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Google's mysterious San Francisco barge may host a modular showroom (video)
For roughly a week, San Franciscans have been speculating about a mysterious, Google-owned barge moored off Treasure Island. Is it a secret lab? A parking lot for autonomous cars? According to sources speaking to local TV station KPIX 5, the truth is slightly less exciting -- if still very strange. The containers onboard the ship are reportedly for a modular Google X showroom with a party deck for VIPs on top. The company could reassemble its venue anywhere in the world, letting it pitch technologies like Google Glass without having to rent a building... or find solid ground, for that matter. Just don't expect to pay a visit any time soon. The tipsters claim that the project is on hold for various reasons, including a need to comply with naval regulations. Google isn't commenting on the barge's true purpose; however, you're more than welcome to present alternative theories in the comments.
Google's first batch of BufferBox delivery lockers arrives in San Francisco
There may be a few less places to find an Amazon delivery locker after Staples and Radio Shack announced they were removing them from their stores, but Google's competing offering is now getting a boost with its biggest expansion to date. The company announced today that it's bringing its BufferBox lockers to San Francisco, marking the first expansion of the delivery service into the US since Google acquired the Canadian company late last year. Much like Amazon's lockers, the BufferBox service simply lets you direct deliveries to a locker instead of your own address if you don't expect to be at home -- a service that remains completely free for the time being. This latest expansion also brings integration with Google's recently announced Shopping Express service and mobile apps, which can now be used to direct same-day deliveries to a BufferBox locker. Those in SF can find a full list of locker locations at the source link below.
San Francisco Apple Store sells for record-breaking $50 million
The San Francisco Apple Store is setting record sales numbers. Not for the new iPhone, but for the land itself. The Union Square property is reportedly selling for almost US$50 million thanks to a bid from mega-realty corporation Ashkenazy. Normally commercial real estate prices near the exclusive Union Square location average an already mind-boggling price of $2,000 per square foot. The deal for the Apple property makes that look downright reasonable, averaging out to $3,000 per square foot. Meanwhile the Apple Store will be moving to 300 Post St., a nearby spot that was previously occupied by Levi's. The original building will be demolished so Apple can build the new store to its own specifications. According to Apple Insider, the building project has faced a number of struggles thanks to interference from the city on its design. Apple is currently waiting for the plan to be approved by the city's planning commission.
Google Shopping Express intros new mobile app, expands Bay Area service
Google began testing its new same-day delivery service, Shopping Express, with a limited trial for San Francisco customers back in March, and it's apparently proven successful enough for an expansion. Starting today, residents of the greater Bay Area -- from San Francisco to San Jose -- can streamline their to-do list by having local stores deliver straight to their doors. Included on the list of participating retailers are national giants like Target, Toys R Us, Walgreens, Staples and Whole Foods (just to name a few), though some smaller businesses will also take part. The service is also expanding to mobile phones, as Google is launching a new Shopping Express app for both Android and iOS devices; with it, you can search for items, browse different stores and place orders from your phone. For more information, check out the source link below.
Google donates $600,000 to bring free WiFi to San Francisco parks
San Francisco has been striving for city-wide internet access since 2007, and with a little help from Mountain View, it's now one step closer to achieving that lofty goal. After receiving a $600,000 donation from Google, 31 public parks in one of the world's most tech-savvy cities will have free WiFi for at least two years. Google's gift will cover installation and maintenance of all necessary equipment for the project, which builds upon the the city's existing public WiFi hotspots like San Francisco International Airport and City Hall. While blanket coverage for the entire city is still a ways off, offering free internet access in places like public parks is a giant step forward in making the web accessible for all.
Topographic maps illustrate where Twitter's bird flies highest
Not every Twitter user geotags their musings, but there are enough who do to generate some very insightful data. On its blog today, Twitter shared images from Data Visualization Scientist Nicolas Belmonte, who created topographic maps visualizing the density of geotagged tweets. The result is striking, as tweets clearly correlate with roads, geographic features and even lines of public transit. In addition to the blog's stills, you can futz around with interactive maps of New York, San Francisco and... Istanbul. When you realize the implications of all those tweets from the Bay Bridge, it's frightening enough to consider taking BART across the Bay instead.
SF officials want changes to proposed Apple flagship store design
In May 2013, TUAW reported that Apple has proposed moving its San Francisco store on the corner of Stockton and Ellis streets to the Union Square retail area; two blocks away. The proposed move is not without its problems. First, there's the fountain that Apple has proposed to move and second, the city is not thrilled with the new store's proposed design. Eric Slivka from MacRumors has posted a detailed account of some of the problems associated with Apple's proposed design of its new store. It seems the San Francisco Planning Department, as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle [registration required], wants less glass facing Post Street and less metal facing Stockton. In addition, the city wants to keep the popular sculpture by artist Ruth Asawa that resides behind the store's proposed location. In reviewing the June 24th Preliminary Project Assessment [PDF], it seems that the store move will probably take longer than first thought to complete. It may be of no surprise to those of you who have experience in building and zoning requests, but as a neophyte in this arena, I found the number of required studies before the building can be approved a bit daunting. Among the required studies Apple must complete before the project can be approved are an Archeological Review, Historical Resource study, Air Quality, Greenhouse Gas Compliance Checklist, Transportation Impact, Compliance with Stormwater Management Ordinance, and Tree Disclosure Affidavit. I found the report rather interesting. The Preliminary Project Assessment sums up the issues on page 10 by noting that, "The challenge of this site is arriving at a design that must serve several objectives equally: first, it must respond to the desired identity of the heart of San Francisco as defined in the Downtown Plan and the Urban Design Element of the City's General Plan, and the KMMS Conservation District, while also answering to the desired identity of Apple Inc. In other words, it must be an integral part of San Francisco's historic Union Square district and Apple both at the same time." Related TUAW News May 15, 2013 - Apple to re-locate flagship store in San Francisco May 30, 2013 - Long-standing fountain snags Apple's San Francisco store plans
Sprint testing LTE cell sites in San Francisco, we pay one a visit
It's not everyday that you get to mill around rooftops like Spider-Man, so when Sprint invited us to visit one of its LTE cell sites in San Francisco, our answer was a resounding "yes." While the company's been testing LTE in the city by the bay for several months now, we're still a few weeks away from an official rollout. Cell site SF33XC664 is located high above Van Ness Avenue with phenomenal views of the Golden Gate and Telegraph Hill. Sprint showed us around the various pieces of equipment and let us run some speed tests. Take a look at our hands-on gallery below then hit the break to join us on a complete tour. %Gallery-191173%
GOWEX now beaming free WiFi to San Francisco from 450 smart zones
Starting today, San Francisco residents will have something else to brag about besides their quality of life and hosting tech extravaganzas: free WiFi. The silicon valley hub joins New York and parts of France in receiving the service from provider GOWEX, which is now live in districts like Union Square and Marina thanks to 450 smart WiFi zones. As with the Big Apple, residents and tourists will see download speeds up to 1Mbps, while GOWEX will see dollars from carriers (via network offloading) and advertisers in return. To use it, you'll need to download the free iOS or Android apps from their respective stores -- which we might just do ourselves, considering a certain little developer's conference in town at the moment.
Daily Update for May 30, 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
Do you live in San Francisco? Do you want to write for Engadget?
Oh sure, you love gadgets -- but do you have the chops to write about them? We'd love to know if you think you do, because we're looking to actually pay people to do this stuff. Professional writing experience, particularly in our industry, is greatly preferred. That said, what we really care about is that you can write skillfully about gadgets with wit, concision, authority and blinding speed, even if you haven't cut your teeth in the tech sector just yet. Oh, and being obsessed with Engadget is good, too. We're looking for a freelance editor in the San Francisco area. Want to apply? Read on!
San Francisco reneges on proposed cellphone warning sticker, leaves citizens to chat at their own risk
Californians already see earthquake notices in elevators and falling rock signs on the beach, but if certain lawmakers had managed to get their way, locals would find warning stickers on their cellphones, too. The proposed tags, which detail energy transfer from the device to your body by displaying a device's SAR (Specific Absorption Rate), will no longer be implemented. The sponsoring group, whose move has been on hold for several years, now faces a permanent injunction; in other words, the stickers will likely never see the light of day. The FCC, which measures SAR, is tasked with determining that each device meets certain safety standards, keeping citizens safe from radiation -- sticker or no sticker, people who speak on cellphones are generally not at any risk.
Dropbox to hold its first DBX developer conference on July 9th
While there's an abundance of cloud storage services, few of them have dedicated conferences to help developers exploit that online space. Dropbox could well be a vanguard on that front, then -- it just announced its inaugural developer conference, DBX. The initial event takes place on July 9th at San Francisco's very familiar-sounding Fort Mason Center. Along with providing help straight from the source for the Sync API and other coding tools, DBX will serve as the launch platform for "new products." There aren't any clues as to what that entails, but we suspect that's enough of a tease to have some Dropbox diehards booking their flights.
Boxee Cloud DVR reaches the San Francisco Bay Area in beta
Boxee Cloud DVR has been active in only eight markets since its inception as Boxee TV, but it's at last time for the platform to spread its wings. As of now, Boxee's live TV recording service is up and running in the San Francisco Bay Area in beta form; owners just need to update their firmware to start uploading shows. While the company hasn't outlined its plans for other markets just yet, its target of 26 cities by the end of 2013 means that other areas shouldn't be far behind.
Private airport terminal for Google's jets approved by city of San Jose
After a minor curfew scuffle, it looks like Google might soon take its airplanes from their current nest at Mountain View's Moffett field and park them up the road at Mineta San Jose International Airport. Signature Flight Support has been approved by the city's council to build an $82 million facility on the west side of that field, where its biggest client would be Google's flight operator, Blue City Holdings. Councilmen approved the facility by a 10-1 vote after Signature accepted a deal for immunity from some of the stricter measures of a night flying curfew, like eviction. Google's offer to do a $45 million renovation of Hanger One at its current Moffett Field home in Mountain View was rejected by the feds, meaning the search giant's likely to take its ball, bat and fleet of jets to San Jose sometime in 2015. [Image credit: Mineta San Jose International Airport]
Google's BufferBox delivery lockers to arrive in San Francisco 'very soon'
San Francisco is getting all sorts of delivery options courtesy of its friends in Mountain View. Not only has The City by the Bay been graced by Google's same-day delivery Shopping Express pilot, but it'll soon see kiosks from BufferBox, a startup offering lockers for stowing online purchases, which the search giant acquired last year. A fresh notice on the outfit's website proclaims, "We're coming to California, specifically the San Francisco Bay Area very soon!" Page and Co. haven't said if the lockers will be integrated with Shopping Express, but we wouldn't be surprised if they gave the boxes a prominent part in the service. If you're itching to find out when the containers begin populating San Francisco, hit the source link below to sign up for an alert from BufferBox.
San Francisco Apple Store to be expanded
Apple is planning to expand its retail store in San Francisco's Stonestown Galleria, says a report in ifoAppleStore. The Stonestown store is one of Apple's smallest retail stores with a storefront that measures 25 feet wide and a footprint that offers a measly 1,500 square feet of retail space for customers, merchandise and services. According to ifoAppleStore, Apple will be moving to a nearby location in the mall that'll triple the space of its current store. The new spot will have a curved glass front, which will fit in nicely with Apple's design aesthetics.
Google opens Shopping Express pilot with free same-day deliveries in San Francisco
Looking to refresh your polo shirt collection -- today -- without making a trip to the store? There's a Google venture for that, and it's called Shopping Express. The service, which offers same-day delivery from Target, Walgreens, Toys R Us, American Eagle, Staples, Office Depot and a few local shops, has just opened its doors to testers in the San Francisco Bay Area. After signing up on Google's microsite, you'll be on your way to six months of unlimited free deliveries from select retailers. The service competes with similar offerings from Amazon and eBay, and, well, doesn't exactly seem like an obvious fit for Google. We're eager to see how it pans out -- hopefully, if it does turn out to be a worthwhile venture, it won't succumb to the search giant's annual "spring cleaning" ritual. The company is only accepting "a limited number of shoppers" right now, so if you're eligible, sign up at the source link ASAP.
San Francisco's Bay Bridge lights up with 25,000 computer controlled LEDs
For decades, tourists have gaped at San Francisco's brightly colored Golden Gate Bridge, often overlooking the Oakland-connected Bay Bridge's less flashy looks. Luckily, the old bridge is being gussied up for onlookers -- Artist Leo Villareal has kitted out the 1.8-mile span with over 25,000 computer controlled LEDs. "My inspiration comes from the motion of the bridge," the artist explained, describing how he designed the display. "I'm interpreting all the kinetic activity around the bridge: the traffic, the motion of water, the sky -- it's such a rich environment to draw upon." "The Bay Lights" project will illuminate the bridge for the next two years, silently shining carefully programmed patterns of light across the water of the bay. Sound gorgeous? Consider it just one more reason to visit the City by the Bay. [Thanks, Charles]
Daily Update for February 26, 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
