On Monday morning, an Uber driverless car killed a female pedestrian in Tempe, Arizona. The accident occurred at Mill Avenue.

The police said the vehicle was driving at 40 mph when it struck Elaine Herzberg, 49, who was walking a bicycle at the time. The woman was trying to get across the street, and authorities don’t believe she was in the crosswalk.

She was immediately taken to a hospital, but she died from her wounds. Tempe police noted that the self-driving vehicle did not slow down before hitting the pedestrian. The car was in autonomous driving mode but it had a backup human driver.

It isn’t clear if driver Rafael Vasquez, 44, intervened to prevent the accident. Neither the driver or the victim were impaired at the time of the crash.

The National Transportation Safety Board announced an investigation into the matter. Uber refused to comment on the crash but added that it would cooperate with local authorities.

Our hearts go out to the victim’s family,

a spokesperson for the taxi app firm said.

Driverless Car Kills Pedestrian in Nation’s First

It is the first time a driverless car strikes and kills a pedestrian, a scenario long dreaded by the driverless car industry. Uber is testing driverless cars in several U.S. cities including Pittsburgh and San Francisco. The company announced that it would put on hold all driverless operations during the investigation.

Phoenix and nearby municipalities have attracted many driverless car companies including Google’s Waymo and Uber.

Uber first started to test the vehicles in Arizona in February last year. In March 2017, one of its driverless cars crashed, but an investigation revealed that the car was not at fault.

It is the first time the autonomous technology leads to a fatality. Until now, the technology’s proponents argued that driverless cars could significantly reduce automobile deaths. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that 37,000 Americans were killed in a car crash in 2016.
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Microsoft recently promised to find a way for Windows 10 Updates to not lock you out of your computer for more than 30 minutes on average. Some major Windows 10 updates took as long as 2 hours, so a change would be welcome.

Yet, security experts are not over thrilled. They are concerned that “30 minutes on average” could mean lengthier updates if we do the math.

The downtime is necessary for an update being it for Windows 10, Android, or iOS. Updates usually have two steps: the online and the offline. The online phase should not be confused with having an Internet connection.

The online phase occurs as the user is using the computer without him even knowing it. During the online phase of the process, the update is downloaded to the device and the OS verifies the new piece of software to see if there are any errors in it.

Windows 10 Updates’ Downtime Significantly Trimmed

The offline phase is the problematic one. This is when the files are moved and the update is installed. Because the process needs a lot of resources, the user is virtually locked out of his own device until finished. Some updates took more than an hour to complete.

After the update called the Windows 10 Fall Creators, the downtime was trimmed to 51 minutes. Microsoft now wants to reduce that time even more to 30 minutes after another major update.

However, Microsoft will do that by changing very few things. It will move some parts of the offline phase of the update into the online phase. So, your computer will be working on the update without booting you out; and when it does boot you out, it would be for a shorter period of time.

This could mean that Microsoft will be able to roll out even more time consuming updates, but you won’t be noticing it, unless your computer is not that fast.
Image Source: Microsoft

An Apple Watch user said he mistakenly dialed 911 in his sleep and was awakened by 3 cops at 1 a.m. in his bedroom. The police officers said they received an emergency call from his device, so they wanted to know what the problem was.

The iPhone and Apple Watch have an emergency SOS feature that enables users to call for help really quick. On the latest models, including the iPhone X, a slide bar that activates the service appears after the users hold one of the volume buttons and the side button.

After using this combination of buttons, a dispatcher gets a call and emergency contacts get text messages that you may be in danger. The dispatcher and contacts get information on your current location too.

iPhone 7 or older models require the users to hit the side button five times in a rapid succession. In India, the button needs to be hit three times. On those models you’ll have to access the slider to activate the emergency call protocol, as well.

Apple Watch’s Emergency Feature Is Easily Set Off

On the Apple Watch, things are simpler, but they make police officers’ lives more complicated. It is enough to hold down the crown to dial 911. There is no need to drag a slide either. The less complex feature was rolled out with the WatchOS 4 and iOS 11.

In theory, the feature may be safer for users, but many times it was triggered by mistake in practice. For example, Jason Rowley accidentally called the cops in his sleep while wearing the Apple Watch to monitor his sleeping patterns.

Rowley accidentally set off the feature and woke up in the middle of the night with three police officers in his bedroom. The cops had entered his home, thinking that something bad must have happened. They also told Rowley that it was not the first time they were dispatched to a false emergency situation triggered by an Apple device.
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A Pokemon Go player in Washington state allegedly attacked three other Pokemon Go players with a tire iron after losing a gym. The man pulled up his car near three teens in Vancouver asking them who won the gym.

The three friends were sitting on a park bench at the time and had no idea the man had assaulted other players in the area on other occasions. The man now faces charges of malicious mischief and assault, according to local police.

Witnesses said the suspect, Stephen Jolly, asked the three kids who had just won a nearby gym in the Pokemon Go. The winner, Andrew Otton, explained that he was about to revive his pokemon when the man tried to take it out.

I took it from him and I didn’t know he just took it, and he was like, ‘Hey, did you just take this gym from me?,

the teen told police officers.

Other Players Had Been Assaulted in the Area

He added that the man looked very upset about the entire situation. One of the player’s friends said the alleged assailant punched his friend ‘several times’ which prompted him to start chocking Jolly to let his friend go.

One of the friends posted the incident on Facebook and publicized the man’s license plate. Other local Pokemon Go players said they had troubles with Jolly too. This time the assault happened on the Burnt Bridge Creek Trail. The suspect told police that he did not hit anyone but he did use the tire iron on a nearby table.

Pokemon Go was first launched in July 2016. The game was behind a series of serious accidents, like players trespassing private property, driving into real-world lakes, or engaging in car crashes after not paying attention to the road. It is the first time, a player assaults other players, though.
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Samsung announced that it will make available same-day support services to Samsung Galaxy phone owners nationwide. Customers are required to come to one of the 300 authorized service locations to get support within two hours or less.

The extended Samsung care service will be rolled out March 15. The company wants to further expand the program in the United States by the end of the year. However, there are some exceptions to the same-day support, like liquid damage to the phones.

Phone owners can schedule an appointment at a uBreakiFix service locations via the company’s site or come with the device at the location and require assistance. uBreakiFix service shops use only genuine parts and proprietary Samsung instruments when they do the repairs. Also, the technicians are certified by Samsung.

Customer Care at Samsung Electronics America plans to offer its Galaxy customers a premium customer service experience that can be as innovative as the company’s devices. The new service will offer U.S. customers assistance anywhere and anytime they needed.

Same-Day Support for Your Galaxy Phone

uBreakiFix service locations can be found in most major U.S. cities, and are designed to reach most of the population living in the continental U.S. By next year, Samsung plans to add 200 more support centers to make the locations even more accessible.

Samsung care will offer screen replacements, camera and port repairs, and new batteries to phones in warranty or out of warranty. In the case of out-of-warranty repair services, fees may apply.

The supported Galaxy models are:

• Galaxy S6 and S6+,
• Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge,
• Galaxy S8 and S8+,
• Galaxy S9 and S9+,
• and the Galaxy Note 5 and Note 8.

If you want more info on the same-day support services you can access https://www.samsung.com/us/support/. For an online appointment to one of the support centers access https://www.samsung.com/us/support/ubreakifix/. uBreakiFix has its own website at breakifix.com/Samsung.
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The video streaming website Twitch TV will start giving free games to Amazon Prime members in a bid to improve their experience on the platform. The games will be taken from the online giant’s archive.

Twitch made the announcement Tuesday. Users will be able to access their free games on Thursday. The first two games to be given away are Oxenfree and Superhot. After Apr. 1, Prime subscribers will gain access to SteamWorld Dig and Tales from the Borderlands.

It is the first time the two companies join forces to offer users free games regularly. Over the next few months, almost a dozen of titles from Twitch Prime Indie Amplifier will be handed out.

Twitch has a list of the free titles for March and April on its official website. The new perk means that a Prime membership is more valuable than it was in the past. Twitch named the initiative ‘Free Games with Prime.’

New Free Games Every Month

The program was launched as a response to the success of to the Twitch Prime Indie Amplifier. Every month, there will be a set of free games that will go to Prime subscribers.

According to Twitch, Tales from Candlekeep: Tomb of Annihilation and Shadow Tactics will be given away March 15. The next games will be offered in the following months.

The 2.5D beat ’em up Mr. Shifty will also be available for free in March. In total, five titles will be offered for free over the last half of the month. The other two titles offered in March are Superhot and Oxenfree.

The Free Games with Prime program will continue throughout April with five more free titles: SteamWorld Dig 2, Tokyo 42, Tales from the Borderlands, Kingsway, and Dubwars. The titles will be released in no specific order.
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WhatsApp has silently stretched the time window for message deletion from seven minutes to around one hour. To be more exact, you will no longer be able to delete a message in WhatsApp after one hour, eight minutes, and 16 seconds.

Although the change is significant, it is unclear why the time window is so specific. The feature to delete unwanted messages was launched in October 2017 under the name ‘delete for everyone.’ It enabled users to delete the message from all devices involved in the conversation. But that could be done only within seven minutes.

WhatsApp’s website doesn’t offer an explanation about the newly introduced time limit. With the new limit, you will be able to delete any unwanted message or an entire convo from your peer’s phone.

Other similar messaging services have a feature for secret conversations which generates a conversation that won’t be stored on either device. WhatsApp lacks such feature, but after the latest change, temporary conversations could become a thing on the Facebook-owned service too.

‘Delete for Everyone’ Feature Has Been A Game Changer

Last fall, WhatsApp allowed users to delete messages after they tapped the send button but in the next seven minutes after sending them. The messages were deleted from conversations and group chats on both the sender’s and receiver’s devices.

However, both parties needed the latest version of the app to be installed on their device. The feature called ‘delete for everyone’ was rolled out gradually. Before the change, users could only delete messages and conversations stored on their devices.

At the time, WhatsApp warned that recipients could still see the unwanted message before it is deleted. Also, some users may see bits of the deleted message in their notifications tab.

Nevertheless, the feature has been quite handy especially for those alcohol-induced messages.
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Despite a troubled start, Apple Music now has 38 million subscribers and counting, with two million being added in January alone. In other words, Apple Music base grew 5 percent in just four weeks, according to Apple exec Eddy Cue.

The bumpy start was mainly due to the service’s interface that was not as user friendly as rival Spotify’s for instance.

It is unclear whether Apple’s music streaming service will ever be able to defeat Spotify, which has 70 million users that pay for the service and 159 million monthly users that access the company’s ad-supported features. In other words, Apple Music is still way behind Spotify despite rapid growth.

Industry analysts, on the other hand, are confident that Apple Music could overtake its major rival over the next few months due to the tremendous growing pace. Spotify is adding new subscribers at a 2% pace every month.

The Wall Street Journal thinks that Apple’s service is ‘quickly gaining ground’ and may become America’s number one music streaming service this summer. The Journal cited people familiar with the matter in the record business to back its claims.

Apple also revealed that the most streamed female artist is Rihanna, with Beyonce and Taylor Swift being closely behind.

Meanwhile, Spotify looks for new ways to improve its service. Recently, it has asked users to submit comments and suggestions about a specific track or album because it needs relevant info to insert in metadata.

The company is mainly interested in listeners’ take on music because that info could help it improve, update, confirm, and extend the metadata already provided by the service.

Spotify even has made available a metadata editor dubbed Line-In to all its subscribers. In the desktop app, the feature can be accessed from the three-dot tab next to each song.
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Here’s why Giphy no longer works in Snapchat’s and Instagram’s stories. The two sites temporarily shut down the gif sticker feature after an extremely racist gif made it to the apps’ libraries.

Under the name of ‘Nigger Crime Death Counter’ a monkey is cracking the death counter while a white man is prompting the ‘bonzo’ to keep an eye on the numbers. The gif popped up whenever somebody did a search for ‘crime’ in the two apps’ gif libraries. Now, the gif is nowhere to be found.

Some users took a snapshot of the offensive content and tweeted it, underlining that they found it on Instagram. Angry users asked for the two social media outlets to remove and apologize for the incident. As of now, the picture is nowhere to be found.

Snapchat apologized for the disturbing content and unveiled that they removed it as soon as they were made aware. Snapchat confirmed that Giphy was disabled in the process to prevent other similar gifs from popping up.

Giphy Apologizes too

Giphy said that the system automatically ranks all gifs as suited for 13-year-olds or older (PG rating). Giphy apologized for the incident as well for allowing the racist gif to appear in its database.

The company unveiled that a user spotted the GIF in the library. The clip was removed because it infringed the content guidelines. The company explained that the gif was available in the library because of a bug which enabled it to dodge content moderation filters.

The bug was reportedly fixed and all the other GIF stickers were ‘re-moderated’. Also, the service said that they are reviewing every other GIFs manually and the process should be “finished shortly.”

Giphy took ‘full responsibility’ for the accident and apologized ‘sincerely’ to all the people who took offense. Instagram has yet to reply to a request for comment.
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A toddler in China managed to lock his mom’s iPhone for 25 million minutes or around 48 years. The baby reportedly entered the device’s passcode for too many times while trying to watch YouTube videos.

Before Face ID and Touch ID, it was a common scenario to be locked out of your phone for simply typing in the wrong password for too many times. Parents also knew that toddlers can wreak havoc on their smartphones if left unattended.

A Chinese mother was shocked to learn that her iPhone was locked for 47.78 years or 25,114,984 minutes. Her 2-year-old boy entered the wrong password for way too many times. The woman had given the child the handset to watch YouTube clips.

iPhone Locked for 25,114,984 Minutes

When she came back into the room and reclaimed her iPhone she was met with the message your “iPhone is disabled, try again in 25,114,984 minutes.” iPhone usually adds more minutes as the passcode gets wrongly entered. The toddler seems to have entered the wrong passcode enough times to push that time to 25 million minutes.

The Chinese mom now has two options: either do a factory reset, which erases all data on the phone or wait 47 years for the handset to unlock.

I can’t really wait for 47 years and tell my grandchild it was your father’s mistake,

the desperate mom told reporters.

Reportedly, after two months, she hasn’t been able to do the factory reset, so she may be contemplating the second option.

Strangely enough, the iPhone maker allows such periods of times to add up to penalize users for introducing the wrong password. It would have been a better idea to allow those struggling users to unlock the phone via an iPad, iPhone, or Mac.

The Chinese mom may now have to wait 47 years, but Apple technicians say they saw iPhones locked for more than 80 years.
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