Apple Slated to Move Into New San Francisco Office in Late Summer

Apple could be ready to move into its new 76,000-square-foot leased office space in San Francisco by late summer 2016, according to Reuters. The new office, located at 235 2nd Street in the city’s expensive South of Market neighborhood, will reportedly have enough space for about 500 workers upon completion.

Apple currently has offices throughout the South Bay suburbs, including Cupertino, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, and North San Jose, but some employees face an hour-plus commute along the heavily-trafficked Highway 101. Apple’s new San Francisco office could help it recruit key employees who are reluctant to work outside of the city.

The iPhone maker’s modest expansion into San Francisco follows several other tech companies and startups, including Google, Uber, and Yelp, and its new office will appeal to young workers that prefer the city’s nightlife, public transportation, and overall lifestyle. Apple will share space with CBS Interactive, the main tenant.

Apple co-founder Steve Jobs advocated for a centralized campus that is “within walking distance of everyone,” but increasing competition, lack of available office space in the South Bay area, and acquisitions like Beats and Topsy are likely driving forces behind its expansion beyond Silicon Valley.

“Apple’s attitude has always been that you have the privilege of working for Apple, and if you don’t want to do it, there’s someone around the corner who does,” said Matt MacInnis, a former Apple employee who worked on the company’s education business and is now CEO of Inkling, an enterprise technology company.

Now, MacInnis said, “they have to compete.”

Nevertheless, the majority of Apple’s workforce will remain based in Cupertino. The company’s spaceship-like Campus 2 project is scheduled to be completed in late 2016, and the 176-acre property will house some 13,000 employees. Apple previously said that it had more than 25,000 employees in the Santa Clara Valley.

Tags: San Francisco, Apple real estate
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Micromax CEO departs as company loses marketshare in India

Following a recent decline in marketshare in India, the CEO of Micromax has left the company. Micromax is India’s second-largest phone manufacturer, and previously held 21.7 percent of the marketshare in the country. In just one quarter, the marketshare fell down to just 13.2 percent for Micromax as the share for Samsung and Lenovo grew. WSJ reports:

Micromax’s share of the Indian market fell to 13.2% in the quarter ended Dec. 31 from 21.7% the previous quarter, according to research firm Canalys. Samsung’s market share grew to 26.1% from 22% over the same period. Meanwhile, Lenovo became the third-largest smartphone maker in India for the first time, accounting for 11% of the market.

Micromax has brought in a number of executives with industry experience, but so far none of them appear to be able to take the company to the next level.

Source: WSJ

Samsung offers free wireless charging pad to new Samsung Pay users

Samsung is offering a free wireless charging pad in its latest Samsung Pay promotion. The company has offered a number of different free gifts and credits for new customers who add cards to the service. All you need to do is add a supported credit or debit card to Samsung Pay on your phone, and then you will be able to redeem the offer. You don’t need to make any purchases with the card or anything, just simply add a card for the first time and you are qualified.

This promotion runs from March 2 through March 10, so if you grab a new Galaxy S7, be sure to add a card as soon as possible to redeem this promotion.

Thanks for the tip, @carltonhimself!

Forza 7 to ditch Ford for the Lamborghini Centenario as top dog

As part of the Geneva Motor Show shenanigans in Switzerland, Lamborghini and Microsoft have announced a partnership for the next Forza game.

The Lamborghini Centenario, which debuted at the show, is likely to be the cover star, rather than the 2017 Ford GT – the lead vehicle for Forza Motorsport 6. The Centenario is also going to be “first in Forza”, so will not appear in any other driving game beforehand.

Xbox and Microsoft is yet to reveal what the new Forza game will be, whether it will be Forza Motorsport 7, Forza Horizon 3 or an all-new Forza title, but has confirmed that it will be formerly announced during its Xbox Media Briefing in Los Angeles the day before E3 – on Monday, 13 March.

The Lamborghini deal also includes content for Forza 6. From today, all players can compete in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo series. That includes time trial events and ranked multiplayer leagues using the 2014 Lamborghini Gallardo Super Trofeo.

READ: Geneva Motor Show 2016 in pictures: Bugatti, Ferrari, Aston, Audi and more

Those who perform well on the leaderboard and in the division will receive an exclusive 2015 Huracán Super Trofeo and be invited to participate in the second season.

The Lamborghini Centenario unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show has 770 horsepower, goes 0-60mph (0-100km/h) in 2.8 seconds, and 0-180mph (0-300km/h) in 23.5 seconds. It has a top speed of over 217mph (350km/h).

Steam now discounts bundles when you own some of the games

Every PC gamer loves a Steam sale, however picking up deals can get a little trickier when you already own half of the games. It’s a first world problem for sure, but it gets frustrating when you find a brilliantly discounted Steam bundle, only to realise that you’ll be paying for some duplicates. Now, Valve will automatically reduce the combined price based on the games you already own. I have Half-Life 2, for instance, and can see it scratched out in the Half-Life Complete set. Some bundles remain unchanged, however, so the feature could be a gradual roll-out.

PCGamesN has managed to get its mitts on some official Valve documentation. In it, the company tells developers:

“With Steam Bundles, if a customer already [owns] some items in the Bundle, they will pay for and receive only the items not already in their account. This allows the best fans of your series or franchise to ‘complete the set’ and get a deal on the remaining items in the Bundle.”

We approve. Such a move should make it easier for PC players to take advantage of bundles and flesh out their libraries. For developers and publishers, however, it does mean some lost revenue that would have come from gamers paying full price for their bundles, despite owning a couple of the titles. Some, if not all of that money should be offset, however, by a general increase in bundle purchases. If that’s the case, everyone in the PC community should benefit from the new model.

Via: PCGamesN

Samsung starts shipping the world’s largest capacity SSD

Samsung has started shipping the 16TB (well, okay, 15.36TB) SSD it showed off at the Flash Memory Summit in California last year. The company says the positively tiny, 2.5-inch drive has the largest capacity among all the SSDs in the world. It still didn’t mention how much one would cost you — not that you’d need one if you’re an ordinary user — most likely because it’s marketing the SSD as an enterprise product for obvious reasons. It boasts in its announcement post that since the product’s a 2.5-inch SSD, businesses can fit more drives in their server racks than if they use 3.5-inch drives.

The Korean manufacturer was able to cram such a huge capacity inside a teensy package by stacking 512 pieces of its 256Gb vertical NAND memory chips, which have twice the capacity of the NAND chips other companies use. It says users will be able to write 15.36TB worth of data on the drive every day without fail, and that the SSD comes with a tool that can protect data and restore software in case of blackouts. Since you’d probably have to try very, very hard to use up all that space if you only need a drive for personal use, you may want to wait for the other products in Samsung’s new 2.5-inch PM1633a SSD line-up. Later this year, the chaebol will also release 7.68TB, 3.84TB, 1.92TB, 960GB and 480GB variants, all of which will definitely be more affordable than this 16TB beast.

Source: Samsung

Apple iPhone to get OLED upgrade sooner than expected

Rumours of Apple getting an OLED screen upgrade have been floating around with a release from 2018, but it looks like that’s not the case. According to more recent murmurings the iPhone 7S will get the first OLED display to hit an Apple smartphone.

While it doesn’t look like OLED will make it to the iPhone 7, expected to appear later this summer, it should be hot on its heels in the iPhone 7S release later next year, according to Chinese site Nikkei.

Currently Apple uses IPS LCD displays in its iPhones. Upgrading to OLED will mean it can make thinner and more flexible displays which are also able to be more power efficient. On top of that OLED can display better blacks and richer colours than LCD. It’s good all round and has already appeared in the Apple Watch.

The delay from Apple has likely been thanks to competitors LG and Samsung being the main manufacturers of OLED displays. Apple is reportedly near to closing a $12 billion deal with the two companies for mass production of these OLED screens.

Apart from all the advantages mentioned above, the OLED could allow Apple to create a more flexible phone and also offer an always-on display for at-a-glance notifications, without chewing up power. Even if this simply offers better iPhone battery life it’ll be worth it.

Expect the iPhone 7S to appear around September 2017.

READ: Apple iPhone could be in for an OLED flexible display upgrade

Google wants you to go Hands Free to pay for things, trial starting in South Bay

Mobile payments are on the up, and Google is already looking to the future and how it can make an already convenient service like Android Pay even better. That’s where Hands Free comes in, a new payment app and service that’s going into trial in the South Bay area of California. And it does exactly what it says on the tin: You can pay for things without touching your phone.

” Imagine if you could rush through a drive-thru without reaching for your wallet, or pick up a hot dog at the ballpark without fumbling to pass coins or your credit card to the cashier. This prompted us to build a pilot app called Hands Free that we’re now in the early stages of testing. It lets you pay in stores quickly, easily, and completely hands-free.”

It uses a combination of Bluetooth LE, WiFi and location services to determine whether you’re around a participating store. When it’s time to pay up, all you have to do is say “I’ll pay with Google,” hand over your initials and the cashier will use the photo you added to your Hands Free profile as collateral to make sure it’s actually you spending your money.

At some stores, in-store cameras will be used to recognize you, making it even faster. Sounds pretty neat.

The trial is taking place at select McDonald’s, Papa John’s, and local eateries, and if you’re local and want to take part you can grab the app from the Play Store right now.

Source: Google Commerce

Samsung Upgrade Program for Galaxy S7 live in the UK: What you need to know

Samsung’s own upgrade program is live in the UK for the launch of the Galaxy S7. Here’s what you need to know.

It’s been rumored before but ahead of the launch of the new Galaxy S7, the Samsung Upgrade Program has gone live, in the UK at least.

Essentially it means you can spread the cost of the new, quite expensive phone, over 24-months without having to sign a carrier contract. But as the clue in the name would hint, you’re also given a path to upgrade to, presumably the Galaxy S8, in 12-months time.

Let’s break it down.

The cost of a new Galaxy S7 starts at £24.58 per month for 24-months based on the regular Galaxy S7. It will be more than this for the more expensive Galaxy S7 Edge. You pay a one-off deposit followed by 24 regular installments.

After 12-months you’re given the option to upgrade, but you’re not obliged to. If you’re happy to keep your S7, then keep it. This is where there are a couple of things to note.

• Samsung will pay the outstanding balance on your current phone providing it is returned to them in “good working condition.” Terms and conditions apply on that so make sure you brush up first.
• You then enter into a brand new 24-month term for the new phone.
• You can only leave the program once you’ve paid up in full for a phone.

You can pay up your outstanding balance at any time without penalty. It’s important also to note that by paying for your Galaxy S7 this way you’re also subject to paying 14.9% APR (interest per year) which makes the total cost of the phone £646.82.

So, should you use it? If you want a Galaxy S7 but don’t have a spare £569+ lying around it’s certainly a viable option. Looking at UK contract prices for the phone, the sub £25 a month price plus a SIM only contract from virtually any of the carriers could save you money over signing in to a new contract. And you don’t need to pay off more than the price of the phone should you decide to quit and go to something else.

If you’re interested in taking a look, hit the Samsung Store at the link below.

Samsung Upgrade Program for Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge

Samsung Galaxy S7

• Galaxy S7 and S7 edge hands-on
• Galaxy S7 and S7 edge specs
• Here are all four Galaxy S7 colors
• Details on the Galaxy S7’s camera
• The SD card is back on the GS7
• Join our Galaxy S7 forums

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Mini Cooper Convertible (2016) first drive: Topless fun

It’s almost hard to believe that the BMW-reimagined Mini is now in its 15th year. Call it a birthday, if you will, that the Cooper Convertible arrives this month in its third-generation and best-looking guise to date; a little puppy fat, cute looks, bags of adolescent vigour and tireless energy are embodied in this coming-of-age convertible.

Ahead of the official launch we got behind the wheel of both Cooper and pepped-up Cooper S Convertible models. Having blown out those imaginary birthday candles, we dropped the soft top, slotted the sunnies over face and, in attempting our best Brits-in-Portugal equivalent of Spring Break – hey a German manufacturer reimagined a British car, so we can think big too – to see whether this soft-top is a splash hit to drive.

Mini Cooper Convertible preview: Haven’t you grown?

To paraphrase grandma: “my, haven’t you grown?”. Sitting in the Convertible is nothing like squeezing into the near-floor-level 1961 original Cooper. Indeed, this 2016 car is more spacious up front than older generations of Ford Fiesta. There’s plenty of room for two, without legs knocking gearstick, or feet being contorted in the foot-wells.

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But theoretically the Cooper Convertible isn’t a car for just two people. The three-door hatch does actually have four seats, making it, well, a car all out on its own. Because you simply don’t get other small four-seater soft-tops; the closest competition in our mind is the Fiat 500 or Mazda MX-5, which are different prospects.

We say theoretically too because, aside from working a treat for bag space, getting into the back might only be feasible for “mini people” (yes, we’re going with that pun). Not that Mini hasn’t made some progress here: the third-gen cars have 4cm more knee room than the second-gen models. Yep, a whole four centimetres; the kind of thing a budget airline might brag about, eh? Still, it’s manageable space for the kids and more room is better than none.

Which isn’t to scoff at the size difference, because the new Mini Cooper Convertible is the largest yet; it’s 10cm longer than its predecessor. That’s down to a new BMW platform, meaning a longer wheelbase – and even a larger boot, at 160-litres top-down (215-litres top-up).

Mini Cooper Convertible preview: The BMW influence

Over the years we’ve watched BMW’s iDrive interface, on-board technology and media capabilities progress. This has obviously influenced in the Mini, which utilises an adapted iDrive controller to the centre console, positioned behind the gear stick. That means touchpad controls, and four main quick-access buttons for media, radio, navigation and telephone.

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Now there’s great potential in this system, but the actual controller is poorly positioned in the manual Cooper Convertible, the same for the S Convertible. It’s a bit too much of a bend-the-wrist-back position, especially when toying with the back and option buttons. That’s not so much the case in the automatic, which better places this controller thanks to more available space – making it much more comfortable to use.

As the centre LCD screen – which is surrounded by a light-up circular LED strip for some added Mini flare – is fairly sparse on control buttons, you’ll need to be reaching to this lower iDrive-style control panel. As the centre screen surround isn’t absent of buttons we often twirled the centre-positioned volume dial thinking it would cycle through options, when that’s not the case.

But, and as with anything, the more you get used to it the easier it becomes to use. And we were soon toggling between navigation and phone-synced music via the Bluetooth connection. Shame the basic on-board sound system really isn’t all that special – it does the job, but it’s nothing to write home about.

Other top quirks include the red start-stop button to fire-up the engine, which has a fighter jet aesthetic, surrounding which are the as-standard air-con controls. We even had heated seats that, in the absence of super-hot sunshine, toasted our rears to near egg-cooking levels (best to go for the low rather than medium or high settings).

Mini Cooper Convertible preview: Topless fun

The whole point of a convertible is that it can be driven with the top down, taking in the open road, wind catching your face, messing up your hair. If you’re contemplating buying a two-wheeled escape for your mid-life crisis then why not try a four-wheeled soft-top instead instead? We jest.

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Opening up the fabric roof of the Cooper Convertible is a doddle: press-and-hold the silver roof switch, positioned top and centre in front of the rearview mirror, and it’ll whip back the roof into its stowed position (if the boot is setup right, as with any soft-top) in 18-seconds. Which is an appropriate figure to keep in mind: because anything faster than 18mph and you won’t be able to move the roof when on the go.

The motion of the top coming down happens in three stages, where it can “hang” a little between them if you don’t keep your finger firmly pressed on the button. On-screen feedback will ensure you that everything is secure so it won’t go flapping about like a broken sail as you scoot off down the road. The actual motion is nice and quiet too; we tested it a number of times and wouldn’t fear doing so in the dead of night during a zombie apocalypse – it really won’t attract unwanted attention.

But you’ll need to keep your personal attention firmly fixed on the road. Although the third-gen Convertible has better visibility than its predecessor, it’s still really not great visibility to the rear by any means, making motorway blind spots less than ideal. Even the A-pillars are chunky, so you may have to head-bob to keep them out of view around sharp corners. However, driving right-hand-drive cars on right-hand-drive roads likely enhanced this issue.

The saving grace to rear view comes in the form of parking, as every UK Mini Cooper Convertible will come with a rear parking camera as standard, which displays in real-time on the centre LCD display to aid you when in reverse. There are directional lines based on the position of the wheels and everything (just like any other typical rear parking camera; not quite as swanky as the newer 3D modelling systems found in Audi or BMW, for example).

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Mini Cooper Convertible preview: Go-kart handling

Let’s not spend too much time talking about going backwards, though, because – and like with any Mini we’ve driven – it’s all about the go-kart-like fun of zipping around, front-facing (hopefully), and taking in your surroundings.

Under the hood we drove the 1.5-litre three-cylinder 134bhp Cooper Convertible, bettered by the 2.0-litre four-cylinder 189bhp Cooper S Convertible. The added growl and exhaust pops from the S add a smile to the face, but then it does cost more (base £18,475 for the Cooper, vs £22,430 for the S).

One shortcoming of the driving experience is a fairly long-throw gear stick. There’s not the deft movement between, say, fourth and fifth from this 6-speed box. You’ll be in and out of first gear in about half a second too, as second is the one that really gives the revs. The auto eradicated this problem obviously, but simultaneously extracted some of the fun that makes Mini, well, quintessentially Mini.

The Convertible is nippy, fun, cornering is a breeze – but it’s certainly not always the most comfortable ride you’ll ever have experienced. Maybe that was all the cobbled streets we encountered, or the slip-sliding on drain lids as we slunk around tight corners, but there’s a rigidity to this Mini Convertible that you’ll feel right up through the wheels. Good job the leather seats are comfy.

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There are multiple driving modes too: Sport, which ups the throttle response aplenty, roars all the more when you fail to downshift properly, and spits aplenty in third gear; Mid, which, despite its un-Mini-like somewhat boring name, gives a more casual ride; and Green, which is all about economy, with less whizz bang than the other settings. Jostling between the three is actioned via a toggle wheel surrounding the gear stick – the kind of place where the hand falls naturally (unlike that iDrive-style controller).

First Impressions

The Mini Convertible is already the top selling convertible in the UK. And it’s easy to see why in its third-generation guise: those quirky looks meet the mood swings of an adolescent when it comes to drive handling, cornering and comfort. It keeps you on your toes.

The lack of a touchscreen, the sometimes rigid ride, some irks with the gearstick, and the interface control positioning don’t add-up to entirely matured perfection though. But then we’re looking for more of a pool party, not a dinner party. And that’s exactly what Mini gets right: the fun factor.