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Public radio stations are saving Gothamist sites
Last year, billionaire Joe Ricketts shut down Gothamist and DNAInfo a week after newsroom employees unionized. Though there was immediate public outcry over the decision, the sites' future has remained bleak and uncertain, but, as Wired reports, they're now getting an unexpected helping hand from some old-school media -- public radio. At least three public radio stations -- New York's WNYC, Washington DC's WAMU and Southern California's KPCC -- will be taking over Gothamist and associated sites like LAist, DCist and DNAInfo, maintaining their archives and adding new content in the near future.
Spotify lands '2 Dope Queens' and other hit WNYC podcasts
Last month, Spotify reaffirmed its interest in podcasting by introducing three original shows. The streaming service clearly wants to be a source for not just music, but all our listening needs. Now, it's taking another big step to establish itself as a legitimate podcast destination. Spotify announced today that a partnership with WNYC Studios will bring some of the network's popular podcasts to its platform.
iTunes Radio expands sports and news offerings with ESPN and local NPR stations
NPR came to iTunes Radio in March, but at the time it was only one national station. Now there are over 40 local stations like WBEZ in Chicago, WBUR in Boston and WNYC in New York. You can pull in the fresh streams of these local affiliates AM or FM options so you can get all your regional gems in addition to national hits like Radiolab and On the Media. Perhaps more exciting though (since you could always get the best of NPR in podcast form and through its dedicated app) is the addition of ESPN Radio. You can enjoy all the sports-talk you want and you won't get blacked out on nationally broadcast events like the World Cup, the World Series or the Stanley Cup Finals. All you have to do is fire up the iTunes Radio app and you'll find all the new content ready and waiting for you.
ShopKeep point-of-sale mixes iPad with cloud service for small retailers
WNYC reported this week on the emergence of the iPad for point-of-sale terminal use, particularly in small establishments that want to minimize the space requirements of a traditional register while adding a bit of Apple cachet to go with their cash drawer. Stephen Nessen's story highlighted a Brooklyn artisanal ice cream parlor, Ample Hills Creamery, which has deployed the ShopKeep POS system to handle the counter. Rather than requiring an in-store server to process transactions, ShopKeep's iPad app sends the sales data directly to the company's cloud service for reporting and accounting purposes. While the data transfer requires Internet access, an outage won't shut down your checkout line; the app will store all the transactions locally while offline and then batch them up to the cloud when service is restored. The company also suggests going with a hybrid Cradlepoint router that can instantly switch from conventional to 3G/4G wireless connectivity as needed, or work in mobile-only mode for food trucks or craft fairs. Basic service covering one register starts at $49 a month (that's BYOiPad, and you still need to buy your cash drawer, printer and other gear). ShopKeep, launched in August of this year, is reportedly intuitive and easy to use, but it's suited primarily for outlets with 20 270 items of inventory or fewer; large and complex stores apparently aren't a good match. While the iPad probably won't replace the vast majority of POS systems anytime soon, the fact that the 17-month old device has shown up subbing into retail contexts ranging from wine lists to menus to cash registers shows just how flexible this Swiss Army Tablet has become.
