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The TUAW Daily Update Podcast for May 1, 2014
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get some the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the player at the top of the page. The Daily Update has been moved to a new podcast host in the past few days. Current listeners should delete the old podcast subscription and subscribe to the new feed in the iTunes Store here.
Daily Roundup: virtual Facebook concept, ThinkPad X1 Carbon review and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
The concept restaurant of the future: iBeacons, motion detection and smartglass service (video)
An invitation to see a "future restaurant" covered in highfalutin tech concepts was shaping up to be a highlight of our week. According to Recruit Advanced Technology Lab's teaser, it was going to encompass smartglasses, augmented reality, gesture interfaces, customer face identification, avatars, seamless wireless payments and more, all hosted at Eggcellent, a Tokyo restaurant that... specializes in egg cuisine. The demonstrations might not have reached the polished levels of the dreamy intro video, but the concept restaurant at least attempted to keep all of its demos grounded in reality. iBeacons through Bluetooth for food orders and payments, iPads that interacted with a conveyor-belt order projection, Wii Remotes that transform normal TVs into interactive ones and a Kinect sensor to upgrade Japan's maid café waitresses into goddesses -- well, at least that's one idea.
San Francisco Giants (and most of MLB) adopt Apple's iBeacon for an enhanced ballpark experience
"It's kind of a no-brainer." That's what the San Francisco Giants' Chief Information Officer, Bill Schlough, said when asked why the team is implementing Apple's iBeacon technology this season.
iPad owners are willing to hold onto tablets longer and other news from March 21, 2014
Here's an interesting report to consider: those who purchase iPads are more willing to hold onto them longer than those who get an iPhone. Consumer Intelligence Research Partners says that iPad replacement cycles tend to be longer than the iPhone. As MacRumors writes: The CIRP report, which surveyed 2,000 U.S. customers who purchased an iPhone, iPad or Mac in 2013, shows that almost half of iPad owners will go without their tablet, waiting a week or more to replace a broken, lost or stolen device. They also are twice as likely as iPhone owners to give their older iPad to friends or family members. Other news from Friday afternoon includes: First it's retail and the MLB, now iBeacons are heading to the NBA and your home. Tim Cook has risen a notch on the list of top-ranked CEOs worldwide, as released by Glassdoor. Cook is now 17th, behind CEOs of other companies such as LinkedIn, Google and Facebook. Check out a little fun that Jimmy Fallon and Billy Joel had with an iPad recently. After a year of trying music sales, Twitter has pulled its #music app from the App Store. The service will shut down next month.
Macworld/iWorld 2014 using Passbook, iBeacons to ease registration process
Those of you who are headed -- like us -- to Macworld/iWorld 2014 in San Francisco next week probably got an interesting email today. If you happen to read that email on your iPhone, you'll find a big button that lets you add a pass to Passbook. The email from IDG World Expo says: Macworld/iWorld 2014 is just around the corner! This year you have the opportunity to make your onsite badge experience even easier by adding a pass to Passbook on your iPhone. To do this, simply click on the image below from your mobile device (iOS phone only) and add the pass. When you arrive at the registration area in the Moscone center, an iBeacon will locate your pass and prompt you to scan your phone at one of the express registration scanners. There will also be an iBeacon Scavenger Hunt at this year's show. According to a press release issued today: The theme for the interactive scavenger hunt is "30 Years of the Mac," and through a series of clues found on posters throughout the Expo Hall, participants must find and scan four specific 2d barcodes. When an attendee downloads a beacon-enabled pass and is in range of a Bleu Station iBeacon, a hint will be presented to find the next beacon-enabled pass. Participants who collect all four beacon-enabled passes will receive a three-month free subscription to Macworld Magazine and will be entered into a drawing for a MacMania cruise to the British Isles. Sounds like fun, doesn't it? Be sure to get your Passbook pass loaded today, and we'll see you at Macworld/iWorld 2014 next week.
Netflix engineers experiment with bump-based video sharing and sleep tracking
Netflix uses its internal Hack Day competitions to encourage new thinking around its streaming video service, and its latest event has produced a few clever experiments that we wouldn't mind seeing in finished apps. One of them, Netflix Beam, uses Apple's Bluetooth-based iBeacon technology to share Netflix videos between iOS devices just by bumping them together. Another effort uses a Fitbit to check if you fall asleep mid-movie; if you do, you can resume from the point where you nodded off. Other handy Hack Day inventions include gamepad-friendly text entry, custom playlists and PIN-protected profiles. Netflix warns that these projects may never reach its public-facing software, but they're still worth checking out to see what the company's engineers are thinking. We've posted two of the pitch videos (Beam and the sleep tracker) below, and you can see a few more at the source link.
Apple's iBeacons goes 'Made for iPhone', and other news for Feb. 26, 2014
Apple has rolled iBeacons into its Made for iPhone (MFi) program. iBeacons are miniature Bluetooth transmitters that talk to Bluetooth 4.0 devices and provide micro-location data. iBeacons have a wide array of use, but currently they are most often found in retail stores and baseball parks. By rolling iBeacons into the MFi program, Apple gains greater control over who can call what an iBeacon device. As Beekn.net explains: The move means that the iBeacon trademark, which has ended up being applied by the media to a whole slew of devices that act as beacons, will now be used with a bit more control from Cupertino. As we've noted elsewhere, beacons that carry the iBeacon name are conforming to two things: They broadcast Bluetooth LE 'signals' in a way that conforms to the Apple standard for what those signals should contain They have use of the iBeacon trademark But there's no particular restriction in place which makes an iBeacon incompatible with Android or other phones. So while a beacon might carry the iBeacon name, this simple means that it has access to the trademark and that it has been configured to work well with Apple devices. Interested developers can go to their MFi account and accept the new iBeacon NDA to begin using the trademark on their products. In other news: Apple has added an additional Apple TV channel in Sweden. The new channel is TV 4 Play and includes original programs, live broadcasting, and movies. Apple has officially filed a formal appeal of the ebooks antitrust ruling. The company has also asked the appellate court to suspend the work of the external antitrust compliance monitor assigned to Apple. The FCC has launched a new ad-free FCC Speed Test app that "accurately measures your mobile broadband performance and displays an in-depth view of its factors." The FCC says using it will "bring greater clarity and competition to the broadband service marketplace." Candy Crush's developer has withdrawn its controversial "candy" trademark application.
Apple formalizes iBeacon Bluetooth spec in the hopes of wider adoption
Several companies and organizations have already come forward to test out iOS7's Bluetooth-based iBeacon technology for tasks like shopping and navigation, but it could become a lot more commonplace in the near future. That's because the Cupertino company has quietly released the iBeacon specification for its Made for iPhone program, signifying a stronger push to make the technology more widespread. In essence, it ensures that any future product that bears the iBeacon logo will be fully compliant with Apple's standards. What does this mean for you? Well, as a brief reminder, iBeacon is a location-based technology that allows iOS products to talk to each other using low-power Bluetooth signals. This means that whenever you see something with that iBeacon logo, you know it should work seamlessly with your iDevice. If we dare speculate, this could pave the way for a potential iWatch -- it makes obvious sense for it to communicate with the iPhone using iBeacon. Indeed, now that Apple is showing signs it's pushing the standard forward, we wonder if this is a not-so-subtle hint to developers to start incorporating iBeacon into their apps. As rumors of an Apple wearable heats up, we think that's certainly more likely than not.
iBeacons installed at 2 MLB stadiums and other news from Feb. 14, 2014
Batter up, iBeacons! You're up to bat at two Major League Baseball stadiums. Re/code reports that MLB has completed installation of 65 iBeacons at Los Angeles' Dodger Stadium and San Diego's Petco Park. By the time Opening Day rolls around in March, more than 20 ballparks will have the technology in place. MLB said it will outline how it plans to use the iBeacons next month. Other news from Friday afternoon includes: You can have your iPhone case and eat it too. Sadly, these chocolate cases for your iPhone will never be for sale. Want to get EA's official Tetris app for free? From now until April 7, you can download it from within Apple's Apple Store app. Just launch the app, scroll down to you see the words "A throwback for you. On us," and follow the instructions. And kick back with these features: Apple's Secure Coding Guide is an invaluable tool for new and veteran developers alike iPad Air destroys the competition in battery life tests
Your iPhone can now help you find your way around MLB ballparks
iPhone owners should have an easier time getting around the ballpark this season. Following a trial run last year, Major League Baseball is now deploying Bluetooth-based iBeacons at its stadiums. If you use the MLB At the Ballpark app, your iOS 7-equipped device will receive notifications as you visit different points at a given venue. MLB isn't yet saying just what those notices will involve, although the pilot project helped fans find their seats, score discounts and queue up videos. Only Los Angeles' Dodger Stadium and San Diego's Petco Park have the iBeacons so far. However, the league promises that more than 20 parks will have iBeacons when the season starts -- odds are that your home team will be ready on opening day. [Image credit: Brendan C, Flickr]
Daily Update for January 28, 2014
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get some the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the player at the top of the page. The Daily Update has been moved to a new podcast host in the past few days. Current listeners should delete the old podcast subscription and subscribe to the new feed in the iTunes Store here.
Dutch theme park taking advantage of iBeacons
During yesterday's Apple earnings call, CFO Peter Oppenheimer brought up the fact that Apple has installed iBeacon technology throughout a number of Apple Stores to provide customers with information on products and their location in the stores. Now iPhoned, a Dutch iPhone-centric website, says that a Dutch theme park will be using iBeacons starting in March to provide visitors with information. The theme park, Fluwel's Tulpenland (Tulip Land), specializes in displaying Dutch tulips. As the first theme park in Europe to use iBeacons to provide additional information to visitors, Fluwel's Tulpenland went to an Amsterdam startup, LabWerk, to implement the technology. The Fluwel's Tulip Land app will be available for the annual opening of the park on March 29. Relevant information about each section of the park is displayed on visitors' phones as they get near an iBeacon. Floris Boekel of LabWerk was interviewed by iPhoned and noted that the challenge of iBeacons lies with discovering the potential of the technology. "In addition to the future of iBeacons in retail, museums and theme parks, we see great potential (for example) in events and care." Thanks to Gijs Ettes of iPhoned.nl for the tip.
Afternoon News Roundup - the January 6 ice-cold edition
With many parts of the US experiencing record-breaking ice-cold temperatures today (the high in Chicago today is minus 15 degrees Fahrenheit for those keeping score at home), here are some afternoon Apple news items to help keep you warm, or at the very least, distract you from the biting cold. Critics say Apple needs more diversity on its board Bloomberg reports that Apple faces pressure to add more females to its board of directors and to its executive ranks. As it stands now, Apple only has one woman on its board of directors and only one woman on the executive team, the recently hired Angela Ahrendts. As a result of pressure to diversify its ranks, Apple changed its bylaws to include the following: "The nominating committee is committed to actively seeking out highly qualified women and individuals from minority groups to include in the pool from which board nominees are chosen." In Charts: Apple is much more valuable than both Amazon and Google You just wouldn't know it if all you paid attention to were the folks on Wall Street, who seemingly like to punish Apple for its success and reward Amazon for its remarkable inability to generate a profit. Driving the point home, Apple, with annual EPS of $39.75, has a P/E ratio of 14. Amazon, with an EPS of $0.28, has a P/E ratio of 1,436. Apple's iBeacon popping up in grocery stores iBeacon may very well prove to be the most underestimated, or perhaps overlooked, new feature in iOS 7. Engadget reports that a few grocery store outlets have started using iBeacons to help shoppers find what they're looking for. A handful of Giant Eagle and Safeway locations are now using a new marketing service, InMarket's Mobile to Mortar, that relies on Apple's iBeacon to send proximity-based notifications while you're wandering the aisles. In addition to offering on-the-spot coupons and rewards, the system can remind you what's on your shopping list at just the right moment. It can also send an alert when someone adds to the list; if the family runs out of juice while you're in the store, you'll know to buy another jug before you reach the checkout line. Broadcom SDK eases Apple AirPlay implementation More AirPlay for all! Broadcom on Monday announced a new SDK that will help make it easier for manufacturers to take advantage of Apple's AirPlay feature. You can check out Broadcom's press release over here. AT&T announces new Sponsored Data feature for mobile users AT&T today announced a new Sponsored Data feature wherein sponsored content consumed by users won't count against their monthly data limit. The press release reads in part: AT&T today unveiled a new way for eligible 4G customers to enjoy mobile content and apps over AT&T's wireless network without impacting their monthly wireless data plan. Similar to 1-800 phone numbers or free shipping for internet commerce, AT&T's new 'Sponsored Data' service opens up new data use options for AT&T wireless customers and customer-friendly mobile broadband channels to businesses that choose to participate as sponsors. With the new Sponsored Data service, data charges resulting from eligible uses will be billed directly to the sponsoring company; the customer simply enjoys their content via AT&T's wireless data network. Customers will see the service offered as AT&T Sponsored Data, and the usage will appear on their monthly invoice as Sponsored Data. Sponsored Data will be delivered at the same speed and performance as any non-Sponsored Data content.
Grocery stores use Apple's iBeacon to remind you what you're shopping for
Many of us will occasionally forget to pick up important ingredients when visiting the grocery store, but that absent-mindedness may not be a problem for much longer. A handful of Giant Eagle and Safeway locations are now using a new marketing service, InMarket's Mobile to Mortar, that relies on Apple's iBeacon to send proximity-based notifications while you're wandering the aisles. In addition to offering on-the-spot coupons and rewards, the system can remind you what's on your shopping list at just the right moment. It can also send an alert when someone adds to the list; if the family runs out of juice while you're in the store, you'll know to buy another jug before you reach the checkout line. Only certain Giant Eagle and Safeway outlets in Cleveland, San Francisco and Seattle are using Mobile to Mortar at launch, but InMarket promises more news in the months ahead.
Daily Update for January 3, 2014
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get some of the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the player at the top of the page. The Daily Update has been moved to a new podcast host in the past few days. Current listeners should delete the old podcast subscription and subscribe to the new feed in the iTunes Store here.
Zuli Smartplug: iBeacon for the home
The news in the iBeacon world is warming up prior to CES, where we're sure to hear a lot about the Bluetooth Low Energy technology. There's a Kickstarter that ends tomorrow and is just on the verge of reaching funding that wants to bring iBeacon into the home. The product, called the Zuli Smartplug, is about 95 percent funded with less than a day to go. According to the developers, three or more Zuli Smartplugs connect and alert each other when a homeowner with an iOS 7 app-equipped iPhone walks into the home. The Zuli Smartplugs actually form a mesh network that determines your location in your house, and then turn lights or appliances on or off when you walk into or leave a room. All this is done without touching your phone. We'll let Taylor Umphreys from Zuli tell you the rest of the story, but this looks like a wonderful Kickstarter to back if you're into the world of connected things. Update 08/20/14: You can now visit the Zuli website at www.zuli.io.
Qualcomm releases proximity beacons that track Android and iOS shoppers
Short-range location services are all the rage these days, but they're nothing without the Bluetooth beacons that make them possible. Qualcomm is fulfilling that behind-the-scenes need today by releasing its Gimbal proximity beacons. Both the tiny Gimbal Series 10 and the weatherproof Series 20 let shopkeepers offer area-based discounts and information to customers as they wander through stores, with position accuracy down to one foot. They only support Apple devices for now due to iOS 7's native iBeacon feature, but Qualcomm also promises that Android support is on the way. Stores may not mind the limited utility, though, since the beacons are so cheap. Series 10 beacons cost as little as $5 each when bought in bulk, while the Series 20 costs $10; either way, they're trivial costs if they lead to a few more impulse buyers.
Daily Roundup: LG G Flex review, Lightstrap iPhone case hands-on, Verizon LTE expansion and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Daily Update for December 6, 2013
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
