Hasta La Gadget!

If your contempt for green swine runs deeper then you can express on a smartphone, maybe its time you took the war to something bigger. How about a Samsung Smart TV? According to the firm’s Flickr page, Rovio’s Angry Birds are once again taking their war to your living room, and will be utilizing the the platform’s motion control features. Sounds like Sammy’s Smart Interaction setup is good for a bit more than changing channels and browsing the web from your couch. Don’t own a Smart TV? Sit tight, your Xbox and its fancy Kinect sensor will have their day on the battlefield soon enough.

Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment

Angry Birds land on Samsung Smart TVs, wage war with gestures originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Jul 2012 05:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ever wished you too could make use of the awesome powers that lie within Dr. Matt Smith’s Mark VII Sonic Screwdriver? Well, it’s still not exactly a reality in the way of the space-bred handyman’s gadget seen on Doctor Who, but ThinkGeek and The Wand Company have you covered if an IR-packing replica universal remote sounds good enough. This BBC-licensed Mark VII remote handles up to 39 commands that are all controlled using 13 different motion gestures. Of course, if controlling the likes of TV and AV devices in an extraterrestrial fashion just isn’t your thing, there’s always ThinkGeek’s Sonic Screwdriver flashlight, right? There’s no word on price just yet, but San Diego Comic-Con attendees can try it out first-hand at the BBC America Booth (#3629) starting July 12. The Mark VII remote is set to go sale for $99 at ThinkGeek’s website on August 31st, so for now we’ll direct you to the press release after the break.

Update: Video demo added after the break.

[Thanks, Alan]

Continue reading ThinkGeek’s Mark VII Sonic Screwdriver universal remote pleases Whovians in time for Comic-Con

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Home Entertainment

ThinkGeek’s Mark VII Sonic Screwdriver universal remote pleases Whovians in time for Comic-Con originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Jul 2012 11:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It was this past CES when we got a quick look at Pure’s curvy Contour 200i AirPlay system, and now the company is getting a bit more basic — and wallet-friendly — with its 100i. It may not be wireless, but this little rig pumps out a maximum of 20 watts through its speakers and features an FM radio, an auxiliary port, a headphone jack and a remote. Although it’s exceedingly par the course as far as speaker docks go, the 100i does feature a swiveling dock that stows away when you’re not mounting your iDevice. Additionally, Pure’s made its internet radio-enabling Lounge app free for a limited timed from the iTunes and Google Play store, noting plans to launch a subscription service later this year. The unit is only compatible with iThings, but it can be had now at Brookstone for $169 bucks if your interest is piqued. You’ll find more info in the press release after the break.

Continue reading Pure unleashes Contour 100i iDevice speaker with swiveling dock

Filed under: Home Entertainment

Pure unleashes Contour 100i iDevice speaker with swiveling dock originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Jul 2012 08:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Viacom and DirecTV have been playing hardball in contract negotiations and that led to Viacom to pull 17 national networks from the DirecTV lineup last night. I’ll be the first to admit that the bulk of those channels Viacom pulled are of no consequence to most of us. However, Viacom did pull one massively popular channel that will most certainly affect the majority of parents out there.

As of last night at midnight, DirecTV customers no longer have access to Nickelodeon. Being the father of a seven-year-old child I can tell you what a catastrophe it is for a little girl to no longer have access to new episodes of iCarly, SpongeBob, Victorious and every other insanely popular kid show Nickelodeon has. As a long-time customer DirecTV, I can say I’m not happy in the least, but whom do you blame in the situation like this?

DirecTV maintains that Viacom was pushing for an extra $1 billion in payments working out to a 30% increase over what it’s currently being paid. I can only assume that’s over some long contract period, but DirecTV isn’t offering that information. Viacom wants more money because it thinks its networks are worth more than it’s being paid. What DirecTV customers will see the day when they go to one of the kids channels that has been removed is a Kids’ Mix channel that shows kids programs are airing on other networks. I hope they get this dispute cleared up. I suspect it would have a negligible amount to the monthly fee subscribers pay to increase what Viacom gets paid.

“We have been very willing to get a deal done, but Viacom is pushing DIRECTV customers to pay more than a 30 percent increase, which equates to an extra $1 billion, despite the fact that the ratings for many of their main networks have plummeted and much of Viacom’s programming can be seen for free online,” said Derek Chang, DIRECTV executive vice president of Content, Strategy and Development. “Viacom sent us a letter last night that outlined our obligations to remove the channels by midnight or face legal action just as they were falsely telling viewers DIRECTV was responsible. Let’s be clear, Viacom took these channels away from DIRECTV viewers.”

“We have absolutely no problem compensating Viacom fairly, but they have now knowingly put our customers in the unreasonable position of either accepting their extravagant financial demands or losing some of their favorite TV shows,” said Chang. “We feel our customers should not have to pay more for these networks than the customers of any other TV provider. We reiterated this to Viacom today and have not heard back from them.”

“We understand that Viacom’s actions are inconveniencing our customers so we are doing everything we can to help them find alternative programming until this gets resolved,” Chang added. “Customers will now see a variety of replacement channels available to them on one screen, in a Mix Channel format, when they tune to a Viacom channel. For instance, those going to the Nickelodeon channel slot will see alternative choices for children’s programming such as The Disney Channel, ABC Family, Cartoon Network, PBS Sprout, The Hub and Boomerang. Customers can also see full-length Viacom episodes for free by going to www.directvpromise.com and clicking on the ‘Other Ways to Watch’ tab.”

Viacom pulls Nickelodeon and 16 other channels from DirecTV is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Right on schedule, the AirPlay sporting, built-in WiFi and Bluetooth AV receiver we told you all about last month is officially available. The 7.2 channel, 145-watt per channel STR-DN1030 retails for $499 and is the first AV receiver to not require some sort of dongle or other accessory, to connect wirelessly to your other gadgets. That means it is all that much easier to stream music to it from your Apple AirPlay, DLNA, or Sony Entertainment Network source. All seven of the inputs on the back support HD and of course the usual assortment of audio codecs and video up conversion features you’d expect are included. Still not sure it’s right for your home theater? Maybe the additional details in the press release after the break will push you over the edge.

Continue reading Sony STR-DN1030 AV receiver with AirPlay, WiFi and Bluetooth starts shipping

Filed under: Home Entertainment

Sony STR-DN1030 AV receiver with AirPlay, WiFi and Bluetooth starts shipping originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Jul 2012 20:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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