Berlin
Latest
Nazi tracker app coming soon to a German iPhone near you
At a time when ultra-nationalist rallies are becoming a weekly occurrence in the German capital of Berlin, activists are turning to apps to help track the extremist movement and ensure it doesn't evolve into something more dangerous, RT reports. The app, which is named "Berlin Gegen Nazis" (Berlin Against Nazis), shares the same name as the anti-Nazi movement itself and is expected to be released on the iPhone in the immediate future. Using the app, citizens and law enforcement can map extremist activity and organize rallies in opposition to Nazi activity. Brown lines represent gatherings identified as Nazi-centric, while orange lines show oppositional rallies, creating a sort of chess match between the two factions. The group, and by extension, the app, have the support of the Berlin city government as well as other democratic groups.
The Big Picture: a laser-beamed satellite image of Berlin
At first glance, the satellite image above may seem like one of the many that have been shared in the past. What you're looking at, though, was delivered in a much more timely manner than the imagery which came before it. For the first time ever, the European Space Agency has used a laser to beam a photograph to Earth -- of Berlin, in this case -- stretching around 36,000 km (or roughly 22,000 miles) across space and delivering it almost in real time. The ESA was able to accomplish this by linking up its Sentinel-1 and Alphasat satellites, both of which are equipped with a laser communications system that makes it possible to deliver data at super high speeds.
'Duke Nukem 3D' and leaked Yahoo passwords pass for art at this gallery
It wasn't all that long ago that the biggest argument surrounding video games was whether or not they should be considered art -- something that's given way to more distressing topics as of late. A German gallery has an opinion on the former, however, and with the "Hurt Me Plenty" exhibit, it examines the intersection of gaming and technology and their effects on the real-world. In the video below, artist Aram Bartholl gives a guided, first-person (naturally) tour of the exhibit, explaining the reasoning behind pieces based on the idle hands animation and that of the pistol firing from Duke Nukem 3D. As Make notes, the installation melds the pixely digital imagery with physical media like wood and halftone printing to pretty great effect.
Not so fast: Uber facing bans in Germany once again
Just when you thought Uber's legal battle in Germany was settled once and for all, Bloomberg is now writing about the company having to deal with new challenges in that country. According to the report, Uber has been ordered to bring its UberPop and UberBlack services to a halt, yet again, in two of Germany's biggest cities, Berlin and Hamburg. Local authorities there argued that Uber clearly violates German laws, claiming the ridesharing firm doesn't have the appropriate license to operate legally, which was enough for courts in those cities to rule in favor of a ban. "The services violate multiple rules for transporting people that serve to protect customers," a spokesperson for the Berlin court told Bloomberg. "The ban serves to protect the viability and functioning of the taxi services, in which the public has an important interest."
What you can expect at IFA 2014
IFA is one of the largest consumer electronics trade shows in the world, and it's also one of the most unique. The annual show, held this week in Berlin, has a knack for announcing new washing machines, sewing machines and kitchen appliances alongside the latest smartphones, smartwatches and tablets. Here at Engadget, we're primarily focused on the latter (though who doesn't love a free fruit smoothie sample from time to time?), and there's a lot to cover. Let's head straight into what new gadgets and devices we can expect to see announced at this week's event.
Uber banned across Germany
Despite putting the brakes on injunctions in both Berlin and Hamburg, Uber has once again felt the effects of a ban, but this time it's effective on a national level. Earlier today, a court in Frankfurt ruled that the car-hailing service doesn't have the necessary permits or insurance under German law. Despite facing a potential €250,000 fine for each unsanctioned journey and the risk that its directors could face time behind bars, Uber says the ban is unenforceable and has pledged to continue picking up passengers while it launches an appeal. Industry body Taxi Deutschland is happy with the ruling, though, describing Uber as a "form of locust share-economy" and also adding that smartphone ratings should not replace proper accreditation by authorities. The ruling comes just days after the company announced its intention to double capacity in the country by year-end. Despite today's court action hanging over its head, even the threat of a national ban doesn't appear to have distracted Uber from meeting its goal.
Uber's back on the road in Berlin
Last week, regulators in the city of Berlin parked Uber's ride-sharing service, citing the risk to passenger safety and the need to protect taxi operators. However, today a judge in the Berlin Administrative Court suspended the ban imposed by State Department of Civil and Regulatory Affairs just a few days ago. This means that the UberPOP and UberBlack are back in action until another decision says otherwise, because as you might expect, the local taxi industry won't be too pleased with the decision.
Berlin bans Uber to protect passengers and its taxis
It's safe to say that Uber has become a victim of its own success, provoking the ire of the global taxi industry and also its fellow ridesharing competitors. While it's enjoyed some leniency in the US, European regulators have put the boot into the app, with Berlin becoming the latest city to ban Uber cars from its roads. In a statement, Berlin's State Department of Civil and Regulatory Affairs said that Uber puts passenger safety at risk by using "unverified drivers in unlicensed vehicles," and threatened to levy a €25,000 ($33,400) fine each time it violates the ban. Drivers won't escape action either, receiving €20,000 ($26,750) fine if they're caught pursuing passengers.
'Watch Dogs' web app turns real data into a virtual surveillance state
It seems like there's even more truth to developer Ubisoft's ode-to-hackers, Watch Dogs, than we first thought. Like we've previously reported, the game's depiction of a smart city that connects drawbridges, traffic lights and its population's smartphones (among other things) all to a single operating system is closer to fact than science-fiction, but the game studio has taken the notion one step further. With the We Are Data web app, you can wade through maps of publicly available geo-location information like tweets, Foursquare check-ins and even traffic light and CCTV camera placement -- all stuff you can find in the game's Chicago. As of now, you can only live out your Aiden Pearce fantasies with info from neighborhoods in London, Berlin and Paris, but there's quite a bit to click on should you be so inclined. The available datasets aren't nearly as extensive as, say, something like Urban Observatory's, but it's pretty neat nonetheless. If searching for public restroom-locations from your desk isn't quite your cup of tea, you could always leave the browser tab open in the background -- its ambient city sounds are oddly calming.
Sci-fi sandbox Proven Lands goes roguelike on Greenlight with demo
Berlin-based indie developer Thesetales launched a Kickstarter project and Steam Greenlight page for its roguelike game Proven Lands this week. The third-person sci-fi game is available to check out in its pre-alpha state in a proof of concept PC demo. Proven Lands features an optional five-episode main story arc in which players control Teruo Nakamura, named after a real-life soldier of the Japanese Imperial Army "who did not surrender until 1974." The game also includes an AI-driven story engine that generates a "one-off adventure" based on randomly-generated elements. Thesetales cites Don't Starve and Starbound among its inspirations, which is readily apparent in the hunt-and-gather style gameplay shown in its Kickstarter pitch video. A recent update on the project's crowdfunding page notes plans for multiplayer modes in some capacity as well. Thesetales is seeking £299,000 ($497,177) by April 12 to bring Proven Lands to PC in the first quarter of 2015, followed by Mac and iOS in the second quarter, then Linux and Android at a later date. Those that pledge roughly $15/£9/11 euros will receive a digital copy of the game when it launches. [Image: Thesetales]
Shadowrun Returns' Berlin expansion called 'Dragonfall,' arriving January
Harebrained Schemes revealed more details for its Berlin-based expansion to Shadowrun Returns, now known as Shadowrun: Dragonfall. Originally expected to land in October before being delayed to January, the expansion will place players in the stable anarchy of the Free City of Berlin, offering a new "full-length" campaign to play. The expansion will include new weapons such as grenade launchers, long-range sniper rifles and tasers as well as new enemies like gargoyles. Dragonfall will feature a few gameplay improvements as well, such as added options in the game editor like a scripting system to control in-game lighting, keypad passwords and custom strings of dialog. Those toying around with the game editor will have access to the new Berlin art, characters and items as well. Harebrained Schemes noted that it will add the ability to save your game anywhere in the adventure, a helpful feature that will be included in the original Dead Man's Switch campaign. Shadowrun: Dragonfall will launch on PC, Mac and Linux in January 2014 for $14.99 and will be bundled in with the original game in a Shadowrun Campaign Pack for $24.99. Harebrained Schemes will provide free Steam keys for the expansion to those that backed Shadowrun Returns on Kickstarter.
We're live from IFA 2013 in Berlin!
We've just wormed our way inside Messe Berlin's cavernous halls for IFA, where we're expecting to see a deluge of fresh hardware that'll include smartphones with 4K-recording chops and at least one smartwatch of note. ASUS, Samsung and Sony are holding their respective press events tomorrow, and we're pretty confident we'll see the rumored Honami from Hirai and Co., along with the Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy Gear from JK Shin and friends. On Thursday, Haier, Lenovo, LG and Panasonic will keep the announcements coming with their round of reveals. Finally, Friday will round out our time at the show with keynotes from Sprint CEO Dan Hesse and Ford's own head honcho, Alan Mullaly. To stay on top of all the unveilings, keep your browser trained on our IFA 2013 hub.
Shadowrun Returns 'Berlin' DLC coming late October
Shadowrun Returns developer Harebrained Schemes is aiming to launch the game's Berlin DLC in late October. It also noted plans to localize the game for other regions, with "Spanish, Italian, German, and French versions ready to play by early October." Shadowrun Returns recently received its first patch, though the developer is still fixing bugs and intends to update the game again in the future. The iOS version of the cyberpunk RPG has been delayed a few weeks, but Harebrained Schemes can't pin down an exact release date due to Apple's certification process.
Samsung 'Unpacked Episode 2' scheduled for September 4th in Berlin
The second installment of Samsung's 2013 "Unpacked" event series is scheduled for the first Wednesday in September, just before the annual IFA consumer electronics show kicks off in Berlin. As the sketched invite above confirms, the Galaxy Note III will undoubtedly be the star of this show, which is set to begin at 7PM local time (1PM ET) on September 4th. We'll of course be there to cover the festivities live from the German capital, and Samsung's promised to provide a YouTube livestream feed that you can follow along with as well.
Huge crowds greet Berlin Apple Store
Judging from the huge crowds that attended the opening of the new Apple Store Kurfürstendamm in Berlin on Friday, the German capital was starving for an Apple Store of its own. The Berlin store is the 11th Apple Store in Germany, but the first in Berlin. The video below shows the controlled chaos in the store as the throng is welcomed into the store at 5:00 PM local time by blue-shirted Apple employees. ifoAppleStore's Gary Allen took a road trip for the store opening and tweeted that the 4,500 free t-shirts printed for the opening were completely gone by 8:50 PM. There was a live music performance by Passenger at the store's theatre on Saturday night, and the opening festivities continue this afternoon with director Jan-Ole Gerster and actor Tom Schilling talking about the 2012 movie Oh Boy. Apple has also posted a gallery of photos from construction and the opening on the web page for the Kurfürstendamm store.
Daily Update for May 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
Apple places product displays outside future Berlin Apple Store
German site Apfelpage reports that Apple has installed new display cabinets outside of its new, yet-to-be-opened Berlin store. The displays currently promote the iPhone 5, with mock, over-sized iPhones not uncommon to other Apple retail stores. It's understood that the move will attract customers to the store as there is not much else besides two small Apple logos mounted on the store front to attract potential customers. However, Apple Stores, particularly road side ones, are well known for having minimalist, sometimes understated fronts. Both the Regent Street and Covent Garden Apples stores in London come to mind. As reported last week on TUAW, the new store, located in an historic building on the Kurfürstendamm, will open on May 3, 2013. It is the 11th Apple Store to open in Germany. [Via MacNN]
Berlin Apple Store opens May 3
Residents of Germany's capital city, Berlin, will have their very own Apple Store to visit starting next Friday. On May 3, 2013, the Apple Store Kurfürstendamm Berlin will open at 5 PM local time. If past is prelude, early arrivals at the opening can expect clapping and cheering employees, a countdown and free T-shirts. The store is scheduled to have regular open hours of 10 AM to 8 PM Monday through Saturday, closed on Sundays. During the opening weekend the store has special hours -- on Friday, May 3, it will be open from 5 PM to 10 PM local time, on May 4 it will be open from 10 AM until 10 PM, and on Sunday, May 5 the store will be open from 1 PM until 6 PM. The store is located in a renovated historic building on the Kurfürstendamm, not far from the Zoologischer Garten Berlin, the U2 oder S-Bahn "Zoo Station" or the U1 Uhlandstrasse station. The facility is the 11th Apple Store in Germany.
Daily Update for April 17, 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
Scaffolding comes down from first Berlin Apple store
Next month, Apple will open its first store in Berlin, and in a sign that the completion of the store is progressing as scheduled, today the exterior construction scaffolding has started to come down. AppleInsider got its hands on some of the pictures of the store sans scaffolding and from the initial images, it seems Apple has done a good job in restoring -- and preserving -- the historic building. The Berlin store will be housed in a former movie theater in the city's Ku'damm 26 district. The district is the most expensive shopping local in the former West Berlin, according to AI. It's neighbors will include a Hard Rock Cafe across the street. Once opened, the Berlin store will be Apple's 11th in Germany, and the country's largest.
