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NYC extends its cap on Uber and Lyft vehicles
New York City will cap the number of Uber and Lyft vehicles on its streets for another year. Today, the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) voted to extend the cap it approved last summer, which limits the number of for-hire-vehicles that can operate in the city. The rule is meant to fight traffic congestion and increase drivers' wages, but it has plenty of critics, including Uber and Lyft.
NYC’s mayor has a plan to get e-bikes on city roads
San Francisco and other cities around the US have been rolling out pedal-assisted e-bike sharing programs to help decrease street traffic and air pollution. Now New York City's Mayor Bill de Blasio has directed his city's Department of Transportation to start making rules that allow pedal-assist bicycles on the streets. Throttle e-bikes that can travel faster than 20 MPH, will not be included in the legalization effort, however. Pedal-assist bikes have been illegal to operate under the current administration due to safety concerns.
NYC's parking meters are getting a big upgrade this year
Driving in New York City is stressful enough as it is and that's before you have to try finding a parking spot only to realize that you're out of quarters. Mayor Bill de Blasio has a plan in place for making the latter easier, however: upgrading Gotham's 85,000 parking meters so they all accept smartphone-based payment systems by year's end. Rather than printing out a slip and putting it on your dashboard, soon you'll be able to just flash your phone at the new Muni-Meters.
Activist @Deray Mckesson is running for mayor of Baltimore
In yet another sign of social media's growing impact on the world, one of the most well-known figures of the #BlackLivesMatter movement is running for political office. Deray Mckesson (@Deray) filed just ahead of tonight's deadline to join the Democratic primary for Baltimore's mayoral race. According to the Baltimore Sun, there are 28 people currently registered to run including 13 Democrats, with a deadline of Friday to withdraw from consideration. Former mayor Sheila Dixon is reportedly leading the crowded field, and it remains to be seen how far the combination of activism and significant Twitter/Instagram following can take a political outsider in the race.
London Mayor calls for UK to legalise hoverboards
Even though they can't actually levitate, "hoverboard" self-balancing scooters have become a huge hit. Celebrities are jumping on the two-wheeled bandwagon, either signing deals to promote the next big brand or attaching their name to one of their own. That's helped boost sales of the popular toy in the UK, but the law actually dictates that they can't be ridden in a public space.The Crown Prosecution Service says that the Highway Act 1835 limits hoverboard use on pavements, while various vehicle registration agencies won't licence or register them for road use. Riders can be fined up to £500 if caught doing so, but London Mayor Boris Johnson is making it his mission to legalise their use based on "intergenerational fairness."
The Uber effect: government report shows London's private taxi boom
Private taxi apps like Uber and Hailo are becoming ever popular, but not everyone is happy with their UK expansion. But how widespread are they? According to new figures from the Department of Transport, the number of private hire vehicles in England has risen by 11.8 percent since 2013, with London seeing a massive 26 percent rise alone. There are now a record 62,754 private vehicles operating in the capital, up from 49,854 in 2013.
London's Mayor plans Knowledge-like test for Uber drivers
London's Mayor wants Uber drivers to pass a test similar to the "Knowledge" before they can start working in the capital. In a State of London debate, Boris Johnson said it wasn't fair that taxi drivers spend years preparing for the famous exam, which tests their geographic knowledge, while minicab drivers are able to take to the streets straight away. The MP also said he disapproves of "the brash attitudes" of large American internet companies and wants to do more to champion London's black cab industry. As such, his proposed test for minicabs would be easier than the Knowledge to ensure regular cabbies "retain their distinctiveness." It would, however, make certain that Uber drivers "understand more than the difference between left and right," according to the Mayor.
Uber clashes with London mayor over cap on minicab numbers
While the city's black cab drivers wait for the High Court to decide whether Uber's operation in London is legal, they may soon be given a helping hand by mayor Boris Johnson. The Financial Times reports that the recently-elected MP has backed proposals limit the number of minicabs operating in the capital, effectively blocking Uber's expansion plans. The private taxi company isn't prepared to take it lying down, though, and has already sought to meet with the mayor to discuss the issue. In a letter seen by the newspaper, Uber UK head Jo Bertram argued that action would result in "higher prices" and negatively affect Londoners' ability to move around the capital.
Foursquare is bringing mayorships back for Swarm
When Foursquare split its app into two separate services, Swarm and Foursquare, some users were unhappy that their favorite gamification elements had been nuked. If you were checking in with Swarm, for instance, it was no longer possible to unlock badges and compete for mayorships with the entire community. Well, it seems Dennis Crowley's startup is finally relenting and giving the people what they want. The company says global mayorships with be added to Swarm "soon" and that henceforth, all check-ins will count towards them. While badges are still noticeably absent, Foursquare is rolling out 100 new stickers which users can add to their check-ins, photos and messages. Will it be enough to win back those that checked out after the Swarm-Foursquare split? Maybe not, but at least the company has recognised what made Foursquare such a hit in the first place.
Foursquare 7 introduces a scannable redesign and smarter location recommendations for users
For people who live in big cities where there's simply too much for one person to take in by themselves, Foursquare can be a blessing. It can be a way to build a curated list of recommendations based on which places have brought joy to your friends, maybe find a good discount and, most importantly, become the mayor of the hippest bar in town. Foursquare has already released one update to coincide with the updated look of iOS 7, but today it's unveiled version 7.0 of its app featuring a complete redesign and new features. The most important addition to Foursquare 7.0 is the app's improved notification and recommendation system. When you check in at a new restaurant, the app will alert you to which dishes are the best reviewed on the menu. When you first arrive in a city or new neighborhood, if you have notifications turned on, the app will provide a list of places to try out based on your choices and those of your friends. If you're weary of turning on push notifications because of how annoying they can be, Foursquare understands. In an interview with TechCrunch, Foursquare's Vice President of Product Experience, Jon Steinbeck, explained the company has optimized its notifications by looking into what users actually respond to. This means you should expect more notifications when you're arriving at a location and fewer random suggestions. Notifications also use significantly less of your battery life than previous versions. Its new look helps users quickly scan through their recommendations, tips and specials with a simple finger swipe. You'll notice your check-in feed finally takes up your whole screen instead of being split with the maps or trending events that used to take up space on the screen. As a whole, it's a cleaner, less-cluttered and easier-to-navigate take on an already well-designed app. This is the most powerful version of Foursquare yet. If being a mayor of a hot new local dive bar is important to you, consider this upgrade a positive step toward building your power.
Chicago mayor targets affordable gigabit broadband, free WiFi throughout city parks
If Rahm Emanuel has his way, then Chicago's broadband access may very well give Kansas City a run for its money. The mayor of the Windy City has now revealed a rather ambitious initiative that would (ideally) overhaul the city's broadband infrastructure and provide affordable, gigabit-class fiber internet to areas that primarily serve industry, higher education and entrepreneurial startups. The idea came to Emanuel through Eric Schmidt, who suggested the upgrade be coordinated alongside the city's overhaul of its aging water / sewer system. Before any of this can happen, however, Chicago must first secure commitments from companies that would be willing to install and pay for the new upgrades. As a potential incentive, it's been suggested by Crain's Chicago Business that the city may offer some of its own unused fiber resources on a favorable lease. In addition to the hopes for ultra-fast broadband, Emanuel's project, dubbed the Chicago Broadband Challenge, also seeks to extend low-cost, high-speed internet to underserved areas of the city and to bring free WiFi access to all public spaces such as parks and plazas. Although mostly a token gesture, mayor Emanuel announced the immediate availability of free WiFi in Chicago's Millennium Park. The city is currently soliciting plans and proposals of how to approach the ambitious project, and you're invited to become a bit more familiar with these grand ambitions with the PR and source links below. [Chicago photo credit: Nimesh M / Flickr]
Animal Crossing 3DS arrives in Japan this fall
Nintendo has announced in its Nintendo Direct presentation this evening that Animal Crossing 3DS will arrive in Japan later on this Fall. So the wait's not long at all until you get to take over the animal town as mayor yourself, and proclaim your dominance over the various creatures of the town.Unfortunately, we're all slaves to both capitalism and fate: A short trailer for the game showed the player shopping for extra items, customizing the inside of a house with things like a TV and furniture, and even visiting a crazy cat fortune teller for an out-of-this-world psychic reading. Just goes to show you: There's always someone higher up the totem pole.
Tim Cook meets with mayor of Beijing
Tim Cook was spotted in a Beijing Apple store on Monday and a report from a Chinese newspaper says the Apple CEO also met with Guo Jinlong, mayor of Beijing, later that day. Details about the meeting are not known, but it is thought he talked about market expansion and working more closely in the future with the Chinese city. Apple spokesperson Carolyn Wu confirmed Cook's trip to China and said, "Tim is in China meeting with government officials. China is very important to us and we look forward to greater investment and growth here." [Via Computerworld]
Foursquare PS Vita app hits US PlayStation Store, gives you another reason to consider 3G
Good news for all you socially connected (and hip) regulars of local retail establishments -- who have PS Vitas, of course. Sony's just announced that the free Foursquare app has officially landed at the PlayStation Store (US), and it can be yours for a paltry 4.5MBs of space on your precious proprietary memory card. The app works over WiFi, however, the fine print advises that users may want to use 3G for the best results to help alongside the Vita's GPS. Notably, the rear touchpad and cameras are listed as being compatible with the app, as well. We've poked around the app for a few minutes, and it does feel peppy compared to what we experienced with Facebook (while it was available, anyway) -- the only oddity that's arisen lies with the map functionality, which opens a Google Maps page within the Vita's browser rather than its Maps app. Now that we can watch Netflix over WiFi, and view our Flickr albums along with Tweeting and "Checking In" between our ModNation racing tours, how's about finally letting us get our Skype on? (P.S. We'd really like Facebook back in the store, too!)
Ten things to do in Star Wars Galaxies before it's gone
When SOE announced that Star Wars Galaxies would be sunsetted by the end of the year, many players despaired. They gave up. They saw their long years (eight years!) of play turn to dust. But others looked on the impending closure as incentive to do all those things they'd been putting off, all the activities they just hadn't gotten around to. There hadn't been time. The game is too big for anyone to do it all. And that's precisely why Star Wars Galaxies is a legend among sandbox fans despite the NGE disaster. It's a living museum of great MMO ideas from the past, of player-driven economies, of open-world housing, of high-end, game-supported roleplay, of roaming in a game that lets you dictate the terms of your play. It's a rare relic you should see in the flesh, today, right now, before it's gone. You can pick up a weapon and fight in any MMO (excepting A Tale in the Desert, that is), but there are so many things you can do in Star Wars Galaxies that you can't do anywhere else with the same level of immersion. And I'm going to tell you which 10 you should do first... before it's too late.
New York City marks April 16th as Foursquare Day, Mayor feeling good about his chances
16 is the product of squaring four, so naturally the date of April 16th is the most logical one to be called Foursquare Day. Just why such a celebration should exist is less obvious. As it turns out, a grassroots movement of Foursquare users built up steam around the idea of dedicating a day to the online check-in service, that concept then filtered through to Foursquare's founders who decided to go "100% in on this," and now, somewhat surprisingly, so has New York City Mayor (the elected one) Mike Bloomberg. As Mike sees it, Foursquare represents a fine example of NYC's startup-friendly environment, which is why he's giving it and its heretofore informal Foursquare Day celebration the official NYC seal of approval. He even went so far as to deliver a Mayoral Proclamation to the Foursquare offices, which you can see for yourself after the break.
Mayor of Newark, New Jersey starts Twitter blizzard cleanup snowpocalypse revolution
Newark, New Jersey's popular Mayor, Cory Booker, has had a novel reaction to the problems the blizzard is causing for his people: he's listening to them, and trying to help. Shocking, we know. Even more interesting, of course, is the fact that he's using Twitter to do so. While phone lines all over the tri-state area remain a joke (try calling an airline or public hotline), Twitter has presented Newark's Mayor with a unique, and incredibly direct way of interacting with people who need help with everything from getting their streets plowed to delivering diapers -- personally in many situations. While it's not exactly enough to make us consider a move to Newark, it's certainly impressive.
Google's 1Gbps broadband offer brings out the crazy in municipal officers around the States (video)
You'll be aware by now that Google's cooking up an experimental high speed broadband network, which is currently in the process of collecting applications and nominations from interested communities. Given the limited coverage planned -- anywhere between 50,000 and 500,000 people -- there's understandably a lot of competition to get your small town on Google's radar, and city officials all around the USA have been doing their utmost to grab some publicity for their locale. Duluth mayor Don Ness can be seen above taking a dip in Minnesota's icy Lake Superior (with his unfortunate underling Richard Brown taking a fish to the face), while others have held parades, danced, invented a "Google Fiber" flavor of ice cream, and even swam with sharks for the sake of that precious fiber. Duluth, however, is the only place officially endorsed by a senator, and you can see Al Franken promote the city's virtues on video after the break. [Thanks, b3ast] Update: We've now also got video of the actual dip in the water, slide past the break to see it [Thanks, TheLostSwede].
Former Baltimore mayor's telltale Xbox 360 now on eBay
Here's a bit of backstory for those of you who don't follow the hot Baltimore news scoops: Sheila Dixon, once mayor of Baltimore, became the former mayor Baltimore after being indicted for embezzlement earlier this year. One of the main pieces of evidence in her trial was an Xbox 360 prosecutors claimed she purchased with gift cards given to her by local developers, which were supposed to be given to various charities. The telltale 360 recently appeared in an eBay listing, attracting a number of prospective buyers hoping to get their hands on the game console/slice of Baltimore history. If you're interested in owning a device which is capable of single-handedly ending someone's mayoral career, the auction is still running. Its price is significantly higher than a standard console, but you've got to pay a premium for all that history. [Via Baltimore Sun]
Yelp updates with check-ins, Foursquare not happy
Location-based social networking on the iPhone is a tough game to play, apparently -- the popular Yelp app [iTunes link] has recently updated to version 4.0, and along with a friend finder, hooks to Facebook and Twitter, and an updated version of their augmented reality Monocle feature, they've added the ability to "check-in" from locations around whatever city you live in. When you visit a great pizzeria, for example, you can send a ping out that says you've been there along with what you think of it. This replicates the functionality of another app, Foursquare [iTunes link], which is steadily building up its own social network prowess (you may have seen the "mayor of" tweets lately -- that's Foursquare doing its thing, either on iPhone or through a desktop interface). In this case, the imitation isn't appreciated -- Foursquare co-founder Dennis Crowley tore apart Yelp's new feature in a recent tumblr post, both comparing the two extremely similar "check-in" systems to each other and claiming that Yelp "copied the wrong stuff," and that Foursquare is already working on improvements to their own system. Which is the good news for us consumers, as competition tends to breed some great innovation. Personally, I haven't been too interested in an app that helps me broadcast my location everywhere just yet, but there's no question that these are popular apps and their popularity is growing. We'll have to see what new features Foursquare has planned and how Yelp eventually responds.
