NYT: Netflix strikes deal with Dreamworks, will begin streaming movies, TV specials in 2013

It looks like those rumors of a streaming deal between Netflix and Dreamworks Animation were as good as advertised. Details are still fuzzy at this point, but the New York Times is reporting that the two parties have reached an agreement to stream Dreamworks’ movies and TV projects, as part of a deal worth an estimated $30 million. Under the contract, which replaces a similar pay TV pact between Dreamworks and HBO, Netflix will begin offering exclusive access to the studio’s new films in 2013, with Antz, Kung Fu Panda and other titles from its library slated to become available for streaming sometime thereafter. The company won’t be confined to selling digital copies of Dreamworks’ movies within a specific period, either, drawing a major distinction between itself and HBO, which requires studio partners to halt digital sales outside of an exclusive window. HBO probably isn’t too thrilled to see Netflix strike what Dreamworks chief exec Jeffrey Katzenberg called a “game-changing deal,” but it also has a new partnership of its own with Summit Studios, which it brought on board after letting Dreamworks out of its contract a full two years early. We’re still waiting for official confirmation of Netflix’s latest deal, but we’ll let you know as soon as we get it.

Update: Now with the official press release, included after the break.

Continue reading NYT: Netflix strikes deal with Dreamworks, will begin streaming movies, TV specials in 2013

NYT: Netflix strikes deal with Dreamworks, will begin streaming movies, TV specials in 2013 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Sep 2011 03:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spotify to lay down beats for Ford (update: it’s a hack)

It’s only been two months since Spotify made its stateside debut, and it’s already getting in bed with an American staple. No, it hasn’t struck a deal with Beyonce or Britney, but the fine folks at Autoblog are reporting that the streaming music service will make its way into vehicles sporting the Ford SYNC AppLink system “in the near future.” Details are otherwise vague, but we’d be interested to hear how the outfit’s “exclusive automotive advertising partner” feels about the deal.

Update: Turns out this partnership isn’t of the official kind. The folks at Spotify were actually on hand at the TechCrunch Disrupt Hack-a-Thon to show off “how easy it is for developers to create voice-enabled smartphone apps using the SYNC API.” Looks like Chevy’s got nothing to be jealous about after all.

Spotify to lay down beats for Ford (update: it’s a hack) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 10 Sep 2011 16:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spotify to lay down beats for Ford

It’s only been two months since Spotify made its stateside debut, and it’s already getting in bed with an American staple. No, it hasn’t struck a deal with Beyonce or Britney, but the fine folks at Autoblog are reporting that the streaming music service will make its way into vehicles sporting the Ford SYNC AppLink system “in the near future.” Details are otherwise vague, but we’d be interested to hear how the outfit’s “exclusive automotive advertising partner” feels about the deal.

Spotify to lay down beats for Ford originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 10 Sep 2011 16:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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One last hurrah? HP TouchPad on sale at QVC, sans complimentary steak knives

Still looking for an ever-elusive HP TouchPad? Good news, you need look no further than that bastion of high technology, QVC. The slate hit the channel’s website today, and you can pick up your very own webOS tablet for the low, low price of $199.95 — and it gets better, QVC is throwing in the Touchstone Dock and a case for that price. Well, that plus $13.97 shipping and handling, naturally.

Update: Annnnnnd that’s all she wrote. QVC is now listing the TouchPad bundle as unavailable.

One last hurrah? HP TouchPad on sale at QVC, sans complimentary steak knives originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 09 Sep 2011 17:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung Epic 4G Touch available for pre-order on Wirefly, early adopters get a $50 price break

There’s nothing new whatsoever about high-demand phones becoming available for preorder, but it’s not every day that you get a discount for being the first kid on the block to get one. As if there’s any concern about pushing inventory of the Samsung Epic 4G Touch — Sprint’s variant of the Galaxy S IIWirefly is making the phone even more enticing by slashing $50 off the cost, bringing it down to $150 when signing up for a two-year agreement. Doing the math a different way, lighter on the checkbook plus a Samsung Galaxy S II equals happiness. Head to the source link to check out the deal.

Samsung Epic 4G Touch available for pre-order on Wirefly, early adopters get a $50 price break originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Sep 2011 03:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fisker inks BMW deal, Nina EVs gain Ultimate Driving Machine DNA

Fisker Nina — sounds more like a Bolshoi ballerina to us, but these codenamed, future EVs are now on course for a German heart and soul infusion. BMW has recently inked a deal that will see its four-cylinder turbocharged engine and additional components included in 2012 production models of the American auto maker’s mid-sized sedans. The line of electric cars are currently slated for an early 2013 debut, but we’d sprinkle a cup of salt on that date considering the Karma’s long road to launch. Skip on past the break for the company’s official eco-meets-luxury handshake announcement.

Continue reading Fisker inks BMW deal, Nina EVs gain Ultimate Driving Machine DNA

Fisker inks BMW deal, Nina EVs gain Ultimate Driving Machine DNA originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Sep 2011 11:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Skype adds Groupme to social portfolio, sets sights on mobile market

Skype adds Groupme to social portfolio, sets sights on mobile marketSure, we’re still waiting for that Microsoft-Skype deal to close, but it looks like Redmond’s about to get more than it initially bargained for. Skype announced today that it has reached an agreement to snatch up Groupme, the mobile group messaging service that made a splash at Google I/O. Outfit head honcho Tony Bates told TechCrunch that Skype needs to invade the mobile space if it hopes to reach its goal of scoring one billion users, and cites Groupme’s “sticky group messaging experience” as the ideal mobile addition to the Skype family. But don’t take our word for it, hit the break and dig the PR for yourself.

Continue reading Skype adds Groupme to social portfolio, sets sights on mobile market

Skype adds Groupme to social portfolio, sets sights on mobile market originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Aug 2011 01:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon Wireless promos $20 plan for the data reluctant

For those of you living close to our nation’s circle of political puissance, Verizon’s got a promotional offer that’ll help you feel like one of the data-dependent elite. Available starting today and running through September 30th, existing voice subscribers in Maryland, Washington DC and Virginia can begin their trek towards an always-connected lifestyle by tacking on 300MB of data for $20 per month. The deal’s intended for cost-conscious customers who haven’t yet learned “the many benefits of… a smartphone,” and is open to any of the operator’s 3G or 4G LTE handsets. Be sure to hit the break to find out more in the presser below, but we warn you — internet addiction is a slippery, costly slope.

Continue reading Verizon Wireless promos $20 plan for the data reluctant

Verizon Wireless promos $20 plan for the data reluctant originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Aug 2011 11:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Leaked FCC document details AT&T’s 4G LTE rollout plans, talks up T-Mobile merger

On Friday, a law firm accidentally posted a letter to the FCC website, detailing AT&T’s confidential 4G LTE rollout plans and explaining how they would be bolstered by a merger with T-Mobile. Arnold & Porter LLP, which is helping design the deal on AT&T’s behalf, quickly removed its partially redacted document, but the folks over at Gizmodo have gotten their hands on it once again and recently posted it for our viewing pleasure. According to the document, AT&T plans to extend its US coverage to 70 million consumers by the end of this year, before ramping that figure up to 170 million by the end of 2012 and a full 250 million by the end of the following year. The carrier plans to achieve this by upgrading a full 44,000 of its nodes to LTE over the course of the next three years and, once its merger goes through, hopes to cover 97 percent of all Americans within the six years following approval. The letter goes on to explain how the economics behind the TIA-approved deal would help facilitate these aspirations, while confirming that the merger is indeed as expensive as earlier reported — a whopping $3.8 billion, to be exact. To read the document in full, hit up the links, below.

Leaked FCC document details AT&T’s 4G LTE rollout plans, talks up T-Mobile merger originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Aug 2011 06:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceGizmodo, Broadband DSL Reports  | Email this | Comments

Barnes & Noble offers back to school Nook deal, adds more to your reading list

Thinking about getting an e-reader before you head back to school this fall? Barnes & Noble surely hopes so, and to sweeten the deal it’s offering 12 free classics along with study guides and apps if you register your freshly unboxed Nook before October 31st. That’s right folks, over $100 worth of e-books can be yours with the purchase of the new Nook, the Nook Color or even the first edition Nook. While it must be said that most of the available titles are out of copyright and so are already available for free download elsewhere (we’re looking at you, Gutenberg.org), you can at least select from a dozen Spark Notes of time-consuming reads such as War and Peace. So if you’re looking to take a break from all that Organic Chemistry mumbo jumbo, you can catch up on A Tale of Two Cities in your spare time.

Barnes & Noble offers back to school Nook deal, adds more to your reading list originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Aug 2011 05:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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