Hasta La Gadget!

In April of 2011, we spent some time in the driver’s seat of the Tesla Roadster 2.5 Sport. Its throttle response and dashing good looks earned high marks, but the range anxiety left a bit to be desired. Now it’s the winter of 2013, and in the latest issue of our weekly, we settle in behind the wheel of the Model S to determine if Tesla’s refined offering has the chops to lead the EV fleet. Of course, these vehicles need a place to recharge, so Eyes-On visits one of the aforementioned outfit’s Superchargers that look to make roadtrips a reality for electric vehicles. Aside from the automotive features, OUYA devs sound off on the pros and cons of the console while we put both the HP Spectre XT TouchSmart and Microsoft’s Surface Pro through their respective paces. There’s much more than we can pack into a single paragraph, so visit your weekly access link to grab a copy.

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Filed under: Announcements, HD, Mobile

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Source: iTunes, Google Play, Windows Store

The last time Roku properly refreshed its line of media streamers was back in 2011 with the Roku 2 series but we’re apparently in for at least one new addition, if not a whole new line. This 4200X (the current players are in the 2000/3000 series) just popped up in the FCC’s database, although most of the juicy information was withheld. Still, as seen above, its measurements indicate a box that’s just 2.25-inches on each side, smaller than the current top of the line Roku 2 XS which is 3.3-inches long on each side. Other than WiFi with 2 and 5GHz bands we didn’t uncover much else, although we wonder what the company may add in a new model.

One possibility is the (official) YouTube channel we’ve been waiting for since 2011, which CEO Anthony Wood recently told analyst Michael Wolf “isn’t far away”, but would require new hardware. Otherwise, the current boxes have 1080p output, more than 700 channels, and a Bluetooth gaming remote on the high-end units. Previous FCC leaks of the 2 and refreshed HD saw official launches within weeks, so we should know more about this new version pretty soon.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

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Source: FCC

Conspicuously timed just after a Super Bowl dubbed by some (mostly marketing types) as the “most social ever”, GetGlue has pushed a new version of its app for iPhones. Version 4.0 for Apple’s smaller iOS devices brings many of the social features recently added to the iPad app, as the guides gain personalized recommendations of shows you might enjoy. The main feed brings in even more information about shows being watched by your friends plus a way to easily chat with them within the app. Also improved is the amount of background info available for each show, and reminders for major events, premieres and finales — similar upgrades are listed as coming soon for Android and its mobile website.

Like Foursquare and other location services have shifted focus towards discovery, GetGlue (among others) is doing the same for TV while also improving its profile for businesses. In a move it unveiled with Pepsi during the big game last Sunday, it offers advertisers the opportunity for promoted tied to a particular brand or show, that may pop into your feed if your friends like them. With Twitter itself making a major move into TV experiences it will be interesting how the recently downsized pool of social TV competitors reacts, and who comes out on top. According to GetGlue, 15 percent of all tweets about Pepsi during the Super Bowl came from its app. You can find out if these additions are good ones — your friends wouldn’t share any particularly annoying ads, would they? — by snagging the new update from iTunes.

Filed under: Cellphones, Software, HD, Mobile

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Source: iTunes, GetGlue

There will be a new OUYA next year, and the year after that, unlike the traditional game console model, where new hardware ships in five- to seven-year generational increments. “Our strategy is very much similar to the mobile strategy,” OUYA CEO Julie Uhrman told us in an interview this afternoon, following her DICE 2013 speech. “There will be a new OUYA every year. There will be an OUYA 2 and an OUYA 3,” she added. One potentially featuring the recently revealed Tegra 4, perhaps, rather than the Tegra 3 powering the first units? It sure sounds like it. “We’ll take advantage of faster, better processors, take advantage of prices falling. So if we can get more than 8GB of Flash in our box, we will,” she explained.

But don’t fret, nervous game buyer. Uhrman assured us that “all the games will be backward compatible” going forward. When pushed on how this will work, she said, “The games will be tied to you, the gamer,” (like Steam is now) rather than tying your game licenses to the hardware you purchased (like, say, Nintendo’s Wii U).

The first OUYA, set to launch for Kickstarter backers this March and at retail in June, comes with a quad-core A9 Tegra 3 that’s been maxed out to 1.6GHz. Uhrman pointed out that, because of OUYA’s home console form factor (which plugs into a wall, rather than relying on a tiny battery), the console will be, “the best Tegra 3 device on the market.” It also doesn’t hurt that OUYA’s working directly with the Tegra 3’s manufacturer, NVIDIA. She said that NVIDIA has a group of folks dedicated solely to getting the chip driving the OUYA to run at its highest capacity ever. We’ll find out what that means when we get our hands on the console later this year. Should you like to hear more from Julie Uhrman ahead of that launch, she’ll be speaking at Engadget’s Expand event this March. Grab your tickets right here!

Filed under: Gaming, HD, NVIDIA

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With the NFL season finally over after the massive spectacle that was Super Bowl XLVII, we’re ready to pore over the stats and see how internet streaming, social media and second screen apps affected the big game. Also, Netflix has been in the news heavily with the debut of House of Cards, so we’ll dive into its impact so far as a herald of the future of TV and internet video. That’s just the start of this week’s big news in HD, so go ahead and press play.

Hosts: Ben Drawbaugh (@bjdraw), Richard Lawler (@rjcc)

Producer: James Trew (@itstrew)

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Filed under: Podcasts, HD

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