In today’s Bulldog Update of technology news: Starbucks mobile ordering goes national; why the Triangle wins so many best-place-to-live awards; Apple electric car target date.
Starbucks mobile ordering goes national
Starbucks is rolling out mobile ordering at all of its company owned stores today (Sept. 22). Customers can use Starbucks’ IOS or Android app to avoid waiting and order their Caramel Mocha Latte, and even pay using the app.
Starbucks lets estimates when the drink will be ready so users don’t have to wait in line.
The company says mobile ordering was popular in its test cities. The app chooses the store closest to the user and warns you if there is a closer store if you choose one more than 20 minutes away.
Amazon one-day discount on Prime
Amazon is cutting the price of its $99 annual Prime membership program to $67 on Friday for new members to celebrate its original series “Transparent” winning 5 Emmys at the 67th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, the Associated Press reports. AP writes:
The deal will start on Friday at 12:00 a.m. ET. and end at 11:59 p.m. PT., or 2:59 a.m. ET.
“Transparent” debuted in 2014 and stars Jeffrey Tambor as a transgender parent. It won five Emmys on Sunday including two for outstanding lead actor and outstanding director for a comedy series.
Amazon Inc. has been beefing up offers and services to attract subscribers to its Prime loyalty club. Most recently it gave members free online access to The Washington Post and has been expanding same-day delivery options.
The latest deal can be found at amazon.com/transparentprime beginning Friday.
Triangle benefits from “college cities” trend
Salon, the online news and culture magazine, has run an excerpt from Witold Rybczynski’s book, “Mysteries of the Mall,” which looks at the “college cities” trend that attracts tech savvy young workers and sophisticated larger companies alike.
He notes that the Places Rated Almanac, which compares 343 metropolitan areas, lists Raleigh-Durham in fifth place.
“This is a metropolitan area whose largest city, Raleigh, has only about 230,000 people; Durham is even smaller, with fewer than 150,000. Yet little Raleigh-Durham is hot: in 1992, Inc. magazine rated it as one of “the best places in the country to own a business,” and last year Money magazine gave it the coveted No. 1 spot in its “best places to live in America” issue,” he writes.
He explains that “the college city is different.” Large research universities form the heart – and the Triangle has three with about 60,000 students total.
“They act as magnets for private enterprise,” attracting businesses and well-paying jobs. He points out that Research Triangle Park is home to 80 firms employing about 35,000 people.
One of the main advantages: smaller cities are cheaper but college cities also have no lack of the entertainment, cultural, sports, recreation and other amenities that create great places to live.
See the full story here: http://www.salon.com/2015/09/19/the_best_places_to_live_in_america_how_college_towns_perfected_the_city/
Apple Car rollout in 2019?
Reports say Apple Inc. is accelerating its electric car project and has a target date of 2019 as a target ship date.
The company will triple its “Titan” project team of 600, sources told MarketWatch.
While Apple, like Google, is investigating driverless cars, this vehicle is not planned as one.
Read the full story at MarketWatch: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/apple-electric-car-targeted-for-2019-sources-say-2015-09-21?link=MW_home_latest_news
