Chicago
Latest
Travelers used to catch helicopter taxis between Chicago airports
Today, transportation companies like Uber and Hyundai are building VTOL aircraft fleets to serve as short-hop air taxis. In the ‘60s, companies like Chicago Helicopter Airways just used a bunch of repurposed US Navy helicopters.
United and Archer will open an air taxi route to Chicago’s O’Hare airport in 2025
Archer Aviation and United Airlines announced a partnership today to launch a commercial air taxi route in Chicago. The companies plan to launch the flight path between downtown and O’Hare International Airport in 2025.
Lawsuit accuses Chicago authorities of misusing gunshot detection system in a murder case
The plaintiffs are now seeking a court order that would ban ShotSpotter from being used in the city.
The US Government is inspecting Amazon warehouses over 'potential worker safety hazards'
Amazon warehouses in New York City and elsewhere are being probed by federal prosecutors and the US Department of Labor over unsafe workplace conditions.
Chicago sues DoorDash and GrubHub, alleging deceptive business practices
While the complaints point to alleged misconduct specific to each company, they broadly accuse DoorDash and GrubHub of employing a similar set of unfair business practices.
Amazon foils plot using phones in trees to get more deliveries
Amazon says it has stopped a scheme that used smartphones in trees to game delivery routes.
Amazon drivers are hanging phones in trees to get more deliveries
Amazon’s contract delivery drivers are so desperate for work they’ve come up with a bizarre way to game the system.
Food apps in Chicago will soon show the premium you pay for delivery
Starting on May 22nd, Chicago will require delivery companies disclose how much restaurants pay when you order using one of their apps.
Lyft tries offering free bike-share passes to hospital workers
Lyft is offering free, 30-day bike-share passes to critical workers in New York City, Chicago and Boston. This should help people who still have to get to work during the coronavirus pandemic, and to keep them safe, Lyft says it is ramping up its cleaning efforts.
Time Magazine is recreating the 'I Have a Dream' speech in VR
For many people, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s March on Washington and the famous "I Have a Dream" speech exist as little more than photos and soundbites -- only the 200,000-plus people who were there can give you a sense of what it was really like. Time Magazine, however, hopes to recreate that experience as best it can. It's releasing a virtual reality museum experience, The March, that will recreate King and his speech in VR for the first time. The exhibit will use a mix of photogrammetry (taking measurements from photos), motion capture, AI and 3D rendering to give a sense of what it was like to see King speak in front of the Lincoln Memorial on August 28th, 1963.
Google's Waze-like app for public transit hits five more cities
Last year, Google incubator Area 120 announced a public transit app that works in a similar way to Waze. Users of Pigeon report transit information to help others know if they're likely to face delays or other issues. Until now, it's only been available in New York City, but as of today, it's going live in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.
Chicago will test Samsung's DeX in-vehicle solution in cop cars
Samsung created an in-vehicle version of its DeX platform in hopes that it can replace the computers cops and first responders have to carry around. Now, the Chicago Police Department has announced that it's taking the system for a spin to see if it can truly be an effective companion for law enforcement officers. CPD Superintendent Eddie Johnson said nearly half of all the officers in the city already have department-issued Samsung phones. When the pilot launches, they'll be able to access police apps on their vehicle's dash-mounted display simply by docking their phones.
Uber and Lyft admit they're making city traffic worse
Uber and Lyft may be competitors but as the two major ridesharing companies, they also have a lot in common -- including the challenges they face. To better understand their role in city traffic patterns, the companies jointly sponsored a study to determine their combined vehicle miles traveled (VMT) in six key cities. In a surprising twist, the results got Uber to admit that ridesharing companies, or transportation network companies (TNCs), do in fact contribute to congestion.
LG's V50 ThinQ 5G is up for pre-order tomorrow from Sprint
Starting tomorrow, customers in select cities can preorder Sprint's first two 5G devices -- the LG V50 ThinQ 5G and HTC 5G Hub. They'll be available in Sprint's first four expected 5G markets -- Atlanta, Dallas, Houston and Kansas City -- by May 31st. And in the next few weeks, they'll hit Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, Phoenix and Washington, DC. Sprint's announcement suggests its on track with its goal to launch 5G in those cities this spring.
Car2go: 'Fraud' caused Chicago shutdown, not hacking
Car2go's rental service just suffered what appears to be a major incident. The company has temporarily suspended operations in Chicago after a "fraud issue" in the city. While Car2go didn't provide details (it told Engadget there was an "ongoing investigation"), sources for CBS' Brad Edwards claimed that up to 100 luxury cars had gone missing or were reported stolen, some of which had been used for crimes. Over 12 people were in police custody, Edwards said.
Verizon turns on its 5G mobile network a week ahead of schedule
Verizon has flipped the switch on the first parts of its 5G mobile network a week ahead of schedule. The service is live in parts of Chicago and Minneapolis, just in time for the March Madness Final Four in the latter city this weekend. Once you move out of an area where the 5G network is active, the 4G LTE network will take over. 5G access with Verizon (which is Engadget's parent company) costs $10 on top of regular unlimited plans, though the first three months are free.
Verizon will switch on mobile 5G in Chicago and Minneapolis April 11th
Verizon is planning to bring 5G mobile service to at least 30 US cities this year, and now we know when it'll switch on the first parts of its new network. The provider (which owns Engadget's parent company, Verizon Media) will open up its 5G mobile network in Chicago and Minneapolis April 11th.
Philadelphia is the first US city to ban cashless stores
Philadephia has passed a law requiring almost all businesses to accept cash payments, effectively banning cashless stores. It comes into force July 1st, and businesses which violate it face a fine of up to $2,000.
AT&T 5G is coming to Chicago and Minneapolis in 2019
Just because AT&T is standing firm on its faux 5G marketing doesn't mean it's ignoring its real 5G deployment. In fact, it's stepping things up -- the carrier has announced that next-gen wireless service will come to Chicago and Minneapolis sometime in 2019. Two cities might not sound like much, but that's adding to the seven cities announced so far and potentially provides 5G speeds to millions more people before the year is over.
Vinyl record production has finally joined the modern age
When you think of manufacturing in the US, vinyl records probably isn't the first thing that springs to mind, but the industry has been chugging along as best it can. For decades, pressing plants have been using aging machines that require a complex infrastructure of piping for the steam-based heating (and cooling) mechanisms -- not to mention an engineering support team to keep them in working order. New vinyl presses just weren't being made, at least until a few years ago. Two companies emerged to fill that need. Newbilt Machinery launched around 2015 in Germany with slightly updated (cloned) versions of old presses, adding electronic controls and hydraulic power. In February 2017, Jack White's Third Man pressing plant opened in Detroit running Newbilt's manual Duplex machines. That same year, Toronto-based Viryl Technologies joined the market with its WarmTone presses. These machines weren't clones, but built fresh from the ground up including a modular construction, fully automated operation and remote machine monitoring (even from a mobile device) with its ADAPT software. Viryl's tech support can log into the system remotely to help troubleshoot any problems. Still, like Newbilt, they required a large boiler system and network of piping to support their operation. Anyone looking to start a pressing plant still faced hefty startup and maintenance costs, a difficult permit and zoning process, as well as a less-than-ideal impact on the environment.
