Über- cool car service
Vancouver Sun technology writer Gillian Shaw looks at Uber, a new car service — and app — that falls between a taxi and a limo.
Uber
iphone, Android, web and SMS I was wrapping up an interview with Vancouver’s JP Holecka, founder of the digital agency POWERSHIFTER, when he tapped on his iphone to call up a private driver. I figured business must be good if Holecka could have his own driver, but turns out he was simply taking advantage of Uber, a new car service that’s come to Vancouver. The brainchild of a San Francisco- based company, Uber is spreading to cities around the globe, with Toronto and Vancouver being the first in Canada to get Uber’s ondemand drivers. Fitting somewhere between cab service and limos, Uber lets you find the closest driver using your iPhone, iPhone or Android smartphone. You can also sign in using Uber’s mobile website at m. uber. com or summon a driver using text messaging. With a base fare of $ 8 and $ 2.60 per kilometre after that, it’s pricier than a cab, but for short jaunts around town, it’s convenient. Plus it includes the tip. And with the trip charge automatically going to your credit card, you don’t have to worry about fumbling through your wallet when you reach your destination. You also rate the driver. You can sign up through the app, which is available in the iTunes app store or for Android phones through Google Play. Or check online at uber. com.
This is Our Stop
Web- based, thisisourstop. com on your smartphone, free
As a pickup line, it might not have gone over well in a bar.
“I can see it in your eyes / I can see it in your smile / You’re all I’ve ever wanted / And my arms are open wide.”
But it may have worked at a transit stop, which is where the line turned up, thanks to the newly launched This is Our Stop online service that delivers social media to bus stops, creating virtual communities where transit riders can share their stories and in the case of the lonely heart at stop 50001, seek out true love. Think social media, hyperlocal style. But unlike Facebook and Twitter, it’s anonymous. The creation of Vancouver’s Todd Sieling and Tylor Sherman, it’s based on Metro Vancouver’s TransLink service but it has already inspired a similar site in Toronto: mystop. TO. This is Our Stop has the practical function of showing when the next bus is going to arrive along with a social media spin that gives you up to 200 characters to ‘ talk about this stop.’
talk & travel — Langenscheidt Phrasebook
iOS, Android, Spanish, French, Italian and Polish phrasebooks now 99 cents, limited special until Friday
If your travels are taking you further afield, now is the time to stock up on language apps from Langenscheidt Phrasebook. Up until Friday, the Spanish, French, Italian and Polish phrasebooks for Eng-lish speakers looking for instant translations, are 90 per cent off. You get a mobile phrasebook plus the audio feature will speak the phrase even when you don’t have an online connection. The phrasebook app is also available for Chinese, Croatian, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, German, Norwegian, Portuguese, Swedish and Turkish.