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A24 TECHNOLOGY
Thursday 29 augusT 2019
Eco search engine sees surge in downloads as Amazon burns

By MAE ANDERSON ger goal is to combat cli-
AP Technology Writer mate change. It works with
NEW YORK (AP) — Can you such nonprofit groups as
save the rainforest from The Nature Conservancy
your desk? A spike in down- and the Eden Reforestation
loads for a search engine Projects.
that's contributing profits to Although it's possible to
planting trees shows peo- use Ecosia from a standard
ple are looking for ways to web browser, people can
help as fires rage across the download an "extension"
Brazilian Amazon. tool to make it the default
But experts say that while search engine on tradi-
such efforts won't hurt, tional personal computers.
there are better ways to Ecosia also has an app for
contribute. iPhones, iPads and Android
Ecosia, a search engine devices.
founded in 2009, works Since the fires began, Eco-
with about 20 tree-planting sia has seen downloads of
organizations around the the apps and extensions
world in hopes of planting spike 10-fold, to about
a billion trees by 2020. The 250,000 a day, much for it
Berlin-based company has from the U.S., Brazil, Latin
pledged to plant an addi- America, Canada and Eu-
tional 2 million trees in Brazil A tree stump glows with fire amid smoke along the road to Jacunda National Forest, near the city rope. Ecosia has also got-
in response to the fires. of Porto Velho in the Vila Nova Samuel region which is part of Brazil's Amazon, Monday, Aug. 26, ten 100 million searches a
Ecosia uses Microsoft Bing's 2019. week, which the company
search engine technology Associated Press says is a "huge increase,"
and sells ads just like many though it isn't saying by
other tech companies. But has pledged aid, though to give directly to a charity making it easy to give mon- how much. The company
instead of rewarding mostly it has not given many de- that specializes in a cause ey. said the spike has come
shareholders, the company tails. Leonardo DiCaprio's and spends donations wise- "Generally speaking, doing through word of mouth via
said it is contributing 80% of foundation has pledged $5 ly, said Larry Chiagouris, a something is better than social media and media
its profits to tree-planting million. professor of marketing at doing nothing," said Art reports.
efforts and keeping just a Can a typical person help Pace University. Markman, professor of psy- "We're very sad about
small amount for itself. The the rainforest by simply Art Markman, professor of chology and marketing at what's happening, but at
company estimates it can changing search engines psychology and marketing the University of Texas. "We the same time we're really
plant one tree for every 45 or supporting certain com- at the University of Texas, tend to do things that are overwhelmed by all of the
searches that people do. panies? said disaster relief tends to easy." positive energy from peo-
Other companies and even While switching to Ecosia be reactive and driven by A nonprofit called B Lab ple coming our way who
celebrities are also taking requires little effort and the news cycle. He said has certified Ecosia as a want to do something,"
action in response to the "might make a difference," charitable organizations for-profit company with a Ecosia founder Christian
fires. Apple, for example, the best way to respond is can capitalize on that by social mission. Ecosia's big- Kroll said.q

Survey finds new auto

technology can annoy drivers

frustrate drivers," said Kris- sometimes disable the sys- Power said in a statement
tin Kolodge, J.D. Power's tems. A spokesman said Tuesday.
executive director of driver J.D. Power would not iden- The survey also found that
interaction and human- tify the brands. 69% of owners have Apple
machine interface. "The Collision protection sys- CarPlay and/or Google's
technology can't come tems such as automatic Android Auto in their ve-
across as a nagging par- emergency braking fared hicles. The phone mirror-
ent. No one wants to be the best in six categories ing systems are starting to
In this May 19, 2019, file photograph, a long line of unsold 2019 constantly told they aren't covered by the survey. jeopardize sales of the au-
sedans sits at a dealership in Littleton, Colo.
Associated Press driving correctly." Smartphone mirroring was tomakers' factory installed
For example, systems that second, followed by com- navigation systems, the
DETROIT (AP) — Alerts from chases. That's a problem keep vehicles centered fort and convenience fea- survey found. The compa-
new driver assist systems for automakers who want or within their lanes were tures such as voice rec- ny's survey included over
can be so annoying that to sell the technology and problematic for owners, ognition and climate con- 16,400 responses from peo-
some motorists are turning prepare people for fully the study found. An aver- trols. Entertainment and ple who bought or leased
the features off, according automated vehicles, the age of 23% of drivers with connectivity such as link- a 2019 vehicle in the past
to a new survey. company said. the systems view the alerts ing phones and Bluetooth 90 days. The new vehicles
The 2019 J.D. Power Tech "Automakers are spend- as annoying. The results placed fourth, followed had to have been all-new
Experience Index study ing lots of money on ad- vary by brand, with up to by driving assistance such or redesigned within the
also found that frustrated vanced technology devel- 30% finding the alerts both- as blind spot detection or past three years. The sur-
drivers may avoid the sys- opment, but the constant ersome. Of drivers who lane keeping systems. Nav- vey was conducted from
tems in future vehicle pur- alerts can confuse and don't like the alerts, 61% igation finished last, J.D. February through July.q