Hasta La Gadget!

After being in closed beta for a few months, Redbox Instant is ready for public consumption (as previously rumored). The new movie-streaming service is Redbox’s newest initiative in partnership with Verizon. The companies first announced first announced plans for Redbox Instant over a year ago, and it’s now finally available for anyone wanting to sign up.

Redbox Instant currently offers around 4,600 titles to choose from, and along with the $8/month subscription, you’ll also get four one-night DVD rentals per month from any Redbox kiosk in the US. Plus, when you sign up now, you’ll get a one-month trial for free, which also comes with four DVD rentals to use at your disposal.

However, while Redbox Instant may be considered a Netflix competitor, Redbox Instant CEO Shawn Strickland says that it caters to different users. He says that the new service is for those who still value physical DVD rentals. Redbox Instant also focuses on movies for now, while Netflix has more of a TV show supplement.

The service is available on Android and iOS devices, as well as a handful smart televisions, including Google TV set-top boxes. It’s also available for the Xbox 360 as a console exclusive, although the service may launch on other consoles in the future. And as usual, you can also watch movies through Redbox Instant’s web interface.

[via GigaOM]

Redbox Instant now available to the public is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Last month, BlackBerry (formerly known as RIM) unveiled the BlackBerry Z10, the company’s latest smartphone that looks to take on the flagship devices of other major mobile platforms. We already know that the new device will be making its way to Verizon, but we weren’t sure of the exact date. However, Verizon has come out and said that the Z10 will be available starting on March 28, with pre-orders beginning tomorrow morning at 8 am ET.

Verizon says that the new Z10 will be available online and in Verizon Wireless stores starting March 28, and customers will have their pick at either a black or white model, with white being a Verizon exclusive. So, if you’re wanting to show off your Verizon pride, getting a white Z10 will be the only way to fully stand out from the other Z10 owners.

As expected, Verizon will be pricing the BlackBerry Z10 at $199.99 after signing a new two-year contract, which may be a bit too steep for such a device, but we digress. Verizon won’t be the first US carrier to make the phone available, however. T-Mobile made the Z10 available to its business customers first starting on March 11, with AT&T releasing the Z10 on March 22.

Of course, the $199 price tag puts the Z10 at the same price point as the entry level iPhone 5 model, which may raise some concerns as far as whether or not the Z10 can compete with the iPhone 5, especially when they’re the same price. As for the Q10, Verizon will be offering it eventually, but no further details have been announced yet.

Verizon BlackBerry Z10 available March 28, pre-orders start tomorrow is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

This week it appears that Verizon has joined the HTC One party with no less than a full release coming on just after the rest of the major carriers in the USA. The big deal here (we’ve confirmed with a person close to the situation) is that Verizon will be releasing the HTC One AS the HTC One. Unlike previous releases with HTC where the product’s name is changed to fit with a Verizon-specific brand (DROID DNA, for example), the HTC One will be released “as is.”

This news is being pushed to us by a trusted source and has been independently confirmed to AllThingsD this afternoon. The release date for this device on the 4G LTE-toting big red carrier will be some time in the months after the release on each of the next three biggest carriers in the USA. That places the release at a time when the Galaxy S4 is already on the market – we’ll know more on that tomorrow night, mind you.

The HTC One has been receiving some rather significant thumbs up across the board thus far with reviews pouring in from the top sites saying they’ve never seen an HTC device quite so excellent before. With the Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor under the hood, this device is one of – if not THE – most powerful smartphone on the market today, and, as you’ll see in our review when you wish – it’s not just the motor that makes this beast purr.

Have a peek at our timeline of HTC One features and hands-on experiences as you get pumped up for the Verizon version in a few months – or sooner, we might be inclined to hope. You can peek at [our full HTC One review] now and see how this device is set to take on all competitors in the near future. And how it’ll change the way you capture media today!

Verizon backtracks on HTC One refusal is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The HTC One is right now HTC’s flagship device, and needless to say, it is one of the best Android-powered smartphones out there at the moment where hardware specifications are concerned. The thing is, the HTC One does not seem to be gravitating towards Verizon, which is the biggest carrier in the US, although the other three major players, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile, are all on the receiving end of the HTC One. What gives?

Perhaps this is because Verizon has already offered the HTC Butterfly, which is an exclusive smartphone to them that lacks no punches at all where hardware specifications are concerned, too, with a 5” Full HD display, so they might not want to cannibalize its sales by taking on the HTC One. Well, there are whispers going around that Verizon could very well offer the Droid DNA Plus in due time, which is an upgraded version of the Droid DNA, so expect to see a bump up in specifications and perhaps other new features. After all, the Droid DNA Plus has already picked up Bluetooth certification, and more should be revealed in due time.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: MagicPlan Maps Out Your Home From Your Smartphone, Aluminum Nokia Lumia 928 With Xenon Flash Arriving In April?,

I liked BlackBerry’s Z10. Not enough to have it replace my current phone, mind, but enough to give it a reasonable rating, and to believe that BlackBerry, AT&T and Verizon are having a laugh if they think $200 is the right price. AT&T waded into the Z10 preorder field today with the announcement that, just like Verizon told us it would earlier this month, be asking $199.99 with a new, two-year agreement for the first of the BlackBerry 10 phones. That’s par for the course for a new flagship, but it’s also much, much more than BlackBerry should be targeting.

$200 has become the “norm” for a new high-end phone launch. The Galaxy S III arrived at $199.99; the iPhone 5 did too. HTC’s One will likely command the same amount when it hits US carriers in the coming months. The carriers have settled on a figure that has proved to be psychologically acceptable for the mass market (even if that mass market would probably save itself some money by paying full-whack for its new phone rather than expecting a network subsidy).

Whether it’s AT&T, Verizon, or BlackBerry itself, however, the pricing for the Z10 seems to have been knee-jerk rather than fully thought-through. Yes, $200 may be the expected price, but the Z10 comes to the market as a challenger, not as another proven quantity. Price was the first point at which the networks could properly express that challenger appetite, but they opted not to.

“BlackBerry 10 needs fresh blood, not more of the same”

Sure, the BlackBerry faithful will probably stomach two-hundred bucks to get their hands on what’s a significant improvement over their existing phones. Yet selling to the same, minority-share market – one which has seen many deserters already jump ship to Android or iPhone – isn’t a strategy for growth. BlackBerry 10 needs fresh blood attracted to the platform, not just more of the same.

The closest comparison is probably Windows Phone, which is also fighting to build its share in the smartphone segment. Verizon will sell you an HTC 8X for $99.99 with a new agreement, however, while AT&T will happily hand over a Nokia 920 at the same price. Like the Z10, neither is a perfect device, but Windows Phone undoubtedly has its strengths and with the pricing, both carriers are making them look especially appealing for new smartphone users.

BlackBerry took the decision to eschew Android and use its own platform; I can respect that. However, it also needs to wake up to the reality of the situation it thus finds itself in as a company, trying to break into a hectic and aggressive market with an unproven OS. That’s a tough fight at the best of times, but pushing for premium pricing as well seems at best an unnecessary challenge and at worst a clear misreading of the mobile industry today.

$200 is just too much for the BlackBerry Z10 is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.