uBrazil Suspends Uber, Uber Keeps Drivingr

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  (Roger Schultz)

  Car-hailing app Uber has racked up another municipality on its list of places where the service has been banned, yet drivers remain on the roads anyway. That distinction belongs to the entire nation of Brazil, where a judge has ruled that providing rides to strangers is the exclusive right of licensed taxi services.

  Yesterday, a judge ruled that Uber must stop giving rides in Brazil, imposing a fine of 100,000 real or about $30,000 USD per day that they remain on the road. However, a Sao Paulo-based Bloomberg News reporter noted that the service was still running locally and drivers were ready to pick up fares. Maybe the service was slow to shut down, or maybe Uber is betting that the government won’t really impose those fines, and would consider them part of the cost of doing business if it does. When contacted, the company claimed not to have heard about the decision yet.

  The order also affects companies that offer downloads of mobile apps: Google, Apple, Microsoft and Samsung have been ordered to stop offering the Uber app to consumers who are known to live in Brazil, and to remotely block users who have already downloaded it.

  “Thousands of professional taxi drivers are being harmed daily by the dizzying expansion of the company,” the judge wrote in his decision. The country’s taxi drivers were the ones who brought the case against Uber.

  Uber Is Ordered to Suspend Services in Brazil by Sao Paulo Court [Bloomberg News]

  
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by Laura Northrup via Consumerist

uReport: Apple Watch Customers May Face Longer Waits After Faulty Component Delays Shipmentsr

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• Because it wouldn’t be an Apple product without some kind of hubbub over a wait or delay involved, a new report says some shipments of the Apple Watch will take a while after one of two suppliers made a faulty component.

  That means that Apple will have to limit how many watches are out there for sale, the Wall Street Journal reports, citing insiders in the know.

  This isn’t just your garden variety component, if there is such a thing — the taptic engine is the piece of the watch that makes it feel like you’re being tapped gently on the wrist, a feature Apple thinks is superior to a ding or a ring or a vibration.

  A play on the word “haptic,” (technology that delivers a physical sensation) the taptic engines were being made by two companies when reliability testing revealed that some of the parts supplied by AAC Technologies Holdings in China were breaking down over time.

  Apple reportedly tossed completed watches because of the problem, and is likely to move all manufacturing of the taptic engines to the other company, Nidec Corp. of Japan. The engines made by Nidec reportedly didn’t show the same issue.

  There won’t be a recall because it appears at this point that Apple hasn’t shipped any watches with a fault taptic engine to customers.

  “Our team is working to fill orders as quickly as possible based on available supply and the order in which they were received,” Apple told the WSJ in a statement. “We know many customers are still facing long lead times and we appreciate their patience.”

  It isn’t clear how much the wonky taptic engines contributed to limited availability, though the spokesperson added that “we will be able to get customers the model they want earlier and faster by taking orders online.”

  Apple Watch: Faulty Taptic Engine Slows Rollout [Wall Street Journal]

  
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by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

uMcDonald’s Testing Simplified Version Of Build-Your-Own Program, Adds Drive-Thru Optionr

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  (Mike Mozart)

  A day after we learned that McDonald’s had eliminated nine items from its menu so far this year, the fast food giant announced it would also adjust its build-your-own-burger test program to be easier for customers and franchisees to use.

  Reuters reports that McDonald’s has started testing TasteCrafted, a more modest version of its “Create Your Taste” pilot that began late last year, at several restaurants around the country.

  The new version of the customizable meal program will reportedly cost less for franchisees to install and have the ability to be offered through drive-thru windows.

  A spokesperson for McDonald’s says the TasteCrafted program is currently being testing in a limited number of restaurants near Atlanta; Portland, OR and Southern California.

  Citing a filing from an analyst for Janney Capital, Reuters reports that the new test allows diners to choose burgers, sandwiches, McWraps and salads in a variety of “chef inspired flavors.”

  While the TasteCrafted program may be a simplified menu, it still offers a plethora of options for customers including the choice of sandwiches made with beef or chicken, three choices of buns and four different topping flavors: bacon clubhouse, pico guacamole, hot jalapeño and ranch deluxe.

  Because of the slimmed down nature of TasteCrafted, analysts say that the program could be rolled out nationally by the fast food chain in just a few months, whereas the original Create Your Taste Program would have taken two to three years.

  Reuters reports that franchisees had expressed displeasure with the original customized program that was introduced prior to new CEO Steve Easterbrook taking the helm in March.

  Owners of the restaurants had complained that the program – which was being tested in more than 2,000 stores in California, Illinois, Wisconsin, Georgia, Missouri and Pennsylvania – was too slow and that the installation price of more than $100,000 was too much considering it wasn’t available through drive-thru windows.

  McDonald’s tests custom burger program with drive-thru option [Reuters]

  
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by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist

uWendy’s Jumping On Organic Bandwagon With Addition Of Honest Tea At Restaurants Nationwider

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  (kc2gvx)

  Though not many of its fast food rivals have taken the plunge into organic waters, Wendy’s is just going with the trend embraced increasingly by consumers, announcing that it’ll be serving Honest Tea nationwide at its restaurants, brewed fresh by workers and sweetened with fair-trade sugars and natural flavors approved in USDA certified organic foods.

  According to the Wall Street Journal, this move into organic beverages around the country makes Wendy’s a bit of a standout among its peers, and shows that it’s ready to get on board with the the kind of healthier eating lifestyle that has become popular among consumers in recent years.

  The tea will be brewed on site, Seth Goldman, co-founder and chief executive of Bethesda, Md.-based Honest Tea (its parent company is Coca-Cola) told the WSJ. Wendy’s has an exclusive deal to sell one flavor — Honest Tropical Green Tea.

  Washing down French fries with an organic drink might seem like a stretch, but traditional soda isn’t the ruler of the roost it once was — consumption of Diet Coke alone has decreased 15% in the past two years, the WSJ points out, with Coke’s sales volumes from soda rising a measly 1% in each of the last two years worldwide.

  Coke is now hoping to reap the rewards of owning Honest Tea, with Goldman saying it’s hoped the drink will hit $500 million in sales in five years, after making $134 million in sales in 2014.

  The company is aiming to do some of that with the Wendy’s deal, where Honest Tea will be sold at a suggested price of $1.69 for a small drink (compared to $1.39 for a small soda), in the hopes that if you can’t be convinced to part with your money to drink soda while you’re eating fries — dusted in sea salt, even — maybe you’ll fork over a little extra for a trendy organic drink.

  Wendy’s to Start Selling Honest Tea [Wall Street Journal]

  
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by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

uUnited Airlines Foots The Bill To Fly Dog Missing For Four Years Back To Familyr

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  (Dave Transier)

  It’s not every day you see a dog flying first class – for free – on an airplane. But that’s exactly what passengers on a flight from Iowa to Louisiana witnessed Wednesday, as United Airlines footed the bill to reunite a dog with his family after going missing four years ago.

  ABC News reports (warning: link video autoplays) that United pulled out all the stops when it came to reuniting Sam, a Yorkshire terrier, with his family in Louisiana.

  The ordeal began in 2011, when the family says Sam went through a hole in their backyard fence into the surrounding wooded area. The family tried everything they could to find the dog, but had no luck.

  That is until this April when an animal control officer in Cedar Rapids, IA, spotted the pup and brought him to a local shelter.

  “The Yorkie was in fair condition, but was straggly and weighed only 5 1/2 pounds,” according to the press release from the city of Cedar Rapids. “Despite the dog’s condition, Animal Care and Control staff was able to determine that the Yorkie had a microchip.”

  After scanning the microchip, the shelter contacted the family, who had all but given up hope on finding their furry friend.

  “We were waiting to hear around here if someone found him,” the family’s mom says. “They would have called us. After four years, you kind of give up hope.”

  Because the family couldn’t afford to bring Sam home themselves, they set up a fundraising page and raised more than $250. But after hearing the story, United Airlines stepped in and paid for the dog’s return trip in first class with an animal worker.

  Upon landing at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport on Wednesday, the dog and his newly reunited family were welcomed with balloon and refreshments provided by the airline.

  ABC News reports that the individuals who initially donated for the dogs transport have agreed to allow the family to put the funds toward caring for Sam.

  Dog Found in Iowa Returned to Louisiana Owner After Missing Nearly 4 Years [ABC News]

  
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by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist

uAd Watchdog: Scooter Commercials Show Too Much Unsupervised Funr

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• Zooming along the sidewalk at up to 13 miles per hour on an electric-powered scooter sounds like a lot of fun. However, one scooter company has run into trouble by running its ads that show an unsupervised teen zipping around the neighborhood during shows for inappropriately young kids. Their commercials caught the attention of the ad watchdogs over at the Children’s Advertising Review Unit of the Advertising Self-Regulatory Council.

  Because I spend too much time on the Internet, I wasn’t aware that anyone under 13 actually watched the current generation of “My Little Pony” cartoons. In all seriousness, though, the CARU found this spot inappropriate for the audience of “Friendship is Magic,” which is when it aired.

  Based on the description, the ad in question appears to be this one:

  While the subject of the ad scooters around a residential neighborhood, the ad’s disclaimers tell us that it’s a “closed and controlled course.” The bigger problem, though, is that the more powerful scooters displayed in the ad aren’t appropriate for kids under age 13 or so. The main character in the ad films himself and there aren’t any adults present, which is a key part of the industry’s self-imposed safety rules. “children are prone to exploration, imitation, and experimentation and may imitate product demonstrations or other activities depicted in advertisements without regard to risk.”

  The ASRC is a self-regulation body that reviews current ads and responds to complaints from competitors about problematic advertising. In this case, Bravo Sports informed the watchdogs that they are no longer airing this ad, and that they will keep the concerns about safety and adult supervision in mind if they make more electric scooter ads in the future.

  CARU Recommends Bravo Sports Depict Safety Gear, Supervision in Future Scooter Ads Directed to Children Under 12 [ASRC]

  
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by Laura Northrup via Consumerist

uApple Now Requires ResearchKit Apps To Get Ethics Board Approvalr

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  (iDiapo)

  Since introducing ResearchKit, its open-source framework for scientists to develop iPhone apps for medical research, Apple has made a few tweaks to the submission guidelines for apps that aim to collect and use sensitive medical data. One new addition is that anyone submitting an app that does research on humans must submit proof that the study has been approved by an independent ethics review board.

  Whether the research includes simply taking a survey or experimental drugs or surgery, any research that involves experimenting on people must be approved by an ethical review board. That doesn’t mean that you take a research proposal down the hall to friendly colleagues and say, “Hey, guys, does this look ethical to you?” For researchers who work at a hospital or a university, for example, their institutions will have their own review board which should function independently. Review boards for hire are also available. Apple is now leaving those decisions to the respective review boards of researchers who are submitting apps.

  This probably won’t matter very much in the context of apps that will be part of ResearchKit, since it’s difficult for taking a survey or monitoring your heart rate on a smart watch to kill or significantly harm you. Still, participants’ privacy is important, and so is their overall well-being: asking remote research subjects to perform tasks that could be dangerous for them or questions that are potentially upsetting.

  App Store Review Guidelines [Apple]

  
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by Laura Northrup via Consumerist