The Engadget Mobile Podcast crew — y’know, Myriam and Brad — are back to a regular time on this lovely Wednesday. It may be the quiet before the MWC storm, but we still have plenty to pontificate about. So join us at the usual place (down below) and immerse yourself in a wonderful world of wireless.
Filed under: Announcements, Mobile
One of the most frugal ways to watch TV is to simply pluck public channels from over-the-air broadcasts. Public channels include the majors — NBC, CBS, Fox, ABC — plus other great free programming, like shows on PBS, often broadcasting with better image quality than cable. That means you don’t miss many major events. Last night’s State of the Union, the Olympics, and NFL football all have a home on public stations. All you need is a TV with a digital tuner (so, basically any flat screen from the past ten years) and an antenna and you’re in. But which antenna? There’s no best antenna — hell, there’s no such thing as an HD antenna — but the Mohu Leaf is a good choice, especially if you’re in the city or suburbs. Lifehacker’s Alan Henry reviewed the Leaf and had nice things to say: More »
Apple recently updated its Apple TV to version 5.2, bringing support for Bluetooth keyboards and the “Up Next” playlist feature. Now, a couple of weeks after release, the latest version has been jailbroken for those who wish to open the settings a bit to tinker around. aTV Flash also updated to support 5.2, which allows users to do a slew of neat stuff, including setting specific favorites and surfing the web.
Today, FireCore announced on its blog that it has released updates to aTV Flash (black) and Seas0nPass, both of which support the new 5.2 update for Apple TV. Since Apple added Bluetooth keyboard support, the latest aTV Flash also includes the same, allowing users to navigate around using either the keyboard or the standard remote.
Other than that, there are several minor improvements to backups, as well as DVD playback, but aside from that, it’s your usual bugfixes and general performance improvements. To get started with the updated jailbreak, you’ll want to back up first, and then run the latest version of Seas0nPass to update your Apple TV to version 5.2.
After that, it’s just a matter of installing version 2.2 of aTV Flash, and then restore any previously-saved settings. Then you’ll be back up and running, but with a newer version than before. Of course, do this at your own risk, since hacking into your devices, no matter how easy it is, always comes with risks of some sort, so this is something that’s definitely not for the faint of heart.
Thanks for the tip, Erin!
Apple TV 5.2 jailbroken, aTV Flash updated is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Nat Brown, a former Microsoft Engineer and a member of the early Xbox team, has published a personal blog post about how the past five years of Xbox were “painful” to watch, especially when it comes to the failure of turning Kinect into something bigger than what it is today. His article has a particularly harsh title: ” Stupid, Stupid xBox!!” — I recommend reading it in full, but here are a few things that I found of particular interest:
Nat Brown reminds that Xbox was supposed to be a Trojan horse to conquer the living room where Microsoft could easily beat inferior hardware such as set top boxes etc, and back then (and even now) the Xbox hardware was indeed furiously superior. Yet, Microsoft failed to take advantage of that situation, and set top boxes are doing just fine today. (more…)
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: System Shock 2 Re-released, Star Wars Episode V :The Empire Strikes Back Pinball Table,
German luxury brand Loewe experienced a roller coaster day. A trader commented that “Apple supposedly wants to bid 4 euros a share for Loewe,” which sent Loewe shares up as much as 44.5 percent to 3.93 compared to yesterday’s closing price of 2.72. The German stock exchange closed today with Loewe shares trading at 3.35, representing a one-day increase of 23.16 percent.
In May 2012, rumors surfaced on AppleInsider that the company was interested in the German TV manufacturer. Even though Loewe denied the rumor and Apple declined to comment, a buyout wouldn’t be a big risk for Apple. Loewe’s market capitalization is around $58.6 million (€43.58 million).
Yet, Apple would have to convince major shareholders. Sharp now owns 28.8 percent of shares, Loewe’s executives 14 percent and hard-drive manufacturer LaCie 11.2 percent. The German company reported $39 million (€29 million) in losses in 2012. Selling the company to Apple or anyone else would be a way to exit the tedious luxury TV market.
The company is currently trying to cut 1,000 jobs, as well, in order to reduce costs. TV sets remain Loewe’s core product, but the company now manufactures Blu-ray players, DVD recorders, hard-disk recorders, multiroom systems, speakers and racks.
For Apple, Loewe could represent another small strategic acquisition. Yesterday, Tim Cook said that the company closes a deal every other month.
But analysts and traders may be reading too far into the rumors, which were alone responsible for Loewe’s share increase today. It remains to be seen whether those analysts are too excited by Apple’s rumored TV plans or whether they are actually hearing talks between the two companies.
Eric Chahi’s seminal game work, Another World, is now available on BlackBerry 10 devices (so … uh, those of you with a Z10, though it also works on PlayBook). And not just any version, but the updated 20th Anniversary Edition, which adds updated graphics, a remastered soundtrack, and some gesture controls. The game’s one of several titles that publisher DotEmu is bringing to BB10, including notoriously difficult shooter R-Type. “Another World 20th Anniversary is our first title on Blackberry. It’s currently available on Playbook and Z10, and in the upcoming weeks on Q10,” DotEmu CEO Xavier Liard tells us. As for the future? “Of course we are considering bringing all our Android games to BB10, but the next game to be most likely released would be R-Type.” Given that DotEmu also publishes Neo-Geo titles on Android, it’s not a surprise that the company is also considering bringing those titles over, though there’s nothing to announce just yet. “We can’t say yet if it will be on BB10 or not as it is SNK Playmore decision,” CTO Romain Tisserand says.
With Another World priced at $5 — a dollar more than its iOS version — we expect similar pricing across the board. But then again, we always hope it’ll be less expensive to re-buy 20-year-old games. The price of nostalgia, eh?
Filed under: Gaming, Mobile, Blackberry
Via: Joystiq
Source: BlackBerry World
Ever have one of those conference calls that drags on…and on…and on? You sit listlessly listening to others drone on about a topic that does not involve you. Those are great. Or maybe you have the 7am meetings when your eyes are barely awake. Coffee is a must. If only you had something to play with to kill the time maybe the meeting would go faster.
Now you do have a device to make time fly during those dull moments: the Build-On Brick Mug, $19.99 at ThinkGeek. This 12 ounce hot drink holder will save the day. Use your own bricks from any compatible collection (LEGO™,Mega Bloks, PixelBlocks, KRE-O, K’NEX Bricks™) and keep your creative juices flowing, while being able to keep the java flowing. Put some wheels on it to make it mobile. Make your Martian walk vertically down the side. Whatever you choose. Change it up on a whim. Not to worry, BPA-free plastic makes the Build-On Brick Mug safe. Hand wash it though. You wouldn’t want your connectors to get as bent out of shape as your boss may be when you use it. One thing is for sure you will never be seen as dull or bored with this drinking jug.
[ Liven Up Your Coffee Time copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
Looking to save some coin on your tech purchases? Of course you are! In this round-up, we’ll run down a list of the freshest frugal buys, hand-picked with the help of the folks at Slickdeals. You’ll want to act fast, though, as many of these offerings won’t stick around long.
In a pre-Valentine’s Day edition of our gadget shopping wrangling, we offer up yet another diverse set of high-tech wares. From a Virgin Mobile prepaid handset to a Lenovo IdeaPad and more, today’s batch of deals is definitely worth inspection. Head on past the break to do just that, where you’ll find those tempting purchase links as well.
Filed under: Cellphones, Misc, Home Entertainment, Laptops, Storage
Source: Slickdeals
Amazon recently announced they would begin streaming Stephen King’s Under The Dome, however it looks like that will not be the only CBS content coming for Prime subscribers. Coming by way of Amazon, we now have word of an expanded licensing agreement with CBS. Simply put, Prime subscribers will soon be getting quite a bit more CBS content.
This new agreement will include a mix of CBS shows as well as Showtime series. A few of the titles will include America’s Next Top Model, Everybody Loves Raymond, Jericho, The L Word, Undercover Boss and United States of Tara. These shows come, of course, in addition to the content from the original CBS agreement from way back in July of 2011.
Current Prime subscribers are able to stream the video using a Kindle Fire or Kindle Fire HD as well as on one of the many supported game consoles. Amazon also has a Prime Instant Video app available for the Roku and for iOS devices. The streaming is free for current Prime subscribers and otherwise, new users can get a free trial.
Touching back on the Under The Dome streaming for a moment and Amazon has noted that new episodes will be available for streaming four days after they air on regular television. We do have to think that this is a nice point for Amazon considering they not only have the exclusive on a new show like this, but that they are streaming it so close to the original air date. Otherwise, with these recent additions, Amazon is now touting more than 36,000 movies and TV episodes.
[via Business Wire]
Amazon and CBS adding additional Prime Instant Video content is written by Robert Nelson & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
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