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Apple constructing outdoor building next to Yerba Buena, likely demo area for Watch event on March 9th

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We have received images of a white building under construction behind the Yerba Buena Center of the Arts, the venue for Apple’s ‘Spring Forward’ event on March 9th. The tipster said that security guards are patrolling the scene, wearing ‘Apple Security’ shirts, confirming the connection between the building and Apple.

Apple built a similar external structure for the Apple Watch’s original unveiling in September, which acted as a demo hall for the products (iPhone 6 and Apple Watch) that Apple had announced at the event prior. Given the similarities, it is likely that this is the purpose of this new building as well.

It is worth noting, however, that in the past Apple has simply used side rooms inside Yerba Buena for its demo areas. Unlike the Flint Center, previous events show that there is space for indoor demos if Apple wanted to use it.

More images after the break …


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First gameplay footage of ‘Sid Meier’s Starships’ for Mac and iPad (Video)

[youtube=http://youtu.be/eukhuMsIg3s]

2K and developer Firaxis recently announced Sid Meier’s Starships, an intriguing new interstellar strategy game coming early this year on Mac, iPad and PC. Today we get the first gameplay footage from the upcoming title as part of the Firaxis Games Megapanel at PAX South. 

The hour-long video above includes the entire panel discussion with Sid Meier and other involved with the game, but there’s a quick link to jump to the lengthy gameplay demo (30:00) in the video above. 

The session features legendary game designer Sid Meier alongside the lead designers from the award-winning strategy title, Sid Meier’s Civilization: Beyond Earth. In case you weren’t able to attend, the panel reveals the first public gameplay footage of Sid Meier’s Starships, as well as addresses the thematic tie-ins, connectivity and differences of the two games.

The game extends the sci-fi universe introduced last year in Civilization: Beyond Earth, the latest title in Sid Meier’s Civilization series. The game is also expected to include integration between the two that 2K says “will enhance and expand the depth of both game experiences.” The panel discussed the integration more in-depth during the gameplay demo at PAX South today. 

The original announcement trailer for Starships is here.

App.io brings its HTML5 iOS app demos to interactive ads on mobile devices

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[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nu9pt9QG4gA]

I’ve covered App.io a few times in the past. The service, which allows app devs to deploy fully useable HTML5 demo versions of their native iOS apps on the web, first launched under the name “Kickfolio” back in 2012. The goal for the company was originally to let devs bring demos of their apps to promotional webpages and it eventually expanded the platform to include Facebook and other channels. Today, and around 2 million interactive app demos later, the company is announcing that it’s bringing those same app demos directly to mobile devices as interactive ads.

The ads go a step beyond the interactive app-like experience that Apple promised, but never quite delivered, with iAd, and allows users to play a demo of the app before deciding to purchase/download or even visit the App Store at all. The ad starts off as a banner or like any other ad but turns into a demo version of a native iOS app that is fully playable for a set period of time before prompting the user to visit the App Store. The company tells me in its initial tests it saw “3-5x higher conversion rates than normal mobile ads.”
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CES 2014: Hands-on w/ Parrot’s Jumping Sumo insect robot toy (Video)

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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wZWtH_rsOM&feature=youtu.be]

Yesterday we gave you our hands-on demo video of the latest MiniDrone quadricopter from Parrot, and today we got a demo of the new Parrot Jumping Sumo: a Wi-Fi connected “insect robot” toy that can turn on a dime and jump up to 30 inches.It’s controlled via an iOS app, packs in a gyroscope and accelerometer, and can roll and turn 90 degrees with quite impressive precision.
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CES 2014: Parrot demos new iOS controlled ‘MiniDrone’ quadricopter coming later this year [Video]

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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoVlNc2mEiw]

Parrot, the company best known for its AR Drone quadricopter, today unveiled a few of its latest iOS controlled vehicles including a smaller quadricopter called ‘MiniDrone’. We shot the videos above and below tonight during the official CES Unveiled press event and were quite impressed with the MiniDrone’s agility. Unlike its bigger brother, Parrot’s new drone sports removable wheels on either side allowing it to run smoothly along the floor, wall, or ceiling before taking off again into mid-air. It’s also extremely agile thanks to a number of built-in sensors, an auto-pilot mode, and a super lightweight design, as you’ll see in the video below.
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Kickfolio changes name to App.io, brings iOS app demos to Facebook news feed

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Kickfolio, a service that allows developers to offer demos of their iOS apps directly in the browser using an HTML5-based platform, today announced it is now allowing devs to embed their iOS apps directly in the Facebook news feed. The news comes as the company raises over $1 million in seed funding and changes its ‘Kickfolio’ branding to a more suitable “App.io”.

We’ve told you about the service before, which allows devs to embed playable HTML5 demos of their iOS apps directly on webpages and press releases for as little as $9 a month. Today the company is not only bringing that functionality directly to the Facebook news feed (as pictured above), it’s also announcing that support for Android is on the way.

App.io currently has about 3000 devs signed up, most of which are using the service as a marketing tool to drive users to the App Store. The company says the average user spends about 1 minute, 19 seconds playing the demo with 12 percent making their way to the App Store and those stats are expected to increase thanks to the new Facebook integration. App.io plans to integrate its service with other ad networks and platforms in the future and also launch tracking and analytics features.

You can play an App.io demo of an iOS app below and learn more on the company’s website here:
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Kickfolio lets you embed iOS apps on any webpage, adds iPad support, slashes pricing

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A demo of Angry Bots iOS app embedded using Kickfolio

We told you about a service called Kickfolio in December that would allow developers to demo their iOS apps directly in the browser using a new HTML5-based platform. The service converts a zipped version of an iOS app into a private test page with a completely interactive HTML5 and CSS version of the app. Today, the service got a few updates including the ability to embed app demos on any webpage using an iframe. You’ll find embedded iOS apps above and below that Kickfolio sent over for us to try. Kickfolio also now supports iPad apps, and it is making the service much more affordable for all. This is a powerful tool for developers promoting their apps online, and it’s one I expect many to take advantage of when providing free demos to potential customers and press on their website.

Kickfolio originally had some feedback for users about plans starting at $50 a month. The good news: the company just slashed the cheapest plan to $9 a month (that includes 500 embed sessions). Every plan now also includes unlimited apps, and the company is reopening 15-day free trials so everyone will get a chance to try the new features.

Another embedded app demo from Kickfolio below:
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Sharp’s IGZO on display at IFA Berlin: better touch sensitivity, smaller bezels [Gallery/Video]

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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fctZx8_Naa8]

We had the opportunity to spend a lot of time with Sharp today at its IGZO display booth. While they would not say which Apple products would incorporate their new displays, they did seem to insinuate these were the best displays on the market, and Apple is the type of company that uses the best displays.

So why are these the best?


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BBC gets a hands-on with the iPhone 4S and Siri personal assistant

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The BBC has just posted their hands-on with Apple’s new iPhone 4S. While there isn’t much to show asthetically, BBC demos Apple’s new camera application and the hit of the show, the Siri personal assistant. You’ll notice how Siri actually repeats back to you what you say, and it works pretty seamless, even with a British accent.

Check out Apple’s Siri demo below:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4D4kRbEdJw]
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