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Uber’s Redesigned App Puts The Focus On Personalization

Uber has unveiled an upgraded version of its application that focuses on simplifying and customizing the user experience.
The updated app has a simpler home screen, which eliminates the resistance of a few additional clicks when making reservations for a ride or placing orders for delivery.

Uber
Image Source: wired.com

It also simplifies the way consumers can view saved venues, as well as some iPhone users can monitor the advancement of a trip on their lock screen.

Also Read: Google tests blocking news content for some Canadians

With the redesign, Uber wants to make the user experience so effortless and intuitive that more customers see Uber as the “one-stop shop for going anywhere and getting anything,” according to Jen You, head of product for rides at Uber.


“The redesigned Uber app has increased awareness and consideration to a wider array of products, which has driven growth to several lines of business,” You told TechCrunch. “This redesign leans into our platform strategy by expanding the breadth and relevance of products that Uber customers can engage with every time they open the app, especially Uber One members who use more of our products more often and will now have easier access to all the offerings in their city.”


Reference is taken from: https://techcrunch.com/2023/02/22/uber-redesigns-app-for-simpler-more-personalized-experience/
As per Uber, the update will be distributed to “tens of millions” of consumers in 1,200 cities worldwide on Wednesday. Customers must ensure that their devices and the Uber application have been upgraded to access the new app.


A simpler Home Screen
Several Users have had a glimpse of the updated home screen for several weeks now. The latest home screen incorporates carousels that prompt users with “More ways of using Uber,” “Ways to prepare with Uber,” or “Ways to save with Uber,” which would offer choices for facilities such as introducing a stop across a route, linking with public transportation, riding a Lime e-scooter, or selecting an even smoother riding experience.


At the screen bottom, the latest “Services” tab lists all of the trips and delivery resources obtainable in that city, such as e-scooters, supper choices, rental cars, delivering packages, and bus charter facilities. A new “Activity” button at the bottom of the screen lets customers keep a record of past and forthcoming trips and Eats bookings.


Getting to know you better
“Saved Places” will show up as a recommendation of locations and travel types predicated on a user’s preferences, previous trips, and also most probable locations whenever a user presses “Where to?” on the latest app. The app will keep gathering information about the user to provide more personalized suggestions in the future.

Also Read: Amazon Web Services pairs with Hugging Face to target AI developers


Updates to live tracking
iPhone owners running iOS 16 or subsequent can monitor their trips without manually opening the Uber app by using a “dynamic island,” which is essentially a little sphere that shows content that’s operating in the background. Users now receive alerts on their lock screen whenever a driver seems to be on their way or near to pick-up.

The dynamic island would then consistently show information such as automobile details which includes the driver’s photo, license plate, model of vehicle, and image of the vehicle as well as the most recent ETA and ride status.

Apple

Is Apple working on a secret project to help people with diabetes?

A profile of Apple’s Exploratory Design Group reveals how teams are collaborating covertly on cutting-edge technologies, such as the frequently rumored non-invasive glucose sensor for the Apple Watch.

Apple is working on a noninvasive blood glucose monitoring device and long-term plans to integrate the technology into the well-known Apple Watch. The device is said to be powered by two technologies, silicon photonics, and optical absorption spectroscopy, and is intended to measure the reflection of laser light directed into a region beneath the skin in order to determine glucose levels.

Apple
Image Source: scmp.com

Apple is said to have tested the technology with hundreds of users. Although the sources claim that Apple tested the technology under the guise of a startup, Avolonte Health, it doesn’t seem that info from the trials is publicly accessible, so it is not known how well it worked. Apple has yet to formally confirm this information.

Also Read: Will the iPhone 15 Pro have as much RAM as a MacBook?

In order to create new products and technologies that might one day be sold to the general public, Apple has a number of groups operating within its company. The ultra-secretive Exploratory Design Group is described as a small group that functions in some ways like a start-up mini Apple.

According to Mark Gurman’s “Power On” newsletter for Bloomberg, the XDG, which has a few hundred workers, is much smaller than the Special Projects Group, which is responsible for the Apple Car. Additionally, it is much smaller than the Technology Development Group, which has 1,000 members and is developing Apple’s mixed-reality device.

The small XDG, made up of “engineers and academic types,” operates similarly to Alphabet’s Moonshot team in that they are provided with enormous resources to test out pretty much any concept. Instead of focusing on new iterations of current products, XDG explores completely original concepts to see if they are workable or pointless endeavors.

The group was founded by late Apple engineering fellow Bill Arthas with the goal of creating novel battery designs and low-power processor technologies. Additionally, it is believed to be working on next-generation AR and VR headset display technologies to aid those with eye diseases, as well as the glucose monitor.

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The XDG performs some functions similar to those of a miniature Apple, notwithstanding being a very tiny organization in comparison to the powerhouse that is Apple itself. Members of the team operating on specific projects in the XDG are not permitted to talk about the projects with other members who aren’t on the same team, similar to the way each Apple division can maintain work privately from other employees within the business.

Individuals in the group are arranged according to skill sets rather than specific projects, so one person may find themselves engaging in several projects at once while still being required to keep confidentiality.

iPhone 15 Pro

Will the iPhone 15 Pro have as much RAM as a MacBook?

Though the iPhone 15 Pro won’t go on sale until almost the end of the year, there is already a lot to report from the global supply chain. The most recent information is provided by Taiwanese supply chain analysis company TrendForce, which asserts that Apple has increased the RAM for the iPhone 15 Pro.

iPhone 15 Pro
Image Source: gizchina.com

The iPhone 15 Pro, according to a recent rumor, will have the same amount of RAM as the base model MacBook Air. TrendForce claims that Apple intends to upgrade ” the capacity and specifications of the DRAM solutions featured in the next generation of the iPhone.”

Also Read: iPhone 15 and 15 Plus to get redesigned camera. What to expect?

Since Apple only recently upped the RAM in the non-Pro iPhones to 6GB, the iPhone 15 Pro is the candidate that will most likely leap to 8GB of RAM. In contrast, the iPhone Pro has had 6GB of Memory since the release of the iPhone 12 in 2020.

The iPhone 15 will most likely have the same A16 CPU as the iPhone 14 Pro, which means that it will most likely receive the same 6GB of LPDDR5 RAM, an improvement over the LPDDR4 RAM in the iPhone 14. The iPhone 15 Pro might also switch to LPDDR5X RAM, which has a higher bandwidth than LPDDR5 RAM.

There have been reports about the iPhone Pro getting 8GB of RAM before, and this is not unusual for smartphones. The base edition of the Galaxy S23 series has 8GB of RAM, and the Ultra variant has 12GB of RAM with greater storage tiers. There is some idea of what the iPhone 15 will include when it launches later this year.

There might be a USB-C port because reports claim that Apple will adopt the new standard starting with the iPhone 15—especially given that the switchover’s target date is 2024. The gadget might have solid-state buttons that function like tiny trackpads. As the buttons are pressed, Apple’s Taptic Engines will provide haptic input.

Also Read: 15-Inch MacBook Air Rumored to Launch in April

In order to attract rugged users, Apple may also give an “ultra” version of the iPhone, similar to how it markets the Apple Watch Ultra. The iPhone 15 Pro will be among the most potent portable devices ever created, along with persistent rumors that Apple will switch to a 3nm process for the A17 chip, which is said to bring the largest speed increase in years.

Online 3D models of the forthcoming 15 Pro Max from tech behemoth Apple have disclosed that the device will have a thicker body and no physical buttons. Ice Universe, a tipster, shared the 3D models in a tweet on Saturday along with the statement, “Compared with 14 Pro Max, the bezel is narrower but thicker.”

Google

Google tests blocking news content for some Canadians

Google, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., announced on Wednesday that it is implementing tests that may restrict access to news material for certain Canadian users as a potential countermeasure to the government’s internet news law.

The Liberal government of Justin Trudeau unveiled House of Commons Bill C-18, the “Online News Act,” in April. This legislation outlined regulations that would compel Google and Facebook to enter into business agreements and compensate news publishers for their material.

Image Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com

In an email statement to Reuters, a Google spokesperson stated, “We’re briefly testing potential product responses to Bill C-18 that impact a very small percentage of Canadian users. We run thousands of tests each year to assess any potential changes to Search.”

Also Read: Amazon Web Services pairs with Hugging Face to target AI developers

As it considers potential responses to the bill, the company said on Wednesday that it is momentarily restricting access to news material for less than 4% of its Canadian users. The update affects both its widely used search engine and Android’s Discover tool, which offers news and sports content.

The test, which will last for approximately five weeks, has an impact on all forms of news content, the company said. The tech giant acknowledged that the time-limited tests “limit the visibility of Canadian and international news to varying degrees”.

Canadians won’t be frightened, according to a spokesperson for Minister of Canadian Heritage Pablo Rodriguez, who also criticized Google for copying Meta’s strategy. She stated, “Canadians need to have access to quality, fact-based news at the local and national levels, and that’s why we introduced the Online News Act.

Tech giants need to be more transparent and accountable to Canadians.” Due to worries about laws that would require digital platforms to compensate news publishers, Facebook issued a warning last year that it might restrict the sharing of news material on its network in Canada.

A government report claimed that a similar law in Australia, which went into force in March 2021 after negotiations with major tech companies resulted in a brief suspension of Facebook news feeds there, has largely succeeded. The Canadian news media sector has fought Facebook and requested more control of tech firms from the government in order to make up for the financial losses the sector has endured as a result of Facebook and Google’s steady increase in market share of ads over the years. Since 2008, more than 450 Canadian news organizations have shut down, with 64 of those happening in the previous two years.

Also Read: Google Chrome rolls out long-awaited battery-saving features

Google voiced concerns about the proposed law to a House of Commons committee, saying that it would favor big publishers over smaller outlets, would not require publishers to follow fundamental journalistic standards, and could lead to the spread of “cheap, low quality, clickbait content” rather than public interest journalism.

The corporation has stated that it would prefer to contribute to a fund that would compensate news publishers indirectly, comparable to the Canada Media Fund. The bill was approved by the House of Commons in December and will soon be reviewed by the Senate.

Alexandr Wang

Alexandr Wang: From MIT Dropout to youngest billionaire

In the renowned Silicon Valley, Alexandr Wang is a person to be noted. The youngest billionaire in the world has made headlines as a fearless businessman with a goal to surpass Jeff Bezos or Elon Musk in terms of success.

Alexandr Wang
Image Source: forbes.com

Alexandr Wang is the CEO of Scale Al, the company he co-founded in 2016 when he was just 19 years old. Alexandr Wang has a net worth of over $1 billion.

Early Life

Wang, the son of Chinese immigrants who grew up on a military base in New Mexico, created a data-tagging system as a summer project that has been hailed as a phenomenon by experts in artificial intelligence. The greatness Wang has generated may be somewhat attributed to his early life and upbringing.

Also Read: From Engineer to Entrepreneur: The Rise of Kyle Vogt

His parents were physicists working on projects for the US military. The young billionaire spent his formative years close to the top-secret government facility in New Mexico known as Los Alamos National Laboratory, which is where the first nuclear weapon in history was developed.

By the age of 17, he was a full-time coder at the question-and-answer website Quora. Here, Wang first met Lucy Guo, who later joined him in founding Scale AI. Wang then made the decision to attend MIT to study machine learning.

The following year, he and Guo founded Scale after obtaining funding from Y Combinator.

Success Story

With approximately $100 million in annual revenue, Wang’s company Scale AI was valued at $7.3 billion following a $325 million fundraising round last year. According to Forbes, Wang is the youngest self-made millionaire in the world with an estimated $1 billion value of 15% ownership in his company.

Wang has already been mentioned in Forbes’ 2018 30 under 30 list before obtaining the notable title of being the world’s youngest self-made millionaire. The annual list highlights the most outstanding rising stars, entrepreneurs, thought leaders, and brilliant brains from a variety of various fields and businesses.

Also Read: Herb Chambers: A High School Dropout becoming a Billionaire

Wang and Scale co-founder Lucy Guo were listed on the prestigious list under the heading of Enterprise Technologies. The scale uses robust techniques to identify raw data more quickly than human analysts. For example, its AI-based technology gathers satellite imagery of crucial geopolitical challenges for its national security clients, such as the Ukrainian War.

Additionally, it filters unfiltered data for more than 300 corporations, including General Motors, including millions of shipping papers. The scale has been collaborating extensively with the USA and Ukrainian authorities over the past few months to gain a deeper understanding of the situation in the area. This effort is enabling both governments to direct humanitarian and medical resources where they are most needed.

Stage Manager

How to Use Stage Manager With iPad and Mac?

The Stage Manager tool by Apple is designed to let users multitask on an iPad or Macbook.

Apple initially stated that Stage Manager would only be compatible with iPad Pro models running the M1 processor and subsequent generations. Later on, though, the company added compatibility for iPad Pro devices with both the A12X and A12Z CPUs.

Stage Manager
Image Source: 360-reader.com

Stage Manager is compatible with the following iPads: 12.9-inch iPad Pro (3rd generation and later), 11-inch iPad Pro (all generations), and iOS Air (5th generation). Only the following models support moving apps and windows via Stage Manager between the iPad and an additional display: 12.9-inch iPad Pro (5th generation and later), 11-inch iPad Pro (3rd generation and later), and iOS Air (5th generation). For Macbook, Stage Manager is compatible with any Mac model running MacOS Ventura. The next step is to confirm that your device is running the most recent version of MacOS or iPadOS.

Also Read: Is it possible to transfer games between PCs and Steam Deck?

No matter if you use Stage Manager on an iPad or a Mac, the interface is the same. The currently open app sits in the center of the display, while a list of recently used apps is located on the left. Based on if you are using a desktop or a tablet, the navigation is different.

When you’re finished using the current app, you can quickly switch to a different one by tapping on it in the Dock or selecting it from the list of recently used apps on the left. The new app will open in the center of the screen whenever you switch, moving the current app to the Recent apps list. The arrangement can also be changed.

To make the active apps appear bigger, you can choose to hide the Recent Apps list or Docks by going to Settings > Home Screen & Multitasking. Always swipe to the right from the left side of the screen to reach the Recent Apps list, and swipe up from the bottom of the screen to access the Dock.

To view more content in your apps, users of the iPad Pro 12.9-inch (5th generation and later), iPad Pro 11-inch (all generations), and iPad Air (5th generation) can raise the pixel density on their devices. These devices support display scaling mode. Click Settings > Display & Brightness > Display Zoom > More Space. Apps can be grouped as well.

The learning slope for using Stage Manager with MacOS Ventura isn’t as high. The four most recent active apps are arranged to the right of the screen as soon as Stage Manager is turned on, with one app taking up the entire screen.

Also Read: What is the new RGB lighting feature in Windows 11?

In the manager, you can navigate to any of the left-side apps by clicking on them or by starting a new application from the Dock. The learning slope for using Stage Manager with MacOS Ventura isn’t as high. The four most recent active apps are arranged to the right of the screen as soon as Stage Manager is turned on, with one app taking up the entire screen.

In the manager, you can navigate to any of the left-side apps by clicking on them or by starting a new application from the Dock.

In order to turn off Stage Manager on your iPad, swipe down to reveal the Control Center and tap the icon. On your Mac, perform the same steps by clicking the Control Center icon and then selecting the Stage Manager icon.