August, the company behind the popular Smart Lock solution, today has announced its very own Apple Watch app. In a blog post, August announced that the latest update to its iOS app adds support for Apple Watch and makes it possible to control your Smart Lock directly from your wrist.
No, that’s not an iPhone 6C with Touch ID, and Apple isn’t planning new iPhones for August…
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I’m always in the market for new smart home stuff. Just about every room in my house has some gadget or accessory to make things a bit easier. Recently, I moved this smart home mission outside with the addition of Ring Video Doorbell, but now I’m tackling the front door with the August Smart Lock…
Smart lock maker August announced its latest device today at CES 2015 simply dubbed ‘Connect’. The August Connect is an WiFi-connected device that plugs into a power outlet in your home to provide the Bluetooth-connected August Smart Lock with a constant Internet connection. August says its latest accessory enables several new features for owners of its smart lock product…
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[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cf9DRZLEVTM]
The August smart lock system, which was originally announced in May 2013 and expected to ship in Q1 2014, has finally overcome shipping challenges and delays, the company announced today. The Yves Behar-designed device has already started shipping to a few buyers, and pre-order pricing has ended, bringing the price up to $249.99.
The August is one of many similar replacements for traditional keyed deadbolts that uses Bluetooth and a smartphone app to manage who can and can’t unlock your doors. Owners can add and remove authorized users through the iOS application, and the door will automatically unlock whenever the Bluetooth-enabled smartphone of one of these users comes within range.
Users who pre-ordered the August lock can expect to finally see some progress on their shipments within the next few months, according to CEO Jason Johnson. The device is available for purchase on the company’s website.
In honor of the Bank holiday in the United Kingdom, Apple is offering five Newsstand magazine issues per day at no charge. The deal started today (August 18th) and lasts through August 22nd…
Just a day after Flappy Bird creator Dong Nguyen told CNBC his hit iOS game would return to the App Store in August, today the developer is teasing a new game currently in development.
Despite reportedly confirming Flappy Bird would make a return, Nguyen’s tweet about his new game reads, “I am making a new game. So people can forget about Flappy Bird for a while.”
There aren’t any other details on the game or a timeframe for release, but Nguyen did provide the screenshot above which appears to show similar gameplay to Flappy Bird.
German site ifun is reporting that local Apple Store staff have been banned from taking any leave in September, the usual month for the launch of a new iPhone. No restrictions have been reported for August.
This would seem to scupper the unlikely but persistent rumors that have been circulating of the 4.7-inch version of the iPhone 6 being launched in August, with the 5.5-inch model following in September. Delays to the 5.5-inch model were said to be due to unspecified manufacturing difficulties.
A split launch always seemed unlikely for a variety of reasons, not least the logistical hassles of a launch at peak vacation time, requiring leave blackouts for two months rather than one. Sales figures would also be complicated by a two-phase launch, and would potentially provide competitors with data on the relative popularity of the two models. Apple has always only reported iPhone sales in aggregate, rather than breaking out numbers for specific models.
We’ve seen a range of schematics, renders and mockups of the rumored design of the iPhone 6, all suggesting an iPod touch-like design with a slim form factor and rounded edges.
The site ifun also reports that the Apple Store in Hannover, expected to open shortly, has been delayed until the fall by mold growth found in the building. Construction work had required the temporary closure of the Mobilcom store next door, which has now re-opened, suggesting a pause in work on the Apple Store.
The newest reports from Taiwanese media indicate that the iPhone 6 could possibly be revealed in August, not September. According to these rumors, the smaller, 4.7-inch model could be available for purchase the same month, with the larger 5.5-inch version going on sale in September—the month in which most rumors had originally predicted the reveal.
As we’ve previously reported, the next iPhone will likely be available in two versions, each with a different size screen larger than the current 4-inch iPhone 5s. Both phones will feature sapphire displays, which Apple recently began manfucaturing in China using sapphire crystal processed at its new Mesa, AZ facility.
A company that makes smartphone-controlled door locks for hotels has announced its first home door lock system, going by the rather cringeworthy name Okidokeys.
Once fitted, you’ll be able to unlock your front door from your iPhone (or Android handset) via Bluetooth. The locks are also compatible with RFID chips, allowing you to open them with a keycard or wristband in case your phone battery goes flat. As you’d expect from a hi-tech lock, you can also manage access and accounts online …
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Photo: mashable.com
ComputerWorld noted that Apple’s SEC filing on Friday revealed that Tim Cook lost out on $4M worth of stock as a result of his request to the board in August to revise his compensation arrangements to a deal he felt was fairer to shareholders.
Earlier this year Apple’s board revised Cook’s vesting schedule at his urging. Rather than the two monster stock handouts — which only relied on his continued employment — Cook asked that they be spread out over a 10-year period and tied to the company’s stock performance …
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Photo: entrepreneur.com
Billionaire investor Carl Icahn tweeted back in August that he had taken “a large position” in Apple, but we didn’t know at the time what the number was, beyond speculation that it was more than $1B.
A regulatory filing now reveals that he purchased 3.88M shares, which at the time would have been worth $1.85B, reports Business Insider. With the increase in AAPL’s stock price, and additional purchases Icahn made since, it’s estimated that he now holds around $2.5B worth of Apple shares.
At the D11 Conference, Jason Johnson and Yves Bahar have unveiled a new digital lock system for home doors called “August.” The iPhone app allows users to send virtual keys to doors to other users. The system installs as a deadbolt with two screws into modern doors. The company says that installation is seamless…
It looks like Apple may actually use Reno Nevada for something more than a Tax haven.
According to several local reports, Apple is currently considering building a new data center in Nevada. KRNV & MyNews4.com reported today that Apple representatives attended a Washoe County Commission meeting to discuss plans to invest $1 billion over 10 years and build a new data center at the Reno Technology Park:
News 4’s Ben Briscoe is at the Washoe County Commission meeting, where Officials from Apple are speaking to commissioners… Mary-Sarah Kinner, the Press Secretary for the Governor’s Office confirms to News 4 the Governor’s Office of Economic Development is involved in the deal to bring Apple to Northern Nevada.
The report claimed Apple said it plans to begin construction in August and hopes to finish by the end of 2012. Although the Governor’s Office apparently estimated the project would result in over 300 jobs and 500 construction jobs, the Washoe County School Board and the Reno City Council still have to sign off on the deal. Mynews4.com reported the City of Reno is expected to make a decision at tomorrow’s council meeting. Apple already operates its own data centers in Maiden, N.C., and it recently announced plans to expand at the location and on 160 acres of land it purchased in Prineville, Ore.
We told you a couple months ago that Apple was likely planning its first retail location in Sweden after job listings were discovered on Apple’s website. There were reports at the time that the store would end up somewhere in Stockholm’s city center, but the exact location was otherwise unknown. Today, local reports from 99mac and others claimed Apple is now confirming to new employees that the store will be located in the NK mall in Stockholm. According to the report, there is also talk that Apple is planning more retail locations for Malmö and Gothenburg, and possibly a second location in Stockholm.
The Stockholm store increases Apple’s retail presence to 13 countries, and it is expected to open sometime in August or September. NK Mall has two locations in Stockholm and Gothenburg, with the Stockholm location alone receiving roughly 12 million visitors annually.
The ever-sketchy DigiTimes does not have the best reputation when it comes to predicting Apple product launches, but today the publication is reporting Apple OEM Pegatron began receiving orders for a new iPhone and a next-generation 10-inch iPad. It also reported Apple plans to release a 7-inch iPad in August:
Pegatron Technology reportedly has landed orders for a new-generation iPhone to be launched in September and a 10-inch iPad to be launched in the fourth quarter, according to Taiwan-based supply chain makers. Pegatron is currently an OEM for the iPhone 4S and new iPad… A 7-inch iPad, which reportedly will be released in August, will be manufactured by Foxconn Electronics (Hon Hai Precision Industry).
With the release of Apple’s new iPad last March, we find it hard to imagine Apple plans to break its yearly release window with a new 10-inch iPad, in addition to a 7-inch variant in August. We heard many rumors lately about a 7-inch or 7.85-inch tablet, indicating Apple could be experimenting with smaller screen sizes. In April, a translated report from a Chinese publication claimed Apple was prepping 7.85-inch iPad minis to launch in Q3 for $250 to $300, but we have not heard anything concrete on Apple’s plans to release a 7-inch tablet. As for iPhone, we are still expecting an October launch at this point.
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Only a few thousand away from its funding goal on Kickstarter, this origami-inspired iPad case from New Pencil “fluidly transitions between numerous standing positions” without even having to touch it. A $65 pledge or more will get you one of the cases when they ship in August.
