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Category: TransportationRevolution

TransportationRevolution

  • Facebook Messenger Gets Lyft Integration

    Facebook Messenger Gets Lyft Integration

    In December, Facebook announced a feature for Messenger that lets users request a ride fro Uber. Lyft announced today that it now provides Facebook Messenger integration.

    The company announced that it is expanding its reach with the launch of a public API with Facebook as the marquee partner. Lyft launched Slack integration in October.

    Lyft will roll out to Messenger users in 11 cities right now. These include San Francisco, New York, Miami, Atlanta, Nashville, Austin, Washington D.C., and Denver. Next week, it will be available to all Messenger users in the U.S.

    “Messenger (and Slack, too) help bridge the gap between online connections and real-world experiences,” Lyft says in a blog post. “Messaging with a friend to set up plans, or finally score a meeting with that key networking contact for your dream job? Request your Lyft without ever leaving the Messenger app, and get face-to-face even faster.”

    “With Messenger, our two companies share a unique brand alignment,” it says. “Lyft’s mission is to unite humanity and technology – and Messenger’s goal is to be the best way to communicate with the people and businesses that matter to you most. In the coming weeks, as Messenger x Lyft rolls out across the country, we’ll celebrate our shared priorities and dedication to delighting users with unique surprise promotions. To get a Lyft while using Messenger, tap ‘Transportation,’ select Lyft, and ride.”

    More than 800 million people use Messenger monthly according to Facebook’s latest figures.

    Image via Lyft

  • Google Sheets & Slides Get New Business Templates

    Google Sheets & Slides Get New Business Templates

    In September, Google announced a bunch of new templates for Docs, Slides, and Sheets. In December, these became available on Android and iOS.

    Building on these offerings, the company just announced even more templates, and some of them are specifically geared toward businesses. The new templates are designed by experts in their fields. This includes Intuit, GV, and Made to Stick authors Chip and Dan Heath.

    Intuit’s QuickBooks contributed a new annual business budget template in Sheets to make it easier to manage budgets.

    “GV provides venture capital funding to bold new companies,” says product manager Brian LeVee. “In the fields of life science, healthcare, artificial intelligence, robotics, transportation, cyber security and agriculture, GV’s companies aim to improve lives and change industries.The new GV pitch template in Slides helps entrepreneurs share their vision, based on proven presentation tactics.”

    “And, in the bestselling book, Made to Stick, brothers Chip and Dan Heath revealed that ‘sticky’ messages of all kinds draw their power from the same main traits,” LeVee adds. “In their big idea template in Slides, they use these principles to help you build and deliver your most memorable presentation yet.”

    On the educational side of things, there’s a new Reading Rainbow-designed lesson plan and book report template in Docs and a Google Science Fair-designed Slides template for science projects.

    Google discusses each of the new templates in a blog post here.

    Image via Google

  • PayPal Commerce Launches in Beta

    PayPal Commerce Launches in Beta

    PayPal has a new offering called PayPal Commerce in closed beta. It’s described as an ifrastructure enabling retailers to deliver open, distributed commerce experiences that “only PayPal and Braintree together can deliver.” It gives partners services to create contextual commerce experiences and tools for retailers to reach and engage consumers via email, social shares, blogs, articles, ads, in-page, and-in-app.

    The offering makes use of PayPal’s acquisition of Modest six months ago. Harper Reed writes on the Braintree blog:

    For our partners, PayPal Commerce supplies core API building blocks used in the development of their own innovative commercial applications for their users. Our earlier efforts in this area include last summer’s announcement that Braintree was powering payments for Pinterest’s launch of Buyable Pins. Later in the year, we followed up with the integration of Braintree’s sophisticated tokenization offering into Facebook Messenger for the launch of its transportation services with Uber.

    For consumers – continuing on from PayPal’s origins – PayPal Commerce also aims to make buying online more convenient and seamless for its 179 million active users and beyond.

    You can request to join the beta and get more information about PayPal Commerce here.

    Image via PayPal/Braintree

  • Amazon Echo Gets Uber Integration

    Amazon Echo Gets Uber Integration

    As Amazon prepares to put its Echo device in front of America’s collective face, it appears to be getting some more bells and whistles that will make it appealing to more people.

    Amazon has already teased a Super Bowl ad for the device, which features Dan Marino and Baldwin with the hashtag #BaldwinBowl.

    This week, we learned that Echo is gaining new Spotify support, which instantly make is more useful to a lot of music fans as a smart speaker. Spotify Premium subscribers in the U.S. can now listen to music on the device, operating it by voice command.

    Now, The Verge is reporting that you can also use the device to order an Uber. Andrew J. Hawkins reports:

    Uber is announcing Friday that its application program interface, or API, has been integrated with Amazon’s smart home hub. The update may be the purest manifestation of Uber’s mission to make getting you from point A to point B completely seamless. After all, what’s easier than speaking the words “call me an Uber” into thin air, and having the car show up minutes later? This could be the provenance of germaphobes everywhere. (Of course, you’ll still have to touch the Uber’s door handle.)

    Users will be able to tell Alexa “request me a ride,” “call me a ride, “get me an Uber,” and other similar things, according to the report.

    Uber also recently gained integration with Facebook Messenger.

  • For Buisnesses, More to Come with Facebook Messenger

    For Buisnesses, More to Come with Facebook Messenger

    Last year at its F8 conference, Facebook introduced business features for Messenger, though so far, things have been pretty limited. The ecommerce businesses that have been using it, however, have been happy with it so far. That is according to Mark Zuckerberg.

    Are you looking forward to more business feature availability for Messenger? Do you think it’s something your customers would like? Let us know in the comments.

    Facebook reported its earnings on Wednesday, and the subject of Messenger came up a few times throughout the ensuing earnings call.

    “With Messenger and WhatsApp, we’ve continued to make progress with building these into valuable communication services for everyone in the world,” Zuckerberg said in his prepared remarks (via Seeking Alpha’s transcript). “More than 800 million people now use Messenger monthly and in 2015 we grew that number by almost a quarter of 1 billion while also increasing engagement. We continue to give people new ways to communicate by introducing video calling and new options for customizing conversations with fun things like colors and emojis and by using apps like — using apps, the Messenger platform.”

    “We also worked to extend Messenger’s utility by adding payments, a new way to connect with businesses and by testing M, a digital assistant powered by AI,” he said. “In this quarter we also began testing a transportation platform, allowing people to request an Uber ride through Messenger. More services will be coming to the platform soon, including airlines.”

    It’s going to be particularly interesting to see what other kinds of services Facebook integrates here as time goes on. One can imagine this type of thing extending well beyond travel-related services.

    “On Messenger, the platform efforts in 2015 focused on two things,” Zuckerberg later said during a Q&A. “One was expanding the different types of content that people could share in Messenger. And that diversity is going really well. And we see continued increase in video sharing and photos and stickers, and a lot of stuff that you would just call fun but that people really enjoy as different ways to express themselves. But in terms of the business, the more important piece is how people can interact with businesses through Messenger. And we started some early small tests around f8 last year where with some ecommerce services made it so that people who were buying things could follow up with the business and get customer support and buy more things. And we went through this process of integrating that and making sure that it’s integrated with all these system well. And I think everyone is really happy with that so far. So we started off pretty slowly, but that’s going to be some of the basis for how we look to make Messenger a business going forward. And we’re happy with the initial results. There is obviously a lot more there that we need to do and we’ll have more to talk about this year and beyond.”

    Earlier this month, Facebook put out a small infographic looking at 2015’s additions to Messenger as well as expected 2016 trends.

    According to recent data from Neilsen, Messenger is the fastest growing app in the U.S. among the top apps.

    Do you intend to use Facebook Messenger for business? Discuss.

    Image via Facebook

  • Winter Storm Jonas Root of Funny Memes from Jonas Brothers, Fans

    Winter Storm Jonas Root of Funny Memes from Jonas Brothers, Fans

    Winter Storm Jonas has made its way to New York in full force, and it’s made its way onto the internet, too. In addition to updates on transportation systems closed as a result of the storm, some accounts of Winter Storm Jonas are in the form of memes. Some are even from the Jonas Brothers–Nick, Kevin, and Joe Jonas–and some of their fans.

    Joe Jonas did share a serious message via social media regarding Winter Storm Jonas.

    Kevin Jonas bordered on risque–as risque as one of the Jonas Brothers could possibly be, anyway–when he shared his tweet about Winter Storm Jonas.

    Nick Jonas was downright boring.

    So far Winter Storm Jonas appears to have dumped a bit less snow on Washington, D.C. than initially forecast, but is doing a number on both New York City and Long Island right now.

    What is Winter Storm Jonas doing where you live?

  • Some Things Businesses Should Know About Facebook Messenger

    Some Things Businesses Should Know About Facebook Messenger

    Facebook is touting its progress with Messenger, announcing that it recently surpassed the 800 million-user milestone. As Messenger evolves into a greater business tool, this massive user base is key.

    Do you expect Messenger to become a significant part of your business communication efforts? Share your thoughts in the comments.

    Facebook put out this small infographic looking at 2015 additions to the product as well as 2016 trends:

    If you look at the “features introduced” section, it really demonstrates just how much Messenger has already improved as a tool. The platform component means developers can build all kinds of useful integrations – some with business potential.

    The video calling feature can certainly be useful for internal communications, and potentially B2C communications.

    The Businesses on Messenger component is self-explanatory, but in case you missed it, this was a major announcement last year. In a nutshell, Facebook is letting businesses enable their customers to opt into communications through this channel. For a closer look at what that entails read this.

    The ability to send and receive money is also self-explanatory. While the feature is largely for P2P exchanges, he potential here is obvious, particularly as Messenger trends toward more B2C interactions.

    Faster speed, updated location sharing, virtual business cards, and M all have the ability to play notable roles in business interactions as well.

    M is the digital virtual assistant within Messenger. It’s still in testing, and Facebook considers it to be “very, very early days,” but says the growing AI capabilities are bringing “unparalleled convenience to simple, every day tasks like booking a restaurant, sending flowers, and making plans.”

    Now Facebook is even giving developers tools to build more bots to help users within Messenger.

    “2015 was a year when we made significant improvements to how we enable people to communicate. Among other things, we made Messenger blazing fast, we introduced video calling, the ability to customize conversations with colors, nicknames and emojis, and with Businesses on Messenger, we introduced a new way for businesses to engage their customers by providing them with a delightful, personal experience,” writes David Marcus, VP of Messaging Products. “We rolled out the ability to send and receive money to friends right from conversations, launched Messenger Platform for expression apps, and updated the way you can choose to share your location. We added helpful information at the top of new conversations so you always have the context of who you’re talking to if it’s not a Facebook friend, and with Message Requests, we built the foundational step of enabling you to find and talk to anyone. We also made photo sharing with friends easier than ever with our new feature Photo Magic. Additionally, we started testing M, a digital virtual assistant, and closed the year by launching our transportation platform with Uber. It was a busy year! We created all these experiences with a mindset of helping hundreds of millions of people manage their daily interactions with people, businesses, and services more seamlessly than ever.”

    In a blog post, Marcus goes into more details about each of the 2016 trends listed in the infographic.

    For the “disappearance of the phone number,” he’s basically saying that you can communicate with people in a variety of ways (text, stickers, photos, videos, voice clips, GIFs, location-sharing, sending money) without knowing a person’s phone number. I’m not sure that the phone number will literally disappear because of Messenger, but it is indeed a powerful platform for communication. No doubt about it.

    On “threads are the new apps” Marcus says, “We’re seeing a paradigm shift in how people engage. At Messenger we’re thinking about how we can help you interact with businesses or services to buy items (and then buy more again), order rides, purchase airline tickets, and talk to customer service in truly frictionless and delightful ways. It is so much easier to do everything in one place that has the context of your last interactions, as well as your identity – no need to ever login – rather than downloading apps that you’ll never use again and jumping around from one app to another. Our early tests in 2015 with brands are showing that interactions will happen more and more in your Messenger threads, so we’ll continue making it easy for you to engage with businesses, and we’ll also do more to enable additional businesses and services to build the right experience in conversations.”

    Last month, Nielsen released released data showing the top ten smartphone apps in the U.S. for 2015. Messenger was number three, and showed the fastest growth by far with a 31% year-over-year change, nearly catching up to YouTube.

    At that rate, it should easily surpass the video app in the very near future if it hasn’t already.

    If you’re on the fence about whether or not you should even think about using Messenger for business in the future, just stop and consider that for a moment.

    What do you think? Is Messenger going to make a big splash in business this year? Share your thoughts in the comments.

    Images via Facebook, Nielsen

  • Facebook Messenger Is The Fastest Growing of the Top Apps In the U.S.

    Facebook Messenger Is The Fastest Growing of the Top Apps In the U.S.

    It’s no surprise that Facebook Messenger continues to grow, but according to new data from Nielsen, it’s actually the fastest growing app in the U.S.

    It’s still behind Facebook and YouTube, but is very close to catching YouTube, which is pretty incredible. It’s even ahead of Google Search which is a feat on its own.

    Here’s the top ten:

    “From videos to music to maps, digital was at the forefront of consumers’ (and marketers’) minds this year. As 2015 comes to a close, Nielsen looked at some of the top trends in digital, including the top U.S. smartphone apps and operating systems.”

    “In 2015, Facebook again took the lead as the top smartphone app. The social networking app had more than 126 million average unique users each month, a growth of 8% from last year. YouTube came in second with over 97 million average unique users each month, followed by Facebook Messenger with more than 96 million average unique users each month.”

    As you can see, Messenger saw a far greater year over year change than any of the other apps on the list.

    Here’s a look at OS market share for the U.S.

    Facebook has worked hard over the past year or so to build in more functionality to Messenger and really take the app to the next level. They announced integrations for businesses and even turned Messenger into its own developer platform for people to create all kinds of potentially useful integrations.

    Just last week, Facebook announced a new feature that lets you request transportation services (such as Uber, which its the initial launch partner). The more functionality like this that Facebook adds, the more dependent on Messenger people are likely to become.

    Images via Facebook, Nielsen

  • Delta Airlines Prohibits Hoverboards On Airplanes

    Delta Airlines Prohibits Hoverboards On Airplanes

    Delta Airlines is the latest airline to disallow hoverboards on their airplanes.

    Just in time for the busiest travel season of the year, Delta Airlines is making it impossible to bring home one of the hottest gifts kids are getting for Christmas this year.

    Delta Airlines said on their website, “To ensure the safety of our customers and employees, Delta no longer accepts hoverboards or any lithium battery powered self-balancing personal transportation devices on board its aircraft. These items are prohibited as both carry-on and checked baggage.”

    So far, Delta Airlines, JetBlue, Virgin America, Hawaiian Air and Alaska Air have all banned hoverboards. American, Southwest and United Airlines still allow them, but they must meet certain requirements.

    Each airline is responsible for making its own decision but the International Air Transportation Association recommends that if they are allowed on board, they should be brought as a carry-on.

    Gilberto Lopez Meyer, the IATA senior vice president for safety and flight operations, said, “Each airline has to make a risk-based analysis to decide if these items are to be transported or not.”

    The big issue with hoverboards for Delta Airlines and all the others that have banned them on airplanes are the rampant reports of them exploding.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhIBDUpt_tQ

    Both the American National Association of State Fire Marshals and the UK’s National Trading Standards have issued warnings about hoverboards and their tendency to explode.

    H. Butch Browning Jr., the president of the ANA Board of Directors, said on Friday, “The sheer number of incidents occurring around the country, and abroad, is what prompted our organization to address this serious issue on a national level.”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9pDn-Sku5w

    That’s scary! Have you heard of these incidents or have you had one explode?

    Do you think Delta Airlines is doing the smart thing?

  • Facebook Messenger Continues Evolution To Assistant

    Facebook Messenger Continues Evolution To Assistant

    Facebook announced a new feature for Messenger that lets you request a ride from a car service like Uber.

    In fact, Uber is a partner on the feature, though Facebook says it’s just the first partner. Lyft is reportedly coming soon.

    Introducing Transportation on Messenger from Facebook on Vimeo.

    “To get started, download the latest version of Messenger,” explains product manager Seth Rosenberg. “Then, from within a conversation, tap the more menu and choose Transportation. You can also search directly for Uber – our first partner – and tap the car icon to request a ride. From there, you’ll receive updates on your driver’s status and notify your friends that you’ve called a ride. With the ability to request, track and pay for a ride in Messenger, we’re making transportation as simple as sending a message.”

    For now, users can get a ride for free the first time they use the feature (up to $20 value).

    “All you have to do to claim your free ride is link your existing Uber account or set up a new account within Messenger and request a ride,” says Rosenberg. “Driver status updates and payment receipts will get delivered to a private conversation between you and Uber. With everything in one place, you can seamlessly keep track of your ride and payment history.”

    Over the past year, Facebook has been adding a lot of functionality to Messenger to make it more useful for a variety of situations – way beyond simple messaging. Facebook may have closed down some of its standalone apps recently, but this one is definitely a keeper.

    Images via Facebook

  • Amazon Prime Air Drone Gets Upgrade, More Models To Come

    Amazon Prime Air Drone Gets Upgrade, More Models To Come

    It will be two years ago this week that Amazon first unveiled Prime Air, its ambitions drone-based package delivery initiative. The company is now showing off a new version.

    Here’s the latest promo video showing off the new hybrid design.

    According to the company, there will be different models designed for different environments in the future. This particular one can fly for fifteen miles and knows what is happening around it. It can sense and avoid obstacles on the ground and in the air.

    When the machine arrives at its destination, it scans the ground, slowly lowers itself for landing and drops off the package. It then flies straight back up and heads back.

    “We’re excited about Prime Air — a future delivery system from Amazon designed to safely get packages to customers in 30 minutes or less using small unmanned aerial vehicles, also called drones,” the company says on the project’s website. “Prime Air has great potential to enhance the services we already provide to millions of customers by providing rapid parcel delivery that will also increase the overall safety and efficiency of the transportation system. Putting Prime Air into service will take some time, but we will deploy when we have the regulatory support needed to realize our vision.”

    The new model takes off vertically and flies horizontally. It can go up to 55 miles per hour. As you can see from the image and video, it lacks the quadcopter design Amazon initially showed off.

    It remains to be seen when we might see these things actually out delivering packages to people here in the U.S. There are still regulatory hurdles keeping it from becoming a reality. The Federal Aviation Administration is expected to establish rules for commercial drone in the coming months.

    Image via Amazon (YouTube)

  • Amazon Is Reportedly Pulling Its Nazi Imagery From Subway Cars

    Amazon Is Reportedly Pulling Its Nazi Imagery From Subway Cars

    As earlier reported, Amazon plastered Nazi-esque imagery all over subway cars in New York City to promote its new original series Man in the High Castle.

    The show, based on a novel by Philip K Dick, tells of an alternate history in which the Axis powers won the second World War. While Amazon’s Nazi imagery all ties in directly with the concept of the show, the ad campaign obviously rubbed a lot of people the wrong way.

    Variety is now reporting that the company is pulling the ads:

    “Amazon has just decided to pull the ads,” Kevin Ortiz, a spokesman for New York City Transit and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, said by email Tuesday. Executives at Amazon were not available for immediate comment.

    The message has already been received loud and clear, however. The incident raised awareness for the show without question, and will now forever live in the memories of people who recall that time Amazon put a bunch of Nazi imagery up in New York.

    Image via Amazon

  • Uber Driver Sues Former Taco Bell Exec over Brutal Attack Gone Viral

    Uber Driver Sues Former Taco Bell Exec over Brutal Attack Gone Viral

    The Uber driver that posted shocking video of a passenger attacking him over the weekend is now filing suit against his alleged attacker.

    Edward Caban, who uploaded the video on October 30th, has filed a civil suit against 32-year-old Benjamin Golden

    In a video, which has now been seen nearly two million times, an Uber driver repeatedly asks a passenger to give him directions, and the passenger can be heard slurring, burping, and generally being unable to give directions. At about two minutes into the video, the driver flips his dashcam around.

    At about 2:30, the driver pulls into a parking lot and says “sorry man, I gotta kick you out.”

    “You’re too drunk to give me directions,” he says.

    The passenger argues with the driver for about a minute, but the driver says he’s already ended the trip and tells the passenger to get out of the car, or he’ll call the police.

    At about 3:20, the passenger starts hitting the driver in the face. About 10 seconds into the attack, the driver is able to turn around and spray the passenger with pepper spray.

    Check it out:

    Shortly after the video picked up steam, the attacker was identified as a Taco Bell executive, a head of “mobile commerce and innovation initiatives”.

    Taco Bell quickly distanced itself from Golden, terminating his position.

    “Given the behavior of the individual, it is clear he can no longer work for us. We have also offered and encouraged him to seek professional help,” the fast food chain said in a statement.

    After initially being charged with misdemeanor assault and public intoxication, Golden has since been hit with more charges – assault on public transportation property, battery on a public transit employee with injury, assault and battery. He could spend up to a year in jail and be forced to pay a $10,000 fine for his actions.

  • Yelp Reviews Under Government Spotlight

    Yelp Reviews Under Government Spotlight

    On Tuesday, Yelp and other members of the Consumer Electronics Association, including Zenefits and R Street Institute, briefed Congressional staff, businesses, and advocacy organizations on SLAPPs (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation) and what it calls “chilling impacts” of lawsuits filed “to censor or intimidate critics.”

    In September, a Yelp reviewer was ordered to pay a business owner $1,000 after leaving a series of comments on Yelp and a local site, which a court found ventured beyond free speech and into defamation.

    Do you think the court got that decision right? Let us know what you think.

    Yelp has said repeatedly that it doesn’t want reviewers to be afraid to leave negative reviews, and the company seems to fear that cases like this could make them think twice.

    “We frequently find that a better course of action, rather than suing your customers, is publicly responding to a critical review in the same forum,” a Yelp spokesperson said in relation to that case.

    “Seventy percent of people online use a review site before making a purchasing decision,” said Laurent Crenshaw, director of policy, Yelp. “These platforms allow users to make better purchasing decisions and make businesses more responsive to consumers. For this virtuous cycle to continue, we can’t have chilled speech.”

    According to a press release, the CEA and its members shared with Congressional staff how SLAPPs were used to stifle free speech in many areas. In states without Anti-SLAPP statutes, online reviewers can face “prolonged lawsuits simply for expressing their opinion,” it says.

    Yelp has engaged in lobbying efforts on anti-SLAPP legislation that would prevent such suits. Earlier this year, the company attacked casino mogul Steve Wynn for supporting legislation that would make it easier to sue people for bad reviews.

    “We live in an age where public comment forums are getting a lot of feedback,” said Mike Godwin, innovation policy director and general counsel at R Street Institute. “How do we keep those channels open? States are the laboratories of democracy and 28 states have already put in place protection from SLAPPs.”

    The panel specifically championed the SPEAK FREE Act proposed by Representatives Blake Farenthold (R-TX) and Anna Eshoo (D-CA).

    “We thank Representatives Farenthold, Eshoo, and others for advancing federal anti-SLAPP legislation,” said Michael Hayes, manager of government relations, CEA. “Whether you express your opinion online or offline, you shouldn’t have to worry about the threat, and cost, of a SLAPP. We need a federal fix to ensure that these bogus lawsuits no longer undermine Americans’ free speech.”

    On Wednesday, the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee was held to discuss “How Gagging Honest Reviews Harms Consumers and the Economy” and the Consumer Review Freedom Act.

    Crenshaw talked about this on the Yelp blog:

    Thankfully, Congress is taking an important step in protecting consumers’ right to free speech with the Consumer Review Freedom Act of 2015 (S. 2044). This bipartisan effort, introduced by Senators John Thune (R-SD), Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Jerry Moran (R-KS), would nullify any of the non-negotiable clauses that allow businesses to slap consumers with large fines for sharing their honest feedback.

    The protection of free speech, both offline and on, has always been, and should continue to be, a top priority of the government. We at Yelp applaud the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee for their dedication to this issue and look forward to a long future where people can share their firsthand experiences with local businesses without facing the threat of fine or unfair retribution.

    This is a battle Yelp has been dealing with for years as businesses who feel they’ve been harmed by user reviews have repeatedly sought retaliation by way of lawsuit. As Yelp has repeatedly pointed out, this often results in a “Streisand Effect,” in which the business ends up getting more negative press as a result of their efforts and ultimately harms itself further.

    Do you agree with Yelp on this issue, or do you worry that any government action will result in negative effects? Share your thoughts in the comments.

    Image via Yelp

  • Google Wants Its Delivery Drones Up and Running by 2017

    Google Wants Its Delivery Drones Up and Running by 2017

    Google’s been testing delivery drones for some time, officially unveiling its Project Wing in August of 2014.

    Like Amazon, WalMart, and more, Google is looking to build a fleet of drones capable of delivering goods – both in the US and abroad. Much of these companies’ testing has been out of the country, as American regulatory bodies have been a little slow in drafting rules for commercial drones – and when they have the rules have not been at welcoming as many had hoped.

    But now it looks like Google has set a tentative launch date for its Project Wing drones.

    The BBC reports that project head David Vos made the announcement at a recent air traffic control convention in Washington.

    “Our goal is to have commercial business up and running in 2017,” he said.

    Here’s the latest look at Google’s delivery drones:

    The drones can apparently travel five miles in five minutes.

    The Federal Aviation Administration has been handing out more and more exemptions for commercial drone operation – including to Amazon and Google. Walmart recently applied for one.

    Vos was recently announced as a member of the new UAS Task Force, developed by the FAA and the Department of Transportation. Other members include reps from Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart.

  • Google, Amazon Join Not-As-Cool-As-It-Sounds Drone Task Force

    Google, Amazon Join Not-As-Cool-As-It-Sounds Drone Task Force

    The Federal Aviation Administration is getting proactive on drones, as the popularity of the unmanned aircraft systems (both personal and commercial) is only going to increase.

    The FAA and the Department of Transportation have announced a UAS Task Force and filled it with companies and organizations with stakes in the business of drones.

    The goal of the Task Force appears to be drone registration,

    “DOT Sec. Foxx set a deadline of Nov. 20 for the Task Force to complete its recommendations and work is already underway. The group will meet formally from Nov. 3-5 before developing recommendations on a streamlined registration process and minimum requirements on which unmanned aircraft should be registered. Given the urgency of this issue, the DOT and FAA will move expeditiously to consider the Task Force’s recommendations.”

    So, who’s on this drone Task Force?

    Amazon, Google, Best Buy, GoPro, and Walmart, among others.

    Here’s the full list, according to the FAA:

    Nancy Egan – 3D Robotics
    Richard Hanson – Academy of Model Aeronautics
    George Novak – Aerospace Industries Association
    Chuck Hogeman and Randy Kenagy – Air Line Pilots Association
    Jim Coon – Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association
    Sean Cassidy – Amazon Prime Air
    Ben Gielow – Amazon Retail
    Justin Towles – American Association of Airport Executives
    Brian Wynne – Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems International
    Parker Brugge – Best Buy
    Douglas Johnson – Consumer Electronics Association
    Brendan Schulman – DJI
    Paul Feldman – General Aviation Manufacturers Association
    Dave Vos – GoogleX (Co-Chair)
    Tony Bates – GoPro
    Matt Zuccaro – Helicopter Association International
    Mike Fergus – International Association of Chiefs of Police
    John Perry – Management Association for Private Photogrammetric Surveyors
    Brandon Declet – Measure
    Randall Burdett – National Association of State Aviation Officials
    Sarah Wolf – National Business Aviation Association
    Baptiste Tripard – Parrot
    Tyler Collins – PrecisionHawk
    Gregory McNeal – Small UAV Coalition
    Thomas Head – Walmart

    Walmart is working on delivery drones. Google is too. We all know Amazon is champing at the bit to get Amazon Prime Air off the ground. Your dad is getting a drone too. You probably are. Drones are coming, and the FAA knows it needs to do everything it can to make sure it doesn’t devolve into a cluster.

    Image via ZullyC3P, Wikimedia Commons

  • Walmart Wants to Use Delivery Drones Too

    Walmart Wants to Use Delivery Drones Too

    Walmart is getting in the drone delivery game.

    According to a report from Reuters, the company applied for a drone exemption asking US regulators to give them to go-ahead to test drones for home delivery, among other tasks.

    From Reuters:

    The world’s largest retailer by revenue has for several months been conducting indoor tests of small unmanned aircraft systems – the term regulators use for drones – and is now seeking for the first time to test the machines outdoors. It plans to use drones manufactured by China’s SZ DJI Technology Co Ltd.

    In addition to having drones take inventory of trailers outside its warehouses and perform other tasks aimed at making its distribution system more efficient, Wal-Mart is asking the Federal Aviation Administration for permission to research drone use in “deliveries to customers at Walmart facilities, as well as to consumer homes,” according to a copy of the application reviewed by Reuters.

    “Drones have a lot of potential to further connect our vast network of stores, distribution centers, fulfillment centers and transportation fleet,” said a Walmart spokesperson. “There is a Walmart within five miles of 70 percent of the U.S. population, which creates some unique and interesting possibilities for serving customers with drones.”

    It’s likely the Federal Aviation Administration will approve Walmart’s request – it’s given out a couple thousand of these commercial drone exemptions over the past few years. Amazon got theirs back in March.

    But these testing permissions come with a lot of restrictions – like when, where, how high, and who can man said drones. A few months ago, Amazon pushed for a sort of air traffic control system for drones, so that they can be operated without line-of-sight. Both NASA and Google have also suggested that a high-speed drone highway, about 200 to 400 feet up, is the way to go.

    It’s just a matter of time before the skies are filled with drones delivering new iPhones, makeup, and pizza. Regulators are surely moving too slowly for the likes of companies like Amazon and now, Walmart – but it’s going to happen eventually.

    And customers want drone delivery, and they’re willing to pay for it.

  • Jennifer Aniston Has A Big Fear, Not Keen On Husband Justin Theroux’s Hobbie

    Jennifer Aniston Has A Big Fear, Not Keen On Husband Justin Theroux’s Hobbie

    Newlyweds Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux are still relishing the honeymoon stage of their marriage, and are undoubtedly crazy about each other. However, Theroux admitted that there’s one thing about him that his superstar wife isn’t too crazy about.

    During an appearance on Ellen DeGeneres’ talk show, the host brought up the fact that Aniston is not too keen about riding motorcycles. Theroux, who is an avid fan of motorcycles and the owner of a few of them, confirmed this fact and added, “She’s gotten on like three times, but she’s done with it.”

    DeGeneres made a comment about motorcycles being dangerous, to which Theroux replied, “[Aniston] does not like it. She doesn’t feel in control sitting behind someone driving fast on a motorcycle, which I understand. I wouldn’t want to sit behind someone.”

    Motorcycles have been known to be Theroux’s preferred mode of transportation. Ever since he and Aniston started dating, he would be seen riding his blacked-out BMW around cities where his then-fiancée would be shooting. He is also known for his signature “biker” style of T-shirt, tight black jeans, boots, and black leather jacket.

    Theroux and DeGeneres also talked about his surprise wedding last August, to which the talk show host was invited. While most of the guests were privy to the ceremony, there were a few others who thought that they were attending Theroux’s 44th birthday.

    He also gushed about calling Aniston his wife. “The first couple days of doing it, it’s a great feeling,” he gushed. “You’re not saying fiancé, after a while, sounds cute at first, then you go like, eh, fiancé. Then you get to say ‘my wife.’ ”

    Known to give her guests cool presents, DeGeneres gave Theroux a life-size doll of Jennifer Aniston. Amidst laughter, they both agreed that it is a great substitute for when he misses his wife or when he wants someone to ride with him on his motorcycle.

  • Delta Air Lines Announces New Payment Option

    Delta Air Lines Announces New Payment Option

    Delta Air Lines announced on Tuesday that it is providing its international customers with a new payment option. Those booking flights via delta.com will be able to pay with online bank transfers in real time.

    A photo posted by Delta Air Lines (@delta) on

    The company says it’s the first airline in the United States to offer the payment method to customers in eleven countries. These include: Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

    Other payment options include gift, debit, and credit cards.

    Nat Pieper, Delta SVP, Europe, Middle East and Africa said, “As a global airline we are focused on making Delta easier to do business with and this includes acknowledging that customers around the world have different preferences when it comes to paying online.”

    “Offering online bank transfers provides greater choice and convenience, expanding payment options available to deliver a safe, secure and increasingly popular way to purchase travel on delta.com,” Pieper added.

    The feature is available thanks to a partnership between Delta and Global Collect, which is Ingenico Group’s ePayments division.

    When a customer selects the online banking option on the website, they’ll be directed to the right banking network for their market. When the amount is confirmed, they’ll be redirected back to delta.com to complete the transaction.

    Delta recently announced support for Apple Pay:

    Introducing 10 new ways to book a flight – your fingerprints. Fly Delta for iPhone now supports Apple Pay.

    A video posted by Delta Air Lines (@delta) on

    Delta Air Lines topped U.S. airlines in August on-time arrivals and cancel rate, according to a recent report from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

  • Uber Isn’t the Only One Getting Sued over the ‘Employee or Contractor’ Issue

    Uber Isn’t the Only One Getting Sued over the ‘Employee or Contractor’ Issue

    With the rapid growth of the so-called ‘sharing economy’, one of the biggest issues has been whether or not workers for services like Uber and Lyft are employees of contractors.

    Uber’s stance has always been that it’s a software company. Uber connects people wanting a ride to those offering a ride. It’s a logistics company. Uber simply connects third-party contractors with customers. Its drivers are independent contractors, not employees.

    This has been met with numerous lawsuits and some unfavorable (for Uber, at least) rulings from regulatory bodies.

    But it’s not just Uber that’s facing lawsuit over the employee or contractor question.

    Food delivery services like GrubHub, Caviar, and DoorDash are now embroiled in a class action lawsuit of their own.

    And it’s the same lawyer that’s going after Uber in San Francisco.

    From the Chicago Tribune:

    The complaints were filed in San Francisco Superior Court on behalf of the delivery drivers by Boston attorney Shannon Liss-Riordan, who is also representing plaintiffs in similar lawsuits against on-demand transportation companies Uber and Lyft. A federal judge in San Francisco certified the lawsuit against Uber for class action last month.

    The complaints filed against GrubHub and DoorDash are both class actions, while the Caviar complaint is a demand for arbitration on behalf of a San Francisco driver.

    Earlier this month, a court ruled the case against Uber could proceed as a class action.

    The lawsuit, which was filed in 2013 and fought by Uber all the way, questions the company’s classification of its drivers. The class of drivers says it should be considered employees, not contractors, which would entitle them to things like reimbursement of expenses, minimum wage, overtime pay, and more.

    A week later, the California Employment Development Department (EDD) ruled that a former Uber driver was in fact an employee, not a contractor. That’s not the first time a regulatory agency has done that.

  • Uber Wants More Uber Drivers, Launches New Carpooling Service

    Uber Wants More Uber Drivers, Launches New Carpooling Service

    Uber is testing a new carpooling service in what it called its “number one city in the world.”

    In Chengdu, China, Uber is piloting a program called uberCOMMUTE. It’s basically a carpooling feature – targeted at drivers who are already taking long commutes, and may want to haul a few other people around to save some money.

    “Drivers sign into the app and tell Uber where they are going. We then show them requests from riders who are traveling in the same direction as well as the payment they will receive for the trip. The driver can then decide whether to accept the request or not. For riders, it’s Uber as usual. They simply select People’s Uber+ (our Chinese UberPOOL service), input their destination and then our systems match them with a driver going the same way,” says Uber.

    “We’ve chosen China to pilot uberCOMMUTE — the first time we’ve launched a new global product outside the United States — because of the tremendous appetite amongst Chinese drivers and riders for creative new ways to get from A to B, affordably and reliably.”

    UberChina, you may recall, just raised $1.2 billion.

    uberCOMMUTE is a clear play to get more Uber drivers on the road. For every person that doesn’t really want to be an Uber driver, there’s a person that could, possibly picks someone up in the name of “carpooling” if they’re already going that way anyway.

    Of course, Uber frames it as a win for congestion.

    “Visit most cities anywhere in the world and you’ll hear people complaining — often loudly — about roads being gridlocked, especially at rush hour. But there’s a real alternative to a world that looks like a parking lot and moves like a traffic jam. Partly, it’s about better public transportation, though this takes time and not everyone can live near subway or bus stop. It’s also about new technology because services like Uber can help use the existing infrastructure more efficiently today.”

    Though starting in China, Uber says it hopes to offer uberCOMMUTE in other cities – over time.