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Uber must pay a passenger who accused one of its drivers of rape $8.5 million, a federal jury in Phoenix has ordered. The jury found Uber liable for its drivers misconduct, determining that the driver was an agent of the company. Part of Ubers defense was that its not responsible for what its drivers do, as they are independent contractors. This decision is for but one of the 3,000 similar cases against Uber that have been consolidated in federal court. It was a bellwether trial meant to determine the possible outcomes of the other cases, as well as the possible settlements. As The Guardian explains, the results for this case could be used as a precedent for all the other pending lawsuits if the verdict is upheld by the appeals court. The case chosen for the bellwether trial was filed by Jaylynn Dean, who said she was raped by her Uber driver in 2023. Dean said she was intoxicated when she ordered an Uber to take her back home from her boyfriends apartment after celebrating passing a test for her flight attendant training. The driver allegedly stopped at a dark parking lot and raped her in the backseat. Uber argued that the driver had no criminal history, had completed training and had excellent passenger feedback. The companys camp also presented its safety measures, including the development of a machine-learning tool that can assess the risk of potential rides. But Deans lawyers showed evidence during the trial that she was tagged as high risk for a serious safety incident just before her ride arrived and that she wasnt notified about it. They also presented documents suggesting that Uber resisted introducing in-car cameras, because it would slow down growth. Women know its a dangerous world. We know about the risk of sexual assault, Deans layer said in her closing arguments. They made us believe that this was a place that was safe from that.Despite the jury holding Uber liable for the incident, it determined that the company wasnt negligent when it comes to safety practices and its apps safety systems were not faulty. This verdict affirms that Uber acted responsibly and has invested meaningfully in rider safety, an Uber spokesperson told The New York Times. He also said that Uber plans to appeal the jurys decision. In addition to the 3,000 lawsuits consolidated in federal court, Uber is also facing 500 similar cases in California state court. Last year, a California jury found that the company was not liable for a sexual assault that the plaintiff alleged her driver had committed back in 2016. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/uber-ordered-to-pay-85-million-to-passenger-who-accused-a-driver-of-rape-141800931.html?src=rss
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One of the more surprising tech developments in 2025 was Google bringing two-way support for Apples AirDrop functionality to its Pixel 10 series of phones. At the time, Google said it intended to expand the feature to other devices at a later date, and that date could be just around the corner. At a press briefing attended by Android Authority at Googles Taipei office, Eric Kay, Androids Vice President of Engineering, confirmed that AirDrop interoperability will expand in 2026. "We spent a lot of time and energy to make sure that we could build something that was compatible not only with iPhone but iPads and MacBooks," he said. "Now that weve proven it out, were working with our partners to expand it into the rest of the ecosystem, and you should see some exciting announcements coming very soon." Right now, Pixel 10 users can send and receive files and photos between Apple devices and Android using Quick Share. For an Android device to receive from an iPhone, they have to set their Quick Share visibility settings to "everyone for 10 minutes" and make sure theyre in "receive" mode on the Quick Share page. Its a similar story for an Android-to-Apple file share. You have to set your iPhone, iPad or Macs Airdrop visibility to "anyone for 10 minutes," which enables someone from outside your contacts to use Quick Share on their Pixel 10. When this feature launched, it wasnt clear how much involvement, if any, Apple had had, or if the infamous walled garden would once again banish Android-minded intruders in a subsequent software update. But that hasnt happened, and back in November, Qualcomm confirmed that devices powered by its Snapdragon chips would also soon be able to transfer files to iPhones using Quick Share, suggesting that Pixel exclusivity wouldnt last for much longer. Googles own willingness to play nice with Apple gear is seemingly a move designed to make the lives easier of anyone thinking about making the jump from an iPhone to an Android device. As reported by Android Authority, Kay also said his company was committed to making it as simple as possible to transfer data when switching. It wasnt that long ago that the idea of Apple and Google teaming up to make device-hopping more consumer-friendly was the stuff of fantasy, but in December it emerged that the longstanding rivals were working on a new simplified data transfer system. Each company already offers a method for swapping ecosystems, but a new build of Android Canary hinted at something that would work at the operating system level. Last month, Apple and Google also released a joint statement confirming previous reports that the new version of Siri will utilise Google Geminis models, effectively resulting in a Google-powered voice assistant on your iPhone.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/google-will-soon-offer-airdrop-support-on-more-android-devices-141523521.html?src=rss
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Ford may be discontinuing its F-150 Lightning pickup but it hasnt given up on electric cars. CEO Jim Farley just teased the automakers electric pickup based on its new Universal Electric Vehicle platform that he called one of the most audacious and important projects in Ford's history.The Universal EV platform will be used on a family of affordable EVs sold around the world, but will start with a mid-sized pickup for the US built in Louisville, Kentucky. Its set to go on sale next year with a target price of $30,000. An early peek at our brilliant team working on the Universal Electric Vehicle project - one of the most audacious and important projects in @Ford's history. American innovation is how we compete and win against China and the rest of the world. The team is spending countless pic.twitter.com/Un4eCe258L Jim Farley (@jimfarley98) February 5, 2026 Farley discussed some of the tech going into the pickup, particularly the aerodynamics, a key aspect if Ford is to compete with rivals. The team is spending countless hours getting every last drop of aero efficiency on the mid-size electric pickup, he noted. Farley also discussed the simplified aluminum unicastings [that] condense over 146 parts into two as a way to boost production efficiency. Ford will invest $5 billion, including $2 billion at the Louisville factory on top of $3 billion already announced for its BlueOval battery plant. It will expand the Louisville facility by 52,000 square feet and "create or secure" nearly 4,000 direct jobs, the company said late last year.Ford hasn't yet revealed the pickups name or shown a photo, but its supposed to have more interior room than a Toyota RAV4. Buyers will be able to lock bikes or surfboards into the pickup bed, mooting the need for roof or trailer hitch racks. It will have a low center of gravity from the battery, instant torque and a 0 to 60 mph time "as fast as a Mustang EcoBoost [around 4.5 seconds], with more downforce," Ford said.Jim Farley famously imported a famously fast and high-tech Xiaomi SU7 EV from China and drove it daily, telling a podcaster he didnt want to give it up. Hopefully, his experience will result in more tech-forward Ford EVs based on the Universal platform. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/ford-shows-off-the-tech-going-into-its-30000-electric-pickup-truck-140000509.html?src=rss
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