Hasta La Gadget!

The New York Times announced this morning that its paywall is coming down from the videos section of its website, meaning that you can now enjoy more than 10 videos per month about vegetable caramelization best practices. The free access comes at the price of advertiser content, of course, which runs ahead of the videos and hocks both Microsoft wares and Acura vehicles currently. A NYT press rep told Engadget that the move to unlimited video access isn’t temporary, but “never say never.” We were also told that it isn’t a test, and, “This is what we’re doing now. In terms of when and if we’ll move it back behind the gateway, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. We literally have no idea. For the foreseeable future, it’s free.”

The Grey Lady has been experimenting with its digital presence for several years now, and the publication instituted a site-wide paywall in 2011. The setup allowed readers free access to 10 pieces per month before being forced to login with a paid access account — like so many paywalls, it can be easily gotten around using alternate web browsers, and, for a long while, by simply removing a chunk of the URL that redirected visitors to its paywall, anyone could read an unlimited amount of stories / watch unlimited videos. The paper’s seen financial success in digital form as of late, reporting increased subscriber numbers and increased digital revenue alongside ever-decreasing ad sales.

Filed under: Internet

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Bad news, everyone. Five years into Futurama‘s revived presence on Comedy Central, the animated sci-fi series is getting the boot for the second time in its long and tumultuous history. Long-time fans will remember the first series finale (“The Devil’s Hands are Idle Playthings”) on Fox in 2003, the show’s brief rerun stint on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim, the foray into four direct-to-DVD movies (which were separated into sixteen episodes for its inaugural season on Comedy Central) and its eventual deal with the cable network that brought us South Park and The Daily Show. But even after stunts like playing on our gadget obsessions and coming up with a brand new mathematical theorem, it seems the fine folks over at Planet Express just couldn’t slake Viacom’s thirst for viewers. So, with a heavy heart, we await the series finale (dubbed “Meanwhile”) to air on September 4th. But hey, maybe someone can convince Netflix to give life to yet another brilliant-but-canceled series?

Update: To check out a preview of the show’s final season — to debut on June 19th — take a peek at the second video after the break.

Filed under: HD

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Source: Entertainment Weekly

Alongside its developer model, HTC now has an unlocked One for the rest of us. The fetching 4.7-inch 1080p device is in stock at HTC’s US store with 32GB of storage and the same powerhouse specs we saw earlier: 1.7Ghz quad-core CPU, 2GB of RAM, 4-megapixel “UltraPixel” cam and Android 4.1.2 with Sense 5. You’ll also get a SIM-unlocked model, but unlike the 64GB equipped, $650 developer edition, it won’t come with a liberated bootloader — though it’ll cost a touch less at $575. So, if you’ve been biding your time for a carrier-free version of the svelte aluminum-bodied handset, you can place your order at the source.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, HTC

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Via: GSM Arena

Source: HTC

Now that Ultra HD TVs are poised to hit the market in force, it’s more important than ever to have receivers that can handle them — even if our bank accounts often can’t. Harman Kardon knows this well enough to ship its AVR 2700 and AVR 3700 receivers, both of which carry 4K passthrough and upscaling on their eight HDMI ports as a matter of course. The two also support AirPlay streaming alongside more commonplace DLNA media sharing and offer remote control mobile apps. Home theater futureproofers mostly have to decide on audio channels and network support before they buy: the $800 AVR 2700 produces 7.1-channel surround and sticks to Ethernet alone for networking, while the $996 AVR 3700 introduces 7.2-channel audio and WiFi. Few of us will use either receiver to its full potential right now, but well-heeled 4K TV owners (or just the well-prepared) can pick one up today.

Filed under: Cellphones, Home Entertainment, HD

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Source: Harman Kardon (1), (2)

If life were a pop quiz, our mobile editors would surely ace the cellphone round. However, Myriam might do well to consider ditching Brad when it comes to the Star Trek section. Those who want to take his place, tune in for the question to see if you know better. Post your answers directly to Brad.

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Filed under: Podcasts, Mobile

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