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Uber Opens Its API

techcrunch.com

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Re: Uber Opens Its API

#81

Post by extrabot »

lnanek2 wrote: post #78

Too bad it is read-only. :( TechCrunch Disrupt is coming up next month and I would have loved writing an Uber client for Google Glass. Having the user login on a desktop or mobile and then using their oauth credentials on a companion Glass app is all doable. They simply don't have any API for requesting a ride, however, once you have the credentials: https://developer.uber.com/v1/endpoints/ They have some deep linkin…

As mentioned in the blog post, that API is built but in whitelist-only mode:

What about requesting a ride? Yes, we’ve implemented that endpoint as well, but because calling it immediately dispatches a real driver in the real world, we’re releasing it in a more controlled fashion, starting with a small set of partners. Stay tuned for more on that, and please let us know if you’re interested in being added to the whitelist.

Re: Uber Opens Its API

#82

Post by davidmking »

lnanek2 wrote: post #78

Too bad it is read-only. :( TechCrunch Disrupt is coming up next month and I would have loved writing an Uber client for Google Glass. Having the user login on a desktop or mobile and then using their oauth credentials on a companion Glass app is all doable. They simply don't have any API for requesting a ride, however, once you have the credentials: https://developer.uber.com/v1/endpoints/ They have some deep linkin…

Hard to completely released the ability to order cars through any app to any person. Although, the API is largely going to be a part of the marketing more than anything else I would assume.

Re: Uber Opens Its API

#83

Post by archemike_ »

sergiotapia wrote: post #8

Uber is a dirty company, don't give them your business. http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2014/08/13/uber-employees-a...

So the amount of value they provide? The pleasant drivers? The unique value they provide over taxis? The ease of everything? This should all be overlooked because they scaled quick and a few things got out of control?

Re: Uber Opens Its API

#84

Post by crisedward »

lnanek2 wrote: post #78

Too bad it is read-only. :( TechCrunch Disrupt is coming up next month and I would have loved writing an Uber client for Google Glass. Having the user login on a desktop or mobile and then using their oauth credentials on a companion Glass app is all doable. They simply don't have any API for requesting a ride, however, once you have the credentials: https://developer.uber.com/v1/endpoints/ They have some deep linkin…

Yeah, I was hoping for rides request, I have many ideas with Uber and the TechCrunch Disrupt Hackathon would been a great place to make one.

Re: Uber Opens Its API

#85

Post by Aubric »

clarkm wrote: post #59

Though it's not mentioned in the article, Uber recently partnered with Concur for business travel. Uber now sends all my ride receipts directly Concur, and my expense reports are populated automatically -- it's first-class integration right in the app. And now Uber is opening their API? IMO, this is a huge deal. Perhaps working with Concur really drove home the sheer size of the corporate travel machine, and the mass…

Uber has been working on this for a long time. No chance the recent Concur / UberForBusiness integration inspired them to open up their API.

Re: Uber Opens Its API

#86

Post by seregine »

ejain wrote: post #72

Being able to access the history is nice; could be useful when combined with data from other sources... The API appears to be well thought out--except for the epoch timestamps without time zone offsets :-(

epoch timestamps don't need timezone offsets. The epoch timestamp is the number of seconds from a specified "zero" time. That number can be translated to a time in any timezone. E.g. right now:

  % date +"%s"; date; date -u
  1408580844
  Wed Aug 20 17:27:24 PDT 2014
  Thu Aug 21 00:27:24 UTC 2014

Re: Uber Opens Its API

#87

Post by bascule »

swang wrote: post #48
gkoberger wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's very he-said-she-said: http://techcrunch.com/2014/08/12/uber-lyft-slap-fight/

This is not an example of "he-said, she-said". That would be if Lyft accused them of canceling rides, and then Uber denies having done it. Here Uber never denies that they canceled rides, only that Lyft did the same. Also Uber did this to another competitor, Gett, and pretty much copped to it. http://valleywag.gawker.com/ubers-dirty-trick-campaign-again... http://money.cnn.com/2014/01/24/technology/social/uber-gett/

You're correct there's a better term than "he-said, she-said" for accusing someone of a dirty tactic that you've used yourself.

It's called "hypocrisy". Lyft is being a hypocrite.

Re: Uber Opens Its API

#88

Post by ejain »

seregine wrote: post #86
ejain wrote: post #72

Being able to access the history is nice; could be useful when combined with data from other sources... The API appears to be well thought out--except for the epoch timestamps without time zone offsets :-(

epoch timestamps don't need timezone offsets. The epoch timestamp is the number of seconds from a specified "zero" time. That number can be translated to a time in any timezone. E.g. right now: % date +"%s"; date; date -u 1408580844 Wed Aug 20 17:27:24 PDT 2014 Thu Aug 21 00:27:24 UTC 2014

Sure, an epoch timestamp can be translated to any time zone, but what was the original time zone?

Consider these questions: Do I use Uber more often before or after noon? Is this a photo of a sunrise or a of a sunset? How late do I typically go to bed?

In the case of Uber we could try to guess the time zone from the coordinates, but it's not trivial.

Re: Uber Opens Its API

#89

Post by k-mcgrady »

brk wrote: post #79
k-mcgrady wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

...taxis already do that.

Not really. I use Uber pretty regularly when traveling for a ride home from a night out. It's consistent, reliable, and I don't have to worry about the driver trying to take advantage of the fact that I might be unfamiliar with the area and possibly not in my most aware state :) If it's cold, dark, whatever outside I can call an Uber via the app and know when they're arriving. I can see how long the expected delay is…

I'm not from the US so my view on taxis might be different. Typically I call a number and they have someone there in 10 minutes. It's rare to be taken advantage of because they know you can make a complaint to the taxi company they work for. As for cash I don't think anyone here minds. If you don't have cash on you the taxi driver will stop at an ATM for you.

I've used Uber once and it was great but from my experience with taxis Uber isn't offering much extra.

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