Tag Archives: MayorBloomberg
NYC partners with Cablevision, Time Warner Cable to bring WiFi hotspots to city parks
Mayor Bloomberg's government is often finding ways to keep The Big Apple as connected to the internet as can be. Today, in an effort to bring more connectivity options to its residents (and tourists), the City of New York announced that it's teaming up with Cablevision and Time Warner Cable to add WiFi hotspots to 32 parks across the five boroughs. Of course, these will be available in addition to free services already provided by companies such as AT&T in select parts of the city.
Unlike with similar offerings, however, these new hotspots will require potential users to be Cablevision Optimum Online or Time Warner Cable broadband subscribers in order to get free access. Those who have the proper credentials will be able to connect gratis via a WiFi-enabled device anytime, while non-subscribers can do so at no cost for up to 30 minutes every 30 days, or for 99 cents per day. The full list of participating NYC parks can be found after the break, and fret not if your favorite didn't make it -- we're told WiFi is "coming soon" to more locations.
Filed under: Wireless, Internet
Source: NYC Parks
Introducing .nyc: New York City to get its own top-level domain
New Yorkers are notoriously proud of their city, and what better way to show hometown love than with a .nyc address? According to Mayor Bloomberg's official Twitter account, that will soon be possible for Big Apple residents. The just-launched website for the "ultimate New York City address" (har, har) says the top-level domain will help local businesses' visibility in search results, in addition to eliminating all doubt as to where you reside. "Businesses, organizations and residents" will be eligible for the TLD, with registration beginning in late 2013. When it launches, .nyc will be the first city in the United States to receive a geography-based domain. Did you think New York would settle for anything less?
Filed under: Internet
Source: .NYC, @MikeBloomberg
NYC awards six Reinvent Payphones finalists, asks public to select favorite via Facebook
The payphone. Despite how connected our world has gotten in the last decade or so, the majority of the 11,000 payphones in NYC stem from a 1999 contract. Due to expire and renew in October 2014, the city's Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications (DoITT) has been actively figuring out how and what type of modern solution it wants to replace roughly all 11,000 of them with. You've heard about a small number being retrofitted with WiFi hotspots and SmartScreen information portals, but those have essentially been tests.
Last night at Quirky's offices, the city picked out finalists for five categories that could possibly help "Reinvent Payphones" here in the Big Apple: "connectivity, creativity, visual design, functionality and community impact." Well over 120 entries were submitted since this design challenge kicked off last December at the NY Tech Meetup, with a total of 11 semifinalists having gotten the chance to present their ideas last night for judging. As it turns out, there was a tie for community impact, leaving six finalists overall. Better yet, out of those six, the public can take to Facebook from now until March 14th to select a "popular vote" winner. Curious for more insight? We got to chat with the city's Director of External Affairs at the Department of Information, Nicholas Sbordone, about the project and he talked about how it went down and what it means for the future of payphones in NYC.
Filed under: Misc
Source: Reinvent Payphones (Facebook Popular Vote), Reinvent Payphones Design Challenge, NYC Digital
Mayor Bloomberg aims to ease range anxiety in NYC with 10K EV charging points by 2019
Most electric vehicle news as of late has been focused on the Telsa Motors vs the New York Times situation, but lest we forgot it's not all about Model S sedans and Superchargers. Giving his State of the City 2013 address for New York, Mayor Bloomberg let loose some exciting prospects for the EV faithful. As SlashGear notes, the city aims to expand beyond its 220 charging points (100 of which are public) to a whopping 10,000 (including 30 more for the city government) by 2019, while hoping to have landlords make 20-percent of all parking friendly to EVs. Beyond that, the city will test the viability of two quick-chargers that would allow some vehicles to juice up in about 30 minutes. Whether the city ultimately approves the lofty plans it their current form will remain to be seen, but, at the very least, we'll be glad to have more in place for decreasing range anxiety near the Big Apple. You can watch the full recording of the address by heading past the break.
Filed under: Transportation
Via: SlashGear, New York Times (City Room Blog)
Source: mayorbloomberg (YouTube)
Uber shuts down New York City taxi beta, may see light at the end of the (Lincoln) tunnel in February (update: TLC responds)
Uber has been having a tough time getting a foothold in New York City, and it's temporarily withdrawing the UberTaxi service it had in beta. The withdrawal isn't entirely for the reasons you'd expect, however. While Uber claims to have been getting grief from the city's Taxi and Limousine Commission for offering a competing (if technically legal) service through its smartphone apps, the program's end was due to demand rather than any kind of outright ban -- the Commission's pressure reportedly kept Uber from matching interest with enough yellow cabs. Black car service is still on for those who don't mind the classic ride. Should that uncomfortable balance not be quite good enough, Mayor Bloomberg is promising a truce come February, when a shift in contracts will let New York change the rules and hopefully improve the market for taxi alternatives.
Update: TLC Commissioner David Yassky has weighed in with both an elaboration and claims that the Commission has been in favor of newer technology for awhile. He notes that the contracts expiring in February relate to exclusive payment arrangements with Creative Mobile Technologies and VeriFone, and that apps of all kinds (Uber's included) can compete for attention at that point. His full statement:
"In recent months, as e-hail apps have emerged, TLC has undertaken serious diligence and is moving toward rule changes that will open the market to app developers and other innovators. Those changes cannot legally take place until our existing exclusive contracts expire in February. We are committed to making it as easy as possible to get a safe, legal ride in a New York City taxi, and are excited to see how emerging technology can improve that process. Our taxis have always been on the cutting edge of technological innovation, from GPS systems to credit card readers."
Filed under: Transportation
Uber shuts down New York City taxi beta, may see light at the end of the (Lincoln) tunnel in February (update: TLC responds) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Oct 2012 17:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink |
Uber, NYC Mayor's Office (Twitter) | Email this | Comments NYC’s Made in New York Digital Map lets you see who’s hiring in the tech field
You can't deny Mike Bloomberg's often coming up with different ways to involve New Yorkers in tech-related bits. On this occasion, Mayor Bloomberg & Co. have introduced a novel way for citizens of The Big Apple -- and others who plan on making the move -- to find jobs in the technology sector. Dubbed "Made in New York Digital Map," the service aims to make it easier for folks to see which tech companies are seeking engineers, designers, developers, etc. At the moment there's more than 325 outfits looking for new hires, with over "thousands of jobs" being up for grabs. Mayor Bloomberg says this is only the beginning and he's encouraging startups to set up shop here in the City, as he believes this "is the place to be if you're a growing tech startup." You can take a tour of the Digital Map now via the source link below.
NYC's Made in New York Digital Map lets you see who's hiring in the tech field originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 May 2012 14:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink
The Next Web | Made in New York Digital Map | Email this | Comments