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NY Attorney General takes aim at high-tech ticket scalpers
The state of New York has been known to take the lead on matters of consumer protection, and it looks like Attorney General Eric Schneiderman will do so once more. Schneiderman's office released a report titled "Obstructed View: What's Blocking New Yorkers from Getting Tickets" that details the "fixed game" of trying to secure admission to high-profile events. Following a three-year investigation, the report discusses an online ticketing business where brokers are use bots and other tech to nab loads of tickets in seconds. Of course, those tickets are then resold at higher prices based on demand.
Explore New York's Guggenheim museum with Google's help
When it isn't capturing (tiny) city streets and picturesque locations, Google's Street View team also catalogs the collections of some of the world's most iconic cultural buildings. With help from the Google Cultural Institute, we've already explored the 4,500 artifacts inside the British Museum, but for its latest project, the organisation has hopped back across the Atlantic to New York and inside the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.
Time Warner Cable's monthly prices are going up in New York
Last month, Time Warner Cable confirmed some customers would see their bill go up beginning in mid-January. And, well, here we are. The upcoming price hikes apply to both cable and internet users in the state of New York, as the Albany Times Union pointed out. For starters, TWC's Basic and Standard web services will now cost $49.99 and $59.99 per month, compared to the previous $47.99 and $57.99, respectively. That's not much of a change right away, sure, but it adds up over time.
DraftKings and FanDuel will remain open in NY during appeal
Daily fantasy sites DraftKings and FanDuel are free to continue operating in the state of New York. After a judge banned the gaming services from taking funds for a few hours last month, an appeals court ruled that the two companies could continue games in the state until an appellate panel reviewed the case. According to ESPN's Darren Rovell, the panel has done so, and it decided that the sites could stay open during the appeals process. The decision follows an amended lawsuit by New York attorney general Eric Schneiderman asking for the companies to not only return profits made in the state, but refund lost money and pay a $5,000 fine per customer. Refunding the entry fees alone could cost the sites up to $200 million.
Nintendo is renovating its one-of-a-kind New York store
Nintendo's headquarters may be in Kyoto, Japan, but the spiritual center, where most big US console launches happen, is the Nintendo World store at Rockefeller Plaza, New York. The only official Nintendo store in the world is about to undergo a major renovation and when it's over, it'll also have a new name -- Nintendo NY. The new look will include an updated interior design, new Wii U and 3DS demo units, a 15-foot gaming screen and a large bronze coin at the entrance with the tagline "Where everyone comes to play" (below).
500 of NYC's free WiFi kiosks will be installed by July
LinkNYC's ambitious plan to convert some 7,500 Gotham payphones into kiosks featuring free domestic phone calls, USB charging points, gigabit WiFi and tablet-based internet access is well under way. But if you're having trouble finding them so far (it's only been about a week since installations started) that's understandable. The company promises that some 510 of them will be up and running in beta phase across two sections of Manhattan, the South Bronx, Jamaica Queens, Staten Island and Flatbush Ave in Brooklyn by this July.
Politicians are trying to legalize 'hoverboards' in New York
Plenty of New Yorkers will have woken up on Christmas morning and discovered a motorized two-wheeler, otherwise known as a "hoverboard," underneath their festive tree. The electric curiosities are currently illegal to ride in the city, but a small group of politicians are fighting to lift the ban with an amended set of traffic laws. New York State Senator Jose Peralta held a news conference yesterday with Assembleyman David Weprin and council members Andy King and Ydanis Rodriguez; they're pushing forward two bills which, if passed by the New York Senate and Assembly, could make the devices legal on public roads and sidewalks.
NY Attorney General wants public to report broadband speeds
If you're a New York resident, here's your chance to tell the state government how bad your internet service really is. The state's Attorney General wants the public to test their broadband speeds and report the findings as part of an investigation into ISP speed and service claims. Attorney General Eric Schneiderman asked citizens to pitch in on Sunday as his office continues to examine whether or not the likes of Verizon, Time Warner Cable and Cablevision provide lower broadband speeds than what customers are paying for.
FanDuel, DraftKings can operate in New York for now (updated)
FanDuel and DraftKings will not be allowed to operate in New York while the companies fight in court against state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, who contends the sites constitute illegal gambling. State Supreme Court Judge Manuel Mendez ruled on Friday that the sites shut down until the legal battle is resolved, noting that the decision is "not a final determination of the merits and rights of the parties," The Wall Street Journal reports. Schneiderman fought for the temporary shut-down, while both sites (unsuccessfully) argued that they should be allowed to operate during the trial.
Half of Airbnb's New York City hosts are breaking the law
New York's Attorney General already suspects that most Airbnb rentals in New York City are dodgy, and he now has some extra evidence to back up that claim... from Airbnb itself. The room sharing service has published data which, when given a close inspection, reveals that 55 percent of NYC hosts are (typically) violating the law by renting out whole apartments while they're gone. They're not necessarily setting up illegal hotels, but the Attorney General's 2014 report revealed that 37 percent of revenue came from hosts with three or more listings. Unless there's been a change in the past year, the odds are high that some of those recent hosts are abusing Airbnb to make a tidy profit.
New York's anti-terror reporting app could easily cause problems
New York state is understandably more anxious than ever about terrorist threats, and it's hoping that some mobile technology will bolster its defenses. Governor Cuomo has launched a campaign that encourages New Yorkers to use See Something, Send Something, a smartphone app that helps you report suspicious activity to officials. While the software is already in use in five states, this promises to be its biggest test yet. It's coming to one of the most populous parts of the country, and one where terrorist attacks have been all too real.
FanDuel warned staff against winning too often on rival sites
DraftKings and FanDuel may have bitten off more than they can chew when they sued New York to keep their daily fantasy sports games alive in the state. FanDuel's corporate policies from before it self-regulated have been entered into evidence, and some of them only seem to confirm worries about staff abusing their power while playing on rival sites. For a start, the site told workers to "never be among the top five" players on any daily fantasy site, or the top 10 on the tracking site RotoGrinders. They also couldn't have disproportionate numbers of entries in tournaments, and they were supposed to avoid using information on player lineups whenever possible. In other words, don't be too successful -- we don't want you raising suspicions that the games might be rigged.
Self-balancing skateboards are illegal in New York, too
If you ride a self-balancing skateboard in New York, you won't have just the seething hatred of those around you to deal with. A tweet from NYPD's 26th precinct, since deleted, pointed out that using the tech is illegal, and both IGN and Gothamist followed up with the relevant parts of state law. Apparently, Title 19, Chapter 1, Subchapter 3, Section 19-176.2 of New York's code actively prohibits such devices from being used in the streets. The legislation says that any "motorized scooter" that propels people with power, but can't be registered with the DMV, can't be taken out and about. If an official spots you, then you could face a fine of up to $500, although we'd politely suggest that they've got bigger fish to fry than an obnoxious Vine kid playing with their birthday present. [Image Credit: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images]
DraftKings and FanDuel sue to stop New York Attorney General's ban
Following New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman's request for daily fantasy sports sites DraftKings and FanDuel to stop operating in his state, the two sites filed a lawsuit against the AG. Filing a petition with the New York Supreme Court, both sites allege that Schneiderman's office illegally interfered with their business operations by threatening payment processing vendors if they didn't stop handling transactions for players in New York. The Attorney General also declared the two illegal gambling sites earlier this week, threatening to ban them if they didn't stop operations. The companies maintain that their version of fantasy sports do indeed require skill rather than luck, which separates them from regular ol' gambling.
FanDuel and DraftKings are getting shut down in New York too
The New York Times and ESPN are reporting that New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has followed his counterpart in Nevada by asking the two biggest daily fantasy sites to stop taking bets in his state. DraftKings and FanDuel have been struggling to escape a controversy that exploded when reports surfaced that employees were regularly playing, and winning, on the competing websites, and now are facing a future of tighter regulation. According to the letter Schneiderman has decided the games constitute illegal gambling under the laws of New York, and should be banned as games of chance. This is particularly complicated for FanDuel, which has its headquarters in New York. Update: DraftKings said in a statement to Engadget that "We strongly disagree with the reasoning in his opinion and will examine and vigorously pursue all legal options available to ensure our over half a million customers in New York State can continue to play the fantasy sports games they love." Meanwhile FanDuel says, "The game has been played -- legally -- in New York for years and years, but after the Attorney General realized he could now get himself some press coverage, he decided a game that has been around for a long, long time is suddenly now not legal." You can read both statements -- along with a quote from AG Schniederman -- in full after the break.
New York's Attorney General probing state broadband speeds
For an industry obsessed with accuracy, it seems hilarious that the broadband speeds that you pay for are so vague and ill-defined in reality. It's a situation that has angered New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman (pictured), so he's launching a statewide probe into users internet speeds. Reuters is reporting that the official is targeting the state's big three providers, Verizon, Cablevision and Time Warner to see if, as he says, "many of us may be paying for one thing and getting another." The three firms have all been sent letters asking them to provide all disclosures made to customers about speed, as well as the details of any internal testing that they carry out.
On-demand package delivery service 'Doorman' goes live in Chicago
Doorman, a San Francisco startup founded in 2013, is bad news for whoever makes those "Sorry we missed you!" sticky notes. Doorman allows subscribers to schedule deliveries for times that fit their own schedules, for $4 per package or up to $30 per month, and it's live in Chicago right now with a New York roll-out incoming. The service attempts to eliminate missed or stolen packages for people who don't have doormen themselves -- send your order to a personal Doorman address (a spot in the service's warehouse) and schedule a convenient time for it to be delivered, any day between 6PM and midnight. Doorman sends a push notification to users when their packages have arrived and are ready for scheduling. It's "ding" rather than "ding-dong." [Image credit: Shutterstock]
A preview of NYC's underground park is now open to the public
Since underground parks aren't exactly commonplace, non-profit group Lowline has opened an exhibit to give New Yorkers a glimpse of the future subsurface Manhattan park it's planning to build. This open laboratory is called the Lowline Lab, situated inside a 1,000 square feet abandoned market on the Lower East Side. In order to supply light to its 3,000 or so plants, the structure has mirrors that capture sunlight on the roof, which is then funneled through tubes and distributed through a solar canopy. According to the group's website, this experiment will help it determine which plants are most suitable for a subterranean garden. It's still unclear when the park itself will be launched, but the Lab is now open to the public for free every Saturday and Sunday until March 2016. Even if you can't go, you can still see what it looks like, thanks to Inhabitat touring the facility and taking photos of the indoor lab and the plants growing in it.
NYC considering GPS-based meters for taxis, on top of nixing TVs
We've already heard that New York City is considering killing those annoying backseat Taxi TV screens, now it looks like the digital fare meter, along with the mechanical method for tracking ride distance, may also be on the way out. Regulators last night approved a pilot program for a new GPS-based distance tracking system for cabs, which would display fare information on a large tablet, the Wall Street Journal reports. That device would also house the cab's credit card reader and GPS system, and it could also deliver the same news and entertainment programming as the current cab TV sets. Ultimately, it would replace five separate pieces of gear cabs currently require. The year-long pilot program will only hit around 1,000 cabs, out of the city's 13,600 yellow taxis. Previously, regulators were considering testing it in around 4,000 cabs, but it scaled the program back after concerns from advocates for the visually impaired, who use the current TV sets for alerts. (Of course, that's also something a more modern tablet could eventually help with.)
New York City may finally ditch annoying taxi TV screens
Hop into one of New York City's yellow cabs and you'll notice a Taxi TV unit. It's supposed to handle payments and give you a feel for current events, but it's mostly annoying -- especially when you're a frequent passenger watching that talk show sizzle reel for the umpteenth time. Thankfully, relief may be in sight. The city's Taxi and Limousine Commission is near voting on a trial program that would ditch Taxi TV in favor of less obnoxious tech, such as tamper-proofed phones or tablets. Only 4,000 cabs out of 13,500 would be part of the pilot, but the hope is to eventually drop Taxi TV entirely. Suffice it to say that the transition can't come soon enough for a lot of people, including the cabbies themselves. The noise can be tiresome if you're a driver, and there's not much point to the TVs when many customers are too busy with their phones to pay attention. [Image credit: AP Photo/Teru Iwasaki]
