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NYPD dispersing body cameras amidst police brutality uproar
New York City's brass hasn't fully committed to tricking out its nearly 35,000 person police force with body cameras yet, but Mayor Bill DiBlasio is eager to give them a shot. That's why the NYPD is testing the waters with a pilot program that'll see select officers from six commands throughout the city go about their daily duties while wearing matchbook-sized cameras on their chests. According to the New York Times, that first batch of 54 camera-equipped cops could be on the streets in certain sections of the city as early this weekend.
Artist convinces people to sell their private data for a cookie
There's been a huge debate about how companies use personal data, with Apple and Ello squaring off against data-driven companies like Google and Facebook. We place a lot of trust in these corporations, not bothering to read the terms and conditions before clicking agree. Of course, this was how one cyber security firm tricked unwitting Londoners into signing away their first born child in exchange for free WiFi. But it does raise the question of if we're walking blindly into a privacy nightmare of our own making, which is what Risa Puno sought to investigate. The New York-based artist baked 700 cookies in the logos of various social networks, but rather than selling them for cash, she asked passers-by to sell her their personal information.
Rockefeller fund to move its fortune from oil to green tech
If you're in any way familiar with the history of energy, then the name Rockefeller is synonymous with oil. That's why it's such a surprise to learn that the Rockefeller Brothers fund, worth $860 million, has pledged to dump its remaining investments in fossil fuel production over the next five years. The Rockefeller fund is the most notable name in a list of billionaires and funds that have pledged to shift anything up to $50 billion away from coal, oil and gas and into renewable energy as part of the divest-invest movement. It's a timely announcement, too, designed to coincide with the Tuesday's UN summit on climate change, designed to galvanize green activity in the face of the recent, damning, scientific evidence.
DARPA head joins the list of speakers at Engadget Expand!
Fall's nearly here and so is the next Engadget Expand event. On November 7th and 8th, we'll once again take over New York City's Javits Center North to let you experience the future of technology and hear from the leading minds in the industry.
We're hiring writers in NYC!
If you hadn't noticed, things are changing around here. No, we haven't figured out how to clone reporters (we're just really good at Photoshop), but we do have a new vision and we're looking for a few good folks to help us see it through. If you're an experienced writer with a deep interest in technology (and a good sense of humor) living in New York City, check out the details after the break.
Lyft gets the green light to operate in New York City
Nearly two weeks after New York's Attorney General, Eric T. Schneiderman, made a push to bar Lyft from offering its ridesharing service in New York City, both parties have finally come to an agreement. As a result, Lyft is now free to operate in all five boroughs of The Big Apple, after the company "agreed to operate in New York State in full compliance with existing laws and regulations." In addition, Lyft has also assured state officials it will operate with commercial drivers only. But it wasn't a complete win for the pink mustache company, as this agreement stipulates that Lyft must cease services in Buffalo and Rochester by next week, on August 1st.
New York wants Bitcoin exchanges to be heavily regulated
Popularity just isn't easy. That's something cryptocurrencies, like Bitcoin, are starting to grasp. Yes, they're now being accepted as a formal method of payment by more and more places, but some government entities still can't figure out how to treat them properly, particularly in the US. Case in point: the state of New York, which is proposing that companies exchanging virtual currency with consumers go through a regulatory process. BitLicense, a plan that's been in the works for nearly a year, would require these cryptocurrency banks to verify the identity of customers and, in some cases, ask for more information from "high-risk customers, high-volume accounts, or accounts on which a suspicious activity report has been filed." But that's not necessarily a bad thing, not for everyone anyway. "These regulations include provisions to help safeguard customer assets, protect against cyber hacking, and prevent the abuse of virtual currencies for illegal activity, such as money laundering." Benjamin M. Lawsky, superintendent of New York's Department of Financial Services, stated in a press release about to the proposal.
NY attorney general sues to bar Lyft from the city (update: launch delayed)
Lyft's pink mustaches were all set to prowl New York City's outer boroughs this week, but it seems that the city itself is having none of it: New York's attorney general is pursuing a court order that will block the company from providing transportation services in Queens and Brooklyn. The lawsuit's complaint closely echoes the concerns of the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission, which labeled Lyft as "unauthorized" earlier this week for failing to comply with its safety and licensing requirements. It seems to be a matter of distinction -- Lyft labels itself as a peer-to-peer transportation network, but the attorney general says its really a traditional taxi service, and as such, it needs to comply with local laws. Specifically, the AG alleges that Lyft "has simply waltzed into New York and set up shop while defying every law passed whose very purpose is to protect the People of the State of New York," stating that the company puts itself "above the law" by calling its fares "donations."
Lyft launching in New York with a focus on serving outer boroughs
Lyft, the Uber alternative with a penchant for pink mustaches, will launch service in New York City at the end of the week. Initially, the ride-on-demand app will focus on boroughs beyond Manhattan, explaining that "Brooklyn and Queens are vastly underserved by public transit options compared to the rest of New York City." This is good news for many city residents -- not to mention Android Wear users eager to summon a car with their smartwatch -- the downside is that Lyft will only pick up customers in Brooklyn or Queens, at least for the time being. In other words, if you're trying to get back home from Manhattan, the app won't help you out. That said, the service will come in handy for those looking to get around in Brooklyn or Queens, or travel from one borough to the other.
Police say Apple's anti-theft switches have dramatically reduced iPhone thefts
When mobile sales are booming, smartphone thefts are almost certain to rise. That's something San Francisco and New York prosecutors George Gascón and Eric Schneiderman have been telling smartphone makers for over a year, but now they're finally making some headway. After pressuring Apple to implement a "kill switch" inside its devices, the New York Times reports that police officers in London and San Francisco saw iPhone robberies in the cities fall by 24 percent and 38 percent respectively in the six months before and after the company implemented its Activation Lock feature inside iOS 7. Over in New York, robberies were down by 19 percent and those involving grand larcenies dropped 29 percent when the police compared data in the first five months of 2014 with the same period from 2013.
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.
Microsoft's 'HereHere' project maps what's wrong with NYC neighborhoods
It's no secret that New Yorkers love to complain -- the city's '311' non-emergency line serves as a hotbed for grievances on everything from burnt out streetlights to wildlife on the loose. Now thanks to a new project called HereHere from Microsoft's Future Social Experiences Lab (FUSE) you can keep up to date on your neighborhood's many complaints through curated notifications. The initiative displays issues from 40 NYC neighborhoods in a cartoon map with icons representing the largest problems for each neighborhood. Residents can see what issues are affecting their area, as well as opt into an email newsletter detailing local problems. Neighborhood-specific Twitter accounts can also keep you in the loop. The goal of the project is to make the data more accessible to average citizens so they can help prevent issues and help solve those that already exist. At the very least, you'll know that everyone else in the 'hood is as pissed off as you are about those "incessant ice cream trucks."
IndieCade East re-enters New York's Museum of the Moving Image
IndieCade East will be held at the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, New York, for the second year running, this time from February 14 - 16. IndieCade East includes seminars and panels from high-profile indie developers, academics and journalists, plus seminars, an eSports competition and Night Games East, an outdoors exhibition of physically interactive games. Keynote speakers this year include QWOP creator Bennett Foddy and Tale of Tales co-founder Aureia Harvey. Both QWOP and Tale of Tales' The Path are part of the Indie Essentials exhibition in the museum through March, which showcases 26 indie games including Gone Home, Braid, Kentucky Route Zero, N., Quadrilateral Cowboy and Spelunky. The festival's Show & Tell space allows developers with full access passes to show off their games in two-hour slots on February 15 or 16. Sign ups are available here. Among all of the indie devs, IndieCade East will feature booths from Sony with the PlayStation 4 and Vita, plus Oculus Rift and Facebook. Festival passes are on sale now, $100 through January 31. From February 1, passes will be $125. Individual days run $45 for Friday, $55 for Saturday including access to Night Games East, and $45 for Sunday.
New York celebrates a decade of independent design
The definition of "Indie Game" has changed over the last decade. The term originally referred to games created by developers and distributed independently, without the aid of a publishing partner. In the old days that meant game makers were responsible for pressing CDs, printing manuals, and pushing product to retailers. Over the last ten years, that process has changed drastically; digital distribution, crowdfunding and social media allow "indie" games to have multi-million dollar budgets and pre-sell to customers who never need to set foot in a store. Indie games have come a long way, but have humble beginnings. At New York's Museum of The Moving Image, that humble spirit is on display at a new exhibit: Indie Essential – 25 Must-Play Games.
NYC mayor unveils plans for massive free public WiFi network in Harlem
New York's code-loving mayor had at least one more big tech announcement to make before handing over the keys to the city at the end of the year. Mayor Mike Bloomberg announced plans to launch a free WiFi network in Harlem, spanning 95 of the uptown neighborhood's blocks. The size makes it the "largest continuous free outdoor public wireless network in the nation," by New York City's count, bringing access to 80,000 residents -- a number that includes 13,000 people living in public housing. The rollout will occur in phases, culminating next May, with five years of initial coverage currently planned. More details on the rollout can be found in the source link below.
Singapore 21: a farewell trip on the world's longest flight
As of tomorrow, the longest flight in the world will shuttle passengers on a 747-400 from Sydney, Australia to Dallas, Texas. That 15-hour, 25-minute hop on board Qantas 7 may not be the lengthiest in duration, but at 8,578 miles gate to gate, it'll lead the industry in miles flown. For a few more hours, however, Singapore Airlines' decade-long run from Newark, N.J., to Singapore remains the record holder for both time (more than 18 hours) and distance (9,534 miles). It's a journey that's been on the bucket lists of the world's most ambitious aviation enthusiasts since the city-state's namesake airline first launched the service in 2004, and following tonight's final jaunt, this record-setting A340-500 will touch down at Changi Airport for the very last time. Despite this cheerless loss, it's a spectacular time in the world of aviation. Sure, we don't have our supersonic Concorde replacement just yet, and the Dreamliner rollout was not without significant heartbreak, but the past few years have represented a tremendous period, with banner launches from both Airbus and Boeing that will change the way we fly forever. But as with any category, aircraft manufacturing and design advances also serve to highlight the shortcomings of previous-generation products. The Airbus A350 and Boeing 787 make massive efficiency boosts a reality, leading gas-guzzling greats like the aging A340-500 to a premature retirement. In this case, the A345's departure from Singapore's fleet represents not only better things to come, but also the loss of a landmark route -- it's an unavoidable compromise, and with the end in sight, I drained my frequent flier account in order to score a ticket, and set out to discover the significance of Singapore Flight 21's retirement.
London becomes the latest city to get its own top-level domain
Not to be outdone by New York City, London is set to follow its transatlantic cousin in getting its very own domain name. ICANN, regulator of all things domain related, today gave the British capital the go-ahead to offer .london addresses to "businesses, organisations and individuals". While it gives Londoners the chance to show a bit of hometown love, the domain has already attracted the attention of "tens of thousands of businesses," which will each do their bit to help to boost London's online identity. Like the city's house prices, expect to pay a little extra to secure your own little piece of .london when registration opens in Spring 2014.
Verizon admits it can't handle LTE demand in major cities
We've all seen those commercials where Verizon boasts about the breadth of its network, but what of the depth? Turns out, at least in some cities, that Big Red's LTE is so over-taxed that users are being downgraded to 3G. Executive Fran Shammo has admitted that Verizon's capacity in places like New York and San Francisco is running out, but promised that the troubles should be fixed by the end of 2013. The company has pledged an extra $500 million in investment to remedy the issue, in addition to promising that, when it comes to capacity, Verizon will be "ahead of the curve" going into next year -- presumably before holding up a sign marked AWS Band 4 and winking at an imaginary camera.
NYC Chief Digital Officer Rachel Haot on providing digital access to all
"The foundation of New York City's digital strategy is access," explains Rachel Haot, fresh off her Expand press day opening remarks. "We define that as access for all New Yorkers, regardless of income level, regardless of the resources you may have in your household. Libraries play a very vital role in this; schools do as well, [along with] recreation centers run by the city's parks department -- and we've even invested in senior centers, where we are connecting more seniors with the internet and providing training." Haot's served as New York's chief digital offers for three years or so, tasked with the seemingly overwhelming goal of making technology available to the citizens of the largest city in the country. The question of income gaps plays a key role in the city's continued push to bring high-tech jobs to New York as the cost of living threatens to push out potential startups. Haot counters that the city continues to offer affordable spaces in the five boroughs. She also offers up a list of perks the Big Apple provides over those areas we've come to know as tech hubs. "New York City is a completely unique destination that presents completely unique opportunities for any entrepreneur," she adds. "One of the reasons we hear people come here is, first and foremost, diversity. You look at a lot of other tech hubs and it's a one-horse town. It ends up being an echo chamber, or a bit of a bubble. In New York City, you're always kept humble, because there are so many industries, and they're always intersecting. I think that provides and enables enormous creativity and collaboration."
Apple's relocated Palisades store to open in West Nyack, NY on October 10
Apple announced that its relocated Palisades store will be opening three miles away on Thursday in its new location in West Nyack, NY. The move will give the former Palisades store more visibility and foot traffic, as it will be in the new open-air shopping center "The Shops at Nanuet," which also opens October 10. As noted by MacRumors, Apple typically gives out freebies such as T-shirts for store openings, so if you're one of the first 1,000 people through the doors, you could walk away with some Apple swag. The store opens at 10 AM.
