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Dish launches a WiFi and TV service aimed at apartment dwellers
Last week Dish announced a new service designed to make smart home technology available to all, now it's launching another service that makes modern tech accessible to everyone. "Dish Fiber" is a combined WiFi and livestreaming TV bundle for those living in multifamily communities, such as apartment blocks and student housing.
IKEA is working on robotic furniture for small apartments
IKEA wants to "empower people to have big dreams for small homes." To do so, it's creating a line of robotic furniture. Today, the company announced that it's partnering with Ori, an American startup that develops robotic furniture meant to address the challenges of small apartment living. IKEA and Ori will introduce their new line, dubbed ROGNAN, in 2020.
Target promises EV chargers at more than 100 stores
Walmart isn't the only big retailer installing a slew of EV chargers in its parking lots. Target and a collection of retail property owners (PDF) have unveiled plans to add a horde of charging stations in the (relatively) near future. In Target's case, it's adding chargers at more than 100 locations (600 parking spaces in total) over two years with the help of a variety of backers, including Tesla, VW's Electrify America and ChargePoint. The big-box store only has chargers at 18 locations out of 1,800-plus as we write this, so it's no trivial expansion.
Airbnb plans five more complexes after its first Florida apartments
A new report from Financial Times confirms last month's rumors that Airbnb will launch a new apartment complex in Florida in partnership with a real estate firm. The rental company plans to pitch the location as prime opportunity for seasonal tenants who will be able to rent their units out for up to 180 days a year.
Airbnb sued by major US apartment landlord
Here's a huge one for the ever-growing pile of lawsuits filed by and against Airbnb. Apartment Investment & Management Co. (AIMCO) has sued the rental service for "helping tenants breach their leases," according to The Wall Street Journal. Denver-based AIMCO, one of the biggest landlords in the US, owns and manages over 50,000 apartments across the country. Real-estate research firm Green Street Advisors told the WSJ that this is the first time Airbnb has been sued by a major landlord. Other apartment owners might now feel emboldened to follow suit if the service refuses to cooperate with them.
Nokia wires an apartment complex with 52Gbps fiber
It's one thing to wire a house with gigabit fiber, but it's another matter to outfit an entire apartment building -- you need a huge pipeline to accommodate everyone. Nokia, however, might have a solution. It just partnered with SK Broadband to wire an apartment complex in Seoul, South Korea with fiber optics delivering aggregate speeds of 52.5Gbps. That doesn't guarantee that every user will get that speed (only "selected" customers saw those rates), but it increases the chances that you'll receive gigabit-class bandwidth in your rental.
AT&T's home automation services reach your apartment
AT&T's Digital Life home automation services are tempting if you like the idea of cellular-connected safety and security systems, but you've had to live in a fully detached home to even consider subscribing. Live downtown? Forget about it. Thankfully, your options are expanding. Digital Life is now available in apartments and condos, so you can rely on the carrier to remotely turn on the lights or warn you if someone breaks in. The support is available in all 83 existing Digital Life areas, so the odds are that you can sign up today.
New York Attorney General says most Airbnb rentals in NYC violate the law
The legality of Airbnb rentals in New York City have been under fire for awhile now, and the city just fired another volley: New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has released a report titled "Airbnb in the city," and it's not particularly favorable. The report claims that 72-percent of all private short-term rentals (read: Airbnb rentals) are illegal -- specifically because they were rentals for an "entire/home apartment" for terms of less than a month. The report explains that these kinds of rentals probably should be paying hotel occupancy taxes, and estimates that the city has lost $33 million in tax revenue as a result of the illegal Airbnb rentals. Worse, the report says, a small contingent of hosts seem to be using Airbnb to run illegal hotels.
Airbnb pulls over 2,000 sketchy New York City rental listings
Airbnb is clearly tired of getting grief from cities that say its customers' short-term rentals are frequently illegal or otherwise a drain on the community. The company has revealed that it's in the midst of removing more than 2,000 New York City listings that aren't "providing a quality, local experience to guests." While Airbnb hasn't said exactly what that means, the move comes as the state Attorney General filed an affidavit in support of a subpoena for Airbnb customer info. The filing claims that two thirds of NYC rentals break the law by subletting an entire apartment without the official tenants being present, and it named and shamed 17 hosts that are allegedly the biggest abusers.
Breaking down Star Wars: The Old Republic's housing reveal
Are you still reeling from the revelation that Star Wars: The Old Republic will have player housing? So is Massively's Larry Everett, who took the time to break down the short video reveal on Hyperspace Beacon in order to extract as many details as possible for the game's faithful. Larry notes a few of the possibilities for player apartments, including an appearance designer kiosk, a cargo hold, a mailbox, a faction banner, a repair droid, a mission terminal, and a moonroof. Give the video a watch after the break and sound off: What features and decorations would you want in your SWTOR apartment?
Anarchy Online offers subscription bonuses
Anarchy Online wants your business,- and it's prepared to undertake a fair bit of bribery to make that happen. Funcom is offering a pair of promotions for new and existing players who choose to subscribe any time between now and November 12th. For new players, AO will dish out more bonus items the longer you stay subscribed. These bonuses include Funcom points, a luxury apartment, fancy armor, and even all of the Anarchy Online expansions. Existing players who sign on for a 12-month subscription will get over $100 of bonuses including Funcom points, all expansions, armor, and consumables.
Wasted heat from Metro stations to heat apartment building in Paris
Close to the Centre Georges Pompidou on the Rue Beauborg, Paris Habitats renovating a residential building in an environmentally friendly manner, and it's including some pretty out of the ordinary heating methods in it. The old building has a staircase which connects to the Metro station beneath it, thus making it cost effective to build the system, which will produce heat from the bodies of the people and trains moving below, and will be used in conjunction with a traditional heating system. It is thought that it will be able to cut carbon dioxide emissions by one third when the building is completed. The project is set to get underway next year.
Audi opening sleek Home space, apartments
Yet another enormous corporation is dipping its toes into the advertising-friendly waters of PlayStation Home -- later this year, Audi is releasing a Home space with a whole slew of new features beyond "televisions that show commercials all day long." Well, they have those too (of course), but the space will also grant access to an Audi-driving minigame. Those who perform well in said game can unlock apartments in a massive housing complex in the middle of Audi square. We assume if you lose your ranking, you get evicted. Such is life in the high-stakes, no-mercy Home racing circuit.
Cable companies losing stranglehold on apartments
It's no secret that loads of folks loathe their cable company, but for some apartment dwellers, there's exactly one choice of service providers for TV, internet, and/or phone service. See, cable companies in some areas (read - anywhere they can) have negotiated exclusive distribution rights in buildings that they wired up, keeping other services at bay. Well, those castle walls are crumbling as a the Court of Appeals in Washington has upheld the 2007 FCC ruling that banned such practices as anticompetitive. Don't expect this decision to revamp the entire landscape -- cable companies are well-versed in how to keep competition down -- but this decision should make it easier for offerings like FiOS and U-verse to make inroads to dense metro areas. If all that's standing between you and FiOS is a shady cable company arrangement, now's your time to grab some fiber![Image courtesy Videogum]
Get the Chamber Apartment in Home for free next week
Tired of your apartment in Home? Well, you can get a brand new living space for free next week on PlayStation Home. Make sure you don't wait too long to snag the virtual space, as it will only be free from May 14th to May 21st. The new environment features a giant living tree in the middle, and adds a nice fantasy-inspired touch to the PSN world.
Ask Engadget HD: Best home theater setup for small spaces?
Let's face it, not everyone has $60k to drop on a dream home theater, and even they did, might not have a place to put it. If space is your major constraint, like our guy Geoff, achieving the best setup can be quite trying: "In a previous lifetime circa early 2000s, I had a dedicated media room and the latest in technology. I'm closer to the city now and square-footage is a premium. Knowing that I'll likely be in an apartment/townhome/condo for the foreseeable future, should I try to use some of my old components (listed below) or just sell them and start new? Keep in mind that I doubt I'll be able to mount any rear channels, so I'm thinking the setup with either have to include rear satellites or be a 2.1 system. I don't require a movie theater-like experience, rather something that's extremely solid for movies, music and gaming. -- Sony STR-DE945 receiver from 2000 (i.e., no HDMI)-- Klipsch Quintet 5.1 Home Theater circa 2000-- No Blu Ray player-- Xbox 360 Elite and, sadly, HD DVD add-on -- Samsung 42-inch LCD (perfectly fine)I've been following the new HTIB offerings from Sony and LG, thinking those might be the answer since my budget is probably around $600, not including whatever I can make on the sale of the above. The Sony system seemed attractive since Blu Ray was incorporated." There it is, we know your palatial estate is covered with inflatable screens and the like, but condo and apartment dwellers need love too, and not at too high of a price. Let us know what you'd put in that type of space. Got a burning question that you'd love to toss out for Engadget HD (or its readers) to take a look at? Tired of Google's blank stares when you ask for real-world experiences? Hit us up at ask at engadgethd dawt com and keep an eye on this space -- your inquiry could be next.
Verizon gears up for FiOS rollout in 27,000 Aimco apartments
It's incredibly obvious that one of Verizon's main opportunities for growth in FiOS TV is locking down contracts with housing facilities and apartment complexes, and while we've seen some small to medium-scale rollouts before, this one takes things to a whole 'nother level. Last year, the provider inked a deal with Aimco that would eventually bring fiber-based FiOS services to residents of some 27,000 apartments in 11 states across the nation. Now, 100 Aimco properties from coast to coast will be lit up with FiOS TV / internet / digital voice services prior to the onset of 2009, and that should make for quite a few happy tenants this holiday season.[Image courtesy of Apts247]
Verizon gets FiOS TV / high-speed internet into Bronx's Parkchester complex
And so it begins. It appears that the FCC's efforts to facilitate programming competition for apartments last year have been successful, with Verizon inking its second contract with a New York-based complex this month. This time, the agreement is with Parkchester, the largest privately owned condominium complex in the US. The deal will bring Verizon's FiOS TV and high-speed internet to residents of Parkchester in the Bronx, giving some 12,271 apartments in 171 buildings access to a fiber-based alternative. As you could likely guess, this is the provider's largest agreement ever in the urban multiple-dwelling-unit market, and while a specific date wasn't mentioned, everything should go live before the end of 2008.
Verizon's FiOS TV coming to Yonkers apartment buildings
Around this time last year, we heard that the FCC was looking to facilitate programming competition for apartments, and apparently, it has succeeded. Just this week, Verizon proudly announced that its FiOS TV programming service was on the way to residents in 2,029 Yonkers public housing apartments. In total, 18 buildings will get gifted with the fiber-based services (TV and high-speed internet), and the carrier has already begun the build-out of the necessary fiber network. There's no word on when or if a similar agreement could take other apartment complexes by storm, but it appears the biggest hurdle has been lifted.
DISH Optical Network to bring service to apartments
For many answering our latest inquiry, switching from cable to satellite simply isn't possible. If you're stuck in an apartment or other form of multiple dwelling unit, there's at least a fighting chance that your landlord won't allow the drilling and such typically required to get a dish installed. To that end, DISH Network will soon be rolling out its DISH Optical Network service, which essentially takes satellite delivered material beamed to "a group of dishes" and pipes the content over fiber lines to up to 128 subscribers. Needless to say, this could be a real boon for leasers who only have a limited selection for programming, but sadly, we'll be forced to wait until rollouts begin in undisclosed locales "later this year" before wrapping our heads around a price.[Via The Capital Times, image courtesy of Sat Pro Atlanta]