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New York's free gigabit WiFi kiosks are coming to the UK
BT celebrated the 80th birthday of London's iconic red phone boxes earlier this month, and while some of these are being updated for the digital age, there are still countless antiquated payphones across the country needing a new lease of life. Today, BT has announced plans to rip out hundreds of these and replace them with next-gen kiosks that'll offer free gigabit WiFi, free UK calls, charging facilities and access to maps, directions and info on local services via an embedded Android tablet.
ICYMI: Getting ethanol from more than just corn
try{document.getElementById("aol-cms-player-1").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: Researchers at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory created ethanol out of carbon dioxide in a way that they believe would be easy to scale up. Most importantly, the conversion happens at room temperature so it could be done nearly anywhere in the world. We are also tickled by this stop-motion music video for a new song by Dan Sultan, and enjoy the dress designer who wants to put alcohol in clothes. As always, please share any interesting tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.
London's Uber drivers must now pass an English exam
After many months of proposals and legal challenges, Transport for London (TfL) has finally imposed a new rule requiring private hire drivers, including those from Uber, to meet an English-language requirement before they can hit the city's streets. On October 14th, the authority confirmed that any driver seeking to renew or apply for their private hire licence will need to hold an English qualification. If they don't, they'll need to pass a two-hour £200 exam to earn one.
Inside the redesigned Apple Store on Regent Street
Soon, Apple's store on Regent Street, London, will re-open to the public. The gadget mecca has been given a radical makeover, retiring the old glass staircase and much of the first floor. In their place you'll find a double height "grand hall" which stretches seven meters above you. Twelve trees have been added to the ground floor, as well as some circular sofas (made from Rolls-Royce leather), and two staircases made from a pale Castagna stone. Climbing these will take you to a smaller space upstairs, where Apple's new "Creative Pros" can teach you about specialised software.
UberPool riders in London might have to do some walking
Uber has performed a number of experiments in the UK, and its latest slightly rewrites how fares for UberPool work in London. Whereas before a driver might take a roundabout way to get to your on-demand bus stop, now there will be more direct routes.
Mastercard is offering free Tube travel with Android Pay
In a bid to boost mobile payments, Mastercard kicked-off a series of promotional events last year where it would pay for Londoners' travel if they used its cards to tap in and out of the Tube with Apple Pay. It must have been a success, because today the card giant confirmed that it will do the same for cardholders with Android devices, allowing you to travel on London's travel networks for free every Monday throughout October.
Uber cries foul over London Mayor's plan to support black cabs
It's no secret that London's black cab trade has suffered as Uber's popularity has grown, but Mayor Sadiq Khan has further plans to level the playing field. As part of new proposals geared towards supporting the capital's iconic Hackney carriages, Khan wants to integrate black cab info into the Transport for London (TfL) journey planner by next summer. While it's likely you'll still have to use services like Gett, Hailo, or the old-school wave to hail them, it would increase awareness of this option and highlight potential time savings over public transportation.
Amazon's grocery deliveries now cover 190 London postcodes
Amazon announced today that its Fresh grocery delivery service is now available in 190 Greater London postcodes. The online retailer is keen to highlight that the number of eligible postcodes has more than doubled since Fresh launched in early June; though, it almost achieved this milestone just a couple of weeks later when the service expanded past the 69 launch postcodes to cover a total of 128. Today's update comes soon after Amazon brought its £35 Dash scanner to the UK. With the device, you can add products to your virtual basket by simply reciting your shopping list into its microphone, or by using the on-board barcode scanner on your dangerously light bag of frozen chips.
Uber is offering electric cars in London
It's fair to say that Uber isn't having the best of times in London right now, with a lawsuit against TfL's new taxi rules and disgruntled UberEats couriers dominating the headlines. One thing that could help change the public (and perhaps political) perception of the company is a reinforced commitment to reducing pollution on the city's roads. That's what Uber is doing today with a pledge to make more than 50 electric cars available in its app in London over the next month as part of its UberX service.
UberEats drivers are revolting in London
Established food delivery service Deliveroo and recently launched UberEats might be competitors in the UK, but their drivers have found a common enemy in the businesses they work for. UberEats couriers have planned a protest outside Uber's London HQ today, over changes to their pay structure they say could lead to them earning less than the minimum wage, The Guardian reports.
Uber starts letting Londoners book rides in advance
Hailing an Uber is very much an immediate experience: Open the app, pin your pick-up point, request a ride and wait a few minutes for your car to arrive. Great when you just want to get home, but not ideal when planning an airport run or some other journey with minimal margin for error. Uber is beginning to encroach on the sacred territory of the traditional cab operator from today, however, as it starts allowing users in London to book rides in advance.
Uber takes legal action against TfL over new taxi rules
It's safe to say that Uber isn't particularly happy with the changes to London's private hire regulations. The Transport for London (TfL) board approved new measures earlier this year, but only recently did the authority publish the finer details, which paint them as more stringent than first thought. Last week, Uber kicked up a fuss over what it deemed to be a threat to "the livelihood of thousands of drivers," also asking users to lobby London's Mayor to revisit the new regulations. This conflict has taken a much more serious turn today, however, with Uber launching formal legal action against the transport authority.
Uber takes the fight to TfL over new English exam for drivers
Considering the proposals Transport for London (TfL) originally put forward as it looked to update private hire regulations in the capital, Uber escaped relatively unscathed when the authority ended up approving only minor amendments to the rulebook. One of these was a formal English language requirement, but with TfL having detailed exactly what that means since, Uber has a new bone to pick. Starting October 1st, any driver originating from a primarily non-English-speaking country will have to pass a written exam in order to apply for or renew a private hire licence.
London buses to show live traffic updates in rear windows
Over time, transport authorities have improved how they share important road travel news. Roadside signs can give a driver an important heads-up during journeys and apps can notify travellers before they've even left the house. As part of a new trial, Transport for London (TfL) wants to reduce the temptation for motorists to look at their phones while on the move by displaying live traffic information on the back of London's buses.
Museum uses 'Minecraft' to visualise the Great Fire of London
Minecraft and its 'build what you want' mentality has made it an effective tool in the classroom. The game, developed by Mojang and owned by Microsoft, has been used to teach art, geology and now history, thanks to a new project by the Museum of London. It's called "Great Fire 1666" and will portray the historic blaze that swept across the city 350 years ago.
Dyson opens first UK store as £800 robot vacuum goes on sale
If there's one thing Dyson knows best, it's hoovers. And while the company may've been late to making a little robot that does the cleaning for you, Dyson's 360 Eye is easily one of the best you can buy. Now, after debuting in Japan late last year, the vacuuming automaton is available in the UK from today. Features such as a 360-degree camera, obsessive cleaning methodology and activity reports don't come cheap, though. The 360 Eye can be found on Dyson's site for £800, and that price also includes a nice company rep that'll pop over and set the thing up for you.
London police consider using drones to pursue motorbike thieves
In its bid to curb the rise of drive-by snatches on the streets of London, the Metropolitan Police may turn to drones to track motorbike-riding suspects. At a recent meeting of the London Assembly's Police and Crime Committee, Deputy Commissioner Craig Mackey said that UAVs could be a safer alternative to officers pursuing so-called moped gangs across the capital.
Amazon opens up grocery deliveries to more of London
Amazon's grocery delivery service only went live in the UK a couple of weeks ago, but already the company is expanding beyond the launch footprint of various central and east London areas. As of today, Amazon Fresh is now available in 59 additional postcodes in northern, eastern and southern parts of the capital, taking the total up to 128 (full list here). Reside within one of those postcodes, and you can order any of over 130,000 everyday products for home delivery, including meat, seafood, fresh fruit and vegetables.
'Vampyr' and the gender politics of 1918 London
Vampyr, the next game from Dontnod Entertainment features a white, male protagonist. For any other studio, this is de rigueur, something dictated by the gaming industry's presumed demographic. But for the team behind Life is Strange and Remember Me, it's the first time they've delved into the male mindset. And it wasn't the result of market research either: It's because Vampyr's story wouldn't have worked any other way.
Uber's food delivery service is coming to London
In some parts of the world, Uber is known for more than just helping people get from A to B. UberEats, for example, is a food delivery service the company runs in various large North American cities, Paris, and as of a week ago, Singapore. It even has its own dedicated app in some places, and there are more than a few clues knocking around that point to the service launching in London in the near future. Uber is currently recruiting a "restaurant partnerships manager" and "marketing manager" for UberEats, both based in the capital, and according to BuzzFeed News, cyclists and scooter riders that will end up doing the legwork are being encouraged to pledge their allegiance prior to the service going live.
