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Ford launches its own esports virtual racing teams
Ford plans to launch its own esports virtual racing teams. Under the name Fordzilla, the company will recruit top esports drivers for teams in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK. The company will also invite star players to form a European team with select members from each national team.
NYC extends its cap on Uber and Lyft vehicles
New York City will cap the number of Uber and Lyft vehicles on its streets for another year. Today, the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) voted to extend the cap it approved last summer, which limits the number of for-hire-vehicles that can operate in the city. The rule is meant to fight traffic congestion and increase drivers' wages, but it has plenty of critics, including Uber and Lyft.
Lyft acknowledges its response to sexual harassment has fallen short
Lyft acknowledges that its response to sexual harassment has fallen short in some instances. Despite the ridesharing company's attempts to position itself as a mission-driven brand with a "friendly, hospitality-oriented personality," a growing number of women say they've been harassed by drivers. To make things worse, they say, the company's response is often tone-deaf and insufficient.
Lyft loses NYC lawsuit over minimum wage for drivers
The New York Supreme Court ruled today to uphold New York City's minimum wage for drivers working for ride-sharing services, shooting down a challenge to the rule from Lyft. The ruling will maintain the New York Taxi and Limousine Commission's (TLC) minimum wage requirement of $17.22 per hour after expenses, which is one of the first wage floors for ride-share drivers in the country.
Uber will pay $20 million to settle drivers' lawsuit
Uber's ongoing driver lawsuit issue could be winding down. The ride-hailing company has agreed to pay $20 million to settle a legal battle instigated by drivers nearly six years ago, according to court filings. Drivers for the company argued that they are Uber employees, not independent contractors as Uber states, and are therefore entitled to expenses and wage protections. Uber's proposed settlement sees drivers receive a payout for expenses, but will not change their status as independent contractors.
NVIDIA will stop supporting 3D glasses in April (updated)
Have you noticed that stereoscopic 3D is out of vogue, at least at home? So has NVIDIA. The graphics chip designer has unveiled plans to drop support for 3D Vision, its approach to gaming with 3D glasses. The last drivers to support 3D Vision will come with the final Release 418 in April, with future versions dropping it entirely. You'll still get support for "critical driver issues" in 418 through April 2020, but you'll otherwise need to move on.
AMD finally delivers drivers that will boost Ryzen Mobile laptops
AMD released its Ryzen Mobile APU in October 2017 with the promise of bargain gaming performance, but since then, driver support has been non-existent. Rather, owners have relied on laptop manufacturers like HP and Dell, instead. AMD promised to fix that at CES 2019, and finally made good with the release of its latest Adrenalin drivers. Users will not only get better stability and support, but also 10 percent faster gaming overall and a 17 percent boost in eSports titles.
Lyft agrees to pay its drivers the minimum wage in New York
Following new laws introduced last year, Lyft has agreed to pay its drivers the minimum wage in New York, a union representing the drivers said. The law stipulates that ride-hailing companies like Uber and Lyft must pay chauffeurs at least $15 per hour, plus $2.22 to cover payroll taxes and paid time off. "The landmark rules ... are expected to raise driver pay by an average of $9,600 per year," said Machinists Union affiliate IDG.
The latest Spike Lee Joint is all about Uber drivers
Uber apparently has a lot of money to fight an ongoing public relations battle. The beleaguered ride-sharing company has enlisted... wait, what? Spike Lee has directed and produced five new short films (also called commercials) for Uber called, wait for it, Da Republic of Brooklyn.
Uber gathered driver feedback to overhaul the app they use
As part of a grand campaign to repair its reputation, Uber updated its driver app last fall with a 'share my location' feature to comfort its contractors during long shifts. But the software's newest version out today is very much an overhaul that redesigns its interface with input from the drivers themselves. What did they want? To easily see how much money they've made in a shift so far and get quick access to badges and other 'gamified' elements of the Uber driving experience.
NVIDIA will end 32-bit OS GeForce support this month
NVIDIA recently warned that the end was nigh for GeForce support on 32-bit operating systems, and it has now put dates to that event. It will halt GeForce GPU driver support at the end of April, meaning users will lose access to new GeForce Experience features and game ready updates. Moreover, NVIDIA will end security updates by January 2019, so continuing to use your 32-bit OS with a GeForce card beyond that date could actually put it at risk.
Mercedes AR app gives truck drivers crucial info on their rig
Mercedes isn't new to experimenting with augmented reality, and at MWC 2018 the company showed off its latest creation with that technology. The "Vehicle Lens" app is exactly what it sounds like: It uses a smartphone to give you an AR view of a car or truck, showing vital information as you move around and point the camera at different parts of your ride. If you have it facing the wheels, for example, you see details about tire pressure. That will come in handy before taking a trip. In addition to that, Vehicle Lens can display engine info like mileage and coolant levels, how much fuel there is and personal info about drivers -- including if they've been driving for too long.
NVIDIA updates video drivers to help address CPU memory security (updated)
It's not just your processor and operating system that need patches for the Meltdown and Spectre memory vulnerabilities -- your graphics card does, too. To that end, NVIDIA has started releasing updated drivers that help protect against the CPU vulnerability. All its GeForce, Quadro, NVS, Tesla and GRID chips are immune to Meltdown and Spectre themselves, but the code could leave CPUs open to two Spectre variants. The new software immediately mitigates one Spectre flaw, and NVIDIA is promising future mitigations as well as eventual updates to address the second.
NVIDIA is gearing up to end 32-bit OS support
The time of the 32-bit OS continues its slow descent into obsolescence. NVIDIA announced that Version 390 of its graphics card driver would be the last to support 32-bit Windows, Linux and FreeBSD systems.
Lyft drivers can start planning pickups days in advance
Just as it does for riders, Lyft continues to improve the experience for its drivers. The latest effort is a feature that lets contractors deal with scheduled pickups up to seven days in advance, instead of only being aware of a passenger's planned departure minutes before. Additionally, Lyft is now giving drivers access to "Power Zones," high-demand areas where they can "get paid more" during certain hours of the day. So far, there are 12 Power Zones in (undisclosed) cities across the US, with more expected to be added later on.
Uber admits New York drivers were underpaid for years
Uber drivers have it tough lately. They have to deal with rate hikes they won't see directly, company plans for self-driving cars, and higher insurance rates. Uber doesn't have it much easier, already having settled in January to pay $20 million for exaggerating drivers' earnings, a loss of love for self-driving cars in Pittsburgh and a CEO caught arguing with one of his own drivers. Now, the company admits to "mistakenly" underpaying New York City Uber drivers over the past two and a half years. Thankfully, Uber plans to refund the drivers what they are owed.
Uber responds to claims it charges what 'you're willing to pay'
Uber is in the midst of several lawsuits and has a controversial CEO leading the company. It also has to placate its own growing horde of dissatisfied drivers who complain that their revenue potential is dropping, even while Uber exaggerates how much its drivers earn. Bloomberg reports that Uber may have yet another problem on its hands with its new "upfront pricing" fees. The feature, introduced last year, allows Uber to charge some passengers more for their rides. The problem is that Uber hasn't changed the way it pays its drivers; they're still generating money the same basic way, based on time, distance and mileage.
Uber hopes to silence critics with more UK driver benefits
Uber has long argued that its drivers are independent contractors, not employees. While that distinction has been argued in the courts, the company has been upping driver perks to try to keep them on side and silence critics. Its latest effort in the UK is a partnership with the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self Employed (IPSE). For £2 per week, Uber drivers can sign up for IPSE benefits which include sickness and injury cover up to £2,000, jury cover up to £2,000, access to financial advice and support, and occupational accident cover up to £300.
You can wake up Microsoft's Surface Studio by talking to it
Waking up your PC from sleep is as easy as tapping the touchscreen, moving the mouse or pressing a button on the keyboard -- but if you have a Microsoft Surface Studio, it just got even easier. Thanks to a new audio driver update, Studio owners can now wake their machine by simply calling out for Microsoft's digital assistant. As long as you have the Windows 10 Creator Update and the latest patch, all you have to do is say the assistant's keywords: "Hey Cortana."
NVIDIA posts Mac drivers for its latest graphics cards
NVIDIA is quickly making good on its promise to support its latest graphics cards on Macs. The GPU giant has quietly posted beta macOS drivers (direct download) that should support any GeForce 10-series card, whether it's a simple GTX 1050 or an all-out beast like the Titan Xp. It's a big step forward for Mac users who've had to settle for 9-series cards at best. However, the big challenge will be making the most of the cards given the current Mac lineup -- this is as much an investment in the future as anything.
