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Engadget took over Austin for a night and here's what happened
Bombs were dropped on our Editor-in-Chief while he innocently drove away in a Jeep. Engadget readers enjoyed alcohol in both vaporized and brewed form. A totally retro retailer crashed the party with its unique helmets. Those are just some of our favorite things that happened last Friday when we took over Austin Music Hall to kick off our Engadget Live series!
Austin: Engadget Live is this Friday!
If you're going to be in Austin, TX this Friday, June 20th, join us as we kick off our Engadget Live series at the famed Austin Music Hall, 7PM sharp! Come join your fellow Austin gadget lovers and the brands that excite them for an incredible night. One of the brands you'll get to interact with is Austin's own Chaotic Moon. The production studio will be showing off the untitled follow-up to Shark Punch (which taught us what the ocean's greatest predators looked like inside-out). One player will put on an Oculus Rift and drive a virtual Jeep, while a second uses an iPad to drop bombs on the other's vehicle. Insane, right?
Apple promises $2M to help Bay Area host Super Bowl 50 and more news from June 6, 2014
Friday is usually a slow news day in the tech world, but not today. We have a heapin' helpin' of hot Apple news to serve up: Apple CEO Tim Cook is a huge football fan, being both a supporter of Auburn University's Tigers and a member of the board of directors of the National Football Foundation. And now, the company he leads has promised US$2 million towards helping the Bay Area host the 50th National Football League championship game, AKA "Super Bowl L" (yeah, that Roman number 50 looks odd...). Google, Yahoo, Intel and other companies have also chipped in, and if all works out for the organizing committee, the 2016 Super Bowl could be held at the soon-to-be-opened Levi's Stadium (see image at top) in Santa Clara, CA. PayPal's talking about using Apple's Touch ID capabilities in its iOS apps as soon as possible. Apple has opened up the Touch ID APIs to developers in iOS 8, opening the door for the mobile payment giant to take advantage of Apple's fingerprint security technology. Rumor has it that Apple will begin building Touch ID into every iOS device announced beginning this year. Apple executives Tim Cook and Eddy Cue were on hand in Austin, TX yesterday for an opening celebration of the new Apple campus there. The new buildings host Apple support, engineering, and operations facilities, and are just the first of a planned expansion that won't be completed until 2021. Remember the Vaavud wind meter for iOS devices that TUAW reviewed last August? The manufacturer is hosting an outdoor adventure video competition, with applicants sharing adventures using the Vaavud in the most creative and adventurous situations. Here's your chance to win prizes from more Vaavud wind meters all the way up to a DJI Phantom 2 Quadcopter. The folks over at 9to5Mac are reporting that HealthKit apparently supports some Bluetooth health accessories natively, meaning that the manufacturers no longer have to supply their own apps along with the devices.
Austin, get ready... Engadget Live is coming!
We've heard that it's going to be hot in Austin on June 20th. Sure, one could say that's just a typical June day in Austin, but we'd like to think it's because we're coming to town. Our Engadget Live series kicks off at 7PM at the famous Austin Music Hall. Previously, we announced that attendees can expect to see Chaotic Moon, Re3D, Charmed Labs, Techjango and Zero Motorcycles. But that can't be all, right?
Engadget Live is coming to Austin on June 20th!
Austin, we love you. We mutually understand that things should be kept weird (otherwise, life would be boring). With that in mind, we're kicking off the Engadget Live series in the live music capital of the world: 7PM on June 20th at the Austin Music Hall! Austin's Chaotic Moon, the people behind this damn electricity-shooting helicopter will stun you with another incredible creation. Perhaps you want a life-sized replica of Oprah printed? Re3D's got you covered with the world's largest 3D printer. Building a robot? Charmed Labs' Pixy is a sensor that can teach it to find things and you'll get to check it out. Techjango, which brought us the Darkmatter Xbox laptop, will show off even more gadgets for makers. If that wasn't enough, AF1 Racing will bring its totally electric (and fast!) Zero Motorcycle so you can experience it yourself.
AT&T's 300 Mbps internet launches in Austin, starting at $70 with targeted ads
Right on time, AT&T has launched its 300 Mbps GigaPower internet service in Austin. The fast U-Verse tier is available now to residents in "eligible" neighborhoods, while others can vote fiberhood-style for a deployment in their area. A free upgrade to 1 Gbps is still due sometime in 2014. Just don't expect a traditional approach to pricing. To get GigaPower service at a Google Fiber-rivaling $70 per month, you'll have to let AT&T target its web ads based on your browsing and search histories; Austinites uncomfortable with such tracking will have to shell out $99 per month for otherwise identical speeds. We imagine that some won't like the ad-subsidized business model, but it may be a small price to pay for locals who aren't willing to wait for Google's take on high-speed fiber.
Google widens Fiber rollout in Kansas City, shows how signups will work in Austin
Did you move to the Kansas City area too late to register for Google Fiber? Don't fret -- Google has both reopened sign-ups in the region's 180 current fiber neighborhoods and detailed an upcoming expansion. Those in existing Fiber areas can sign up for service by December 22nd, with installations due by the spring. Meanwhile, those in outlying locations such as Gladstone, Grandview, Kansas City North, South Kansas City and Raytown will get a chance to sign up in March. The search giant has also provided a brief explanation of how Austin residents will sign up for Fiber service when it's available in their town. As in Kansas City, Austinites will be organized into fiberhoods that have to meet registration goals within a few weeks to qualify for a deployment. There's still no word on just when the process will begin, although the mid-2014 service target doesn't leave much time for Google to get the ball rolling.
AT&T brings 300Mbps fiber internet to Austin in December, gigabit by 'mid-2014'
Now that AT&T is actually laying down fiber-optic line in Austin, we have yet another reason to be jealous of Texas' weird city. According to Ma Bell, "tens of thousands" will be getting 300Mbps downloads (and uploads), the "fastest internet speeds available" in town to the general public, come December. Those subscribers can snag a free upgrade to gigabit service -- GigaPower, as the company calls it -- when it's available in the middle of next year. Oh, and if you want a say in where the ultra-fast service travels, make your neighborhood proud by voting at AT&T's website. For some reason though, we don't imagine Google will be casting any ballots. [Original image credit: Adriano Aurielo Araujo / Flickr]
Report: Prey 2 reboot in development at Arkane Austin
The Austin, TX branch of Dishonored developer Arkane Studios has begun pre-production on a reboot of Prey 2, according to a Kotaku report citing supposedly leaked internal emails written by Arkane Studios' creative director, Raphael Colantonio. "Austin has officially been green lit for its own project," one of the emails reads. "Doing a new IP was not a possibility because it's adding risk to the challenge of growth, so after going back and forth with Todd, Harvey, Ricardo, we decided that Prey 2 presented an interesting opportunity if we could reboot it. Zenimax accepted our pitch which was 'the spiritual successor to System Shock 3.'" According to the report, this project is a new attempt at developing Prey 2, completely unrelated to the troubled efforts underway at Human Head Studios. Bethesda VP of PR and marketing Pete Hines had previously said that Human Head's work on the game was "not up to our quality standards." We've contacted Arkane for comment. [Image: Human Head Studios' Prey 2]
AT&T announces plans for 1Gbps fiber service in Austin, Texas; Google gets immediate competition
First thought: "Ha!" Second thought: "Oh, wait -- competition is an excellent thing." While it's highly probable that AT&T is looking to both overshadow Google's launch party and maintain a foothold in one of its most prized states, the outfit's terse announcement of an impending 1Gbps fiber network should honestly be seen as nothing but excellent news for residents of Austin. Merely hours after Google and the city of Austin jointly made clear that Google Fiber would be hitting up local homes in mid-2014, Ma Bell has made public its "intent" to built a 1 Gigabit fiber network in the same area. AT&T's expanded fiber plans in Austin anticipate it will be granted the "same terms and conditions as Google on issues such as geographic scope of offerings, rights of way, permitting, state licenses and any investment incentives." Of course, it's seriously unlikely AT&T will offer up basic fiber connections for free in the way that Google's doing, but on a macro level, we certainly hope this type of one-upping continues in more towns across the country. And, more specifically, that AT&T continues to roll out fiber networks on its own accord in various locales; with FiOS expansion indefinitely paused, we sure need someone to step up and keep the dream alive.
Google Fiber rollout detailed for Austin: connections by mid-2014, similar pricing (updated)
The Google Fiber rollout for Austin has been spoiled twice, but today it's officially official: the music-centric city will become a gigabit city... eventually, that is. Google now says that it will start wiring Austinite homes for super-fast internet access by mid-2014 -- we wouldn't cancel that cable or DSL service just yet, sadly. At least the pricing should be familiar. Google still plans to offer both stand-alone internet access and internet-plus-TV bundles, both at rates within the ballpark of what it offers for Kansas City, and there will still be a near-free 5Mbps plan that only requires a one-off construction fee. Institutions will get free gigabit access, of course. While we'd like Google Fiber as soon as possible, we're just happy to realize that our next SXSW crash pad may have a lot more bandwidth on tap. Update: During a formal announcement call, Google and the city of Austin provided a few minor details. They revealed that Google didn't get any incentives to land a deal, and that engineering work is only beginning in earnest on April 10th. As for AT&T's me-too initiative? Kevin Lo from Google Fiber says that it's "great" to see AT&T aware that the demand exists for gigabit access. No hard feelings, then.
Google Fiber is officially coming to Austin, Texas
Hear that? It's Austin, being weird enough to add yet another reason to live within its city limits. As rumored, Google Fiber will be rolling down to one of Texas' most esteemed towns in the near future, joining the Kansas City, Kansas and Missouri metro as the only locales (so far) in the US of A offering the outfit's Fiber-based TV, phone and 1Gbps broadband services. Mum's the word on an exact rollout, but we'll update this post as we learn more.
Rumors suggest Austin, Texas is next up for a Google Fiber rollout (update: so does its website)
The major problem most of us have with Google Fiber is that we can't get it, but that could change soon for residents of Austin, Texas. According to reports by VentureBeat and KVUE News in Austin, invites are going out for an event on Tuesday at 11 AM put on by Google and the city. Anonymous sources indicate that's where the two will announce plans to bring the TV and high speed internet hookup's plans for expansion Until we hear differently however, Google Fiber's rollout is still only confirmed for the Kansas City area, so plan your living arrangements accordingly. Update: A tipster informs us that the news section on the Google Fiber "Cities" page is currently (3AM ET) flashing a "Google Fiber's Next Stop: Austin, Texas" header. While author "SoAndSo" is not particularly well known, we'd figure this removes any remaining doubt where the service is landing next. [Thanks, Chris]
Apple will re-open expanded Texas Apple Store
We just mentioned yesterday that Apple was going to be revamping a few of its stores here inside the United States, and here's another one. The Apple Store in Barton Creek near Austin, Texas is set for a re-opening this weekend, after closing last year. The new store has taken over a place formerly used by Pottery Barn, and will reopen its doors on March 23 at 10 AM. Just like most of the other revamps across the country, the new store has lots more space, to be used to show off more demo units, run more training sessions and a larger Genius Bar as well. As is usual at new Apple Store openings, the first 1,000 people to the store on Saturday will get a free tshirt. We're likely to see at least a few more of these revamps happen around the country as 2013 goes on.
Live from SXSW: catch our Leap Motion, Elon Musk and Al Gore liveblogs today!
Austin, Texas is loaded to the gills with geeks of every shape and size, and we're here too! We're parked at the city's convention center for a day filled with A-list SXSW speakers, including Elon Musk of Tesla and SpaceX fame, former Vice President Al Gore and the ace team from Leap Motion. We'll be liveblogging several events today, and bringing you hands-ons and interviews throughout the weekend and early next week. Head over to our event page for a full rundown of our SXSW posts, galleries and videos, and be sure to check out our liveblogs, kicking off with Leap Motion at 1:30PM ET, then followed by Elon Musk at 3:00PM ET and Al Gore at 4:30PM ET. Oh, and if you're in Austin tonight, don't forget to drop by our very first Engadget+gdgt Live event. We'll see you there!
See results of Media Molecule's game jam in Austin on March 7
When Media Molecule makes a game for real, it's about leading burlap heroes through infinite player-created levels, or interacting with a virtual paper world. The company's PS4 concept was about shaping virtual clay with a Move. So when freed from practical or commercial concerns, we imagine the results are fairly interesting.Austin residents will find out March 7 at 7 p.m., when Media Molecule will attend the monthly Juegos Rancheros game collective meetup to reveal the results of its first game jam. The team will talk about running an internal jam and how it relates to the company's work, such as the coming Tearaway.In non-MM news, Deep Sea creator and Antichamber sound designer Robin Arnott will show off SoundSelf, a game that "combines your own voice with evolving fractal graphics and mind-altering auditory feedback."
Nation of Indies teaches Austin devs how to become indie
The folks behind Austin, Texas' Juegos Rancheros initiative have taken it upon themselves to mitigate the damage caused by the absurd number of gaming layoffs that have affected this region over the last year, and they're doing so through education.Nation of Indies is a free, single-day crash course in becoming an indie developer, with talks on different methods of funding procurement, small business management techniques, software tool investment and long-term sustainability. Indie developers Semi Secret, Tiger Style and others will be on hand, lending their expertise on how to transition from being someone's employee, to running your own studio.The symposium takes place on Sunday, February 10, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central, and RSVPing is encouraged.
Crytek USA to be headed by former Vigil boss
Crysis developer Crytek has formed Crytek USA Corp. in Austin, Texas. Crytek notes the Austin studio is its ninth worldwide and will be headed by former Vigil general manager David Adams, who'll oversee a team of "35 experienced developers."Gamasutra asked Crytek if the new Austin studio was basically a purchase of defunct publisher THQ's shuttered Vigil Games, but Crytek informed the outlet it was "more like a new start for [the team at Vigil]."Vestiges of Vigil aren't the only thing Crytek picked up out of the THQ bankruptcy, purchasing the rights to Homefront for a half-million.Update: IGN has confirmed all 35 employees are former Vigil staff. [Image: Kushal Bose via Shutterstock]
Samsung gets go-ahead on $3.9 billion chip production line expansion in Texas
Samsung's plans for a substantial renovations at hits semiconductor factory in Austin have been approved. Completing talks with the government of Texas, the world's biggest memory chip-maker will be expanding the capacity of its already substantial production lines, hoping to keep up with the ever-increasing demand for mobile components.
Apple breaks ground on Texas campus
We've known Apple was planning on expanding its presence in Austin, Texas, for a while now, and Wired reports the company has now broken ground on its new facility. The new center will measure a whopping 1 million square feet and is expected to be a major player in the company's operations. The company's current Austin-based facility employs more than 3,500 people. The new building is expected to cost nearly $300 million and will double the size of Apple's personnel in the city. If all goes according to plan, the project will be completed in two phases. The first phase includes a pair of buildings that measure 200,000 square feet combined. That portion of the facility is expected to be completed by 2015. Several more buildings will be constructed, adding an additional 800,000 square feet of space, by the end of 2021.
