Category: Technology

Software engineer Miana Windall has about 25 implants under her skin, ranging from magnets to RFID tech. While that might make your skin crawl if you’re squeamish, “for the most part, they’re not really noticeable,” she told Engadget. At the DEF CON security conference on Thursday, Windall talked about how she became interested in the implants, and her experience programming them for personal use, like scanning into her former office building.

RFID tech powers scannable technology like subway cards or tap to pay. The relatively simple tech was first patented in the 1970s, and body modification dates back millennia. Despite this, RFID implants still haven’t reached their full potential, and they’re still a gimmick for a lot of people, Windall said. But if you want to go clubbing and not bring a bag, you can buy the right style of lock and implant a sensor that you can’t lose to scan in and out of your home.

Still, they’re not magic. “Chip implants don’t work like Hollywood movies,” founder of biohacking and implant service Dangerous Things Amal Graafstra told Engadget. “They’re not even active or alive or energized when there’s no reader that is within a very close proximity”

That means the scope of use for RFID implants is pretty limited and it’s mostly a foundational tech that you’d have to be able to hack yourself for it to be useful. There are limited out-of-the-box use cases, like the Tesla keycard implant that lets you start your car, but usually a user has to be able to copy certain key configurations onto it themself. “When we sell the transponder, we’re selling a key but not the lock,” Graafstra said. The user has to have some technical savvy to make “the lock.”

It’s helpful to know that before going to a body modification artist or piercer to get one put in, or else you might end up with a chip you can’t use. “Do your research and make sure what you want as possible before you have surgery,” Windall said. Although, Windall herself does have some inactive ones that are harmless to keep under the skin.

Companies are now looking for ways to use RFID implants as security tools, too. There’s an inherent vulnerability associated with RFID tech because it requires access credentials to be open to being stolen. But having those credentials as an implant at least prevents someone from easily stealing your access card or information.

“The chances of someone coming along and being able to scan your credential without you knowing about it, it’s probably not that high,” Windall said. “You can’t have your hand pickpocketed, at least not without a machete.”

Plus as authentication becomes more important to prevent unauthorized account access, these implants could be used to prove your identity. As companies look to replace two-factor authentication with passkeys, putting those credentials under your skin could be possible. Your passkey can be uploaded to a chip implant that can verify your identity, as opposed to a hardware key that could get lost or a text message verification that can be duped, according to Graafstra.

RFID implants don’t require FDA approval because they’re not medical devices. While they appear generally safe and secure, there are risk factors to consider, according to professor in the College of Media at the University of Colorado Boulder Harsha Gangadharbatla, PhD.

“Consumers should be fully aware of the “hidden” costs (privacy, risks, and advertising messages) associated with such tech and not just the cost of getting such implants,” he said in an email to Engadget.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/chip-implants-get-under-your-skin-so-you-can-leave-your-keys-at-home-170008199.html?src=rss 

This week marks the official availability of Samsung’s two new foldable phones and ourreviews are in. While you wouldn’t expect a deal this early, Amazon is throwing in a gift card if you order either the foldable or flip phone from it site. Other deals include a decent $50 discount on the disc version of the PlayStation 5 from multiple retailers and $100 off Apple’s 5th-gen iPad Air. Google Pixel devices are also on sale, with a $55 discount on the very capable Pixel 7a smartphone and $60 off on both the Pixel Tablet and the Pixel Buds Pro. Music makers might want to check out the summer sale at Arturia and live streamers in may like Amazon’s discount on Razer’s Stream Controller X. Here are the best tech deals from this week that you can still get today. 

PlayStation 5

Once upon a time (last year) it was tough to find a PlayStation 5 in stock, and now it’s on sale at multiple retailers for its lowest price yet. Right now the pricier disc-enabled version is $50 off at Amazon, Walmart, Verizon and Best Buy —you can even get the same deal directly from Sony if you prefer. We think the PS5 is the best premium gaming console you can buy. The graphics are stunning and the performance is seamless, thanks to big improvements in power and visual fidelity over the PS4. Plus PlayStation has a deep bench of exclusive titles to play. 

The console also comes with an excellent DualSense controller that gives you precise and intense haptic feedback along with triggers that adjust the tension in response to your in-game actions. And speaking of…

PlayStation DualSense controller

Your new PS5 comes with one DualSense controller, but if you need another for couch co-op games or if you want a spare just in case, this is a good time to buy as Amazon has multiple shades of the Sony controller on sale for up to 35 percent off. That brings it down from $75 to $40 or $50, depending on the color. Note that the discount doesn’t apply to the DualSense Edge controller, which is holding strong at $200. That gamepad includes swappable joysticks, additional paddles and easy button remapping, which we liked overall, but did take some issue with a battery life that could be longer. 

Apple iPad Air (5th gen)

Of all available Apple tablets, the 5th generation iPad Air is the one we think will work best for most people and right now it’s down to $500. That’s the same price it went for during Amazon’s Prime Day last month, but now you can also snag the deal from Best Buy or Target. This sale price applies to the 64GB model with WiFi connectivity. The models with more storage and added cellular capabilities are also on sale, for between 13 and 22 percent off. 

The iPad Air arrived in 2022, carrying Apple’s own M1 system-on-a-chip processor. The screen is bright and sharp, which is great for gaming and watching shows. Pair it with a keyboard and other accessories and it becomes a capable productivity machine, handling writing, drawing, moderate photo editing and work-related apps like Airtable, Slack and Zoom. 

Google Pixel 7a

Our favorite mid-range Android smartphone is Google’s Pixel 7a and right now unlocked handsets are down to the lowest price we’ve tracked, selling for just $444 at multiple outlets, including Amazon, Best Buy and directly from Google. The price applies to all colorways, though if you’d like it in coral, you’ll have to get it from Google’s storefront as that hue is exclusively available there. 

We gave the Pixel 7a 90 in our review, calling it a slightly smaller Pixel 7, but cheaper. It’s got the same processor, same 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage as the base base model Pixel 7 and actually contains a bigger battery and higher-res cameras than its pricier sibling.

Other Pixel devices are on sale too, including a 12 percent discount on the new Pixel Tablet, which brings it down to $439 at Amazon, Target, Best Buy or from Google’s shop. You can check out our review of the tablet (and its particularly useful charging speaker dock) here. 

Google Pixel Buds Pro

Our favorite wireless earbuds for Android users are the Google Pixel Buds Pro, which are currently $140 at Amazon, Walmart, Target or from Google’s storefront. That’s a 30 percent discount and close to an all-time low. We like the deep, punchy bass and good noise cancelling capabilities. They have intuitive touch controls and a few extra features for Android and Pixel devices including Google Translate Conversation Mode. If you want something even cheaper, the Google Pixel Buds A-Series are down to $60 from $100 — a 40 percent discount.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 + $200 Amazon Gift Card

Samsung’s new foldables are now available, but Amazon is continuing to offer the $200 gift card bonus it included for pre-orders. Previously the retailer also threw in a free storage upgrade, but that deal looks to be expired. Still, $200 at Amazon is a decent perk — I’m confident most people can find something to buy. 

Engadget’s review of the new Galaxy Z Fold 5 just hit our site yesterday, and in it, Sam Rutherford noted that Samsung seems to be losing momentum after getting a sizable head start in the foldable race. But the new foldable is still faster and sleeker than its predecessor and has a new hinge that makes it thinner overall. It’s just not a major upgrade from what we’ve seen previously. That said, if you’re interested in a powerful foldable with bright and useful screens, this $200 gift card should take some sting out of the still-high price tag. 

Amazon has a similar deal going for the Galaxy Z Flip 5, shipping a $150 gift card when you order the phone. Engadget’s Cherlynn Low reviewed that device and deemed it “the best flip foldable,” partly thanks to the much larger 3.4-inch external display that’s now actually useful.  

Razer Stream Controller X

Razer’s Stream Controller X is back down to an all-time low of $125, or 16 percent off its usual $150 price tag. The brand released the programmable streaming deck earlier this year and now it’s back down to the low it hit over Amazon’s Prime Day in July. The desktop device has 15 programmable shortcut buttons to get you streaming faster and in far more style than operating your apps, lights and effects manually. The button icons are customizable and you even have the option of swapping in different magnetic face plates so you can make your live stream setup your own.  

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

Foldables are generating most of Samsung’s buzz right now, which is possibly why their latest no-fold smartphone is seeing a sizable discount. The Galaxy S23 Ultra is our current pick for the best Android smartphone you can buy and right now it’s cheaper than ever on Amazon, down to $950 after a $250 discount. We gave the S23 Ultra an Engadget review score of 89 and particularly appreciated the brilliant AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, the excellent cameras and substantial battery life that went for 19 hours and 26 minutes in our rundown tests. 

The Galaxy S23+ is also cheaper than ever, currently $800 instead of $1,000. Both that discount and the sale on the Ultra beat the all-time lows we saw back in July, but unfortunately, the base model Galaxy S23 handsets are sold out at Amazon as of this writing.  

13-inch MacBook Air (M2, 2022)

A few different Apple laptops with M2 chips are seeing discounts right now. That may be due to the fact that machines using a newer M3 chip are imminent. The 13-inch MacBook Air from 2022 is down to $949 at B&H Photo and Best Buy, which matches the lowest price we’ve tracked. The discount applies to the configuration with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of SSD, which usually goes for $1,099. 

It’s our top pick for the best overall laptop, and earned a review score of 96 when it first came out. The ultraportable weighs just 2.7 pounds and has a thin, balanced design (the wedge shape of earlier Air laptops is gone). The screen is bright and accurate and the battery should last through 16 and a half hours of use, as it did in our video rundown test. Overall, it’s a dependable computer for everyday entertainment and typical productivity — if you want something for heavy media editing, you may want to go for the Pro model, below. 

If you want a little more screen real estate, you can go for the new 15-inch MacBook Air, which is currently $100 off, though earlier this week it saw a $200 discount at Amazon, a sale that will likely come around again, considering the coming M3 machines. 

14-inch MacBook Pro (M2, 2023)

The M2 Pro and M2 Max chips give the MacBook Pro models a lot of processing power, which is ideal for music producers, video makers and other heavy users. The 14-inch model with 16GB of memory and 512GB of storage is down to $1,799 at Amazon, which is a $250 discount off the current MSRP and $50 lower than it went for during Amazon’s Prime Day sale in July. We gave the MacBook Pro a review score of 92 when it came out in January of 2023. We like the sturdy design, plethora of ports and the clarity and lushness of the Liquid Retina XDR display.  

Again, Apple is likely to release the M3 chips later this year, but if history is any indicator, they probably won’t release the supercharged M3 Pro or Max chips until many months later. Either way, Apple is likely to keep these laptops in their lineup after the new chips arrive. 

Google Chromecast HD

Google’s HD Chromecast dongle turns a regular TV into a smart one and right now is back down to $20, which matches its lowest price this year (it went for $2 less during last November’s Black Friday sales). This is the HD version of the dongle, which is best for people with 1080p screens (the 4K version isn’t currently on sale). We reviewed the Chromecast with Google TV when it came out last year and appreciated the easy set up, the useful remote and dead-simple streaming interface. If you’ve got a standard TV that could use more smarts, or are heading out on vacation and want to watch your shows on the hotel’s (HDMI-enabled) TVs, this is a great device to have on hand. 

Samsung storage sale

Engadget’s Jeff Dunn named Samsung’s Pro Plus microSD the best option for most people in his latest guide and right now multiple capacities are down to their lowest prices so far. The largest 512GB version is $35 instead of $60 while the 128GB size is just $12. These are the newer versions of the Pro Plus cards, which had the nearly the best sequential write performance and had faster random read/write speeds of all the cards we tested. 

Other Samsung storage devices are on sale too, including the 970 EVO Plus 500GB internal SSD for 23 percent off and the external 1TB T7 Shield portable SSD for 56 percent off. 

Arturia Summer Sale

Musicians looking for some new sounds would do well to check out Arturia’s summer sale, which is running through August 15th. Many of their digital instruments, sound bank packs and effects are 50 percent off. Engadget’s Terrence O’Brien had good things to say about their Pigments synthesizer, which is now $99 instead of its usual $199. The Dist Coldfire plugin, which Terrence says “might be might be the only distortion plugin you need” is now $49 instead of $99. Many more instruments and effects are on sale, so this is a good time to look around. Just note that the sale doesn’t include combo packs or hardware instruments and the sale ends August 15th. 

HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless gaming headset

The top wireless pick in our guide to gaming headsets is the HyperX Cloud Alpha, which is now just $154 at Amazon or Best Buy. Engadget’s Jeff Dunn particularly liked the impressive battery life, which can go for 300 hours on a charge. The set is also comfortable to wear for hours on end so you can test out that capacity for yourself. The sound is a little bass heavy and the mic isn’t as great as others in its field, but the headset is perfectly serviceable. Jeff does point out that HyperX’s companion software has been known to introduce latency, so you’re better off going with third-party or built-in controls for audio EQ adjustments. It’s also not compatible with Xbox and requires the use of its USB dongle. 

Instant Pot Sale

As part of a larger Amazon sale on Instant Pot appliances, the Instant Pot Duo is on sale for $60 instead of the usual $80. The do-nearly-everything cooker is an Engadget favorite, so it’s great to see a few different iterations on sale. The sale also covers the brand’s air friers, including the Instant Vortex Plus ClearCook fryer in the 6-quart size, which is $130 instead of its usual $170. That’s our current pick for the best overall air fryer you can buy. 

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/sonys-playstation-5-drops-back-to-an-all-time-low-plus-the-rest-of-this-weeks-best-tech-deals-173119382.html?src=rss 

Zoom has reversed course (again) and updated its terms of service after a backlash earlier this week. Following consumer blowback to a recently highlighted update to its terms which appeared to grant the platform the unlimited ability to use customer data to train AI models, it now says it will not use any consumer data to train AI models from Zoom or third parties. The previous wording said it wouldn’t do so “without customer consent,” which raised eyebrows since “consent” was (at best) a gray area for people joining a call (and acknowledging a pop-up) in which the meeting organizer enabled the feature and already agreed to the terms.

Zoom’s changes were listed in a preamble update to its previous blog post. “Following feedback received regarding Zoom’s recently updated terms of service, particularly related to our new generative artificial intelligence features, Zoom has updated our terms of service and the below blog post to make it clear that Zoom does not use any of your audio, video, chat, screen-sharing, attachments, or other communications like customer content (such as poll results, whiteboard, and reactions) to train Zoom’s or third-party artificial intelligence models,” the notice reads.

Indeed, the previously troublesome section 10 in Zoom’s terms of service, related to AI and consumer data, has also changed. “Zoom does not use any of your audio, video, chat, screen sharing, attachments or other communications-like Customer Content (such as poll results, whiteboard and reactions) to train Zoom or third-party artificial intelligence models,” the updated version reads. The previous variant of that section, even after Zoom made concessions in response to the blowback, appended the phrase “without customer consent.” But since “consent” seemed to be granted by simply joining a meeting (maybe even one required for your job) and acknowledging a popup, some users saw this as a potentially sneaky loophole to harvest AI data in situations where people don’t have much choice. The new version removes that ambiguity. 

“We’ve updated our terms of service (in section 10) to further confirm that Zoom does not use any of your audio, video, chat, screen-sharing, attachments, or other communications like customer content (such as poll results, whiteboard, and reactions) to train Zoom’s or third-party artificial intelligence models,” Hashim stated in the revised blog post. “In addition, we have updated our in-product notices to reflect this.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/zoom-now-says-it-wont-use-any-customer-content-for-ai-training-170533411.html?src=rss 

Lionel Messi has hit the ground running in Major League Soccer, and he’s boosting Apple’s bottom line in the process. Tickets for Inter Miami games have soared in price since Messi, the greatest soccer player of his generation and arguably the best of all time, joined the team several weeks ago. On top of that, subscriptions to Apple TV’s MLS Season Pass have more than doubled since the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star started plying his trade in the US in July.

That’s according to Jorge Mas, one of Inter Miami’s owners. Mas added that “Spanish language viewership on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV has surpassed over 50 percent for Messi matches and continues to rise,” underscoring the player’s popularity in the Spanish-speaking community. Apple CEO Tim Cook retweeted Mas’ comments, indicating that Mas’ claims are genuine (Apple’s PR team has been drawing attention to the tweet as well).

The company hasn’t disclosed how many subscribers the service has, though reports in July suggested the number was nearing 1 million before Messi’s arrival. In any case, Apple is evidently pleased by Messi’s impact on MLS Season Pass.

“For MLS, we could not be happier with how the partnership is going,” Cook said on an Apple earnings call last week. “It’s clearly in the early days, but we are beating our expectation in terms of subscribers, and the fact that Messi went to Inter Miami helped us out there a bit. And so we’re very excited about it.”

Apple, which dropped the price of the subscription from $99 to $49 for the second half of the season, is said to be paying $250 million a year for the MLS broadcast rights. Messi is reportedly taking a cut of revenue from new MLS Season Pass subscribers as part of his Inter Miami contract.

Messi has hit the ground running in Miami. He has scored seven goals and contributed three assists in four games, all of which Miami won. Before he joined the team, Miami was on an 11-game winless streak.

Although he’s 36, an age when most soccer players are winding down their careers, Messi is still going strong. He led Argentina to the biggest prize in the game, the World Cup, last December and helped PSG win back-to-back French league championships before moving to the US. As a result, Messi is the overwhelming favorite to win the Ballon d’Or, arguably the most prestigious individual award in soccer, for a record-extending eighth time.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-tvs-mls-season-pass-subscriptions-have-doubled-since-messis-arrival-in-the-us-150221673.html?src=rss 

An international team of scientists has developed a new technology that can help detect (or even treat) cancer in hard-to-reach places, such as the colon. The team has published a paper in Science for the technique dubbed CATCH, or cellular assay for targeted, CRISPR-discriminated horizontal gene transfer. For their lab experiments, the scientists used a species of bacterium called Acinetobacter baylyi. This bacterium has the ability to naturally take up free-floating DNA from its surroundings and then integrate it into its own genome, allowing it to produce new protein for growth.  

What the scientists did was engineer A. baylyi bacteria so that they’d contain long sequences of DNA mirroring the DNA found in human cancer cells. These sequences serve as some sort of one-half of a zipper that locks on to captured cancer DNA. For their tests, the scientists focus on the mutated KRAS gene that’s commonly found in colorectal tumors. If an A. baylyi bacterium finds a mutated DNA and integrates it into its genome, a linked antibiotic resistance gene also gets activated. That’s what the team used to confirm the presence of cancer cells: After all, only bacteria with active antibiotic resistance could grow on culture plates filled with antibiotics. 

While the scientists were successfully able to detect tumor DNA in mice injected with colorectal cancer cells in the lab, the technology is still not ready to be used for actual diagnosis. The team said it’s still working on the next steps, including improving the technique’s efficiency and evaluating how it performs compared to other diagnostic tests. “The most exciting aspect of cellular healthcare, however, is not in the mere detection of disease. A laboratory can do that,” Dan Worthley, one of the study’s authors, wrote in The Conversation. In the future, the technology could also be used for targeted biological therapy that can deploy treatment to specific parts of the body based on the presence of certain DNA sequences. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/scientists-genetically-engineer-bacteria-to-detect-cancer-cells-114511365.html?src=rss 

This week, Cherlynn and Sam are joined by noted foldables lover Michael Fisher (aka Mr Mobile) to talk all about their respective reviews of Samsung’s latest products. Why are our hosts more excited for the Galaxy Z Flip 5 than the Z Fold 5? Is Samsung coasting? Then, we discuss the latest happenings in X vs Threads, as well as a bunch of lighthearted news in tech this week.

Listen below or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you’ve got suggestions or topics you’d like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcasts, the Morning After and Engadget News!

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Topics

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Fold 5 reviews with Mr Mobile – 1:22

Will Elon actually pay for lawsuits related to posts on X? – 41:32

Threads is getting a website and search – 49:16

Slack UI changes are coming to your workspace soon – 54:31

MrBeast is getting countersued for $100m – 1:03:21

Working on – 1:13:55

Pop culture picks – 1:19:52

Credits
Hosts: Cherlynn Low and Sam Rutherford
Guest: Michael Fisher (aka TheMrMobile)
Producer: Ben Ellman
Music: Dale North and Terrence O’Brien

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/engadget-podcast-are-samsungs-foldables-getting-stale-123037554.html?src=rss 

Google has introduced a new tool for Slides that can help you make your presentations more interactive and keep your audience’s attention. The new feature, a pen tool, lets you write on a slide in real time, so you can encircle key figures, draw arrows, underline important information and just generally scribble anything you want on the presentation while in the middle of a meeting or a report. While Slides has long had the ability to turn your mouse arrow into a laser pointer, you had to download a third-party tool to be able to actually write annotations in the middle of a presentation. 

Slides’ new pen tool is built into the program, and there’s no need to download anything extra. To access it, you have to open your file in slideshow mode and then mouse over the bottom left side to see the three-dot menu. From that menu, you’ll find an option that reads “Turn on the pen.” You can choose the pen color you want to use — black, red, blue or green — from the panel that shows up, and you can also easily switch it off from the same location. If you want to erase what you’ve written, you just need to switch from the pen to the eraser tool in the bottom left corner. 

Google says the feature will be available to all Workspace customers and users with a personal account, but it may take 15 days before it’s done rolling out the pen tool to everyone. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-slides-new-tool-lets-you-annotate-your-presentations-095524960.html?src=rss 

Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis, a mobile game that expands the FFVII story and universe, will be available on iOS and Android on September 7th. Square Enix first announced the mobile game along with the battle royale action title Final Fantasy VII The First Soldier back in 2021. It was supposed to come out in 2022, but delays pushed back its release, and the company didn’t start closed beta testing for the game until July this year. 

Ever Crisis was developed by Applibot, though Final Fantasy veterans Kazushige Nojima, Yoshinori Kitase and Tetsuya Nomura were involved as scenario writer, executive producer and creative director, respectively. It features an art style reminiscent of the the original FFVII’s chibi characters, but with a twist — as The Verge notes, Cloud has actual hands in this version. 

The game retells the events from the original game, so players can relive some of its most iconic moments, though it also includes the The First Soldier’s backstory and stories about the characters from when they were younger. As for its gameplay, it’s based on the original’s Active Time Battle system that’s been optimized for mobile. 

Ever Crisis will be free-to-play, but according to Android Police’s review of the closed beta version, players will have to spend money playing “gacha” to get weapons and other items. Fans who want to play the game regardless and as soon as it becomes available can now pre-register for either or both mobile platforms. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/final-fantasy-vii-ever-crisis-comes-to-ios-and-android-on-september-7th-071525090.html?src=rss 

Google’s Waymo and GM’s Cruise have secured approval from California’s regulators to be able to charge fares for fully driverless rides any time of the day in San Francisco. The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has voted 3 to 1 in favor of allowing the companies to expand their driverless services after evaluating whether they had met the licensing requirements and hearing public testimonies arguing for and against the expansion.

Waymo said it’s going to “gradually welcom[e] more riders into the service” and “begin charging fares for rider-only trips in the city” in the coming weeks.” Apparently, it already has 100,000 signups in its waitlist and expects demand to be “incredibly high,” so it wants to take an unhurried approach “to ensure riders receive a reliable service.” The company promises to make its fully autonomous trips “available to everyone over time.” Meanwhile, Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt said his company will continue collaborating with regulators to achieve their shared commitment to deliver “safer, cleaner and more accessible transportation options.”

At the moment, Waymo is operating 200 cars in San Francisco, while Cruise has 300 vehicles in its autonomous fleet. Before securing CPUC’s approval, Cruise could only offer fared passenger rides in limited areas of San Francisco from 10 PM to 6AM without a safety driver onboard and paid rides any time with a safety driver. Waymo, on the the other hand, could only charge passengers any time of the day with a safety driver present.

According to The San Francisco Standard, commission President Alice Reynolds and commissioners Darcie Houck and John Reynolds voted in favor of the expansion. However, commissioner Genevieve Shiroma voted against it, arguing that the CPUC didn’t have sufficient information needed to be able to accurately evaluate the impact of autonomous vehicles on first responders. Their decision was the final hurdle the companies had to face to offer 24/7 fared rides across the city. It came after listening to public concerns about the safety of autonomous vehicles and to testimonies about how the technology could help the elderly and people with disabilities be more independent.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/waymo-and-cruise-get-approval-to-offer-247-paid-robotaxi-rides-in-san-francisco-050152855.html?src=rss