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Uber passengers in California can 'favorite' drivers
Uber is getting some new features in California. While the favorite driver option has been live in the UK for some time, passengers in CA will, from early 2020, have the option to bookmark drivers they'd like to ride with again. Drivers will also now be given more trip information upfront -- such as a passenger's ultimate destination -- allowing them to make more informed decisions about the rides they accept. Finally, drivers will be able to accept only the trips they want to take without it affecting their Uber Pro status.
Uber reportedly tells its staff not to disclose potential crimes
Uber has faced numerous sexual assault charges against its drivers in its time, but has repeatedly assured its users that it's taking steps to strengthen security for riders. Now, The Washington Post has revealed that despite these measures, Uber's customer service department is reportedly skewed in favor of the company, no matter how serious the complaints -- the majority of which involve sexual assault.
Uber will suspend low-rated riders in Australia and New Zealand
Uber is putting its passenger ratings to use, imposing temporary bans on riders with lower scores. The company introduced this policy in Brazil earlier this year and will begin imposing these bans on passengers in Australia and New Zealand later this month. Uber's ratings are out of five stars and passengers in these countries with ratings of four or lower will be banned from the service for six months.
Qantas to hand out free iPads to all passengers on Boeing 767s, save fuel and our sanity (video)
Qantas just upped the ante for its Australian counterparts Jetstar and Virgin in the airline tablet wars. Following an earlier trial, the transporter plans to hand out free iPads to all of its passengers -- not just the high-flyers in business-class, like with Jetstar's iPads or Virgin's Galaxy Tabs -- on every Boeing 767 aircraft in the fleet. The rollout, which starts in the last quarter of the year, will let those bored in the back seats watch an equally free 200 hours' worth of QStreaming audio and video. Don't confuse the gesture with a sudden bout of altruism on Qantas' part, however. The pound-and-a-half weight of a current iPad sheds the tremendous amount of weight that would normally be needed for a conventional in-flight entertainment system built into the headrest, which on a typical 375-seat 767 could see the iPads pay for themselves within years, if not sooner. The option will give many Aussies something to look forward to for their domestic summer vacations. In the meantime, hop past the break for a Qantas video explaining how QStreaming worked during the original trial run.
Hitch a car ride with SideCar for iPhone
I can remember as a kid how popular it was to hitchhike. People would stand on the side of the road, stick out their thumb to look for a ride. Nowadays, SideCar wants to replace your thumb with an iPhone, according to a CNET report. Founded in 2011 in San Francisco, the community-driven service lets you find someone who is willing to drive you to your location. The center of your transpiration hub is an iPhone app that lets you select both your location and your destination and offer a donation for the ride. Eligible drivers will see your route and agree to pick you up for the suggested price. To alleviate safety concerns, SideCar hand picks the drivers after checking their license, making sure they have insurance and conducting a background check. The service also interviews the drivers before they are hired. Passengers are also required to provide a credit card and their personal information before requesting a ride. A ratings systems for both passengers and drivers will help weed out problems as well. The service is now out of beta and available only in San Francisco. Expansion to other cities is expected soon. You can read more about SideCar on the company's website and download the iOS app from the App Store.
Motorola Xoom 2 says buongiorno to Alitalia's cockpits and cabins (video)
It won't just be Apple and Samsung cornering the in-air tablet market -- Motorola has scored a deal with Alitalia to put the Xoom 2 into every aspect of the Italian airline's flights. Passengers riding high in the Business and Magnifica classes on longer Middle Eastern and Russian flights will now get to use the Android slate if the aircraft doesn't already have an in-flight entertainment system. At the front, attendants will get a passenger manifest app that lets them scratch travelers' itches based on their flight history. And just to form the triumvirate that Italy loves so well, Alitalia will outfit 10 of its lounges with the current Xoom to keep well-heeled passengers on top of the news before they board. There's no word on expansion plans that would let us play FIFA on that next JFK-to-Rome trip, but we can always brush up on our Italian through an illustrative video below.
FAA to take 'fresh look' at gadget restrictions on flights
The only thing worse than the Terrible 10,000 Feet is the underlying sense that it's all so unnecessary. Why should using an iPad, Kindle or bag-holding alarm clock be banned during take-off and landing, even with all wireless comms switched off? Nick Bilton from the New York Times has been hounding the Federal Aviation Administration over this issue for a while, but he's suddenly received a reply other than "Just turn it off, sir." A senior official told him that the agency as decided to take a "fresh look" at the rules, not for cell phones, but for the myriad of other gadgets that can make a flight so much more peaceful and productive. Currently, airlines complain that they have to test each model of device individually, on every single plane in the fleet, and with a separate empty flight used for each test, before they're allowed to relax the rules for that model. That's why personal electronic devices remain so closely restricted, but also why there's so much room for a smarter solution -- even if there are still reams of red-tape to overcome before anything changes.
Amtrak begins testing e-ticketing system, other futuristic things
It's been a long time coming, but it looks like Amtrak is finally ready to get with the times. This month, the human-carrier began testing a new e-ticketing system for passengers traveling along its Downeaster line, which extends from Maine to Boston. Under the trial, travelers can either print their tickets at home, or have them e-mailed as a barcode-laced PDF file for conductors to scan. Customers can also change their reservations at the last minute, without having to wait in line at the ticket counter and interact with other people. It's not exactly cutting-edge technology, but Amtrak attributes the delay to the unique nature of the railway, where conductors check tickets in transit and have to deal with a steady stream of passengers getting on and hopping off. As a result, the company had to find a scanning device reliable enough to handle this constant flow of organisms, though it looks as if it's nearing a solution. Amtrak plans to expand the trial to California in February, and if that goes well, the system could roll out on a nationwide basis as early as this summer.
Wrath will have mounts with passengers
Some more information on Wrath has bubbled to the surface. This is like Christmas every day for me! I'm very excited. New bits in today's installment of Facts of the Lich King: Some Wrath mounts will be able to take passengers (!), and ground passenger mounts will work in the old world as well! This sounds awesome -- although it might be boring to be the one who's not driving, it could also let you take a break. And being able to cart around lower-level characters in the old world will really speed up those instance runs. Trainers and AH will stay in the old world. Not surprising, but incredibly irritating. At best, it's a minor inconvenience and burns your Hearthstone timer. At worst, you're stuck in Stormwind for an hour when you could be doing much more interesting things, all because you wanted to respec or buy some mats. Not to mention the leveling-up process -- going back to the old world every level to train was obnoxious in BC, and it'll almost certainly be obnoxious in Wrath.
New PSP commercial takes to the skies
Sony's "Dude, Get Your Own" campaign is finally in full swing. The first of the ads to appear on prime time TV involves an overzealous passenger on an airplane completely entranced by his neighbor's PSP. What follows is 45 seconds of pure annoyance. While it gets the point across, this kind of advertising still feels immature: it fails to showcase the PSP's true capabilities, and doesn't seem to target a different audience than their previous ads.Who thought the urinal ad was better? [Via Adweek]
