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Rumor: GTA IV to be in New York City?
While we're going to categorize this as a rumor until we get a better insight upon the release of the trailer for Grand Theft Auto IV on the 29th, it definitely is worth consideration. Apparently, word on the street is that GTA IV will be taking place in New York City and have NYC stylized music. When we first got wind of this, the first thing that popped into our heads was, "Uh, wasn't the Liberty City from Grand Theft Auto I, GTA III, San Andreas, and Liberty City Stories supposed to be at the very least an homage to New York City (with a hint of New Jersey)?" If you look at the map for Liberty City from GTA I (pictured above), it's even more apparent. Or this could be a completely new direction for Rockstar, where instead of doing fictional places that are inspired by real world locations, they cut the middle man as it were, and just use the actual city. Either way, we could see a return to Liberty City, or Rockstar's rendition of the real life counter part. Which would you rather play in?
NYC store cube as advertising space
Now we know why Steve loves his cube so much: It's free advertising space! Earlier yesterday morning (Monday, March 12th), workers placed a huge iPhone ad over one side of the cube. It features the now familiar image of a hand holding an iPhone and the line, "Introducing iPhone. Apple reinvents the phone."So, what's going to be the next ad on the cube?Thanks, Arnold!
Robotic parking garage in action
Anyone who's ever seen Ferris Bueller's Day Off will appreciate the advantages of a worker-less garage, namely the inability of a robotic parking structure to take your million dollar Ferrari for a joyride in an attempt to achieve maximum air. No, the reliable NYC parkhaus built by Automotion Parking Systems prides itself on the fact that only one car has been damaged since the company began installations 11 years ago -- unlike the rather troublesome record of its competitor Robotic Parking, whose Garden Street Garage in Hoboken once trapped over 300 vehicles for 24+ hours and reportedly made some expensive 'oopsies' with a Jeep and a Cadillac. APS's New York location, on the other hand, appears to be the model of safety and efficiency; a Popular Mechanics video shows the whole system in a perfect dance of precise timing and fluid motion, appropriately set to a backdrop of Strauss' The Blue Danube. And with $25 daily / $400 monthly rates for parking in the middle of Manhattan, the new garage offers pretty competitive rates as well -- but remember, while human valets may take the occasional sweet ride out for a spin, at least they're not susceptible to the software malfunctions and trojans / worms / viruses that could leave your vehicle stranded high and dry while the techies rush to figure out a fix. Click on to watch the PM vid in its entirety...[Via Autoblog]
Microsoft's bumpin' Zune SUV disturbs the New York peace
Granted, we've seen some fairly bizarre methods of promoting one's product, and while Microsoft's Zune hasn't exactly been tagged with controversial propaganda or flashy automobile campaigns just yet, all that changed in a New York minute. According to reports from Hell Square residents in lower Manhattan, a California-tagged, Zune-branded SUV rolled through Ludlow Street during the "wee hours of February 25th," but rather than handing out flyers to the night-owls still roaming, the vehicle decided to test out its "competition grade stereo system" in a densely populated neighborhood. Dubbed an "egregious display of noise terrorism," the 3:00AM blasting from a (presumably Microsoft owned) Toyota FJ Cruiser didn't garner the positive attention that the firm was apparently hoping for, and consequently, quite a few residents of the area are now flaming mad and demanding restitution. Honestly, we've no problem with a little viral marketing every now and then, but blowing out the 'hood on a Sunday morning probably takes things a bit too far, and if you're interested in catching a video of the blasting in action, be sure to hit the read link and await an official apology that will probably never surface.
Judge limits New York police surveillance practices
Sure, we're all well aware that surveillance practices have been ratcheted up a notch or two since six or so years ago, but a judge in Manhattan has recently rebutted his own go-ahead from four years back to give the NYPD "greater authority to investigate political, social and religious groups." The most recent ruling states that by "videotaping people who were exercising their right to free speech and breaking no laws," the cops had ignored the milder limits he had imposed on it in 2003, seemingly squirming out from under his own misjudgments and placing the blame elsewhere. Nevertheless, he was clear that the voyeuristic limits only applied at events where people gather to exercise their rights under the First Amendment, while bridges, tunnels, airports, subways, and street traffic points could maintain their current level of surveillance -- and we thought this would mean those lamppost cameras couldn't pick us off whilst crossing the street with our iPod jamming.[Via BoingBoing]
Rockstar using graffiti to promote The Warriors
While I was walking in downtown NYC, something interesting caught my eye: a spray-painted tag of The Warriors on the sidewalk. While it's true that Rockstar's offices are located in my fine city, I'm sure Mayor Bloomberg won't be too pleased about this apparent graffiti advertising. Remember when Sony tried the same thing? They were busted, and fined. Will Rockstar also get caught?
Bill banning iPods and cellphones on New York City streets coming
Brace yourselves good people of New York, mother government is prepared to step in (again) and save you from yourselves. Senator Carl Kruger is reportedly set to introduce legislation that would ban the use of MP3 players, cellphones, and any other electronic device while crossing the street in New York City or other "big cities" in the state. The proposed ban follows two recent pedestrian deaths in Kruger's district where at least one is said to be the result of a person "listening to his iPod." We just gotta wonder: if police can't enforce jaywalking laws in NYC, how could they possibly enforce this?Update: Instead of preaching to the choir on this, why not take Chris' advice from the comments section and send Senator Kruger an email. We're sure he'd love to hear your thoughts on his proposed ban.[Thanks Chris and Jusin Z]
Robotic parking garage hits New York
Although international locales have warmed up quite nicely to automated parking garages, they haven't proven quite as popular here on American soil, and although Fort Lauderdale has one (and the Florida-based Hollywood Grande has one in the works), we'd say it's about time the Big Apple got one of its own. Notably, the controversial Robotic Parking Systems, Inc. that crafted the court-entangled deck in Hoboken, New Jersey won't have a hand in this one, as Automotion Parking Systems (the US subsidiary of Germany's Stolzer Parkhaus) will be utilizing its highly proclaimed technology to hopefully save New Yorkers from the same "drops and traps" that Garden State folks have unfortunately had to deal with. The company stated that in the 11 years it has crafted robotic garages, "only one car has been damaged," and it feels that even that single issue has been resolved with the latest sensor / laser upgrades. In fact, Ari Milstein, the director of planning for the firm, boldly stated that it's "a complete virtual impossibility that damage can occur," which most certainly leaves little no room for error. The Chinatown-based garage will hoist, shuffle, and park vehicles without a single human supervisor, stuffing 67 vehicles into a space that could typically hold 24, and it even spins your ride around when you return so there's no need to throw it in reverse when exiting. Rates actually aren't too outrageous either, as you'll be asked for around $400 for a monthly pass, or $25 if you're just in for the day.
New York state considers two bills banning sale of violent games to minors
It's about time. We're just sick and tired of all those whipper snappers, running amok in our deatmatches and stealing all our kills. Rep. Aurelia Greene (D) and Rep. Keith Wright (D), patron saints of mature gamers, have both proposed laws which ban the sale of violent video games to minors in the state of New York, and hide them away in an adults only section of the store. Rep. Wright's law concentrates on more scandalous forms of violence and racism, while Rep. Greene seems generally down on the whole general of video game violence. Keith Wright's law would require an ID check for anyone appearing under the age of 30 attempting to buy a violent video game, which seems to work so well at keeping alcohol and cigarettes out of the hands of minors.[Via The Inquirer]
Samsung launches HL-S5686C iDCR DLP TV, TWC goes OCAP
Although last year's lovefest with OCAP was short lived after CES concluded, it seems that we're actually seeing the fruits of Samsung, Time Warner, and Advance/Newhouse Communications' labor towards getting OCAP in the home. Today Samsung unveiled its OpenCable-compliant HL-S5686C iDCR DLP HDTV alongside Time Warner's shiny new SMT-H3050 HD set-top box (for folks without the aforementioned set), and the group announced that "interactive digital cable services are now live" in TWC's New York City systems. Furthermore, the cable provider stated that it would soon embark on the expansion pathway, blazing trails to get the goods to Milwaukee, WI and other cities covered by Advance/Newhouse's Bright House Networks cable systems. The new cable services include TWC's OCAP Digital Navigator as well as its in-house-developed interactive program guide, and should be available to interested customers right now in the selected area(s). Moreover, Time Warner is opening up the wonders of OCAP for all to discover as a part of its "Home to the Future" exhibit, which is a four-story interactive installation within the firm's center in NYC's Columbus Circle. So if you're eager to give this OCAP thing a whirl, the newfangled display will be open to the public starting today, and will continue to be for three weeks.
Life/Style IPTV content jumps to WNBC New York
New York's WNBC is well-known for its pioneering attitude towards high definition, and just like it broke new ground by delivering the local news to viewers in crisp HD, the channel is making waves again by offering up made-for-IPTV content on one of its digital channels. Not too long after seeing made-for-mobile content heading to the tube, Life/Style Television, an IPTV channel that caters to "affluent consumers," will soon be making the leap to broadcast television as well. The channel's original series, "LX.TV 1ST/LOOK: NYC," will be beamed out OTA on WNBC 4.4; additionally, cable customers will be able to catch the daily half hour show by tuning in on Time Warner, Comcast, or Cablevision. The program, which will introduce completely new episodes on a weekly basis, will take viewers around various NYC hotspots, and include first-hand experience with "nightlife, restaurants, shopping, kids activities, and fitness and wellness destinations." So if you're anxious to take on the city, but don't exactly feel like fighting the bustling crowds, you can tune in at 8:00AM, 11:00PM, or 2:00AM to catch the fresh programming.
Horizon partners with Navini to spread WiMAX across Northeast US
Following up on Sprint's announcement to spread the WiMAX love to Chicago and Washington, D.C., Horizon is looking to broaden that area of coverage out just a bit by partnering with Navini Networks. This news comes after the FCC approved Horizon's purchase of the WCS A Block spectrum previously owned by the diminishing Verizon, and now the firm is looking to deploy the wireless goods in "Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Richmond, and Cincinnati" for starters. Horizon has selected Navini's 802.16e equipment to get things up and running, and states that its objective it to "provide wireless last mile access to residential, business, and emergency restoration markets," but folks in rural areas will seemingly get shunned for now. Horizon isn't wasting any time getting this thing started, either, as it plans to start building the network in Q1 of this year, with hopes for "ongoing expansion and additional network deployments in the latter part of 2007."[Via TheWirelessReport]
The root of gaming addiction exposed?
Researchers are just now realizing that video games may fulfill psychological needs like autonomy, competence, and relatedness. University of Rochester and Immersyve Inc. investigators have determined that it's not just a shallow sense of fun that enables the so-called gaming addiction. Where have these guys been?What seems obvious to us is still a mystery to many. As the industry grows, as gamer populations swell, we're bound to come under the microscope more and more. There is a great urge among the uninitiated to justify our passion for video games. If only they'd stop questioning and simply join the "fun" ... Conform!
MINI USA rolls out RFID-activated billboards
If there was ever a slick way to get folks to willingly carry around an RFID tag, MINI USA has it all wrapped up. Catering to every person's egotistical side, MINI has begun a pilot advertising campaign in Chicago, New York, Miami, and San Francisco, which gives select Cooper owners the chance to get an RFID keyfob in the mail, and moreover, a reason to consistently drive under MINI billboards. Users can select a custom message to be encoded on their RFID chip, and when they cruise near an overhanging MINI billboard, their particular message lights up for the world (or at least nearby motorists) to see. Of course, we're sure messages will be edited before delivery, and you still need to be down with toting a homing signal around with you each time you cruise, but let's face it, the mastermind behind this ad campaign probably got the raise we all wanted, but didn't come close to. So if you're a MINI owner in one of the four lucky cities, keep a keen eye on that inbox, and word on the street is that MINI USA is planning on hitting up more cities if (read: when) this proves to be a smash hit.[Via Slashdot]
NYC mulling pay-per-use phone lockers for students
In our formative years we were kept on the straight and narrow with wireless leashes, and we got in touch with our folks the old-fashioned way -- two cans and a string -- and that's the way we liked it. Modern high school students, though, have a decidedly different take on the best way to drop a line, ditching pay phones (or, heaven forbid, the principal's office) in favor of trusty cellphones. Yipes, seems we've got a little hiccup: New York City's public schools have recently started clamping down on its longstanding ban on wireless goodies on school grounds, leaving a healthy percentage of tech-savvy pupils in the lurch. Parents aren't too happy, either, noting that it's the most effective way to keep tabs on lil' Johnny and Susie from afar in the event of an emergency. School officials are responding with the standard arguments, distraction and the threat of cheating, and are coming to the table with a proposal to install lockers outside schools for the sole purpose of housing phones during the school day. Sounds to good to be true, right? A rare case of taxpayer dollars being put to exactly the right use at exactly the right time, you say? Well, there's a catch: thanks to the crushing cost of said lockers, students would likely pay 25-50 cents a day for the privilege of being separated from their technology for a few hours. Needless to say a legal fight seems inevitable, though parents, teachers, and the school board will try to iron things out on the 18th of this month with a little face-to-face time. Of course, they could just give in and make texting a school subject, but we're not really seeing that happen.
NYC taxis to map out dead zones in mobile networks
We've already seen an influx of hybrid vehicles take their places in the mammoth fleet of New York City taxis, and now that the Taxi 2.0 will reportedly sport GPS tracking an built-in televisions, what else is really left to implement? Stockholm-based Ericsson has apparently seized the opportunity in using the random, perpetual motion of NYC's yellow mainstays to better itself (read: make some coin), and has recently received permission from the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission to install small devices "about the size of a computer modem" into cabs in order to "feed information about signal strength and clarity to engineers." The research, which has already been completed in other areas of the world, is being conducted in the Big Apple on behalf of a yet-to-be-named carrier, and it purportedly hopes to more accurately map out dead zones in mobile phone networks. Currently, "at least one fleet" has signed up to participate, and others could join in considering the royalties that will be paid out for tagging along on those zany routes through the city. Of course, this whole system should be relatively invisible to cab riders, but a continual voice recording of furious (and disconnected) passengers could probably work equally well in pinpointing those dead spots.[Via Textually]
NYC taxis to map out dead zones in mobile network
We've already seen an influx of hybrid vehicles take their places in the mammoth fleet of New York City taxis, and now that the Taxi 2.0 will reportedly sport GPS tracking an built-in televisions, what else is really left to implement? Stockholm-based Ericsson has apparently seized the opportunity in using the random, perpetual motion of NYC's yellow mainstays to better itself (read: make some coin), and has recently received permission from the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission to install small devices "about the size of a computer modem" into cabs in order to "feed information about signal strength and clarity to engineers." The research, which has already been completed in other areas of the world, is being conducted in the Big Apple on behalf of a yet-to-be-named carrier, and it purportedly hopes to more accurately map out dead zones in mobile phone networks. Currently, "at least one fleet" has signed up to participate, and others could join in considering the royalties that will be paid out for tagging along on those zany routes through the city. Of course, this whole system should be relatively invisible to cab riders, but a continual voice recording of furious (and disconnected) passengers could probably work equally well in pinpointing those dead spots.[Via Textually]
NYU shows its stuff at the Winter 2006 ITP
When hordes of folks gather 'round to show off various forms of gadgetry or design-influenced niceties, we can't help but stare, and while we weren't able to attend NYU's Winter 2006 ITP show like we were last year (and the year before), we were there in spirit, and now we're bringing you the pics. While there's far too much to cover here, a few highlights included the solar (iPod-charging) bikini, which gave the fellas an excellent excuse to gander at such a fanciful article of clothing, the "Botanicallss" plant that lets you know when it needs some lovin', a 3D display known only as the "Orb," and a MIDI-enabled guitar pick. Of course, the LED-infused stones that lit up differently based on arrangement, child-proof rendition of the iRocker music chair, and the motion-activated lamps were all showstoppers as well. So if you're craving a glimpse into the hereafter, be sure to hit the links below to see just how bright (and zany) the not-so-distant future is.[Via MAKE]
Modeo slips date for New York trial
The wait for DVB-H-based mobile TV this side of the pond may have just gotten a little longer. A management shakeup at Modeo -- patron saint (along with Hiwire) of American DVB-H -- has hit the company as their search for a carrier partner continues, and its commercial-grade service trial in New York City using HTC's Foreseer appears to be a casualty. Originally scheduled for a Q4 2006 launch, the trial will now begin (knock on wood) in early '07. Between Hiwire and various MediaFLO-based efforts coming down the pike, Modeo's drama may not ultimately mean much to mobile TV's outlook in these parts, but it'd be tragic nonetheless to see one of these guys bite the dust before they even get out of the gate, would it not?[Via Phone Scoop]
New York City to get Taxi 2.0, now with GPS tracking and TV
Cabs are to New York as freeways are to Los Angeles; that is to say, they're an integral part of the landscape and no matter how hard you try, you're going to have to engage with them at some point. As such, most New Yorkers have a love-hate relationship with taxis. But New York's Taxi & Limousine Commission is trying to ease that relationship a little bit -- on Thursday, it gave a preview of the next generation of the city's yellow fleet, where new cabs will have a touch-screen that lets you watch TV (or turn it off), pay by credit card, follow your progress on a map, and best of all, make it easier to retrieve that umbrella that you forgot in the backseat when you got dropped of that one drunken night in the East Village. The commission said that the new system will let you call a hotline and tell them where you were dropped off and what was lost to use as clues to retrieve your forgotten property. We're assuming that then they'll retrace various cabs' driving histories (via GPS) over the period of the last several hours. But just keep in mind that you probably weren't the only person getting out at Port Authority around noon last Wednesday. The TLC says the new cabs should start hitting Manhattan by the end of the year.
