 |
|
|
|||||
Google is making it easier for drivers to find and reserve parking. Starting today, its possible to access SpotHero, a service that allows people to book parking spaces online, directly through Google Maps and Search. The next time you use either app to find parking, a Book Online button will appear if the lot you find is available to reserve through SpotHero. Tap the button and Google will send you to SpotHeros website, where you can pay for a spot over a secure connection. The entire process is handled through Maps or Search, with no bouncing between the app of your choice and a browser. No surprise, its also possible to book parking spots ahead of time, with SpotHero offering the option to filter by date and time. You can also search for facilities that offer EV charging, wheelchair accessibility and more. Google has been testing SpotHero integration with select users since April, with today marking the first time the feature is available to everyone. However, even with the expansion, you may not see the feature in your area. According to SpotHero, its possible to use its service to book 8,000 spots in 300 cities across the US and Canada. Some of the more notable locations where its possible to use SpotHero to secure parking include Madison Square Garden and the SAP Center. As TechCrunch notes, SpotHero has been finding its way into more high-profile platforms as of late. Lyft has offered SpotHero integration since 2022, for instance. More recently, SpotHero made its way to Apple Maps. As for Google, todays announcement represents the latest effort by the search giant to keep Maps and Search relevant in two increasingly competitive markets.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/google-maps-now-lets-you-reserve-a-parking-spot-inside-the-app-154846343.html?src=rss
Category:
Marketing and Advertising
LittleBigPlanet 3 has been around for a long time. The beloved game was released in November 2014 for both the PS3 and PS4. But after just about a decade, gamers wont be able to purchase it and its DLC after October 31 because Sony will delist it. To be clear, the game and DLC wont be available for purchase anymore after the end of the month, but you can still keep your copies and enjoy them. Sadly, ever since the PS4 servers were shut down back in April this year, fan-created levels that werent already saved locally aren't available to download and play anymore. At this point, youre limited to the base game something worth playing, but much of the games charm came from all its user-generated content. Sony didnt say why it is delisting LittleBigPlanet 3, but its possible that the games music licenses are expiring after 10 years. No matter the reason, its best to grab a copy of the game if you want to enjoy your adventures with Sackboy.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/sony-will-delist-littlebigplanet-3-and-its-dlc-on-october-31-154650421.html?src=rss
Category:
Marketing and Advertising
Fourteen states have just filed lawsuits against TikTok that claim the social media platform damages the mental health of young users and collects their data without consent. Each lawsuit was filed individually. The suits, which are led by the attorneys general of New York and California, say the platform violated the law by falsely claiming its platform is safe for young people. The lawsuits spotlight what the plaintiffs call addictive features. These include the kinds of things present with many modern social media apps, like 24/7 notifications and autoplay videos. However, the lawsuit also focuses on dangerous TikTok challenges. There have been plenty of these, from challenges that task people with taking an excessive amount of Benadryl to messing with an electrical outlet. Young people are struggling with their mental health because of addictive social media platforms like TikTok, New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement. TikTok claims that their platform is safe for young people, but that is far from true. Its worth noting that the aforementioned challenges were issued by other TikTok users, and not by the platform itself. However, the suits do attempt to illustrate TikTok's underlying business model, which is accused of maximizing young users times on the platform so the company can boost revenue from selling targeted ads. The various lawsuits even suggest that TikTok allows for the sexual exploitation of its younger users, via a proprietary currency and a live streaming component. The TikTok Live platform is technically only for adults, but one of the suits alleges "lax age verification measures incentivize US minors to lie about their age to gain access." Once live, users can receive currency from viewers. The suit suggests that this practice enables other serious harms to minors including sexual exploitation" and that "TikTok is fully aware that these features combine to create an environment where children are often sexually exploited by users but has chosen to turn a blind eye in favor of increasing its profitability." The suits also accuse TikTok and parent company ByteDance of collecting the data of young users without consent. This is not a new complaint, as the Department of Justice filed a suit back in August that charged TikTok of collecting the personal information of children on the platform and failing to comply with requests for that data to be deleted. Texas also recently sued the platform for violating child privacy laws. Todays suits seek to impose financial penalties on the platform, including the disgorgement of all profits resulting from the fraudulent and illegal practices, and to collect damages for users that have been harmed. Our statement on today's Attorneys General lawsuits: "We strongly disagree with these claims, many of which we believe to be inaccurate and misleading. We're proud of and remain deeply committed to the work we've done to protect teens and we will continue to update and improve TikTok Policy (@TikTokPolicy) October 8, 2024 TikTok has responded to the suits, saying "we strongly disagree with these claims." The platform went on to call the claims "inaccurate and misleading." It listed all of the various "robust safeguards" it has put in place to protect kids, including "default screentime limits, family pairing, and privacy by default for minors under 16." This is all happening as parent company ByteDance faces a decision to either sell TikTok to a non-Chinese buyer or experience a nationwide ban. The current deadline for this decision is January 17, but the companys lawyers recently argued that the terms of this law were unconstitutional.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/more-than-a-dozen-states-sue-tiktok-alleging-that-its-designed-to-addict-kids-151242893.html?src=rss
Category:
Marketing and Advertising
All news |
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||