New York
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New York offered to pay part of Amazon workers' salaries in early HQ2 bid
It's no secret that New York's bid for Amazon's HQ2 fell apart due to objections from officials and activists, but it now appears that the state was initially prepared to make far more concessions than you might have expected. The Wall Street Journal has obtained Empire State Development documents indicating that New York was ready to provide $800 million more of incentives for HQ2 than previously mentioned. This included $500 million for a "Center for Commercial Innovation" near the headquarters to help Amazon partner with colleges on research, and even an offer to pay 25 percent of some graduates' first-year salaries. This was reportedly meant to help Amazon achieve workplace diversity.
New York Governor vetoes bill to legalize e-bikes and e-scooters
New York had been set to legalize electric bikes and scooters, which would have allowed sharing programs like Bird, Lime or Jump to come to markets including New York City. However, Governor Cuomo has vetoed the bill, meaning e-bikes and scooters will continue to be illegal in the state.
Proposed NYC law would require drone inspections for building complaints
Drones could soon be key to keeping New Yorkers safe from crumbling architecture. Members of the New York City Council have proposed legislation that would require drone inspections within 48 hours of a complaint or confirmed violation. A robotic vehicle (not the Mavic 2 Pro pictured) would use infrared and a pair of conventional cameras to both look for the telltale temperature changes of cracks and inspect roof conditions. The intended drones would cost $2,500 each, but the proposal would reduce costs by offloading the inspections to private companies that would charge building owners.
NYC creates a high-level position to oversee ethics in AI
New York City wants to avoid bias in AI and other algorithms, and it's creating a role primarily to ensure that equal treatment. Mayor Bill de Blasio has issued an executive order creating a position for an Algorithms Management and Policy Officer. Whoever holds the position will work within the Mayor's Office of Operations and serve as both an architect for algorithm guidelines and a go-to resource for algorithm policy. This person will make sure that city algorithms live up to principle of "equity, fairness and accountability," the Mayor's office said.
NY Attorney General sues Juul for deceptive marketing
Yesterday, California filed a lawsuit against e-cigarette company Juul for allegedly targeting underage Californians with its marketing and sales practices. Today, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced a similar lawsuit against Juul "for deceptive and misleading marketing of its e-cigarettes, which contributed to the ongoing youth vaping epidemic in New York State."
New York investigates claims of sexism in Apple Card credit limits (updated)
The bank behind Apple Card is facing legal scrutiny over accusations of inequality. New York's Department of Financial Services has launched an investigation into Goldman Sachs' practices after Basecamp founder David Heinemeier Hansson accused Apple (and really, Goldman) of sexism when determining credit limits. He received a limit 20 times higher than his wife despite her higher credit score, and received no help from customer service apart from murmurs of a "formal internal complaint." She eventually got a "VIP bump" to match his credit limit, but that appeared to have been a reaction to the public outcry. Hansson didn't believe Apple or Goldman set out to be discriminatory, but that the outcome was sexist nonetheless.
Uber faces lawsuit for allegedly underpaying New York drivers
Uber is embroiled in yet more legal trouble over its treatment of drivers. A group of 96,000 drivers represented by the New York Taxi Workers Alliance has sued Uber for allegedly violating drivers' contracts and 'stealing' some of their wages between 2011 and 2017. It reportedly deducted ride hailing service taxes from drivers' pay in addition to a "service fee," effectively making workers cover costs instead of the company.
New York Supreme Court dismisses Uber's challenge to vehicle caps
Uber's bid to overturn New York City's ride-hailing caps didn't last long --New York's Supreme Court has dismissed the company's request to annul the cap law implemented in August 2018. The court rejected Uber's claim that NYC had overstepped its bounds. There have been far less specific delegations of power that have passed muster before, according to the Supreme Court. It also rebuffed Uber's assertion that other laws preempted the caps.
Verizon will bring its 5G network to NYC on September 26th
If you live in New York, you'll soon have the chance to see for yourself whether 5G is worth the hype. On Thursday, September 26th, Verizon (Engadget's parent company) will expand its 5G network to include sections of the Big Apple. As usual, there's no love for Staten Island, but the four other boroughs -- Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx -- will have some form of 5G connectivity starting next week. Unfortunately, Verizon isn't being too specific about where you'll be able to catch those sweet 450Mbps download speeds. In Manhattan, however, the carrier says the network will blanket parts of uptown, downtown and midtown. If you're like Engadget's Chris Velazco, you can treat the initial rollout as a chance to do a city-wide scavenger hunt.
New York state bans sales of flavored e-cigarettes
New York isn't waiting for the federal government to take action on teen vaping. Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced an "emergency executive action" that will ban sales of flavored e-cigarettes. The move will see the state Department of Health's Commissioner hold an urgent meeting with the Public Health and Health Planning Council to implement the ban. E-cig makers and stores are "intentionally and recklessly" trying to court a younger audience, Cuomo claimed, and this would theoretically put a stop to the behavior.
NYC's first self-driving shuttle service launches tomorrow
Beginning tomorrow, Optimus Ride will run six autonomous shuttles in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. While other companies have tested self-driving shuttles in New York City, Optimus Ride claims this is the first self-driving vehicle system to launch in both the city and the state. Optimus Ride has an advantage in that it's operating on private roads, so it does not have to wait for DMV approval, as companies like GM and Audi have.
Apple taps renowned artists for AR art walks
Apple has been pushing its way into the world of augmented reality for years. Now, it wants to get more users involved. Working with artists like Nick Cave, an American fabric sculptor and performance artist, Apple has installed AR art in public spaces in San Francisco, New York, London, Paris, Hong Kong and Tokyo. Users in those cities can sign up for a free Today at Apple experience called [AR]T. It involves an interactive walk to tour the AR installations, an in-store session that teaches the basics of creating AR using Swift Playgrounds and an AR installation in the store.
Equifax settlement for data breach will only cost it $4 per person
The reports of an impending Equifax settlement were true. The company has agreed to settle with the Federal Trade Commission, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, attorneys general and New York's Department of Financial Services over its massive 2017 data breach. It will pay between $575 million to $700 million to victims, states and regulators, including a restitution fund that will pay up to $425 million to provide credit monitoring for up to 10 years. About $300 million is guaranteed for the monitoring payout, with $125 million more waiting if that initial amount runs low.
New York Senate passes ban on Elon Musk's Not-A-Flamethrower
If you live in New York state and bought one of The Boring Company's Not-A-Flamethrowers, you probably want to get rid of it shortly. The state's Senate recently passed a bill that bans the possession of a flamethrower for recreational purposes, and legislators very explicitly singled out Elon Musk's gadget as an example. The measure bars specifically bars any device that projects burning fuel at least three feet away, which appears to include Boring's hardware.
New York set to legalize e-scooters and e-bikes
New York lawmakers look set to legalize electric scooter and bike sharing services throughout the state. A vote on a Senate bill is likely to take place Wednesday, just before the end of the legislative session. Since Governor Andrew Cuomo seems to support the legalization of electric scooters and bikes, the bill looks likely to come into effect.
Ten states sue to block T-Mobile merger with Sprint
The proposed merger between T-Mobile and Sprint just ran into a major roadblock. Ten states, including California and New York, have sued to stop the merger on the grounds that it would hurt competition and raise prices for cellphone service. They argue that this would not only reduce the number of choices, but punish lower-income communities where even a slight rate hike could cause trouble. They're also concerned that there would be a "substantial loss" of retail jobs in the wireless space, not to mention lower wages for those who remain.
Amazon opens its second Go store in New York
Amazon's brick and mortar empire continues to expand, after the company opened its second, larger cashier-free store in Park Avenue, New York City today.
'The Division 2' takes players back to New York in its upcoming DLC
Tom Clancy's The Division 2 is not even two months old but Ubisoft laid out its year one plans for the action shooter RPG at E3 today. We already knew three additional episodes were coming via DLC, but a first look trailer revealed some of the locations players will soon be able to visit both in and outside a post-apocalyptic Washington DC, including the Pentagon and the National Zoo. Players will get new gear, weapons and new rewards to go along with the new areas to explore.
Fitbit devices can pay for your NYC bus or subway ride
Add Fitbit to the growing list of device makers that will support tap-to-pay in New York City's mass transit system. When the city's contactless fare pilot program starts on May 31st, Fitbit Pay-equipped wearables like the Versa Special Edition, Charge 3 Special Edition and Ionic will let you pay per ride on the MTA's Staten Island buses as well as the 4, 5 and 6 subway lines running between Grand Central and Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center. You could use your watch to track your gym session one moment and get a ride home the next, in other words.
NYC will accept Google Pay on some subway and bus routes
If you have Google Pay, you might be able to tap your phone for subway or bus payments in NYC in the near future. The tech giant has teamed up with The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to conduct a pilot test for Google Pay covering select subway stations and Staten Island buses. Starting on May 31st, the MTA will switch on the "pay per ride" feature on your device, giving you a way to just tap your phone and ride. You don't even need to fire up the app itself.
