Netflix just signed a deal allowing them to stream 2,500 Starz Play movies to their subscribers, boosting their streaming video library to over 12,000 pieces of content. Current Netflix subscribers will receive the bonus content free (1,000 films immediately) and cheapos who just want access to the Starz movies can get a subscription through Netflix for $US7.99. Good stuff. Now just to wait for that announcement where Apple, Amazon, Netflix, VUDU, the movie studios, satellite providers and cable networks all team up to offer a Utopian platform of instantly streaming HD films.
Boxee has been turning any PC, Mac or Linux box into a capable, social-networking equipped media centre for a while in its extended alpha phase–and now, news is that it will also work on your Apple TV for a free way to go beyond the iTunes lock-in for streaming all DRM-free media. Like aTV before it (which is not free), Boxee installs on a flash drive (this time using Mac-only for now ATV USB Creator) and sports a similar interface as the original Xbox version that started it all. Sign up for the alpha: [Boxee] galleryPost('boxeeatv', 3, '');
Japan mobile phone carrier KDDI has a knack for turning out handsets that belong in museums. Past hit designs like the INFOBAR, talby, neon and MEDIA SKIN made into the permanent collection at the MoMa in New York. The trendy telecom showed off some of its concepts at CEATEC outside Tokyo, showcasing the talents of Hideo Kambara, a designer from Hiroshima who also made into the MoMa with his Kadokeshi eraser that has 28 corners. Kambara’s PLY phones are inspired by songs, novels, numbers and symbols. PLY means “lamination layers,” according to KDDI, and the whimsical handsets in the series include concepts like a mobile projector, a printer, a game controller, tissue dispenser, and a mint tablet dispenser. The other concept phones from KDDI include models resembling jewel boxes and satellites, and are apparently equipped with mini solar panels. Just in case civilization fails, there’s always the sun.
Here’s the video of the Airborne Ultrasound Tactile Display, one of those technologies that will probably change entertainment forever: A high-fidelity 3D force field on the air that allows you to actually touch virtual objects with your bare hands. Initially, this technology could find its way into virtual keyboards, but in the future–as the size and resolution increases–there are endless possibilities. And with “endless possibilities” I really mean “virtual sex.” Don’t believe me? See what the developer has to say about it:
Pac-Man-like padded seats, kitted out in leather and with accompanying power-pill-like stools…sounds like a fabulously retro way to pay furniture-y homage to the ’80s arcade game. The Poufman seating sets come in a bunch of colours, but retro gamers keen to dot them about their homes had better have made lots of dollars in the time since the ’80s: the price of these things is unknown, and not listed on the maker’s website. And we all know what that means. [Product via Technabob]
Why Akihabara’s Refresh Club doesn’t have a New York outlet, I don’t know, but on the wake of this groundbreaking news, they better open it soon. For $US25 you will be able to play Wii Fit with Japanese girls in French maid dresses. Yes, Wii Fit, that game with the balance board that often requires you to lean forward and backward. Because, you know, as the owner says, exercise is all about your playmates:
One way to increase the potency of Bluetooth headsets as social poison is to wear them while affecting strange, inexplicable and constant head movement. With Plantronics’ new movement-charged headset design, that may become a necessity. The device relies on a small flywheel that, when rotated in a magnetic field, draws enough current to power the headset. Plantronics claims that the system would harvest enough energy to power the headset during constant use, which is actually pretty impressive.
Over at Phonearena they’ve got their hands on one of those 8-megapixel Samsung M8800 Pixons, and they’ve given it a good preview prodding. In general the phone went down well: though it’s a slightly fat device, the 8-megapixel camera (which shares an identical interface to the Omnia) impressed them particularly in terms of speed, and the multimedia capabilities got a thumbs-up too. They weren’t overly impressed by the browser, however, and the lack of menu personalisation options, plus the fact that it’s not quite a smartphone…being a little more like the F480 than the Omnia. [Phonearena] galleryPost('samsungpixon', 4, '');
A purported screenshot of a Best Buy sales terminal indicates October 26th as the day that the first Android phone will be showing on shelves at the retailer. Accompanying screenshots hint at an unlocked Treo Pro as well, meaning Best Buy will soon sell arguably the four most desirable phones on the market. Whether or not there will even be any G1s left for Best Buy to sell is a different story altogether. [BGR]
A bunch of programmer/hackers have come up with a driver solution that’ll get your PS3 Eye off its lazy arse and functioning as a webcam for your PC. Why’s this interesting? Because it’s relatively cheap, and actually pretty high-spec’d: it can deliver VGA video at 60fps over USB2, which makes for neat webcam action. It’s also got pretty wide viewing angle and low distortion, meaning it’s perfect for multitouch applications—which the group’s also working on. Much better than having the thing lying in a drawer unused after you last played an Eye-compatible game six months ago. [NUIGroup via Hackaday]
