will be forced to shell out $2,900 to $7,200 for use of the units over a three-year period. The real kicker is that they totally dropped the ball on any sort of navigational support. Hello? Spending major cash on new taxi-gadgets with GPS technology should, first and foremost, mean we no longer have to tell clueless drivers how to get around the city. At least we'll have the "entertainment with commercials" to distract us while taking the scenic route. [Via Gearlog]
