Press Release
March 16, 2010
RealNetworks To Cease Selling RealDVD
RealNetworks will stop selling software that allows users to copy DVDs after several major studios took them to court. The major complaint was that consumers would buy a movie, make copies then return the movies. RealNetworks is now forced to pay $4.5 million in litigation fees to the studios and refund the purchase price to the 2,700 who bought RealDVD.
Via RealNetworks
March 11, 2010
USB DisplayDock Hooks Up Wirelessly
Atlona Technology and Wisair have teamed to produce the USB DisplayDock. It connects your Macbook, Mac OS or Notebook PC to a monitor, keyboard, mouse and speakers and does so wirelessly. The plug and play device works at a range of up to 30 ft. with a resolution up to 1440×1050. The DisplayDock will be out soon with a price of $199.99.
Via Wisair
March 10, 2010
Netgear Kits Stream with WiFi
Netgear has been busy designing two new WiFi devices that support Internet enabled TVs, Blu-ray players and set-top boxes. The High-Performance Wireless-N HD Home Theater Kit will stream HD into almost every room at a price of $79.00 when it becomes available in Q3. The Universal WiFi Internet Adapter for Home Theater Devices and Gaming Consoles streams via Ethernet and will also be available for $79.00 this May.
Via PR Newswire
March 2, 2010
Walmart Acquiring VUDU
Walmart is in the midst of purchasing VUDU. They claim it will give the megastore chain "a powerful new vehicle to offer customers the content they want in a way that expands the frontier of quality, value and convenience." Uh-huh.
The online movie service, now with a library of about 16,000 movies and licensing partnerships with major studios and distributors, will continue to develop Apps.
Via VUDU
February 22, 2010
Samsung HDD Packed With Jacko
Lucky Europeans can order Samsung's S2 Portable HDD that will come preloaded with Michael Jackson's "This Is It." Timed to debut today, the same date as the video release, the gold 500GB drive also includes a "SecretZone" that encrypts and stores data and "SafetyKey," security with a password.
Via Businesswire
February 17, 2010
Google Makes Changes to Buzz After Complaints
Talk about having a bad hair day week month. Google is finally making some changes after Buzz not only automatically signed up users, it preselected frequent e-mail contacts as "followers" and made the list public. The Electronic Privacy Information Center filed a formal complaint with the FCC, citing one case that created a woman's list with personal information that included her mother, boyfriend and abusive ex-husband. Apparently Google is making nice-nice to make up for their errors, including dispensing with auto-opt and auto-follow.
Did anyone else find it odd that Google partially blamed users for some of the mistakes with this remark in their official blog that referred to the contact list?
"On Thursday, after hearing that people thought the checkbox for choosing not to display this information publicly was too hard to find, we made this option more prominent. But that was clearly not enough."
Via Gmail Blog
February 16, 2010
Olympus DM-2 and -4 Audio Recorders
Olympus has released two new audio recorders, the DM-2 (4GB) and DM-4 (8GB.) With a 2.2" color LCD and simplified interface, the visual index allows linking images to recorded files. Both can record PCM, MP3 and WMA files and have voice confirmation that can be turned on or off. They also feature DAISY (Digital Accessible Information System) compatibility and rechargeable batteries. The DM-4 has both text to speech and voice recognition. Prices for the audio recorders are $249.99 and $299.99 respectively. Look for them this June.
Via Olympus
February 9, 2010
Comcast Launches Xfinity
Comcast has decided to rename their broadband service Xfinity beginning next week, perhaps thinking that they need to update their image. Look for Xfinity TV, Xfinity Internet, and Xfinity Voice in 11 of their markets. Perhaps it is just part of the adjustment to Internet viewing as they launched Fancast Xnfinity OD for its subscribers in December. With such a high cost involved in branding, it might be a better move to simply lower their rates.
Via Comcast
February 8, 2010
Netflix To Add 300 Indie VOD Titles
Good news for indie fans. Netflix will be adding about 300 new titles for watching instantly. The company has reached licensing agreements with distributors and will make available such titles as "Departures" (Regent Releasing/Here Films), "Wendy and Lucy" (Oscilloscope), "A Nos Amours" and "Au Revoir Les Enfants" (Criterion.) Other distributors include Gravitas Ventures, Kino Lorber and Music Box Films.
Via Netflix
February 5, 2010
VTech Unveils Latest DECT Set
While most of us continue to abandon our landlines, VTech has released a DECT 6.0 wireless Walkie-Talkie. The push-to-talk cordless LS6325 set can receive signals from as far as 1,500 ft. away. The set will come with three handsets at a price of $80.00 or four for $90.00 and will arrive this April.
Via PR Newswire
February 3, 2010
Pandigital Frame Comes With Email Addy
With the Photo Mail LED Digital Frame, up to 6,400 images can be kept and displayed with its 1GB memory. With touchscreen control, the device has a dedicated email addy, so images can be sent directly to the frame via AT&T. It also supports AVI and MP3 files. Pandigital's 8" frame comes packed with a capacity to hold 300 photos at a price of $149.00. Additional storage is available for an extra charge.
Via AT&T
January 21, 2010
Canon Wireless File Transmitters
If you own a Canon EOS-1D Mark IV, EOS 5D Mark II or EOS 7D camera, you can now wirelessly beam your photographs to your computer with one of their three Wireless File Transmitters. Its FTP mode allows event photographers to send images back to the PC for instant print or projection onto the event screen. Priced at around $700.00, the device can also turn on up to 10 cameras simultaneously with its linking function.
Via Canon
January 18, 2010
Garmin Caters to Bikers With zumo 665
Garmin has unveiled their new zumo 665 for bikers, and is both rugged and water-resistant. The GPS system's GXM 40 XM antenna gives access to XM satellite entertainment, NavTraffic and NavWeather services. The GPS system features a 4.3" touchscreen, Bluetooth music accessibility to the rider's helmet, maps of the US, Canada and Puerto Rico and can be pre-ordered before its upcoming release.
Via Garmin
January 13, 2010
LG Blu-ray Player Includes Hard Drive
LG's latest Blu-ray player, the BD-590, features access to YouTube, Netflix (with updated interface,) BD Live and other online sites via wired Ethernet or WiFi. Add to that a 250GB hard drive that gives you the ability to download and save music via MusicID and purchase movies from VUDU to watch at your convenience. Displayed at the CES 2010, no price is available as yet, but expect two other Blu-ray players with similar features minus the hard drive.
Via CE Pro
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