Roku's international plans became real Friday after it began UK and Ireland. The Roku LT and Roku 2 XS are now available for £50 and £100 respectively (60 and 120 euros). British customers are simultaneously getting BBC iPlayer to catch up on the past one to two weeks of TV shows.
Flickr has detailed a handful of key changes to the Pro side of its photo sharing service. Users can now pay for as little as three months at a time if they like, paying $7 for each interval. Long-term subscribers who prefer the two-year plan are getting a price cut at the same time, down from $50 to $45.
Yahoo confirmed rumors Wednesday and picked PayPal president Scott Thompson as its new CEO. The nomination of the eBay division head followed months of uncertainty at the company following the firing of Carol Bartz in September. Thompson takes the position January 9.
Starting what's likely to be a flurry of introductions related to CES, Samsung has brought out its next-generation of DualView cameras in the DV300F. The 16-megapixel camera has a new version of the signature 1.5-inch front display that's more flush with the body, reducing its effect when left off. Wi-Fi is new to the DualView series and can share photos and videos with Facebook, Flickr, Picasa, and YouTube without either a computer or an Eye-Fi card.
Microsoft's rumored new attempt at buying Yahoo might just be a minority, non-exclusive stake, insiders reportedly slipped out Monday night. The Windows developer would be just one of multiple companies, including financial backers at Silver Lake and Andreessen Horowitz, aiming to buy a 20 percent stake in Yahoo. The New York Times in leaking details understood that offers had to be in by the end of Monday and could be discussed this week.
Video game retailer GameStop has potentially revealed US pricing information for the unique memory cards that the PlayStation Vita will use. The 4GB card will cost $30, an 8GB one $45, 16GB will be $70, and the 32GB version will cost $120. This is somewhat similar to the prices of the cards for the PSP system at GameStop, which are $38 and $51 for the 4GB and 8GB cards, respectively, and $125 for the 32GB version.
Google's recent Google TV revamp got its first significant OS update on Wednesday with the addition of some heavily requested extras. YouTube on the TV interface now catches up to Apple TV with support for both playlists and subscriptions. Common playlists like Favorites and Watch Later carry over at the same time.
Microsoft has signed a non-disclosure agreement with Yahoo that signals it's considering buying the search engine outright again, a source slipped out on Wednesday. The pact outlined by the New York Times would let it examine Yahoo's financials to see if a buyout would make sense. As Yahoo's conditions in the NDA would prevent collaborating on deals, it's possible Microsoft would go it alone on a takeover or wait until later to arrange financing.
Flickr's Camera Finder has already put the iPhone 4S as the second-most popular camera phone. In the five weeks since its arrival, Apple's phone has passed the only Android phone in the top five, the HTC Evo 4G, as well as the iPhone 3G and 3GS. The only device in front is the iPhone 4, whose 16-month lead kept it safe from an immediate challenge.
Pro photographer Annie Leibovitz in a talk with NBC's Rock Center argued that the iPhone was the best pocketable camera. Calling it the "snapshot camera of today," she touted Apple's phone because it wasn't just a camera but also a general-purpose device. It made photography available to everyone, even if she was still becoming familiar.
The 3D HDTVs Vizio introduced at the CES expo in January are now shipping, the company said Wednesday. The M-series sets use passive glasses technology that's cheaper to run, but still have Vizio Internet Apps. All have edge-lit LED backlighting, and some sets include up to four pairs of the battery-free glasses, which are lightweight and more comfortable than active shutter glasses.
A new iPad app lets users create digital collages from a variety of sources including personal photo collections, Facebook photos, Bing search images and more. Called Mixel (free, App Store), it's also unique among similar apps as it shares all creations with the Mixel community to tear apart and do with what they will. Created by Dogpatch Labs, the app is meant for creative types who don't need to be sitting at a dedicated desk or studio to indulge in their passion, said founder Khoi Vinh.
Nokia also revealed four new entry-level handsets at Nokia World. The Asha (derived from Hindi and meaning hope) line includes the Asha 303, Asha 300, Asha 200 and Asha 201. The 303 is the most advanced, getting a 2.6-inch capacitive touchscreen, a hardware QWERTY keyboard, and a 1GHz processor.
Some photos reportedly taken by the upcoming Nokia Lumia 800 smartphone were unearthed on the web by The Nokia Blog this weekend. Apart from one shared photo, there is also EXIF information, revealing some specs about the handset's camera and its capabilities. Its biggest clue is a lens aperture of f2.2, the same as that of the camera found on the Nokia N9.
Yahoo devoted a rare amount of attention to Android first by launching Flickr for Android (free, Android Market) with new features the iPhone app doesn't have. The new app takes most of its direction from apps like Instagram or Picplz and lets users take shots directly from the app with post-shot filters. Users can cross-post to multiple social services at the same time, and recent uploads are organized in a stream that includes both the shots and comments side by side.
Sony as part of its home media push Wednesday unveiled a rearchitected Dash and brought the N200 streaming media player to the US. The Dash HID-B7 and HID-B70 are now PC-free, having their own setup processes, and have a simple web browser for a quick information check. The B70 adds a built-in lithium-ion battery to let it serve as a traveling clock radio.
Chumby has announced the NeTV, an appliance that turns a conventional TV into a "smart" TV. The device, placed between the TV and any video source, inserts additional content. Using it, a viewer can browse the web, view photos sent from an Android-based smartphone, or access over 1,500 apps including a personalized internet news crawler, Facebook, Twitter, Pandora, or Flickr.
Flickr's Camera Finder has officially confirmed Apple CEO Steve Jobs' claims at WWDC that the iPhone 4 was the most popular camera. The smartphone just edged past the Nikon D90 to get the largest percentage of members and 4,800 photos uploaded per day. It had been threatening an upset for the past several weeks.
Apple chief Steve Jobs in a e-mail response to a fan reportedly confirmed that iWeb hosting was going away with the shift to iCloud. When asked if he'd need an alternative web builder and a hosting service, the CEO supposedly gave a simple "yep" response from his iPhone. The MacRumors reader was worried at having to start fresh and made it clear in the feedback.
A further discovery inside the iOS 5 beta has shown that the social network integration runs deeper than just Twitter. Readily accessible settings in the contacts let users add Facebook, Flickr, LinkedIn, and even MySpace. The AllThingsD look showed that users just have to enter a given username and let the OS take care of the outbound links.
A photograph posted by the White House on its Flickr account shows President Barack Obama working in the Oval Office, with an iPad 2 (complete with gray Smart Cover) by his side. The photo was taken on the same day that the president announced to the nation that terrorist Osama Bin Laden had been killed during a firefight, and showcases the 2010 makeover of the Oval Office, which was privately funded to give a more comfortable, modern look to the historic room.
The iPhone 4 should soon carry the distinction of being the most popular camera on Flickr. The Yahoo-owned site's Camera Finder shows Apple's phone on the verge of overtaking the Nikon D90 and having already passed Canon's EOS 5D Mark II, Rebel T1i, and Rebel XSi. Without timestamps, it's unclear exactly when the shift began, but it followed after a surge a significant amount of time after the iPhone 4 was on sale.
Sharp this week has showed off the largest LCD HDTV on the market with the 70-inch LC-70LE732U. The company was quick to point out the set is 62 percent larger than 55-inch TVs, and it offers the company's signature Quattron four-color pixels with yellow to improve some scenes. It centers on a 120Hz, LED-backlit panel with a native 1080p output.
(Update 3: CNN backtracks, Google clarifies) Google is developing a mobile app that would recognize faces for the sake of profiles, the company's image recognition directo Harmut Neven said in an interview. The app, possibly a variant on Google Goggles, would link a person's to a Google profile. Neven's approach as described to CNN would give users quick access to contact information, much like a personal business card, and could also show photos from Facebook, Flickr, Picasa, and other sites attached to an account.
RIM's software strategy for 2011 has been given out in full with a roadmap that showed the first signs of BlackBerry 7. The future OS is said to be starting "core integration" in mid-October and to have finished by the end of November. N4BB's copy didn't say for sure if it would bring in the new QNX foundations behind the PlayBook or if this meant shipping devices.
Google on Thursday made a significant change to its Social Search to better bring in social networks. The engine now pushes videos and other content recommended by friends depending on their relevance through outside sites, such as from Twitter, Flickr or a Blogger page. It had previously only pulled the information from a Google profile and often let the results sit at the bottom.
At MWC on Monday, Motorola also revealed newly revamped software for Mac and PC users, with Media Link 1.5. At the same time, the company added a number of features to its Motoblur skin for cell phones. The new Media Link software is now available for Mac computers and will ship for PCs in March. It lets users easily transfer multimedia content from iTunes and Windows Media Player onto Motorola handsets.
New code unearthed in iOS 4.3 beta 3 may have shown the first signs of gaming for the Apple TV. Several references exist to "ATVGames" that imply some sort of interactive play. The Engadget tip caught mentions of scheduling, sorting by date and standings, implying a Game Center style ranking.
Research In Motion has announced that it will no longer offer its native Flickr Uploader app for BlackBerry handsets. The company did not provide a specific reason for the move, though users are directed to take advantage of Flickr's own mobile site for uploads. Users must also manually remove the existing Flickr app from their handset.
Sony recently released a software update for its Bloggie Touch HD cameras that will finally allow users to easily manage and upload their photos and videos. The software can be downloaded from Sony's support site and lets users quickly upload content to sites such as Flickr, Picasa, Personal Space, YouTube and Facebook. Before, Mac users had to manually transfer files onto their Macs by clicking and dragging before having to upload to each site manually.
Canadian wireless and cable provider Rogers has started a new smartphone plans for entry-level smartphones, MobileSyrup reported on Thursday. The promotional plan is called an Exclusive $40 Promo Plan, and has gone into effect on January 25 for a limited, though unknown, amount of time. It requires a three-year contract and includes 200 minutes per month, 100MB of data and unlimited social networking, which grants unlimited access to Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Bebo, Flickr, Photobucket and LinkedIn.
Among other debuts, Sharp brought a production-ready 70-inch Quattron-series LED TV to CES this year. It uses Sharp's own Quad Pixel technology that adds yellow to the red, green and blue color gamut. The LC-70LE732U is the largest in the series thus far, outdoing the previous 60-inch flagship.
Flipboard today updated its iPad app (free, App Store) with Flickr, RSS and a much greater emphasis on two-way interaction. The new photo source gives users images from their Flickr contacts as well as favorites, groups and individual users. RSS comes through Google Reader and lets users filter by folders, shared items and starred items.
Reinvented Software, makers of Together and Feeder, has unveiled a new program, called Poster -- a modest, elegant photo and video uploading client to Flickr, Flickr Pro and Facebook. It features some basic functions (rotating and resizing photos before upload), but focuses on letting users view and upload multiple pictures and take advantage of each site's particular strengths.
Twitter today switched on its promised integration of in-line media playback. The feature now enables iTunes previews on Twitter from those sharing links as well as from 19 other partners, including others previously limited to native apps. Instagram will leave its iOS app for the first time and show photos shared with Twitter sharing turned on.
Acer's special event today brought two Windows 7 computers that it hopes will both do something new. The Iconia is one of the first full-size, mainstream dual touchscreen notebooks and has two 14-inch, 1366x768 displays that both support Windows 7's multi-touch for up to 10 fingers when typing. The bottom screen is gesture-aware and can bring up the keyboard, media controls, an app launcher, a window manager and a gesture editor.
Boinx Software has updated their flagship slideshow maker FotoMagico to version 3.6, bringing iMedia Browser 2 integration and Flickr support, along with other new features such as the ability to link audio to specific slides and new custom slideshow view for 27" iMacs. The company has also dramatically reduced the price of its corresponding iPhone app.
Microsoft overnight gave the Zune HD its first significant app catalog update in months and headlined it with Windows Live Messenger. The app is the Zune's first instant messaging app and supports most of the same features, up to Facebook chat as well as social feeds from Facebook, Flickr and MySpace. It doesn't truly multitask but will change status to reflect any currently playing music.
Roku tonight unveiled three new Internet Players as part of its mission to hold off the new Apple TV. The Roku HD is now one of the least expensive networked media hubs yet and costs just $60, or less than two thirds the price of its Apple rival. Video reaches the same 720p, and it supports Amazon VOD, Netflix and MLB.tv for video as well as MP3tunes, MOG, Pandora and RadioTime for audio. Media from Facebook and Flickr also pipes through the device.
Toshiba expanded its LED-backlit TVs a second time in as many days on Thursday, this time by focusing on mainstream buyers. The UL605 series replaces the UX600 with a thinner shape despite using its edge-lit LED backlights and a 120Hz panel. Full details of the changes aren't available, but it still has a bundled USB Wi-Fi adapter for access to Vudu movies, Flickr and Picasa photos, DLNA media sharing and Facebook or Twitter social networking.
Toshiba exported its new 3D TVs to the US today to keep its Regza line on par with rivals. Its WX800 series becomes its new flagship and is its first North American 3D set; it doesn't include the active shutter glasses but gives the option for those using the BDX3000 Blu-ray player or another 3D source. Regardless of the display mode, the sets have some of Toshiba's best image quality with a 240Hz, LED-backlit LCD that produces a high 7,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio.
Twitter tonight held a special event to give an early look at the new Twitter. The new page draws directly from the design of the iPad app and makes content show automatically in a second pane rather than popping out a new window. Photo hosts like Flickr, TwitPic and Yfrog, as well as video hosts like Ustream and YouTube, will have their content embedded in a format that's more helpful both to computers and to tablets like the iPad.
The VMP75 NexTv is ViewSonic's latest foray into living rooms for what's quickly becoming a crowded field of media hubs. This network media player can serve up content from a variety of local and online sources and even has its own web browser. But is it a strong balance, or trying to do too much at once? And how does it stack up against an Apple TV? Our NexTV review hopes to provide an answer.
Sharp has shown off its first 3D TV based on its Quattron technology (formerly QuadPixel) that adds yellow to the regular red, green and blue colors used in traditional TV sets. The fourth color is said to increase brightness by 1.8 times compared to traditional sets while expanding the color gamut of the sets and rendering more realistic colors. The 60-inch set will require active shutter glasses to view 3D images, like other rivals.
Seagate dipped into the world of simple network-attached storage by launching the GoFlex Home. The drive potentially avoids the common problems with future upgrades by using its own GoFlex system for the storage: the NAS has a modular base that takes any single disk, desktop-sized GoFlex drive for a swap up in capacity without having to replace the drive or open a bay door. Trumping some drives, the Home has its own Wi-Fi and doesn't need to be plugged in solely through Ethernet.
Chumby software may soon extend its reach beyond the Chumby One, Sony Dash, and Insignia's Infocast picture frame to include tablet computers, TVs and home energy control monitors. Chumby is open-source software that includes an applications market and the company is marketing the software as a media platform that is easily adaptable for a multitude of portable and home electronics.
Mitsubishi Electronics added one of the largest 3D-ready HDTVs on the market to its range on Wednesday, with the 75-inch LaserVue L75-A91. The new set adds Cinema Color mode and StreamTV, or access to internet-based media. This includes 1080p movies from Vudu, streaming music from Pandora and photos from Flickr and Picasa. To get 3D, the set requires a separately sold 3D Starter Pack, 3DC-1000, which includes two active shutter 3D glasses, a 3D emitter, 3D adapter with remote and an HDMI cable.
Microsoft today posted its second major iPhone app today in the form of Windows Live Messenger (free, App Store). The download gives the expected instant messaging on Windows Live but also integrates closely with other networks; it also talks to Yahoo Messenger contacts, pulls status updates from Facebook, Flickr and MySpace.
The Mozilla Firefox-based Flock browser is now available in a Flock 3 beta build that drops Firefox roots in favor of Google's Chromium and its WebKit engine. As one would expect, the new browser is much different from the original. While the latest Flock browser is currently only available for Windows, a Mac beta is due in July.
Western Digital expanded its set-top hubs today with the WD TV Live Plus HD. The new addition primarily brings Netflix video streaming and, unlike some other interfaces, lets users add movies to the queue from the hub instead of going to a separate device's web browser. Internet access beyond Netflix is also important as users can check Flickr photos, watch YouTube and stream Live365 or Pandora radio.
