Ridesharing company Lyft has introduced a new program in partnership with the Goodwill, USO, and the United Way to help people get to their job interviews. Called the Jobs Access Program, the new perk will give free and discounted rides to people who are going to a job interview, as well as rides to work in the weeks until their first paycheck is available.
Google Maps keeps borrowing features from Waze, and latest to be bundling into the navigation software is an easy way to report road hazards and other events directly from the iPhone app. The new feature allows Google Maps users on iOS to report crashes they pass, along with speed traps and traffic slowdowns, straight from their phone.
Venmo is one of the more popular mobile payment apps out there, and now it seems that it's going to take things one step further by getting into the credit card business. Today, PayPal - which is Venmo's parent company - and Synchrony announced that the new credit card will be arriving next year, with Synchrony acting as the issuing bank for the card.
Even if it's not shining in your eyes, researchers with Oregon State University warn that the blue light from modern gadgets may speed up your rate of aging, ultimately decreasing lifespan. In addition to causing damage to the retina in the eye, the study found that blue light may also damage brain cells, at least in a common fruit fly typically used for these types of studies.
Ford may not have its all-electric Mustang inspired SUV on dealer forecourts yet, but it's already promising a big charging network for drivers to access when they're on the road. The automaker will provide drivers of its EVs with access to the FordPass Charging Network, more than 12,000 locations to top up their cars. Don't, however, assume that Ford is getting into the Supercharger business.
At launch, one of the main complaints about Fallout 76 was that its world didn't feel very lively. This was down to the lack of NPCs in the game, despite their presence in every other Fallout game before it. At E3 earlier this year, Bethesda announced that it would be fixing the problem of Fallout 76's empty world by adding NPCs to the game.
Vaping company Juul has announced that it will no longer sell flavored liquids, the only exception being pods that contain mint and tobacco flavors. The change will take place in the United States where the FDA is cracking down on the sale of flavored liquids, citing concerns over health and their appeal to minors. Pending an FDA review of its flavored products, customers will no longer be able to buy Juul's Fruit, Mango, Creme, and Cucumber flavors in the US.
Siri is gaining a new talent, with deeper integration between iOS and Google Voice allowing calls and text messages to be sent via Apple's assistant. The new feature was quietly added to the latest update of Google Voice, and after a little setup is almost as easy to use as placing a call or sending a message via Siri through Apple's own dialer or iMessage.
Studio Ghibli made some of the most memorably anime movies in history - and their streaming rights have just been acquired by HBO Max. This is different from the regular old HBO, and does not necessarily mean that people with subscriptions to HBO Now or access to HBO GO will have access to the full Studio Ghibli collection of media. Let's take a peek at what they've made public so far.
In the app world it's known as "sherlocking": when a big company like Apple tugs the carpet out from under a developer's feet, by integrating a feature into iOS or macOS that they'd been selling as standalone software. That happened to Luna Display with the arrival of macOS Catalina and the Sidecar feature that turns a nearby iPad into a second screen, but rather than throwing in the towel the developers are adding an even more useful function.
Amid all the privacy debates we've seen in recent years, one consistent complaint is that companies don't face harsh enough punishments to discourage the misuse of user data. Today, US Senator Ron Wyden from Oregon introduced new legislation that could change that. Dubbed the "Mind Your Own Business Act," this bill would empower the FTC to levy harsher punishments for privacy violations and give end users more power when it comes to determining what happens with their data.
This week Niantic made some big changes to Pokemon GO for the newest Pokemon generations released to the game. Before this week, almost all Pokemon from Generation 1 and 2 have been able to appear in the wild as a wild spawn. Starting this week, Generation 3 and forward will begin to spawn not only their most basic Pokemon, but some evolved types, too! New Pokemon in the wild as of this week include such massive monsters as Slaking, Shiftry, Flygon, and Aggron!