Hasta La Gadget!

Having already declared war on the grid, TV remote / guide app maker Dijit is taking GoMiso under its wing. The company announced via its site that it’s in the process of acquiring the social TV developer. The move will incorporate more discovery into Dijit’s offerings. The company has announced intentions to keep the Miso and Sideshow apps around, as well as GoMiso founder, Somrat Niyogi, who is coming on as an advisor. Quips, on the other hand, is now on the chopping block — at least it’ll have some clever last words, no doubt.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

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Source: Dijit

You still can’t touch an OUYA. Not until March, at the earliest, and that’s only if you’re a Kickstarter backer. However, one lucky group of folks already has access: game developers. Those among us who shelled out $700 — as well as the 10 lucky studios who won that contest — got an early jump on a pre-rooted OUYA dev kit, while those of us who dropped $95 (or more) are left in the lurch. Of course, those early units aren’t exactly the couch-friendly consoles we expect to arrive in a few months, but they are representative of the final hardware.

And let’s face it — the OUYA is important. A crowdfunded, extremely inexpensive, open-source game console? That’s not exactly the standard (heck, Sony’s PlayStation 3 debuted with a $500 baseline). The OUYA is essentially taking the low-cost / high-performance aspect of mobile gaming and moving it into a TV-friendly space, and that concept has even spawned some imitators (the likes of which we’ll assuredly see more).

But what do we know about actually using the OUYA? Beyond basic specs and a sporadic showering of images, we’ve never actually touched the thing. With that in mind, we asked a trio of developers who’ve spent the last month with their dev kits how they feel about the console thus far, and we’ve compiled their thoughts below. One month out, how does the OUYA dev kit stack up for developers? Let’s find out!

Filed under: Gaming, Software, HD

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After delays and a software preview, RIM BlackBerry finally pulled the wraps off of it’s new hardware and operating system that we’d been looking for the end of January to bring. In this week’s edition of our e-publication, we take a look at all of the wares that the Canadian company unveiled in order to determine if it’s enough to reinvent the outfit. We also rundown the history of the unit formally known as Research in Motion to paint a complete picture of the road leading up to this week’s proceedings. Of course, there’s more than just BlackBerry stuffs to peruse. Hands-On visits NAMM 2013, Weekly Stat tallies up earnings season and we get cozy with the Pebble Smartwatch. There’s plenty of time for a bit of weekend reading, so head to your favorite repository to snag the goods.

Distro Issue 76 PDF
Distro in the iTunes App Store
Distro in the Google Play Store
Distro in the Windows Store
Distro APK (for sideloading)
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Filed under: Announcements, HD, Mobile

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Source: iTunes, Google Play, Windows Store

As manufacturers ramp up the pixels for TVs, that tech will soon trickle over to the computer side of things. As such, the VESA standard body’s just announced a new DisplayPort version that’ll work with the highest HDMI 1.4a resolutions like Ultra HD (4k), 3D 1080p60 and 1080p with deep (billions or more) colors. It’ll be able to output those modes through a new DisplayPort-to-HDMI adapter, version 1.1, once new graphics cards and devices arrive “later this year” with the standard, according to VESA. As it stands, DisplayPort Dual-Mode already supports all those resolutions natively (and more), including UltraHD at 60Hz or even four simultaneous 1080p60 monitors. However, the new standard, along with a compliant adapter, will let you drive HDMI 1.4 TVs or displays using a single cable at the higher resolutions (if supported) — rather than the 1080p60 it was limited to before. If you need a higher res version of things, check the PR after the break.

Filed under: Desktops, Displays, Laptops, HD

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Via: AV Watch (translated)

Blockbuster hasn’t had much success shifting from physical rentals to digital, even under Dish’s wing. Nonetheless, it’s betting that the umpteenth time’s the charm with a relaunch of its Blockbuster On Demand streaming movie service. The revamp ticks many of the checkboxes for a modern by-the-title rental store with 1080p and 5.1-channel surround sound as well as apps for 2012 Samsung Smart TVs, Android and Roku 2 boxes. However, there’s a number of curious choices, and we don’t just mean the omission of a subscription model. It’s missing an iOS app, emphasizes apps for desktop viewing and leaves no way to watch HD video on anything but a TV — our mobile and PC screens have advanced in the past several years, Blockbuster. Idiosyncrasies notwithstanding, the rebirth presents more of a unified front than the one-time giant has offered in the past.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD

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Via: Android Police

Source: Blockbuster On Demand