Hasta La Gadget!

The curtain hasn’t even opened on Netflix’s new DVD-by-mail spin-off company Qwikster, and many customers are already walking out.

The company recently revised its quarterly projections of net subscribers to show 1 million fewer customers than it had previously expected. Much to Netflix’s chagrin, folks are realizing that the king of mail-away media isn’t the only game in town.

We’ve taken a look at some of Netflix’s (and Qwikster’s) main competitors, and judged each service accordingly. Do the rest offer enough to stand up to the best?

Netflix/Qwikster

Also known as Netflix: Redux. It’s the same service we know and love, only completely different. Faced with massive customer backlash in the wake of a price hike, Netflix split itself into two separate companies this week. The streaming service will retain the Netflix branding while the DVD-by-mail service will be named Qwikster. Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said the split will better serve customers in the long run because each company will be able to better focus on one type of service.

Netflix pioneered the DVD-by-mail service, creating an entire industry where one did not exist previously. But after serious flux in Netflix’s new pricing system — which split the streaming and DVD mailing services into two separate plans starting at $8 a month minimum — there’s no guarantee the company’s customers will continue to stick around.

WIRED: It’s been around the longest, and is the most familiar service. Massive offering of physical mail-away media. New game rental service sounds intriguing. Streaming to all iOS devices and Android smartphones.

TIRED: Can you say price increase? We don’t like paying more money for the same service, and we’re failing to see how splitting the companies in twain is going to benefit consumers. Streaming-only service still lacks selection compared to DVD catalog.

Amazon Prime

Amazon’s elite-level service launched in 2005, offering two-day shipping on any of its products to members anywhere in the continental United States and other select countries for a reasonable $80 a year. Originally meant for those who couldn’t wait more than 48 hours for their tangible goods, Prime expanded in February to offer instant, streaming movie and TV show access to existing Prime customers at no added cost.

WIRED: Fast shipping on everything Amazon! What other movie service offers that? Lower yearly rate than Netflix and Qwikster. Works with over 300 different web-connected set-top boxes, including the ever-popular Roku.

TIRED: Smaller media selection compared to other existing services. Lacks the DVD rental option that made Netflix famous.

Redbox

Redbox made it possible for legions of supermarket shoppers to pick up a movie on the cheap, without having to make multiple stops. Instead of leaving the grocery store (or 7-11, Walgreens or what have you) with only a TV dinner and a Mountain Dew in tow, Redbox’s 30,000-plus DVD-rental kiosks make sure you won’t go home alone on a Friday night again.

WIRED: Cheap, cheap, cheap. DVD rentals average two bucks a pop, with anywhere from 50 to 200 recent titles to select from in each kiosk, updated weekly. Game rentals to roll out this year.

TIRED: No streaming service? Bummer.

With their tiny sensors and slow lenses, it’s hard to see the appeal of Nikon’s new ‘1’ range

Nikon has at last gotten in on the mirrorless camera game with the launch of the “Nikon 1″ range. Currently consisting of two bodies and three lenses, the system will soon include an adapter to allow the use of Nikon F-mount SLR lenses.

First, the most important part: The sensor. Nikon has put a small 10.1MP one-inch sensor into the cameras. It is half the size of a Micro Four Thirds sensor, and roughly four times the size of a regular compact camera sensor. And this is where things start to go wrong. One of the best features of large sensors is that they allow photos with a shallow depth of field — pictures where the subject is sharp and the background blurred, for example. Coupled with the rather slow new lenses, you’re not going to be able to get much separation.

There are two bodies, the smaller J1 and the fancier V1. The J1 is a tiny thing, barely bigger than a decent compact, and shoots stills at 10fps, video at 1080p, and has a maximum ISO of 3,200.

The V1 is a lot more interesting. It adds a 1.4 million dot viewfinder, an accessory shoe which works with an optional flash, microphone or GPS unit. The V1 also has a hybrid AF mode which uses both phase and contrast detection for high speed and good low-light accuracy.

The V1 will also shoot a still photo while you record video, which leads to the rather gimmicky Motion Snapshot feature, which I like to call the Harry Potter mode. This “unites a frozen still image with a slow-motion movement set to a built-in audio soundtrack.” Tacky, right?

On to those lenses. The lineup consist of a 10mm (27mm equivalent) ƒ2.8 pancake, a 10-30mm (27-81mm equivalent) ƒ3.5-5.6 and a 30-100mm (81-297mm equivalent) ƒ3.8-5.6. These are sloooow. Even when the F-mount adapter arrives, you might not want to use your super-fast SLR lenses — with a crop factor of 2.7x, that nifty 50mm ƒ1.4 lens you own will turn into an almost useless 135mm ƒ1.4.

Lastly, prices. With the 10-30mm lens the J1 will cost $650 and the V1 $900.

Who will buy these cameras? I would seem to be the perfect target. I own a Nikon SLR and a clutch of great Nikon lenses, and I already use a Micro Four Thirds Panasonic GF1. But these Nikon 1 cameras don’t interest me at all. My lenses already work great on the GF1, and would be useless on these small-sensor bodies (the 85mm ƒ1.8 particularly so, turning into a 255mm monster), especially as the shake reduction is in the lenses, not the bodies.

Sure, these are a step up from the Nikon P7100, the Canon G12 and the Lumix LX5, but if you have to buy a whole new range of lenses anyway, why not go for the already established Micro Four Thirds system, or the giant APS-C sensor Sony NEX cameras? I think Nikon may have screwed this one up.

Available end of October.

Nikon J1 product page [Nikon]

Nikon V1 product page [Nikon]

See Also:

• Sony Fights Micro Four-Thirds With Lens-Changing Compact …
• Leica 25mm ƒ1.4 Lens for Micro Four Thirds
• Pinwide: Wide-Angle Pinhole Lens for Micro Four Thirds Cameras …
• Sony's NEX Mirrorless Cameras Are the Smallest in the World …
• Sony NEX Update Adds Autofocus for Alpha Lenses

If you happen to be making devices that run on Linux — of which Android is a subset — odds are pretty good that you’ll be getting a phone call from Redmond at some point. And that’s just what happened to Casio, who’s joining existing licensees TomTom and Amazon in signing a cross license agreement with Microsoft for patents pertaining to the Tux-approved OS. Covering Linux on “certain Casio devices,” the joint statement was equally vague about how many greenbacks exchanged hands, simply stating: “[both] parties acknowledge that Microsoft is being compensated by Casio.” There ain’t much more to it, but folks looking to humor themselves can do so after the break.

Continue reading Microsoft and Casio enter cross licensing agreement, world wonders if Casio actually makes Linux-based devices

Microsoft and Casio enter cross licensing agreement, world wonders if Casio actually makes Linux-based devices originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 21 Sep 2011 05:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The largest GSM carrier in the country is popular amongst travelers because you can use nearly all of its phones anywhere in the world. Messaging whilst abroad, however, has always been an expensive headache since the best option on AT&T was a bundle of 50 SMS / MMS messages for $10. That’s a quaint number, to say the least, considering many of us can burn through that many messages in an hour. Beginning today, two more options are available for the more text-savvy roamers: you can get a package of 200 for $30, or 500 for $50. This number only reflects the number of messages you send, which means those received are counted against your US bucket of texts (if you’re on a pay-per-use messaging plan, they’ll cost 20 cents). Given the company’s recent history of streamlining, we applaud the additional choices global jetsetters now have. Enjoy the presser after the break.

Continue reading AT&T launches new global messaging plans, lets you comfortably roam

AT&T launches new global messaging plans, lets you comfortably roam originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 21 Sep 2011 03:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A while back, you probably splurged for that insert–iPod–sound–system–here thinking you’d get some pretty good mileage out of it. If you also jumped ship at some point along the way (read: switched to Android), CableJive can help keep your bookshelf system cranking for a little while longer. The dockBoss+ adapter features micro-USB and audio plugs opposite a 30-pin connector, the latter of which fits nicely in one of the eight quadrillion iOS-compatible sound systems currently on the market. Now, you can port that valuable charging action to your existing handset — plus, the accessory also features a built-in charge converter for FireWire-enabled cables and docking stations, if needed. Not only that, but the dockBoss+ will also work in tandem with your iOS-centric car or home stereo — unless you’re still clinging to the factory head unit in your VW Beetle… bummer. Those looking to pick one up can do so starting September 28th for $30; a handful of Lincolns is much easier on the ol’ wallet than a brand new one of these, that’s for sure.

*Assuming, of course, that you’re cool with a few cables hanging out, and that your handset actually uses micro-USB.

[Thanks, Gregor]

dockBoss+ adapter brings iOS speaker dock compatibility to Android, BlackBerry and WP7 handsets* originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 21 Sep 2011 03:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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