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Los Angeles is hiring an advisor for ridesharing and robotic cars
Los Angeles might be opening up to next-generation transportation between its loosening stance on ridesharing and its deal with Waze, but it's still looking for someone who can shed more light on the subject. Mayor Eric Garcetti has revealed that the city is hiring an advisor who'll create a transportation strategy that factors in newer technology, including ridesharing services and self-driving cars. The hope is that this will modernize both road safety and traffic flow in a metropolis that's notorious for its dependence on cars. The catch? This is a year-long fellowship, not a permanent position. LA may set off in the right direction, but it's not certain that the local government will be prepared if future tech introduces new problems.
White House to announce it's buying 50,000 police body cams
According to The Hill, President Obama is reportedly set to announce a nationwide body camera program on Monday. This pilot project will purchase 50,000 body-worn police cameras at a cost of $20 million and distribute them to law enforcement agencies in a dozen cities. Over the following two years, that figure will balloon to $75 million as the program expands to additional agencies and police departments.
Los Angeles partners with Waze to head off traffic gridlocks
Los Angeles' traffic problems are legendary, which is probably why the City of Angels is following Boston's lead and partnering with Waze for real-time traffic alerts. The LA mayor's office Periscoped the announcement (as you do, I suppose), and tweeted that the partnership could lead to better understanding of how traffic moves in TInseltown and hopefully improve commutes. How's that? Well, the data inherently goes both ways. Specifically, Google's traffic app should tip off drivers to natural road hazards, car crashes and amber alerts while simultaneously informing the county about where backups and other issues are occurring. No word if it'll extend to pointing out where paparazzi are hiding, though.
LA's school board would like all of that iPad money back now, please
Look up the word bungled in a dictionary, and you'll find the definition of the word, so if you want to see what it looks like in practice, head to L.A.. The state's problematic program to get iPads into the hands of low-income students has backfired so spectacularly the school district is now looking for a complete refund. According to the L.A. Times, the state's education board has been having secret meetings with lawyers and has already told Apple and Pearson that it won't accept or pay for future deliveries of tablets and software.
Harrison Ford 'battered, but ok' after crash-landing on a golf course
Actor Harrison Ford (Blade Runner, Indiana Jones, Star Wars -- seriously, it's Harrison Ford) reportedly suffered "moderate injuries" after the PT-22 he was flying (presumably with special modifications) crash-landed at a Los Angeles golf course this afternoon. According to the Associated Press, Ford was breathing and conscious when he was taken to the hospital where he is listed in fair to moderate condition. Naturally TMZ is all over the story, with a witness account of seeing a plane "nose dive" into a tee box at the 8th hole, and audio of his contact with the Santa Monica Airport control tower reporting engine failure. According to a tweet by his son, the actor is "battered, but OK." [Image credit: Associated Press]
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.
LA and San Francisco sue Uber, but settle with Lyft for $500k
Wonder how Uber's week could get worse? Today the district attorneys for Los Angeles and San Francisco announced they're following through on their threat to sue the company, and that they have reached a settlement with its competitor Lyft. According to the DAs (PDF), the lawsuit against Uber is because of "false and misleading statements to consumers." Specifically they take issue with the quality of the background checks Uber claims it uses on drivers and its $1 "Safe Rides" fee, a failure to have authorization to work at airports, and a practice of collecting but not passing on a $4 "airport fee toll" at SFO. SF DA George Gascón and LA DA Jackie Lacey are looking for an injunction to shut Uber's service, penalties and restitution. For its part, Lyft agreed to stop making misleading statements about its background checks, seek authorization from any airports where it offers service and pay $500k in civil penalties. But hey, at least Uber has a Spotify tie-in. Update: Uber spokesperson Eva Behrend said "We will continue to engage in discussions with the District Attorneys" and that Uber is a safe part of the transportation ecosystem. Check after the break for the full statement. [Image credit: ZUMA Press, Inc. / Alamy]
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.
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."
TV stations try sharing their airwaves to make room for 4G traffic
TV stations selling spectrum in the FCC's upcoming wireless auction may soon have a viable alternative to moving or shutting down their channels. Two Los Angeles broadcasters, KJLA and KLCS, have agreed to participate in a CTIA-backed pilot project that will test whether or not they can share airspace without interference. If the trial is successful, stations will have much more incentive to give up their frequencies for the sake of phone carriers eager for 4G bandwidth -- networks will get to both keep their channels as well as reduce their operating costs in the process. Cellular providers will have to wait patiently for results, though, as the trial will run through the first quarter of the year.
Massive budget SNAFU further damages LA's student iPad program
There's likely nothing more embarrassing for educators than messing up their own arithmetic, but as the LA Times reports, that's just what happened with the Los Angeles school district's student iPad program. On top of the fact that a good number of students have already found a way around the school district's attempts to prevent non-educational use, it now seems that the US$30 million that was approved for purchasing the Apple tablets isn't nearly enough for what the district actually needs -- and it was a simple math error that caused the confusion. When coming up with the budget request for the iPad program, the district priced the iPads at $700 each, taking into account a discount program that the schools aren't actually eligible for. So when the order was placed, each iPad cost $100 more than what the schools originally planned, meaning a whole lot less hardware for the same amount of money. On top of that, the budget didn't take into account physical keyboards and other accessories that push the final price tag far past where it should have been. However, the number of iPads the district secures may not matter for much longer, as some school officials have already began collecting the iPads, effectively killing the program or at the very least putting it into an unfortunate hiatus.
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]
All 640,000 kids in Los Angeles school district to get iPads
Last month, the LA Times reported that the city was using US$30 million to provide 35,000 iPads to students in 47 school districts. A new report today from CITEWorld confirms that this initial deployment is only the first phase of a larger program that'll provide iPads to every student in the nation's second largest school district. As part of the larger plan, the Los Angeles Unified School District will hand out iPads to all 640,000 students by the end of 2014. The first rollout of the tablets is being funded by taxpayer dollars, but Mark Hovatter, chief facilities executive for the LAUSD, expects to find additional funding for the rest of the plan. "We're hoping that will get a lot of private donors," Hovatter told CITEworld. This is good news for Apple as it brings in a large educational contract for the Cupertino company and exposes a younger generation to the iOS platform.
Los Angeles School District iPad scheme confirms all 640,000 students will benefit
Last month we reported that Apple was to provide iPads to the Los Angeles school district. At the time, the numbers looked like only a slice of the region's 640,000 students would receive the hardware (just 31,000 of them initially). New information indicates that this is actually just the first wave, and in fact every one of the region's kids will benefit from the scheme -- as confirmed by Mark Hovatter, chief facilities executive for LAUSD. This is of course great news for those in the area, but not all that bad for Apple's bottom line, either, we're guessing.
Los Angeles puts ridesharing companies on notice, demands local permits
Someone didn't get the memo, apparently. Despite California's Public Utilities Commission giving ridesharing services the all clear on a statewide level, Los Angeles' Department of Transportation has sent cease-and-desist warnings to Lyft, Sidecar and Uber, claiming that all three are breaking local laws by operating without city permits. Drivers could face arrests and lose their cars if they keep serving customers, according to the notices. Not surprisingly, the ridesharing firms have a very different opinion. Uber tells Engadget that it's operating a limousine-like service which only needs PUC permission to operate, and Lyft says it's talking with the Mayor's office to resolve what it believes is a "state issue." For now, we're at an impasse -- let's just hope that Los Angeles follows in New York's footsteps and tries to reach a happy medium.
Apple providing iPads to Los Angeles school district in $30 million contract
Apple won a contract this week with the Los Angeles Unified School District to provide iPads to its students, netting Cupertino $30 million across the next two years. The agreement will roll out iPads to students at 47 campuses; the iPads cost $678 apiece (nearly $200 more than a standard entry level iPad) and come loaded with educational software. Bizarrely, with tablets priced at $678 apiece, $30 million only nets LA schools approximately 45,000 iPads, while the school district comprises 640,000 students. We asked Apple to clarify and were told that the contract is for 31,000 iPads (for both students and teachers) which come with "Pearson Common Core System of Courses delivered via a new app." That's in addition to Apple standards like iWork, iLife, and iTunes, as well as "a range of educational third-party apps" included. The first iPads arrive in classrooms this fall, in what is deemed the "first phase" of a larger rollout. The battle for LA's school contract was hard fought, with both board members and a Microsoft rep pushing back against student / teacher ratings and the overall cost. The teachers union president Warren Fletcher requested the money be spent on hiring new staff over mass-buying iPads, while district officials argued that national student tests require computer literacy, the LA Times reports -- the board voted unanimously (6 - 0) to approve the contract. Traditionally, iPads have been used in college-level education -- both Seton Hill (not Seton Hall) and Tennessee's Webb School use Apple's tablet. [Image credit: 'flickingerbrad']
