Apple's iBeacon location-aware shopping goes live today

Apple is switching on "iBeacons" across its 254 US stores today, according to a report from the Associated Press. iBeacons, which use low-power Bluetooth transmitters to offer location-aware services to your phone, were quietly introduced along with iOS 7, and although other retailers have toyed with the idea of adding beacons to its stores, Apple's rollout today represents the first major deployment of the technology.

The Apple Store iBeacons will work in tandem with the Apple Store app. Provided you've got the app on your phone and have given Apple permission to track you, it'll attempt to offer an augmented retail experience tailored to your needs. When you walk into the store and the app will enter "in-store mode." If you're standing next to an iPhone table you might receive a message asking if you'd like to upgrade your iPhone. If you like, the app will then check your upgrade eligibility and let you know how much you can trade in your old model for. Another example given involves notifications that will automatically bring up your order number as you walk up to a clerk to pick it up.

APPLE IBEACONS KNOW EXACTLY WHERE YOU ARE

The Associated Press reports that around 20 transmitters have been switched on at Apple's Fifth Avenue store in New York City, each adjusted to specific distances. Some of the transmitters are actual Bluetooth transmitters, while others are signals generated by iPads already installed at the store. Adjusting the strength of the signal allows Apple to show notifications relevant to exactly where you are standing. Such accuracy isn't easy with traditional location systems like GPS, especially indoors. It's not clear if the Apple Store application will require an update to display iBeacon information, but the transmitters are reportedly live in stores today.

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MIT Video - Double Cone and Plane

MIT Video - Double Cone and Plane
A double cone is placed on the bars of an inclined plane. Instead of rolling down the plane the cone rolls up. Although the plane slants upward, the bars diverge so that the rotational axis of the cone, which passes through the center of mass, actually moves downward.

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Global PlayStation 4 sales reach 2.1 million units

And Sony wants to make sure you know that the tally accounts for actual sales to consumers, not just shipments to retailers' stockrooms.

Sony's PlayStation 4 has hit another important milestone, some two weeks after the console launched.

Sony on Tuesday announced that global PlayStation 4 sales have reached 2.1 million units worldwide. The company was quick to point out that the tally includes actual sales to consumers and not merely shipments into the retail channel.

The PlayStation 4 hit North America on November 15 and quickly became a sales hit. Sony announced at that time that it sold 1 million PlayStation 4 units in just 24 hours to customers in the US and Canada. On November 29, the company launched the console elsewhere around the world. It's now available in 32 countries.

Although sales figures for console units mean little in the grand scheme of gaming enjoyment, they've long been a barometer of the success (or failure) of a console. That's precisely why both Sony and Microsoft have announced initial sales figures with their recent console launches.

Microsoft last month announced that its Xbox One reached 1 million units sold in 24 hours, as well. However, the Xbox One launched in 13 markets, compared to only two for Sony's PlayStation 4. Microsoft has not shared unit sales figures since last month.

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Cyber Monday Sales Reach Record as Shoppers Snub Stores for Web

Online shopping surged about 20 percent to a record on Cyber Monday as many consumers snubbed physical stores and took to the Web to buy holiday gifts.

Including shopping on personal computers and mobile devices, Internet retail sales on the Monday after Thanksgiving rose to almost $2 billion, according to researcher ComScore Inc. (SCOR) That made it the heaviest Web-spending day ever for the fourth straight year. More than $23.9 billion has been spent on the Web through PCs alone since Nov. 1, an 8.4 percent gain from the same period in 2012, the company said yesterday in a statement.

Cyber Monday marked a bright spot in a holiday shopping season that so far has lacked luster, including the first spending decline for a Black Friday weekend since 2009. While e-commerce is projected to make up only about 14 percent of total retail sales in November and December, companies such as Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) and EBay Inc. (EBAY) are luring customers with the promise of daily deals, fast shipping and the ease of leaving the minivan in the driveway. They’re also catering to consumers who are browsing products from tablets and smartphones.

“The discounts are strong, and Amazon has gained share as it typically does,” ComScore Chairman Gian Fulgoni said in an interview on CNBC. “Their growth rates are well ahead of the overall market.”

Visa, Walmart.com

Businesses across the retail industry showed increased sales on Cyber Monday. Visa Inc. (V), the world’s biggest bank-card network, said U.S. cardholders spent $7.8 billion from Thanksgiving through Dec. 2, a 30 percent increase from a year earlier. On Cyber Monday, Visa customers spent $2.6 billion, up 28 percent and the most of any day during the five-day span.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT), the world’s largest retailer, said Dec. 2 was its biggest-ever online spending day, and that Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday marked the company’s highest five-day Web sales period to date. Top-selling items on Cyber Monday included an LG Electronics Inc. 50-inch television, Apple Inc. (AAPL)’s iPad 2 and a Fisher-Price Power Wheels truck.

“The momentum we saw on Thanksgiving carried through to Cyber Monday,” Joel Anderson, president of Walmart.com in the U.S., said yesterday in a statement.

Amazon’s Cyber Monday same-store sales jumped 46 percent, while EBay’s climbed 32 percent, according to ChannelAdvisor Corp., which provides services to sellers on both of those sites. EBay’s PayPal unit said in a statement that mobile payment volume more than doubled as of 2 p.m. New York time on Cyber Monday compared with a year earlier.

Mobile Shopping

Retailers who tailored applications and websites for smartphone and tablet users benefited from the effort. Mobile traffic accounted for 32 percent of site visits, a 45 percent gain from a year earlier, according to International Business Machines Corp. In terms of sales, mobile devices drove more than 17 percent of online purchases on Cyber Monday, IBM said.

Such devices also helped make Black Friday and Cyber Monday the two biggest sales days inNorth America in Groupon Inc.’s history, the company said in a statement yesterday. Transactions made on smartphones or tablets made up 55 percent of sales for the four-day weekend. Bookings rose 30 percent in that period, Groupon said.

Wayfair LLC, which began selling home furnishings on the Web in 2002, posted a 50 percent increase in Cyber Monday sales, marking the biggest revenue day in the company’s history. From Thanksgiving through Dec. 2, the store saw $25 million in revenue, a 56 percent rise from a year earlier.

Store Slump

Web-based retailers are reporting strong sales even as those with physical stores face a less rosy holiday shopping season. Online spending increased 15 percent to a record $1.2 billion on Black Friday, according to Reston, Virginia-based ComScore. Because of the in-store slump, total purchases fell 2.9 percent to $57.4 billion during the four days beginning with the Nov. 28 Thanksgiving holiday, according to a survey commissioned by the National Retail Federation.

“The real winners are, in fact, the consumers, who are recognizing more savings through competitive pricing and great promotions being offered in every category,” NRF Chief Executive Officer Matthew Shay said in a statement.

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Confirmed: Energy Drinks Are Bad For Your Heart

Fact: There are things in this world that, though delicious and convenient, are horrible for our bodies. Under dire circumstances, we may let ourselves indulge in a prepackaged brownie or some ramen noodles, but a new study reveals why we probably shouldn't reach for an energy drink — no matter how much we think we need the caffeine. A research team at the University of Bonn in Germany have found that energy drinks take a serious toll on our hearts.

As part of their study, researchers gave 17 subjects an energy-style drink containing 32mg per 100ml of caffeine and 400mg per 100 ml of taurine. The scientists then looked at images of the participants' hearts just one hour after they consumed the beverage. And, what they saw is kind of frightening. The contractions were so much more forceful after just one energy drink, that children, and those with certain health conditions, ought to avoid the drink altogether.

The images showed the left ventricle (responsible for pumping blood through the body) was contracting harder an hour after the energy drink was consumed than before consumption. If you think about it, your heart always pumps a bit faster when you're nervous or excited. So, it wouldn't be unlikely if the participants began with an elevated heart rate.

We already know that energy drinks contain much more caffeine than a run-of-the-mill cup of coffee or cola. But, as Dr. Jonas Dorner, a scientist on the team, points out, consuming a large amount of caffeine at once has more serious effects: "There are many side effects known to be associated with a high intake of caffeine, including rapid heart rate, palpitations, rise in blood pressure, and, in the most severe cases, seizures or sudden death." 

While the study shows that energy drinks have a short-term impact on cardiac contractility, it remains unclear "exactly how or if this greater contractility of the heart impacts daily activities or athletic performance," or how it effects those with heart disease. Regardless of the additional research needed to comment on the effects of athleticism and pre-existing heart conditions, this preliminary study might be enough to make you rethink your energy drink habits.

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