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Starbucks is rolling out wireless charging spots that you probably won't use
Public wireless charging stations for mobile devices may not have caught on in earnest, but what the heck -- Starbucks is giving it a go. Following a trial run, the coffee giant (and its sister brand Teavana) has started rolling out wireless charging spots that embed Duracell Powermat's PMA technology into counters and tables, letting you top up your compatible mobile devices while you sip from your grande latte. You'll only see these surfaces in shops throughout the San Francisco Bay Area at first, but they should reach other major urban centers (including places in Asia and Europe) within the next year.
Why Apple should buy Starbucks
Am I taking crazy pills, or did the internet just give me two hilarious pie-in-the-sky Apple acquisition articles in the span of three days? On March 26th, The Street posted an argument for why Apple should throw down the cash to buy Netflix. Not to be outdone, Cult of Mac followed that lead and made a claim that Apple should actually buy Yahoo. Well then! Apple's going to go bankrupt if it keeps making all these really great, totally not dumb business decisions! Apple should buy Yahoo The following quotes come from Mike Elgan's Cult of Mac piece on Apple purchasing Yahoo. When Google announced Android Wear, they did so on their own blogging platform, Blogger, and also on their own social network, Google+. The Google+ announcement happened in the place where the company can and will build a community around the product. When Apple wanted to create community around its iPhone 5c product line, it did so on its own social site where Apple and iPhone fans gather to exchange stories, information and ideas around their iPhone 5c fandom - post pictures, recommend apps and get to know each other over their shared passion. Just kidding. Apple doesn't have a social site. Apple did it on Tumblr, which is owned by Yahoo. I'm not being sarcastic here when I say that I never thought I'd see Google+ used as an example of a lead Apple should follow. The gist of Elgan's argument is that Apple needs a social home that can be the "go to" for fans of its products and, presumably, where Apple can control the message. That's simply not needed, and anyone spending more than five minutes on Twitter, Facebook, or even Google+ can attest to that. Apple's presence is already felt across all the major social platforms thanks to stellar mobile products and a massive user base that demands to be on the front line for new apps, updates, and changes to the mobile web. Apple launching a social push for the iPhone 5c on its own social platform -- as opposed to Yahoo-owned Tumblr -- would have had no benefit, and would likely have hindered the reach of the message. Apple users are consistently cited as being the most loyal customers around, so while a company like Google might benefit from keeping its customers in a dome where exposure to its own brand is at its highest level, Apple benefits from spreading its message across any and every website, blog, and network in existence. Apple doesn't worry that the outside world will steal its customers away; It uses its customers as messengers to recruit more into the fold. Product announcements and marketing has moved away from press releases and toward social networks. But Apple doesn't have one. Nor does it need one. You can often find out about official Apple announcements faster from Twitter and Facebook -- where users carry the message willingly and with passion -- than you can from dedicated news sites, and light years ahead of the mainstream media. Nothing about Apple's current volume, which is already deafening thanks to fans, suggests it needs to be turned up any higher at the source. If only there was a social photo sharing site where both professional photographers and knowledgeable and enthusiastic amateur photographers already gather and that already has millions of users existed - that would be a great place for Apple to send iPhone pictures by default. Oh, wait. There is such a place: Flickr, which is owned by Yahoo. Elgan argues that Apple's mobile devices take stunning photos, but the quality is then diminished by sharing those snapshots to existing social networks where they are often compressed or otherwise altered. Do you know who makes those social networks popular for photo sharing? The hundreds of millions of users that upload photos every day and are totally fine with the current quality options. And, as Elgan mentions himself, there are other options available, such as Flickr, but the fact that these uncompressed avenues of photo sharing aren't the default for the vast majority of iPhone (or Android, or Windows Phone) users is precisely the reason why Apple wouldn't benefit from taking one of them over. There is, of course, a class of iPhone users that demand the highest resolution available when sharing photos, but those people already use the existing options, and there are dozens on iOS, including the built-in shared photo album feature. Why invest money to take over a platform that your customers are already using? It's one of those "Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?" situations. If you're using Flickr on an iOS device, Apple already won. Apple has mostly burned its bridge to Google+ and, in any event, that network has become over-run by Android love and Apple hate that it's a toxic culture for Apple to enter at this point. (As a Cult of Mac columnist who practically lives on Google+, I see this anti-Apple tendency every week.) Didn't I just read about how Apple needs its own social home, like Google+? Hmm, interesting how it's now labeled "toxic." In what way would an Apple-flavored social platform not fall victim to the same attitudes? We're not given an answer. Apple brought in nearly 64 million - significantly fewer people than AOL, Glam Media or The Weather Company. But, wow, what could Apple accomplish with more traffic than Facebook? It's also worth pointing out that Apple is a laggard in the harvesting of user data. Which is great, if you're a privacy enthusiast, which hardly anyone really is. Wait... what? Apple has gained a lot of good will by being as transparent as possible about government access to user data, as well as its own gathering of usage metrics. To say that Apple is somehow so out of touch with users that it needs to up its harvesting of data at the potential expense of this free positive publicity is beyond confusing. I'd also argue that the number of "privacy enthusiasts" is not only much higher than it is made out to be here, but growing exponentially every day. Acquiring Yahoo would bring Apple amazing attention and traffic, social sites Apple could control, high-quality destinations for the high-quality pictures and videos that Apple's high-quality products enable people to generate, better social signals and the ability to make more money from fewer ads. The only attention it would give Apple is a lot of confused people scratching their heads. Apple should buy Netflix The Street's Richard Saintvilus recently penned an article about Apple buying Netflix. The article's current title is "Why Apple Should Buy Netflix," but its original headline was "Apple's Plan To Buy Netflix." You can imagine the hurricane of dissent the original title caused when readers, who were expecting to read about an official or rumored Netflix buyout, were met instead with a sketchy opinion argument, but I digress. Let's hit it. With investor fear rising about Netflix losing a substantial portion of its customer base, Cook should go after Netflix now and use its offer with Comcast as leverage. If Apple is successful at improving viewer engagement, Netflix may see a mass exodus of its customers. This should give you a good idea of the general tone of the piece, which is not so much about why Apple should buy Netflix, but why Netflix would benefit if Apple bought them. Two very different arguments. We do eventually get to see hear what perks Apple would allegedly gain from the deal, though. If Apple is in position to receive exclusive line access from Comcast, Apple -- if it so choose -- can squeeze out Netflix by reducing its costs. Netflix is already paying a significant amount of money to upgrade the quality of its public line from Comcast after Netflix customers complained of poor reception. Tim Cook is paying attention. To ensure that he hits a homerun[sic] within the living room, he has to make an offer for Netflix. Acquiring Netflix will also usher the "new Apple" that Tim Cook desperately wants to evolve. Whenever acquisition rumors surface, we've become familiar with the standard line of how Apple "only buys small companies. It's been a while since I read two more contradictory paragraphs written back-to-back. First we're told that Apple could squeeze Netflix out of the streaming game entirely, if the rumored deal with Comcast comes to fruition. Then, not two sentences later, Tim Cook "has to" try to buy Netflix. Neither is true, of course, and if Apple's plan for the living room is indeed a flat-rate streaming service -- as opposed to simply a streamlined iTunes affair on the big screen -- Netflix would still have an edge with its original programming push, which continues to grow, not to mention its huge number of existing users who adore the service. Tim Cook can announce his presence with authority by landing Netflix. But it's not just about vanity. Apple needs Netflix and its 44 million subscribers. With Netflix projecting to growth subscribers by another 3.85 million in 2014, Apple would acquired close to 48 million viewers worldwide. If Tim Cook is worried that not enough people know he's the CEO, he could buy a two-hour spot on every network, in primetime, and have a fireside chat with the world, but something tells me he's not actually concerned about that. At all. As far as Apple needing Netflix and its 44 million subscribers, I'm not exactly sure how this half-baked plan would work, or if the author even has a theory. Does Apple buy Neflix and then just run it as-is, or do they integrate it into their own streaming service (which doesn't exist yet), or does Apple kill it and hope everyone migrates to its own service? Oh yeah, none of these would work. I'm glad we had this discussion. In regards to both of these articles, I know it's tempting for all of us to imagine that slapping an Apple logo on something automatically means it would be a blinding success, but that's simply not how this all works. Apple has risen to the top not by slapping its logo on everything in sight, and its attempts to do so in the mid-90s led to fragmentation of its message and a lot of failed products. Apple is in a position where people can theorize about huge acquisitions precisely because they don't make these kinds of moves. They're fun thought exercises, and make for some pretty interesting arguments on both sides, but they never materialize. And it's far more easy to come up with an off-the-wall acquisition argument than it is to actually think it all the way through to its inevitable conclusion. For example: Apple should buy Starbucks Starbucks serves over 60 million customers every week. Can you imagine the kind of brand synergy Apple could tap into if every single one of those cups of tasty roasted bean juice had an Apple logo on the side? That's the kind of loyalty only a mostly-deniable caffeine addiction can provide. Apple's could capitalize on the mobile payment revolution thanks to Starbucks and its exploding app payment growth. It is estimated that Starbucks accounted for a full 4% of mobile payments in the U.S. last year, via its mobile application which rewards customers and encourages regular visits. In 2013, Starbucks raked in over $1 billion via mobile. By purchasing Starbucks, Apple gets a massive slice of the mobile payment pie without ever speaking the forbidden letters "NFC," and taps into a customer base that has nothing better to do than drive three blocks away to make a coffee they could have made in their own kitchen. True dedication. Apple could make the Starbucks mobile app an exclusive to iOS, or at the very least slim down the features of the app on competing platforms, encouraging adoption of iPhones and iPads while at the same time strengthening the unwritten rule that only MacBooks should be used in coffee shops. I mean seriously, take your 4-year-old Toshiba to the landfill. Starbucks posted revenue of $13.29 billion in 2012, so it's clear that Apple could afford to purchase the company outright -- and everyone knows that if you can afford to buy another company, that's definitely a good reason to do so. I mean, what can go wrong? Ignoring the tens of thousands of employees, operations in other countries, and being seen as a bunch of fools for purchasing a company it doesn't need, it seems like a solid business decision.
Apple features new "Indie Game Showcase", and other news for March 21, 2014
Apple has rolled out a new section on the App Store called "Indie Game Showcase." It's dedicated to spotlighting stunning games by independent iOS developers. As Apple describes the new section: Often made up of just a few dedicated members, independent studios prove that what really matters is the size of your dream. In each Indie Game Showcase, we celebrate a popular game and its creative team, highlighting the developer's titles along with their favorite games from other studios. The move will no doubt be a welcome one for many independent developers who often feel that it's hard to compete against the might of bigger developers and the coverage -- and resulting spots on the top app charts -- they get. The first game to be featured is Device 6, and action-thriller from developer Simogo. In other news: The redesigned Starbucks iPhone app has been released. It has had an iOS 7 makeover and offers digital tipping plus the ability to review rewards from the dashboard. Apple has released an update for GarageBand which adds the option to export songs as an MP3. Jony Ive is one of the 10 finalists for The Drum Design Award. You can vote for him to win if you want.
The TUAW Daily Update Podcast for March 20, 2014
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get some 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 player at the top of the page. The Daily Update has been moved to a new podcast host in the past few days. Current listeners should delete the old podcast subscription and subscribe to the new feed in the iTunes Store here.
Does your iPhone crash less often now? This and other news from March 19, 2014
While some users are reporting a plethora of issues with iOS 7.1, Crittercism has found that app crash rates have gone down with the update. The number of app crashes, the site states, is lower for iOS 7.1 than it is on Apple devices running iOS 6 and 6.1. Do you find this is true for you? Let us know in the comments. Other news from Wednesday afternoon includes: Burger King is releasing a new app that will allow people to pay for food at their US restaurants using iPhones. (Not iPhones as currency or via barter, mind you.) Speaking of food-based apps, did you remember to update your Starbucks app? EA has told The Verge that it is investigating a claim that a hack utilizing the EA website is trying to nab unsuspecting users' Apple IDs. Pandora is raising its subscription fees to $4.99 per month starting in May. The company also is doing away with its annual subscription option. And kick back with these features: Flappy Bird is coming back eventually, here's what we hope they add this time Eddy Cue calls accuracy of "Haunted Empire" into question Crowdfunded Project News: A few hot picks and some real stinkers Steve Jobs sobbed in the wake of Antennagate How to auto-import your iPhone photos using OS X's Image Capture
Starbucks app gets digital tipping and other news from March 13, 2014
Starbucks is handing out cards and emailing patrons to advise them of a major update to the company's iOS app, coming on March 19. I received one of the cards when I got my mocha fix on Thursday. The app update will feature digital tipping (at US company-operated locations), for well-meaning patrons who don't carry much cash but still want to give their favorite barista a gratuity. Digital tipping was one of the top customer suggestions at the company's MyStarbucksIdea.com crowdsourcing site. The new version also lets you shake your phone to instantly bring up your Starbucks Card barcode for e-payment. Starbucks has more information about the app update on its website, but the email alert does warn users to have their Starbucks password handy (you'll have to log in again with the new version) and to take a screenshot of your saved Favorite Drink -- the new app is dropping that feature. Other news from Thursday afternoon includes: Here's one for opera fans. France's Opéra de Lyon will debut an opera about Steve Jobs that draws from "Henry V" and the 2011 biography of the Apple founder. Combining Shakespeare and Walter Isaacson? That'll be a must-see. Maybe there'll be a Blu-ray of the performance. Repairs are still underway from when a snow removal machine had a nasty collision with the glass cube atop Apple's 5th Avenue store in New York City. Check out these photos from the Mac Observer showing the work in progress. In an effort to divert users away from Dropbox and Microsoft's OneDrive, Google is changing its pricing for Google Drive extra storage to $1.99 per month for 100 GB and $9.99 a month for 1 TB. As Re/code points out, this means 100 GB a year of cloud storage will cost $23.88 with Google Drive, $50 with Microsoft and $99 with Dropbox. And kick back with these features: Rumor Roundup: Questionable content Why Pono's massive Kickstarter success means absolutely nothing to Apple iPhone 101: Using the volume button to take burst mode photos Seriously though, where is the new Mac mini?
Starbucks app to let you pre-order your coffee later this year
It sucks when you go to Starbucks for a pick-me-up and some guy's holding up the line with an overly complicated request. Thankfully, the Seattle company's testing a mobile ordering service in an effort to speed things up. To be clear, when it debuts later this year, you still won't be able to get coffee delivered, but Bloomberg reports that the service will at least let you order through the Starbucks app before you get to the store. That's all we know about the upcoming feature, though, as the coffee empire's keeping mum about its finer details. We still don't know if the service will take custom requests, but if it does, we hope you tip generously for that fancy $50 Mocha frapp.
Starbucks app update lets you tip your barista
Starting next week iPhone owners will not only be able to buy your triple-venti-extra-hot-no-foam latte using Starbucks' mobile app, you'll be able to tip your barista for making it as well. The king of coffee is updating its app March 19th to add digital tipping for the first time and make the app easier to navigate. If you're not paying attention in line, a new "Shake to Pay" feature instantly loads your Starbucks card up from anywhere in the app. After you pay, you'll get a push notification encouraging you to drop between 50 cents and two bucks in the store's virtual tip jar. Tips can be adjusted for up to two hours after you leave (in case that macchiato really makes your day), and every purchase is saved in the form of a digital receipt you can access later on.
New Google WiFi app could automatically log you into Starbucks and other private hotspots
Google is working on a new WiFi app that could take a lot of the drudgery out of accessing wireless hotspots. According to our sources, the search giant has built Android and iOS versions of an app that automatically authenticate and connect to its free hotspots inside Starbucks stores or wherever they are available. Google is currently trialling the Android app at its Mountain View HQ. For now it looks like a very limited test, and there's no definite guarantee that Google will release it officially. Nevertheless, we hear that Google has internally discussed linking the app to its rollout of faster WiFi connections to all 7,000 Starbucks stores in the US (replacing AT&T), connecting Latte-drinkers to 'Google Starbucks' hotspots with no button presses required. Currently, Starbucks customers need to find the access point, open their browser and agree to the terms and conditions. However, with Google now at the helm, existing processes could be abolished to include more encrypted access points. Google may also expand its partnership with Boingo, extending logins to locations where it's footing the bill for free wireless. The app could utilize a user's Google account and install a dedicated security certificate on their device to automatically authenticate devices when a connection is available.
Daily Update for January 17, 2014
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get some of 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 player at the top of the page. The Daily Update has been moved to a new podcast host in the past few days. Current listeners should delete the old podcast subscription and subscribe to the new feed in the iTunes Store here.
iPhone goes on sale on China Mobile, and more news for January 17
Today is the day many market watchers have been yearning for: The iPhone has gone on sale on China Mobile, the world's largest mobile phone carrier. Tim Cook was on hand with China Mobile's Chairman Xi Guohua at the company's flagship store in Beijing for the launch and handed out several iPhones to the first buyers. During the event, many asked Cook about future Apple plans, including about the rumored 6-inch iPhone and iPhones with flexible displays. Cook replied: "We never talk about future things. We have great things we are working on, but we want to keep them secret. That way you will be so much happier when you see it." In other news this morning: The district court judge in the Apple e-book trial filed an opinion and order explaining her reasoning for denying Apple's request to have the external antitrust compliance monitor removed. The judge said the primary reason were because "many of the arguments which Apple once made (and is no longer pursuing) have been waived or are moot." Many owners of Early 2011 MacBook Pro models with discrete AMD GPUs are seeing system crashes and hardware failures. The thread on Apple support forums detailing the issue has more than 2,348 replies. AppleInsider spotlighted the problem and reached out to Apple for comment, which has not responded. Apple has seeded a new beta of OS X 10.9.2. The new beta adds the ability to block people on iMessage and FaceTime -- just like you can in iOS 7. An new Android app called doubleTwist AirPlay Recorder allows people to record songs directly from iTunes Radio. Once the app is installed on an Android phone, users select it as an AirPlay device in iTunes on their desktop, and the app then captures iTunes Radio songs which are being streamed over the local WiFi network. Starbucks has updated its iOS app with "additional performance enhancements and safeguards." The update comes days after the Starbucks app was busted for saving user's information in plain text. [Image credit: @eyoonCNBC]
Daily Update for January 16, 2014
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get some 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 player at the top of the page. The Daily Update has been moved to a new podcast host in the past few days. Current listeners should delete the old podcast subscription and subscribe to the new feed in the iTunes Store here.
Starbucks plans to secure user information with updated iOS app (update)
Following this week's revelation that Starbucks' mobile apps store data such as user names, passwords and even location coordinates in plain text, a company executive announced today that a refreshed application is in the works. Curt Garner, the beverage giant's chief information officer, says that the new iOS app will "add extra layers of protection" to the "added measures" that he claims already "sufficiently address the concerns" referenced in yesterday's post. Garner also emphasizes that no information has been compromised using the methods outlined this week. There's no firm timeline for the updated iOS app, but the company reiterated that the current version offers sufficient protection -- and we imagine they'll be sticking to that story right up until a fix is available. Update: According to the Starbucks Twitter account, an update is now available. We're not seeing it via the web, but a check of our iOS device reveals v2.6.2 with "additional performance enhancements and safeguards." The press release doesn't go into detail about changes, saying only "As promised, we have released an updated version of Starbucks Mobile App for iOS which adds extra layers of protection. We encourage customers to download the update as an additional safeguard measure."
Starbucks' iOS app stores user credentials in plain text
Coffee and identity theft go together like peas and carrots. I guess that's why Starbucks decided that storing usernames, email addresses and passwords without encryption is fine for its iOS app. Discovered by security sleuth Daniel Wood, the blatant security flaw was found through Crashlytics, a Twitter-owned reporting firm that generated the telling crash logs. With the password and email address of users, cyber criminals could have an easy go at exploiting individuals who use the same password across multiple services. Speaking to Computerworld, Starbucks Chief Digital Officer Adam Brotman said the vulnerability has been patched, but a further test from Wood found that the information was still unencrypted. It's not necessarily a cause for panic, but if you've been using the same password for both Starbucks and your bank account, it might be a good time to change that. [via Computerworld]
Starbucks app stores log-in credentials, location info in plain text
If you're concerned about someone getting their hands on your personal data, you'll want to read on -- this latest method's an unlikely culprit. The Starbucks mobile-payment app is reportedly saving user data, including email addresses, passwords and even your GPS location in plain text. Theoretically, anyone with access to your phone (and a computer) can download your private data with less than an hour or work. Company executives confirmed the flaw to Computerworld, admitting that they're aware of the issue. Daniel Wood, a security researcher, first came upon the unencrypted information last year. He downloaded and re-tested an updated version the app, which Starbucks claims now includes "adequate security measures," only to find that the same information is still easily accessible. A log file also includes GPS coordinates that are captured every time you search for a nearby Starbucks store. Of course, the global caffeinator's mobile application isn't free of other weaknesses, too -- payments are processed by scanning an on-screen barcode, which can be reproduced and used to drain your account by anyone close enough to photograph your phone.
Friday Face-off: Mac guy at Starbucks with desktop vs. Dell guy at Starbucks with desktop
After showing TUAW's own Editor-in-Chief Victor Agreda, Jr. the following two photos, the only response he could muster was, "Some people are hardcore." Indeed, but now it's up to you to decide who is the most hardcore. We have today a battle of two coffee shop warriors using desktop computers on-the-go, complete with standalone monitors, mice, keyboards and not a single shred of shame. Our first contestant (who has had his image circling the web for at least three years now) is sporting a full-sized CRT Dell monitor, tower and what appears to be at least a keyboard. Oh, and he's wearing socks with sandals, too, so that should probably factor into your final decision. Challenger number two (originally tweeted out by Mark Otto) has his Mac mini out in full force, complete with a prop-up monitor, mouse and what appears to be an external hard drive. His hairstyle tells us everything we need to know about his demeanor: He couldn't possibly care less what you think. So who wears it better? Does the sheer majesty of a man having to carry a weighty CRT monitor and tower into a coffee shop beat out the "It's-called-a-Mac-mini-so-it's-portable-enough-for-me" attitude of our Mac contestant? Sound off in the comments. [Image credit: bfishadow]
Tis the season to subscribe: What's on my annual service renewal lists
As November rolls around, it's generally time for me to take stock, look at my current service subscriptions (as opposed to entertainment subscriptions like Netflix and Hulu) and weigh what items I'm going to invest in for the next twelve months. Some of my subscriptions are annual choices. They time out after 12 months. Others are ongoing, so a time to evaluate and choose is especially helpful. Of course, services are a highly personal thing. The ones I subscribe to may or may not meet your needs and vice versa. So I've tried to keep my list of the services I'm considering fairly general and Apple consumer specific. If you have suggestions to add, please drop them in the comments -- and let me know if you run across particular deals that crop up near Black Friday. Offsite Backup. Time Machine, which I swear by, will get you only so far in life. Unless you're backing up offsite, you're exposing your data to enormous risk. Any physical damage to your workspace will probably affect your onsite backups as well as your main system. Offsite means greater peace of mind. Personally, I'm a Crashplan customer due to the unlimited backups and reasonable yearly fees. (Plus Mike Evangelist really sold me on the service.) Regardless of which provider you go with, you really should be thinking about adding an offsite plan to your Black Friday grab bag. Last year, Crashplan offered an insanely sweet deal for new customers (which I missed out on by two freaking weeks) so keep your eyes open for theirs and other deals on the day. VPN Service. If you lean towards the Wi-Fi lifestyle (and I do), when hanging out at Panera, Einsteins, Starbucks, and so forth, you'll probably want to consider picking up a VPN subscription for the year. There's a lot of give and take between Wi-Fi and onboard cellular, but the biggest difference is security. When you grab data directly over cellular, you can generally feel pretty good about privacy. Using shared Wi Fi means compromise -- speed, reliability, transparency. Using VPN enables you to shop, read mail, and perform other personal tasks without worrying about snooping. I've been using Witopia this year and it's been pretty good. I find it much better for light surfing and email when on the go than for privacy when at home, so about 90% of my use has been on my iPad and MacBook Air. Although I had intended to use VPN for day-to-day work, I found that heavy data loads (such as downloading new versions of Xcode) over VPN is just an exercise in frustration. Cloud. I want my data wherever I am. I'm a big fan of Dropbox and not such a big fan of iCloud but that's just me. Your mileage will, of course, vary -- and there are many new providers now out there in the field. This is a really good time of year to hunt for cloud deals for pro level accounts. Just be aware that real life stories like Everpix demonstrate why you need to be very, very careful as to where you trust your data. Online Apps. Unlike last year, this is the year that subscribing to cloud-based applications really took off. You might want to take a peek at Adobe, Microsoft Office, or Apple's iWork to see if their offerings might be what you need for next year. I'm intrigued by iWork in particular, and looking forward to seeing how well it transforms my work flow from desk-based to mobile. What services do you subscribe to? And which ones are you considering testing for the first time this year?
You can now tweet the gift of coffee to a deserving pal thanks to Starbucks
Need to pass along an afternoon pick-me-up to a Twitter pal? Well, now you can do so with a tweet thanks to Starbucks. The coffee giant's "Tweet a Coffee" initiative allows for e-gifting $5 worth of joe with a mention of @tweetacoffee inside a 140-character message. Of course, you'll have to connect those Starbucks and Twitter accounts before composing for payment purposes. Could this be the start of widespread gifting via the tiny blue bird? Only time will tell. No word on when "Tweet a Cronut" will go live, though.
The Daily Roundup for 07.31.2013
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Google bringing faster WiFi to 7,000 US Starbucks stores
Google and Starbucks are teaming up to boost WiFi speeds at all 7,000 Starbucks stores in the US. The move, which should be complete within 18 months, is a major loss for AT&T, the chain's contracted ISP to date. Google claims that you'll experience WiFi speeds up to 10x faster than what's currently available, with a 100x boost in Google Fiber cities like Austin, Provo and KC. The rollout will begin in August -- if you see "Google Starbucks" as an available SSID, you'll know your store has been tapped with boosted access.
