Comcast, Time Warner deal ensures TNT, TBS shows for VOD & live streaming
February 1, 2011 No Comment
Comcast announced live streaming to its iPad and (upcoming) Android Xfinity TV apps was not far off last month, and now it’s announced a new long term deal with Time Warner that brings more content to all of its TV Everywhere-related efforts. That means shows from TNT, TBS, CNN, HLN, truTV, Turner Classic Movies, Cartoon Network and Adult Swim on Xfinity TV.com, cable VOD and mobile apps and the addition of live streaming video later this year as part of a larger agreement between Time Warner and Comcast. The keen eyed will notice that window of “a few weeks” for the debut of live streaming to iPads has expanded to simply “later this year,” let’s hope this doesn’t slip while the company focuses on other balls in the air like its purchase of NBC, a potential new set-top box interface and apps for Smart TVs . Continue reading Comcast, Time Warner deal ensures TNT, TBS shows for VOD & live streaming Comcast, Time Warner deal ensures TNT, TBS shows for VOD & live streaming originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Feb 2011 16:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …IntoNow app can tell what show you’re watching, won’t knock your Glee addiction (video)
February 1, 2011 No Comment
If you’ve ever used an app like Shazam to detect a song playing on the radio you’re a long way toward knowing what the new IntoNow app can do. With just a few seconds of audio it can detect what you’re watching, give you plenty of information about that content, then let you add it to your Netflix queue. You can go on to share what you’re watching upon a plethora of social networks, even see what your friends are watching. It relies on a platform called SoundPrint, an accumulation of 266 years worth of content that is constantly growing, constantly indexing 130 channels in real-time. (Think of the punditry!) Check it out in the video below or just give it a download from the App Store . Right now it is iOS only, but we’re told Android and other flavors are on the way. Continue reading IntoNow app can tell what show you’re watching, won’t knock your Glee addiction (video) IntoNow app can tell what show you’re watching, won’t knock your Glee addiction (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Feb 2011 15:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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No word on what’s inside it just yet, but Apple has just released iOS 4.3 beta 3 (build 8F5166b) to developers, so we’re sure we’ll be getting plenty more details soon enough. If recent beta versions of the OS are any indication, there’s likely to be at least a few surprises in there. Update: It looks like App Advice has discovered the first new feature included in the update: the ability to cancel App Store downloads. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] Apple releases iOS 4.3 beta 3 to developers originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Feb 2011 14:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Lego viewfinder created for Sony NEX-5, lincoln log enthusiasts feel left out
February 1, 2011 No Comment
Do you spend your days pining for a viewfinder with some Danish building-block flair for your shiny new Sony NEX-5 ? Well, your camera woes have been solved — while appealing to your childlike aesthetic sensibilities — by a DIYer who fashioned just such a viewfinder out of some Lego blocks and parts from an old CD-ROM drive. Its complexity doesn’t quite match that of an all-Lego camera , but it’s a slick little solution for those who want to add some pizazz — and functionality — to Sony’s favorite not-quite- Micro Four-Thirds shooter. Hit up the source link to see how to build one for yourself. Lego viewfinder created for Sony NEX-5, lincoln log enthusiasts feel left out originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Feb 2011 14:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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We’ve already heard of some changes that Google’s planning to make to boost app purchases in the Android Market, and it looks like it’s now also undertaking a considerable in-house effort to increase the number of quality apps that are available. According to The Wall Street Journal , Google is planning to hire “dozens” of software engineers, product managers, user-interface experts and “others who have ideas for mobile apps,” and it’s apparently already shifted some of its current employees to work in this new “apps lab.” As you might expect, that’s being done at least in part to close the so-called “app gap” with Apple, and it looks like the new apps will reach far beyond Google’s usual properties — the WSJ even specifically mentions games as one area they’ll focus on. The apps would also apparently all be free (but possibly ad-supported), and Google is said to be trying to woo developers with its distribution power, noting that it will be able to promote the apps in the Android Market and even have them pre-installed on many phones. Google said to be hiring ‘dozens’ to boost Android app development originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Feb 2011 13:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Since it first caught the world’s attention at NAMM ’09, Native Instruments’ Maschine has made quite a stir in the world of electronic music production and performance. A modern re-imagining of Akai’s legendary sampling sequencers, it takes the MPC’s raison d’
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We’re honestly surprised it took this long, but Google is finally employing a social hook that so many of its peers ( Foursquare , Facebook , Yelp , and so on) have long embraced: the location-based check-in. Coming to Google Latitude with today’s Maps 5.1 for Android, the company hopes to set itself apart from the competition with features like check-in notifications (disabled by default), automatic check-ins for your most frequent establishments (case-by-case activation), and “check out” that detects when you leave a location. So what’s the incentive to use the service? Not much at this point — no badges, no sharing through third-party services like Twitter (Latitude-only at the moment), no support for simultaneous check-in with other services, no special vendor discounts (Google told us there’s nothing to announce yet ), and no ability to create a venue like your apartment ( Places only). What it does right is a tiered system of special statuses based on check-in frequency — you can become a regular, VIP, or Guru (Google says it’s not definite yet on how many check-ins each status bump will require). iOS Latitude users will be able to see where their Android friends check in, but at this point the option to pimp your specific location is for Google’s platform only. If you’re a fan of Latitude already, this is probably a no-brainer, but for everyone else, don’t expect mayoral coffee discounts just yet. Gallery: Google Latitude joins check-in game with Maps 5.1 for Android Google Latitude joins check-in game with Maps 5.1 for Android originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Feb 2011 13:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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You could argue that Motorola still has some work to do to emerge the hole it dug itself while pushing back major version updates for its early Android devices time and time again , but it’s definitely improving — and it looks like a Blur-ified build of Gingerbread for the Droid X is already starting to leak. As you might recall, Moto’s 4.3-inch beast launched on Eclair before getting Froyo a few months later, so the fact that the company is seemingly preparing its second big update already is notable to say the least; it looks to be basically the same thing they’ve already shown on the Atrix , which is definitely a marked improvement from the Blur of old. No word on how the source got these shots, but we can only hope it means the over-the-air update isn’t too far off. [Thanks, Andrew] Motorola’s Blur-flavored Gingerbread update for Droid X in the wild? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Feb 2011 12:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Google accuses Bing of ‘cheating,’ piggybacking off its search results (updated)
February 1, 2011 No Comment
You could say Bing is taking a cue from its competition, but it seems to be more literally taking search results as well. Google Fellow Amit Singhal is claiming so much and has provided some amusing (if not totally clever) results from its “Bing Sting.” Here’s how it works: find a search term that returns no matches for either site, make a “honeypot” page manually appear for the term, then have about 20 Google employees make the search (and click the top link) using Internet Explorer with both Suggested Sites and the Bing Toolbar on. Within two weeks, Singhal claims, a handful (about 7 to 9) of the 100 or so “honeypot” results were popping up in Bing. Bizarre choices, too, like mbrzxpgjys, hiybbprqag, and indoswiftjobinproduction. So, is this “cheating,” as Singhal specifically alleges? The experiment had to be run with Bing’s toolbar and / or Suggested Search feature activated, which it explicitly says are used to collect data and improve services. And more popular search terms do return different results, It’s not as if Microsoft is using non-public information, but is this an example of taking an unfair shortcut? That’s a debate we imagine with rage for quite some time. Update: Microsoft’s been sending out the following statement from Stefan Weitz, director of Bing: We use multiple signals and approaches in ranking search results. The overarching goal is to do a better job determining the intent of the search so we can provide the most relevant answer to a given query. Opt-in programs like the toolbar help us with clickstream data, one of many input signals we and other search engines use to help rank sites. That’s pretty ambiguous, so ZDNet ‘s Mary Jo Foley pressed for a followup and was flatly told “We do not copy Google’s results.” We’re sure there’s going to be a lot more analysis and discussion to come — this ought to be fun. Google accuses Bing of ‘cheating,’ piggybacking off its search results (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Feb 2011 12:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Jack Wong is a very lucky guy. Or you can say he’s very unfortunate. On one hand, his eight-year-old Meizu label — literally meaning “the captivating tribe” — has rapidly become one of the most popular brands amongst Chinese gadget lovers, yet all he’s producing right now is just the one phone: the M9. On the other hand, the now-discontinued M8 had notoriously caught unwanted attention from Apple, and even the recent M9 launch saw accusations of Meizu hiring people to stand in line. But the latter points are irrelevant for now — what we’re really interested in is how a teensy MP3 player factory managed to outpace its numerous competitors to become a reputable smartphone maker with a huge fan base. To help us understand what drives the company, we decided to pay Meizu a visit. Go on, you know where to click. Gallery: Exclusive: A day trip to Meizu’s factory Continue reading Exclusive: A day trip to Meizu’s factory Exclusive: A day trip to Meizu’s factory originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Feb 2011 11:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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