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Coronavirus bursts Big Tech’s bubble
Virus enthusiasts from all over the world converged in San Francisco this week for America's largest security event: RSA Conference 2020. Before it began, fourteen companies withdrew from RSAC over concerns about the impending Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. On opening day, organizers sent a message through the conference app asking attendees to stop greeting each other with handshakes.
Microsoft won't be at GDC because of coronavirus
Microsoft is skipping the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco this year, citing concerns about the global coronavirus outbreak. It isn't the only company to bow out of GDC 2020: Sony, Facebook, Kojima Productions and Unity Technologies previously announced they would miss the show in order to keep their employees and attendees as safe as possible. GDC is scheduled to run from March 16th to the 20th.
Uber can resume testing its self-driving cars in California
Uber started scaling back its self-driving car tests after one of its vehicles hit and killed a pedestrian in March of 2018. While the company doesn't seem primed to unleash a fleet of autonomous cars, it has been granted a new permit to resume testing in California. San Francisco -- home to Uber's headquarters -- is likely to be the company's main target, given its complex and twisting street layout. "While we do not have an update as to exactly when we'll resume autonomous testing, receiving our testing permit through the California DMV is a critical step towards that end," an Uber spokesperson told TechCrunch.
San Francisco loosens facial recognition ban to allow newer iPhones
San Francisco is learning first-hand about the risks of blanket bans on facial recognition. City supervisors have voted to amend a ban on facial recognition in local government to allow the use of FaceID-equipped iPhones and other devices where the technology is included, but other features are considered vital and don't have alternatives. Workers aren't allowed to use the facial recognition tech (they'll have to enter passcodes on iPhones, for example), but they don't have to give up a modern handset just to take calls and answer emails.
Lyft debuts car rentals in Los Angeles and the SF Bay Area
Lyft's car rental service now exists as more than just an experiment. Rentals are now available for "select users" in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area, giving you an option when you'd rather drive yourself. As expected, the service relies on both tie-ins with Lyft's usual ridesharing and the elimination of a few typical rental headaches. To start, you'll get $20 in ride credit each way for the trips to and from your rentals. Lyft will also refuel your car for you (at a "local market price"), offers unlimted miles and promises cars with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and optional gear like car seats, ski racks and tire chains.
Google's Waze-like app for public transit hits five more cities
Last year, Google incubator Area 120 announced a public transit app that works in a similar way to Waze. Users of Pigeon report transit information to help others know if they're likely to face delays or other issues. Until now, it's only been available in New York City, but as of today, it's going live in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.
Lyft now offers public transit directions in the Bay Area
Lyft's public transit directions are available on the company's home turf. Its app now includes routes, schedules and trip planning for public transportation in the San Francisco Bay Area, giving you an easier way to minimize car use. You can grab a Muni bus after riding a Bay Wheels bike, or save the ridesharing car for the last hop after a Caltrain trip. The company noted that "many" of it most popular bike share stations and ridesharing points in the region are near bus and train stops, making this a logical extension -- this just streamlines the experience for those travelers.
San Francisco may open a new office to prevent 'reckless' tech rollouts
San Francisco has a history of dealing with out-of-control tech deployments -- just ask people who had to wade through piles of scooters for months until the city started the permit process. Companies might have to be more careful going forward, however. Board of Supervisors President Norman Yee has revealed a proposal to establish an Office of Emerging Technology that could rein in the more 'reckless' impulses of tech firms. It would help companies obtain permits and licenses from appropriate departments, but it would also gauge the potential effects of a rollout and shut down projects that could harm privacy, safety and security.
San Francisco grants Jump, Lime, Scoot and Spin e-scooter licenses
The relationship between San Franscico and sharable electric scooter programs has been contentious, with city authorities stepping in last year to regulate the services. Following the latest round of permit applications, the city has announced that four companies will be allowed to operate electric scooter programs for the next year: Jump, Lime, Scoot and Spin.
San Francisco’s 25-year-old FogCam shuts down this month
On August 30th, FogCam, the internet's oldest running web camera, will air its final transmission from its perch on top of San Francisco State University. Since 1994, the camera has allowed people from across the world to watch the coming and going of San Francisco's famous fog, known to locals as Karl.
Postmates will test delivery robots on San Francisco sidewalks
San Franciscans might soon see Postmates' cute delivery robot rolling down their sidewalks. According to TechCrunch, the food and groceries delivery service has secured what could be the first permit allowing sidewalk robotics operations in the city. Postmates introduced the big-eyed, Wall-E-like Serve in December, revealing its plans to send the robot with your orders to your homes and offices. You'll be able to unlock its compartment -- it can carry up to 50 pounds of goods and for up to 30 miles on a single charge -- using your phone or a code the service gives you.
Uber and Lyft admit they're making city traffic worse
Uber and Lyft may be competitors but as the two major ridesharing companies, they also have a lot in common -- including the challenges they face. To better understand their role in city traffic patterns, the companies jointly sponsored a study to determine their combined vehicle miles traveled (VMT) in six key cities. In a surprising twist, the results got Uber to admit that ridesharing companies, or transportation network companies (TNCs), do in fact contribute to congestion.
Electrify America will use robots to charge self-driving EVs
As self-driving and electric vehicles advance, one fundamental question remains: How will autonomous EVs connect to charging stations? Volkswagen-backed Electrify America and Stable Auto hope to answer that. The two companies are working together to develop robotic charging stations for self-driving vehicle fleets.
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.
GM won't deliver self-driving cars by the end of the year after all
General Motors and its self-driving car subsidiary Cruise will miss their goal of rolling out driverless cars by the end of the year. According to Financial Times, Cruise said more testing is needed. "Delivering self-driving cars at scale isn't just about winning the tech race, it's about winning the tech race and the trust race," Cruise chief executive Dan Ammann wrote in a blog post today.
Google Lens can tell you about the people behind local artworks
If you're sitting in a coffee shop and you spot a neat mural on the wall, you could soon use your smartphone to identify the local artist who was behind it. A new feature of Google Lens currently being tested in San Francisco will recognize the artworks you see outside of galleries and tell you how to contact the artist.
San Francisco's grand plan to ban online e-cigarette sales
Nearly 90 percent of all San Francisco high school students who vape get their fix by shopping online or through friends. Just 13.6 percent actually buy their pods at a physical store. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors is acutely aware of this teenage reality -- these statistics are laid out in Health Code ordinance No. 190312, which prohibits the sale of e-cigarettes in San Francisco, in person and online. The ordinance's authors are specifically concerned with curtailing e-cigarette use among the youth population, noting that the number of teenagers who had tried vaping at least once rose by 1.5 million from 2017 to 2018. The ban will last until the US Food & Drug Administration reviews the health risks of vaping, which likely won't happen until 2022.
Google employees petition to ban the company from SF Pride
Google employees are asking the San Francisco Pride board of directors to revoke Google's sponsorship of Pride 2019 and to exclude Google from the Pride Parade on June 30th. In a letter written to San Francisco Pride, the employees say they have spent countless hours advocating for Google to improve its policies regarding the treatment of LGBTQ+ persons, and that they have been told repeatedly to wait. The letter also points to Google's recent warning that employees who protest the company at Pride must do so in their personal capacity (not near the Google float), or they will be in violation of Google's code of conduct.
San Francisco is officially the first US city to ban e-cigarette sales
San Francisco's expected ban on e-cigarettes is about to become a practical reality. The city has voted in favor of a measure banning sales and and deliveries of e-cigarette products, making it the first urban center to approve just such a measure. Mayor London Breed has 10 days to review the law, but that may be a formality when she has already expressed support for the legislation. It should take effect seven months after signing, and won't lift until the FDA has finished reviewing the health effects.
San Francisco set to become first US city to ban e-cigarettes
San Francisco has edged towards becoming the first US city to ban sales of e-cigarettes, as well as the manufacturing and distribution of them on city property. A preliminary vote saw city supervisors unanimously approve a ban on e-cigarettes the Food and Drug Administration has yet to review. It hasn't assessed any yet and companies have until 2021 to apply for reviews of their products under the agency's draft guidelines.
