пятница, 29 мая 2015 г.
uConsumerist Friday Flickr Findsr
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Here are eleven of the best photos that readers added to the Consumerist Flickr Pool in the last week, picked for usability in a Consumerist post or for just plain neatness.
(C x 2)
Want to see your pictures on our site? Our Flickr pool is the place where Consumerist readers upload photos for possible use in future Consumerist posts. Just be a registered Flickr user, go here, and click “Join Group?” up on the top right. Choose your best photos, then click “send to group” on the individual images you want to add to the pool.
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четверг, 28 мая 2015 г.
u3 More Toxic Salad Beetles Show Up In Canada And Texasr
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It turns out that fleeing to Canada won’t keep you safe from the Salad Beetle Scourge. You may remember the Iron Cross Blister Beetles turning up in organic salads and pakages of leafy greens across the United States. We learned today of three more discovered in different parts of North America, two of which were in Canada.
Maybe save this post until you’re done eating your salad.
HERE IS YOUR WARNING THAT THERE’S A PICTURE OF ONE OF THE BEETLES BELOW
In Canada, two beetles found in greens this week made the news: Erin found our site while researching the creature she found in her salad greens and sent us this picture:
She also appeared on TV news this morning to talk about her find.
Maybe the experience wasn’t as novel as the CBC thought, though: just a few hours later, another CBC story appeared out of the province of Saskatchewan, featuring another woman who found the same type of beetle in her salad: this one from Earthbound Organics. The company told the CBC in a statement that it had never encountered the Iron Cross blister beetle in its farms before, and that it would stop using greens from that particular supplier and investigate the situation. They offered the woman $30, which she declined, and then $250, which she also declined. “I don’t know how long it will be until I can eat packaged food like this again,” she said about the offers.
While Earthbound Farms may be correct that they’ve never encountered the insect on their farms before, one of the original four salad beetle reports was about an Earthbound Organics product. A similar beetle was found in one two weeks ago. The company responded by sending a form letter about the beneficial insects used in organic farming. The blister beetle, you may have guessed, is not supposed to be one of them.
Melissa encountered one of the critters in a restaurant. She lives in Texas, which is a within the beetle’s native habitat, but they’re not supposed to live in restaurants. She didn’t get a picture, but described the scene instead:
It was the scariest creature I have ever seen! As I realized it was a beetle, I came into a state of shock and even feeling my blood pressure rise a little, I did not think about taking a photo of it or my salad. :( Once I realized I needed a photo so people could believe me, the waitress had already thrown it in the trash.
Reminder: if you find a large black, yellow, and red beetle in your food, contact the Food and Drug Adminstration (or equivalent agency where you live) and let them know. Also contact the packager of the product as well as the retailer if those are separate companies.
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uAT&T Wants To Be Able To Charge Video Streaming Services For Exemption From Customers’ Data Capsr
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Data caps on home broadband stink, but they’re also a reality for millions of internet users (and probably soon for all of us). And as the FCC’s new open internet rules go into effect in the coming days to protect net neutrality, they’re also becoming one of the main ways in which ISPs can soak up extra cash from consumers and businesses alike.Ars Technica noticed the filings with the FCC this week, in which AT&T claims that their data caps are high enough for most users and most use, and so therefore these deals won’t actually harm anyone — and in fact, are actually better for consumers and competition.
AT&T places data caps on not only their mobile data services but also on their traditional fixed wireline broadband services. For AT&T’s DSL subscribers that cap is 150 GB. U-verse customers get 250 GB, and U-verse with GigaPower customers can subscribe to either a 500 GB or 1 TB tier. Overage runs subscribers $10 for every 50 GB, which seems to be emerging as the new industry standard.
But where the new net neutrality rule requires that all data coming through those networks be allowed equally to reach the customers who asked for it, it does not require that all data must be treated equally with regard to those caps. And AT&T as asking the FCC to make sure it stays that way.
AT&T has already struck several such “sponsored content” deals on the mobile side of its business. The deals allow companies to pay for exemption from data caps by, in effect, pre-paying for the data instead of charging the customer for it.
If, for example, Streaming Music Company were to become a data sponsor, they would pre-purchase an absolute mass of data from AT&T. Then Streaming Music Company users on the AT&T network wouldn’t see their data allowance take a hit when listening to music on that service. The data for Streaming Music Company would, instead, be charged on the other end, against their pre-purchased allotment. It’s sort of like the digital version of business reply mail or prepaid return shipping labels.
It becomes a good deal for Streaming Music Company because the use of competitors like Google, Amazon, Pandora and Spotify, on the other hand, would count against a user’s data cap. So users who are at risk of running into a data cap, but still want to enjoy their streaming music, would be more likely to choose the service that wouldn’t cost them extra.
In mobile, such zero-rating deals are common. In wired broadband, it’s much less so — but the potential is there, and AT&T wants to protect it.
Streaming video is over half of primetime network traffic, these days. AT&T could strike very lucrative deals with the Amazons, Hulus, or YouTubes of the world (but probably not all at once) to guarantee those services an exemption from broadband caps. (Netflix has stated publicly that it will no longer seek exemption from data caps, after signing a deal of that type in Australia created a great deal of negative press for them here in the U.S.)
AT&T could also — especially if the DirecTV merger goes through — go the Comcast route and exempt any of its own services from counting toward data caps.
A group of competitors and consumer advocates including, among others, Dish, Cogent, and Public Knowledge, asked the FCC to include a bar on these agreements as a condition of approving the merger between AT&T and DirecTV. AT&T, however, is fighting back.
“The record does not support Opponents’ request that AT&T be barred from exempting any online video service from any usage-based tracking, metering, or billing in its broadband services,” AT&T wrote.
“Opponents offer no reason for the Commission to … issue a blanket, abstract prohibition that would apply only to AT&T. Doing so would deprive AT&T customers of service offerings tailored to fit their usage and their budget. It would also distort competition by hindering AT&T’s efforts to close the gap and compete with cable’s higher-speed broadband products.”
Got that? Implicitly pressuring consumers to choose some services instead of others by making some subject to and others exempt form a data cap is providing “service offerings tailored to fit their budget.”
AT&T also pointed to their recent deal with Hulu as an example of their commitment to keeping internet video available to customers. Neither AT&T nor Hulu have said if the deal includes a data cap exemption.
AT&T wants to choose which online video services count against data caps [Ars Technica]
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uBMW, Honda & Fiat Chrysler Identify Some Additional Vehicles Affected By Expanded Takata Recallr
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Automakers began identifying which of their models are affected by the recently expanded Takata airbag recall Thursday, with Fiat Chrysler, BMW and Honda adding hundreds of thousands of vehicles to their already overflowing roster of cars in need of replacement safety devices.
Reuters reports that the three manufacturers released more information regarding cars equipped with potentially deadly Takata airbags that can spew pieces of shrapnel upon deployment that have been linked to six deaths and more than 100 injuries.
Fiat Chrysler brought its total number of recalled vehicles with Tataka airbags to about 5.22 million worldwide, including about 4.5 million in the United States.
Most of those cars, which cover model years 2003 to 2011, were involved in previous recall campaigns.
According to the Associated Press, the Fiat Chrysler recalls cover model year 2003 Ram 1500/2500/3500, model year 2005 to 2009s Ram 2500 Pickup, model years 2004 to 2008 Ram 1500 Pickup, model years 2006 to 2009 Ram 3500 Pickup, model years 2007 to 2009 Ram 3500 Cab Chassis, model years 2008 to 2010 Dodge Ram 4500/5500 Cab Chassis, model years 2008 to 2009 Sterling 4500/5500 Cab Chassis, model years 2004 to 2008 Dodge Durango, model years 2007 to 2008 Chrysler Aspen, model years 2005 to 2010 Chrysler 300/300C/SRT8, model years 2005 to 2010 Dodge Charger/Magnum, model years 2005 to 2011 Dodge Dakota, and model years 2006 to 2010 Mitsubishi Raider.
BMW expanded its recall of Takata-equipped vehicles to include an additional 280,000, covering a total of 20 models from 2002 to 2006. In all, the company has recalled 421,000 cars in the U.S.
Vehicle models now covered by BMW’s recalls include model years 2002 to 2005 325i/325xi/330i/330xi, model years 2002 to 2005 325xi/325i Sports Wagon, model years 2002 to 2006 330Ci/325Ci/M3 Convertible, model years 2002 to 2006 325i/330i/M3 Coupe, model years 2002 to 2003 M5/540i/525i/530i, model years 2002 to 2003 540i/525i Sports Wagon, model years 2003 to 2004 X5 3.0i/4.4i, the AP reports.
Honda, which has been linked to all six deaths related to the airbag defect, expanded its U.S.-based recall to include an another 350,000 cars, many part of previously disclosed recalls. In all, the automaker has recalled more than 20 million vehicles for the airbag issue since 2008.
Newly added Honda-made vehicles include model year 2005 Civics and model years 2006 to 2007 Accords.
The automakers’ expanded recalls come just a week after Takata declared that nearly 33.8 million vehicles sold in the United State should be recalled for the defect.
While about 17 million of those vehicles had already been part of recalls by major automakers, millions of others had yet to be identified, leaving consumers wondering if they’re driving around with what some people have likened to an explosive device in their steering wheel.
Regulators compiled a partial list of affected vehicles last week. That list – which can be found on the Post – included several major models such as the Honda Civic, Dodge Ram, BMV 3 Series, Mazda 6, and Toyota Corolla.
Consumers looking to see if their vehicles are part of the largest auto recall in history can check by entering their 17 digit VIN on the SaferCar.gov website, which produces a list of all recalls associated with a particular vehicle.
Identifying affected vehicles will likely be just one hurdle consumers will face when it comes to the Takata recall. The parts manufacturer has struggled in recent months to meet the demand for replacement airbags. The company recently announced it would increase increase its output of new parts to one million per month later this year.
But even if those consumers do receive new airbags promptly, there’s no guarantee those new safety devices are safe, as Takata, regulators and manufacturers have yet to identify what has caused the defect.
FCA, Honda, BMW expand recalls of vehicles with Takata air bags [Reuters]
Automakers, gov’t to reveal models in expanded Takata recall [The Associated Press]
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uGoogle Maps Adding Offline Search And Navigation “Later This Year”r
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For all those times you’ve glanced around at an unfamiliar intersection, cursing the wireless signal gods for denying your phone service and thus depriving you access to mapping apps, Google says it’s here to help: The company announced today that soon Google Maps will offer offline search and navigation capabilities.
(Yo Spiff)
During its keynote address at the company’s I/O developer conference today, Google said the offline support will launch “later this year,” reports CNET.com.
While you won’t be able to pull up a map without an Internet connection, say if you’re underground on the train and just realized you have no idea which stop to get off at.
Instead, users can download maps to their devices while connected to the Internet that include turn-by-turn voice directions they can use when they go offline. They’ll also be able to search Maps within those downloaded maps and get suggestions or reviews for certain locations, where available, without Internet access.
It’s unclear how many countries will be supported in the new offline feature, but Google says it wants users be able to “explore the world literally wherever they are.”
Google Maps goes offline, complete with turn-by-turn directions [CNET]
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uTarget Wants To Perfect Chip-and-PIN Before Venturing Into Digital Payment Methodsr
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Consumers and businesses alike are always seeking out ways to streamline the checkout experience, most recently with mobile payment systems like Apple Pay and Android Pay. But there’s one major retailer that won’t be jumping into new payment options just yet.
Before Target adds digital payment capabilities at store registers, the company plans to make sure its use of traditional payment methods is as secure as possible, Re/Code reports.
The retailer’s desire to ensure the security of payment systems isn’t entirely surprising, as the company is still bouncing back from a massive December 2013 data breach that affected more than 110 million consumers.
Brian Cornell, Target’s new CEO, tells Re/Code that while he would “love to have Apple Pay today,” the company’s priority is to complete its transition to the more secure chip-and-PIN system.
“Our focus is on getting chip-and-PIN in place in time for the holidays,” Cornell said at the second annual Code Conference. Target currently supports Apple Pay for online purchases.
The company has been upgrading registers to accept chip-and-pin cards since last spring and previously announced its own REDcard debit and credit cards would be reissued with MasterCard chip-and-PIN (or EMV) technology.
Already in use in Europe, EMV (short for “Europay, MasterCard and Visa”) technology cuts back on card fraud because the chips make cards significantly harder to clone: even if you get all of the information from a card’s magnetic strip, as through a skimmer, without the chip actually being present the card data is useless in a physical transaction.
However, while the use of EMV technology in a card does make it more difficult to clone a card for in-person transactions, it doesn’t necessarily prevent an ID thief from using stolen card numbers for online or phone purchases. There is no such thing as a card that is 100% safe from clever criminals.
Cornell tells Re/Code that the transition to the more secure system has been a “major undertaking” and that the company’s team shouldn’t be distracted by payment methods.
“Down the line we want to accept all the types of payments that our guests want,” he said. “But this decision was all about focus.”
Target CEO would ‘love’ to have Apple Pay [Re/Code]
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