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AT&T's 'Flying COW' drone provides cell service to Puerto Rico
These days, it's just as important to have communication up and running after a major disaster as it is to have power, food and drinkable water. The FCC approved $77 million to fix communications in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, while Project Loon (a collaboration with AT&T, Alphabet and T-Mobile) has found ways to get the internet up and running via LTE-providing balloons. Now, AT&T has deployed its helicopter Flying COW (Cell on Wings) to temporarily provide data, voice and text services to Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.
Apple offers its iPhone repair tools to third-party shops
You can get your iPhone fixed at third party shops, but it's clear that they play second fiddle to Apple Stores when they don't have access to Cupertino's specialized tools. However, it looks like Apple is leveling the playing field: the company is running a pilot program that hands out its iPhone calibration machine to three authorized service providers. The tool verifies that the 3D Touch and multi-touch in newer iPhones (6s and up) meets Apple's standards after a repair, so you won't have to worry about an imperfect fix. It's relatively fast, too -- the entire verification process takes 15 minutes.
Tesla says it's still on track to build the Model 3 in July
As customers holding pre-orders wait for the Model 3 to arrive, Tesla says everything is proceeding according to plan. In today's Q1 earning report (PDF), the company announced it's still on track to start production in July, and will be able to build up to 5,000 of the cars per week this year, with plans to scale production up to 10,000 per week next year. To service all those EVs (plus the ones already on the road, some of which will soon start to outlive their manufacturer warranties), it's massively expanding that department.
Verizon offers pre-paid FiOS service plans
Verizon announced on Monday that it is making its FiOS fiber-optic data, voice and television package available as a pre-paid service. That means you won't need to submit to a credit check, pay a deposit fee or even leave a credit card number to get access.
BratWurst Bot takes orders, then cooks and serves sausage
Do you like sausage? I mean, really, really like it? Then we have the robot for you: BratWurst Bot -- an autonomous machine that takes customer orders, cooks sausages and serves bratwurst without any human interference. Making its debut at the Stallwächter Party, a government event for German State Representatives, BratWurst bot served over 200 sausages over the course of an evening, independently taking orders from a web front end while using a pair of RGB cameras and some custom management software to cook the wurst to perfection.
Hiring a robot waiter can cost you your business
If you've ever whined that employing people means dealing with their personal messes, don't think hiring robots can make your life any better. Two restaurants in China have been forced to close after replacing their flesh-and-bone waitstaff with robots turned out to be a terrible mistake. According to the Worker's Daily (translated by Shanghaiist), the expensive droids were incapable of taking orders, carrying soup or pouring water. That means that a sophisticated artificial intelligence is being outdone by a 17-year-old on minimum wage with their head in a cloud of marijuana smoke.
Comic-Con's streaming service launches in beta on May 7th
San Diego Comic-Con doesn't take place until July, but when it does, you'll have an option to stream coverage and gain other "exclusive access" with a new service. Comic-Con is working with Lionsgate on a streaming service that will not only offer coverage of its events, but also populate a library of movies and TV series alongside original shows and commentary. The subscription service, dubbed Comic-Con HQ, will launch in beta form on Comic Book Day, May 7th. During the initial trial period, beta users can expect unlimited access to the service free of charge, including live coverage of this year's San Diego soirée.
GM gets serious about car-sharing with new 'Maven' service
Move over, Zipcar. General Motors just announced the launch of Maven, a new car-sharing service meant to ease personal transport woes. Public transit is great (when it works anyway), but some situations just call for cars and GM's eager to try filling in gaps its competitors have left wide open. This isn't the first time GM has experimented with car-sharing — it launched a similar service called Let's Drive NYC for tenants of one apartment building last October. With Maven's launch, GM is no longer a company that looks at cars purely as products; they're a service now, too.
Sprint's delivery service arrives in Las Vegas and six other cities
Sprint continues to expand its in-home sales and service effort, making a trip to its retail stores a thing of the past. The carrier's Direct 2 You home delivery option is heading to seven more cities: Charlotte, Cincinnati, Las Vegas, Nashville, New Orleans, Pittsburgh and Salt Lake City. This means that if you're in those locales, the in-store experience comes to your home or office to save you a trip. Direct 2 You not only drops off your shiny new handset, but a Sprint employee can walk you through the setup, transferring contacts and answer any questions that may arise. The free service began back in April and is already available in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco and other major US cities. Sprint says it plans to take Direct 2 You to even more cities in 2016.
SanDisk will help you switch to an SSD for $40
Looking to give your aging computer some new life? Swapping out the hard drive for a new SSD could do the trick, and if you're nervous completing the upgrade yourself SanDisk has a new service to lend a hand. The company's SSD Concierge Service offers live video support (via a mobile device, natch) so that folks of all skill levels are able to make the switch and improve speeds from the comforts of home. The service also includes "all of the tools required to upgrade their laptop successfully" including data migration and installation. If you're looking for some help giving your computer a refresh, SanDisk's virtual guidance can be purchased through Amazon and TigerDirect for $40.
Bloomberg: Apple TV service is not coming in 2015
In keeping with the requirement of a new Apple TV rumor every few weeks, Bloomberg says the yet-to-be-announced subscription package will not debut until at least 2016. Its sources echo the Buzzfeed's recent claim that a new Apple TV box will be unveiled this fall, however difficulty negotiating deals with content providers and building up a network capable of delivering that much video is delaying the rollout of a video service. Another problem cited is finding "the right mix" of channels to sell for about $40 per month, an issue also faced by competition like PlayStation Vue and Sling TV. Sling TV has also faced a few outages, demonstrating the difficulty of maintaining a network to reliable handle the bandwidth requirements of so much live and on-demand video. There's no mention of the possibility of an app store or gaming in this report, so we'll pencil those in for the next leak from anonymous sources in a few weeks. [Image credit: Paul Sakuma/Associated Press]
Senators want the FCC to look into broadband pricing
The net neutrality rules passed by the Federal Communications Commission back in February permit it to examine cable and broadband pricing to ensure customers are treated fairly. Four Senators are urging Tom Wheeler and the FCC to do just that. The group, led by Senator (and Democratic presidential candidate) Bernie Sanders (I-VT), cites the limited options as a cause for price increases, asking for the FCC's help in "empowering Americans with more information." The effort looks to offer customers the details about rates and how their monthly bills are calculated by their service provider. In a letter sent by the group this week, the Senators use the example of Time Warner Cable increasing modem rental fees by 203 percent over a three-year period -- a change that customers may not have been aware of when their monthly bill went up.
FCC votes to subsidize broadband internet for low-income households
Last month, the Federal Communications Commission announced plans to subsidize broadband internet service for low-income households. Today, the commission voted on the matter, approving the addition of internet subsidies to the Lifeline program that already offers both phone and prepaid wireless. Less than half of homes that make less than $25,000 have internet access, and today's vote offers help and provides steps to oversee the process, too. For example, service providers will no longer verify eligibility. That task will be given to a third-party instead. The vote also set the subsidy rate at $9.25 per month for both internet and phone service. Where does that money come from? Fees paid by service providers that are listed on customers' monthly bills. The FCC is looking to ensure not only the program's efficiency, but cut down on fraud and establish a set budget as well. [Image credit: Pete Marovich/Bloomberg via Getty Images]
Xsyon kicks off season of in-game events
Why settle for one measly event when you can have a whole host of them? That's the approach that sandbox MMO Xsyon is taking with its event season. The season, which begins today, will feature a slew of in-game events on different days. These include treasure hunts, timed battles, navigation competitions, capture the flag games, and a Valentine's Day event. The team is scheduling the events on different days and times "to accommodate players from every time zone." A calendar of upcoming events is on the official website. Xsyon is fresh from its debut on Steam's early access, which began earlier this month.
Xsyon enters early access on Steam
Want to play Xsyon but hate the mere concept of not being able to play it natively through Steam? Then we have good news! The game is now available on Steam as an early access title, so if you don't already own the game, you can start playing there. If you're wondering how the game could be considered early access when it's been launched and playable for some time, well... that's a good question. Sharp thinking! If you're already an Xsyon player and want to have the game on your Steam account, you can shoot off an email to a special account requesting a Steam key for no extra cost. Everyone else who's already playing will just want to look forward to the hopeful influx of new players enjoying the game for the first time. [Source: Notorious Games press release]
Jon Taffer's BarHQ app wants to increase your profits
Jon Taffer took the business of bar consulting to a new level when SpikeTV decided to run the show Bar Rescue, featuring Taffer as the irascible host. Since then he's had season after season of showing the public how sharp he is at turning around even the most hopeless bars (when the owners actually take his advice, anyway). He's now bringing his expertise to owners everywhere thanks to his BarHQ app, which he hopes will raise any bar's revenues 20-30%. I spoke to Mr. Taffer about the app and his approach. Because of his show Bar Rescue, and book, Raise the Bar, Taffer is in demand more than he can actually help. He even has a road show and continues to consult privately for clients, but can't address the myriad requests. Out of the frustration of seeing so many well-meaning bar owners begging for his help, Taffer decided to create something to help. BarHQ was the answer, and it is free (on iPad and iPhone). Taffer's goal is to help raise revenues up to 30%, which is very often what is needed to push an establishment back in the black and operating at a sustainable rate. How does BarHQ work? A bar owner or manager sets up the app, which includes taking a brief quiz on what type of bar you are and what sort of things you do. The survey is quite short, and afterwards you create a login and get a unique code for your business. That code is used for every employee who will be using the app (the app is iOS and Android compatible, but obviously employees need smartphones to use it). Your settings, communications, schedules, etc. are all synced through a cloud service (which is also free). Once the initial setup is done, BarHQ works in three key areas: Sales, Marketing and Scheduling. For sales, you input your sales each day and track trends. Individual employees can do this as well. Ultimately this can give you an idea what promotions are working. I found the input fairly easy to use, although being able to import raw data from other systems would likely be helpful. You can also track guest count and sales per hour, both vital stats in the bar/restaurant game. For marketing, the app provides a slightly clunky but usable customized promo tool, but I found it was easier to go into the "sponsored" promotions (promotions list) and see what these entail. BarHQ provides a few examples, like Treasure Chest (where patrons are given keys to a chest with prizes, and at the end of the night one person opens it) or Nickel Beer, where you sell custom mugs for nickel beers. While I was told these would generate PDF marketing materials, unfortunately I didn't find a way to generate these. What is included is an automated way to post these promotions to your social media, which is honestly a godsend for most harried small bar owners. It does seem there is room for growth in this part of the app, and I'm figuring Taffer will build this out over time. He noted that he's built a facility in Las Vegas to continue making content for the app, and that includes training and marketing materials. Finally there's employee management, and that studio in Vegas will be the scene of ongoing training films Taffer is producing for this app. You'll eventually be able to train employees on demand, having them earn badges and rewards for training (like a "Whiskey Master" badge upon viewing a video and taking a quiz). Until then there's a simple list of tips (all good), a how to on using the app, and a scheduler. I think the scheduler is quite powerful for smallish bars. You input your weekly schedule, and employees do the same on their devices. All of this is shown in the manager's scheduler, but employees can do things like blast a request out to pick up a shift, or request a change and a manager can easily see who might cover it. Those sorts of intra-team communications are a pain otherwise. Speaking of communications, there's also a message system built into the app. It's no Slack, but pre-shift messages are specifically called out, a testament to Taffer's expertise. I wasn't able to test this, but it's one way to ensure all employees who use the app are getting those messages. Taffer's BarHQ is sponsored in that there are some ads at the bottom, but none ever overtake the interface or really get in the way. I did find a few quirks and bugs in the app, although nothing particularly show-stopping besides "Clone Week" in the Scheduler, which forced me to fully close the app and start my week over. Also, a lot of the tools in the app are hidden in the upper left "hamburger" menu, something designers are realizing isn't a great user experience. The design is still leagues above most industry apps, but that's not a high bar to rise above. BarHQ, for a first version, is an ambitious start to what will likely become a powerful tool for small bars. More importantly, Taffer's expertise and willingness to continue to build this app out should not be underestimated -- there's even a Q&A section in the app. Far too many bars simply suffer from a lack of the basics, and BarHQ aims to help them with promotions and social media, sales tracking and employee management. Having seen quite a few episodes of Bar Rescue, I can admit that very few failing bars do well in any of those areas. I'm hopeful that BarHQ delivers on its promise for bar owners, but since it's free there's really very little to lose by seeing if it works for you.
Need for Speed Rivals burns rubber on EA Access soon
EA Access members will soon have another game to add to their collection: Need for Speed Rivals. The racing game will be added to the Xbox One program's "Vault" in the coming weeks, so players will be able dig in to single and multiplayer races at any time, for as long as they so desire. The service will also be rolling out to 19 more countries later this month, including Brazil and the Netherlands. EA announced its subscription service in late July, giving Xbox One players access to select games for $5 per month (or $30 for an entire year). The program also grants players early access to some games as well, such as Madden NFL 15, though only for six hours. EA says players put in 245,000 hours with the game before its release, meaning at least 40,833 players checked the game out. The publisher said it will offer six-hour trials of two more upcoming sports games: NHL 15 and FIFA 15, each available five days before their respective launches. [Image: EA]
Amazon launches free streaming music service for Prime members
It looks like the rumors were true: Amazon has just launched Amazon Prime Music with a million-plus songs and unlimited streaming with no ads or restrictions. As we noted earlier, the service is free to Prime members (only in the US for now) who've paid $79 to $119 for a subscription, and Amazon clearly hopes that it'll be yet another carrot to lure new subscribers. You'll also be able to download music to listen offline, which will be available on Kindle Fire, iOS, Android and Mac/PC devices anywhere, thanks to Amazon's Cloud Player -- now known as Amazon Music. The site has already been stocked with hundreds of "expertly programmed" playlists like "Powerful Women of Pop" and we were able to successfully sign up and start listening ourselves. Note that while a million songs sounds like a lot, Spotify currently has 20 million songs and Deezer has 30 million. In addition, the site doesn't seem to carry much new music yet, with quite a few songs in the Billboard Top 100 missing. Still, given other Prime perks like free shipping, streaming and the lending library, it might be enough.
$20 FreedomPop 'Unlimited Everything' plan includes 1GB of Sprint LTE, limits
FreedomPop's been signing up customers with the promise of free mobile phone service since last year, but once you're hooked, you'll need to shell out a bit of dough to keep things going. The basic plan, which does in fact come with a $0.00 monthly fee, gets you 200 minutes, 500 text messages and 500 megs of data. Once you reach those caps, you'll pay one cent per minute or 2.5 cents per MB, or you can step up to the new "Unlimited Everything" plan, which will run you $20 monthly for all-you-can-eat voice, text messages and data, with a catch: You'll only get 1GB of LTE, after which you'll drop down to Sprint's 3G network. Assuming you'll consume that gig of data in far less than 30 days, FreedomPop's four LTE smartphones, including three from Samsung and Apple's iPhone 5, may not be the best fit. Still, $20 is a relative steal for unlimited smartphone service, and if you can live with 3G speeds after that first gig is up, FreedomPop's ready to start saving you cash.
Samsung gives up on its homegrown Music and Book Hub services
Just like HTC with its doomed movie service, Samsung is apparently starting to realize that its in-house efforts can't compete with specialist alternatives. While Spotify has been busily publicizing its rapid growth, the Korean manufacturer has been quietly warning Galaxy phone and tablet owners about the impending closure of its similar, own-brand Music Hub. Users can no longer sign up for the premium monthly subscription option, and a message inside the app says they'll need to re-download any purchased tracks and use up any vouchers before the entire service shuts down on July 1st. This at least suggests that any stored tracks will continue to work after that date, perhaps via 7Digital, whose platform underpinned the Music Hub in the first place.
