Monsoon Announces Vulkano “God Box”

Monsoon Multimedia, makers of the HAVA placeshifting line (a Slingbox competitor), are prepping a new placeshifting device for launch in March. In addition to the remote streaming services Monsoon hardware currently provides, the new “Volcano” box (prototype pictured) takes it to high def – pushing video at up to 720p. Also, Android and Blackberry clients … Read more

Hands on with the Syabas Popbox

Popbox snuck up on me earlier this week. Plenty of companies are pushing out various digital media boxes and features these days. Some are better than others. Many aren’t very good at all. However, Syabas is well established in this space – providing the technology behind partner products, such as the HP MediaSmart HDTV line … Read more

Aluratek’s Cinepal – PMP, but No Broadband

Aluratek’s got an interesting mid-tier product on its hands. When I first read the specs of the Cinepal, I was less than impressed. It’s a portable media player without the broadband connection. However, seeing it in person and talking to one of the product guys, I’ve had a bit of a change of heart. The … Read more

More Sling from CES (Android and Flash Coming)

I had a brief chat this morning with John Gilmore, Sling Media’ General Manager, who wanted to assure me (and ZNF readers) that (despite my concerns) they are far from done with retail. In fact, they’ll be actively growing that business. And the first related announcement is an upcoming Flash-based SlingPlayer being demo-ed in their … Read more

Amazon & Studios Flirt with 48 Hour Rentals

A few weeks back, I noticed Amazon was offering select movie rentalss with a new 48 hour viewing window. Currently, The Hangover (above, Warner Bros) and Angels & Demons (Sony) list 48 hour viewing periods, while Star Trek (Paramount) and State of Play (Universal) are limited to the traditional 24 hours. Which rubs many, such … Read more

Yahoo on Roku?

Alright, I’d admit that headline is a bit of tease, but it certainly seems possible that we could see Yahoo Connected TV widgets on Roku boxes (and lots of other hardware) in the next few months. I talked to a Yahoo spokesperson at Digital Experience last night and heard some impressive updates on the Yahoo … Read more

Welcome Wi-Fi Photo Frames… Finally!

I’ve been waiting for years for a useful Wi-Fi photo frame, and it looks like 2010 may finally usher in the new digital frame era. At Digital Experience tonight (a CES event within an event), I saw two promising entrants in the Wi-Fi photo frame market. First comes the Kodak Pulse. At seven inches and … Read more

Hands on with D-Link’s Boxee Box (and remote)

I spent some time with Boxee CEO Avner Ronen tonight and their first dedicated hardware solution. Which is produced by D-Link and should ship sometime in the next few months for under $200. (I’ll guess $199.) The unit looks more sophisticated and sexy than the fine renders we saw last month with a polished front … Read more