Apple's new campus to be 'greenest' on Earth?

With 7,000 trees and buried parking lots, CEO Tim Cook expects the new headquarters to be a major statement of Apple's environmental push.

Apple CEO Tim Cook on Monday offered up the heady goal of making his company's new headquarters the most environmentally friendly building there is out there.

"We're building a new headquarters that I think will be the greenest building on the planet," he said during the Climate Week NYC conference. "It'll be a center for innovation, and it's something clearly our employees want and we want."

The building, which has been likened to a spaceship, is now under construction in Cupertino, Calif., and expected to be completed in 2016. When done, it will take up 2.8 million square feet and be doughnut shaped.

Apple has said that the headquarters will be 80 percent landscape with more than 7,000 trees. Parking lots will be buried underground, and the campus will include one of the largest onsite corporate solar energy installations in the world. The facility will be able to accommodate over 14,000 employees, more than five times the number Apple's current Cupertino headquarters can fit.

With the headquarters as a prime example of what Apple hopes to do to fight climate change, Cook said at the conference his company will focus on making its supply chain greener, as well. The company in 2012 faced criticism after The New York Times published a series on Apple's Chinese suppliers, which spotlighted questionable labor and environmental practices. Apple has since worked to improve those conditions.

Cook said the effort to make the supply chain more environmentally friendly was "dirty" and "detailed" work, but he reinforced Apple's commitment to making improvements.

"We know that we will not make enough of a difference if we only solve our little piece of the world," he said. "We need to be one of the pebbles in the pond that creates the ripple."

Connections, performance, and battery

Even a few years into the USB 3.0 era, we're still seeing a lot of slower USB 2.0 ports. In this case, you actually get one of each, which is better than some other ultraportables, and with only 16GB of internal SSD storage, it's not like you're likely to need fast data transfer speeds anyway. Having faster 802.11ac WiFi is a plus, but the idea of fishing out a dongle or special cable every time to use the micro-HDMI port doesn't appeal to me.

We've seen some differences in Chrome OS performance over the past year between systems with Intel Celeron processors, such as this one, slower ones with ARM chips such as the Samsung Exynos and faster ones with Core i3 CPUs. Nvidia and Acer upended the apple cart a little but with the recent Acer Chromebook 13, which uses the Nvidia K1 processor for average overall performance scores, but excellent 3D scores (as one might expect from Nvidia).

The N20p was middle-to-top of the pack in most tests, but keep in mind that much of your Chrome OS experience is going to be based on using online tools, most of which are pretty lightweight and easy to run. The N20p felt faster and easier to use than some other Chromebooks, but a lot of that also comes from the better-than-average keyboard and touchpad, making interaction less of a hassle.

One area where the system did especially well is our online video streaming playback test. The N20p ran for 8:19, just a few minutes longer than the Nvidia-powered Acer Chromebook 13, and well ahead of Lenovo's own Yoga 11e Chromebook, which ran for 5:36 on the same test.

Conclusion

Chromebooks have become common enough that shoppers can now expect either a rock-bottom price or one or more special features. The Yoga 11e has a hybrid hinge that transforms into a tablet, the Acer Chromebook 13 does mainstream-quality graphics, and the Acer C720p (a long-time favorite) packs a touchscreen into a very inexpensive system.

The N20p straddles that line. It's not the least-expensive, not the most expensive, and it adds a touchscreen and decent design. But its main calling card, a semi-hybrid 300-degree hinge, is of dubious practical use. Much like the IdeaPad Flex line of Windows 8 PCs that preceded it, the N20p still stands on its own as a very good clamshell laptop, even if you'll never use its fold-back hinge.

Sony sees $2.1B loss for fiscal year as mobile woes take a toll

The situation is so bad that Sony is suspending its dividend -- the first time it won't be making a payout since it listed in 1958. Sony's envisioned comeback in the mobile business has hit a snag. A big snag.

The Japanese electronics conglomerate warned Wednesday that it will post a loss of 230 billion yen ($2.1 billion) in its fiscal year that ends March 31, 2015. It also suspended its dividend -- the first time it won't be making a payout since it listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in 1958.

The company blamed the "competitive environment of the mobile business." Sony has been hammered by competition and an inability to find distributors in key markets such as the US. While its line of high-end Xperia smartphones have been praised for their design and waterproof bodies, they continue to fall under the shadow of giants Apple and Samsung. Sony's problems underscore the hyper-competitive environment that smartphone makers face -- with similar struggles facing HTC and others.

Sony said the losses are a result of a writedown of 180 billion yen ($1.67 billion) in its mobile business and will result in the overall company's fifth annual loss in six years. It also marks a rough year for CEO Kazuo Hirai, who took the reins in 2012 with a vow of turning the business around.

Sony plans to change its mobile strategy by concentrating its efforts in "certain geographical areas, premium lineups and reducing the number of models in its mid-range lineup," the company said in a statement (PDF).

The company had reported a net profit of around 25.7 billion yen in the April-to-June quarter due to blockbusters such as the "Amazing Spider-Man 2" and strong sales of the PlayStation 4 console.

But going into the critical holiday-shopping season, there remain a lot of questions about Sony's mobile business. While its Xperia Z3 flagship is making its way into the US through T-Mobile, Sony doesn't have any other US partners for distribution. The company has resorted to selling unlocked versions of its smartphones through its retail stores and website. Beyond T-Mobile, Sony only sells its Z2 tablet through Verizon Wireless.

While Sony plans to focus on its premium lineup, there are questions about whether the company can compete in that category. Apple's iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are launching on Friday, and Samsung's Galaxy Note 4 is set to hit stores in October. Beyond Apple and Samsung, rivals such as HTC and LG are also fighting for a share of the high-end pie with their respective flagship smartphones. On top of that, companies such as Google and Microsoft are laying out plans to broaden their reach into the emerging markets with more affordable smartphones -- the fastest growing segment of the business.

When it comes to digital games, Microsoft's not playing around

Many on Wall Street thought Microsoft ought to exit the game business, but since taking over as CEO, Satya Nadella has taken the opposite tack. Here's why.

Long before Microsoft announced Steve Ballmer's replacement, some on Wall Street were already advising the incoming CEO to dump the company's Xbox business.

"Microsoft is trying to do too much, and these assets add no clear value to the overall business," Nomura's Rick Sherlund said at the time. He sounded a view that was popular in some financial circles that gaming was at best a sideshow, at worst a distraction. Microsoft would serve shareholders far better by focusing on its bread-and-butter enterprise business, many reasoned.

But Microsoft had other ideas.

"Gaming is a top activity spanning devices, from PCs and consoles to tablets and mobile, with billions of hours spent each year," CEO Satya Nadella said in a statement on Monday after the company confirmed its $2.5 billion purchase of Mojang AB, the Swedish makers of Minecraft.

"Minecraft is more than a great game franchise -- it is an open world platform, driven by a vibrant community we care deeply about," Nadella said.

Nadella's PR handlers must have had to arm-wrestle their boss not to add his now-signature "mobile-first, cloud-first" mantra into the press release, but the line wouldn't have been out of place with the worldview he has repeatedly articulated since his appointment as chief executive last February.

Nadella also sees what he describes as the "digital life category" as strategically important to Microsoft. In his -- July letter to employees, he talked at length about the technology benefits "flowing from our gaming efforts into our productivity efforts -- core graphics and NUI in Windows, speech recognition in Skype, camera technology in Kinect for Windows, Azure cloud enhancements for GPU simulation and many more." At the time, it was all about Xbox. Now Microsoft is adding a much-coveted property that ranks asthe third best-selling game of all time behind Tetris and Wii Sports -- for the price of a veritable rounding era. Microsoft, which ended the June quarter with some $86 billion of cash on the balance sheet, also gets a Trojan Horse that it will presumably use to introduce younger people to more Microsoft products other than Xbox.

Until now, Minecraft has not been available on Windows Phone. That's obviously going to change as Microsoft seeks to become a more important player in the mobile game business, both for smartphones and tablets. No doubt, Microsoft's keen on getting more people to use its mobile hardware products. And if Minecraft introduces enough users to the panoply of higher-margin software products that Microsoft sells, such as Office 365, then Nadella will have the last word in the argument. For the record, Microsoft expects the acquisition to be break-even sometime in its fiscal 2015 year.

Could Microsoft still screw this up? Sure. And the departure of co-founders Markus "Notch" Persson, Carl Manneh, and Jakob PorsÈr once the deal closes means it's going to be up to Xbox boss Microsoft's Phil Spencer to manage the transition successfully. For now, he's saying all the right things about supporting the Minecraft franchise across platforms -- including iOS, Android and PlayStation, in addition to Xbox and PC. (Minecraft is available on Xbox One.)

But Microsoft is getting the Minecraft franchise and little more. In a note commenting on the deal, Cowen and Company's Gregg Moskowitz wrote that there's no sign that other potential hits are in Mojang's product pipeline. In other words, Microsoft appears to be buying the game and 40 developers, but effectively nothing else.

Tim Cook to talk iPhone 6, Beats and Steve Jobs on Charlie Rose

In a two-part interview, Apple's CEO expounds on the company's past, present and what lies ahead.

It's been a busy week for Apple. The company unveiled several new products -- including a plus-size iPhone and an Apple Watch -- and now CEO Tim Cook is sitting down with PBS' Charlie Rose to discuss what's been going on and the road ahead.

In a two-part series, Cook hits on topics including Apple TV, the company buyout of Beats and Steve Jobs' legacy. The first part of the interview airs Friday night and the second part can be viewed on Monday. PBS shared a transcript of the interview with CNET. Here are some tidbits:

Apple Watch

Apple isn't the first company to come out with a smartwatch. Nevertheless, the Apple Watch debuted with much fanfare on Tuesday. It comes in several different styles, interacts with an iPhone and doubles as a fitness monitor. Cook implied that even though it's not the first smartwatch on the market, he believes it will still have commercial success.

"The Apple Watch is the most personal device we've ever created," Cook said. "We explored many different things and as the product came to fruition, it became not only the timepiece that you would expect, but a device that can do many different things, including, really, a whole new way of communicating and connecting with people."

iPhone

Cook called the new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus "the biggest advance in iPhone history" and the "best iPhones we've ever done." When Rose asked if the larger-size phone was created to battle Samsung's Galaxy S5, Cook said "we could have done a larger iPhone years ago. It's never been about just making a larger phone. It's been about making a better phone in every single way."

Apple television set

It's been rumored for years that Apple has been working on a TV set. Cook didn't clarify if this is actually in the works, but he did say television "is something we have great interest in." He said viewers' current TV experience is "stuck in the '70s" and it "almost feels like you're rewinding the clock and you've entered a time capsule, and you're going backward."

Beats

Apple agreed to buy Beats, the company behind the street-fashionable headphones as well as a subscription streaming music service, for $3 billion in May. Cook told Rose that he made this decision because he saw talent in Beats' team and was impressed by its subscription service. He called Beats founders Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine "creative geniuses" and said they've "done a fabulous job with the brand."

Steve Jobs

"I think about Steve every day," Cook told Rose. "He is deep in Apple's DNA. His spirit will always be the foundation of the company." In fact, Cook said, the company has left Jobs' office exactly as it was, with his name still on the door.

When Jobs picked Cook as his successor, Cook said, he was surprised but trusted Jobs' decision. "He knew, when he chose me, that I wasn't like him, that I'm not a carbon copy of him. And so he obviously thought through that deeply, about who he wanted to lead Apple," Cook said.

"I've never had the objective of being like him, because I knew, the only person I can be is the person I am," he told Rose. "I've tried to be the best Tim Cook I can be."

Down the road

While Cook stayed tight-lipped on what Apple is dreaming up next, he did say "there are products we're working on that no one knows about, yes. That haven't been rumored about yet."

"We know we'll only do our best work if we stay focused," Cook said. "The hardest decisions we made are all the things not to work on."

In the full interview, Cook also talks about Apple's recent deal with IBM, social networking and much more. It airs on PBS on Friday and Monday evening, viewers should check local listings for details.

Yowza! Yahoo once faced $250K in daily fines from US government

Declassified documents related to Yahoo's challenge of a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court opinion are now out. But the company doesn't see it as an all-out victory.

Yahoo previously petitioned to have a slew of secret files unsealed more than a year ago, and the findings lean toward the technology company's favor as far as the public eye might be concerned.

The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court in Washington, D.C., has released more than 1,500 of previously classified pages, including a never-before-seen 2008 FISC opinion that Yahoo challenged on appeal.

The most astounding point of interest, as emphasized by Yahoo general counsel Ron Bell in a blog post on Thursday, was that the U.S. government threatened to levy $250,000 in fines per day if Yahoo refused to comply to demands for user information from its online services.

In June 2013, it was revealed Yahoo was one of the nine Silicon Valley giants tapped by NSA's secret data-mining program Prism, which came to light through documents leaked by former government contractor Edward Snowden.

Many of the tech giants (notably Google, Facebook, Apple and Microsoft) have publicly denounced the Prism program, but Yahoo took things a step further by petitioning the FISC to declassify documents from these cases in 2008.

According to the San Jose Mercury News last summer, Yahoo argued those files would reveal that the technology company "objected strenuously" to federal demands for consumer data, thus demonstrating its interest in defending user privacy above all else.

The FISC granted the motion in the search giant's favor, but Yahoo didn't score an all-out victory because, as Bell lamented, "portions of the documents remain sealed and classified to this day, unknown even to our team."

Nevertheless, Bell still touted the turn of events as "an important win for transparency," promising it will make all of the 1,500 pages available to the public via Tumblr soon.

"A decision to open FISC or FISC-R records to the public is extremely rare," Bell wrote. "Now that the FISC-R has agreed to unseal the proceedings at our request, we are working to make these documents available."

Google buys Lift Labs, maker of spoon for Parkinson's tremors

The search giant takes another step into biotech, snapping up a device maker focused on neurodegenerative diseases.

Google on Wednesday announced that it's buying Lift Labs, a biotech company that developed a special spoon designed to make it easier to eat for people with diseases like Parkinson's or essential tremor. Financial terms of the deal were not announced.

The team will join Google X, the part of the company that executes its most ambitious projects, deemed "moon shots" in Google parlance. Other X initiatives include driverless cars and Wi-Fi beaming balloons. Specifically, Lift Labs will join Google X's Life Sciences division.

Lift's product, called Liftware, vibrates to stabilize tremors, countering the movements of a patient's hand as he or she raises the spoon to the mouth. The company will continue to make and sell the product after it joins Google's team in Mountain View, Calif.

The search giant has increasingly delved into life sciences recently. Last year, it backed Calico, short for the California Life Company, a firm dedicated to developing medication with the overarching mission of expanding the human life span. Last week, the company -- run by former Genentech CEO and current Apple Chairman Arthur Levinson -- announced a partnership with the biopharmaceutical firm AbbVie to pour up to $1.5 billion into a research facility focused on fighting age-related diseases.

Google X has also developed a smart contact lens, which measures glucose levels in tears for people with diabetes and other conditions. In July, the company partnered with the Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis to produce the contacts.

Also in July, Google unveiled another Google X project, Baseline, a volunteer-based program in which the company will intimately study the workings of the human body, with the goal of finding breakthroughs in disease prevention.

As The New York Times notes, the push to fight neurodegenerative diseases may also be a personal cause for Google co-founder Sergey Brin, who spends much of his time on Google X projects. Brin's mother has Parkinson's, and he's said he has a genetic mutation that gives him a higher chance of developing the disease himself.

A Google spokesperson said Lift Labs' "tremor-canceling" technology could "improve quality of life for millions of people." The company also said it is looking for new ways to use an "understanding and management" of neurodegenerative diseases. The Lift team wrote that joining Google will allow it to grow its operations.

Google's Mysterious 3D Project And The Humongous Business Appetite For Imaging

Google is working on mobile devices capable of taking and reproducing 3D images – reportedly including a tablet – which could help satisfy the insatiable business appetite for better imaging, experts have said.

Development is being kept well under wraps and is taking place under the codename Project Tango, and while Google has already talked of working on a prototype smartphone with 3D imaging capabilities, it has not commented  on reports this week that it is developing 3D capable tablets.

3D technology is not new, but the potential commercialization by a company with the reach of Google – at an affordable price point – could transform its adoption. Consumer tablets and phones running the Android operating system are already highly popular in the enterprise.

Todd Thibodeaux, president and CEO of IT industry association CompTIA, tells Forbes that if Google were to develop “really compelling” technology, it would find uses in “video and image heavy fields like medicine, real estate and engineering and some retail markets like automotive.”

Many of these industries already use imaging technology heavily, and are looking for the next stage. In medicine, doctors, pharmaceutical companies and researchers are always attempting to improve the ways they can assess, see and understand human health. In other industries, uses can be as diverse as showing a property to prospective buyers, or examining a design scenario for a city center construction, major utility site, or road project.

“Imagine sectors like construction, mining, or warehousing,” says Bryan Ma, vice president of client devices research at IDC. “Being able to see where things should be [in terms of 3D and augmented reality technology], without them being physically obvious to the unaided eye could help significantly accelerate processes and efficiency.”

Other industries, including manufacturing and design, can also see the benefits of the technology in assessing potential plans. And retail will be sure to play a part: consumers could take an image of their living room before going furniture or decor shopping, for example, and see what would fit well from within the store, with retailers further enhancing the experience.

A number of companies already work with more sophisticated systems including virtual reality – such as Ford, which uses Facebook’s Oculus VR systems to help it visualize and experience designs before producing them. But many organizations do not have that level of budget and are looking for a less expensive, more standardized type of technology to begin with.

In terms of Google’s own announcements, the company has already said on its Project Tango website that applications for 3D technology could include changing customer and citizen experience, as well as gaming.

“What if you could walk into a store and see exactly where that thing you need to buy is, or play hide-and-seek in your home with that character from your favorite game, or help the visually-impaired navigate that place they have never been able to to go on their own?” Google says on the site. “We believe the possibilities are vast.”

A Google 3D tablet could have a seven-inch screen and two back cameras, infrared depth sensors and 3D capture software, sources familiar with the plans told the Wall Street Journal.

While the official details remain unclear, one thing is for sure: Google is taking the development seriously. For Project Tango, Google has said it is “working with universities, research labs, and industrial partners”, across nine countries, in order to “concentrate the past 10 years of research in robotics and computer vision” into its mobile technology.

Partners on the project include major businesses such as manufacturer Bosch, as well as key organizations including the Open Source Robotics Foundation and the George Washington University in Washington, D.C.. Ma at IDC says Google is deliberately working with these companies and developers across sectors because it “won’t know all of the possibilities on its own without partners who understand deep industry processes”.

Google’s multi-faceted business may help make the 3D project a business and consumer success, according to Thibodeaux at CompTIA. Google is “probably one of a very small number of companies who could bring the pieces together”, he says, adding: “They have the dominant GPS technologies. They have a rich platform like YouTube and the challenge is something their engineers would eat up.”