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TUAW TV Live: Taxes, Texas and Tim
Today on TUAW TV Live, cohost Shawn "Doc Rock" Boyd and I will be conversing about a number of topics. Yesterday saw Apple CEO Tim Cook being grilled by a Senate committee about corporate taxes and at the same time passing along a hint that a "refreshed Mac line" will be manufactured in the Great State of Texas, so both of those are worthy of banter. There are also some new products that have made it to the TUAW Labs in recent days, so we'll have some quick unboxings for your viewing pleasure. To view the livestream and join the chat, visit the TUAW TV Live page here. Be sure to bookmark that page on your browser for future TUAW TV events. Past episodes can be found on our YouTube channel, and today's show will also appear on this page within 24 hours.
AT&T announces plans for 1Gbps fiber service in Austin, Texas; Google gets immediate competition
First thought: "Ha!" Second thought: "Oh, wait -- competition is an excellent thing." While it's highly probable that AT&T is looking to both overshadow Google's launch party and maintain a foothold in one of its most prized states, the outfit's terse announcement of an impending 1Gbps fiber network should honestly be seen as nothing but excellent news for residents of Austin. Merely hours after Google and the city of Austin jointly made clear that Google Fiber would be hitting up local homes in mid-2014, Ma Bell has made public its "intent" to built a 1 Gigabit fiber network in the same area. AT&T's expanded fiber plans in Austin anticipate it will be granted the "same terms and conditions as Google on issues such as geographic scope of offerings, rights of way, permitting, state licenses and any investment incentives." Of course, it's seriously unlikely AT&T will offer up basic fiber connections for free in the way that Google's doing, but on a macro level, we certainly hope this type of one-upping continues in more towns across the country. And, more specifically, that AT&T continues to roll out fiber networks on its own accord in various locales; with FiOS expansion indefinitely paused, we sure need someone to step up and keep the dream alive.
Google Fiber rollout detailed for Austin: connections by mid-2014, similar pricing (updated)
The Google Fiber rollout for Austin has been spoiled twice, but today it's officially official: the music-centric city will become a gigabit city... eventually, that is. Google now says that it will start wiring Austinite homes for super-fast internet access by mid-2014 -- we wouldn't cancel that cable or DSL service just yet, sadly. At least the pricing should be familiar. Google still plans to offer both stand-alone internet access and internet-plus-TV bundles, both at rates within the ballpark of what it offers for Kansas City, and there will still be a near-free 5Mbps plan that only requires a one-off construction fee. Institutions will get free gigabit access, of course. While we'd like Google Fiber as soon as possible, we're just happy to realize that our next SXSW crash pad may have a lot more bandwidth on tap. Update: During a formal announcement call, Google and the city of Austin provided a few minor details. They revealed that Google didn't get any incentives to land a deal, and that engineering work is only beginning in earnest on April 10th. As for AT&T's me-too initiative? Kevin Lo from Google Fiber says that it's "great" to see AT&T aware that the demand exists for gigabit access. No hard feelings, then.
Google Fiber is officially coming to Austin, Texas
Hear that? It's Austin, being weird enough to add yet another reason to live within its city limits. As rumored, Google Fiber will be rolling down to one of Texas' most esteemed towns in the near future, joining the Kansas City, Kansas and Missouri metro as the only locales (so far) in the US of A offering the outfit's Fiber-based TV, phone and 1Gbps broadband services. Mum's the word on an exact rollout, but we'll update this post as we learn more.
Rumors suggest Austin, Texas is next up for a Google Fiber rollout (update: so does its website)
The major problem most of us have with Google Fiber is that we can't get it, but that could change soon for residents of Austin, Texas. According to reports by VentureBeat and KVUE News in Austin, invites are going out for an event on Tuesday at 11 AM put on by Google and the city. Anonymous sources indicate that's where the two will announce plans to bring the TV and high speed internet hookup's plans for expansion Until we hear differently however, Google Fiber's rollout is still only confirmed for the Kansas City area, so plan your living arrangements accordingly. Update: A tipster informs us that the news section on the Google Fiber "Cities" page is currently (3AM ET) flashing a "Google Fiber's Next Stop: Austin, Texas" header. While author "SoAndSo" is not particularly well known, we'd figure this removes any remaining doubt where the service is landing next. [Thanks, Chris]
Apple will re-open expanded Texas Apple Store
We just mentioned yesterday that Apple was going to be revamping a few of its stores here inside the United States, and here's another one. The Apple Store in Barton Creek near Austin, Texas is set for a re-opening this weekend, after closing last year. The new store has taken over a place formerly used by Pottery Barn, and will reopen its doors on March 23 at 10 AM. Just like most of the other revamps across the country, the new store has lots more space, to be used to show off more demo units, run more training sessions and a larger Genius Bar as well. As is usual at new Apple Store openings, the first 1,000 people to the store on Saturday will get a free tshirt. We're likely to see at least a few more of these revamps happen around the country as 2013 goes on.
Live from SXSW: catch our Leap Motion, Elon Musk and Al Gore liveblogs today!
Austin, Texas is loaded to the gills with geeks of every shape and size, and we're here too! We're parked at the city's convention center for a day filled with A-list SXSW speakers, including Elon Musk of Tesla and SpaceX fame, former Vice President Al Gore and the ace team from Leap Motion. We'll be liveblogging several events today, and bringing you hands-ons and interviews throughout the weekend and early next week. Head over to our event page for a full rundown of our SXSW posts, galleries and videos, and be sure to check out our liveblogs, kicking off with Leap Motion at 1:30PM ET, then followed by Elon Musk at 3:00PM ET and Al Gore at 4:30PM ET. Oh, and if you're in Austin tonight, don't forget to drop by our very first Engadget+gdgt Live event. We'll see you there!
Nation of Indies teaches Austin devs how to become indie
The folks behind Austin, Texas' Juegos Rancheros initiative have taken it upon themselves to mitigate the damage caused by the absurd number of gaming layoffs that have affected this region over the last year, and they're doing so through education.Nation of Indies is a free, single-day crash course in becoming an indie developer, with talks on different methods of funding procurement, small business management techniques, software tool investment and long-term sustainability. Indie developers Semi Secret, Tiger Style and others will be on hand, lending their expertise on how to transition from being someone's employee, to running your own studio.The symposium takes place on Sunday, February 10, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central, and RSVPing is encouraged.
Samsung gets go-ahead on $3.9 billion chip production line expansion in Texas
Samsung's plans for a substantial renovations at hits semiconductor factory in Austin have been approved. Completing talks with the government of Texas, the world's biggest memory chip-maker will be expanding the capacity of its already substantial production lines, hoping to keep up with the ever-increasing demand for mobile components.
Fallen kingdom: 38 Studios' collapse and the pitfalls of using public money to support tech companies
In a career filled with many clutch throws from the baseball mound, former Boston Red Sox ace Curt Schilling's main calling card was a gutsy post-season performance made even more memorable by a blood-soaked sock. It was a pitch made by Schilling outside of Major League Baseball, however, that would prove to be his most daring one yet. In 2010, Schilling convinced Rhode Island officials to give his video game company, 38 Studios, a $75 million loan guarantee. A self-professed fan of massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPG), Schilling's dream was to create a worthy competitor to Blizzard's MMORPG juggernaut, World of Warcraft. In 2006, Schilling started Green Monster Games, which was later renamed 38 Studios. Luring the company away from Massachusetts was supposed to bring in more than 400 jobs and serve as the linchpin for launching a new tech-based industry in Rhode Island. Instead, the state's taxpayers found themselves left at the table with a multimillion-dollar tab.
Isis mobile payment system primed for September launch, supported devices revealed
You've known it was coming, but Isis has been so quiet on the mobile payments front in the past few months that you might've forgotten the score. Now, the joint venture backed by AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon has announced that it'll debut its system in Austin and Salt Lake City next month. At least part of the delay is attributed to its shift in strategy, when Isis shelved its plans to process payments through the carriers themselves and instead work with MasterCard and Visa. Isis representatives have declined to elaborate on future expansion plans. Coinciding with the recent update that enabled Isis support for T-Mobile's Galaxy S II, MasterCard has come clean with a list of devices that'll receive similar treatment. Specifically, those in the US can expect the Droid Incredible 4G LTE, One X, Amaze 4G, Galaxy S III to gain Isis support. Naturally, the possibility remains open for other devices as well, and if you'd like to see the complete list of candidates, make sure to check out the PDF below.
Fujitsu and Acacia resolve patent disputes with settlement, keep it out of the courts
Fujitsu's bank balance may be a little lighter today, since Acacia Research Corp. has reported that subsidiaries of both companies have signed a settlement deal over patent disputes. As usual, Acacia is keeping tight-lipped about exactly what the patents cover, but a little digging on our part has revealed they are related to flash memory and RAM technologies. The agreement resolves lawsuits in the works at district courts in Texas and California, which is probably a good thing. After all, these cases can get pretty messy when they go to court.
Samsung spending $4 billion to renovate Austin chip factory
Premiership footballers will be weeping in envy at the way Samsung's been spending its cash this month. After splashing $822 million on a Korean R&D center, it's now chucking $4 billion to renovate its semiconductor factory in Austin, Texas. The cash will be used to increase production on system-on-chip products used in a wide variety of smartphones and tablets, presumably to cope with future demand. It's not clear if this investment is in addition to the $1 billion it was raising in January to add a new SOC and OLED line to the same facility, but it's certainly a good time to be living in Texas, right now.
Sprint LTE spreads its wings to four more areas by Labor Day
Sprint may have played slightly fast and loose with its definition of a 15-city LTE launch this month -- some of those areas were mighty close to each other -- but it's taking that expansion a little further down the road with its next stage. Hand-in-hand with its second quarter results, the pin-drop network has outlined plans to revisit its 4G hometown in Baltimore as well Gainesville in Georgia, the Junction City-Manhattan area in Kansas and the Denison-Sherman region in Texas, giving them all LTE by Labor Day. The expansion will certainly please Georgian Galaxy S III owners; unfortunately, it still leaves many major cities fending with EV-DO 3G until later in the year, if not 2013. Maybe Sprint's Hitchcock-inspired nightmares are to blame.
Apple snaps up land for Texas campus expansion plans
Apple may not be doing much talking about its big Texas expansion plans itself, but we're still getting a fair bit of information about them. Following an impromptu announcement from Texas governor Rick Perry earlier this year, the Austin Business Journal is now reporting that Apple has closed a deal with Riata Vista LP for three large plots of land next to its existing campus in Austin. That sale was reportedly finalized on June 20th, but specifics otherwise remain light, with no word yet on a sale price or the exact size of the land. As we've heard previously, though, Apple is investing over $300 million into the campus, which will eventually result in the creation of 3,600 new jobs.
Nest partners with Texas utility, offers intelligent thermostat to energy-conscious households
What's next for an energy-efficient thermostat designed by ex-Apple engineers? A limited promotion with a utilities provider to make it even more legit, that's what. Now that Nest has broached online mega-retailer Amazon's virtual shelves, the next stop on its trendy household domination tour's taking it to Reliant, a Texas-based electricity company. Bundled into the utility's "Learn & Conserve" plan, qualifying residents that sign-up for a two-year rate will receive one of the stylish, WiFi-enabled units, making the business of managing their energy settings a stylish and remotely controllable (via Android or iOS app) affair. Of course, you don't need to be a resident of The Lone Star state to call one of these your own -- Best Buy, Apple and Lowe's will also eagerly claim your cash in exchange for this home-monitoring wündergadget.
Amazon to collect sales tax, create 2,500 jobs in Texas
If Amazon's been your internet safe haven from the ravages of sales tax, you may want to sit down. As part of a settlement with the great state of Texas, Bezos' baby will start collecting the state's requisite 6.25-percent sales tax on July 1st. The settlement resolves the online retailer's ongoing dispute with the Lone Star state, which claimed that Amazon owed $269 million in back taxes. In addition to taking up collection, Amazon has agreed to create at least 2,500 jobs and invest a minimum of $200 million in capital investments, though it admits no fault, and believes "the assessment was without merit," according to its latest SEC filing. Grouped in with Kansas, Kentucky, New York, North Dakota and Washington, this agreement makes Texas the sixth state to collect sales tax from Amazon -- and California, Nevada and Arizona will join the collection club in due time. Check out the source links below for the Texas Comptroller's official statement and more reading on Amazon's tax agreements across the nation.
Apple's plans for Texas construction delayed due to disagreement with county
Apple's plans to bring 3,600 jobs to Austin, Texas are being delayed due to a disagreement between the company and the Travis County Commissioners Court over the terms of an economic incentive package. Apple is hoping to establish an Americas Operations Center in Austin, which would run most of the company's business operations for North and South America. Key to the deal to invest $304 million in the center is a package which would provide the company with almost $36 million in incentives over the next 10 to 15 years. The sticking point in the negotiations is with the Travis County Commissioners Court, which would provide anywhere from $5.4 to $6.4 million of the incentive. Opponents of the deal raised their objections at a Tuesday meeting of the Court, with Bill Aleshire (an attorney and former Travis County judge) and Ed Wendler (an Austin developer) picking through the details of the contract between the county and Apple. Aleshire said "I'm not sorry that Apple is frustrated ... That's a sorry contract." He felt that Apple "had it rigged so they could not comply with the contract yet end up with county staff basically renegotiating the terms that they would have to comply with." There's hope that the negotiations will end in a positive vote for Apple's expansion plans next Tuesday, May 1, 2012. If not, there are plenty of other cities in the U.S. that would be more than happy to welcome Apple with open arms.
AT&T lighting up three LTE markets on April 8th, Indiana and Texas feel the glow
Muncie. Bloomington. Bryan-College Station. If you're in one of these three markets, get ready to party hard, because AT&T LTE is officially lighting up in your neck of the woods on April 8th. If you recall, there are nine previously announced markets still on deck waiting for their turn to bathe in the faster network, but AT&T is holding strong to its promise of an arrival "by early summer." For all of you getting it on Sunday, just make sure you party responsibly Saturday night, kay?
TiVo sues Time Warner Cable, Motorola Mobility in fresh patent assault
Four days ago TiVo abandoned its protracted patent litigation against Microsoft and we sighed in relief at the idea that people were learning to just get along. Our respite was short lived, however, when the company revealed it was lobbing litigation-shaped grenades over the fence toward Motorola Mobility and Time Warner Cable. The lawsuit, filed in the Patent Troll haven of Texas' Eastern District, concerns patents 6,223,389, 7,529,465 and 6,792,195. The first of that trio is the contentious Time Warping patent that's been argued over so much we'd like to slice it in two, King Solomon style. Details beyond that are few and far between, but something tells us we'll be hearing more about the tiff in the future... whether we want to or not.
