Apple to Remodel Flagship Regent Street Store in United Kingdom
Apple is planning to remodel its flagship Regent Street retail store in United Kingdom per a recent application filed with the City of Westminster in England. The company has contracted award-winning architecture firm Foster and Partners to design the layout of the new store and commissioned Donald Insall Associates to conduct a historic building report that justifies the renovations in the iconic shopping area.
A view of the current Apple Store facade facing Regent Street (Foster and Partners)
The proposed renovation will consist of the partial removal of the existing mezzanine floor at the front of the store, the relocation of three columns to create a more spacious feel, the removal of the existing main glass stairs leading up to the mezzanine level and replacement with two new side staircases, and re-configuration of the back of house at the basement level with improved staff facilities.
“The proposal looks to enhance the ground floor sales area by removing the front part of the mezzanine and creating a double height entrance,” reads Foster and Partners’ project rationale. “This partial removal of the mezzanine also enhances the transparency from the street and floods the store with natural light. The interior front facade, with its full height arches, clad in natural Portland stone, can now be appreciated in its full extend. Moreover the visual connection between the two levels of retail is dramatically improved. This is key to the customer journey and the efficient use of the overall retail area.”
Foster and Partners will also be removing the four Apple logos found on the store’s facade in order to allow more natural light inside and preserve the historic look of the building. The store’s overall square footage will be reduced by 4,400 square feet, or around 25% of the current size, and the interior will consist of terrazzo floor, GFRC cladding on the walls and oak timber for all fittings and fixtures.
Floor plan for remodeled Regent Street store interior (Foster and Partners)
Apple plans to open a temporary store at 235 Regent Street to continue to serve customers during the remodeling process. The temporary location will be located at the basement level of the same building as the permanent store for a maximum of three years, accessible by a carefully designed lobby at ground level with a minimal steel staircase and a fully accessible lift.
Apple’s flagship Regent Street retail store opened in November 2004 and attracts over 4 million visitors per year. The iconic store was last expanded and remodeled in mid-2006 to become the largest Apple Store location at the time. Apple has contracted Foster and Partners for several other projects in recent months, including the design of Campus 2 and remodeling of Apple’s flagship San Francisco store.
Apple Working on Split-Screen Multitasking, Multi-User Support for iPad
We’ve had previous rumors suggesting Apple is working on split-screen multitasking capabilities for the iPad, and hints of the feature are buried within iOS 8, but thus far multitasking has not made its way into the hands of customers. In a post covering information on future iPad upgrades, 9to5Mac confirms split-screen multitasking is still in the works and on schedule to be released as part of iOS 9.
Split-screen multitasking will display two apps side-by-side on the iPad’s screen or two views of the same app, allowing users to see multiple documents in Pages at the same time, for example. As was first discovered in code buried within iOS 8, apps will be able to be arranged in multiple views, covering 1/2, 1/3, and 2/3 of the screen in the latest iteration.
Concept for split-screen multitasking (not based on specific rumors)
9to5Mac warns that though the split-screen multitasking feature is slated for inclusion in iOS 9, it could be removed before the update’s debut at the Worldwide Developers Conference if it is not ready in time as it was originally developed for the upcoming “iPad Pro.” 9to5Mac previously said the multi-tasking feature would be included in iOS 8.
Apple is also said to be working on a highly anticipated feature that customers have requested for years — multi-user login support. This will allow multiple users to have unique profiles on a single iPad, with individual access to apps and documents. Multi-user support will not be ready when iOS 9 launches in the fall, but it could be released later in 2015 alongside the iPad Pro or in 2016.
Both split-screen multitasking and multi-user login support are features that will be added to Apple’s rumored larger-screened 12-inch iPad Pro, which may also include features like a USB-C port, a stylus, and a pressure-sensitive Force Touch display. The tablet, internally numbered “J98″ and “J99″ to represent Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi + Cellular models, will launch in late 2015, according to the latest rumors. Apple is said to be working to finish software and source hardware components for the device.
Sources have confirmed that Apple is testing jumbo-sized iPads internally codenamed “J98″ and “J99,” which are apparently larger versions of the Wi-Fi-only and Wi-Fi + Cellular iPad Air 2, save for additional speaker holes.
Given the large size of the iPad Pro’s display, some apps may be redesigned to accommodate the larger screen real estate available on the 12-inch tablet, with Apple rumored to be working on new designs for Siri and Notification Center. Features tailored to the iPad Pro could work in the same way as features tailored to the iPhone 6 Plus, which has a unique layout in landscape mode to account for a larger display size.
Lenovo posts quarterly earnings, becomes world’s third largest smartphone manufacturer
It’s been a promising year for Lenovo, completing a full quarter of business with Motorola under its wing. The Chinese manufacturer shipped a record 18.7 million smartphones in its most recent Q4 2014 report, making the company the third largest smartphone vendor in the world.
Lenovo brought in a revenue of $2.8 billion, which not only includes smartphones, but Android TVs and tablets as well. Motorola had a big part to play in this quarter’s smartphone figure, shipping over 7.8 million devices. For the full year, Lenovo said it shipped 76 million smartphones, the best the company has seen yet. China made up the majority of the shipments, at 44.9 million units.
In addition to smartphones, Lenovo said they shipped 12 million tablets, with a market share of 5.1 percent.
The Chinese company beat a lot of expectations, boasting a record setting revenue of $46.3 million, an increase in profit by 20% from the same period last year. They boasted a gross profit of $6.7 billion and an operating profit of $1.1 billion.
In other words, Lenovo is becoming an increasingly stronger player in the smartphone market, not only in sales, but in the products they offer as well. It wouldn’t be a far-fetched idea for their smartphone shipments to drastically increase if the Chinese manufacturer lived by the same update standards as Motorola does.
source: Lenovo
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New YouTube improvements bring with it 60fps live streaming in HTML5
YouTube launched 60fps (frames-per-second) video playback just a few months ago (in 4K nonetheless), and today they’re launching 60fps live streaming for HTML5-compatible browsers.
When you start a live stream at 60fps, YouTube will transcode (read: convert a media file from one format to another) it into 720p60 and 1080p60, offering viewers buttery smooth playback in fast-action content, such as Call of Duty or Battlefield 4 streams.
However, some smartphones don’t support 60fps. No worries–YouTube will make the stream 30fps for those who aren’t able to view high frame rates. While not all devices will get 60fps playback, YouTube is working to support more devices in the coming weeks.
So, what does this all mean for content curators? You’ll be able to provide better quality content to your viewers, especially when in terms of gaming streams where there are a bunch of fast-action movements going on. Quality improvements will probably be more noticeable in more competitive gameplay on titles like Call of Duty and Battlefield 4.
These are the latest improvements to YouTube, making their service a more seamless and quality experience.
source: YouTube
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Google reportedly building an OS for the Internet of Things
The Information reports that Google is working on a new Android-based operating system to run specifically on the emerging class of low-power devices, aka the Internet of Things. This new OS, dubbed “Brillo”, is supposedly quite petite and may require as little as 32 or 64 megabytes of RAM to run. This marks a significant departure for Google considering its latest Android build demanded at least 512MB of RAM. However there’s a lot to be gained by being the OS that drives out smart bulbs, thermostats and locks. Not only does it free OEMs from having to design their own IoT communications schemes, it should also strongly position the Mountain View-based company as the invisible backbone of tomorrow’s smart home. If this rumor is indeed true, Google will likely announce it at next week’s I/O developers conference. Stay tuned.
Source: The Information
TS Eliot and a tragic childhood in ‘Home is Where One Starts’
You stand on the edge of a strip of asphalt, in the middle of a breezy, weedy, Southern forest. It’s nearly sunset and the day’s final rays sprawl over hay rolls and a small pond across the road. Behind you, a long trailer home sits in a clearing, piles of old and discarded possessions heaped haphazardly around it. More hazy structures dot the horizon, and at your feet there’s a small, elephant-shaped backpack. You pick it up and turn it around. A woman’s voice calmly says, “I remember missing the school bus that morning.” True enough, the bus never comes and you’re free to roam around the immediate area, exploring the forest, trash, houses and cemetery around you, learning more about yourself and your past. This is Home is Where One Starts…, a short exploration game inspired by TS Eliot’s The Four Quartets and created by indie developer David Wehle. I spoke with Wehle about the poetic influences behind his game and the wider state of exploration-based games.
Explain your history with TS Eliot’s poetry and how his Four Quartets influenced this game.
I love TS Eliot’s ability to illustrate how the beginning relates to the end in a cosmic sense. This story is a memory to the narrator, but an actual experience for the player. How do those two perspectives fit together? Does the player’s experience contradict the narrator’s, and why would that be? There’s actually another TS Eliot quote hidden in the game that best sums up the story: “The end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.” This is an exploration game where you arrive at the beginning and see it with new eyes.
Did you grow up in an area similar to the one portrayed in the game?
I feel a lot of hate in the world could be extinguished if everyone simply had loving parents.
I grew up in Southern Virginia, and while I had a great upbringing, some of my friends in elementary school did not. I wanted to tell them in my little kid way that everything was going to be all right, but I just didn’t know how. As I prepare to start a family of my own, I’m reminded of those friends and how innocent and important childhood is. This game is basically me as a reflective adult telling those kids it’s going to be all right. I feel a lot of hate in the world could be extinguished if everyone simply had loving parents.
Is Home is Where One Starts… a game, an interactive experience or something else entirely? Do the labels matter?
To me it’s an exploration game, but I also like the term “secret box” game coined by Joel Goodwin in his fascinating article about why “walking simulator” is a useless name. I think labels can help gamers know what they’re buying, but one of my favorite things of the indie movement is this freedom from boundaries. I had never seen anything like Dear Esther when it came out, and it changed my life in some ways. Looking at labels and deciding how indie developers can change it is why being a gamer is so exciting in this day and age.
Why did you make Home is Where One Starts…? What about this situation, character or narrative style called to you?
My intention wasn’t to make a clear-cut narrative like Gone Home; it was to experiment using the environment to accentuate metaphors and symbols. The plot is vague because I wanted the player to infer what happened and decide for themselves how this story took place. I wanted the player to ask, “Why is this dirty toy duck under an abandoned bathtub,” or, “Why is this glass slipper near these pumpkins?” I carefully placed every object to tell an indirect story about hope and childhood, and I think exploration video games are perfect for that sort of storytelling. I love this genre of gaming, but I think to expand on this girl’s story would go against the intention of the game. I believe it resonates emotionally with people because of the gaps in the story, and the biggest compliment I can receive is that this game acted as a hopeful mirror for people who had a sorrowful childhood.
Home is Where One Starts… is available now on Steam and itch.io for $3.
Report: Google will show off new Internet of Things platform at I/O, code-named Brillo
According to a new report, Google is setting its sights on the Internet of things in a big way.
It’s amazing to think how much the Internet has changed the world around us, particularly the way we consume data. Computers were the first gateways to the Internet, and during these earlier days what kind of information we could obtain was somewhat limited by the speed of our (generally dial-up) connections, as well as the stationary nature of desktop computers. As time has progressed, the way we engage the Internet has evolved significantly thanks to the mobile revolution (and the improvement in Internet speeds), and even though it’s been less than a decade since this change really took off — it’s hard to for many of us to imagine the world before we had constant access to nearly everything right at our fingertips.
The next major evolution in Internet and how it affects the world around us will likely be seen in the so-called Internet of Things revolution, and make no mistake, Google will be a integral force there as well.
As the web has expanded from simple text and basic images to media streaming, social networking, online shopping, and so much more, Google has been at the center of it all. The next major evolution in Internet and how it affects the world around us will likely be seen in the so-called “Internet of Things revolution”, and make no mistake, Google will be a integral force there as well.
Google has already made moves into this space before with the failed Android@Home project, and more recently with several key acquisitions including Nest, but now a new report from The Information suggests that Google is getting ready to release a new software platform that will take things to a whole new level.
Going by the code-name “Brillo”, the new platform will supposedly debut next week at Google I/O 2015 and is said to embrace the low-power nature of IoT by working with devices offering as little as 32 or 64MB RAM. Reportedly Brillo’s development falls under the Android group, which means it is likely based on Android, though we can’t confirm this just yet. We do have to wonder, however, if perhaps this is part of what Android M is all about, with Brillo being to Android M what Android Wear currently is to Android Lollipop.
For what it is worth, The Information suggests this appears to be separate from Android M (at least to some degree) and may not even be a full operating system:
Like the open-source version of Android, Brillo could be more like a technology blueprint than a fully loaded operating system tied to apps and services, at first.
Either way, it makes sense for Google to jump into this space. Right now, IoT is in a bit of a ‘wild west’ phase, with tons of companies interested in jumping in, but many of them either creating their own independent platforms or teaming up with others to make cross-compatible but still limited platforms. Just as Google did with Android Wear and is trying to do with Android Auto and Android TV, Brillo will provide a cross-compatible, open platform that any IOT device maker can utilize for their products and, providing it takes off, could certainly help reign in a new era for Internet of Things.
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For now, Google will be focusing specifically on the home side of IOT, at least according to The Information’s report. Of course it is important to note that Google has yet to confirm any of this, so we’d take the entire report with a grain of salt. Thankfully, Google I/O is almost here, so we shouldn’t have to wait too long to learn more.
What do you think of the idea of Google jumping into IOT with its own platform? Let us know in the comments.
Pre-pay for 3 months of SlingTV and get a Nexus Player for 50% off
Sling TV has been available to Android users since February, but starting today Nexus Player users will also be able to get in on the action, as the official Android TV app is now live.
Sling TV is without a doubt one of the best ways for cord-cutters to ditch their cable bill while still having access to traditional programming with over 20 cable channels offered for just $20 a month. For those that have been considering it, right now Sling is offering you the chance to not only get its service but to also save 50% on a brand new Nexus Player. With its new promotion, all you have to do is pre-pay for three months of Sling TV service, a cost of $60 outright, and you can then snag the Nexus Player for just $50.
At least at the time of this writing the deal doesn’t seem to be live just yet, though you should be able to find more details through Sling’s website later today. Already own a Nexus Player? If you’ve yet to try out Sling TV, you also have the option of getting a 7-day trial to see if it is right for you.
LTE Direct equipped smartphones could improve spectrum utilization
http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9?isVid=1&isUI=1
Qualcomm has been trailing the next stage in LTE development, known as LTE Direct, for a little while now and other developers in the space have begun talking a bit more about the promising new technology.
For a little background, LTE Direct, also known as D2D, is a device-to-device proximal discovery technology. Essentially, this enables compatible devices to communicate with each other directly using the LTE wireless spectrum. The technology works within a range of 500 meters and could allow for the discovery of thousands of nearby devices.
“D2D-enabled LTE devices have the potential to become competitive for fallback public safety networks that must function when cellular networks are not available or fail.” – Professor Jeff Andrews
You may recall that there’s a growing concern about the amount of bandwidth available to provide increasingly high-speed, long distance LTE services, and there has been lots of talk about local, small cell networks and initiatives like LTE-Unlicensed to help boost data speeds to customers. LTE Direct takes this idea one step further, by allowing end devices to cut out the middle men and communicate directly with one another.
Of course, this has a few potential negative aspects for mobile devices, especially when it comes to data privacy and any effects on our precious battery life. Qualcomm states that the technology allows for the anonymous discovery of other devices and doesn’t track location or device data. Battery life is also said to be mostly unaffected, by not wasting network pings on every available connection.
“it’s not that much further to a scenario where when you’re finished with your cellphone, you can hang it on the wall and it adds to the cellular network.” – Steve Papa, founder of Parallel Wireless
The proximity service is already being touted as an efficient, high-speed method to allow people to connect with and search for people, local businesses and other services nearby. The opportunity to connect directly with consumers and the potential for ad revenue should entice businesses over too. Furthermore, some believe that the finalized model could go even further, allowing for devices to actually contribute to network spectrum, presumably by allowing others to transmit data through D2D devices and onto another cell or handset.
Steve Papa, founder of Parallel Wireless recently told CNBC that smartphones could eventually replace the need for cell towers in built-up populated areas, as smartphones could become part of the transmission network.
While unlikely to completely replace the need for longer distance coverage, combining LTE Direct with small cell networks could greatly decrease the burden on the limited spectrum available and improve future network speeds and coverage. For further details, be sure to read Qualcomm’s whitepaper on the subject.
NordVPN: Two years of secure & anonymous internet, $39
Gone are the days where the only folks who would need a proxy internet connection are the nefarious creeps at the internet cafe up to who knows what. In our modern world of rapidly vanishing privacy, it’s increasingly important to protect yourself your data. We’ve all seen more and more reports of compromised security, leaks, and hacks and there’s nothing in the cards that makes me believe we should expect things to get any safer in the immediate future. How does one safeguard their internet activity? NordVPN.
NordVPN affords you the ability to anonymously connect to the internet with private encryption. That means your data won’t be out in the open on those sketchy public Wi-Fi and mobile networks. Also, no activity-logs… not that you’d have any reason for that to be an issue. In all sincerity, this is a great service to protect yourself and your valuable information. This offer typically goes for $120 but AndroidGuys get the subscription for 67% off. You pay just $39 for two years of safety and peace of mind.
See more at deals.androidguys.com
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