uSlow Rollout Of Chip-And-PIN Credit Cards May Keep Lines Moving This Holiday Seasonr

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  October 1 was supposed to be the deadline for U.S. retailers to update their payment systems to accept new chip-enabled credit cards, but a number of stores haven’t finished making this change, and most consumers still have boring ol’ no-chip cards. The good news is that this foot-dragging on everyone’s part may have the effect of not slowing down checkout lines this holiday shopping season.

  The Oct. 1 deadline and the prospect of both consumers and retailers being forced to master a new payment method during the busiest shopping weeks of the year initially had some concerned about annoying bottlenecks at the cashier — people not knowing how to use the cards, cards not working, employees not knowing how to handle errors, etc.

  Additionally, the new chip readers — which require that cards be inserted and held for a moment — can take a second or two longer than the simple swipe we’ve all gotten used to. For retailers with millions of customers at thousands of stores, that adds up.

  At last week’s Money20/20 conference in Las Vegas, a Walmart payment services exec politely acknowledged that, “There could have been a better time” to roll out new cards and payment processes.

  But as the Chicago Tribune notes, not even half of U.S. retailers will have chip card readers installed by the end of 2016. As recently as August, a majority of small business owners said they weren’t even aware of the Oct. 1 deadline.

  Retailers (with the exception of gas stations) that haven’t updated their payment systems are now liable — as opposed to the bank or card network — for any fraudulent purchases made using chip-enabled cards. But since most consumers still carry older cards, the stores have not yet had the incentive to invest in the new readers.

  One of the few major retailers to complete the change to chip-and-PIN is Target, which was the target of a massive data breach during the 2013 holiday shopping season.

  Last month, Target began requiring PINs on all chip-enabled cards. Additionally, the retailer has begun issuing store-branded cards with the new technology.

  Other retailers will undoubtedly be looking at Target over the next two months to see whether or not its new system bogs down checkout lines.

  Expect banks and retailers to step up their rollouts of the chip-and-PIN tech in 2016. Hopefully most of us will be in the habit of dipping our cards by this time next year.

  
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by Chris Morran via Consumerist

uGmail Wants To Reply To Your Emails For You With Artificial Intelligencer

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  While we’re committed to a future serving as underlings to artificially intelligent lifeforms, we might as well enjoy some of the time-saving benefits, right? Like answering emails on the go — who wants to do that when there other more important things to do, like finally beat level 478 of Sugarsweet Smashtastic Kerplosion? Google wants to take on that task, with artificial intelligence that can read and reply to emails on your smartphone.

  Google has been developing technology called Smart Reply that uses “deep learning” — a form of AI — to its Inbox by Gmail app that will analyze an email message and then suggest a few, brief responses, reports Wired.comAl.

  That way you can quickly reply from your phone instead of taking the time to try to bang out a message on a smartphone keyboard while you’re juggling your morning coffee, your tablet and shoving elbows on the bus, for example.

  “The network will tailor both the tone and content of the responses to the email you’re reading,” Google product management director Alex Gawley tells Wired. In this scenario, you’ll get three responses, and then you select the one that fits best.

  Smart Reply isn’t just content to churn out replies automatically, nope: it learns by analyzing email conversations from all over Gmail. A deep learning service feeds information into a neural network that is designed to act like the web of neurons in a human brain, and the network then takes that information and “learns” a task.

  Google knows Smart Reply won’t always get things right, but then again, that’s why there are three possible responses provided. You can also edit the replies in your own words, teaching A.I. a lesson in the process.

  The company is going to unveil the system to the general public on Wednesday, so mark your calendars for that date with the note, “Impending worldwide domination by computers continues apace.”

  Soon, Gmail’s AI Could Reply to Your Email for You [Wired.com]

  
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by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

uVW Denies Latest Emissions Violations, Won’t Halt Sales On Affected Vehiclesr

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• Just hours after federal and state regulators accused Volkswagen of using so-called “defeat devices” on newer model cars in order to ensure they passed emissions tests, the carmaker said the allegations aren’t true and that it will continue to allow sales of the recently identified automobiles. 

  Officials with VW say the devices found on nearly 10,000 model year 2014 to 2016 VW, Porsche and Audi vehicles equipped with 3.0-liter diesel engines is within the bounds of Environmental Protection Agency standards, the Wall Street Journal reports.

  On Monday, the EPA and California Air Resources Board announced that further testing of VW-branded vehicles detected defeat devices in the 2014 VW Touareg, the 2015 Porsche Cayenne, and the 2016 Audi A6 Quattro, A7 Quattro, A8, A8L, and Q5.

  According to the EPA notice of violation [PDF], the vehicles contain two modes of operation – temperature conditioning and normal mode.

  As with the 482,000 vehicles previously identified by the agencies, the new models also contain a “sophisticated software algorithm” that can detect when the car is undergoing official emissions testing, and to only turn on full emissions control systems – the temperature conditioning mode – during that testing.

  The effectiveness of these vehicles’ pollution emissions control devices is greatly reduced during all normal driving situations, emitting nearly 40 times the allowable standard of nitrogen oxide.

  A spokesperson for VW disputed the accusations, saying the automaker didn’t install emissions-test evading software on any of the newly identified vehicles, the WSJ reports.

  “It is a permissible software. What’s at issue here is clear: Does the U.S. want competition in the American market or not?” the spokesperson said, noting that the company would not halt sales on the 2014 to 2016 vehicles.

  The carmaker is cooperating with the EPA and CARB, saying that senior engineers are working with the agencies to “clarify things.”

  Regulators reminded VW on Monday that it is illegal to manufacture, sell or offer for sale a vehicle with a defeat device.

  Under the Clean Air Act, vehicle manufacturers are required to certify to the EPA that their products will meet applicable federal emission standards to control air pollution, and every vehicle sold in the U.S. must be covered by an EPA-issued certificate of conformity.

  Motor vehicles – such as the Volkswagen models in question – equipped with defeat devices, which reduce the effectiveness of the emission control system during normal driving conditions, cannot be certified. However, regulators assured owners that the vehicles are safe to drive.

  EPA, Volkswagen Spar Over New Emissions Claims [The Wall Street Journal]

  
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by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist

uSome American Airlines Passengers Can Now Put 7-Day Hold On Ticket Purchase (For A Fee)r

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  While other U.S. commercial carriers let customers cancel their reservations within 24 hours of purchase, American Airlines allows travelers to put a free 24-hour hold on their ticket purchases. Now American is testing additional options that let travelers put holds of three, five, or seven days on their tickets — for a fee, of course.

  A reddit user recently noticed that they had the option of paying $7.99 per person for a three-day hold and $9.99 per person for five days.

  USA Today has confirmed with the airline that it is testing hold options that go up to seven days ($11.99 per person) for some itineraries.

  The hold options aren’t shown until after the traveler selects their flights, seats, and enters their information. When it comes time to choose a payment method, choosing “Hold” will bring up any available options.

  For the handful of itineraries we tried, AA.com only presented the 24-hour hold option, so don’t assume you’re going to be able to buy the extended hold just yet. However, the airline says it plans to roll out these new, longer holds to all U.S. markets in the coming months.

  American has been criticized for its 24-hour ticket hold policy because it differs from how other major carriers comply with federal regulations.

  AA customers must actively choose the hold option while the other airlines include the one-day cancellation policy as the default. This has resulted in confusion from travelers unfamiliar with American who learned too late that they could not freely change or cancel their reservation the next day.

  
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by Chris Morran via Consumerist

uMicrosoft Warns Computer Makers They Have A Year To Build New PCs With Windows 7 Professionalr

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  The clock is now ticking on computer makers planning on building new PCs that come with Windows 7 Professional: Microsoft has issued a deadline of Oct. 31, 2016 to original equipment manufacturers (or OEMs) — after that date, no more new machines can be built with the operating system.

  This means companies like Dell, HP, and Lenovo will have to stop shipping new PCs with Windows 7 Professional or Windows 8.1. pre-installed, which aligns with Microsoft’s goal of having all machines running on Windows 10.

  After that deadline, OEMs will only be able to sell PCs with Windows 7 that remain in their stocks, reports ComputerWorld.

  It’s actually a bit longer than the original end-of-sales deadline for Windows 7 Professional, which originally was Oct. 31, 2014(two years after the release of Windows 8, which is the usual timing of these things). Microsoft later retracted that date, then put it back into place for consumer systems. Windows 7 Professional had a bit more wiggle room, with Microsoft saying it would give a one-year warning before OEMs were told to stop selling PCs with that operating system.

  Windows 8.1. is also under the gun with an end-of-October due date — including Windows 8.1. Pro — though Windows 8 machines have an earlier deadline of June 30, 2016.

  This shouldn’t be a huge shock, as Microsoft stopped selling Windows 8 to retail customers a year ago, and put the kibosh on Windows 8.1 last month. Windows 10 is Microsoft’s one true love right now, and it doesn’t want anything else to get in the way.

  Microsoft ends Windows 7 Pro reprieve on new PCs [ComputerWorld]

  
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by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

uXerox’s Federal Student Loan Servicing Under Investigation Over Inaccuracies, Overchargesr

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  When you think of Xerox, photos of large, office printers is likely the first thing to come to mind. But it turns out the company also dabbles in the education business. And it’s that venture that federal investigators are probing after discovering nearly a decade of errors. 

  Xerox Education Services, which manages more than two million federally backed loans on behalf of big banks like Wells Fargo and JPMorgan Chase, notified the financial institutions in September that it was working with regulators on plans to address more than a decade of errors in its student loan servicing business, including some in which the company overcharged borrowers.

  The investigation was first disclosed this week in a quarterly filing [PDF] from JPMorgan Chase, which detailed that the “Department of Education and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau approved a remediation plan to address outstanding servicing issues.”

  BuzzFeed News, citing someone close to the matter, reports that the CFPB continues to operate an open investigation into Xerox Education Services.

  According to Chase’s 2015 third quarter filing, in December 2014, Xerox Education Services informed the bank that it had failed to properly make certain financial adjustments for some federally backed private student loan accounts it services.

  “XES informed us that it believes the issue affects only a small percentage of borrowers whose loans it services and estimates that the aggregate amount of the adjustments is not more than 0.2% of the principal balance of all of the FFELP (Federal Family Education Loan Program) loans XES services for its customers,” the report states.

  Xerox’s student loan servicing issues – including miscalculating payments and overcharging some borrowers – go back as far as 2006 and went unaddressed and unreported until 2014, BuzzFeed News reports.

  Before 2010, private lenders made provided most federal student loans to borrowers though the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP).

  Under the program, loans (Federal Stafford, PLUS, and Consolidation Loans) were made through a public/private relationship involving borrowers, schools, lenders, and the federal government; private lenders (such as local banks or credit unions) provided the money for the loans and the federal government subsidized and reinsured the loans

  While that program has since ended, many borrowers still owe the balances on their loans. A recent report from the CFPB found that many borrowers who have outstanding FFELP loans are more likely to default and have more difficulty working with companies who service the debts.

  Until 2013, Xerox Education Services held a contract with the Dept. of Education to manage about $140 billion in direct student loans. According to officials with the Department, the contract wasn’t renewed because of the company “improperly handled” the servicing of the loans, BuzzFeed reports.

  A spokesperson for Xerox tells BuzzFeed that the company “regrets any inconvenience” stemming from its servicing issues, noting that the company is “taking proactive action” to address the problem by notifying borrowers and correcting the inaccurate balances.

  Xerox Under Federal Investigation Over Student Loan Business [BuzzFeed News]

  
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by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist

uAmazon Opens Actual Real-Life Bookstore Today In Seattler

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  In the last year, there have been rumors that Amazon planned to open a gadget store and package pickup center in Manhattan near the Empire State Building, and that they planned to buy the leases of some RadioShack stores when that retailer declared bankruptcy. Neither of these happened. This morning, Amazon is opening an entirely different sort of real-life store. They’re selling books.

  Yes, Amazon is opening a bookstore in the University Village neighborhood of its hometown of Seattle. Even the same-day delivery services that the company is experimenting with can’t compete with the experience of picking up a book, thumbing through it, paying for it, and then walking out the door with it immediately.

  Amazon’s plans for this new endeavor include stocking the shelves using data from its e-commerce side to figure out what sort of books people in that area of Seattle want, and stocking the store with them in addition to the standard best-sellers.

  The project has been mysterious: official paperwork called it “Ann Bookstore” to keep the actual bookseller’s identity secret for a little longer. The newsletter Shelf Awareness figured it out, though, and outed Amazon as the real company behind the new store.

  Shelf Awareness reports that Amazon at least approached and tried to recruit employees from local independent bookstores. In the store, they’ve put their own twist on the “staff picks” cards that you usually see on the shelves at your local independent bookstore: there’s a shelf of favorite books curated by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, and shelf tags also include a book or an item’s average star rating from Amazon.

  On the shelves, all books will sit so their covers face out, instead of shelving books with their spines facing out so more of them fit. Their goal isn’t to fit a many titles as possible in a store space: if you have a specific book in mind, there’s a website that store employees can suggest.

  The store, located in a former sushi restaurant, has about 5,000 square feet of retail space. The average Barnes & Noble store is five times that size, but it’s a normal size for an independent bookstore. It will be the only single-location, small bookstore in the world whose owner doesn’t loathe Amazon.

  Amazon opens its first real bookstore — at U-Village [Seattle Times]
  Amazon Opening Bookstore in Seattle? [Shelf Awareness]

  
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by Laura Northrup via Consumerist