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Netflix revives London street drama 'Top Boy' with Drake's help
Netflix is continuing its tradition of extending popular Channel 4 TV shows after confirming that London street drama Top Boy is being revived. In a tweet, the show's star Ashley Walters -- also known as Asher D from the So Solid Crew -- confirmed that the series has been picked up as a Netflix Original and will debut in 2019 with a little help from Canadian megastar Drake.
Piccadilly Circus' billboard is alight once more, and it's watching
The iconic lights illuminating London's Piccadilly Circus were switched back on this morning, nine months after going dark to accommodate some serious renovations. The huge advertising space is no longer home to six distinct screens. Instead, owner Land Securities has swapped these out for one giant, curved LED display with a greater-than-4K resolution that measures around 790 square metres in total. The upgraded screen allows for more dynamic ads that can move around or take over the whole space, and incorporate mod cons like livestreams. With a bevvy of cameras and sensors, the Piccadilly Lights can also respond to the local environment and deliver targeted, responsive ads.
London's new electric black cabs hit the streets
London's new electric taxis are almost ready for the public. Six test vehicles are being introduced to the city's streets today ahead of a planned roll out later this year. Participating drivers will be collecting data about potential emissions savings and the reality of using London's charger network. "We will now be able to accurately quantify the significant improvements these vehicles will make to London's air quality," Chris Gubbey, CEO for the London Electric Vehicle Company (LEVC) said, "which will benefit all Londoners, regardless of whether [they] use taxis or not."
'Monument Valley 2' comes to Android on November 6th
Monument Valley 2, the follow-up to UsTwo's beautiful and head-turning puzzler from 2014, is almost ready for Android phones and tablets. The London studio announced today that the game will arrive in the Play Store on November 6th, five months after its debut on iOS. The title, if you need a refresher, follows a mother and her child as they traverse a world filled with crisp and colorful M. C. Escher-inspired architecture. Like the first game, your success is dependent on figuring out the different pathways that unlock as you tap, slide and rotate various parts of the environment.
Uber formally appeals the loss of its London licence
In what should come as no surprise to anyone, Uber has today appealed Transport for London's decision to deny the ride-hailing company a renewed private hire licence. Uber's licence actually expired on September 30th, but it had until today (21 days later) to challenge TfL's verdict. Uber has filed its appeal with Westminster Magistrates' Court, and can continue to operate as normal in London while the legal business plays out, which is expected to take several months.
Addison Lee is looking into self-driving taxis too
Driverless car trials are happening all around the UK, but the epicentre is arguably Greenwich, in London. We've seen driverless pods ferry passengers around the O2 and autonomous delivery vans drop off Ocado hampers near Woolwich. That's because a chunk of the borough has been ring-fenced as a "Smart Mobility Living Lab" for autonomous projects and research. The latest initiative to fall under that banner is "Merge," which will look at how a driverless ride-sharing service could work in the city. The work will be led by Addison Lee, alongside a consortium that includes Ford, the Transport Research Laboratory and Transport Systems Catapult.
Uber’s app will stop UK drivers working excessive hours
Earlier today, executives from Uber, Deliveroo and courier company Hermes addressed the UK government's Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee, which is investigating how it might be possible to balance the flexible "gig economy" working model with fair pay and appropriate benefits. While discussing employment practices, Uber's Andrew Byrne was quizzed on passenger safety, at which point he revealed the ride-sharing company is testing a system that automatically logs off drivers deemed to be working excessive hours.
Uber loses Europe chief amid London license denial
Uber's lead for Northern Europe, Jo Bertram, is leaving the company. The move comes less than two weeks after London's transport regulator, TfL, announced its decision to revoke Uber's private hire operator licence in the city. Should the decision be upheld, the company will be unable to operate in one of its largest and most lucrative European markets. Uber has filed an appeal and can operate while the appeal process is ongoing. Still, it's a setback for a company that has already changed its CEO this year and is struggling to recover from a long line of PR and corporate blunders.
'Timberscrapers' could soon dominate urban skylines
They just don't make 'em like the Sakyamuni Pagoda anymore. Built from wood in 1056 in the Shanxi province of China, the building has remained standing to this day, despite seven earthquakes rattling the region within its first 50 years of existence. Since then, it's held up against a slew of seismic events, even when more-modern structures have failed. Now, thanks to recent advancements in timber technology, modern architects are rediscovering the benefits of working with wood.
Bosch details its work on present and future self-driving cars
There are so many companies working on different pieces of the self-driving puzzle, it's hard to keep track of all the partnerships and small developments that are pushing us ever closer to kicking back in a fully autonomous vehicle. While not as visible as some other firms, Bosch is a significant force in the automotive industry, producing various car components alongside the power tools and home appliances most regular consumers will associate the brand with. Naturally then, given its industry experience, Bosch is working on self-driving technologies of its own, recently heading to London's Somerset House to show off some of the things it's doing right now, as well as what it might do in the future.
Uber is ready to cut a deal to get its London license back
Uber may have lost its London taxi license with no small amount of drama, but it's already willing to make concessions. The ridesharing outfit's city manager Tom Elvidge tells the Sunday Times that he would "like to know what [Uber] can do" to "get this right." He's willing to make tradeoffs to get business back, in other words. That's a sharp contrast to Elvidge's tone on Friday, when he denounced the move and was promising an immediate legal response. And importantly, it sounds like officials might be willing to give Uber a break.
Watch the NFL's London game at 9:30AM Eastern
You're about to get a chance to watch an out-of-the-ordinary NFL game wherever you happen to live. The league and Yahoo (disclaimer: yes, they're part of our parent company Verizon) are streaming a special game in London on September 24th at 9:30AM Eastern. Virtually anyone worldwide can see the Baltimore Ravens and Jacksonville Jaguars take to the field in Wembley Stadium for free. In addition to tuning in on Yahoo's website, you can catch the game through the NFL's website and its apps.
Uber's new chief says the company is paying for its bad rep
New company chief Dara Khosrowshahi has sent out an email to his employees about London, and it shows that the company might truly be under a different kind of leadership now. One that doesn't sound like it'll encourage "hustlin'" and overlook bad behavior, such as obtaining rape victims' medical records through questionable means. Khosrowshahi told his employees and drivers in the internal email that while it's easy to think London's decision not to renew Uber's taxi license is unfair, "the truth is that there is a high cost to bad reputation."
Uber just lost its London taxi license
In a surprise announcement today, Transport for London (TfL) has confirmed that it will not reissue Uber's private hire licence within the city. In a statement, the regulator said that the company's operations were not "fit and proper" and that has just a week (until September 30th) until its licence runs out. Uber will appeal the decision, which will allow its drivers to stay on the road until a final ruling is passed.
London Costcutter trials finger-vein readers for faster payments
The humble Costcutter supermarket at Brunel University in London has recently become home to a biometric payment system that allows customers to check out with a tap of their finger. The store's owner has begun trialling Sthaler's Fingopay system, which authenticates people by looking at the 3D pattern of veins beneath their fingertip -- one of the most unique identifiers around -- rather than their fingerprint.
Microsoft will open its first UK store in London's Oxford Circus
After years of rumours and speculation, Microsoft might finally be ready to open its first retail store in the UK. Retail Week reports that the company is in advanced talks with The Crown Estate (the commercial business that controls land and holdings belonging to the royal family) to move into 255-259 Regent Street in London's lucrative Oxford Circus shopping district. Update: Microsoft has now confirmed Retail Week's report. Details are scarce, but the company will definitely open its first UK store in Regent Street in the near future.
Gett is using Citymapper data to plot new ride-sharing routes
London's public transport system is pretty robust, with plenty of Tubes, buses and overground lines zig-zagging across the city. At rush hour, though, squeezing onto a crammed DLR carriage can be a total nightmare. One alternative is a taxi-hailing app like Gett, which for some time now has been pushing Gett Together, a ride-sharing service that operates on preset routes across the city. Today, the company is announcing Black Bus 1, a new route that operates between Highbury & Islington and Waterloo. The expansion is notable because it was designed using data supplied by mobile navigation app (and now bus route operator) Citymapper.
London venue is first to eradicate touts with digital-only tickets
Touts are something you'll no longer see roaming the pavements outside of London's Islington Assembly Hall. The music venue has become the first in the UK to commit entirely to digital tickets, all of which will be sold through mobile app Dice. Tickets are inextricably linked to the Dice app, so they can't be posted on resale sites or flogged to touts. That works in your favour, of course, because you'll only ever pay list price. Just make sure you don't drain your battery organising pre-drinks with the squad.
The cost of off-peak UberPool trips is going up in London
Uber is quietly increasing the prices of some journeys in and around the London area, the ride-hailing service revealed in an email to drivers. In an attempt to pad the wallets of drivers during slow hours, UberPool ride-shares will be a bit more expensive for passengers. Typically, an UberPool trip is 25 percent cheaper than an UberX journey. Between the hours of 4AM and 8PM on weekdays, however, that discount will be reduced to 15 percent. UberPool is also being disabled at Heathrow Airport, meaning you can no longer get a cheap lift home by sharing with randoms that've also just touched down.
Uber wants all of its London drivers using EVs by 2025
The UK government already has plans to ban sales of new petrol and diesel-powered cars by 2040. (Scotland wants to do the same by 2032.) Uber hopes to go one better, however, and switch over to hybrid and electric vehicles by 2022. At least for UberX rides, anyway. In London, the company thinks it can manage the same feat by 2019. It then wants every Uber vehicle in the capital to be electric by 2025. To meet these ambitious targets, Uber has unveiled a "Clean Air Plan" that includes a "Clean Air Fund," a diesel car scrappage scheme and an EV charger network.
