Uber received more than 3,000 reports of sexual assault in the U.S. in 2018
Uber's first-ever safety report reveals the ridesharing giant received more than 3,000 reports of sexual assault on both riders and drivers in the U.S. in 2018. The firm said 99.9% of its rides take place without any issue, though the CEO said there’s still more work to do to improve the safety of its service.
MacBook Pro: Apple acknowledges shutdown issue with a 2019 model
A number of 13-inch MacBook Pro laptops manufactured in 2019 have been suffering random shutdowns, with the fault usually occurring when the machine has between 25% and 50% of its battery life remaining. Apple has now acknowledged the issue with the publication of a possible fix on its website.
SoftBank enters the cafe business with new robot-filled Pepper Parlor
SoftBank is getting into the cafe business. The tech firm has just opened an eatery in Tokyo staffed by lots of its Pepper robots. It says it wants to use the site to help it learn more about how people interact with robots so that it can improve the design of its current high-tech offerings.
Google Photos just made it easier to share one-off photos and videos
Google Photos has just launched a handy new feature that makes it much easier to send one-off photos and video clips. Sending content also initiates a chat-like messaging experience, with the recipient able to quickly save the photo or clip to their gallery, if they wish.
Tesla proposes dirt-busting lasers to clean grime off windshields
Forget using wipers to clean your windshield. Tesla thinks you should be able to destroy the dirt with laser beams. The idea, which showed up in a recently published patent, sounds perfect for Tesla’s futuristic Cybertruck, though the company says the technology could be used to clean solar panels, too.
Boeing’s first Starliner orbital test flight delayed due to rocket issue
Boeing's Starliner space capsule was due to make its first orbital test flight to the International Space Station on December 17, but an issue with the Atlas V launch rocket means it will be delayed by a couple of days. Boeing wants to use the Starliner to send astronauts to the space station starting next year.
Tesla’s Model Y could hit the road much earlier than expected
The last time we heard, Tesla's all-electric Model Y crossover was heading for a summer 2020 launch, but reports from its Taiwan-based suppliers suggest it could hit the road even sooner, possibly in the next three months. For a company known for missing its deadlines, that would certainly be marked down as a win.
Homeland Security wants to expand airport facial scans to U.S. citizens
Fancy having your face scanned every time you leave and enter the country? The Department of Homeland Security already performs facial scans of noncitizens entering the U.S., but in a bid to improve security, it’s now proposing extending the procedure to citizens as well.
Twitter’s new Privacy Center lets you know what’s happening with your data
Twitter said this week there’s “room for improvement” when it comes to communicating with its users about how it protects their privacy. A new Privacy Center aims to change that. Twitter’s new offering provides information about privacy and data protection work, new privacy products, and news about security incidents.
A.I. camera system launches in Australia to catch drivers on phones
Anyone checking their phone while driving in the Australian state of New South Wales now runs the risk of being caught by a new A.I.-powered system, said to be the first of its kind in the world. Officials said the automated system could be carrying out as many as 135M vehicle checks on state roads annually by 2023.
Shoppers spend big (again) as Black Friday sets new online sales record
Online shoppers in the U.S. spent a whopping $7.4B on Black Friday, according to data from Adobe Analytics. The figure set a new record for the day, beating last year's revenue by $1.2B. It was also the second-biggest online shopping day ever in the U.S., trailing 2018’s Cyber Monday record of $7.9B.
Finally, a chocolate iPhone case that you can actually eat
You won't see it in a Black Friday sale, but this iPhone 11 case would surely be a hit with chocoholics if it was up for grabs. The case can be made in the time it takes for melted chocolate to set, but let’s be honest, it won’t save your phone from scrapes and drops. Should taste darn good, though.
Jony Ive can now design his own future as his Apple exit is made official
Apple revealed earlier this year that Jony Ive, its influential chief design officer, would be leaving the firm before the end of 2019. The removal of his profile from Apple’s leadership webpage this week means that the man who helped transform the company with the iPhone, iPad, and Mac computers is officially out.
Astrophotography: Google reveals how the Pixel 4 nails those night shots
Google’s astrophotography mode for the recently launched Pixel 4 phone helps you take potentially stunning shots of the night sky. In a blog post this week, those who built the powerful software shared some details on how the mode manages to capture the stars without shake or blur. Or hot pixels ...
Twitter pauses plan to clear its platform of inactive accounts
After it emerged earlier this week that Twitter would soon start deleting inactive accounts, some users contacted the company to raise a point that it realized it hadn't considered — how to deal with the accounts of users who have passed away. Twitter has now hit pause on the deletion process until it finds a solution.
Alexa can now show more emotion when your sports team loses
Alexa, Amazon's voice-activated digital assistant, can now express more emotion during interactions. The update also includes new speaking styles designed to create "a more natural and intuitive voice experience” for people that use the digital assistant, the company said this week.
Virtual reality goggles for dairy cows? Pull the udder one
Russian farmers are putting VR headsets on their cows to help improve milk production. It may sound like a load of bull, but apparently it really is part of an ongoing experiment. The modified headsets play visuals that simulate a “unique summer field,” helping to relax the cows so that they produce more milk.
FedEx’s autonomous delivery robot sent packing by New York City
FedEx's delivery robot only made a short trip as part of a promotion, but when New York City officials learned about the outing, they sent the machine packing. A cease-and-desist letter sent to the shipping giant warned of dire consequences if it rolled the robot onto the city’s streets again without prior permission.
Elon’s Cybertruck smash and more: The biggest on-stage screwups in tech history
It’s a brave person who steps onto a stage to show off a new piece of tech. When it goes wrong, it can go spectacularly wrong, leading the incident itself to become the star of the show.
Electric Citi Bikes is returning to New York City with a price shake-up
Following a seven-month absence over safety concerns, Citi Bike operator Motivate is about to start bringing new pedal-assist electric bikes back to the streets of New York City. The e-bikes were removed in April 2019 after some riders complained of harder-than-expected braking on the front wheel.
Elon Musk spills the beans on Tesla Cybertruck pre-order numbers
Tesla boss Elon Musk unveiled the extraordinary Cybertruck on Friday, paving the way for any interested buyer to drop a $100 pre-order deposit on the futuristic vehicle. And within 48 hours, more than 180,000 people had opened their wallets with the hope of receiving the electric pickup in the next couple of years.
Police arrest suspect in hack of Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey’s account
Police have arrested a suspect in connection with a hack in August that saw Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey’s own Twitter account compromised. The suspect is reportedly a former member of the Chuckling Squad, a hacking group known to use SIM swapping, the method by which Dorsey’s account was taken over.
T-Mobile hack may have affected around a million customers
Around a million T-Mobile customers have reportedly been caught up in a security breach in which hackers made off with customer information that includes name, billing address, phone number, account number. The hack comes just over a year after another one hit around 2 million T-Mobile customers.
Google’s Android bug bounty program announces a $1 million prize
Google has announced a potential top payment of $1M as part of its Android bug bounty program. Bug hunters are encouraged to search for a particular kind of security issue linked to the Pixel phone’s Titan M chip. Google’s Android bug bounty program started in 2015, with the single biggest payment so far worth $160K.
Watch this foldable drone get fired out of a cannon before flying away
Getting a drone off the ground is usually the most challenging part of a flight. Not so with SQUID, a quadcopter that you launch by firing it out of a cannon. A team of engineers in California is developing the design, with its unusual launch system giving it potential in a range of scenarios.
Google restricts targeting of political ads ahead of 2020 election
With scrutiny of major online platforms increasing ahead of the 2020 presidential election, Google has announced changes to the way it handles political advertising. It means that political campaigns will no longer be able to target ads based on a person's political leanings or data gleaned from public voting records.
Watch SpaceX’s Starship prototype blow its top during a ground test
SpaceX's Starship blew its top during a pressure test in Texas on Sunday. A nearby camera captured the dramatic incident, which wrecked Starship's upper section. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk was quick to respond, confirming the team would continue with work on a more advanced version rather than rebuild the damaged one.
Kickstarter’s new budget tool could save projects from collapse
Crowdfunding site Kickstarter has launched a new tool called Project Budget that aims to provide valuable assistance to creators in the important early stages of their work. It’s hoped that a clearer plan as to how funds will be spent will also encourage more people to back projects on the site.
Bird offers free e-scooter rides in exchange for a certain kind of selfie
Bird is offering free rides on its electric scooters if you snap a selfie wearing a helmet at the end of a trip. It's part of the company’s ongoing efforts to promote more responsible use of its app-based service as regulators across the country continue to scrutinize their safety.