Apple’s Jam-Packed Grand Central Store (Video)

Apple finally opened up its biggest store yet inGrand Central Terminal today. Since I was passing through, I decided to take a quick walkthrough with my iPhone. The results are the two videos and other images below.

The store covers two balconies which wrap around a corner of Grand Central, with different products laid down on tables and taking up space in grottos towards the back of the balconies. There are a couple interior rooms you can go through as well, and you see the terminal’s huge chandeliers hanging out the window.

It was jam-packed on opening day, filled mostly with gawkers. But I have a feeling this will become one of Apple’s highest-grossing stores just because of how many people go through Grand Central every day. You can get a feeling for the space by watching my jerky-cam videos below.

CRUNCHBASE

• APPLE

Company:Apple

Website:apple.com

Launch Date:January 4, 1976

IPO:December 10, 1980, NASDAQ:AAPL

Started by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne, Apple has expanded from computers to consumer electronics over the last 30 years, officially changing their name from Apple Computer, Inc. to Apple, Inc. in January 2007. Among the key offerings from Apple’s product line are: Pro line laptops (MacBook Pro) and desktops (Mac Pro), consumer line laptops (MacBook) and desktops (iMac), servers (Xserve), Apple TV, the Mac OS X and Mac OS X Server operating systems, the iPod (offered with...

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YouTube Acquires RightsFlow To Help Artists License Music And Make Money

YouTube has just acquired RightsFlow, a startup that manages music licensing and payment services.

Launched in 2007, RightsFlow helps online music services, record companies, distributors and artists license music and lyrics while also managing royalty payments for the rights-holders. The company’s proprietary licensing technology and 30-plus million song database allows RightsFlow to license content, render accounting, and pay royalties on behalf of clients.

As CEO Patrick Sullivan writes in his announcement: We’re pleased to now be taking a momentous step with the team at YouTube, that shares in our vision of solving the really challenging problem of copyright management. Combined with the worldwide platform and reach of YouTube, we’ll now be able to drive awareness, adoption, and licensing success to a much larger audience — ultimately benefiting users, artists, labels, songwriters, publishers, and the entire global music ecosystem.

YouTube says that RightsFlow has been at the “forefront of solving the complex issues of licensing and royalty payment management.” The startup’s technology will be integrated into the video platform to allow musicians to efficiently license music on YouTube. Clearly helping musicians get compensated for the use of their work make YouTube even more appealing a a platform to showcase music and talent.

Indonesian Government Threatens BlackBerry Services Over “Security Reasons”

Indonesia’s telecoms regulatory agency, the BTRI, has told the Jakarta Post that they may have to shut down RIM’s BlackBerry Messenger and Internet services after the company declined to establish BBM servers within the country. RIM opted to put its servers in neighboring Singapore, for reasons not described in the article. BTRI says it must do this because “the data exchanged is not safe.”

Anyone can see through this transparent excuse for bullying RIM — they’re not the first to try it. Saudi Arabia and India recently made similar threats, though they were more forthcoming about their reasons. They wanted the power to monitor the transmissions, and chances are Indonesia does too.

The trouble is simply that the BBM data is all handled in Canada in RIM’s datacenters, and without a local node on Indonesian, Saudi Arabian, Indian, or other soil, those governments have almost no authority over the information. Naturally it’s in a government’s interest to be able to monitor its citizens, though of course the citizens (including private companies with international dealings) would prefer privacy, and RIM’s duty is to its customers.

That isn’t to say it hasn’t caved before. It has provided some private information to governments when they have requested it, though they maintain they have no way of monitoring or prying into private messages. Indeed, a server in Indonesia would only place encrypted data in the government’s possession, and they would still have to obtain the key from the account’s owner by normal means.

It’s one more problem for RIM to add to the list, and an increasingly popular one globally. Whether Indonesia will actually sabotage its own populace, among which (as it points out itself in its complaint to RIM) there are far more BlackBerry users than in Singapore and other nearby countries, is not clear. This kind of petty brinksmanship tends to drag on publicly and yield to compromises. But situations like this are becoming common as global communication becomes more and more relevant to national security and economic well-being. Sooner or later there will have to be some kind of international accord, or every country in the world is going to make similar demands.

Is December 15 Verizon’s New Galaxy Nexus Launch Date?

The Galaxy Nexus, while something we’ve been super excited about, is turning out to be a real pain. Why? Because we can’t seem to figure out when the bleep this thing is supposed to launch. We heard it was supposed to be around today, and then we heard it wasn’t, and then we heard so many different dates it started to get stupid.

Now, however, Droid-Life is claiming to have found the needle in this incredibly annoying haystack. Apparently a “dozen” different sources have said that Verizon is finally letting its employees in on the launch date: December 15. Now, Verizon does enjoy a nice Thursday launch, if we’re to learn anything from history.

Still, this is the Galaxy Nexus we’re talking about, so you can never really be sure about when you’ll see it until we get some sort of official word. Even then, things are looking a little murky.

Deep discounts bolster BlackBerry PlayBook sales, study finds

Research In Motion announced last week that it will take a $485 million charge in the third fiscal quarter due to poor sales of its BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. The Waterloo, Ontario-based vendor shipped 500,000 PlayBook tablets to retail partners during the slate’s first quarter of availability and just 200,000 units in the second fiscal quarter. Last quarter, RIM shipped just 150,000 units into sales channels. A string of big sales ahead of the holidays this year is apparently going a long way to clear unsold inventory however, and one study suggests adoption may have jumped by nearly 50% during Black Friday weekend. Read on for more.

Ad network Chitika on Tuesday published the findings of a traffic monitoring study that focused on impressions served to RIM’s BlackBerry PlayBook tablet between November 14th and November 30th. Beginning on November 22nd — and even before that date in Canada — RIM announced that select retail partners would offer the PlayBook tablet at a steep $300 discount, making the entry-level 16GB just $199.99. Starting in the early afternoon on Black Friday, impressions served by Chitika to PlayBook tablets began to climb.

Shortly after noon on Monday, traffic to PlayBook tablets saw a huge spike before leveling off on Tuesday. Even after stabilizing, however, PlayBook traffic was up about 46% over average levels before the holiday shopping weekend.

The BlackBerry PlayBook is the first device from RIM to feature the vendor’s new QNX-based operating system. While RIM’s debut tablet has not fared well in the market for a variety of reasons including a lack of native PIM support, we liked the slate as it compares to competitive offerings and found the UI to be a good fit for a tablet. RIM’s first smartphone to feature the QNX-based OS, now called BBX, is now on schedule to launch in the second half next year.

Verizon DROID XYBOARD 10.1 and DROID XYBOARD 8.2 tablets to launch this month

Verizon Wireless on Tuesday officially announced the DROID XYBOARD 10.1 and the XYBOARD 8.2, otherwise known as the Motorola XOOM 2 and XOOM 2 Media Edition tablets. Aside from different sized IPS displays, both devices offer support for Verizon Wireless’s 4G LTE network and are equipped with a dual-core 1.2GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, a 5-megapixel camera capable of recording HD video, a 1.2-megapixel front-facing camera for video chat, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi support and the ability to share a 4G LTE connection with other Wi-Fi-enabled devices. The tablets will ship with Android Honeycomb installed but will eventually be upgraded to Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich). The 16GB DROID XYBOARD 10.1 starts at $529.99 with a new two-year contract, but 32GB and 64GB models will also be available. The DROID XYBOARD 8.2 will come in 16GB and 32GB capacities and pricing will start at $429.99 with a new two-year contract. Both tablets will be available from Verizon Wireless this month. Verizon’s full press release follows after the break.

VERIZON WIRELESS AND MOTOROLA MOBILITY INTRODUCE NEXT-GENERATION DROID XYBOARD TABLETS ON THE VERIZON WIRELESS 4G LTE NETWORK

New Tablets Elevate Customers into an Unprecedented Realm of Communication, Entertainment and Productivity; Verizon Wireless Also Offering New DROID RAZR^™ by Motorola in White, Just in Time for the Holidays

BASKING RIDGE, N.J, and LIBERTYVILLE, Ill. – Motorola Mobility, Inc. (NYSE: MMI) and Verizon Wireless today introduced two new additions to the DROID family to deliver new and unparalleled experiences on America’s fastest, most reliable 4G network, the DROID XYBOARD tablets.  The two new DROID tablets present new options for consumers looking to stay connected, productive and entertained.  Additionally, Verizon Wireless will debut the trendsetting DROID RAZR^™ by Motorola in a flashy new white color, a unique gift for the winter holidays.  All three products will be upgraded to Android^™ 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

The new DROID XYBOARD tablets both boast the blazing speeds of Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE network and the power of dual-core 1.2 GHz processors, 1 GB of RAM and MotoCast^™ for remote access to non DRM-protected music, pictures, videos and documents stored on work or home computers’ hard drives.  Both are equipped with scratch-resistant displays that use Corning^® Gorilla^® Glass to stay brilliant and a coating of water-repellent nanoparticles makes them resistant to accidental spills and splashes.

Lighter than a paperback book and thinner than an AAA battery, the DROID XYBOARD tablets feature Android^™ 3.2 Honeycomb, brilliant high-definition displays with wide viewing angles, magnesium-reinforced bodies with aluminum housing and super portable form-factors.  Both tablets offer robust Business Ready features, including enterprise-grade security and apps such as Quickoffice HD^® for document editing and creation, Citrix^® GoToMeeting^™ for productivity and collaboration and Google Talk^™ for video conferencing.

The DROID XYBOARD 10.1 is optimized for productivity with stylus support for easy notetaking and markup using a precision tip stylus, included in the box. The XYBOARD 8.2 is perfect for portable entertainment with 2.1 adaptive virtual surround sound and a high-definition display for enjoying Netflix^™ movies in up to HD quality, concert-like music and serious gaming.  Powered by the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE network, DROID XYBOARD 10.1 and 8.2 customers can soar through the Web at blazing speeds of 5 to 12 megabits per second (Mbps) and upload speeds of 2 to 5 Mbps within 4G LTE Mobile Broadband coverage areas.

Additional features for DROID XYBOARD tablets:

·         10.1-inch and 8.2-inch high-definition In-Plane Switching (IPS) display for DROID XYBOARD 10.1 and DROID XYBOARD 8.2 respectively

·         Mobile Hotspot Capability – share 4G LTE connection with up to eight Wi-Fi-enabled devices

·         5-megapixel rear-facing HD cameras with digital zoom, autofocus and LED flash,  optimized for capturing the moment

·         1.3-megapixel HD front-facing cameras perfect for video chatting with friends and family

·         Dijit^™ app allows DROID XYBOARD tablets to double as a universal remote control with an electronic programming guide for TVs, Blu-ray Disc^™ players, digital video records (DVR), and most other consumer electronics

·         Support for Google^™ Mobile Services including Gmail^™, YouTube^™, Google Talk, Google Search^™, Google Maps™ and access to millions of books from Google Books^™

·         Supports a wide array of separately purchased accessories including an HD station for connecting to speakers and a larger screen, an HD dock to send content via HDMI out to HDTVs and home theater speaker systems and a stylish portfolio with Bluetooth^®-enabled keyboard and mouse

·         Wi-Fi Connectivity (802.11 a/b/g/n)

Pricing:

·         Both DROID XYBOARD tablets will be available in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores and online at www.verizonwireless.com this month.

·         The DROID XYBOARD 10.1 will be available in three models: 16 GB for $529.99, 32 GB for $629.99 and 64 GB for $729.99 all with a new two-year customer agreement.

·         The DROID XYBOARD 8.2 will be available in two models: 16 GB for $429.99 and 32 GB for $529.99 both with a new two-year customer agreement.

·         Customers that purchase a DROID XYBOARD tablet will need to subscribe to a Verizon Wireless Mobile Broadband data plan starting at $30 monthly access for 2 GB of data.

• DROID RAZR in white will be available in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores and online at www.verizonwireless.com this month for $299.99 with a new two-year customer agreement.  Customers that purchase a DROID RAZR will need to subscribe to a Verizon Wireless Nationwide Talk plan beginning at $39.99 monthly access and a smartphone data package starting at $30 monthly access for 2 GB of data.

Special promotion:

·         Customers will receive $100 off a DROID XYBOARD tablet and $50 off select Motorola accessories for a limited time when a customer purchases a DROID RAZR by Motorola with a new two-year customer agreement.

Verizon blocks Google Wallet on Galaxy Nexus

No sale: Verizon will apparently launch its Galaxy Nexus without Google Wallet enabled.

Verizon's Galaxy Nexus is expected to launch in the coming weeks without Google Wallet, at the carrier's request.

The phone, which was developed by Samsung in partnership with Google, will debut with the Web giant's mobile payments system disabled by Verizon's choice, a Google spokesman told CNET, confirming a story first reported by Computerworld.

"Verizon asked us not to include this functionality in the product," a Google representative told CNET.

It's unknown whether that omission is related to Isis, a partnership Verizon Wireless formed with AT&T and T-Mobile USA in an attempt to enter the mobile payments business.

Verizon Wireless representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

While several other companies have announced plans to launch their own digital wallets, Google was the first to market. Google's service, which launched in September, allows owners of Android smartphones equipped with NFC (near-field communications) technology to tap or swipe their phones to make purchases.

Sprint is the only carrier partner currently offering the service (mainly because it's the only carrier offering the Nexus S 4G), but more carriers are expected to offer the service as more NFC-equipped smartphones come on the market.

Meanwhile, Isis is working on a different approach, offering a neutral platform that serves as a foundation for other parties such as retailers, credit card issuers, and payment networks that can plug in and offer their own services to their customers. Isis, which doesn't access any of the customer data, is expected to launch next year.

This development is likely to disappoint many Android fans who had been looking forward to the launch of Samsung's Galaxy Nexus, which will be the first handset on the market to run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

Kindle Fire offers ‘disappointingly poor’ user experience, UI expert says

User interface expert Dr. Jakob Nielsen, who describes himself as an author, researcher and consultant on user interfaces, recently studied the user experience of the Kindle Fire and dubbed it “disappointingly poor.” Nielsen said the lack of physical buttons impeded the reading experience, the device was too heavy and was “unpleasant to hold for long periods of time,” and while there was potential for a good magazine reading experience, Nielsen said the result was “miserable.” Nielsen even proposes a bit of a conspiracy theory to why the web browsing experience on the Kindle Fire might be inferior to other devices. “If I were given to conspiracy theories, I’d say that Amazon deliberately designed a poor web browsing user experience to keep Fire users from shopping on competing sites,” he said. “Amazon’s own built-in shopping app has great usability, so they clearly know how to design for the tablet.”

iPhone 4S best-selling phone at three top U.S. carriers in November, Samsung sales strong

Apple’s iPhone 4S was the best-selling smartphone at Verizon Wireless, AT&T and Sprint in November according to a report released Monday night by Canaccord Genuity. According to checks performed by analyst Mike Walkley and his team, Apple’s iPhone 4S remained a top-seller across the board while Samsung’s Galaxy S II picked up momentum ahead of the holidays. Samsung’s flagship handset was the top-selling smartphone at T-Mobile and it jumped up into the No.2 spot at AT&T. Sprint’s Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch was the second best-selling smartphone at Sprint as well in November, and Motorola’s DROID RAZR was No.2 at Verizon Wireless. Read on for more.

(click to enlarge)

“IPhone 4S sales strength continues as distribution increases – Our November checks indicated iPhone sales remained strong in the US, particularly at AT&T and Sprint. Further, our checks indicated strong global share gains,” Walkley wrote. “With the iPhone 4S launching in new markets including China, Brazil, and Russia during December, we anticipate strong December quarter iPhone sales and have increased our estimate from 29.0 to 30.5M units.”

The analyst also noted that Apple’s iPad 2 is still the world’s top-selling tablet, though he did lower his unit sales estimates to 13 million in the December quarter, down from an earlier estimate of 14 million units.

HTC lost share in November according to Walkley, in line with the expectations set last month when the Taiwan-based vendor cut its fourth-quarter forecast. “Our November checks indicated weaker sales trends for both RIM and HTC, consistent with negative pre-announcements from both companies, as we believe weak trends are company-specific for both OEMs rather than indications of a weaker smartphone macro,” he wrote in his report. “Our checks indicated HTC has lost significant share at all four US carriers following the iPhone 4S and Samsung Galaxy S II launches.”

Walkley’s checks also indicated that sales of BlackBerry smartphones in the U.S. slowed significantly in November, with the high-end Bold 9900 in particular showing slowed adoption. “Following early strength for the Bold 9900, our checks indicated BlackBerry sales slowed significantly during November due to high-end smartphone share losses combined with lower-priced Nokia feature-phones and sub-$200 Android smartphones adversely impacting BlackBerry sales in emerging markets,” Walkley said.

How to find out if Carrier IQ is installed on your phone in one tap

Carrier IQ, the vendor and carrier-installed rootkit software pulled into the spotlight last month by security researcher Trevor Eckhart, has caused quite a stir. Carriers including AT&T and Sprint use the software as a means of collecting data logs that might help them identify and address connectivity problems and other issues, but the software’s covert nature and wide range of snooping capabilities make it a concern. The good news is that detecting the software on your Android phone couldn’t be easier thanks to a new app from Bitdefender called Carrier IQ Finder. Read on for more.

Android phone users can install Carrier IQ Finder [Android Market link] from within the Market for free. Once the app is installed on your smartphone, simply tap the icon to open it and you’ll know in less than a second if your handset has the Carrier IQ software installed.

The bad news, however, is there’s precious little you can do about it at that point if you’re afraid your carrier might use the software to spy on you. The two main options — install Eckhart’s removal tool Logging TestApp Pro Key [Android Market link], or install a third-party ROM — each require you to root your device, which could lead to problems if attempted by less savvy smartphone users. With the Carrier IQ related lawsuits beginning to pour in though, carriers may soon issue software updates that remove the tool from their handsets in an effort to curtail damages.

Carrier IQ software is installed by carriers in an effort to “collect enough information to understand the customer experience with devices on our network and how to devise solutions to use and connection problems,” according to Carrier IQ’s website. The software logs a tremendous amount of sensitive data however, and it gives carriers access to all or most of it. Exactly how each carrier uses the software remains something of a mystery, but expect plenty of light to be shed on the software in the coming weeks and months as Carrier IQ falls under the microscope.

Vuzix does 2D and 3D with Wrap 920 glasses

Stereoscopic 3D is really catching up with the masses, ever since Avatar came out late last year to wow the audiences, but sad to say, the uptake in such technology in the living room is growing albeit not at a searing pace – something which manufacturers and supporters of 3D would have liked to see pushed forward. Heck, even 3D capable TVs are not really doing that well in terms of sales, as consumers do not really see the need across the board to watch movies and the news in 3D other than for the novelty factor.

Well, Vuzix might want to pull one back for the 3D team with their latest Wrap 920 glasses that is capable of supporting thousands of side-by-side 3D videos which have already appeared over at YouTube – clearly making this one of the most affordable ways of watching 3D videos on your home computer, tablet or notebook.

Whenever you plug in Vuzix’s creation into a VGA adapter, the Wrap 920 will take over in full 3D mode – showing off videos which Vuzix claims is capable of rivaling a $2,000 TV in a package without burning anything more than $250 in your bank balance. Not only that, you need not look dorkier than you already do as there is no red/blue glasses to wear, and neither do you need additional equipment or a specific graphics card in order to enjoy the 3D content. As for mobile users, all they need to do is plug into an iPhone or iPad and watch the same videos on YouTube in full 3D even when they are on the road.

Wearing the Vuzix 920 is like putting on a pair of sunglasses – it will let you experience the equivalent of watching a virtual 67″ display as viewed from 10 feet, where you will enjoy both crystal clear 2D and 3D videos. To make sure it will run just right, a couple of AA batteries are able to deliver up to 4 hours of video playback, automatically turning this into the perfect travel companion, especially when you’re making that long, trans-continental flight again. The Wrap 920 can be worn over the majority of prescriptionglasses, where it will come with separate focus adjustments and the adjustable, hypoallergenic nosepiece for a personalized, comfortable fit.

I Want SCANDY! To scan my documents with my smartphone!

In case you missed the joke in the title of this posting, it is an allusion to a songcalled “I Want Candy” by 80′s band Bow Wow Wow.

The SCANDY is a very cool device that allows you to scan a document with a smartphone. This is something that I have done before at libraries. I find that when I do this, I can’t help but feel like a cold war spy snapping pictures of secret documents with my spy camera. Of course, I do it with my smartphone, and it does slide together like those old spy cameras from movies.

It is difficult to hold a smartphone camera steady when taking pictures of documents this way, which is why SCANDY can literally screw in to the side of the table. There is a video of it at my Source if you want to see it in action.

I have to admit that what sold me on this was the man scanning pages like he was speed reading a book. Imagine doing that on a scanner!

Of course, I can’t really buy this right now. This is one of those Kickstarter projects that requires funds from users in order to go to the market. You can go to my Source if you wish to donate on it. I believe that $40 will get you your own SCANDY!