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Google's Waze-like app for public transit hits five more cities
Last year, Google incubator Area 120 announced a public transit app that works in a similar way to Waze. Users of Pigeon report transit information to help others know if they're likely to face delays or other issues. Until now, it's only been available in New York City, but as of today, it's going live in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.
Verizon expands its 5G network to Atlanta, Detroit, Indianapolis and DC
Verizon (Engadget's parent company) looks to be on track to meet its goal of bringing 5G coverage to more than 30 US cities this year. It has nearly doubled the number of locales in which 5G service is available by activating it in Atlanta, Detroit, Indianapolis and Washington, DC.
Samsung's Galaxy S10 5G is available for pre-order at Verizon
Verizon (Engadget's parent company) has opened pre-orders for the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G. You'll need access to 5G connections to get the most out of the device of course, so the provider has also named 20 more cities in which it will turn on its mobile 5G network this year.
Washington, DC sues Facebook over Cambridge Analytica scandal
Washington, DC's attorney general has filed a lawsuit against Facebook over the Cambridge Analytica scandal that unfolded earlier this year. The suit comes just after the New York Times released a report detailing new information about Facebook's extensive data sharing practices, and sources told the Washington Post that the lawsuit could be amended in order to incorporate some of the more recent charges made against the company.
Ford is the first company to test self-driving cars in Washington, DC
Washington, DC has taken some steps to govern self-driving cars, but now it's finally going to see those cars in action. Ford and its partner Argo AI have unveiled plans to test their autonomous vehicles in the US capital with an eye toward commercial service in 2021. The duo already has cars on the road, and will spend the next year expanding its test fleet until it's operating in all eight wards. Yes, you might just see one of these vehicles roaming near the National Mall.
Overwatch League adds teams from Toronto, Vancouver and Paris
Activision Blizzard has rounded out the Overwatch League ranks for the second season of Overwatch's top-level professional competition. The company confirmed that eight more teams will compete, including new additions Toronto and Vancouver (the first Canadian teams in the league), along with Paris, which is the second European squad after the 2018 champions London Spitfire. Teams from Washington, DC, and Chinese cities Chengdu and Hangzhou are also part of the 2019 lineup. They join the previously announced Atlanta and Guangzhou teams as the number of rosters rises to 20 this time around.
FCC shrugs at fake cell towers around the White House
Turns out, Ajit Pai was serious last year when he told lawmakers that the FCC didn't want anything to do with cybersecurity. This past April the Associated Press reported "For the first time, the U.S. government has publicly acknowledged the existence in Washington of what appear to be rogue devices that foreign spies and criminals could be using to track individual cellphones and intercept calls and messages."
Facebook will skip House hearing on social media censorship
Mark Zuckerberg won't be taking another trip to Washington DC anytime soon. There's a hearing on Capitol Hill this Thursday regarding the way social media firms filter content, according to Reuters, and Facebook has declined the House of Representatives' invitation. Google and Twitter did the same. Diamond and Silk, whose names came up repeatedly from Republican lawmakers during Zuckerberg's testimony, however, will be in attendance.
DHS may have found unauthorized Stingray devices in Washington DC
The Associated Press reports today that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has confirmed that it found what appear to be unauthorized cell-site simulators, also known as Stingrays, in Washington DC last year. The agency told Senator Ron Wyden in a letter that it had found "anomalous activity" consistent with these sorts of devices in the Washington area and a DHS official told the AP that the findings were obtained through a 90-day trial that began in January of last year. Senator Wyden sent the DHS a letter last November requesting information on the use of cell-site simulators by foreign intelligence services.
Audi's traffic light countdown tech comes to Washington DC
Audi's traffic light countdown has been rolling out very slowly in the US (it's active in just seven cities so far), but it just made one of its biggest expansions yet: it's now available in Washington, DC. Pull up to one of 600 connected intersections in the country's capital and your compatible Audi will tell you how long you have before the light turns green. You shouldn't be caught off-guard when an interminably long red finally changes.
Elon Musk gets Hyperloop digging permit in Washington, DC
Last year, the internet needled Elon Musk for tweeting he had verbal approval to dig a Hyperloop tunnel in Washington, DC, because officials said they granted no such thing. Now, however, The Boring Company does have an honest-to-gosh written permit, albeit only for some preliminary site preparation and excavation, the Washington Post reports.
Study says body cameras don't always change police behavior
In theory, body cameras are supposed to not only catch police abuses of power, but deter them: officers will be on their best behavior knowing that they could be hauled in. As Washington, DC researchers have learned, though, that isn't guaranteed. They've published a study showing that body cameras didn't significantly affect officers' use of force or the number of civilian complaints in either direction. While there were actually 74 more uses of force per 1,000 officers when body cams were present, that's roughly consistent with a typical range of differences when the equipment comes into play. The changes could just easily be pinned on variances in crime rates, in other words.
Mobike's dockless bike-sharing service comes to Washington, DC
Washington DC is one of the most bike-happy cities in America, with around five percent of commuters pedaling around the city each day. That's one of the reasons why Mobike, a company that has mostly been in China and Europe until now, is launching a pilot for the first dockless bike-sharing program in the capital. It's starting with 200 bikes in the pilot program for now, a pittance next to the millions it has in China, but plans to expand the program across the US if things go well.
Bloomberg: Elon Musk is building his own Hyperloop
Elon Musk may have dreamt up the Hyperloop, but the bulk of its development has been carried out by others. When he unveiled the white paper in 2013, the South African billionaire said that his vision was "open sourced," and it would be for other startups to build it out. Now, however, sources close to Musk say that he will now build his own Hyperloop, starting with the New York to Washington D.C. route.
Cabs in Washington, DC are replacing meters with Square readers
If nothing else, Uber has permanently disrupted the ride-for-hire system that has traditionally been served by taxis. Grabbing a ride has never been easier (at least where services like Lyft and Uber are allowed to operate), and paying with a credit card number stored in an app ensures that none of the drivers or riders need to worry about cash. Taxi companies have been trying to push back, however. Square is helping the fight, too, with a partnership to process payments for cab drivers in Washington, DC.
Apollo 11's crew capsule is going on tour
The Apollo 11 space capsule was displayed around the country in 1970 and 1971, shortly after it safely brought Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins back from their iconic 1969 moon trip. Since then, the command module has lived in the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum. Over the next few years, though, the spacecraft will get some fresh air as it embarks on its first national tour in nearly half a century.
March for Science set for April 22nd
That hoped-for protest against President Trump's anti-science policies? It's on. The newly-named March for Science is now slated to take place on April 22nd -- appropriately, Earth Day -- in both Washington, DC and satellite protests worldwide. The demonstrations will primarily voice opposition to gag orders, funding freezes and other White House attempts to censor climate change science, but it also represents a broader call for politicians to make decisions based on evidence, rather than ideology or corporate agendas.
Scientists prepare their own march against Trump
The Women's March on Washington might not be the only big protest against Donald Trump's policies in the near future. Coordination is underway for a Scientists' March on Washington that, as the name implies, would rally support from anyone who believes that scientific facts should play a role in government policy, regardless of their political leanings. Don't like that Trump wants to censor climate change data or otherwise attempt to prevent scientific knowledge from reaching the public? This might be your chance to make your voice heard.
Uber caps Surge pricing at 3.9x during DC transit crisis
The DC metro system underwent an unprecedented 29-hour emergency shutdown for rail inspection and repairs on Wednesday, throwing the commutes of its 712,000 daily riders into chaos. Many of those riders will turn to Uber for transportation and the ridesharing company announced that it is capping Surge Pricing during this shutdown at 3.9x the standard rate.
House Speaker livestreams snowstorm with world's worst soundtrack
During an election year, politics can get extra annoying. Opponents slamming each other on TV and Twitter. Donald Trump screaming "loser" every five minutes. So House Speaker Paul Ryan decided instead of trying to politicize the snowstorm hitting the nation's capital, he would just point a camera out the window of his office at the Capitol building towards the National Mall. Being social is the new kissing a baby to show everyone that you're just like them. The livestream actually quite soothing once you mute the horrible music that accompanies it. No really, the music is horrendous. But the snow is nice.
