Hasta La Gadget!

Amazon has just announced it has agreed terms to buy up all the remaining shares of Lovefilm it didn’t already own. The British outfit operates a subscription-based movie rental and streaming service in its home market along with Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Norway, and should give Amazon a very solid base from which to build its presumably Netflix-besting ambitions. Lovefilm has been just about the closest thing Europe has had to the ridiculously successful North American movie distributor and Amazon is arguably getting in just in time, given Netflix’s overtures toward expanding into the UK. Customary closing conditions will need to be met before the final stamp of approval is applied, but the acquisition is expected to complete by the end of Q1 of this year. Amazon’s wading into yet more content distribution, who’d have thunk it?

Continue reading Amazon agrees to buy UK movie streaming and rental service Lovefilm

Amazon agrees to buy UK movie streaming and rental service Lovefilm originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 04:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’d be lying if we said we hadn’t been waiting on this feature since the service’s debut. As one reader just notified us (and verified by a number of staffers), Google Voice now lets you port your own phone number into its system — as in, that 10-digit hometown relic you’ve been holding onto as long as you’ve carried a handset can now live in the cloud and grant you freedom to start afresh / forward to your many on-hand devices. Check under phone setting to see if “change / port” is now an option. The cost of porting is $20 and, as you may guess, it’ll terminate your current service plan and probably prompt the carrier in question to charge applicable early termination fees, but that’s pittance for saving your old line for the indefinite future. You know, just in case your seventh grade crush gets the nerve to call and say, “sorry.” Of course he / she will, just give it time.

Update: Google just pinged us to note this feature is still being tested and may not be available to everyone. “We’re continually testing new features to enhance the user experience. For a limited amount of time, we’re making the Google Voice number porting process available to users. We don’t have any additional details to share at this time, but plan to offer this feature to all users in the near future.”

Update 2: Ninja vanish! Looks like the option to port is gone — for now, at least. Just keep an eye on your settings pane, it’s bound to resurface sooner or later.

Google Voice now lets you port your own phone number (update: option disappears) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Jan 2011 21:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve known about the 3DS for what seems like ages but now, finally, we have US launch details, courtesy of dueling press events in New York and Amsterdam. The price for Americans is $249.99 and the release date is March 27, while Europeans will get it a few days earlier, on March 25th. European pricing, however, will be decided by retailers, which leaves us feeling a little bit unfulfilled. Courtesy of our chums at Joystiq and various retailers, it looks like £229.99 is the going rate in the UK, while the rest of Europe is looking at €249.99. (Curious how it sizes up with portable’s past? Joystiq’s got you covered.)

Nintendo is promising “30+” games to be available in the US during the launch window, more than 25 in Europe, with that window spanning between the actual launches in March and E3 in June. Sadly we’re still in the dark regarding which games exactly will be available when the system drops in March. Many games were discussed, including Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition, Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 3D, Dead or Alive Dimensions, Rabbids 3D, Resident Evil: Revelations, a new Paper Mario, and an obligatory Madden game too. There are plenty more mentioned in PR below. This is in addition to titles we already knew about, like Pilotwings Resort and Kid Icarus: Uprising. As for pricing, retailers are showing $40 to $50 per game, so yeah, that’s a We’re also told that remakes of classic GameBoy and GameBoy Color titles will be hitting the Virtual Console.

Meanwhile, European gamers are going to be getting a taste of exclusive 3D video content from a variety of partners, most notable being EuroSport, which will be serve up depth-enabled sports footage to portable consoles. We’re also told episodes of Shaun the Sheep, a new series from Wallace & Gromit creators Aardman, will be available as well. For now these deals look Europe-only, but here’s to hoping American folks will get something similar.

We have European and American press releases embedded below for your reading enjoyment, as well some video we shot from the New York.

Continue reading Nintendo 3DS coming to US March 27th for $249.99, Europe first on March 25th (video)

Nintendo 3DS coming to US March 27th for $249.99, Europe first on March 25th (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Jan 2011 10:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’re here live in NYC at Nintendo’s 3DS press preview event, where Reggie Fils-Aime is scheduled to give a short presentation to kick things off. We’re hoping to learn some pricing and availability details — and possibly hear a word or two about 3D and the eyesight of younger gamers. After that, it’s time to party, right? We’ll find out.

Continue reading Live from Nintendo’s 3DS preview with Reggie Fils-Aime

Live from Nintendo’s 3DS preview with Reggie Fils-Aime originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Jan 2011 08:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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No huge surprise here, but the FCC just approved Comcast’s purchase of NBC Universal by a 4-1 vote. Details of the ruling aren’t out yet, but FCC chairman Julius Genachowski had been pushing for strong regulations forbidding Comcast from cutting itself sweetheart deals on NBC content or prioritizing its own video traffic on its pipes, so we’d assume that’s part of the agreement here. The only nay vote was from Commissioner Michael Copps, who said the deal “opens the door to the cable-ization of the open Internet.” Ouch. We’ll let you know when we find out exactly what the FCC’s actual conditions are — and keep in mind this deal won’t be wrapped until the Justice Department weighs in, which is expected to happen next week. Can we say it? Oh, we’re going to say it: stay tuned!

Update: That was fast, as Comcast/NBCU announced it’s received permission from the Justice Department as well. Check out the triumphant press release after the break or scour the official site for more details on what conditions may have applied. There will also be a conference call at 4 p.m. so let us know what else you may be interested in finding out before then. So far details include a promise of a “focused mechanism for online video providers to obtain access to certain NBC Universal content,” and that the newly formed entity will retain its economic stake in Hulu, while giving up its voting and board representation rights.

Continue reading FCC approves Comcast’s purchase of NBC (Update: Justice Department too, it’s done)

FCC approves Comcast’s purchase of NBC (Update: Justice Department too, it’s done) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Jan 2011 14:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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