Within a few days of Redbox announcing Blu-ray rental availability from their nationwide network of kiosks, I swung by for confirmation. And, as it turned out, their press release was overly optimistic — neither Blu-ray title availability or even a category in the UI was found at my closest outpost (MickeyD’s). But when Engadget was tipped that Blu-ray … Read more
Blockbuster as we know it may or may not survive 2010, but that hasn’t prevented them from re-enabling mail order game rentals. As I’m currently on a Gamefly hiatus, a company that I’ve had a like/hate relationship with, I figured I’d check out Blockbuster’s combined DVD+gaming snail mail service which starts at a low $8.99/mo … Read more
I’ve been thinking about the rapid move towards eBooks we’re witnessing right now and came across a pretty interesting related graphic/chart by Newsweek. Here’s a few snippets from the comparison: $4.05 average production cost for $26 hardcover $0.50 average production cost for $9.99 eBook download $3.90 average author royalty per paper book $2.12 average author … Read more
Microsoft is pushing Windows Phone 7′s gaming capabilities pretty hard. While Apple’s iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch have made a name for themselves as portable gaming machines, the truth is that people have been playing games on mobile devices running Windows Mobile, PalmOS, and other aging operating systems for ages. What’s new in Windows Phone … Read more
Back at CES, Mari and I both came away impressed with Kodak’s new 7″ WiFi digital photo frame. In fact, when their PR agency failed to deliver the promised goods for review, we felt positive enough to purchase our own. And the Pulse delivered — it’s simple yet effective, with a nice look and reasonable … Read more
In addition to the iPad hoopla yesterday, Verizon unveiled a number of other FiOS TV updates. Specifically, version 1.9 of the IMG platform arrives by the end of the year in Q4 — Bringing with it a number of sought after features, including a true HD UI and the ability to augment DVRs with external … Read more
The Vulkano “God box” has started arriving at homes of those who pre-ordered. As a refresher, Vulkano aims to replace your DVR, Roku, and Slingbox as THE all-in-one video gadget. My review loaner appears to be lagging Monsoon’s real customers, so I’ll be reserving judgement. But, in the interim, check out my pal Dan’s unboxing. … Read more
Not to be outdone by the others making iPad noise, Verizon today demonstrated a new app for viewing FiOS TV on Apple’s tablet. The app isn’t available yet, but long-time telecom reporter Steve Donohue shot video at the Verizon press conference. The demo shows a mosaic of TV channels that stream live video when clicked. … Read more