Hasta La Gadget!

Comcast, Cox, DirecTV, Orange and Time Warner Cable are already using DLNA to deliver premium content around your house, but perhaps not exactly the way you had in mind. The dream that DLNA promises has never really lived up to expectations, but we still can’t help but hold on to the dream of accessing our favorite shows on every device in the home. The DLNA premium content guidelines announced last year at CES seemed to be the most promising yet, but a year has passed and evidently we didn’t notice.

According to the press release issued by the DLNA, the aforementioned TV providers have already deployed products implementing the guidelines. Unfortunately, those implementations haven’t made the content universally accessible in our home — yet. There is hope however, in the FCC IP interface requirement intended to facilitate such access. For example, Steve Necessary, VP of Cox Communications expects “more than 500,000 subscribers (will) have DLNA premium content functionality” through its Trio guide within the next year. How useful that access will really be, though, remains to be seen.

Continue reading DLNA already in use by TV providers, but not exactly what we had in mind

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

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In a bid to spruce up its hardware, European mobile operator Orange has drafted in Movea to bring gesture controls to its new set-top box. Running the SmartMotion server, movements will be picked up by Movea’s MEMS motion-sensing remote, with gestures for volume control, web browsing and even gamepad and joystick commands. The new Livebox Play will pick up ten “contextually aware” movements, with a ‘check’ gesture aimed to avoid the frustration at selecting items on a distant screen, while there’s also a close function embedded into the TV remote. Alongside gestures, the LiveBox Play service will offer the obligatory internet, social network and VOD bells and whistles, as well as access to games and apps on your big screen. Sick of buttons? The device is available on pre-order (for now, in France) and launches next month — we’ve embedded a quick demo of the remote’s precision after the break as a quick refresher.

Continue reading Movea gesture control coming to Orange’s Livebox Play TV system, launches next month

Filed under: HD

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Source: Livebox Play (Orange France)

It’s time once again, and again, and again, to think about a Facebook-centric phone with a deal that’s been inked this week at Orange called “Party Call.” This “social calling” service will work with Facebook specifically and will be working with both mobile and desktop versions of the social network. The big break in this plan as far as a Facebook phone goes is the fact that it’s not Facebook that’s leading this initiative, it’s Orange using Facebook’s open API as any other developer would, working with Orange’s IP-based calling and messaging app Libon (Life is Better On).

Libon is currently offered as an iOS app and will be coming to Android in 2013. Currently the deal announced this week has been pushed by Hello, an event organized by France Telecom, owner of Orange. Orange is still calling this a “Facebook social calling service” and is making it clear that it’ll be coming to France in the summer of 2013 first, and will be pushed to the greater part of Europe throughout the year.

Essentially this service connects to Facebook and allows you to call your friends without needing to know their telephone number. The possibility that this sort of connection will lead to a full-on Facebook phone is very real, especially since our mobile universe is very quickly becoming all about the ecosystem – not the specs. Facebook has commented on the Orange ovvering as well:

“By connecting its Party Call service to Facebook, Orange will be able to offer customers a truly personal experience. It is a great example of how companies can use Facebook’s open developer platform to make their products social. We are really happy that Facebook is transforming telecoms just as it has gaming, music, video and numerous other online services.” – Facebook Spokesperson

Also speaking with TechCrunch, this same spokesperson noted that Facebook and Orange are “friends” and that they “have an ongoing relationship with them.” The Libon app will be working with the service soon with two tiers, one of them free, and the other premium, with the premium version costing customers £6.99 a month and offering the ability to call contacts who haven’t yet connected with Libon.

Facebook Phone universe expands with Orange “Party Call” service is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Libon is a new VoIP client with surprising roots — it was developed by the R&D arm of one of Europe’s largest mobile networks, Orange. Of course, you could argue that such apps are bad for carriers, because it encourages people to gobble up pricey data capacity — so why build one? We spoke to Valeé chief Giles Corbett and spent a few days testing it out ahead of its launch to find out more.

Continue reading Orange launches Libon, offers HD VoIP calls, messages and visual voicemail (video)

Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile

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Source: Libon (App Store)

We’ve seen the speeds, we know the handsets and now we know how much it’ll cost you to be among the first to try 4G in the UK. EE has outlined its contract and handset pricing from October 30th, with all of the bundles including unlimited calls and texts. Yep, the new carrier is breaking it down by data, with its entry-level 500MB bundle starting at £36 for 24 months. You’ll have to make an initial payment for most handsets, although the Ascend P1 will be free from the 1GB bundle upwards. Data allowances go up to 8GB for £56 per month, although users can add even more, with an extra 50MB costing £3, or up to 4GB for £20.

Now, if you’re looking to get Apple’s latest on 4G, it’ll set you back at least £20 on the highest data plan. Already got your LTE-ready iPhone 5? Then you’ll have to wait until 9th November, when the network will start offering SIM-only 12-month plans priced from £21. The 4G network will also offer its phones on 12 month contracts for an additional £10 on top of the prices shown above. EE will let users who bought comparable non-4G versions in the last six months (like the One X or Galaxy S III) to exchange their devices for a one-off payment of £100. Alongside the all these pricing details, the Orange/ T-Mobile team-up also spilled the beans on some service features for its new customers — and we’ve got it all covered after the break, including a quick hands-on with its Film store service.

Continue reading EE details UK 4G pricing: Unlimited calls, texts and 500MB of data starts at £36

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

EE details UK 4G pricing: Unlimited calls, texts and 500MB of data starts at £36 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Oct 2012 19:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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