Netflix’s first streaming box is finally here and it’s pretty damn brilliant of a set up. First of all, the box is 99 US bucks, and designed by Roku. It’s fanless and quiet; has HDMI and optical outputs; and is about the size of 5 CD cases stacked together. Any Netflix disc mailing plan over US$9 gets you unlimited streaming of almost 10,000 titles. Unlimited! 10K titles! Take that Apple TV and VuDu!
Install You boot up the box, set the network to wireless or ethernet connectivity. You get a 5 digit code, head over to netflix.com/activate using a browser on a PC or other device, log into your Netflix account and enter the code. The Roku box gets your queue and the movie/show cover art. There are HDMI and optical connections on top of the standard video outs, but those cables are not included.
A pair of new DS Lite flavours—and they do look more like yummy cherry and lime candy flavours than mere colours—have been spotted on a couple of Spanish retail sites, one of which is GAME, apparently the second-largest specialty gaming retailer in the world, so there’s some solid reason to believe these babies are real, or at least as Luke says, we can’t rule ‘em out. We’ll know for sure on June 13, when they’re supposed to drop. Hopefully these summer shades aren’t Europe only. [GAME via Leonsito @ NeoGAF via Kotaku]
Do you remember the most annoying song ever from last month? The duo behind it, Komar and Melamid, have used data from the same survey—about the music people like the most—to compose what, survey says, should be the best song ever. I think it’s worse than the most annoying song, actually, like a South Park parody of thick ‘n’ syrupy Boyz II Men-style early 90s R&B, complete with Kenny G sax, guitar solos and male/female harmonies (though the dude actually sounds like Trey Parker). It shows you what a musical genius Rick Astley truly was. And this says nothing of the lyrics. [The Most Wanted Song via Listening Post]
newVideoPlayer("future_restaurants.flv", 506, 423,"");Good Morning America did a segment this morning on Hi-Tech food and restaurant gadgets, which ranged from really cool to really weird. There are menus that yap at you, doggie bags for your unfinished bottles of wine, and a waiter pager so that you can harass that smug bastard who’s been ignoring you. But the best gadget in the lot was the automatic pasta vending machine, which takes dry pasta, dispenses it into a cooker, and a couple minutes later, it craps out a pile of “hot, steaming pasta” into a bowl. While you wait for it to cook, it warms your sauce. Truly bizarre.
Well, I’ll be damned. Nintendo Australia was only a week behind the US in releasing WiiWare. Available today, you can now download one of six WiiWare titles directly to your Wii console.
Each game will set you back somewhere between about $12 and $22.50, and the only necessities are a Wii, a broadband connection and enough space for the games.
Hit the jump for the full release, including the list of launch games (hint: it’s the same as the US):
These official Xbox 360 pants are 100 percent cotton with an elastic waistband, adjustable drawstring tie and an open fly (which is how Chen rolls). They’re only 18 US bucks, but I’m deathly afraid of what happens if you get the Red Ring of Death. [WebUndies via Max Console]
newVideoPlayer("subivor_giz.flv", 506, 423,""); If you can’t hawk your wares with a standard appeal to people’s vanity, there’s always good old-fashioned fearmongering. Like you’ll DIE in a fire caused by TERRORISTS. Unless you’ve got the Subivor survival kit! Ominous music and death-hype aside, it’s actually not a bad little pack of emergency gear—a mask that protects against toxic smoke, anthrax and other small things that’ll kill you; flashlight; whistle; moist towelettes; and a mini-crowbar, to beat down terrorists bust out windows. And it comes in a rainbow of colours (fashion is life or death too, after all): pink, yellow, green and orange. It’s only US$28, a good deal for the gear, an even better one for your life.
We’ve raved on Sprint’s EV-DO data service more than once, in no small part because they were the only carrier to have truly unlimited 3G data, while AT&T and Verizon capped their service at 5GB. Our love affair just might be over. According to a leaked update of their terms of service, effective July 31st, they’ll be enacting a 5GB cap as well.
I can’t tell you how many times I have looked down at my Guitar Hero guitar and wished that it could be used like a real instrument. The only problem was that I lacked the ability to build one. Oh, and I have no musical ability whatsoever. Fortunately, it appears that someone with skills has done the dirty work for me by figuring out a way to turn a Guitar Hero guitar into a full-fledged MIDI controller.
We’re not sure where this came from originally, but we found this on Digg under “Kama Sutra For IT People.” Hit the jump for a bigger pic. [Digg]
