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Uber’s 1-800 number now also takes Eats delivery orders

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Uber is giving people the ability to order Eats deliveries without having to use the app. Its experimental 1-833-USE-UBER number can now also take Eats orders in order to serve more people who have to stay at home due to the coronavirus pandemic. Uber expanded the number’s use with the elderly who don’t have smartphones in mind, especially since they’re some of the most vulnerable to the disease.

People who call in to order food will be paired with a live team member who’ll confirm their meal request and give them the total price upfront. The ride-hailing giant started piloting the 1-800 number in Arizona back in February, allowing users to call in to order a car. Now the service is also operational in all five boroughs of New York City and the greater Miami area. Uber says it’s planning to roll the service out to more cities nationwide in the coming weeks, as well.

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Ford may over-deliver on the Mustang Mach E’s power and torque

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Ford’s upcoming 2021 Mustang Mach-E might have more speed and acceleration than expected, according to leaked dealer slides seen by Mach-E forum administrators and spotted by Autoblog. All of the versions appear to have gained horsepower and torque over the launch specs, with the standard range RWD model now hitting 266 horsepower instead of 255, with torque going from 306 to 317 pound feet. Meanwhile, the top end AWD extended range model has jumped 14 horses up to 346 horsepower while torque rose from 417 to 428 pound feet.

When Ford originally published the Mustang Mach-E specs on launch, it said that the power figures were “targeted” numbers. If the new specs prove to be accurate, it managed to find some extra ponies while bring the Mach-E to production spec. While modest, the boost could give Ford some extra bragging rights by shaving tenths off acceleration times and boosting the top speeds.

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Kyle Larson got fired on his day off.

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The switch from real-life racing to esports has been increasingly popular with viewers — NBC reports that last weekend’s iRacing Indycar Challenge at MIS brought in 25 percent more viewers than the first event — but slightly tricky for racers. Not because of the difference in the action, but in the way people can see and hear everything you do.

Last week Bubba Wallace lost a company that sponsored his real and virtual race car after dropping out of a race when someone wrecked him 11 laps in, and now fellow driver Kyle Larson has been fired from his spot driving the #42 for Chip Ganassi Racing after uttering a racial slur during another iRacing event. He was apparently checking his microphone connection with his spotter and said “You can’t hear me? Hey (n-word)” while he was part of the live broadcast.

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Nest Cams are resetting to default video quality to save bandwidth

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Google said in a statement posted on the Nest community:

“Amid these changes, we’re all straining local internet resources and causing slower internet connections, which are resulting in dropped video calls and frozen screens. To answer the global call to prioritize internet bandwidth for learning and working, in the next few days Nest will be making changes to lighten internet usage and keep people connected.”

The company assures that users will still be able to change Nest’s video settings back to a higher quality, Those who want to ensure they’re always getting the clearest footage can simply adjust “Quality and bandwidth” under video settings.

In addition, Google is also changing the rotation interval speed and reducing the resolution of photo slideshows on the Nest Hub, Nest Hub Max, Chromecast and compatible Cast-enabled devices. The tech giant says it’ll return the devices’ settings back to their previous state “when internet resources are less inundated.”

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Wear OS starts reminding you to wash your hands

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You’re likely all too aware that you need to wash your hands often to reduce the chances of contracting COVID-19, but Google is happy to remind you all the same. Wear OS has received a 5.4.0 update that will remind you to wash your hands every three hours, and will start a 40-second timer to make sure you spend enough time scrubbing (the CDC recommends at least 20 seconds). It’ll even insist that you use soap, in case you were tempted to rely on hand sanitizer or plain water.

As Android Police notes, you can turn off this reminder by pressing and holding on the notification. You don’t have to worry about your smartwatch bugging you when you’re in the middle of a TV marathon. Besides, you need to wash beyond regular intervals — every time you prepare food, for example. This may help jog your memory, but it’s ultimately up to you to get in the habit of washing whenever you perform many daily tasks.

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Amazon is slashing commission rates for its affiliate program

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Amazon’s affiliate program members are getting less money starting on April 21st. According to CNBC, the e-commerce giant has notified Amazon Associates — affiliates that link to products on its website in exchange for a percentage of the sales — that it’s slashing commission rates across various categories. The changes are quite significant in some cases: The furniture and home improvement category’s affiliate cut fell from 8 percent to 3 percent, for instance, while grocery items’ commission rate is now down to 1 percent from 5 percent.

As you can tell, it could have a huge impact on websites, including media outlets, that rely heavily on Amazon’s affiliate program to make money. The company spokesperson CNBC talked to wouldn’t say whether the changes were made in response to COVID-19. But as the publication notes, there have been quite a few changes to Amazon’s operations due to the pandemic.

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Stanford, Scripps and Fitbit try using wearables to detect infections

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The smartwatch on your wrist might one day be key to containing the spread of viruses like the one behind COVID-19. Stanford, Scripps Research and Fitbit have unveiled an initiative that, if successful, would use wearables to catch the early signs of infection. They’re developing algorithms that would look for the elevated heart rates and temperatures that frequently signal an immune system response. You could get a warning at the earliest stages of illness, even without symptoms, and isolate yourself before you infect anyone else.

The project will study data from five different wearables, each of which will have its own algorithm. Fitbit is both donating 1,000 smartwatches to the effort and promote awareness to its users, including the option to participate. Just how quickly the initiative wraps up will depend on the number of participants, Stanford said.

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GitHub’s core code tools are now free for everyone

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GitHub may have made life a little easier for programmers. The Microsoft-owned service is making its core features available to everyone for free, including teams. Your company won’t have to pay for a subscription just to manage all its code in one place, including private repositories for unlimited users. Individuals get a break, too, with unlimited collaborators available at no charge.

The new GitHub Free tier comes alongside better deals if you do need to pay. Both GitHub Pro and GitHub Team now cost $4 per month per user (down from $9). Pro now offers 2GB for storing packages and 10GB for data transfer, while Team has ditched the minimum seat requirement and 3,000 Actions minutes per month for private repositories after May 14th.

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Sling TV offers free viewing during primetime hours

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Sling TV thinks it can do more to keep you entertained during the COVID-19 pandemic than offer extended trials like everyone else. It just launched a promo that offers free Sling Blue access between 5PM and midnight, offering access to channels like AMC, Discovery and FX as well as cloud DVR and on-demand videos. And no, this doesn’t appear to be a way to trick you into a subscription — you won’t be asked to fork over your credit card details.

There are still catches beyond the time restrictions. This isn’t Sling Orange, so you’ll miss out on Disney and ESPN. Sling adds that it might contact you about TV services, so don’t be surprised if you get marketing messages later. And while the provider hasn’t set a firm end date, it’s clear this is a “limited time offer.” You’ll eventually have to subscribe if you want to keep this going in perpetuity.

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