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AT&T brings free WiFi to four more NYC parks, will occupy your downtime
AT&T's public WiFi rollout seems to be moving along rather splendidly, now that four additional New York City parks have been bathed in the golden rays of the internet. The carrier confirmed the expansion yesterday, announcing that its free WiFi service is now available at Mineral Springs and Tavern on the Green in Central Park, as well as Pier 6 in Brooklyn Bridge Park and Devoe Park, up in the Bronx. That brings AT&T closer to its goal of 26 WiFi-enabled city locations, and inches New Yorkers ever closer to networked nirvana. Full PR after the break.
AT&T brings free WiFi to eleven NYC parks, untold pigeon ladies
There was once a time, believe it or not, when New Yorkers would go to public parks to engage in long strolls, unfettered cigarette smoking, and neurotic conversations with Diane Keaton. Recent years, however, have seen a sudden change in this behavior due to a variety of factors -- including AT&T. Yesterday, the provider announced an expansion of its ongoing New York City WiFi initiative, bringing free connectivity to eleven new sites across the five boroughs, including Prospect Park, Tompkins Square Park and Marcus Garvey Park, among others. With these new additions, AT&T inches closer to its stated goal of bathing 26 park locations in WiFi, though the Grand Poobah, Central Park, remains in the dark. As with its earlier rollout, visitors won't need an AT&T account to get online. In fact, they won't need any contract at all -- just a WiFi-enabled device, a cozy bench and bountiful downtime. Full PR after the break.
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.
Face of Mankind under new management, adding new features
If you've ever played Face of Mankind, you may have gotten something of a blast from the past in your inbox this morning. The sci-fi sandbox MMORPG is under new management, and the team at Nexeon Technologies sent out an email blurb advertising the fact that the game has undergone significant changes (and has a new website and forum to boot). Nexeon provides a list of all the tweaks that have occurred in recent months, including frequent patches and bug fixes, account portal integration, a new tutorial, and the implementation of famous New York City locales including Brooklyn and Ground Zero. The press release also hints at major updates still in the planning stages, including an item shop, additional colonies, customizable apartments, and more. Face of Mankind is notable for being one of a very few MMORPGs to emphasize roleplay, community, and player-driven politics as primary gameplay systems, and you can read more about the title at its official website.
Apple cracks down on counterfeit products sold in NYC, files lawsuit against Queens vendors
There may be more than a few fake Apple Stores in China, but for the moment, Cupertino's anti-KIRF crusade seems focused squarely on New York City. According to Reuters, Apple has filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against two stores in Queens, alleging that they sold unauthorized cases, headphones and other accessories for the iPhone, iPad and iPod. In the complaint, the company claims that the products in question were all emblazoned with its familiar fruit logo, along with the phrase, "Designed by Apple in California. Assembled in China." The suit also demands that one of the stores, called Apple Story (seriously), change its name to avoid confusion with the real retail outlet and that both vendors disclose full lists of people who both supplied and purchased the goods. It all began when company representatives visited the Chinatown-area stores on "multiple occasions over several weeks," where they bought and examined the items, described in court records as "exact duplicates" of their authentic counterparts. On July 27th, Apple executed a few ex parte seizure warrants, which allowed authorities to seize any goods bearing its logo. US District Judge Kiyo Matsumoto has already granted an injunction to stop the stores from selling the alleged knockoffs, but hasn't yet decided whether Apple Story will have to change its name. The complaint also seeks undisclosed monetary damages and asks that all existing counterfeit goods be destroyed, though court documents suggest that both sides are close to reaching a deal. Neither Apple nor the defendants have commented on the accusations, but we'll let you know as soon as we learn more. In the meantime, check out this KIRF "iPhone 5" we found in Beijing -- a Java-powered handset that's slimmer than the Galaxy S II and a bit laggy, but boasts a multitouch capacitive screen. Asking price? ¥680, or about $106. %Gallery-131124%
'Game Play' theater festival combines gaming and performance art
Brooklyn-area nerds are about to receive a special gift from the cultured world of indie theater. For the majority of July, The Brick Theater will play host to "Game Play," a theater festival comprised of gaming-oriented stage productions, musical performances and interactive performance art, among other things. The schedule is pretty wild and ranges from what you'd expect (chiptune dance parties), to what you wouldn't (nerd-culture burlesque shows.) For instance: Romeoo and Julietet, a modern interpretation of Shakespeare's classic, will be performed entirely within World of Warcraft, while Modal Kombat uses real-ass guitars to control Mortal Kombat characters, as seen after the break. The venue has even turned one event, their Rock Band Karaoke Night, into a fundraiser for Child's Play, granting free admission to anyone with a Child's Play donation receipt. The festival runs from July 7 through the 31, and tickets are available now. Hit the source link to check out the full schedule, but be careful: there are some seriously-almost-entirely-nude naked people on this website. You have been warned!
Brooklyn Motorized looks to bring classic styling to new-age electric motorcycles
One of the most beautiful things about motorcycles is that their styling is rather less restrained than your average automobile. Bikes have covered just about every shape and size, largely ignoring crash testing results and aerodynamic concerns, and the upcoming electric motorcycle from Brooklyn Motorized certainly makes little concession for either. It's a scooter-sized thing, with about a 60MPH top speed and a 30 mile range, figures that don't fare particularly well to the competition from Brammo or Zero. But, this two-wheeled wonder is designed for apartment living, the battery pack coming out of the frame for easy charging indoors -- something Zero is only just starting to get behind. Also, cost here is expected to be less than $6,000, which could be plenty enticing indeed. That is, of course, if you don't have very far to go.
Beautiful Earth's NYC solar powered EV charger follows the sun to Brooklyn Bridge Park
The solar-powered, green and white Beautiful Earth Group EV charging station, which once found its shipping container internals filled with a Mini E, is no longer. Well, it's no longer where it was, anyway. It's now somewhere completely different, a place that happens to be just down the road, a land known by many as Brooklyn. It's Brooklyn Bridge Park, specifically, and Better Earth has donated the thing to the facilities department there. It'll be used to charge up the service vehicles that patrol the place, apparently including a pair of GEM and Toro Workman EVs that look like they might have been Photoshopped into the promotional picture above. The presumably non-digitally-manipulated ones will all be recharged using the charging station's 24 solar cells, generating 5.6kW and, ultimately, saving the world. Or, at least, the Park.
Brooklyn bus riders get real-time bus tracking via cellphone
New York's Metropolitan Transit Authority launched a pilot program a few months back that offered bus riders some real-time tracking information, but it's now expanded things with a whole new program on the B63 route in Brooklyn. That service is currently accessible via a mobile-friendly website or text message, and smartphone users can also scan simply snap a picture of a barcode (presumably a QR code) at a bus stop to immediately check in on the location of the next five buses that will arrive at the stop. What's more, unlike the previous program, this new system is based on an open source platform developed with the help of OpenPlans, and the MTA is actually encouraging developers to dig into the API and develop their own solutions -- which could certainly get interesting as the program is expanded across the city (the Staten Island bus line is next up). Head on past the break for the MTA's press release, and hit up the link below to try out the service right in your browser.
Apple hoping to open Brooklyn store in Atlantic Yards development
Sure, Apple's Fifth Avenue retail store may be New York City's fifth most-photographed location, but Brooklynites need their Apple fix, too -- and it seems that Apple wants to be sure to take care of them. While not confirmed yet as of this writing, The New York Observer reports that Apple is looking at putting its fifth sixth NYC store near the proposed Atlantic Yards arena, a mixed-use commercial and residential development and future home to the New Jersey Nets basketball team in the Prospect Heights neighborhood in Brooklyn. According to the report, Apple has been in discussions with developer Forest City Ratner about moving into a retail slot, with an anonymous source saying that "they're focusing on the arena area right now, but there's no space. But it's the only place in Brooklyn that's super visible, close to trains and about as close as you can get to a 24-hour community in the borough." Apple currently has over 300 retail stores, but continues to open new locations both in the United States and abroad in places like Paris and Australia. With retail store sales still climbing, we can probably expect to see many more stores popping up in unrepresented corners of the world. [Corrected to note that the Staten Island store is officially a New York City store, meaning NYC already has five stores.]
Proposal would put a solar garden on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway
If you've ever spent any time on New York City's finest roadway, the Brooklyn Queens Expressway, garden is not one of the first words that comes to mind. That could change on one particular strip in Brooklyn if a concept -- which you see above -- gets approved and built. The concept is part of a project calling for solutions to a trench that runs from Carroll Gardens to the Columbia Street Waterfront in Brooklyn. Starr Whitehouse Landscape architects floated three possible solutions for improving the stretch, which would cost between about $10 and $18 million, very cheap in comparison to other projects of this type. The Green Canopy proposal calls for a massive plant covered canopy with solar panels to stretch over top of the entire area making it self-sustaining and reducing noise in the area. Hit up the source to check out the other proposed projects.
Caseable keeps your mobile gear protected, acceptable to high-fashion society
Yeah, you've got a plethora of options when it comes to covering the investment known as your very own laptop / tablet. But how's about 20,000 options? Caseable, a minty fresh startup from the wilds of Brooklyn, New York, is currently offering handmade cases for just about every size notebook or tablet imaginable, and if the pages upon pages of factory styles don't sit well with you, you can toss in a JPEG of your own. Of course, such customizations won't come cheap -- a standard 15-inch or iPad case looks to start at $69.90, but hey, at least it's cheaper than this thing.
Will Wright's Current TV show shooting pilot this week
Will Wright and his Stupid Fun Club have a handful of projects in the works -- this much we know. And today, one of those projects became a bit more official: a television show for Current TV. According to a Current TV representative, Wright is working on "an original show" for the network. The pilot is being filmed this week just across the East River in Brooklyn (if you also happen to be in Manhattan). The show is presumably the not so well-guarded project that was detailed earlier this year, "The Creation Project," which reportedly relies on user-created storylines. (Wright has at least one more TV project in the pipeline.) We invite you to tell your own stories from the set photos seen in the gallery below. %Gallery-99976%
Brooklyn theater putting on plays inspired by video games
Just because we're video game fans here at Joystiq doesn't mean we don't appreciate the more classical forms of art -- as long as they're related to video games, that is. Like this series of shows at the Brick Theater in Brooklyn, NY, for example. It's a whole month of some quality live drama, all driven and influenced by video games. There's Grand Theft Ovid, which tells some of the Roman poet's tales using everyone's favorite carjack simulator (along with a few other popular games). Modal Kombat features a set of guitar controllers that are used to play non-music games. The best, though, might be the Theater of the Arcade, which takes old games like Duck Hunt and Donkey Kong and presents them, re-imagined, as short theatrical vignettes. O Mario, Mario, wherefore art thou? The shows are going on at the Brick through the rest of July. Performances are just $15, plus there's also a Rock Band Karaoke night and a few other game-related events sprinkled throughout the run. If your significant other is complaining that you're spending too many nights in front of the TV and not enough out enjoying the arts, this seems like a perfect compromise. [Thanks, Edward!]
Brooklyn's borough prez makes a play for Apple Store
It may seem like New York City is already pretty well stocked with Apple retail outlets. With four full-scale storefronts in Manhattan, including the iconic 24-hour 5th Ave cube and the new Upper West Side 'temple of iPad,' the city's 5th store in the Staten Island Mall seems like an afterthought. Do the Big Apple's denizens really need yet another Apple Store? According to Brooklyn's borough president Marty Markowitz, the answer isn't just "Yes," it's "Hell, yes!" In an email last week to Steve Jobs, Marty implored the Apple management team to consider a retail presence in the 'Creative Capital' of NYC. He pointed out that Brooklyn's retail resurgence is ongoing and upward-trending in a tough market; the new IKEA store in the ruggedly hip Red Hook district is among the chain's top American outlets (although it's easier to get there from Manhattan, by water shuttle, than from most of Brooklyn), and the neighborhood also hosts the popular Fairway supermarket. Those of you with long memories may recall that a Brooklyn Apple store was 'confirmed'... two years ago. With Brooklyn's Mac-friendly neighborhoods of Park Slope, Brooklyn Heights, DUMBO and Williamsburg eager to shop local, the idea of an Apple store in the borough does make some sense. DUMBO in particular is home to scores of digital firms, including our friends at Dealnews/Dealmac and Freeverse (in the same office building). To make sure that Steve got the message, Marty & his team went the extra mile and put together a little video promo. It features a newly purchased iPad that was, to the borough president's shock and horror, imported from Manhattan. Click the 'Read More' link to watch. As a matter of Brooklyn pride, I'd love to see my borough get its very own Apple store. As a practical consideration, however, my daily commute takes me past one Manhattan store and drops me off a 10-minute bus ride from another, so I doubt I'd be a regular at a store close to home. Thanks Laurie, Carlos & Kacy! [via Gothamist]
Cablevision iO TV adding 30, or 8, new HD channels
Cablevision is back at it again, forcing us out of the weekly update by dropping 30 new HD channels on Bronx and Brooklyn area customers, while all other areas should have 8 new channels to enjoy as of the 24th. Despite being a clearly shameless bid to replace RCN as the official service providers of Lord Tariq & Peter Gunz, we can find little wrong with these additions, thanks goes to SatteliteGuys.us for the list of channels.[Thanks, Jack]
TWC gives New York City a new helping of HD channels
TWC made good on a big promise to update the Big Apple's high-def lineup back in April, and now it's hitting the City up with a second wave that's about half as awesome. Reportedly, the carrier has snuck in over a dozen HD channels to the Northern Manhattan system, while a tipster in Brooklyn found that Crime and Investigation HD, TV One HD, G4HD, CNBC HD, USA HD, SciFi HD , Bravo HD, E! HD and QVC HD were all available as of this weekend. At the rate cable carrier's are adding HD channels this holiday season, don't be surprised to get a NYC-sized bundle yourself. [Disclosure: Engadget is part of the Time Warner family[Thanks, John]
TWC announces HD expansion for Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens
With FiOS HD hittin' hot and heavy in the Big Apple, TWC is making moves to ensure that it stays at least competitive with Verizon. The latest channel update for three of the five NYC boroughs includes updates for Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens, with Northern Manhattan getting a special helping. There are far too many additions to cover in this space, so we'll point you to the full notice hosted just after the break. Sorry, south-siders, maybe next time. [Disclosure: Engadget is part of the Time Warner family][Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
TWC beefs up HD lineups in Brooklyn, Queens and Mount Vernon
Time Warner Cable is stirring the HD pot in the Empire State once more, this time bringing the lineups in Brooklyn, Queens and Mount Vernon up to par with those already stocked (Staten Island, we're looking at you). In a new programming announcement on the provider's website, we're told that the "previously announced drop of MOJO (796) on October 1st has been postponed," presumably until sometime in December. Additionally, Brooklyn / Queens will be seeing HBO HD (651), Cinemax HD (658), Showtime HD (666), TMC HD (674), Starz HD (676), Cartoon Network HD (722), FX HD (737) and Speed HD (774) on October 22nd. Including Mount Vernon, all three locales will get Big Ten Network HD (472), CBS College Sports HD (467), ESPNU HD (793) and Tennis Channel HD (465). Stellar news, right? Full shot of the announcement is after the break. [Disclosure: Engadget is part of the Time Warner family][Thanks, Jason and Eric]
New York City officially gifted with Verizon's FiOS TV: 100 HD channels
Not quite four months after Time Warner Cable completely and entirely revamped the HD lineup in New York / New Jersey, another big player has entered the Big Apple. NYC residents, meet Verizon. After tons of planning, drawn-out meetings and a bazillion approvals, FiOS TV is now available to order in 108 neighborhoods in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island. Better still, the carrier is offering 100 high-definition channels in the area, and if all goes to plan, that number will creep upward even more in the not-too-distant future. Jump on past the break for a (long) list of the communities that can order service today. So, the big question: are any of you NYers making the switch?Read - Official releaseRead - More details
