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Uber vows to roll out service where it has 'tacit approval,' with precautions
If you hadn't gathered, Uber's app-based taxi service isn't always welcome wherever it goes. The company is tired of that fighting just to maintain its business, so it's defining its expansion policies through a new white paper. Deployments will occur in regions where Uber sees "tacit approval" from regulators -- in other words, areas where there hasn't been direct legal action against competing services for at least 30 days. Just in case authorities change their minds, the company plans to go "above and beyond" commercial licensing requirements, including a $2 million insurance policy on trips and more stringent background tests. While Uber would much rather have explicit permission to operate as it sees fit, the strategy could have the firm venturing into territories where competitors with unlicensed drivers have (seemingly) free rein.
Uber lands on Windows Phone, expands its on-demand car service dominance
Windows Phone owners can finally enjoy all the benefits of Uber and order cabs on demand through their own native app. The basic features are all present, just presented in the stark color blocks and straight lines Microsoft favors. You'll need to have either version 7.5 or 8 of the OS installed to download the app and, of course, you'll need to live in a city where the service is available to take advantage. The expansion to Windows Phone follows last week's quiet debut on BlackBerry (which the company only announced today), though it's currently only available on older devices and not compatible with BlackBerry 10. It was also just last week that Uber launched a redesigned Android client that was rebuilt from the ground up with improved performance, Foursquare integration and a fare estimator. It seems like Uber is looking to establish an insurmountable lead in the market before any competitors get any grand ideas.
Tesla gives Uber a Model S boost at SXSW, so come on and take a free ride
The number of cabs per capita in Austin is probably quite reasonable for a city of under a million, but during SXSW, taxis can be difficult to come by, plagued by ridiculous traffic and a surge of carless visitors. So, to make our way from last night's Engadget+gdgt event to our hotel -- a roughly 15-mile drive north of the city center -- we turned to Uber's Android app. Selecting the UberX option, we were told, would net us a free ride, but we were expecting a clunky cab to pull up; instead, we got a brand new Tesla Model S, with a tie-clad chauffeur to match. The driver, we learned, was on loan from Dallas, while the gorgeous all-electric car was likely to quietly roll its way to distant roads following this week's Central Texas geek fest. But we weren't leaving Austin without our ride.%Gallery-181188%
Uber recruiting San Franciscan drivers, no (official taxi) license needed
Taxi-hailing apps like Uber and its competitors have been hitting stop sign after speed bump in their journey to actually, you know, being able to operate. Uber even had to shut down a beta in the Big Apple before the authorities gave such services the green light (with various caveats), and earlier this month, a similar win was scored in California when officials lifted local restrictions. As a result of the Golden State's leniency, Uber has started its UBERx program in San Francisco to recruit drivers who don't possess a specific taxi or limo license. That means everyone and your neighbor Bob can potentially start exchanging rides for cash, and are being promised decent compensation, completely flexible working hours, and access to a large number of clients. Luckily for fare-payers, those that wish to repurpose their whip will have to pass several tests before ferrying passengers, including a "city knowledge exam," so hopefully you won't end up on Alcatraz when you just asked Bob for a lift to Chinatown. [Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons]
NYC taxis may have to wait longer for app hails
Fans of taxi-finder apps like Uber, Hailo and FlyWheel may have to wait a bit longer before they can raise their iThumbs to flag down yellow cabs in the US' busiest urban area. Per the WSJ, a lawsuit by livery cab drivers may block a rule change that would allow app-based hailing in NYC. While iPhone apps to summon a taxi or "black car" ride are popular in other cities, New York's slightly Byzantine rules governing for-hire cars have made it challenging for these apps to make inroads in the Big Apple. The city's iconic yellow cabs can respond to street hails, but for many years have not been allowed to take phone reservations or centralized dispatch. The lawsuit contends that an e-hail is equivalent to dispatching, and that these apps will encroach upon the for-hire car market. The chairman of the city's Taxi and Limousine Commission, former city council member David Yassky, didn't mince words in his statement responding to the legal maneuverings. "This suit seeks to keep the taxi industry and New Yorkers in the dark ages... Next thing, they'll be suing restaurants to go back to wood-burning stoves. Our rules allow for e-hail now, and the only question is, do we embrace these new services and ensure that consumer protections are in place, or listen to obstructionists and watch e-hail apps proliferate without any regulatory input." Back in December, the TLC approved a year-long pilot test of app-based hailing for yellow taxis. The earliest possible start date for that test was February 15, but now it's possible it may take even longer for the service to kick off. An earlier test by Uber had to be canceled due to too few participating cabs and too much demand, not to mention that the TLC hadn't yet figured out how e-hailing was going to work in the city. Meanwhile, livery cabs, car services and corporate cars can indeed be dispatched by phone and by app -- Uber's app already covers most of NYC's business district -- but they aren't allowed to pick up arbitrary passengers on the street (although many flout the rules). On recent trips to Chicago and San Francisco, I was pleasantly surprised by how effective Uber's cab service was, with a ride showing up promptly in almost all cases (one attempt at rush hour in SF's downtown financial district didn't pan out). I would certainly take advantage of an e-hail tool in NYC, assuming the interested parties ever sort out their disputes. [via Transportation Nation and Crain's New York]
Uber, other car-hailing apps now a-okay with California regulators
Uber and similar ride-hailing apps have had their run-ins against authorities before, but it looks like the town car service is finally getting a reprieve, at least in California. Last October, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency issued a cease and desist order plus a $20,000 citation to private car ventures like Uber, Lyft and Sidecar over an apparent lack of permits and licenses. However, the commission changed its tune in December when it decided to evaluate the safety of such services, and has now suspended those complaints altogether as it works toward a resolution. More over, the CPUC officially approved ridesharing -- where the drivers are not specifically licensed to drive a limousine or a taxi -- thus legitimizing Lyft and opening the door for others to offer such services in the future. The CPUC states it'll still require "continued proof of insurance, Department of Motor Vehicle checks and national criminal background checks," especially if the service uses "non-licensed charter party carriers." Regardless, it's still a victorious day for lazy smartphone-wielding commuters in the Golden State.
NYC's taxi commission votes 'yes' to one-year trial of cab-hailing apps
Despite copious quantities of bickering between the New York City taxi commission and Uber (amongst others), it looks as if said entity is going to give this whole "21st century" thing a whirl. Skift is reporting that the commission voted just moments ago to allow a one-year trial of taxi-hailing apps, with seven members voting "yes" and two abstaining. It's a huge, huge victory for apps like Lyft, Hailo and Uber, and it could very well set the stage for the first major leap in how the cab-hailing process works in a very long while. We're learning now that passengers using any e-hail app below 59th Street will "only be able to hail taxis within a half-mile radius of their location," while cabs will be allowed to pick up e-hail passengers "within a mile and half radius everywhere else in the city." Moreover, drivers must be able to accept trips with a single touch, and all payments have to be processed through a T-PEP provider. Not surprisingly, each app will be required to report to the TLC each quarter. Commissioner Yasky was quoted as saying the following: "Like all pilot programs, this will provide a wealth of information and allow us to make a better decision down the road. We should not ignore technology that is out there. Uber, Hailo, and GetTaxi are out in other cities of the world."
Taxi service apps could be hit by a proposed ban on GPS metering
Taxi and car-sharing apps which quote for journeys based on GPS data could find themselves outlawed by regulators. Transport authorities across fifteen US and Canadian cities are looking at a set of rules that would prohibit anything except physical metering to calculate the cost of a trip. The proposals would also put the kibosh on demand pricing, whereby quotes automatically rise when more people are making bookings, and also on the use of drivers who don't have proper taxi licenses. Some of these practices are already banned in a number of states, and in fact three online transport services -- Zimride, SideCar and our old friend Uber -- were fined in California this week precisely for allowing unqualified hands to take the wheel. If the current proposals are adopted, the role of smartphones would likely be restricted to hailing regular taxis or putting electric money into traditional cabbies' pockets.
Uber cancels NYC taxi program, due to high demand
Uber's bold initiative to let New York City residents hail taxis via their smartphones has met its end after just a few of months of operation. The company announced the shutdown today, going on to say that the reason is not due to poor reception -- in fact, it's exactly the opposite. It seems that while the e-hail movement was gaining popularity, the city's Taxi and Limousine Commission continued to throw wrenches in Uber's plans. The company took a tone of muffled frustration in its official announcement on the matter, noting that demand for Uber-equipped cabs far outweighed what the city was willing to allow. With the odds stacked firmly against Uber invading NYC's taxi culture, the company decided to pull the plug. Taking one last dig at the powers that be, Uber promised it will continue to expand into "more innovation-friendly cities" in the near future. Despite the snub on the cab front, Uber's Black Car reservation service will remain in operation in NYC. [Via Gigaom]
Uber shuts down New York City taxi beta, may see light at the end of the (Lincoln) tunnel in February (update: TLC responds)
Uber has been having a tough time getting a foothold in New York City, and it's temporarily withdrawing the UberTaxi service it had in beta. The withdrawal isn't entirely for the reasons you'd expect, however. While Uber claims to have been getting grief from the city's Taxi and Limousine Commission for offering a competing (if technically legal) service through its smartphone apps, the program's end was due to demand rather than any kind of outright ban -- the Commission's pressure reportedly kept Uber from matching interest with enough yellow cabs. Black car service is still on for those who don't mind the classic ride. Should that uncomfortable balance not be quite good enough, Mayor Bloomberg is promising a truce come February, when a shift in contracts will let New York change the rules and hopefully improve the market for taxi alternatives. Update: TLC Commissioner David Yassky has weighed in with both an elaboration and claims that the Commission has been in favor of newer technology for awhile. He notes that the contracts expiring in February relate to exclusive payment arrangements with Creative Mobile Technologies and VeriFone, and that apps of all kinds (Uber's included) can compete for attention at that point. His full statement: "In recent months, as e-hail apps have emerged, TLC has undertaken serious diligence and is moving toward rule changes that will open the market to app developers and other innovators. Those changes cannot legally take place until our existing exclusive contracts expire in February. We are committed to making it as easy as possible to get a safe, legal ride in a New York City taxi, and are excited to see how emerging technology can improve that process. Our taxis have always been on the cutting edge of technological innovation, from GPS systems to credit card readers."
The Soapbox: Diablo III's endgame is fundamentally flawed
Diablo III was arguably the biggest online game release of the year, but its predecessor's decade of consistent popularity left some pretty big shoes to fill. Despite being the most pre-ordered PC game in history and selling more than 6.3 million units in its first week, Diablo III has started to seriously wane in popularity. I've seen over a dozen friends stop playing completely in the last few months, and Xfire's usage stats for D3 have dropped by around 90% since June. Guild Wars 2's timely release accounts for some of the drop, but there's a lot more going on than just competition. The Diablo III beta showed only the first few levels and part of the game's highly polished first act, and soon after release it became obvious that parts of the game weren't exactly finished. PvP was cut from release, the Auction House was a mess, and Inferno difficulty was a poor excuse for an endgame. Poor itemisation made the carrot on the end of the stick taste sour, and the runaway inflation on top-end items is crying out for some kind of ladder reset mechanic. But there is hope for improvement, with new legendary items, the Paragon level system, and the upcoming Uber boss mechanic taking a few steps in the right direction. In this opinion piece, I look at some of the fundamental flaws in Diablo III's endgame and suggest a few improvements that would make a world of difference.
TomTom confirms new taxi-ordering service, beginning trial rollout in Amsterdam
TomTom has been continually upping its navigation game, what with its partnership with Apple in iOS 6 and the HD Traffic 6.0 upgrade and requisite Android app announced this summer. Far be it from the Dutch service to rest on its mapping laurels, though: it's now poised to take on Uber and other players in the taxi-hailing world. Last week, The Next Web reported that the company acquired the taxi-fetching app maker TXXI in an effort to roll out a TomTom cab-booking service, and today the site reports that the theory is now confirmed. Speaking with TNW, TomTom said it indeed bought TXXI to "help develop tools to support the taxi market," with initial efforts focusing on Amsterdam. Last month, the company began a trial program in that city to let restaurant and hotel guests order a taxi from a mini-kiosk called the Taxi Butler. On the cab side, there's the so-called Taxi Assistant, a TomTom-branded device which alerts drivers to incoming requests. No word on whether the company will eventually introduce mobile apps, but we'd say it's a pretty safe bet.
Uber's 'Planetary Annihilation' Kickstarter raises $2.2 million
Planetary Annihilation, a new real-time strategy game to be created by Super Monday Night Combat developer Uber Entertainment, has concluded its Kickstarter founding round at $2.2 million."We're excited to be able to bring back a genre that wouldn't have been funded through traditional means," Uber Entertainment CEO Bob Berry told us today.Uber hit its initial goal of $900,000 with 15 days to spare, since then it's been adding other bonus milestones, with the $2 million mark promising a full orchestral soundtrack for the game."Our Kickstarter page says July 2013, so we'll be shooting for that timeframe," Uber executive producer Chandana Ekanayake said when asked about a release window for the game. "We're still amazed at the reception to the Kickstarter and very thankful for all our supporters."Kickstarter recently declared 2012 as "the year of the game" at the crowd funding site. Planetary Annhilation was the latest of seven Kickstarter projects to surpass $1 million in funding this year.
Planetary Annihilation, a new RTS Uber wants to get Kickstarted
Super Monday Night Combat developer Uber Entertainment is looking to branch out from its free-to-play MOBA game and create a real-time strategy title called Planetary Annihilation. Of course Uber is using Kickstarter to finance the $900,000 cost of the game, but they're also taking donations directly through its Planetary Annihilation website.Planetary Annihilation aims to do just that: present "Total Annihilation-inspired gameplay on a planetary scale." Players will wage galactic war and conquer entire solar systems, or games can be scaled back to take place on a single planet. Like other RTS games, Planetary Annihilation will allow players to create their own maps – in this case, their own planets and systems – which players will be able to publish and share to the community.Multiplayer skirmishes can have anywhere between two and 40 participants. And to handle the load of these intense skirmishes, Planetary Annihilation will employ a client-server model to handle the lion's share of work running multiplayer matches, so that real-time multiplayer won't be bogged down by those with lesser-quality rigs.
Uber tackles Taxis in Chicago with Uber Garage experiment
Uber has been making quite a name for itself with its fleet of private Town Cars you can order straight from your smartphone. But, high-end luxury shuttles only account for a tiny fraction of the car service market. A much larger piece of the pie is owned by the humble taxicab. Uber Garage is the company's new workshop for experimental new features and services, and the first product of the labs is a taxi service for UberChicago customers. With more cabs per-capita than anywhere else in the US and the second lowest rates in the nation, it was the logical choice for a launch location. Taxi drivers who take part in the program will get alerts when an Uber user wants a cab. Rather than wave and whistle and wait on a busy corner, a user simply fires up the Uber app and demands a ride. There's no cash to exchange or credit card to swipe -- drivers a paid by Uber direct, and the fare includes a 20-percent tip. Though, that doesn't mean you're not free to tip some cash on top of the default gratuity. If you're in the Chicago area and have taken advantage of an Uber Taxi, let us know how it went in the comments.
Car-service app Uber heads for NYC market
Uber is a service that connects an iOS app to a car booking network, so essentially you can use your iPhone to signal that you need a car, and then one shows up, complete with a driver ready to take you to your destination. We've seen taxis do this with Taxi Magic, but Uber is designed to not only set up people who need transportation with their own drivers, but also car services with new customers. Now Uber is headed for an even bigger test in New York, after launching in the San Francisco market. The New York Times says the company is set to take on the Big Apple, where taxis and public transportation options usually hold sway. It'll be interesting to see how this all works. I expect more of these kinds of services to hook into smartphones in this way. Of course, using a car service will always be more expensive. But for those few times in urban areas where you need a car fast, what better way than a geo-aware smartphone to set up the connection?
The Classifieds: Coming out of the closet edition
The Classifieds is a weekly roundup of news from around the WoW community. Your host for this week is the ever-so-shadowy Fox Van Allen, filling in for a vacationing Lisa Poisso in exchange for an undisclosed sum of pirate treasure. As always, if you have guild news or a Random Act of Uberness to share, send it in to TheClassifieds@WoW.com. If there are 50 ways to leave your lover, then there must be at least 100 different ways to leave a guild. There's the middle-of-an-argument /gquit, the log-on-in-the-middle-of-the-night-so-no-one-sees-you /gquit, the passive-aggressive /gquit, and of course, the I-illegally-sold-my-WoW-account-on-Craigslist-to-buy-a-ten-year-old-dirtbike /gquit. I think I have a new favorite, though: The tauren-trapped-in-a-night-elf's-body /gquit. Milkmenot (Boulderfist [US-H]), formerly Slimbones (Uldaman [US-A]), wrote one of the most creative goodbye notes to his guild that I've seen in a long time: I have a confession I need to make, it's something that has been bothering me for quite some time and I need to get it out there. I've been having these feelings. It started out just around town in Dalaran when I would see this Tauren going by. Our eyes would meet, just briefly, and all these feelings would well up inside. I'd try to follow her, intrigued by her curves and horns, but then she always goes into that Horde-only area and I would get booted out. So I'd hang around the entrance there just hoping to sneak a peek. The rest of the goodbye note -- and so much more -- is available just after the break.
The absolute worst class duo
Our reader Josh wrote to us with an common and practical question, saying that he said that he and his girlfriend are looking forward to starting two new alts together and they would like to know what the best classes would be for leveling exclusively together, with no solo play in between. He said, and I quote: "what would the greatest, most face melting/ass kicking/uber pwnage duo in WoW look like?"Now, fortunately for Josh and his girlfriend, we've actually been asked this question before, and anyways this sort of topic comes up lots and lots and lots of times in one way or another. I'm happy to refer them, and all interested parties of two, back to those posts with comments from our insightful readers. Of course if you feel something has changed since those topics last came up and there's a new best duo in the game, feel free to let us know here!But in order to give this post some kind of interesting spin, how about we advice them what not to do! What would be the absolute worst class combination imaginable for two people to level with? It's not as easy as you think -- As our class encouragement breakfast topics have shown so far, each of the classes has their own form of face melting, ass-kicking uber pwnage, and they all seem to have abilities that complement each other, no matter who they're paired with. Still... there has to be a less-than-optimal combination in there somewhere, right?Ideologically, you'd think that paladins and warlocks just would not mix at all, but no, that's not true! Actually they work great together. From my own experience, I remember practicing as a 2vs2 arena team with a mage friend, who is an excellent player, but we still didn't do very well at all. I know it could be just because I may be a terrible druid, or my gear may not be good enough, but it's actually the only time in this game that I've ever paired up with a friend only to feel that maybe our class abilities didn't complement each other well. I thought that if I could level my rogue to join her we might be a lot more successful, but my friend thought that I just needed more practice. Maybe there is no worst class duo! What's your experience?[Check out the girlfriend's answer in the last panel of this great Penny Arcade comic above, and take it as a warning not to choose for your duo a new class that you like toooooo much, or else you might not be able to resist soloing with it when you have free time and your partner doesn't!]
