Hasta La Gadget!

Photos courtesy of Wired reveal that Apple’s new “tactical” data center at its Maiden, North Carolina facility is well on its way to completion. Captured with the help of a decidedly low-tech airplane — a 1949 Piper PA-11 Cub Special, if you must know — the shots feature what appear to be the facade of the $1.9 million, 21,000 square-foot structure that was outed last month. The images also show glimpses of a second 20-megawatt photovoltaic array and what may be the foundations of the complex’s planned 4.8-megawatt biofuel cell plant, which will convert biogas into electricity. With Apple’s upcoming Reno project getting the rubber stamp of approval, it doesn’t seem like the company will run out of construction projects any time soon. Click on through to the source link for the full set of pictures and analysis.

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

New construction at Apple’s North Carolina data center poses for aerial photographs originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Aug 2012 02:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Here’s a bit of a surprise that slipped under the radar during the Google I/O keynote: Google Earth for Android has been updated to 7.0 to take advantage of the new 3D map technology it unveiled at another special event just a few weeks ago. As a refresher, the visuals are automatically created from 45-degree aerial imagery and can pick up 3D elements as subtle as trees. Before you go racing to your hometown to see how it looks in 3D, be aware that just a handful of cities and regions exploit that dimension. Besides San Francisco Bay, the full coverage extends to Boulder, Boston, Charlotte, Lawrence, Los Angeles, Long Beach, Portland, San Antonio, San Diego, Santa Cruz and Tampa in the US, with Rome being the lone international hotspot. If that’s too few places to visit, there’s always the addition of guided tours. Android users can head over Google Play to get the update today; iOS users shouldn’t fret, as they’ll get the new maps soon.

Update: Google now has video, if you’d rather not (or can’t) install the app to try it yourself.

Continue reading Google Earth 7.0 for Android brings new, super-detailed 3D maps for some cities (update: video)

Google Earth 7.0 for Android brings new, super-detailed 3D maps for some cities (update: video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Jun 2012 15:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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