subway

Paint and run

Subway Surfers doesn't need any kind of introduction or Help file, as the controls will be already familiar from the well-known Temple Run. The free iOS game fails to innovate, yet its nice design and environment will keep most players entertained.

The app can't beat the Temple Run marks, but what we liked was that it places you into a situation. Although you don't know what you saw in the temple, you run to save your life. Subway Surfers is the story of a naughty boy, an endless runner, who paints graffiti on subways. The core of … Read more

Free Wi-Fi comes to New York City via Google Offers, Boingo

New Yorkers can now spend their time on the subway checking e-mail and surfing the Web on a free wireless network. Starting today, Google Offers is sponsoring free Wi-Fi via Boingo Wireless in six MTA subway stations and more than 200 hotspot locations across New York City.

"We're glad our riders will be able to access free Wi-Fi this summer in six subway stations to stay connected while they're underground," MTA director of strategic initiatives Jerome Page said in a statement. "Reliable Wi-Fi is an important benefit for straphangers in New York City subway stations.&… Read more

Tokyo subway straps beam ads to your smartphone

Subways in Tokyo are crowded enough, and they're plastered with ads on the walls and ads hanging from the ceiling. Sometimes, entire carriages are wrapped in ads outside. Straps are mini-billboards too, but now they're interactive.

In an experiment that's been going on for a few weeks, printing company Shunkosha has been deploying its strap covers on parts of the Tokyo subway to prove the effectiveness of Strappy.

Strappy is a boxy little plastic covering that sits over the strap. Many similar strap covers already exist on Tokyo trains, but they're for old-fashioned analog ads, and sometimes QR ads. … Read more

Headphones that ease the pain of public transportation

I sympathize with the hordes of urban dwellers who begrudgingly subject themselves to the purgatory of daily public transportation -- the screeching teenagers, sticky floors, and potpourri of smells are part of the reason I ride a bicycle. That said, there are things you can do to ease the pain of your commute.

First, don't look at anyone -- gawkers are universally creepy, so pick a spot on the ground and stare. Next, source a pair of headphones using the following criteria as your buying guide: durable, compact, noise-isolating, and "closed-back," meaning they won't betray your privacy and leak your music to fellow commuters.

This list includes both circumaural (over-ear) and in-ear, bud-style headphones. Both styles are suitable for noise isolation, though you may prefer active noise-canceling headphones if your ride is extra-annoying. If not, earbuds with well-fitted tips (silicone or foam) can be just as effective at muting the world around you.… Read more

NYC flips the cell switch for (some) subway stations

The New York Metropolitan Transit Authority turned on wireless service in four subway stations in Manhattan Tuesday, marking the first time a straphanger could reliably use his or her cell phone while waiting for their train.

As previously reported, service was turned on at four stations: the C and E platforms at 23rd Street and Eight Avenue; the A, C, E and L platforms on 14th Street and Eighth Avenue; the F, M, and L platforms at the Avenue of the Americas and 14th Street; and the 1, 2 and 3 platforms at the Seventh Avenue station, also on 14th … Read more

Cell phone service comes to some NYC subway stations

New Yorkers will finally be able to use their cell phones in subway stations--as long as their commute takes them through one neighborhood in Manhattan.

The New York Times reported yesterday that cellular service will come to four stations starting Tuesday. AT&T and T-Mobile customers will be able to make phone calls, send text messages, and browse the Internet on their phone underground--something that's virtually impossible today. The deployment is extremely limited: only four stations in the Chelsea neighborhood on the west side of Manhattan.

The initial launch, which acts as a pilot program for a wider … Read more

SF subway closes stations during Anonymous protest

Anonymous claimed a new accomplishment today: its first physical denial-of-service attack.

The Bay Area Rapid Transit District police closed at least four San Francisco subway stations this evening following a short, peaceful protest at the Civic Center stop, forcing hordes of commuters to trudge up and down Market Street in search of an open station or an alternate way home.

Cell service remained accessible this evening. Meanwhile, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission said earlier today that it would review BART's shutting off cell service in its stations last week.

The online activist collective Anonymous called for the demonstration … Read more

FCC reviewing SF subway cell shutdown

Update 6:30 p.m. PT: So far, at least, the protests have remained peaceful. A dozen or so people showed up in the BART station at 5 p.m., chanting and occasionally blocking train doors. Police closed the station about 20 minutes later and threatened to arrest any protestor who didn't immediately leave. Entrances to nearby BART stations, too, were closed soon afterward (although people in those stations could board trains). A group of at least 50 people ended up at the Ferry Building. Trains now appear to be skipping the Embarcadero station near the Ferry Building.

The … Read more

The 404 868: Where time is not important (podcast)

Wireless Internet access and cellular service are coming to New York subway stations, but like the Second Avenue subway line, it might be awhile before you can check it out. In the meantime, we're suggesting that the MTA install air conditioners to keep riders from passing out on the platform.

The rest of today's rundown includes an Apple fanboy in London already standing in line for the iPhone 5, Domino's Pizza's latest marketing campaign in Times Square, and Blockbuster luring angry Netflix customers with its own unique movie rental service.

The 404 Digest for Episode 868

A blogger is already camping out for the iPhone 5. Domino's Pizza runs unfiltered customer comments on a Times Square billboard. Blockbuster takes advantage of the rise in pissed Netflix customers. Next Media animation: The Dark Knight Rises Trailer.

Episode 868 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more