NYC court blocks pay raise for Uber and Lyft drivers

A court has blocked a rate hike that would have increased pay for New York City Uber and Lyft drivers. Uber sued the city’s Taxi & Limousine Commission (TLC) in December, claiming it used a flawed methodology to determine the per-minute and per-mile rate increases. Manhattan state court Justice Arthur Engoron agreed. “It’s just not enough to say there’s inflation and 100 drivers said gas prices shot up,” Engoron, a former taxi driver in his college days, said, according to Bloomberg.

In November, the TLC unanimously approved the city’s first metered fare increases in a decade, including for ridesharing trips. Per-minute rates were slated to go up by 7.4 percent and per-mile rates by 24 percent. Under those planned hikes, a trip of 7.5 miles that took 30 minutes would have earned a ridesharing driver at least $27.15, an increase of more than $2.50 compared with current rates.

Uber argued that the rate increases would result in higher fares for customers while harming its reputation. A judge granted a temporary restraining order to pause the rate hikes a few days after Uber filed suit and before they came into effect on December 19th.

“Drivers do critical work and deserve to be paid fairly, but rates should be calculated in a way that is transparent, consistent and predictable,” Uber spokesperson Josh Gold told Bloomberg. “Existing TLC rules continue to provide for an annual review tied to the rate of inflation, which will take place in March.”

The company said implementing the pay raise would cost it between $21 million and $23 million per month. For the July to September quarter, Uber reported a net loss of $1.2 billion.

“We call on the Taxi and Limousine Commission to immediately redo the rules so drivers do not have to wait one day longer for their raise. A few missing words in a Statement of Basis and Purpose does not justify denying a raise meant to help thousands of drivers pay their rent and put food on the table for their families,” Bhairavi Desai, executive director of The New York Taxi Workers Alliance, told Engadget in a statement. “Shame on Uber for spending millions on this heartless lawsuit only to deny drivers an increase of $1.66 more on an average trip. Uber woke a sleeping giant. This raise belongs to the drivers and we will not rest until it’s back in our hands.”

Russian hackers reportedly targeted three US nuclear research labs

Russian hackers have reportedly targeted three nuclear research laboratories in the US. A group called Cold River carried out a phishing campaign against scientists at the Brookhaven, Argonne and Lawrence Livermore national laboratories last summer in an attempt to obtain passwords, Reuters reports.

The efforts are believed to have taken place in August and September, around the time UN experts visited a nuclear power plant in Russia-controlled Ukrainian territory to help prevent a potential disaster following heavy shelling in the area. Meanwhile, President Vladimir Putin has alluded to a readiness to defend Russia-claimed territory with nuclear weapons.

It’s not clear whether the phishing attempts were successful or why the hackers were trying to gain access to the labs’ systems. However, Adam Meyers, senior vice president of intelligence at cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike, told Reuters that Cold River is “involved in directly supporting Kremlin information operations.”

Last year, the group leaked emails from the former chief of MI6, the UK’s foreign intelligence service. Cold River is also said to have targeted non-government organizations investigating war crimes. It reportedly conducted such a campaign around the time a UN commission said that Russian forces were responsible for war crimes and human rights violations in the early days of the country’s invasion of Ukraine.

TikTok users can now tag movies and TV shows, so you can quit asking ‘what is this from’

TikTok users in the US and the UK can now tag movies and TV shows in their videos. Each tag (up to five can be included per video) will point to an in-app page that includes details from the film or series, as well as some related videos.

This is all powered by a new partnership with IMDb, which is providing info including cast members, directors, genres, release dates, runtimes and user ratings for each movie and show. TikTok users can add films and TV series to the favorites tab of their profile too.

You can tag a show or movie when you tap the “add link” option right before you post a video. If you select “movie and TV,” you’ll be able to search the more than 12 million titles that are on IMDb and add the one you’re looking for.

This should come in useful for users who share a lot of movie and TV-related posts, as well as those looking for content about their favorite titles. So, if you share a clip from The Menu, a meme from The White Lotus or a Glass Onion explainer, you may not need to reply to people who drop a “what is this from 💀” in the comments. They can just tap the tag for more details (and then maybe watch The Menu, because it’s a blast).

Apple TV+ sci-fi series ‘Foundation’ will return this summer

Apple TV+ has offered a sneak peek at the second season of Foundation and revealed when the sci-fi series will return. More episodes of the show, which is based on Isaac Asimov’s series of books of the same name, will premiere this summer and will introduce the second crisis.

The clip opens with one of the main characters, Gaal Dornick (Lou Llobell), waking up in a stasis chamber that just happens to be in space. It’s a compelling start to a teaser that’s packed with eye-catching imagery. A terrifying creature pops up at the end, so be mindful of that if you’re jumpy.

The first season of Foundation arrived in the fall of 2021, so fans have had to wait quite a while for it to come back. Jared Harris and Lee Pace are among the stars who are returning for season two.

Android’s media player could make it easier to move audio between speakers and headphones

Google is working on ways to make it easier for folks to switch audio playback to another device when they listen to music or podcasts via Android. The company says it’s collaborating with Spotify to let you swiftly move what you’re listening to from one Spotify Connect-supported device to another, all from the Android media player.

Android 13 features a redesigned media player with a notification section that enables YouTube and YouTube Music users to quickly change which compatible Bluetooth or Chromecast built-in devices they’re playing audio or video on. Spotify integration could make things a bit more straightforward for folks who move audio playback from one speaker or TV to another when they go to a different room, for instance, or if you want to change from single-speaker playback to blasting music throughout your home.

In addition, Google says it’s working on a related audio handoff feature. When you move from one place to another, you’ll see media notifications asking if you’d like to shift the audio to a nearby device. So, when you leave home, your Android phone might ask if you want to transfer your music or podcast from a speaker to your headphones, and then to Android Auto once you’re in your car. Google is working with Spotify and YouTube Music teams to add integration for those services. Spotify started testing a similar feature in its own app in 2019.

Audio-Technica adapted its popular M50x headphones into headsets

At CES, Audio-Technica unveiled new StreamSet wired headsets that it designed with content creators in mind. Based on the popular M50x headphones, the M50xSTS comes in two flavors. One model has 3.5mm aux and XLR connectivity. The other has a USB cable that enables some extra features, but the two versions are otherwise very similar.

You’ll get the same 45mm large-aperture drivers with rare earth magnets and copper-clad aluminum wire voice coils that are present in the M50x, along with swappable earpads. The M50x earpads are focused on audio quality and sound isolation, while the mesh and leatherette earpads are all about breathability and comfort.

As for the microphone, Audio-Technica adopted a cardioid condenser from its 20 Series models. The mic, which is said to offer studio-level audio quality without background noise, is on a boom arm. Handily, when you flip the boom up, the headset will mute the mic. One advantage that the M50xSTS-USB has over the 3.5mm model is that, thanks to the sidetone circuitry, you’ll be able to hear your voice through the headset if you wish. You can adjust that volume with an earcup dial.

The M50xSTS has a two-meter cable with a 3.5mm headphone input and, for the mic, an XLR output that you can connect to an audio interface or mixer. The M50xSTS-USB version has a two-meter cable as well, but with a USB-A connector (you’ll get a USB-C adapter too). The latter model also has an analog-to-digital converter with a sampling rate up to 24 bits or 96 kHz. The M50xSTS costs $199, while the M50xSTS-USB will run you $229.

Lenovo’s Smart Paper tablet is a $400 answer to the Kindle Scribe

Alongside its regular slate of laptops and other gear, Lenovo has announced an E-Ink notepad at CES. Smart Paper is a 10.3-inch display with an anti-glare screen. The company says it’s a lightweight device with 50GB of storage, enough for 50,000 pages …