Lyft offers freebies to encourage people to ditch their cars
If you're a Lyft rider in Los Angeles, San Francisco, or Chicago and are considering selling your car, then you could be in line for some freebies from the ridesharing company. The offer is part of Lyft’s Ditch Your Car campaign aimed at reducing car ownership and easing traffic congestion in major cities.
Cockpit calamity: Pilot error sparks hijack security alert on passenger plane
A pilot preparing for take-off at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam on Wednesday accidentally set off a hijack alert, prompting a security incident that saw part of the airport put on lockdown and flights delayed. An Air Europa official later tweeted that it had all been a mistake and that everyone was fine.
Twitter’s latest feature lets you explore tweets in a whole new way
Twitter is about to launch a new feature called Topics that for the first time will let users follow tweets on specific subjects, rather than just accounts. The feature will roll out on November 13 and kick off by offering more than 300 topics covering sports, entertainment, and gaming.
Bloodhound supersonic car eyes land speed record after 500 mph test run
The Bloodhound supersonic car reached 500 mph for the first time during a test run this week, putting the vehicle on course for a land speed record attempt in 2020. The jet- and rocket-powered car hit 501 mph on Wednesday as it hurtled along a salt pan in the Kalahari Desert in southern Africa.
HBO competition prize is a cardboard box where you can watch TV in private
HBO has launched a competition with the main prize a branded cardboard box where you can watch TV in private. Yes, it's as crazy as it sounds, though HBO hopes that students with noisy roommates might want to win it. AirPods and HBO-branded shirts are also up for grabs.
Flying meds: UPS uses drones for deliveries to CVS customers for first time
UPS wants to use drones as well as trucks to deliver goods to customers. The shipping giant recently teamed up with CVS Pharmacy for its first trial deliveries of prescription meds to customers in the U.S. The drone flew from the store to the customer’s home, lowering the medicine to the ground with a cable and winch.
Watch Boeing’s Starliner crew capsule hit 650 mph in critical test
Boeing deemed a launch abort test of its Starliner crew capsule a success on Monday, but it didn’t go entirely to plan as one of its parachutes failed to deploy when it returned to the ground. Following more tests, the Starliner could be used to carry astronauts to the space station as early as 2020.
Firefox for desktop will hide those pesky notification permission pop-ups
Almost everyone who's served a notification permission request on a website declines to accept it. Which makes the pop-up really annoying. With that in mind, Firefox creator Mozilla has decided to act, announcing a version of its browser due for release in January 2020 that will automatically hide the prompts.
Nikon apparently can’t make enough of its $8,000 58mm f/0.95 lens
Nikon says it's had to place a temporary suspension on orders for its new Nikkor Z 58mm f/0.95 S Noct lens because it can't keep up with demand. It added that producing the $8,000 lens — Nikon's fastest to date — takes longer than usual because of the advanced technology required to make it.
Google Maps’ Incognito mode finally goes live for Android users
Six months after discussing the privacy feature at its Google I/O conference, the company is finally rolling out Incognito mode for Google Maps on Android. It can be turned on in a few taps, but keep in mind that when it’s on, you’ll lose access to things like Offline Maps and Your Places.
SpaceX video shows off successful test of new Crew Dragon parachutes
SpaceX has posted a video showing how the parachute system for its Crew Dragon can land the spacecraft safely in the event that one of its four main parachutes fails. The Crew Dragon is still undergoing a variety of tests ahead of its first mission carrying astronauts to the ISS, which could take place in 2020.
Airbnb bans ‘party houses’ after fatal Halloween shooting
Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky has announced it is taking stronger action against unauthorized parties at properties rented through its service. The move follows a multiple shooting at a Halloween party held at a house rented through Airbnb in California in which five people died.
WhatsApp’s fingerprint unlock feature is now on Android
The ability to unlock WhatsApp with your fingerprint has been available for compatible iPhones since earlier this year, but now the feature has finally arrived for supported Android handsets, too. Fingerprint unlock also lets you choose how much time should pass before the app requests your fingerprint again.
This gamer is so good he just won a motorsport gig for real-world racing
Combining his real-world racing skills with his gaming prowess, Brit James Baldwin has just won a contest with the prize of a sportscar racing contract that's said to be worth more than $1 million. Baldwin beat nine other competitors in a two-week contest that took place in Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
U.S. Interior Department grounds 800-strong drone fleet over security fears
The U.S. Department of the Interior has stopped using its fleet of Chinese-made drones over spying fears. A final decision will be made following an investigation. The drones undertake a range of tasks, including land and forest monitoring, and assisting efforts to tackle wildfires and other natural disasters.
Apple App Store error reportedly saw 20M ratings erased in a week
Apple's App Store apparently suffered a hiccup last week when millions of user ratings were accidentally deleted from apps belonging to the likes of Google, Microsoft, Nike, and Disney, with smaller developers also hit. Ratings affect the amount of exposure an app gets in the store, which in turn can affect downloads.
Volocopter’s awesome flying taxi inspires the design of a new cargo drone
Volocopter has used the design of its remarkable flying taxi as the inspiration for its new cargo drone. Unveiled this week, the fully electric, unmanned VoloDrone has a cruising speed of 50 mph and a range of 25 miles, and can carry a payload of up to 440 pounds. The German maker promises a range of applications.
Filmmakers slam Netflix feature that lets you binge-watch more quickly
Netflix is testing a new feature that lets you adjust the playback speed of content. But a number of filmmakers have slammed the idea, suggesting it has the potential to wreck a filmmaker's hard work. Producer and director Judd Apatow, for one, pleaded with Netflix to ditch the idea.
Lyft Pink is the ridesharing company’s new monthly subscription service
Lyft is abandoning its $299-a-month All-Access Plan in favor of Lyft Pink, a new offering for frequent riders that costs a more reasonable $20 a month. The fee scores you a 15% discount on each ride, along with a bunch of perks that include priority airport pickups, waived lost-and-found fees, and surprise offers.
Texas patient livestreamed her brain surgery on Facebook to help others
Texas resident Jenna Schardt this week had her brain operation livestreamed on Facebook. When she learned she had to undergo surgery, she thought providing a live feed would provide hope for others facing the same situation. It’s thought to be the first time that brain surgery has been streamed live online.
The Da Vinci water faucet has a neat trick up its spout
Getting water from a faucet to your mouth can be tricky if you don't have a glass to hand, so check out this superbly simple design from a Virginia-based inventor. The Da Vinci Fountain Faucet features a small hole in the top of the main stem that offers a steady arc of water at the flip of a lever.
Instagram expands ban on content related to self-harm and suicide
Earlier this year Instagram banned photos related to self-harm and suicide. Acting on calls for greater action, this week it expanded the ban to cover fictional depictions of such subject matter, including memes and drawings. Instagram’s boss said it was determined to do what it can to keep vulnerable people safe.
Samsung selfie stunt goes wrong as space contraption crashes to Earth
A Michigan couple got the surprise of its life on Saturday when a high-altitude balloon carrying Samsung kit crash-landed on their property. The contraption was part of a marketing stunt by the tech firm involving selfies in space and was carried skyward by a high-altitude balloon last week.
Waymo is now running autonomous car trips without backup drivers
Waymo is offering limited rides to Arizona residents in prototype self-driving cars without human backup drivers. Waymo cars previously operated with a person in the driver's seat at all times. The Alphabet-owned company said passengers will be notified via the Waymo app if it sends them a fully driverless car.
Uber Eats serves up foodie experiences in a test for new feature
Meal-delivery app Uber Eats is testing a new feature that offers experiences such as cookery classes and meals at swish restaurants, as Uber seeks to take its business beyond ridesharing. Uber Moments appears as an option within the main Uber Eats app as part of a monthlong trial for customers in San Francisco.
The U.S. Air Force’s secretive space plane ends record-breaking mission
The U.S. Air Force’s secretive X-37B space plane landed at the Kennedy Space Center on Sunday after spending a record 780 days in low-Earth orbit. The vehicle is used to test and develop various spacecraft technologies while at the same time demonstrating the importance of a reusable space plane.
Apple tells iPhone 5 owners to update software or face the consequences
Apple is telling anyone who still uses an iPhone 5 to update it to iOS 10.3.4 before November 3 or face losing some of the smartphone’s core functionality. The advice is linked to a GPS time rollover issue that began affecting various GPS-enabled products from a number of manufacturers in April 2019.
Adobe left millions of Creative Cloud user records exposed online
Subscribers to any of Adobe's Creative Cloud apps are being advised to keep a look out for phishing scams using the email address linked to their Adobe account. The warning comes after it was discovered that data belonging to more than seven million accounts remained exposed online for about a week.
Donald Trump lets the world know he misses the iPhone’s home button
President Donald Trump has tweeted Apple CEO Tim Cook -- and the rest of his 66 million followers -- to let him know how much he misses the iPhone's physical home button. Apparently now the owner of one of Apple’s newest devices, Trump now has to swipe up from the bottom of the handset to access the home screen.
Google Play Store malware hits 42 apps with 8 million downloads
Cybersecurity researchers have uncovered an adware campaign affecting 42 Play Store apps that have been downloaded 8 million times. Google has now removed them, though they remain available in third-party app stores. The most popular app, Video Downloader Master, received 5 million downloads.
Amazon spends a staggering amount to ship your orders
Aiming to push convenience to the max, Amazon is continuing to invest heavily in its gargantuan shipping operation with a particular focus on developing its one-day shipping option. The company’s latest financial figures revealed it spent billions on shipping in the third quarter of 2019.
Google agrees to replace its bricked Home and Home Mini smart speakers
A recent firmware update caused a number of Google Home and Home Mini devices to stop working. Google says it’ll replace the bricked devices, and also roll out a fix to stop it happening again. Some affected customers managed to get their device working again via a factory reset, though this hasn’t worked for everyone.
Facebook is getting interested in news again with News Tab launch
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is expected to unveil the site's latest feature at an event in New York City on Friday. The News Tab, which will host the latest international and local news stories, marks a return to the genre for Facebook after it altered its algorithms two years ago to prioritize more personal posts.