Apple's not the only place you can get TV episodes for a buck a pop; Amazon's currently serving up a host of shows from ABC and FOX for only 99 cents. Grab a Roku and get watchin'. [Amazon via Engadget] More »

Although it's only just been revealed and won't actually go on sale for four long weeks, Apple's new hockey puck is far from the only media streamer on the market -- and with Sony's Netbox and the Boxee Box on the way, the sub-$200 set-top box market is exploding with options. So let's line up the revised Apple TV against the (post-price cut) Roku HD-XR, Popbox, and even an LG Blu-ray player in the same price range and see what you're actually getting -- and more importantly, getting access to -- on each device. Oh, and there's some choice words from Roku after the break.

Device:	AppleTV	Roku XR	Pop Box	LG BD550
Price:	$99	$99	$129	$130 - $150
Form Factor/Size:	3.9 x 0.9 x 3.9	5 x 5 x 1.75	8 x 1.4 x 6 inches	16.9 x 1.8 x 7.9
Available Content:	HD TV shows from ABC & Fox (.99), HD Movie rentals ($4.99/$3.99), Netflix, iTunes, YouTube	Netflix, Amazon VOD, MLB.tv, UFC, NBA GameTime, YouTube, Pandora	YouTube, Revision3, Blip.tv, h.264 / XviD / MPEG-4, MKV / AVI / WMV	Blu-ray discs, VUDU, Netflix, CinemaNow, YouTube, Pandora, Napster
Apps / SDK:	N/A	Roku Channel / SDK available	Popapps Store / SDK available	NetCast widgets
Connectivity:	WiFi N, Ethernet	WiFi N, Ethernet	Ethernet, optional WiFi adapter	Ethernet, Disc
Video Quality:	720p, 5.1 audio	720p (1080p upgrade coming soon), 5.1 audio	1080p, 5.1 audio	1080p, 7.1 audio, DTS-HD MA / Dolby TrueHD audio

Continue reading Apple TV vs. the competition -- how does it stack up?

Apple TV vs. the competition -- how does it stack up? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 18:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In a press release today, Microsoft officially announced its Arc Touch mouse. As the folks in Redmond explain: “The Arc Touch Mouse [is] the first mouse designed to flatten for portability and pop up for comfort. The new mouse features Microsoft’s first touch scroll strip for easy navigation — just move a finger slowly for controlled scrolling or flick for hyperfast scrolling. Windows-based PC users will love packing up their laptop bags without the added bump of a mouse, as the Arc Touch Mouse flattens with just the touch of a finger.” The mouse is priced at $69.99 and is available for pre-order at Amazon.com, Buy.com, and BestBuy.com; the mouse will ship in “early December.” Hit the read link for the official press annoucement.

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Looks like Roku's going aggressive on price with its lineup of streamers in response to Sony's new $130 Netbox streamer, the upcoming Google TV launch, and rumors that we'll see that rumored $99 iOS-based Apple TV arrive on Wednesday. The SD box is down to $59 from $79, the standard HD is now $69 from $99, and the HD-XR with dual-band 802.11n and soon-to-be-enabled USB playback support is now $99 from $129. The HD-XR is also due to get 1080p streaming support later this year; it'll be focused on USB playback at first since most of the streaming channels are 720p right now.

Those prices are definitely getting close to impulse-buy territory, especially since a Roku is now one of the cheapest ways to get Netflix and Amazon VOD on a TV, along with other channels like MLB and UFC. In fact, Roku says its goal is to put three streamers in every house -- one next to every TV in the average American home. We applaud the ambition, but we've got a feeling this entire market is about get turned upside down once Apple and Google launch their initiatives.

Roku lowers prices across the board: HD box now $69, $99 HD-XR to get 1080p support originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Aug 2010 23:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’re moving to Sprint to get yourself the Epic 4G — and have more patience than we do — you can save yourself about $50. Amazon has the Epic 4G listed on its website for $199 for new contract signers. If you’ve been debating whether to get the EVO or the Epic, and the $50 price difference was a factor you were weighing, your decision just got harder. Hit the read link to see Amazon’s deal for yourself. Be aware that you can’t see the $199 pricing on the phone until you add it to your cart.

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For all the stupid pet tricks, first-person confessionals, and clips from Conan O'Brien's formative years that form YouTube's content, the one territory it doesn't really venture is pay-per-view à la Apple, Amazon, and others. Well, it'll be a Brave New World for the service -- and parent company Google -- if this Financial Times report is worth its weight in 3mm. According to the publication, the G-Men have been in talks with "Hollywood's leading movie studios" for several months, touting its reach as one of the main draws for the players involved, for the launch of an international pay-per-view service by the end of this year. Some prices are also thrown around here, to the tune of about $5 for new titles (streaming, not download) available the same time as the DVD releases. The video site has been doing rentals on a trial basis since early this year, with just a smattering of indie titles. The thought of paying to watch Blockbuster titles in the same window we watched three dozen (if not more) remixes of Keyboard Cat is still a bit of a new concept, but hey, that's the future for you.

YouTube courting Hollywood for pay-per-view movie service by end of 2010, says Financial Times originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 29 Aug 2010 18:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading With Imation Link 5112 WUSB A/V streamer, KerliGirl13 can finally have her own TV show

With Imation Link 5112 WUSB A/V streamer, KerliGirl13 can finally have her own TV show originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 28 Aug 2010 11:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We can't say we'd ever heard of StreamTV, but all the company had to say was "Tegra 2 Android Froyo tablet" to get us to meet up with them in NYC earlier today. The Philadelphia start-up is planning to bring its Elocity A7 -- essentially a re-badged Compal's NAZ-10 -- to an Amazon order page near you, and from what we saw during the hour-long demo it may just be a contender for your stashed away $399. The 7-inch tablet has an extremely responsive 800 x 480 resolution, capacitive touchscreen -- yes, multitouch worked in the browser and photo gallery -- with a front-facing 1.3 megapixel cam on the left bezel. We actually got to make a quick Fring video call to one of the other tablets in the room, though it was rather lagging since we were running over it all 3G.

Surrounding the tablet is an SD card slot along with USB and HDMI ports, the latter of which did come very handy for hooking up the tablet to a 22-inch HDTV and watching an extremely smooth 1080p clip. (Thank you 1GHz Tegra II-720 CPU!) Speaking of, we also got to play a racing game, Asphalt 5, on the device, though the accelerometer steering was a bit flaky. Besides that, we've got to say the entire tablet experience was pretty smooth -- you can see for yourself after the break and in the upcoming episode of the Engadget Show -- but the unit we saw was running Android 2.1. The SteamTV's CEO says they'll only be shipping 2.2-running units come October and with a supplemental GetJar app store since it cannot preload Google's Marketplace because of restrictions. He also tells us they'll be including an HDMI cord and wireless keyboard in the box -- all for $399. It all sounds rather promising, but so do all these future Android tablets!

Continue reading StreamTV Elocity A7 tablet packs Tegra 2 and Android 2.2, coming to Amazon for $399 in September

StreamTV Elocity A7 tablet packs Tegra 2 and Android 2.2, coming to Amazon for $399 in September originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 28 Aug 2010 08:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Last week, AmazonWireless had the Samsung Vibrant on sale for one, shiny penny. Now, this week, it looks like the gang over at A.W. are giving the Samsung Captivate the same treatment. If you’re up for a new 2-year contract, or are porting your number over to the Death Star, you can pick up the AT&T variant of the Galaxy S for one-tenth of a dime. If you order between 12:00 a.m. PDT on August 15 and 11:59 p.m. PDT on August 31, Amazon will even waive that criminal $36 activation charge… making this deal quite the steal. All those interested hit the read link to be sent on over to AmazonWireless.

UPDATE: The $0.01 price tag is only good for new activations. The price of the device jumps to $99 for those who want to sign a new 2-year contract.

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It's hard to begrudge Amazon this smug bit of PR it pushed out this morning, crowing over the sales success of its new Kindle line. The third-generation Kindles have more sales in the first four weeks of sales than any previous generation Kindles over the same time span -- not exactly a surprise, but Amazon certainly isn't off its game here. The new Kindles also maintain the e-reader's two year reign as the best selling product on Amazon.com. As if in celebration of this continued success, Amazon says it's starting to ship the new Kindles out today, two days earlier than the published released date. "You're welcome," Jeff Bezos mouths, soundlessly.

Continue reading New Kindles are Amazon's fastest-selling yet, start shipping today

New Kindles are Amazon's fastest-selling yet, start shipping today originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Aug 2010 11:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Today, Velocity Micro announced that their 7-inch Android 2.0 Cruz e-Reader is available for pre-order on Borders, Amazon, and at CruzReader.com. The device has an 800 x 600 screen resolution, Wi-Fi b/g, can playback video in a full 720p, built-in accelerometer, and a micro-SD card slot for expandable storage. You can pre-order your Cruz for $199 and the device will be available on September 30th. We’ve got the full press release after the break. Any takers?

Velocity Micro® Announces Pre-Order Availability for 7� Cruz Reader

Innovative Ereader immediately for sale direct from CruzReader.com and select retailers, shipping in early September

Richmond, VA – August 20, 2010 – Velocity Micro, the premier builder of premium, high performance desktop computers, notebooks, and peripherals, announces immediate presales for the captivating Cruz Reader on Borders.com, NewEgg.com, and CruzReader.com. In addition to these presale opportunities, Cruz products will also be available at most major electronics and consumer products stores nationwide starting in September.

“We’ve spent nearly one year designing and refining the Cruz Reader to make it both remarkable and affordable,â€� said Randy Copeland, President and CEO of Velocity Micro. “We’re excited to see that hard work coming to fruition. We know the marketplace will be as well, due to the tremendous interest and support we have received from our customers and numerous retail partners. We’ve combined the color screen and functionality of a tablet with the affordability and portability of an e-reader, which is exactly what the market is craving.â€�

The debut product from an affordable line-up of Android powered mobile devices, the $199.99, 7� Cruz Reader features a sleek design, touch screen display, and tons of multimedia features. At under one pound and about a half inch thick, the Cruz Reader goes everywhere you do, making it perfect for students, avid readers, frequent flyers, and techies. Additional features such as video playback and web browsing provide a much richer experience than traditional e-ink readers at a more reasonable price than a tablet.

Key specs and features include:

• Crystal clear 4:3 ratio, 800×600 full color touch screen display – ideal for viewing ebooks and magazines, plus web pages and movies
• Google Android 2.0 Operating System
• 802.11b/g wifi and full Web browser support
• 720p High res video and high quality audio playback with no proprietary content restrictions
• Built-in Dictionary, Notepad, Calendar, Alarm Clock and many other useful apps
• Built in accelerometer for easy viewing from any angle
• USB and SD card slot for upgradable storage, including 4GB SD card
• Up to 10 hours of use and over 36 hours of standby time, with a replaceable battery
• Access to over 2 Million ebooks via included Borders E-book library portal application
• Enough storage for over 1000 books

In addition to the Cruz Reader, Velocity Micro will also be releasing the more powerful  7� Android based Cruz Tablet and kid friendly Cruz StoryPad later in September. For more information or to sign up for e-newsletter updates, visit CruzReader.com.

I'm sorry. If you jumped on the $100 T-Mobile Samsung Vibrant deal yesterday, you might want to look into canceling. Amazon is offering the same phone today for a penny. [Amazon via TechDealDigger] More »

Today, Panasonic announced that they will add Twitter to the list of built-in web entertainment technologies on their VIERA CAST enabled HDTVs and Blu-ray disc players. The company already offers Skype, Netflix, Pandora, Fox Sports, Amazon Video-On-Demand, YouTube, Picasa, Bloomberg, and weather services on VIERA televisions with the IPTV functionality built-in. Panasonic’s VP of corporate development had this to say:

Since we introduced Panasonic VIERA CAST IPTVs three years ago we have added more and more of the top entertainment and social networking sites in the world. The addition of Twitter to VIERA CAST further strengthens the interactive options Panasonic VIERA HDTV owners can now use to communicate with family and friends worldwide.   Consumers with VIERA CAST-enabled HDTVS can now tweet on Twitter, video chat via Skype, share videos on YouTube and digital photos via Google Picasa right from the comfort of their living rooms.�

Maybe the future of HDTV isn’t in 3D and ridiculous refresh rates… maybe it’s applications? We’ve got the full press release for you after the break. Let us know if functionality like this is something that interests you, or if you think it is just something that will get in the way of your television-viewing enjoyment.

PANASONIC LAUNCHES TWITTER ON VIERA CAST PLASMA HDTVs

Consumers Can Now Tweet – One of Many Ways to Communicate – On Their Panasonic VIERA® Plasma HDTV.

SECAUCUS, NJ (August 17, 2010) – Panasonic, a worldwide leader in High Definition technology and built-in TV web entertainment announced the activation of Twitter® on Panasonic VIERA CASTTM enabled HDTVs. Twitter will also be available on VIERA CAST-enabled Blu-ray Disc Players at a later date. The planned addition of Twitter, a real-time global information network, was announced in January at the International Consumer Electronics Show.

Twitter is the latest feature to be added to VIERA CAST, Panasonic’s proprietary IPTV function. Earlier this year, Panasonic added SkypeTM voice and video calling1, Netflix™, Pandora, and Fox Sports to an already robust list of popular entertainment and information sites including Amazon Video-on-Demand™, YouTube™, Google’s Picasa™ Web Album, Bloomberg and a weather service.

Twitter is an information network that enables its users to send and read other user messages called Tweets — text-based posts of up to 140 characters. Twitter has achieved enormous growth since its founding in 2006. Proof of that is evidenced by the fact that there are 70 million Tweets written per day by more than 145 million users worldwide.

For 2010 VIERA CAST-enabled HDTVs, Panasonic also introduced USB connectivity which enables the addition of a wireless LAN adaptor (802.11b or faster), a keyboard for more efficient site navigation and communication, and USB memory which supports AVCHD video and JPEG photos. VIERA CAST requires no external box or PC2 and is accessed via a single button on the television remote control. There is no fee to use the VIERA CAST functionality (some VIERA CAST services such as VOD have a separate fee structure).

“Since we introduced Panasonic VIERA CASTTM IPTVs three years ago we have added more and more of the top entertainment and social networking sites in the world,� said Merwan Mereby, Panasonic’s Vice President, Corporate Development. “The addition of Twitter® to VIERA CAST further strengthens the interactive options Panasonic VIERA HDTV owners can now use to communicate with family and friends worldwide. Consumers with VIERA CAST-enabled HDTVS can now tweet on Twitter, video chat via Skype, share videos on YouTube and digital photos via Google Picasa right from the comfort of their living rooms.�

Panasonic VIERA Plasma HDTV’s featuring VIERA CAST:
Ø VT25 and VT20 Series of Full HD 3D Plasmas:
Ø G25 Series:
Ø G20 Series:

Panasonic Blu-ray Disc Players featuring VIERA CAST (Twitter not yet available):
Ø DMP-BDT350 (Full HD 3D)
Ø DMP-BDT300 (Full HD 3D)
Ø DMP-BD85
Ø DMP-BD70V
Ø DMP-BD65
Ø DMP-B500 (Portable)

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Today, at Gamescom, Sony announced several new PlayStation 3 models with updated storage capacities. The newly announced 160 GB PS3 Slim will retail for $299 — currently the price of the 120 GB model — and should be on sale in the coming days or weeks (it was seen earlier today on Amazon before the announcement). A second model, which can be purchased in the Move Bundle, comes with a 320 GB PlayStation 3 console, Sony’s Move controller, PlayStation Eye camera, and the game title Sports Champions. The Move Bundle should begin to show up on store shelves in mid-September and will retail for $399. The remainder of the show was dedicated to software trailers, announcements, and demos, including: Resistance 3, inFAMOUS 2, Medal of Honor, MAG, Killzone 3, Gran Turismo 5, Virtua Tennis 4, and Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One. Anyone going to pick up one of the larger consoles?

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Terrific news, laptop shoppers. Toshiba's concept-turned-commercial Libretto W100 is now on sale in the US of A, but there's no telling how long it'll remain in stock. We heard from the get-go that this dual-screen wonder would only be a limited run, and just a week after going on sale in Japan, the W105-L251 is getting prepped right now for a shipping label with your address on it. $1,099.99 buys you a Pentium U5400 processor, Windows 7 Home Premium (32-bit), integrated Intel HD graphics, a memory card reader, 2GB of DDR3 memory, a 62GB solid state drive, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, an inbuilt webcam and an 8-cell battery. Oh, and twin 7-inch WSVGA LCD panels. Toshiba reckons that you'll get yours in "2 to 3 weeks" if you order direct, though Amazon has a pre-sale of its own going for those who like to press their luck.

Continue reading Toshiba's dual-screen Libretto W100 laptop on sale in America for $1,100

Toshiba's dual-screen Libretto W100 laptop on sale in America for $1,100 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Aug 2010 14:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Today, Roku announced a partnership with consumer movie company Flickster that will bring HD movie trailers right to your television. The new service will allow Roku owners to “search Flixster’s entire database of movie trailers and then search for those same movies to watch through one of Roku’s partners including Netflix and Amazon Video On Demand.” The trailers will be for unreleased and released movies; ratings from Rotten Tomatoes will also be displayed. Flickster has mobile applications for Android, BlackBerry, iPhone, and webOS as well as a WAP site. Hit the jump for the full release.

Flixster Brings Streaming Movie Trailers to TV in Partnership With Roku

The World’s Biggest Online Movie CommunityDebuts on Roku’s Streaming Media Players

SAN FRANCISCO (August 3, 2010) – “Coming attractions� can be the best part of a movie experience, and now movie fans can watch trailers for upcoming movies (both theatrical and on DVD/VOD releases) on their home television sets as Flixster, the world’s biggest online movie community, teams with Roku Inc., maker of the popular and award-winning family of Roku streaming media players.

Flixster on Roku will also offer the widely recognized Tomatometer® scores from Rotten Tomatoes, which will help users make their moviegoing and in-home film experiences richer.

Roku players already offer a wide range of entertainment options, and the addition of Flixster trailers means that movie lovers can explore the newest cinematic offerings on their TV in high definition as they decide which movies to see. Better yet, using Flixster, Roku customers can search Flixster’s entire database of movie trailers and then search for those same movies to watch through one of Roku’s partners including Netflix and Amazon Video On Demand.

“Flixster has quickly become one of the most well-known and trusted movie brands among consumers, who associate Flixster with learning about the newest film entertainment,� said Anthony Wood, founder and CEO of Roku, Inc. “We think there is a great fit between discovering movies with Flixster and watching them on-demand on the Roku player.�

Steve Polsky, president and COO of Flixster Inc., added, “Roku brings us a brand-new platform to reach moviegoers, and makes a great addition to our online sites and our fast-growing mobile apps, which have become the leader in their space. We want to be wherever moviegoers are, and Roku helps us reach them in new ways.�

By choosing Roku as its first launch partner in the home entertainment category, Flixster joins major entertainment partners including Netflix (Nasdaq: NFLX), Amazon Video on Demand (Nasdaq: AMZN), MLB.TV, the Ultimate Fighting Championship®.

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Amazon's new Kindle has plenty of desirable features -- like a month-long battery, double the storage and a more responsive screen -- but some exciting new additions weren't highlighted on the press release. Diving through the official User's Guide for just such unheralded items, the Kindle World Blog discovered the unit will come with a second English dictionary, a PDF contrast adjustment and... a microphone. As you can see immediately above, that last won't be accessible out of the box -- and may just lead to audio annotations down the road -- but the hacker community (or more legitimately, Kindle developers) could do very interesting things with the discovery. We hesitate to even mention for fear the feature will get pulled, but we're dreaming of Skyping across that free 3G connection already.

New Kindle comes with microphone, seeds of possibility originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Aug 2010 19:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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