Tag - Drivers
Uber fined $907K in France, debuts Scheduled Rides in Seattle
Ridesharing service Uber has been fined €800,000 ($907,000 US) in a Paris criminal court for running its UberPop service illegally, despite being banned by a 2014 law that was subsequently challenged and then upheld last September. The UberPop service, similar to the company's US service, pairs non-professional drivers and users, which ran afoul of the law. Meanwhile, in Seattle, the company has begun a new Scheduled Rides service that allows users to schedule a ride from 30 minutes to 30 days in advance.
Report: Uber shares ride data with US government agencies
In a transparency report on its dealings with the US government, alternative ride provider Uber Technologies has revealed that it provided data on more than 12 million riders and drivers to the government -- but that nearly all of it was abstract statistical reports to various US regulatory agencies. The company did, however, show that it would provide details of trips, pickup and drop off areas, fares, vehicles, and drivers to law enforcement when requested, but had just 415 requests from such agencies on just 469 users -- mostly revolving around the use of stolen credit cards. Importantly, Uber said it had not received any FISA orders, or national security letters to obtain data on drivers or passengers.
Apple updates Epson, HP drivers of OS X Lion and later
On Friday, Apple updated its drivers for HP and Epson printer, scanner and all-in-one (AIO) products for Macs running OS X 10.7 (Lion), Mountain Lion (10.8), Mavericks (10.9) and Yosemite (10.10). The updates are likely to already be included in the forthcoming 10.10.4 update set for later this month (currently in beta testing), and updates every currently-available driver alongside adding new support for new models.
Briefly: Jackson promotion, shuttle drivers, supplier merger
Apple CEO Tim Cook, in a reply to a London Apple Store worker who asked about increased accessibility in the company's latest projects, reportedly said that Apple Environmental Vice President Lisa Jackson has been tasked with helping Apple increase its focus on accessibility. "In every product we do, we want it to be accessible for everyone," Cook said, adding that the Apple Watch will gain some accessibility features over time in addition to the ones it has now.
Uber launches in Portland, drivers face fines for illegal operation
Uber announced the launch of its ridesharing service in Portland at the end of last week, moving into Oregon's largest metropolitan area almost a month after coming to four other cities outside the area, including Hillsboro and Beaverton. However, the service hit a significant snag on the same day, running afoul of the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) and a city commissioner.
Apple updates Xerox printer drivers for 10.6 and up
Late on Thursday, Apple updated its drivers for Xerox printers, print servers and its WorkCentre line. The new version, 3.0.1, covers updated drivers for OS X Lion (10.7), Mountain Lion (10.8) and Mavericks (10.9). Release simultaneously but separately was version 2.3 for Snow Leopard (10.6) only. The drivers update support for existing models and add support for new Xerox products, and the two versions are identical in terms of what products they support.
Nvidia releases Quadro, GeForce OS X drivers for older Mac Pros
On Monday, video card maker Nvidia released updated drivers for 2010, 2009 and 2008-model Mac Pro units, along with a reminder that the units will need the previously-updated CUDA 5.5.28 driver for Mac in order to leverage the CUDA architecture in some Nvidia cards. The updated drivers bring support for the latest version of OS X Mavericks (10.9.2), and include an Nvidia Driver Manager preference pane.
Apple updates drivers for HP printers, scanners
On Wednesday, Apple updated its set of drivers for various HP models for users of OS X from 10.6.x to the current 10.8.5. The updates, available through the Software Update mechanism or through a direct update from Apple's support pages, provides the latest drivers and bring in support for new and existing models for printers, scanners and all-in-one units. The combo updater, available from Apple's Support Downloads page, is nearly half a gigabyte in size, but most should get the smaller, customized update from Software Update.
Apple updates Digital Raw Compatibility, Epson printer drivers
Alongside other OS X and security updates on Thursday, Apple also released updated drivers for Epson scanner and fax models, as well as a small update to its Digital RAW Compatibility file for iPhoto and Aperture. The RAW Compatibility update follows on the heels of the recently-released version 4.08, and adds support for only one camera, the Olympus PEN E-P5, but also restores lens correction to images shot by the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100, and addresses a white balance issue with some Nikon images modified by third-party apps.
Apple revises printer drivers for Epson, HP, Canon
In a day replete with Apple updates to other critical software, the company updated its suite of printer drivers for Epson, HP and Canon printers, scanners and all-in-one (AIO) units. The updates include support for a handful of new models and revisions in drivers for existing models, and are compatible with Macs running OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard through OSX 10.8 Mountain Lion.
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Cirrus creates Lightning-headphone dev kit
Apple supplier Cirrus Logic has introduced a MFi-compliant new development kit for companies interested in using Cirrus' chips to create Lightning-based headphones, which -- regardless of whether rumors about Apple dropping the analog headphone jack in its iPhone this fall -- can offer advantages to music-loving iOS device users. The kit mentions some of the advantages of an all-digital headset or headphone connector, including higher-bitrate support, a more customizable experience, and support for power and data transfer into headphone hardware. Several companies already make Lightning headphones, and Apple has supported the concept since June 2014. http://bit.ly/29giiZj
Apple Store app offers Procreate Pocket
The Apple Store app for iPhone, which periodically rewards users with free app gifts, is now offering the iPhone "Pocket" version of drawing app Procreate for those who have the free Apple Store app until July 28. Users who have redeemed the offer by navigating to the "Stores" tab of the app and swiping past the "iPhone Upgrade Program" banner to the "Procreate" banner have noted that only the limited Pocket (iPhone) version of the app is available free, even if the Apple Store app is installed and the offer redeemed on an iPad. The Pocket version currently sells for $3 on the iOS App Store. [32.4MB]
Porsche adds CarPlay to 2017 Panamera
Porsche has added a fifth model of vehicle to its CarPlay-supported lineup, announcing that the 2017 Panamera -- which will arrive in the US in January -- will include Apple's infotainment technology, and be seen on a giant 12.3-inch touchscreen as part of an all-new Porsche Communication Management system. The luxury sedan starts at $99,900 for the 4S model, and scales up to the Panamera Turbo, which sells for $146,900. Other vehicles that currently support CarPlay include the 2016 911 and the 2017 models of Macan, 718 Boxster, and 718 Cayman. The company did not mention support for Google's corresponding Android Auto in its announcement. http://bit.ly/295ZQ94
Apple employees testing wheelchair features
New features included in the forthcoming watchOS 3 are being tested by Apple retail store employees, including a new activity-tracking feature that has been designed with wheelchair users in mind. The move is slightly unusual in that, while retail employees have previously been used to test pre-release versions of OS X and iOS, this marks the first time they've been included in the otherwise developer-only watchOS betas. The company is said to have gone to great lengths to modify the activity tracker for wheelchair users, including changing the "time to stand" notification to "time to roll" and including two wheelchair-centric workout apps. http://bit.ly/2955JDa
SanDisk reveals two 256GB microSDXC cards
SanDisk has introduced two 256GB microSDXC cards. Arriving in August for $150, the Ultra microSDXC UHS-I Premium Edition card offers transfer speeds of up to 95MB/s for reading data. The Extreme microSDXC UHS-I card can read at a fast 100MB/s and write at up to 90MB/s, and will be shipping sometime in the fourth quarter for $200. http://bit.ly/294Q1If
Apple's third-quarter results due July 26
Apple has advised it will be issuing its third-quarter results on July 26, with a conference call to answer investor and analyst queries about the earnings set to take place later that day. The stream of the call will go live at 2pm PT (5pm ET) via Apple's investor site, with the results themselves expected to be released roughly 30 minutes before the call commences. Apple's guidance for the quarter put revenue at between $41 billion and $43 billion. http://apple.co/1oi1Pbm
Twitter stickers slowly roll out to users
Twitter has introduced "stickers," allowing users to add extra graphical elements to their photos before uploading them to the micro-blogging service. A library of hundreds of accessories, props, and emoji will be available to use as stickers, which can be resized, rotated, and placed anywhere on the photograph. Images with stickers will also become searchable with viewers able to select a sticker to see how others use the same graphic in their own posts. Twitter advises stickers will be rolling out to users over the next few weeks, and will work on both the mobile apps and through the browser. http://bit.ly/29bbwUE
