Ride sharing company Uber is dropping some big-time cash to develop its own worldwide road maps. According to the Financial Times, Uber is investing $500 Million in a project that will put mapping vehicles on the rods in some 76 other countries after hitting US streets late last year.
The move is being hailed as a way for Uber to break free from using Google Maps — a service which recently hiked up its rates, by the way – but it’s also a part of Uber’s Autonomous Vehicle program, a sector Google, Apple, and Tesla are also competing in. The other advantage Uber will get with its own maps are detailed instructions on where to find certain building entrances, and navigation in highly underdeveloped areas in other nations.
Pokémon Go fans are pissed
Did you happen to run into any furious Pokémon Go players this weekend? Fans of the hot new mobile game got an unpleasant surprise this past Saturday when Pokémon Go creator, Niantic, released an update to the game that forced unsuspecting players to lose all their progress and start over from the beginning.
The update was issued as a fix for several bugs and to add some warning messages like “don’t drive” and “don’t trespass” in response to numerous reports that people were getting in trouble while playing the game. Unfortunately, the update requires users to log back in with their Google accounts and often when they do, they discover they are right back where they started just three weeks ago.
There are those who are having some luck working around the issue by using an alternative email address to login while others have suggested signing out of Google on iOS’ Safari browser will do the trick. Still, others are taking to social media to demand a refund.
Google turns focus toward Rio for Olympic Games
Everyone seems to be gearing up for this year’s Olympic Games in Rio de Janiero, and that would include Google. Unprecedented televised coverage through Comcast/Xfinity, Dish Network and DirecTV will give fans more to watch than ever before, and Google says it is bringing the best of what it’s got to the games, too.
According to the official Google Blog, the search giant will offer event schedules, medal counts, and athlete info through search, plus TV schedules for over 30 countries and official broadcaster’s highlights on YouTube, making keeping up with the expansive games, which get under way next week, easier than ever.
Google will even offer automatic updates for those who use the Google app on their mobile devices can get automatic updates.
Let the games begin! Be sure to check back with Digital Trends for all the ways you can watch the Olympics, whether on your TV or online. That’s it for DT Daily today, we’ll catch you right back here tomorrow!
