Netflix’s first streaming box is finally here and it’s pretty damn brilliant of a set up. First of all, the box is 99 bucks, and designed by Roku. It’s fanless and quiet; has HDMI and optical outputs; and is about the size of 5 CD cases stacked together. Any Netflix disc mailing plan over $9 gets you unlimited streaming of almost 10,000 titles. Unlimited! 10K titles! Take that Apple TV and VuDu!
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Install
You boot up the box, set the network to wireless or ethernet connectivity. You get a 5 digit code, head over to netflix.com/activate using a browser on a PC or other device, log into your Netflix account and enter the code. The Roku box gets your queue and the movie/show cover art. There are HDMI and optical connections on top of the standard video outs, but those cables are not included.
Using
The box itself doesn’t have menus. No, […]
Original post by Brian Lam
A pair of new DS Lite flavors—and they do look more like yummy cherry and lime candy flavors than mere colors—have been spotted on a couple of Spanish retail sites, one of which is GAME, apparently the second-largest specialty gaming retailer in the world, so there’s some solid reason to believe these babies are real, or at least as Luke says, we can’t rule ‘em out. We’ll know for sure on June 13, when they’re supposed to drop. Hopefully these summer shades aren’t Europe only. [GAME via Leonsito @ NeoGAF via Kotaku]
Original post by matt buchanan
Do you remember the most annoying song ever from last month? The duo behind it, Komar and Melamid, have used data from the same survey—about the music people like the most—to compose what, survey says, should be the best song ever. I think it’s worse than the most annoying song, actually, like a South Park parody of thick ‘n’ syrupy Boyz II Men-style early 90s R&B, complete with Kenny G sax, guitar solos and male/female harmonies (though the dude actually sounds like Trey Parker). It shows you what a musical genius Rick Astley truly was. And this says nothing of the lyrics. [The Most Wanted Song via Listening Post]
Original post by matt buchanan
newVideoPlayer(”future_restaurants.flv”, 506, 423,”");Good Morning America did a segment this morning on Hi-Tech food and restaurant gadgets, which ranged from really cool to really weird. There are menus that yap at you, doggie bags for your unfinished bottles of wine, and a waiter pager so that you can harass that smug bastard who’s been ignoring you. But the best gadget in the lot was the automatic pasta vending machine, which takes dry pasta, dispenses it into a cooker, and a couple minutes later, it craps out a pile of “hot, steaming pasta” into a bowl. While you wait for it to cook, it warms your sauce. Truly bizarre.
Original post by Adrian Covert
These official Xbox 360 pants are 100 percent cotton with an elastic waistband, adjustable drawstring tie and an open fly (which is how Chen rolls). They’re only 18 bucks, but I’m deathly afraid of what happens if you get the Red Ring of Death. [WebUndies via Max Console]
Original post by matt buchanan
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If you can’t hawk your wares with a standard appeal to people’s vanity, there’s always good old-fashioned fearmongering. Like you’ll DIE in a fire caused by TERRORISTS. Unless you’ve got the Subivor survival kit! Ominous music and death-hype aside, it’s actually not a bad little pack of emergency gear—a mask that protects against toxic smoke, anthrax and other small things that’ll kill you; flashlight; whistle; moist towelettes; and a mini-crowbar, to beat down terrorists bust out windows. And it comes in a rainbow of colors (fashion is life or death too, after all): pink, yellow, green and orange. It’s only $28, a good deal for the gear, an even better one for your life.
[Subivor, Thanks Dave!]
Original post by matt buchanan
We’ve raved on Sprint’s EV-DO data service more than once, in no small part because they were the only carrier to have truly unlimited 3G data, while AT&T and Verizon capped their service at 5GB. Our love affair just might be over. According to a leaked update of their terms of service, effective July 31st, they’ll be enacting a 5GB cap as well.
“Sprint reserves the right to limit throughput speeds or amount of data transferred and to deny, terminate, modify, or suspend service if usage exceeds 5GB per month in total or 300MB/month while off-network roaming.”
Looks like we’ll be re-assessing our pick of best data service. So sad. [Sprint Users via Phonescoop]
Original post by matt buchanan
I can’t tell you how many times I have looked down at my Guitar Hero guitar and wished that it could be used like a real instrument. The only problem was that I lacked the ability to build one. Oh, and I have no musical ability whatsoever. Fortunately, it appears that someone with skills has done the dirty work for me by figuring out a way to turn a Guitar Hero guitar into a full-fledged MIDI controller.
With the current version you can:
•Play 2 octaves of an 8 note scale at a time,
•Change the starting note anywhere in the range of a regular keyboard
•Change octaves
•Change keys
•Change tonal modes (Ionian, Mixolydian, Lydian, Dorian, Aeolian, Phrygian, Locrian)
•Change the timbre of a sound
•Change the resonance of a sound
•Use the whammy bar to pitchbend
•Play chords in the mode you have the guitar set to (major/minor/etc.)
•Rock out with a video game toy
And the best part of […]
Original post by Sean Fallon
We’re not sure where this came from originally, but we found this on Digg under “Kama Sutra For IT People.” Hit the jump for a bigger pic. [Digg]
Original post by Jason Chen
Amazon’s Kindle might pull in $750 million by 2010, growing from an estimated 189,000 units this year to 2.2 million in the next couple, according Citi analyst Mark Mahaney. But how does that stack up against other important gadgets in their first year of life? Silicon Alley Insider has done the hard work for us. Considering that Kindle is a gadget type that the mainstream has had no basically interest in until now (e-reader) and that it’s been perpetually out of stock, it’s not doing too shabby, though it’s had a serious hype advantage hype over some of those gadgets. I have the feeling Kindle 2 is where it’s really gonna be at. [Silicon Alley Insider, Thanks Dan!]
Original post by matt buchanan
I don’t know about you, but I get stuck with calls every so often from family and friends looking for solutions to their computer problems, only to find out that their systems are bogged down with viruses and spyware. Naturally, a lot of what your computer may be infected with comes down to your browsing habits and the OS that you use, but there has always been a debate about whether anti-virus programs are resource hogs that actually do more harm than good. So, the question is: Do you use an anti-virus program?
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Original post by Sean Fallon
At long last, the SDV dongles that TiVo promised would arrive this year from Motorola and Cisco have been submitted to CableLabs for formal testing. For those unfamiliar, these little devices allow for two way communication between CableCard boxes and Cable Companies, so that only the needed programming data is sent, and bandwidth is conserved. Dave Zatz says its a good start to fixing the whole CableCard HD Programming debacle, even if its widely unsupported and a bit clunky. A shot of the Cisco box below. [Zatz Not Funny]
NCTA and TiVo Announce Progress on Switched Digital Adapter for TiVo DVRs SDV solutions from TiVo, Motorola and Cisco currently undergoing CableLabs(R) testing Cisco and Motorola tuning adapters on display at the 2008 Cable Show TiVo HD DVRs with tuning adapter support on display at the CableNET and Motorola booths at the 2008 Cable Show
NEW ORLEANS, May 19, 2008 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX […]
Original post by Adrian Covert
RIM co-CEO Mike Lazaridis, who was hating hard on touchscreen keyboards last time we heard from him, took the defensive on the BlackBerry Bold’s iPhone-esque aesthetics at the Wireless Enterprise Symposium, saying that the Bold “wasn’t a response to another device…This was actually designed three years ago and the actual physical design of this product—I have the original models from 2006.” Syncing to iTunes aside, Mike, I take it that this would be your response to the iPhone then? What do you guys think? Update: Changed the picture to live shot comparison, rather than renders.
Lazaridis also continued proselytizing for the full, physical QWERTY, calling it “the most exciting mobile trend,” arguing that
“I’m not making this up. People are running out of their two-year contracts and they’re coming into the stores and they want to be able to do Facebook and they want to be able to do instant messaging and […]
Original post by matt buchanan
This is one of the reasons why you don’t cheat on your women my friends—because they will hit you were it hurts. And that usually means a swift kick in the nuts followed closely by a thorough dismantling of your precious gadgets. The poor Zune pictured here met its demise after a scorned woman found videos on it featuring her then-boyfriend in the act of cheating.
The woman behind the sale claims that she needed the proceeds to help her survive in a new town after moving there with the asshole man in question. However, the sale concluded with no bids—most likely because stories like this on eBay always seem phony. However, if she does decide to put it back up you can take your chances and put in a bid. The porn is included free—if you can find a way to extract it from the damaged drive that is. […]
Original post by Sean Fallon
Schlage is planning on taking door lock security into the internet age with a new lineup of Z-Wave devices that can be locked, unlocked and monitored from a cellphone or other web enabled device. By connecting a Z-Wave gateway to any broadband router, users will be able to take complete control of up to 256 locks—including creating and disabling passcodes as well as monitoring who accessed the door and when.
However, the features of the new line of Z-Wave door locks are not all positive. Apparently, the locks will not have companion keyfobs or other handheld RF devices for unlocking the door. The reason behind this move is that Schlage wants users to grow accustomed to using devices like their cellphone—but the bottom line is that will probably take an extra step or two to complete whereas waving a keyfob can be more convenient in certain situations—like when your arms are […]
Original post by Sean Fallon
We had to double check that this wasn’t a story about Second Life, but rather is an actual event in actual meatspace occurring this past weekend in Moscow. As former chess champion Garry Kasparov was giving a speech to unite opposition political forces, a radio-controlled penis flew across the room to some applause and laughter. The fun was ended when a dour-faced man smashed the penis out of the air. That’s always the case, isn’t it? Some guy’s having fun with a flying penis when someone joker just has to ruin the party. [India Times via Sharenator]
Original post by Jason Chen
The image associated with this post is best viewed using a browser.You know that gigantic LEGO Indiana Jones boulder? Turns out that only the outside is LEGO. The inside (based on this photo) is made of styrofoam. We suppose that it would be way too cost-prohibitive to build the entire boulder out of LEGO, but that doesn’t make us any less disappointed. [Photo Credit - Thanks Mike!]
Original post by Jason Chen
The Gadget: The GZ PC-Sport Power Stepper from Gamercize claims to give desktop and laptop users a workout by hijacking their keyboard or mouse when they slack off on their workouts.
The Price: $199 for the GZ PC-Sport + Power Stepper / around $140 for the GZ PC-Sport alone.
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The Verdict: As a personal trainer myself, I welcome any device that will motivate people to work out on their own—especially when outside of the gym. However, far too many of the gadgets that exist for this purpose are gimmicky and serve only to clutter up a garage after a few weeks of use. Unfortunately, I have to group the Gamercize GZ PC-Sport Power Stepper into this category.
Just to be clear, let me start off by saying that the device does what it is supposed to do. If you exercise, you can use the peripheral device hooked up to […]
Original post by Sean Fallon
A Sprint enthusiast site is reporting of a leaked internal memo that shows that Sprint will be placing a 5GB cap on all of its “unlimited” data plans for data cards and mobile phones.
Read the full story here.
Original post by Michael Oryl
Matthew Miller from ZDNet loaded up Opera Mobile 9.5 on his HTC Advantage, a Windows Mobile device, and thinks it’s even better than the iPhone’s Safari browser. Why? Because he can select text, copy and paste, save passwords and even email individual images from a page. He says it’s the best mobile browser he’s ever used (even though Google Docs doesn’t work correctly). It’s definitely even more like a desktop browser than Apple’s offering. You don’t need to take his word for it—you can see for yourself in his video. [ZDnet via Into Mobile]
Original post by Jason Chen