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Oyster card app simplifies top-ups in London
With the growing popularity of contactless payments, the humble Oyster card has a diminished role on the London Underground. Still, it's a useful option for tourists, children, or anyone who wants to keep a close eye on their travel spending. Today, Transport for London (TfL) has launched a mobile app for iOS and Android that makes it easier to top-up and review your balance. Once your account is set up, you can top-up from anywhere — no more queuing at a ticket machine. After 30 minutes, you simply need to touch a reader and the amount will be added on automatically.
London's Oyster cards are getting an app for easier top-ups
Contactless payments make it so easy to get around London that the trusty ol' Oyster card isn't as convenient as it once was. You can add funds or Travelcards online, for instance, but then have to wait 24 hours and tap in at a specific station to actually bring your card up to date. Transport for London (TfL) is making the Oyster card a little more 2017-friendly today, though, cutting that processing time down to 30 minutes and removing the need to visit a nominated stop. Tapping in at any train, Tube, tram or River Bus terminal will confirm the top-up, and by the end of autumn, buses will also be on that list.
Oyster and contactless cards now stretch to Gatwick Airport
If you live in London and regularly take the train to Gatwick Airport, we've got good news: starting today, you can use your Oyster card to travel to the station just outside departures. That applies to contactless cards and Apple Pay too, negating the need to buy a standalone ticket. Convenient, especially if you're up at the crack of dawn and want to avoid waiting for a self-service machine in the cold. (We've been there, and it's not fun.) Of course, you might get a cheaper fare by ordering a ticket online in advance. If you're poorly organised, however, or simply not fussed about saving a few pounds, this should make your next trip a little less stressful.
Google snaps up staff from Oyster's soon-to-close e-book service
Oyster's experiment with a Netflix-like subscription service for e-books appears to be coming to a close... at least, in its current form. The startup is warning customers that it will shut down its all-you-can-read service over the course of several months. As it explains, the team has decided that the best way to pursue its mobile reading dream is to take on "new opportunities." While it's not initially clear what this means, Recode has confirmed that "a portion" of Oyster's staff (including its CEO and co-founders) are jumping ship for Google's Play Books division. In short, this is an indirect acquisition -- Google is snapping up the core of the company without buying all of its assets.
Oyster hopes you'll buy the books its subscription doesn't cover
Oyster's all-you-can-read subscription service includes a lot of books, but it doesn't cover everything that piques your curiosity. In many cases, you still have to buy those titles that slip through the cracks. The company may have a way to cover all the bases, though. It just launched a store that offers books from all five major publishers (Hachette, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster) plus "thousands" more, so you shouldn't have to head elsewhere to get that hot new novel. It's also useful to safeguard the titles you want to keep. You can buy a permanent copy of that Harry Potter collection if you're tired of subscribing, for example. It's too soon to say how well this two-pronged strategy will work for Oyster, but we wouldn't mind seeing it elsewhere -- wouldn't it be nice to buy movies from Netflix when they're not available in your plan?
'Harry Potter' comes to Oyster's all-you-can-read book service
If you're the sort of Harry Potter fan who can't help but read the series again and again, Oyster has a treat in store. The all-you-can-read subscription service has teamed up with Pottermore to carry all of the Harry Potter books, including the Hogwarts Library collection. There's even a little treat the first time you start reading -- rather than pick from one of the humdrum standard themes, you choose your favorite Hogwarts house (Slytherin, obviously). You probably don't want to sign up for Oyster's $10 a month service just for the sake of reliving Harry's school years, but it's potentially cheaper than purchasing the series on top of a slew of other books.
Top publisher embraces Oyster's and Scribd's Netflix-like services for e-books
Out of the five biggest publishers, HarperCollins was the first one that understood the potential of Nextflix-esque services for e-books like Scribd and Oyster. Simon & Schuster seems to have caught on, though, because it's just agreed to make roughly 10,000 of its digital tomes -- published more than a year ago -- available on the two aforementioned services. Since three of the Big 5 have yet to sign up, titles from indie and other traditional publications still dominate Scribd's and Oyster's offerings. (Not that we're complaining, that's a great way to discover books you wouldn't pick up in a store otherwise.) But, this deal adds a ton of popular titles to the mix, including ones written by authors you'll likely recognize, such as Ray Bradbury, Stephen King, Ernest Hemingway, Hunter S. Thompson and Jodi Picoult. As to how these huge publishers are getting paid, GigaOm says they'll get the same amount as they'd earn from traditional stores once a reader consumes a set number of pages. Thus far, neither service has announced an increase in subscription fees, so it sounds like a great deal for insatiable bookworms. [Image credit: Anthia Cumming/Getty]
Oyster now offers all-you-can-read children's books, including Disney titles
Got a kid with an insatiable appetite for books? You may want to sign up for Oyster, then. The subscription e-book service has just launched a children's section, giving young readers all the titles they can handle. The deal also brings Disney Publishing to Oyster's catalog, so little ones can keep up with the adventures of Mickey and crew on their iPads. Parents who want to foster digital literacy at an early age -- or just need a fresh source of bedtime stories -- can learn more at the source link.
Daily Update for October 16, 2013
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
Oyster's subscription e-book service for iPad open to all
Oyster has a fascinating proposition for avid readers -- unlimited e-books for one low subscription rate of US$9.95. In the past, you had to request an invitation to be added to the service, and the only device you could read your e-books on was an iPhone. Today, the company is announcing that it has not only launched a universal (iPad and iPhone) app to make devouring those e-books a bit easier, but also that the app and service are now open to anyone. The app is free to download, and the company offers access to "more than 100,000 titles" -- that's enough to keep anyone busy during a handful of beach days on vacation. Many of the titles provided by Oyster come from HarperCollins, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and a variety of smaller publishers. Oyster also provides a social component that shows what your friends are reading on the service at any point in time.
Oyster's subscription e-book service launches on iPad, goes invitation-free
Oyster's unlimited e-book service has been more of an exclusive club so far; you've had to read on an iPhone, and request an invitation just to get in. Both of those barriers are disappearing today. The company has just launched an iPad app that offers a more comfortable reading experience, with a dark backdrop optimized for night sessions. Customers also don't have to wait to get started -- Oyster is making its apps public, letting anyone sign up on a whim. There's no word of support for Android and other platforms at this stage, but iOS-bound readers can trial the service for free at the source link.
Oyster for iPhone offers all-you-can-read e-books for $10 per month
All-you-can-eat subscriptions work well for digital magazines, music and videos; why shouldn't they work for e-books? Oyster certainly thinks they should, as it just launched a flat-rate book service for iPhone users. Members pay $10 per month for unfettered access to about 100,000 books from HarperCollins, Hougton Mifflin Harcourt and smaller publishers. The unlimited-use model also facilitates a Goodreads-like social component that shows what friends are reading at any given moment. Bookworms can request an invitation today. Oyster hasn't said if or when the service will go without invitations, but it hopes to release an iPad app in the near future.
London Underground: NFC mobile payment technology 'too slow' for the tube
While it's tested the idea several times in the past, London's Tube system won't be getting mobile-based payment technology any time soon. Customer Experience Director Shashi Verma told GigaOM that existing NFC technology wasn't able to drop below the 500 millisecond barrier -- something which Transport for London demands from its high-churn Oyster card-based turnstiles. Verma added, "The concerns are only around NFC technology and not EMV. We are keen to see any progress the industry can make in this area." At least for the near-future, it looks like Brits will have to glue their NFC cards to their phones if they want that contactless payment look while journeying around London.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: surfing renewable energy, hexagonal LEDs, and ultra-efficient aerodynamics
The Week in Green is a new item from our friends at Inhabitat, recapping the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us. This week Inhabitat reported live from the scene of New York Design Week, where we sifted through thousands of new home furnishings and interiors products to bring you the state-of-the-art in green design. Fresh from the floor of the International Contemporary Furniture Fair is this stunning hexagonal crystal LED light, which is composed of glowing geometric blocks that snap together to form a myriad of shapes. We were also impressed by this beautifully finished wood calculator that multiplies its green factor with sustainably-sourced materials. The past week was also surging with developments from the field of renewable energy - first we were excited to see the unveiling of the Oyster 2, an offshore wave-harvesting energy plant that improves upon its predecessor with a simpler design, fewer moving parts, and a 250% increase in energy generation. Google, HP, and Microsoft are also getting into the green energy game with plans to tap an unexpected energy source to run their data centers - cow dung! Google also led the charge towards cleaner energy this week by funding a new type of jet engine-inspired geothermal drill that uses superheated streams of water to bore through previously impenetrable surfaces. Speaking of jets, MIT has just unveiled several ultra-efficient airplane designs that are capable of cutting fuel use by a whopping 70%. The auto industry also received a jolt of energy as Toyota announced a partnership with Tesla that will boost California's flagging economy and likely lead to more affordable iconic electric vehicles. The field of wearable technology saw several innovative advancements this week as well - safe cyclists rejoice, because a group of Indian students have designed a $22 Solar and Wind Powered Bike Helmet. Meanwhile, a group of Colorado State University seniors have designed a medical incubator backpack unit that they believe can reduce baby deaths in medical emergencies. Finally, we shined light on several brilliant advancements from the field of solar technology, starting with China's plans to build the "biggest solar energy production base" in the world. We also looked at the HYDRA, a solar-powered hydrogen fuel cell system that can reportedly generate 20,000 gallons of pure water a day, and green energy got literal with the unveiling of the first leaf-shaped crystalline silicon solar panels.
Oyster Wave Energy Converter puts climate change to good use
One of the Holy Grails of green power is hydroelectricity, and we've certainly seen our fair share of research in that department. The newest guy on the scene is called Oyster, a collaborative effort between Queen's University in Belfast and Aquamarine Power Limited that sees something called an Oscillating Wave Surge Converter placed offshore (in depths around 10-12 meters). When moved by waves, the device's double acting pistons push seawater ashore via high pressure flow lines, where it is converted to power using tried and true hydroelectric generators. Since the hydroelectric plant is located onshore, it is accessible for maintenance 24-7. According to the company, peak power should be around 300-600 kw, depending on the unit's configuration and location. The first prototype is to be deployed off the coast of Orkney this summer, where we'll see if it can transform high tides and abnormal weather patterns into juice for your Xbox. One more pic for you after the break.[Via Renewable Energy World]
Oyster Card RFID hack gets detailed
The vulnerability of cards based on the Mifare Classic RFID chip (like the Oyster Card used for the London Underground) has been known for some time now but, unsurprisingly, some pesky legal business has prevented the complete details from being published. That has now finally been cleared up, however, and Professor Bart Jacobs and his colleagues from Radboud University have promptly published their complete paper online. What's more, NXP Semiconductors, makers of the Mifare chip, are also now commenting on the matter, and saying that it never intended to completely stop publication of the research, but rather that it simply wanted to give customers time to update their systems. NXP's Steve Owen also adds that the company now doesn't "recommend the use of Mifare Classic for new installations," and that it's "working with customers to review their security." Those looking to dig in can find the paper at the link below and, in case you missed it the first time around, there's a video explaining the basics after the break.[Via BBC Click]
O2 testing mobile wallet on London's Tube
Combining an Oyster card, a Barclaycard Visa, and the NFC-enabled Nokia 6131, Transport for London hopes to stream passengers through its tunnels in a quick and orderly fashion. 500 testers have been flitting about the city for six months and nine out of the ten say they've enjoyed the ease of use, convenience and status of such fun tech. The tweaked sets have enabled the testers to use their existing travel cards, top up pre-pay cards, and even buy snacks while on the run. RFID hacks aside, we welcome any and all use of a mobile wallet system -- that Japan has enjoyed for some four years now -- to help ease those arduous and time-consuming treks into our pockets and reduce the always embarrassing display of pocket lint.[Thanks, Daniel M.]
Retail usage of clamshell packaging may be shucked
We've all suffered an injury or two at the hands of a hermetically-sealed package containing a shiny new controller or other accessory, but did you know that 6,500 people visited the emergency room with a plastic packaging-related injury in 2004? That's not all -- these "clamshell" packages are often made of environmentally-unsound non-recycled plastics (which are increasingly expensive to produce due to rising petroleum costs), and are the largest contributer to various worldwide terrorist organizations?Okay, that last part was a lie, but there are plenty of reasons to dislike this hand-lacerating form of consumer packaging -- luckily, a recent CNET article revealed that some experts in the packaging industry think that clamshell usage may be on its way out, for the reasons listed above. Retailers still prefer the shoplifter-deterring containers, but consumer frustration and cheaper alternatives may signal the end of the mollusk-inspired packages in the coming years. Our gnarled, decrepit hands are very relieved. [Via Kotaku]
Avega Systems intros pearly white Oyster WiFi speakers
While we got a small taste of Avega Systems' master wireless scheme at CES, SciFi has sniffed out a forthcoming set of tower speakers from the company that looks to utilize that WiFi freedom the Aios platform supposedly enables. Requiring just a power source, these pearly white towers feature a trio of full-range drivers, a tweeter for the highs, and an Oyster nametag. Additionally, they can purportedly "accept wireless music streams from your PC or media server, game consoles," or essentially anything capable of stream audio over WiFi. Although there's no word just yet on price, we don't envision these coming cheap, but we'll find out for certain when Avega rolls 'em out in March.
