Hasta La Gadget!

Apple is setting up shop in Madrid, Spain where the company is building a new 6,000 square-foot flagship Apple Store, but during construction while digging out the store’s basement, construction workers discovered remains of a piece of wall of an old hospital dating back to the 15th century.

The hospital, named the Buen Suceso hospital, was demolished in 1854 to make room for newer buildings, as was the church that stood right next to the hospital. The church’s ruins were discovered back in 2009 during the construction of the new Sol Metro and Cercanías light rail station, and Apple was actually told about the possibility of finding ruins during construction of the Apple Store.

Just like with the rail station, Apple considered to build a display case of sorts to show off the ruins to Apple customers as they walk through the store, but they eventually decided against it, saying that there wouldn’t be a lot of interest in the display. However, Apple is now considering to change the design of the store to “symbolically trace the outline” of the walls of the old hospital.

However, none of the hospital ruins will be visible, but the store could pay a quiet homage to the building that stood on that land of ground before the Apple Store. Details on this aren’t finalized as of yet.

The hospital was built in the early 15th century to treat plague victims. At that time, the hospital had 60 beds, but it went through several renovations, including one in the early 1600s. Eventually, though, it was demolished to make room for the Puerta del Sol.

VIA: 9to5Mac

SOURCE: El Pais

Apple Store construction leads to 15th century ruin discovery in Spain is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
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Some changes underway in the automated retail space: Outerwall, operators of the Coinstar coin-counting kiosks and the Redbox disc and game distribution network, is acquiring ecoATM for $350 million in cash. EcoATM operates its own kiosk network focused on accepting used mobile phones, tablets and MP3 players for cash and has positioned itself, coincidentally, as the “Coinstar for used devices.”

Outerwall, which officially changed its name from Coinstar Inc. today complete with a new stock ticker (OUTR) and ringing today’s opening bell, was already an investor in ecoATM, which had raised $31.4 million in VC financing, plus another $40 million in debt. Because of the 23% stake that Outerwall already owns, that will be deducted from that $350 million pricetag, the company noted today.

EcoATM is also holder of the 2012 Crunchie for best clean tech startup.

The move is a sign of consolidation in the self-service retail space, and also a mark of how Outerwall has much bigger ambitions beyond simply turning your multitudes of pennies into more useful dollar bills — hence, also, the rebranding.

It also underscores how lower-margin companies like these are looking for ways to ramp up into higher value items, while at the same time providing a much-needed service in our highly disposable economy. In the U.S. alone, ecoATM says 175 million new devices are sold each year, but in terms of older models, only 20% of used mobile phones are collected, and another 50% are either stored or simply thrown away.

“With ecoATM, Outerwall will advance its evolution into multiple automated retail businesses and increase our exposure to the growing demand for refurbished products and mobile devices across the globe,” said J. Scott Di Valerio, chief executive officer of Outerwall, in a statement. “As evidenced by our growing investment in ecoATM over the last four years, we are confident that ecoATM’s innovative, environmentally minded business model will continue to resonate with today’s technology savvy consumers.”

Outerwall, for its part, had already been extending well beyond coin machines and simply returning paper money in exchange for coin shrapnel.

In February 2013, the company (still called Coinstar at the time) kicked off a rollout with PayPal to let users credit their PayPal accounts with the change, as well as withdraw money from those accounts ATM-style and also transfer money to others.

It also owns Redbox, the Blu-ray, DVD and video game kiosk network in the U.S. and Canada, which offers a standalone service but also partners with Verizon for Redbox Instant. The company says that to date 2.5 billion discs have passed through the Redbox service.

Lesser known are the Rubi coffee kiosks launched last year.

EcoATM, which will remain headquartered in San Diego, says that going forward it will expand its service to more locations across the U.S. “We are excited to build upon our successful relationship to take the business to the next level,” Tom Tullie, chief executive officer of ecoATM, said in a statement. “We look forward to benefitting from Outerwall’s resources and expertise to accelerate ecoATM’s rollout and bring our innovative solutions to consumers nationwide once the transaction closes.” That transaction is expected to close in Q3 of this year.

Few would doubt that Apple prioritizes its own stores — they’re ambassadors for the brand. However, France’s Competition Authority has just raided Apple and its distributors over complaints that this preference comes at the expense of resellers. Recently bankrupt retailer eBizscuss claims that Apple both stalls on delivering products to third-party stores and denies those outlets any flexibility in pricing. In other words, it’s allegedly impossible to compete fairly when Apple holds all the cards. We’ve reached out to Apple for comment, although the Competition Authority is so far willing only to confirm to Les Echos that the raids took place. Whether or not the searches lead to any substantive legal action, Apple may face extra heat in France — the Authority is reportedly investigating accusations that the American firm unfairly hiked the minimum pricing for iBookstore periodicals.

Filed under: Cellphones, Desktops, Laptops, Tablets, Apple

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Via: SlashGear, MarketWatch

Source: Les Echos (translated)

While the image of Japan as a nation resolutely faithful to its tradition of tea is a mainstay in most popular perceptions of the country, there is another beverage which occupies a large part of everyday urban life and culture. In addition to being the third largest importer of coffee beans worldwide after the United States and Germany, the consumption of both instant and roasted coffee in Japan is about double that of green tea according to research from the All Japan Coffee Association.

Coffee in Japan is an interesting beast. It comes in all different shapes, sizes and flavours – cold and in a can, embellished with latte art, made with a syphon, packaged and sold in a convenience store – the list goes on. More broadly, the marketing of coffee in all its forms as well as the experience of how it is consumed in Japan is also strikingly varied. The sheer diversity of the coffee experience in Japan can be a little bewildering, but through it all one thing is obvious: coffee is serious business here. We’ve decided to look a little deeper  by starting a series centred on coffee in all of its manifestations, and to start off with we have the timeless ‘kissaten‘.

A cursory Google search on what differentiates a ‘kissaten’ (喫茶店）from the multitude of other names that are used to describe establishments that serve coffee (including cafe and coffee house) reveals that there is a bit of confusion over any concrete distinguishing characteristics. Legally the word is used to designate shops that focus on the serving of coffee and drinks, but calling a shop a ‘kissaten’ in general conversation implies a particular kind of establishment.

There is a kind of retro image associated with the kissaten, and this old-fashioned feel is reflected in the interior of a store, which may be furnished with leather seats, sturdy, varnished wood tables, and Bauhaus-style furniture. Lighting is often dim and slightly moody, and there is an old-world feel that is reminiscent of the Showa or Taisho period. A kissaten does not necessarily have to have history or even have to be “old” in age, but they do stir up a sense of nostalgia.

The atmosphere and ambience of a kissaten tends to be more formal than chain store coffee joints and cafes, and unlike these places there is table service. Mood-wise, a kissaten tends to be a little more subdued and calm, a pocket of nostalgia where a typically older set of people go to collect their thoughts or catch up with each other while lingering over a cup of coffee.

The coffee itself is often served strong and black with a small pot of milk and sugar syrup at the side – a far cry from the cups of steamed milk and espresso that dominate the menus of “younger” cafes. This dark blend is presented in vintage looking cups and saucers, whose non-uniformity is a gentle reminder that the kissaten is often a more independent and local enterprise. It is not unusual for a shop to have a daily stream of well-known regular customers who have been patrons for years.

The main focus of a kissaten is generally on the atmosphere and the leisurely style of drinking coffee in these places, and in the  past kissaten’s did not typically offer much variety in terms of food apart from sandwiches, pasta, curry rice and other simple items. The morning breakfast set menu is a common feature of a lot of kissaten – a piece of toast or two with coffee and an egg or fruit.

Although the number of kissaten is being overtaken by chain store coffee shops and they aren’t quite as “trendy” as the growing number of cafes, they occupy a very special place in the Japanese coffee scene. They serve a particular kind of coffee, and with it, a particular kind of nostalgic experience that definitely has its aficionados.

Google may not be planning its own retail stores, but the truth is that it already has a semi-official footprint: it’s been teaming with Indonesia’s Erafone on a series of Android Nation shops. That physical presence is about to spread, as Google is partnering with Spice Global to open Android Nation stores across India later this year. The alliance should see Spice open new locations in addition to rebranding 50 of its existing Hotspot shops to accelerate the rollout. Google is also helping Spice bring CoolPad phones to the country. The two haven’t said exactly where the first Indian Android Nation store will be, although the Times of India hears that it may open at New Delhi’s Select Citywalk — not that we’d recommend lining up months in advance.

[Image credit: Erafone]

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile, Google

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Source: Times of India