Apple Implementing ‘Reservation Pass’ System at Retail Stores for iPhone 6 Launch
Apple may be implementing a new reservation system for customers who opt to wait in line outside of a retail store to purchase a new iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus, reports 9to5Mac. The company is said to be handing out training materials to employees on a new “virtual queue” system called Reservation Pass.
Reservation Pass will reportedly keep track of the line position of each customer, syncing with the store’s inventory information to ensure customers waiting in line will be able to receive a device.
This new system is called Reservation Pass. It will sync with Back Of House inventory information in realtime so Apple doesn’t handout too many product reservations. Customers will receive their digital reservation card via SMS or Email. A reservation allows the customer to come back at any point during the day to make their purchase. Customers could also leave line in the past but it was not encouraged since the physical card reservation system was not as accurate as the new Reservation Pass system.
Currently, Apple hands out paper cards to those standing in line, allowing them to reserve an available device, but the company often waits until just before purchase time to provide the cards. It is likely the Reservation Pass system will work similarly, with customers being registered shortly before the opening of the store, which actually provides little end benefit to those who wait in line overnight or longer.
Customers will, however, be able to reserve an iPhone after waiting in line and then purchase it later in the day should any issues arise, such as problems with carrier authorization or upgrade eligibility. This will also prevent people from selling the physical cards on release day.
Both the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus will be available for purchase beginning on Friday, September 19. Apple is accepting preorders this year, and will take orders starting on Friday, September 12, likely at 12:01 AM Pacific Time.
The iPhone 6 is available in 16, 64, and 128 GB capacities starting at $199 with a two year contract, while the iPhone 6 Plus is available in 16, 64, and 128 GB capacities starting at $299 with a two-year contract.
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iCloud Beta Site Gains Apps for iCloud Drive, Settings [Mac Blog]
Apple today updated its iCloud Beta site for developers, adding two new web apps for iCloud Drive and Settings ahead of the public launch of both iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite.
The iCloud Drive web app lets users view all of the documents that they’ve stored in the cloud, and provides options to upload files, create folders, and delete content. The site also includes a new “Settings” web app which gives information on a user, including Family Sharing settings and devices that are running iOS 8 or OS X Yosemite.
First announced in June, iCloud Drive is Apple’s new cloud storage initiative, designed to compete with cloud storage services from Dropbox and Google. With iCloud Drive, users can store any type of document, including presentations, spreadsheets, PDFS, images, and more, accessing them from any iOS device, Mac, or PC.
The two new apps will likely be added to the official iCloud site with the launch of OS X Yosemite, which is expected to be released in October. Yesterday, Apple officially updated its iCloud Storage Plan pricing, offering 20GB of storage per month for $0.99 and 1TB for $29.99.
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Apple Hires Senior Gap Marketer as Director of Global Marketing Communications [iOS Blog]
Apple is continuing to make hires from the retail/fashion industry, most recently taking on Marcela Aguilar, former senior global director of marketing and communications at Gap. According to Ad Age Aguilar will be taking on the role of director of global marketing communications at Apple.
Apple has been snapping up several employees with both retail and fashion experience as it prepares to launch its new Apple Watch, which it it is aiming to position as a fashion accessory. The Apple Watch, which the company calls the “most personal product” it’s ever made, is available in two sizes with several different casings and a wide array of band options.
Prior to joining Apple, Aguilar worked on reimagining the Gap brand, increasing sales and introducing “fresh marketing.” According to Gap’s Global CEO, Aguilar was a “major part of the journey to return the brand to iconic status.”
“Apple is getting a tested professional. Working on a major American brand like Gap means you are on a big stage, in bright lights, every day. That experience is priceless, and Apple demands people who know how to play at a high level,” Mr. Farbman added. “Also, her experience in simply communicating the value of meaningful design and developing ideas that create an emotion — rather than just communicate a product benefit — should serve her well at Apple.”
Along with Aguilar, Apple’s other prominent fashion-oriented hires have included Angela Ahrendts, the former Burberry CEO who now serves as Apple’s retail chief and Paul Deneve, former Yves Saint Laurent CEO who now works on “special projects.” Apple has also picked up Patrick Pruniaux, a former Tag Heuer Sales Director, and Musa Tariq, Nike’s former director of social media and community. Most recently, the company hired famous designer Marc Newson, who will be working under Jony Ive.
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Party of six? Lyft’s got you, bro
Lyft’s finally making its six-seater Plus service available everywhere it operates in the US, after months of initial testing in San Francisco. Even better, it now costs just 50 percent more than typical Lyft rides, instead of twice as much like when it launched in SF. As you’ve probably guessed, though, that lower price comes with a downside, one that will disappoint anyone expecting to ride in style. While those lucky San Franciscans can hail only souped-up, moustache-wearing Ford Explorers through Lyft Plus, the special service includes any kind of six-seater SUV or minivan in other locations. It’s too bad you can’t always get power outlets and Spotify Premium access with your ride, but a soccer mom’s van is still better that your buddy’s rickety jalopy, isn’t it?
Filed under: Transportation
Via: TechCrunch
Source: Lyft
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‘SimCity BuildIt’ brings urban planning back to phones and tablets
SimCity hasn’t been on mobile devices for a while — the last title surfaced way back in 2010. You’ll get another crack at metropolis building pretty soon, though, as EA has quietly teased SimCity BuildIt for Android devices, iPhones and iPads. Details are scarce right now, but it’s already apparent that this will be a big, big visual upgrade over the last incarnation; you’ll see 3D graphics that more closely resemble SimCity‘s recent reboot than a cut-down phone release. We’ve reached out to EA for a launch date and more info on the game mechanics. However BuildIt works, we’re just hoping that it fares a lot better than its desktop counterpart.
Filed under: Cellphones, Gaming, Tablets, Mobile
Via: Joystiq, cbob3000 (Twitter), NeoGAF
Source: EA
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Peggle Blast and SimCity BuildIt coming to Android
EA slipped a little news into our inbox this afternoon. It was cleverly geared towards the latest Apple devices and what EA has in-store for it. Clicking through lead to a little information on two new games that will not only be finding their way to iOS, but also to our little Android world as well.
First up is SimCity BuildIt. This title will use a 3D interface that looks pretty similar to the full-sized editions of the game. EA states that you will be able to pinch to zoom in and out of your metropolis and spin 360 degrees for full access to all the happenings. While it might have a lot of the similar aspects, it is noted that this is an “all-new SimCity game like you’ve never seen before.”
With EA behind the title there are plenty of things that can be terrorized. For instance, it will probably be a free-to-play title laden with in-app purchases and time based abilities. It is the state of the mobile gaming industry and the best way to make long-term profits.
Another title that is on its way is a new iteration of Peggle, Peggle Blast.
I always did like the Peggle series. Looking at the screenshots, and the very limited description from EA, it looks like this should be a pretty decent addition for Peggle fans. That is assuming we don’t find out that power-ups and moving forward will be a nightmare with coins or jewels that take to long to earn.
EA leaves us hanging on many of the details surrounding both titles. There is a hint that they are both slated for a fall release, but that was part of the iOS post they released. We can never count on a company pushing the game cross-platform at the same time. There could be more little goodies coming from EA though in terms of adding in wearable functionality. EA already has a small team prototyping ideas that could put some factor of gaming on your wrist. Again, aimed at the iOS and Apple Watch crowd, but it is feasible that Android Wear is mixed in there too. They are leaning towards extension apps that would let you make quick passive actions from your wrist for your game. They use Real Racing 3 as a potential example where you can access “Team Driver” and have your team race events when you aren’t able to actually play. I could see this coming to fruition from Sims Free Play and SimCity BuildIt where you could send your Sims to work and such from your wrist without the need to grab your phone or tablet.
We will have to wait and see exactly when EA will release these for Android and if they did their due diligence to make them affordable and less “GIVE US MONEY NOW TO PLAY” or not.
Source: EA | Peggle Blast | SimCity BuildIt
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NVIDIA legal documents name HTC Nexus 9 with Tegra K1 expected in Q3
When you get caught up in a legal battle over patents and other things, there is a chance that a pending device or technology will end up getting named to further back your claim. In some industries those things go unnoticed or are fairly unimportant if the availability is close at hand. In the mobile industry, that just isn’t the case. One slip of the tongue or legal filing mishap and the community that sifts through everything find its. Once discovered, all hell breaks loose.
We all know there is a new Nexus tablet on the way. There has to be. We have heard code names, seen supposed benchmark reports and caught whispers from across the industry. HTC was the rumored manufacturer of the next Nexus tablet with code names popping up like Volantis and Flounder. It has a whole slew of win behind it along with a potential big fail. On one hand, HTC makes solid products with excellent designs. The HTC One M8 for one, is gorgeous. On the other hand, HTC hasn’t been in the tablet market on their own very much. While they wouldn’t be alone, since it would be pure Android, it is still a thought that makes some nervous. So is HTC really going to be making the next Nexus tablet? If you take a legal document from NVIDIA dealing with a Qualcomm and Samsung over GPU technology, then yes they are, and it is supposed to launch soon.
The document outlines a number of devices as exhibits that are currently using NVIDIA’s latest powerhouse, the Tegra K1. They list off the Acer Chromebook and a 50-inch TV from Lenovo. Silly NVIDIA also puts down “HTC Nexus 9, expected in the third quarter of 2014, is also expected to use the Tegra K1.”
For those that aren’t familiar with quarters of the year, the third quarter consists of July – September.
In the filing they mention “expected” twice. They don’t say “it will” at all. An expected launch time frame is always just that, expected. I also find it interesting that they say that they “expect” the Nexus 9 to use the Tegra K1. The 2012 Nexus 7 used a Tegra 3 processor and the Nexus 7 from 2013 used a Qualcomm S4 Pro processor. With the Tegra K1 being a monster in the graphics department, Google using it with Project Tango, their coverage of it at Google I/O and that it is a 64-bit capable processor, it is a little bit more concrete in my mind. Until HTC and Google announce the tablet though, anything is possible.
If things all pan out, we might have a Nexus 9 announcement by the end of the month. I am not personally sold on the idea that it will be available until October though. Google would surely pull the Nexus 9, a new Nexus phone and Android L all together for a seamless launch. As Engadget points out, HTC just started sending out event invites for a “Double Exposure” event on October 8th. No guarantee that will be the next Nexus announcement either though. However, the word choice makes me consider that all the mix match of Volantis and Flounder could mean two new Nexus tablets from HTC. That is 100% my own thoughts and hopes though.
What are your thoughts? Anything interesting to add or speculate?
Source: NVIDIA Filing Via Bright Side Of News | Droid-Life
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The Big Picture: digital maps uncover the hidden ruins of Stonehenge
You may already know that Stonehenge is just one part of a larger group of monuments, but digital mapping has made it clear that there’s even more to the landscape than meets the eye. The Stonehenge Hidden Landscapes Project has used a mix of geophysical surveys and remote sensing technology to uncover not just 17 hidden ruins, but more details about locations that have already been explored to death. They’ve revealed a previously unknown early version of the Durrington Walls, for instance. Archaeologists will have to do some old-fashioned digging to know the full extent of what they found, but it’s already evident that England’s ancient architecture changed dramatically over the centuries.
Via: Phys.org
Source: Stonehenge Hidden Landscape Project
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Microsoft will reportedly end Nokia, Windows Phone branding
We’ve been wondering how Microsoft would coordinate Nokia and Lumia branding after purchasing the phone maker earlier this year. Well, according to an internal document obtained by GeekOnGadgets, we’ll see changes take place soon. For starters, Nokia will be dropped from upcoming gadgets, but the Lumia moniker will remain. The report states that the Lumia 830 and 730 will be the last two handsets to feature Nokia’s livery. What’s more, it seems Windows Phone stands to be trimmed down to just Windows, bringing the mobile and desktop operating systems under the same designation. The decision to omit “Phone” isn’t too much of a surprise though, as the recent HTC One (M8) for Windows already did just that.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Microsoft, Nokia
Source: GeekOnGadgets
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AT&T says the connected car is the future of the wireless industry
Hot on the heels of AT&T’s recent announcement that it would be beefing up its connected car offerings, Ralph de la Vega, who’s now the chief executive of AT&T’s Mobile and Business Solutions group, chaired a panel at CTIA earlier today to make the case for the internet-enabled vehicle. “The connected car will change the entire wireless industry,” said de la Vega, adding that based on research by Strategy Analytics, nearly 10 million “four-wheeled smartphones” will be on the road in just a few years.
He along with AT&T Mobility CEO Glenn Lurie also touted AT&T’s mobile share value plans where you can add your car as one of your devices for $10 a month, plus the overall carrier’s intent to deploy LTE in more cars this year. Just today, for example, Audi announced that the 2015 Q3 crossover will get HSPA+ wireless connectivity from AT&T — it already announced that its A3 sedans will come equipped with LTE earlier this year.
And that’s not all. Mary Chan, GM’s president of its global consumer group, was also on stage to reiterate GM’s intent to deploy 4G LTE in more than 33 models across the company. Additionally, she said that OnStar, GM’s in-car connectivity service that’s powered by AT&T, will be introduced to Europe starting in 2015 in select countries — a deal that’s been a long time coming. Tesla’s CIO Jay Vijayan was there as well to tout the benefits of having a car that can download updates over the air. “It’s super low maintenance,” he said. “There’s no need to bring the car to a dealership for that.”
Also on the panel was Arun Bhikshesvaran, Ericsson’s CMO, who said that according to an internal study, about 50 percent of those surveyed would switch brands for a connected car. And of course, to make it all work seamlessly, clear and natural voice commands are key to the process, which is what Mike Kennewick, co-founder and CEO of VoiceBox, is working on. “It’s imperative that as we introduce the internet to cars, we have to help people interact [with it] safely.”
“The connected car is the new wave of wireless,” said de la Vega. “Technology will make the car safer and more intuitive, and it’ll be more entertaining for the passenger.”
Filed under: Transportation
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AIVAnet 