Apple Plans to Repurpose Mesa, Arizona Sapphire Plant to Preserve Jobs
Apple is not planning to abandon its now-defunct Mesa, Arizona sapphire facility, reports Bloomberg. The company has told city officials that it remains committed to bringing jobs and manufacturing to Mesa, Arizona, following the bankruptcy that caused hundreds of GT Advanced employees to be laid off.
“They’ve indicated their commitment to us: They want to repurpose that building and use it again,” Mesa City Manager Christopher Brady said in a recent interview. Apple has said it’s focused “on preserving jobs in Arizona” and promised to “work with state and local officials as we consider our next steps.”
Back in October, Apple confirmed in a statement that it would look for other ways to utilize its Mesa, Arizona facility, stating that it “remained committed to the city” and planned to help GT Advanced employees who had been impacted by the bankruptcy to find new jobs.
Apple initially chose Mesa, Arizona as the site for its sapphire facility after city officials agreed to expedite permitting approvals, build out power infrastructure, and cut property taxes. Apple insisted on 100 percent renewable energy for the facility, which required the city to construct a new power substation.
GT Advanced sapphire facility image via Cult of Mac
Mesa also planned to leverage Apple’s presence in the city with the creation of a new technology corridor in the area, with several other companies having already expressed interest in being located near Apple.
“Apple could’ve invested in a facility literally anywhere in the world,” said Mesa Mayor John Giles, who is planning to visit Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino, California, to show the city’s support. “There’s a reason they came here, and none of those reasons have changed.”
Apple and GT Advanced reached an agreement to end their partnership back in October, and under the terms of the deal, GT Advanced will wind down operations at the sapphire plant in Arizona before officially closing up shop in December. At the current time, most of the company’s employees have already been laid off, while remaining staff cleans and decommissions sapphire furnaces to be sold.
It is unclear how Apple will repurpose the facility, but the company has been working hard to bring more Mac production to the United States. Apple’s Mac Pro, released in late 2013, was the first Apple product line to be assembled in the United States as a result of the company’s efforts to bring manufacturing jobs back to the country.
Engadget Daily: Nokia’s new tablet, Lindsay Lohan’s battle with Rockstar Games and more!
Earlier this year, Lindsay Lohan sued Rockstar Games for allegedly using her likeness in Grand Theft Auto V. An isolated incident? Not exactly. Today, we break down the legal battles between celebrities and video game studios, go hands-on with the Nokia N1 and tour the world’s most tech-infused cruise ship. Read on for all our news highlights from the last 24 hours.
Dracos: high on visuals and audio but lacking in control (game review)
Why train one dragon, when you can train two in Comunique’s latest release Dracos.
Concentrate….Concentrate….Game Over. This is something you will have to get used to when playing Dracos. Utilizing both of your thumbs to control two dragons while they hurdle through a fantastic universe dodging geometrical obstacles will definitely call for deep concentration. However, the lack of concentration isn’t the culprit for all your failed attempts. Like most mobile games, the absence of physical controls hinder the gameplay, sometimes making the game unplayable. Unfortunately, Dracos has become another victim of this pitfall.
The game has a bit of a learning curve when trying to figure out how to maneuver the dragons in a semi-circular motion while avoiding obstacles. Once you figure that out, the amount of focus required does add a nice element to the game. The geometric visuals and vibrant music help you get into a rhythm, until you slightly skew your thumb and poof, the game is over.
There is a universal consensus that on-screen controls will never account for physical controls, although there are many ways to accommodate for the lack thereof. Assigning each half of the screen as a controller for a dragon or giving the user the ability to size and move the controls are two approaches many game developers have taken to fill this gap.
Overall, the geometric visuals and concentrated gameplay accent the game, but still not enough to overcome the poor controls the game has to offer.
What We Liked
- Geometric Visuals
- Vibrant Music
- Concentration Factor
Room for Improvement
- The Controls
- The Controls
- The Controls
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Facebook Groups launches in the Play Store, keeping members together forever
One of the more underrated features that Facebook has is Groups. It is a way to share content directly with the people that matter most (and are members of the same group). The social network has launched an application for Groups that is currently available in the Play Store. The Facebook Groups app greets users with their most frequently used groups. Of course, they can create their own with select people. Then control which have the ability to send notifications. Just like any social app, Facebook Groups has a Discover tab. It displays groups that may be appealing to a user.
If you would rather have everything in one place, continue using the primary Facebook app. There are no plans to pull Groups support from it.
Hit the break for the gallery and download links.
Source: Facebook
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Netflix is expanding to Australia and New Zealand in March
Finally, viewers down under won’t have to rely on proxies and other intermediaries to get their streaming video fix, as Netflix announced it will launch in Australia and New Zealand next year. There’s no word on pricing, but the service will arrive in March with its slate of originals (including Marvel’s Daredevil, shown above) and 4K video support. We’ll have to see what the library looks like to know if residents will be happy with just what they’re offered locally, but for now it looks like ISPs will have to offer more than a “Global Mode VPN” to attract customers.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD
Source: Netflix
Apple Watch Screen Resolutions: 312 x 390 for 42mm Version, 272 x 340 for 38mm Version
With the WatchKit SDK now in the hands of developers, some new information about Apple’s wearable device is coming out, including its display resolution, which was not previously disclosed by Apple.
According to Apple’s human interface guidelines, the two separate Apple Watch models have different screen resolutions. The smaller 38mm Apple Watch has a resolution of 272 x 340, while the larger 42mm Apple Watch has a resolution of 312 x 390. In the WatchKit documentation, Apple refers to the Apple Watch display as “Retina,” and instructs developers to use 2x image assets.
Apple directs developers to provide image assets for different screen sizes “as needed.” Developers can use the same image resources as long as they “look good on both screen sizes,” but if not, developers will need to provide separate image resources for both devices. Content displayed on Apple Watch “should be the same regardless of the device’s screen size,” and Apple says developers should “let items expand or contract naturally” to fill available space.
Icons on the Apple Watch will have variable sizes based on screen size and type. For example, the Notification Center icon should be 29 pixels for the 38mm Apple Watch, and 36 pixels for the 42mm Apple Watch. A home screen icon on the smaller device should be 172 pixels, while a home screen icon for the larger Apple Watch should be 196 pixels.
In addition to unveiling information on the device’s resolution, Apple’s WatchKit guidelines give some insight into how Apple views the device. Apple asks developers to be mindful of certain concepts when creating content for the Apple Watch, including its deep personalization and connection to people via heart rate and activity monitoring.
According to Apple, the Apple Watch aims to “blur the boundaries between physical object and software” through the Digital Crown navigation tool, the Taptic Engine for subtle alerts, and Force Touch, a new touch control system. Thoughtful design, says Apple, “should contribute to this experience of hardware and software feeling indistinguishable.”
Apple suggests that all content created for the Apple Watch should be “lightweight,” as the device is designed for simple interactions that are “accessible and dismissible quickly and easily, for both privacy and usability.” Apps must “respect the context” in which the user accesses them, “briefly, frequently, and on a small display.”
Apple’s WatchKit development software became available earlier today, as part of the iOS 8.2 beta. The beta can be downloaded from Apple’s developer site, and developers are able to immediately begin creating actionable notifications, Glances, and iPhone-driven apps for the Apple Watch. Apple says that developers will be able to create “fully native” apps “later next year.”
Apple May Introduce ‘Biggest Camera Jump Ever’ in Next-Generation iPhone
Apple may introduce its “biggest camera jump ever” in the next-generation iPhone, according to Daring Fireball‘s John Gruber (via The Tech Block). In a recent episode of his podcast The Talk Show, Gruber said that he heard “from a birdie of a birdie” that Apple is working on major camera improvements.
The specific thing I heard is that next years camera might be the biggest camera jump ever. I don’t even know what sense this makes, but I’ve heard that it’s some kind of weird two-lens system where the back camera uses two lenses and it somehow takes it up into DSLR quality imagery.
Gruber says that he’s heard that Apple’s rear camera could incorporate a two-lens system, which sounds somewhat similar to the Duo Lens camera that was introduced with the HTC One M8. In the One M8, a standard sensor is combined with an “Ultrapixel” sensor that lets in much more light to improve image quality. The secondary lens in the M8 is used to provide additional image information to the first lens, which also lets the focus be shifted.
Another two lens system that hints at what a two-lens setup in the iPhone might be capable of is being developed by Corephotonics. Corephotonics’ system takes advantage of two lenses with separate focal lengths, switching between lenses to magnify distant subjects without the need for a traditional zoom.
With two lenses, the Corephotonics system compares images taken from both, choosing the clearest pixels for the best overall photo. It also utilizes a lens that only snaps black and white images, improving fidelity and allowing in additional light.
Given the fact that there’s little information on what Apple’s actually working on for its next-generation iPhone, it’s hard to say whether a potential two-lens system would work in the same way as the above examples, but two-lens cameras are a new frontier that manufacturers are exploring in order to improve image quality while keeping devices slim.
Apple’s iPhone has long been the most popular camera choice on image sharing site Flickr, and over the years, Apple has embraced iPhone photography. Each new iPhone iteration includes significant camera improvements, with its “S” upgrades often bringing the biggest improvements. With the iPhone 4s, for example, Apple introduced an improved 8-megapixel camera that marked a large jump in quality over the iPhone 4 camera, and with the iPhone 5s, an improved sensor, an aperture of f/2.2, a True-Tone flash feature, better autofocus, and a new “Slo-Mo” mode.
Apple introduced some impressive camera improvements with the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, including a new Apple-designed image signal processor with Focus Pixels, but it’s possible even better camera improvements are being saved for the introduction of the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus in 2015.
Just yesterday longtime Apple supplier Sony unveiled a new 21-megapixel “stacked” sensor with ultra fast autofocus and 4K HDR video. While the 21-megapixel version is unlikely to make its way into iOS devices, it’s possible that Apple’s next iPhone could incorporate an upcoming Sony 16-megapixel sensor that includes the same impressive features.
Amazon app now adds support for Android Wear
The popularity and practicality of smartwatches is rising everyday, which leads to support from bigger companies. The titan of online sales, Amazon, has now updated their app to be fully compatible with Android Wear.
The app now adds the ability for Android Wear users to use their voice to search for products, buy with one-click, and add items to their wish list. There is no second app that needs to be downloaded, it comes with the newly updated version of the Amazon, which can be downloaded below. You can access Amazon on your Android Wear device through the Start Menu. As of now, support is only available in the United States.
For other smartwatch related news/rumors, be sure to check out our site SmarterWatching.
The post Amazon app now adds support for Android Wear appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Intel hands control of its mobile chip division to its Ultrabook chief
Intel may be king of the PC and laptop chip hill, but ARM’s the reigning daddy when it comes to smartphones and tablets. Mostly this is because Intel’s technology still lags behind ARM’s ultra low power silicon, and because mobile software is predominantly geared toward the platform. So much so, in fact, that Intel’s smartphone chip business lost $1 billion in the last quarter, but that isn’t enough to deter the outfit from continuing. In fact, Brian Krzanich is taking the bold step of announcing that he’s… reorganizing the company’s chip divisions. In a memo, reported by the Wall Street Journal, the CEO has announced that the PC and mobile chip divisions will merge into a Client Computing group, with Kirk “Mr. Ultrabook” Skaugen at the helm. It makes a certain amount of sense, since Intel’s PC division is raking in cash, and as Ultrabooks become more like tablets, there’s a sensible level of crossover. Hell, maybe someone will come up with the idea of putting Haswell into a smartphone – which we’re totally on board with.
Filed under: Cellphones, Desktops, Laptops, Tablets, Intel
Source: WSJ
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