Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Waymo begins self-driving service in Arizona. It's The Daily Crunch.

THE DAILY CRUNCH
TUESDAY, APRIL 25 2017 By Darrell Etherington

Waymo's cars start driving people as well as themselves, Uber faces more legal trouble, and we can avoid one of Apple's weird content plays for a little while longer. All that and more in The Daily Crunch for April 25, 2017.

1. Waymo's self-driving vehicle service is already available – in Phoenix

Waymo just sprung some huge news without much in the way of warning: The Google self-driving car company is already picking up a few select people in Phoenix, Arizona on-demand with its autonomous cars, and is opening applications to anyone in the city.

This is huge news: Waymo is operating in public, with public riders, servicing an area that's far larger than even the San Fransisco footprint of Uber's self-driving pickup trial. Time to pack the bags and move to Arizona, autonomous driving aficionados.

2. Uber sued over program to track Lyft drivers

Uber got sued over its so-called 'Hell' program (I guarantee their code name system was one of the first things they changed in response to recent criticism). The program let Uber track drivers for rival Lyft, and employ measures to try to get them off that platform and stuck to theirs.

3. Another self-driving company wants to play Waymo's game

Amber Mobility may not have the brand recognition or Google backing of Waymo, but it does have a plan to put autonomous electric vehicles in service in the Netherlands in 2018. Arizona and Eindhoven could be the autonomous car tourist destinations of choice by next year.

4. Dave wants you to save

An AI assistant that can stop you from incurring those nasty overdraft fees? That's what Dave is. And he's a cute cartoon bear: I'd trust a cartoon bear with anything. Even my life.

5. Your musical carpool has been delayed

Apple's version of Carpool Karaoke, which was to be an original video series for Apple Music, is delayed until 'later this year,' according to a Reuters report. Maybe every guest besides Tim Cook has turned out to be crap.

6. Netflix enters China

Netflix has finally made its way to China, via a licensing deal with Baidu's iQiyi video portal service for the country. The content mix will include some Netflix content, but is more about the brand presence, and about the potential for expansion in the future.

7. This is how you build a new Concorde

The Concorde is one of those rare examples we can point to where tech we had before is better than tech we have now. The supersonic jet will fly no more, but Boom hopes to build a replacement that's more affordable to both operate and ride. If you want to hear from a startup with big ideas, Boom is an ideal candidate.

You know where the Concorde used to fly? New York, where we're hosting Disrupt NY 2017 from May 15 - May 17. Get your tickets now and come say 'Hi.'

Get more stories at techcrunch.com 

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