Digeo Delays Retail Moxi DVRs

I think we all knew something was up after seeing Wired magazine ads in consecutive months without a product announcement. In fact, the whispers were speculating that the Home Cinema edition had been scrapped. Well… I’ve received confirmation that both retail Moxi DVRs are still in play, but on hold until early next year: While … Read more

The Darker Side of Xbox Live

Major Nelson, the voice of Xbox LIVE, is taking a hard line and reminding folks not to share accounts or tamper with acheivements:

As you can imagine, we know how to find out if you do this and we do take action. Even worse, you might have your account and/or console banned from Xbox Live.

I’m all for fair play but, in the grander scheme of things, who really cares how Achievements are met? Especially in light of Microsoft’s much bigger Xbox LIVE problem… I’m talking about the profanity. It’s primarily a verbal problem, but I’ve also encountered questionable Gamertags. Dropping F-bombs in the heat of battle doesn’t bother me (parents may feel differently) and I know I’m guilty of the occasional curse word slip, but hearing tweens/teens repeatedly using the N word or from others wanting to kill Jews and homosexuals is just unpleasant. Regardless of intent (No, Junior. You’re not funny.), it takes away from my gaming enjoyment. I wish I could say these incidents were unusual but, in a casual calculation, 1/4 – 1/3 of Shadowrun Live rounds contained a notable amount of adult language and/or verbal unpleasantries. In fact, if I had children, I wouldn’t let them anywhere near Xbox LIVE with a headset.

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Apple Says No To Cash

According to Bloomberg and AP reports, as of 10/25 Apple is only accepting plastic for iPhone purchases “so sales can be tracked.” While Wired doesn’t believe this is illegal at a Federal level, I imagine there are jurisdictions where refusing cash is prohibited. In reality, this restriction won’t negatively impact many – However, and regardless … Read more

The Slingbox PRO Giveaway

As you might imagine (given my day job), quite a few Sling Media products make their way through my home for testing, demos, etc. So I’d like to share the love. Just a few hours ago, this Slingbox PRO with HD Connect was placeshifting my TiVo Series3, Xbox 360, and analog cable… And now it … Read more

More Hulu Details Emerge

NBC’s video streaming portal, Hulu, has entered a slightly less private beta and more details have emerged. The NY Times writes: Hulu, now an independent company with more than a hundred employees and its own offices in Los Angeles, will begin privately testing its new service with select users at Hulu.com. NBC recently removed its … Read more

The CTIA Wrap

On a few occasions, I managed to sneak away from my work responsibilities and roam the CTIA floor. I also chatted up several mobile gurus I enjoy – including Sascha Segan (PC Mag), Bonnie Cha (CNET), and Ed Hardy (Brighthand). While the show was maybe 1/3rd the size of the Orlando event and there were fewer product launches/announcements, here are some of the cool, new phones I played with (in no particular order):

HTC CDMA Touch (Sprint)
I hadn’t held a Touch (GSM variety) since June, so I forgot how small this device is and that it feels great in the hand. I’m still not entirely sold on the touchscreen-only method of interaction (think iPhone), but HTC has stepped it up with the new CDMA Touch in adding 2 finger friendly typing overlays. An HTC rep also showed me a Touch Dual variant with a SureType-style keyboard – which is more my speed, though US launch plans haven’t been disclosed.

Nokia N95 8GB (GSM)
This phone looks sharp. And I’m not just saying that because I worked Nokia’s booth. Instead of naming it the N95 8G, it’d be more accurate to call it the N95+ or even the N96 — in addition to the that extra storage, the screen is noticeably larger, the buttons tweaked, and the shell has a sexy piano black finish. I didn’t catch all the details, so I’m not sure if it’s 3G in the US.

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Digital Media Bytes

A periodic roundup of relevant news… from our other blogs: Gaming on the Set-Top: Connected Home 2 Go Watch Ripped DVD’s Using Front Row: Brent Evans Geek Tonic Damned Lies and DVR Statistics: Connected Home 2 Go MoCA 1.1 and In-Home Networking: Connected Home 2 Go