Maybe you chat up the driver when you get in an Uber, or perhaps you stare out the window. More likely you’re perusing through a few apps on your smartphone. Well, Uber wants to be your in-ride infotainment service, not entirely unlike what you’d find on a flight.
The ride-sharing service just launched a developer tool called Uber Trip Experiences, which lets third-party apps provide notifications, music playlists, news content, or ads to passengers during their trips. Uber says this content will be customized to the length of the ride, and will require permission from the user.
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Some examples include smart home appliance apps popping up notifications that will remind you to turn up the heat in your home before you arrive; receiving a five-minute news update for a five-minute ride; music apps providing playlists for you to listen to during the ride; and ads with points of interests and offers cropping up as you make your way to your destination. Of course, as more third-party apps choose to make use of this feature, there will be more choices and varied options of what exactly will be offered to you during your ride.
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If none of that appeals to you and you just want to drive in peace, Uber says users will be able to turn the feature off on an app-by-app basis. We’ll have to wait until developers start using this new feature to see if it will really be a welcome addition to Uber drives, or if it will be an ad-ridden nuisance.
The company says the update is its biggest since it released the Ride Request API in March of 2015, which allowed third-party apps to implement a Ride Request Button so that users could save a few clicks by not having to open the Uber app.
If you’re a developer, you can check out the Getting Started page for Uber Trip Experiences here.
I record interviews for work. These are my favorite free recorder apps
The Voice Recorder app on a phone (left) and the Voice Memos on another phone Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
Before you head to the app store on your phone to buy a voice-recording app, take a moment to consider the apps that may already be installed on your phone. Why? In my experience, they're likely all you really need. I’ve recorded interviews and voice-overs for work for years, and I’ve found the two best examples come preinstalled on your phone already, so they’re entirely free to use.
The best Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 cases: 10 best ones so far
Samsung’s next-generation foldable is here with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5. This iteration has some notable improvements, including a new hinge design that eliminates the gap from previous generations when the device was folded. You also get a 6.2-inch HD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display on the outside while having a 6.7-inch QXGA+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display on the inside, with both screens having a 120Hz refresh rate. In other words, they're about as nice as you could ask for.
The Galaxy Z Fold 5 is made with premium materials, and the triple-lens camera system packs in a 50MP main shooter, 10MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom, and a 12MP ultrawide lens. There’s a 10MP selfie camera on the front cover, and a 4MP camera on the inner display. You also get a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chip inside for the best performance and power efficiency.
Google Pixel Tablet just got its first big discount and it’s worth a look
Tablets are a dime-a-dozen these days, with offerings from all the great brands including Apple, Samsung, Lenovo, and more. So, if you really want to stand out in a sea of similar tech, you need to do things a little differently. That's what Google's Pixel Tablet offers. How? It comes with a unique speaker dock that can be used to both charge the device and offer room-filling sound -- almost like a smart speaker add-on. Better yet, when your Pixel Tablet is docked it benefits from the Hub Mode, turning the device into a smart display, with digital photo frame support, smart home controls, and hands-free Google functionality. Of course, it could set you back at full price, normally $499 unless you find it included in a roundup of the best Google Pixel deals. Well, guess what? Thanks to a Best Buy Google Pixel Tablet deal, you can get it today for $439 and save $60. Hurry, though, it's part of Best Buy's recent 48-hour sale so it won't stick around for long.
Why you should buy the Google Pixel Tablet
Okay, okay, so in our Google Pixel Tablet review, Joe Maring did give it less than stellar remarks, but he called out its reliable fingerprint sensor, comfortability during use and excellent speaker dock. Honestly, how many tablets come with a matching speaker dock that transforms the entire experience? This tablet also marks a "lot of firsts" for Google, as it's the first tablet from the company in nearly five years, the first Android tablet in eight years, and can be converted into a smart home display with the speaker dock. All of which are notable milestones.