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The US Government is inspecting Amazon warehouses over 'potential worker safety hazards'
Amazon warehouses in New York City and elsewhere are being probed by federal prosecutors and the US Department of Labor over unsafe workplace conditions.
Orlando’s Super Nintendo World reportedly won't open until 2025
After a pandemic-related construction delay, Universal’s Epic Universe park in Orlando will miss its originally planned 2023 opening date.
Amazon will deliver some same-day orders in just a few hours
We knew Amazon was considering making one-day shipping the default for Prime-eligible purchases, but now, the company is going even further. Prime members in Philadelphia, Phoenix, Orlando and Dallas can now expect their same-day orders to arrive in just a few hours.
Super Nintendo World won't open in Orlando until at least 2023
The first Super Nintendo World theme park attraction is set to open at Universal Studios Japan this summer. There have long been plans to open up similar areas at Universal Studios locations in Hollywood and Orlando, but you'll have to wait a while longer to explore the Mario-themed attractions stateside.
Orlando won't use Amazon's facial recognition software anymore
Orlando has canceled Amazon's facial recognition pilot following a series of technical problems and other issues, according to Orlando Weekly. The city started testing the facial recognition software -- which, according to a study, shows gender and race bias and tends to misidentify dark-skinned women -- back in 2017. After the first trial period expired in mid-2018, local officials showed hesitation in renewing the partnership before deciding to go through with a second pilot. Looks like the second go was just as unsatisfactory, though, because a memo sent to the City Council reportedly said the pilot didn't make "noticeable progress" and that Orlando doesn't have immediate plans to launch more facial recognition trials.
Orlando didn't renew its facial recognition contract with Amazon
The Orlando Police Department is one of the law enforcement groups that has been testing Amazon's facial recognition service Rekognition, using it in its headquarters and in downtown Orlando, though supposedly only with officers that agreed to test the system. However, the pilot program expired last week and the department says it has not yet decided whether it will continue to use the facial recognition technology. "Staff continues to discuss and evaluate whether to recommend continuation of the pilot at a further date. At this time that process in still ongoing and the contract with Amazon remains expired," the city of Orlando and the police department said this week in a joint statement given to Floridapolitics.com.
Orlando confirms it's testing Amazon's facial recognition in public
After the ACLU discovered that Orlando's cops are using Amazon's controversial Rekognition facial detection system, police chief John Mina said they're only testing the software at their headquarters. Now, Mina has admitted at a news conference that three of the city's IRIS cameras downtown are also equipped with the software. He insisted that despite Rekognition's presence in public cameras, it can still only track the seven officers who volunteered to test the system. Mina admitted that they could use the software to track persons of interest in the future, but they're "a long way from that."
Airbnb reportedly wants to offer apartment rentals in Florida
For a service that began as a simple house-sharing service, Airbnb has definitely expanded to include some interesting, if off-target, promotional initiatives. The company recently stepped into the restaurant reservation space, and has even offered up Sarah Jessica Parker as a shoe shopping partner. According to a new report at The Information, Airbnb is looking to take a step even further with company-branded apartments in Florida.
Families of Pulse nightclub shooting sue Google, Facebook
Google, Facebook and Twitter are facing a lawsuit filed by the families of three victims killed by Pulse nightclub gunman Omar Mateen in Orlando. The plaintiffs are accusing the tech titans of providing "material support" to Mateen, who was known to have pledged allegiance to ISIS and its leader. According to their lawsuit, the families are suing the companies for allowing the terrorist group to create accounts to raise funds and to spread propaganda with the intention of attracting new recruits.
Warrantless data searches narrowly miss Senate approval
A Senate amendment that would have allowed the FBI to search a suspect's phone and online records without a court order came very close to becoming a reality today. The legislation, introduced by Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Richard Burr (R-NC) in the wake of the recent mass shooting in Orlando, missed the necessary 60 votes it needed to pass by just two votes.
Apple and Microsoft address Orlando, avoid gay community
Early Sunday morning, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Fla., became the home of the deadliest mass shooting in US history. The following morning Apple CEO Tim Cook and Microsoft's Phil Spencer took the stage at separate, preplanned press conferences to offer support from "the Apple community" and "the gaming community," respectively, before launching into their regularly scheduled hyperbolic outpourings of consumer enthusiasm. In doing so, they not only undermined the tragedy, they ignored the community it most affected.
Facebook invokes first US Safety Check for Orlando mass shooting
Unfortunately, Facebook has had reason to use Safety Check in the US for the first time. The social network switched on its tool for reassuring friends following the mass shooting at the gay nightclub Pulse in Orlando, Florida. While Facebook has already called on Safety Check since expanding its scope to include human tragedies (it used the check after an overpass fell in India), the American use reflects improvements made to the emergency system in the following months. It's now faster to invoke checks, the company says to Mashable, and there are tests under way that would let users trigger checks of their own. Let's just hope the feature isn't needed again for a long, long while.
Sprint's LTE rollout gains momentum with addition of 70 new markets
It's been a long slog for LTE latecomer Sprint, but the Hesse-led operator's finally kicking into high gear and getting that 4G coverage out to a significant chunk of its nationwide subscriber base. Despite a slow start at the beginning of the year, Sprint now claims an LTE footprint that spans 300 markets, with 70 added just today including major cities like Orlando, Fla.; San Diego, Calif.; and St. Louis, Mo. And that's just for Sprint's "plain" 4G LTE. Subscribers that are interested in Spark-level speeds (the carrier's enhanced LTE service capable of up to 60 Mbps down) will have to either live in one of the select launch areas or sit tight with that tri-band device a little longer and wonder at the speedy possibilities.
Minecraft convention heads to sunny Orlando in November
Minecon 2013, the third annual Minecraft convention, will be held in Orlando, Florida, from November 2 - 3, with tickets and hotels available in July. Notch says he chose Orlando by spinning a globe and sticking a sword through it, but we assume there are other reasons for his pick. Obviously, Orlando is the sole home of Universal Studios' magical theme park, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Also, the weather in November should be absolutely lovely. Minecon 2012 was held in Disneyland Paris in November and drew in 7,000 fans, and the previous year it set up shop in Las Vegas, Nevada. The 2011 event saw 5,000 attendees, and it hosted impressive scale models of real-life Minecraft beasts, including a 40 foot Enderdragon.
Visit Silent Hill during Universal Studios' Halloween Horror Nights this October
You know, we were just saying the other day how we wished we could spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars on a trip across the country to be tortured by grotesque manifestations of our terrible inner demons and dark secrets. How serendipitous then that Universal Studios and Konami should announce a partnership that fulfills that exact wish!Well, maybe the Silent Hill portion of Universal Studio's upcoming Halloween Horror Nights attraction won't actually transform life into an unending fount of misery and soullessness, but walking around a replica Silent Hill does sound like a pretty sweet idea.The announcement video above specifically calls out Fog World, Otherworld, Pyramid Head and the Nurses as parts of the Silent Hill mythos that will be brought to life by the attraction, so if you're seeking redemption for the terrible sins you've committed, maybe book a flight to Hollywood or Orlando this October.
CableWiFi ties up 50,000 WiFi hotspots for cable subscribers to share
When it comes to supergroups, The Traveling Wilbury's haven't got anything on these guys. Bright House, Cablevision, Comcast, Cox and Time Warner are teaming up to share around 50,000 metro WiFi hotspots for their customers, under the banner of "CableWiFi." New York City and the Tri-State area, Los Angeles, Tampa, Orlando and Philadelphia will be among the first to get the service, with growth to more cities pledged for the future. If nothing else, it should be a good way to stick it to the man when he snatches your unlimited data plan.
BlackBerry Curve Touch 9380 'Orlando' poses for the masses, invites you to look... but not touch
There's a new BlackBerry coming to town, and as you're likely aware, it's the first touchscreen-based Curve from Research in Motion. The folks at BGR happened to score a few still shots of the pint-sized companion, where it's situated next to its larger Torch sibling for comparison. The specs remain the same since we last checked in with the device, though as a quick point of clarification, its HD video capture is limited to 720p -- as if you really expected full 1080p. We can't include all the snapshots here, but it's rather obvious this isn't your father's BlackBerry. If you've got a burning desire for these curves, you'll find a full gallery in the source link below.
BlackBerry Curve Touch 9380 gets the silent video treatment, confirms NFC rumors (video)
Looking like the runt of RIM's newest BlackBerry litter, the Curve Touch 9380 has recently surfaced on a German site starring in its own silent movie. The video, taken by MacBerry.de, shows off the mini-BB handset -- née Orlando / Malibu -- running the company's OS 7 and confirming those NFC-capable rumors. A side-by-side comparison with a full-grown Curve and Storm gives you a true sense of just how wee the portrait QWERTY-less touch device actually is, with its 3.25-inch 480 x 360 HVGA display. The phone, purported to launch this Q4 in both GSM and CDMA versions, isn't going to snag the beast tag anytime soon, but falls in line with earlier reported specs, sporting a respectable 800MHz Qualcomm MSM8655 processor, 5 megapixel camera, 1GB Flash, 512MB RAM, microSD card slot, WiFi and Bluetooth. If you're in the market for a fashionable, Zoolander-approved smartphone, expect to pick up this little rascal on your carrier of choice later this year.
BlackBerry Curve Touch 9380 'Orlando' gets pictured, tourists not included
These Blurrycam images you see above? Nope, not the Torch 9860. It's actually the BlackBerry Curve Touch 9380, also known as the Orlando. The phone's popped up on our radar screen once before as a render, with a few midrange specs revealed: a 800MHz Qualcomm MSM8655 processor, 3.25-inch HVGA screen, 5 megapixel camera with HD video, 1GB storage with microSD expansion and 512MB of RAM, and NFC were getting kicked around as possible features. We don't have any updates on the specs yet, but the forum member responsible for the images claims it's scheduled for a Q4 release, it runs on OS 7, and has two variants: the Orlando is actually of the GSM flavor, while the Malibu represents the CDMA side. Regardless of which major carrier you're rooting for this device to land on, it'll have you pining for a place hot and humid -- which no doubt will come in handy later this winter.
Florida Apple Store expands, Hong Kong construction begins, Ala Moana coming soon
When you're one of the top retailers in the world, you need to stay on top of your game. There's news of Apple Store expansion, new construction, and renovation coming from all around the world. First, ifoAppleStore is reporting that the Mall at Millenia Apple Store in Orlando, Florida is going to be moving to a new, much larger location sometime in 2012. The existing store is long and narrow, and was constantly packed, so Apple outbid Z Gallerie on a space on the upper level of the mall that is over twice the size. Next, 9 to 5 Mac provided intel that the flagship Apple Store being constructed at the IFC Center in Hong Kong is now hidden behind a large construction curtain (above). The store is expected to be Apple's most expensive in the world, rent-wise, and might open as soon as this fall. Oddly enough, Apple is also expected to open a smaller store nearby at Pacific Place. TUAW tipster E sent us three photos of the construction of the new Apple Store at the Ala Moana Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. The open storefront visible in one of the photos in the gallery below is a temporary store to keep those dollars flowing in while the construction is underway. %Gallery-128207% Considering the shaky state of the global economy, it's wonderful to see that Apple is continuing to look to a more prosperous future.
