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LA's newer cell towers will keep working after earthquakes
Cellular networks are only trustworthy if they continue running in emergencies, and Los Angeles knows it. The city's council has voted for legislation that requires all new cell towers to be tough enough to remain functional after a major earthquake -- not just standing, like they need to do today. Officials believe that this will involve only a "marginal" hike in costs, but should make a huge difference the next time a big quake rocks LA and leaves residents scrambling for help. This hardening process won't be truly comprehensive until carriers start replacing existing towers, which could take years. However, patience could be a virtue if it keeps families and rescue teams in touch when a disaster strikes. [Image credit: Getty Images]
Amazon Destinations handpicks hotels in LA, NY and Seattle
Amazon's rumored new travel site has appeared and it's well, exactly as rumored. While the company previously sold flash-sale hotel rooms as part of Amazon Local, alongside steep discounts, Destinations is more about curated hotels. The service currently focuses on areas around LA, New York and Seattle, with the aim of selling short-term getaways that are near to those aforementioned transport hubs. There's no news on whether it'd roll-out the new service to other US areas (let alone other countries), but it wouldn't be a shocker if it did. The site is already accepting user reviews, but expanding the service will likely depend on how many people are looking to pay typical list prices - if only because it's paired with the ubiquity of Amazon.
Los Angeles schools won't be giving students their own devices
Los Angeles' one-time dream of giving every student an iPad (or any device, for that matter) just got dashed. The city's school district superintendent, Ramon Cortines, tells the press that he doesn't believe LA "can afford" gadgets for each student. Instead, schools will fall back on a more conservative model that doles out hardware when kids need it for lessons and tests. The move is unfortunate if you like the idea of young learners having their own laptops and tablets, but there's no question that reviving earlier plans would have been daunting. The iPad effort was going to be expensive ($1.3 billion, at last count), and it ran into problems with misuse almost as soon as it began. Cortines suggests that the initiative reduced education to a "gimmick of the year" -- to him, device programs have to be sustainable. [Image credit: AP Photo/Michael Conroy]
Los Angeles' subway is getting cellphone service and WiFi
A few cities in the US have wireless service in their subway systems, but not Los Angeles. Take a trip to Wilshire Boulevard, for example, and you'll stay incommunicado until you're back above ground. You won't be out of touch for too much longer, though. The city and InSite Wireless have started deploying both cellular service and WiFi at subway stations, beginning with the Red Line. The launch will be modest early on, with four stations getting WiFi by May and cellular service coming in August. LA's plans are much more ambitious in the next couple of years, however. A second wave should get both the Purple Line and more of the Red Line up and running by June 2016, while the Gold Line railway's tunnels should be connected by March 2017.
The LAPD is getting a body camera for every officer on the street
We've seen a few police departments institute wearable cameras for their officers, but not to the scale of what Los Angeles is doing. The city is purchasing 7,000 body cameras for its cops in an effort to increase transparency, according to The LA Times. At a press conference, LA Mayor Eric Garcetti admitted that cameras weren't a cure-all for the current climate surrounding the nation's police forces, but that they're a "critical part of the formula." The cameras will record audio and video, with advocates telling The LA Times that the tech could insulate against officer misconduct and possibly clear police accused of wrongdoing.
Uber offering UberPlus in LA for 'balling on a budget'
In an appearance-obsessed city like Los Angeles, image, dahling, is everything. That's why you can't simply take a taxi between auditions, the juice bar and hanging out at your agent's office. Your ride should be stylish, but thrifty, since an UberBlack would empty your bank account in the better part of a week. That's why Uber is launching UberPlus, a service that slots in between Uber X and UberBlack and offers "balling on a budget." Rather than rolling up in a Prius, you'll have a pick of lower-level executive rides like a BMW 3 Series, C-Class Benz or an Audi A4. Even better, is that UberPlus' minimum fee is just $5, $3 less than UberBlack, which is good, since the only thing standing between you and moving back home is the residuals from that vitamin infomercial.
Engadget Live L.A. was all about that bass (and some treble)
We've had a great run this year with all our Engadget Live events, taking us to Austin, Seattle, Boston and finally Los Angeles. We packed into the Belasco Theatre in downtown L.A. along with some amazing people and exhibitors -- one who was all about that bass and some...bananas.
We're taking over Los Angeles on October 3rd!
Austin, Seattle and Boston welcomed our Engadget Live tour this year with open arms and before we gear up for Engadget Expand, we're heading to one more city: Los Angeles. Grab your free tickets and join us at the Belasco Theater on October 3rd at 7PM.
Los Angeles freezes its iPad program for schools
Los Angeles' grand dreams of putting iPads in schools came into question a month ago, and they've now come to a screeching halt. Superintendent John Deasy has suspended a contract with Apple to both "take advantage of an ever-changing marketplace" (read: diversify hardware) and, crucially, to investigate recently raised ethical concerns. Allegedly, both Deasy and a top deputy have close links to executives at both Apple and curriculum provider Pearson, calling the whole iPad program into question; it suggests that officials were doing personal favors rather than taking kids' needs into account. Deasy is quick to claim that his team was only working closely with Apple and Pearson on the pilot, not the contract, and offered a deal to another major vendor. Whether or not that's true, the suspension suggests that the vision of an iPad in every LA classroom may never come to pass -- it's more likely that the broader device selection is here to stay. [Image credit: Schooltechnology.org/Lexie Flickinger, Flickr]
Uber drivers reportedly dealing with robberies in Los Angeles
For Uber, its rise to the top hasn't always gone smoothly. From facing legal challenges across different parts of the world, to battling it out verbally with competitors, the ridesharing company has had to fight hard to make a name for itself. And now things have apparently taken a turn for the worse, at least for some of its drivers. According to PandoDaily, a number of Uber drivers in Los Angeles say they have been suffering from serious attacks, such as robberies at gunpoint, in recent months. The report, which cites three drivers who spoke on condition of anonymity, claims that people with bad intentions are using the Uber app to locate drivers on a map in order to rob them. While, in most cases, these criminals are looking to steal the Uber-provided phones carried by operators, PandoDaily was told someone was, at one point, the victim of a carjacking situation. Either way, the main concern here shouldn't be the iPhones or vehicles at stake, but rather every driver's safety. We've reached out to Uber for comment and will update this story if we hear back.
Alcohol delivery app adds underwear model couriers, could make bad ideas worse
It's the times we live in: an app that delivers booze just isn't appealing enough. Saucey, an app that does exactly that is launching a sleepover pack that involves collaborating with an underwear company.. and some purchases will be accompanied by underwear models. Priced between $40 and $100, packages will include that all-important liquor, some mixers, clean underwear, sunglasses (?) and a hangover recovery drink. If you're looking for the accompanying underwear models, they'll be delivering around LA between 4 and 9pm - and no, they won't be along for every order. The deal only runs for a week, though, which is hopefully short enough to ensure that nothing disastrous occurs.
Google letting curious explorers take Glass for a free spin
Glass has run the opinion gamut from "great" to "hate" to "surprisingly useful," but Google thinks you should forget all that. We just received an invitation (after the break) to several Google Glass "Basecamp" offices with the following teaser: "There's a lot of talk about Glass, but have you tried it for yourself yet?" If you're near San Francisco, LA or New York, you'll need to schedule an invitation for a fitting, service or a demo. For those worried about the original, not-so-stylish cyborg look, Google has hooked up with couture magnate Diane Von Furstenberg to create more normal eyewear designs. And of course, anybody can get them now -- as long as you're willing to burn $1,500.
LA school officials shift from free iPads to laptops and hybrids
An iPad for every student was the plan. Then, some students were too smart for their own good, quickly enabling their for-learnin' iPads to access to anything on the web, including Twitter, Facebook and all that other fun stuff. LA's school district now plans to differentiate what it offers its students, authorizing purchases for one of six different devices, including laptops and hybrids such as Chromebooks, Microsoft's Surface Pro 2 and Lenovo's Yoga Touch. This fall, teachers and students will test these laptops to see if they fit. "The benefit of the new approach is clear," said Los Angeles school board member Monica Ratliff, talking to the LA Times. "Why would we treat all our students - whether they are a first-grader or a high school freshman - as if they all had the same technology needs? They don't."
It's official: Steve Ballmer is buying the LA Clippers for $2 billion
The papers are signed and the deal is done (pending approval by the NBA's Board of Governors). Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer really is buying the LA Clippers (you can say LA Clippys, once) for $2 billion, now that the NBA, owner Donald Sterling's wife Shelly Sterling and the Sterling Family trust have resolved their dispute. Donald Sterling announced earlier today that he's filing a $1 billion lawsuit against the league for trying to take away his team after racist statements he made leaked out. To cover that, as part of the sale agreement his wife and the family trust have indemnified the league against any lawsuits from others (read: Donald Sterling). So what will Ballmer do with the Clippers? It's not clear, but he's apparently stated that he will not be moving them to Seattle to take the place of the departed Supersonics. [Image credit: Noel Vasquez/GC Images]
Google takes its same-day delivery service to New York and LA
Just over a year after it started offering same-day deliveries to San Franciscans, Google's Shopping Express has finally made its way out of California. The service, which offers expedited shipping from major stores like Target, Staples and Walgreens, but also local businesses, has expanded to parts of New York and Los Angeles. Residents living in Manhattan can now call upon Google to deliver groceries, gadgets and office supplies in super-fast time. Shoppers in Culver City, Inglewood, Marina Del Rey, Santa Monica, Venice, West Los Angeles and Westwood are now also eligible, extending the search giant's California footprint in the process. To kickstart its expansion, Google is throwing in six months of unlimited free deliveries and says it'll add other parts of Los Angeles in the coming months, undoubtedly giving Amazon and other brick-and-mortar stores something to think about.
Daily Roundup: Google's 15th anniversary, Stir's Kinetic Desk, iOS 7.0.2 and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
LA officials may delay school iPad rollout after students hack them in a week
Just a week after it began the first phase of putting iPads in the hands of all 640,000 students in the region, the Los Angeles school district already has a fight on its hands. In a matter of days, 300 children at Theodore Roosevelt High School managed to work around protective measures placed on the Apple tablets, giving them complete access to features -- including Facebook, Twitter and other apps -- that should otherwise have been blocked. Students bypassed the security lock on the device by deleting a personal profile preloaded in the settings -- a simple trick that has the school district police chief recommending the board limit the $1 billion rollout (including hardware and other related expenses) before it turns into a "runaway train scenario." For now, officials have banned home use of the iPads while they assess ways to better restrict access -- they would have gotten away with it, too, if it wasn't for those meddling kids. [Original image credit: flickingerbrad, Flickr]
Adidas labs unveils 99-gram adizero soccer boot and smart ball to help raise your game
Adidas isn't shy about embracing technology. In fact, sometimes it takes that a little further than you might expect. Today, however, it's very much about genuine performance enhancement as we were invited down to a not-so-secret location in central London to look at its latest innovations in (to use the local parlance) football. Think you've got Premier League potential? Even if you don't, Adidas thinks its got a few tricks that might help you at least get a few steps nearer, so to speak. Jog past the break to find out what it's been working on.
TomTom HD Traffic 6.0 upgrade ready for consumers, hopes to guide them through LA traffic
Stuck in traffic? Get off your phone, then update your TomTom -- the company announced today that its latest traffic service update, HD Traffic 6.0 is ready to get you out of that traffic jam. The updated service sources real-time data anonymously collected from other TomTom users, and promises to identify 65 percent more road closures than its previous system. Culling data from the service, TomTom was even able to identify Los Angeles as the most congested city in North America -- though we'd hardly consider a call that obvious roadway clairvoyance. On the other hand, we're not about to argue with anything that gets us off the road faster. Read on for TomTom's official press announcement.
NYT: Penguin to extend ebook and audiobook library rentals to LA and Cleveland
Penguin will refresh its ebook lending system later today, according to a report from the New York Times. The publisher will start lending out its titles in Los Angeles and Cleveland, mimicking the program that trialled (despite some DRM issues) in New York. Public library users can even expect downloadable audiobooks to join the lending list soon, through a team-up between Penguin and OneClickDigital. Expect the same lending rules, with new books appearing six months after their first release and the bizarre 'one copy at a time' system, in which each title can only be rented at one person at any one time. Worse still, at least for libraries, at the end of each year they must buy each title again or lose access to the digital copy. [Image courtesy Sten Rüdrich]
