Jan 12

iGUGU InterneTV works as promised in its strange little niche (hands-on)

Posted in: hands-on, hulu, Media Players, netflix, Today's Chili
The first time we laid eyes on iGUGU’s InterneTV marketing materials, we sensed something was strange in the neighborhood. After seeing the unique product in action though, we’ve decided to give it a bit more credit. Unlike most internet TV solutions that rely on set-top boxes to stream content, iGUGU’s product attempts to make connecting an existing computer to a TV easier using software, a wireless or wired TV connector, and a special QWERTY keyboard remote. The software then provides a not-so-pretty TV interface for browsing through any type of content a computer could normally access online. True to its word, we watched the system play videos on ABC.com and other blocked sites devices like a Roku box or AppleTV can’t access. The application also allows users to play local content stored on the computer and aggregates content in pre-populated “channels” like local news, movies, and TV shows. That’s all gravy, but we’re not sure its worth $99 considering it still requires a computer to work. For more shots of the UI and included components browse through the gallery below.

Gallery: iGUGU InterneTV hands-on

iGUGU InterneTV works as promised in its strange little niche (hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 13 Jan 2011 00:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 04

Altec-Lansing Speakers Will Toss Your Tunes 100 Yards

Posted in: audio, bluetooth, Media Players, MP3, speakers, Today's Chili

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LAS VEGAS — We’ve seen more than a few “wireless boomboxes” that can stream music from your computer to a set of remote speakers. Few promise as much as the inMotion Air from Altec-Lansing.

Announced here at CES Wednesday, this unit seemingly has all the bases covered. It can stream your music library from your computer up to 300 feet away via its own wireless adapter, and it can stream the songs stored on your phone or your iPad via Bluetooth. It’s smart enough to be able to navigate your existing shared iTunes or Windows Media libraries, and it comes with a remote control that works with both file systems, so you can call up songs, playlists or internet radio stations while the thing sits next to you on the back porch. The rechargeable lithium-ion battery will be good for seven hours, the company promises.

CES 2011The design of the inMotion Air is stark but monumental: It’s an austere, slim wedge with silvery buttons on top and a handle built into the back to carry it. It weighs a little more than a pound, and it comes in a matte black finish or in gunmetal gray. We haven’t had a change to hear it yet, so we can’t comment on the sound quality. It will cost $200.

Connecting wirelessly involves plugging a small adapter into the host computer. The adapter also has stereo outputs on it, you can just plug your desktop speakers into the adapter and leave the thing plugged in without having to swap any cables whenever you want to switch from one speaker system to another.

Anyone sitting nearby can sync their phone or iPad to the inMotion Air by connecting over Bluetooth and make it play the songs stored on their devices. Audio playback over Bluetooth is notoriously sub-par, but Altec-Lansing says it’s tried to keep the quality higher than average by using the Apt-X codec. The technology boosts the fidelity and clarity of the audio coming over the Bluetooth signal, Altec-Lansing claims.

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Dec 27

Galaxy Player: Samsung’s iPod Touch Clone to Debut at CES 2011

Posted in: Android, ipod, Media Players, samsung, Today's Chili

At last, somebody, somewhere will sell a credible alternative to the iPod Touch.

Apple has had the phone-less pocket computer market to itself ever since September 2007. This is about to change, thanks to Samsung’s Galaxy Player, a non-cell version of its super-successful Galaxy S.

Samsung got a rather crappier Galaxy-branded media player into European stores last year, but this one is the real deal. It sports a pair of cameras (3.2 megapixels on back and a VGA webcam up front), Bluetooth, GPS, a microSD card slot, a 1-GHz processor and Android 2.2 Froyo.

The screen is 4 inches diagonally, bigger than the Touch, but with a lower resolution of 800 x 480 (the Touch boasts a 960 x 640 “Retina” display). The Player is also thicker than the Touch — 9.9 mm against 7.2 mm — but this is likely how Samsung manages to fit in a better camera and a removable battery.

Pricing has yet to be revealed, but we know what sizes the player will come in: 8 GB, 16 GB and 32 GB. More to come from CES, which is less than two weeks away.

Samsung confirms Galaxy Player, will showcase at CES 2011 [Samsung Hub]

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Dec 27

TDK Resurrects the Boombox

Posted in: Media Players, Retro, speakers, Today's Chili

Somebody call up Radio Raheem. We have some good news: The boombox is back.

TDK’s retro-styled portable speakers ditch the tape deck (although they do still have a radio), but otherwise you get an authentic 1980s experience. The “2 Speaker Boombox” puts out 20-Watts, and the “3 Speaker Boombox” goes up to 35-Watts. Both boxes have six-inch drivers, and the 3-speaker model adds a six–inch sub to the mix.

The Boomboxes have a variety of ways to get music into them, from a 3.5mm jack to a USB-port. Thus you can hook up your iPod as well as a guitar or mic to jam along, or just walk the streets with the thing on your shoulder, as God intended. If you have a USB-stick, hard-drive or iPod plugged in, you can use the Boombox’s controls to skip tracks.

The smaller box has a handle as well as a shoulder strap – the bigger unit has a handle only.

Despite all this modernity, there is one part of this that is a real throwback to the days of breakdancing: D-cell batteries. They don’t need 20 of the things, like Radio Raheem’s boombox, but they get close. Depending on which one you buy, you’ll need 10 or 12 D-cells to run the thing. Available April 2011, for $400 and $500.

2 Speaker Boombox [TDK via Core77]

3 Speaker Boombox [TDK]

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Dec 20

Google’s Crippled TV Could Be Limping Into the Market

Posted in: Android, Google, Media Players, Today's Chili

Fast-and-furious media giant Google may be telling manufacturers to pump the brakes on the new Google TV operating system.

Google is telling manufacturers to delay launches of televisions and set-top boxes running Google TV, which would mean such products are unlikely to launch at next month’s Consumer Electronics Show, according to The New York Times. Wired.com’s sources corroborate the report.

“LG is not commenting on Google TV, but LG is launching its own Smart TV platform at CES, and it’s not Google TV,” an LG spokesman told Wired.com. According to the Times, LG was one of the companies working on a Google TV product.

Google TV is a version of the Android smartphone OS modified for televisions. Google envisions that Google TV will create an all-in-one media experience that makes the television capable of delivering web-streamed video content and functionality through third-party apps, in addition to traditional TV programming offered by cable networks and satellite providers.

“Once you have Google television, you’re going to be very busy,” said Eric Schmidt, Google’s CEO, in a Berlin press conference introducing Google TV. “It’s going to ruin your evening.”

A delay is unusual coming from Google, whose typical M.O. is to release new products rapidly (sometimes with the “beta” label still prominently displayed) and then iterate them on the fly with software updates. A delay could suggest that the search giant needs more time to rethink the OS, especially after TV networks prevented their content from being accessed through Google TV apps on the Logitech Revue.

Googled declined to comment on rumors and speculation regarding Google TV delays, but a Google spokeswoman said the company was happy with its current progress in the TV space.

“We are very happy with the launch of Google TV with our initial partners Sony, Logitech and Intel,” the spokeswoman said. “Our long-term goal is to collaborate with a broad community of consumer electronics manufacturers to help drive the next generation, TV-watching experience, and we look forward to working with other partners to bring more devices to market in the coming years.”

Some extra time could allow Google to work with third-party software developers on making apps for the Google TV to offer additional functionality and more content, said Ross Rubin, lead consumer electronics analyst at NPD Group.

“Right now [without TV network support], Google TV is basically a web browser on a TV,” said Rubin, explaining that third-party apps could differentiate Google TV from competing internet TV products.

Waiting a few extra months could also allow manufacturers to decrease pricing of Google TV products to make them more competitive. The Google TV-powered Logitech Revue, which launched in October, cost $300 — hefty compared to the $100 Roku and Apple TV set-top boxes.

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Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com


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Dec 07

Rumor: Apple’s iPad 2 Lands April 2011

Posted in: Apple, ipad 2, Media Players, rumors, Tablets and E-Readers, Today's Chili

Apple has put in the request for its Asian partner Foxconn to produce and ship the second-generation iPad within 100 days, with plans for a spring 2011 release, according to a Taiwanese publication.

Foxconn was notified of plans to ship the iPad by February 2011, with initial shipments of 400,000 to 600,000 units, according to DigiTimes. Sources expect the product to launch April 2011.

This timing is plausible because the original iPad hit stores in April this year. Apple’s iPhones are refreshed once a year, and a similar one-year product cycle for the iPad is realistic.

Journalists and analysts have speculated that the next-generation iPad will come closer to the iPhone 4. Here are some features we can expect:

  • A 9.7-inch “retina” display similar to the iPhone 4’s
  • A front-facing camera and a built-in FaceTime video-phone app
  • Expanded support for AirPlay streaming (suggested by a Steve Jobs e-mail)

Meanwhile, here are some items on our wish list:

  • A physical switch that locks screen orientation like it used to (Apple recently modified the switch functionality into a Mute button, which nobody seems to enjoy).
  • Tighter integration with the new Apple TV, allowing you to stream media from the Apple TV to the iPad (currently you can only do it the other way around). Streaming movie rentals on the road with an iPad would be pretty sweet.

What are the features you’d like to see in the next iPad? Add your ideas in the comments below.

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Photo of a first-generation iPad: Jon Snyder/Wired.com


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Dec 07

Flix On Stix: Vending Machine Copies Movies to Thumb Drives

Posted in: Media Players, Movies, Today's Chili

Flix On Stix does what it says on the label. You jam a USB stick or SD-card into one of its kiosks and pick a movie, game or TV show. The “flick” is then transferred to your “stick” and you can take it home to enjoy it.

Fees are based on how long you want to keep the movie, costing $1 for 3 days, $2 for 6, $3 for 9 days and $4 for 12 days. Once your time is up, the movie-file will self-destruct. There is also an option to buy.

The advantages over a DVD-kiosk are obvious: All movies are always available, you never need to return anything and – as the FAQ points out – you can’t end up with a scratched disk. On the other hand, you’ll have to watch the movies either on a computer, on a TV hooked up to a computer, or a TV with a USB slot.

The service has not yet launched, so the precise method of playback isn’t available. My money is on some kind of proprietary player and DRM combo, maybe bundled on the stick, otherwise how could you make the movie expire?

The idea is a great one, though. Many, many people have a USB stick on a keychain or in a bag, and it would be a big oversight if the machine didn’t also vend cheap sticks. And while BitTorrent is fast, it’s not as fast as walking to the corner store.

Flix on Stix [Flix on Stix via Everything USB]

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Dec 06

Video: PlayStation Phone Runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread

Posted in: leak, Media Players, rumor, sony, Today's Chili, video

Leaked videos showing the presumed forthcoming PlayStation Phone in action have found their way onto the internet. The handset is branded Sony Ericsson, and is running the Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system. A gamepad slides out form under the screen much like a keyboard does on other phones.

Remember back before the iPhone, when everybody thought that it would just be an iPod with a phone keypad stuck on? Well, that’s the kind of thinking that passes for innovation at Sony these days, if these videos are indeed the real deal (more on that in a second). The fat box is about as imagination-free as it could get, a standard Android touch-screen handset with a joypad stuck on the back, swelling it the the size of a well-stuffed New York bagel.

It’s looking pretty certain a PlayStation Phone will turn up one day, but this one looks like an early prototype at best, and a good fake at worst. That gamepad is obviously unfinished, and the “proof” of its PlayStation-ness in the second video below is nothing more than opening a folder with a custom icon to find it empty.

Hopefully Sony can make the final PlayStation Phone a little thinner, and maybe not build its DRMed game platform on top of an easy to crack OS.

Sony Ericsson ZEUS – Z1-PlayStation Phone (spy) [YouTube via Apple Insider]


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Nov 30

Steve Jobs E-Mail: AirPlay Video Could Expand in 2011

Posted in: airplay, Apple, apple tv, Media Players, rumors, steve jobs, Today's Chili

When Steve Jobs introduced the latest iOS update (version 4.2), the biggest addition was AirPlay, a feature that wirelessly streams some audio and video from an iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch to the Apple TV. An e-mail from the CEO suggests this feature is poised to become more powerful next year.

The AirPlay feature shipped in the latest version of Apple’s mobile software, iOS 4.2.1, and it works the way Apple advertised: It streams video only played from the iPod app on the iPhone/iPod Touch or the Video app on the iPad. What you can’t do today with AirPlay is stream video that you shot with an iPhone, or video from third-party apps or even Safari, to the Apple TV.

A MacRumors reader e-mailed Jobs asking if AirPlay would eventually stream videos from Safari and third-party apps to the Apple TV. The reader claims Jobs replied with a nod: “Yep, hope to add these features to AirPlay in 2011.”

It certainly appears Apple is working on the feature, as currently you can stream audio from videos played in Safari and third-party apps to the Apple TV. We suggest keeping an eye on the developments of AirPlay, because we think when it matures, it could be a gamechanger that offers a compelling alternative to viewing television content through third-party apps and web videos.

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Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com


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Nov 30

Ears-On With the SuperTooth Disco Bluetooth Boombox

Posted in: bluetooth, Media Players, Movies, Music, review, speakers, Today's Chili

For the last few weeks, I have been living with the Supertooth Disco, a Bluetooth speaker seemingly named after a singles night at a dentists’ convention. It’s a battery-powered stereo-speaker with a hefty subwoofer inside and, while it will never make its way onto an audiophiles shopping list, it’s a pretty impressive box for its size.

First, the specs. The speaker weighs in at 1,140-grams, or 2.5-pounds, and has two eight-watt drivers. Also in the case is that subwoofer, which blows its sound out through a rear-facing hole. Battery life is claimed to be 3-4 hours at high volume, up to 10 hours at medium volume. Standby is rated at an almost untestable 1,500 hours, or 62.5 days. The Bluetooth is A2DP and AVRCP, meaning you can beam straight from a phone, computer or iPad (where it shows up in the AirPlay menu) and also use the buttons clustered around the volume knob to play, pause and skip tracks remotely

The battery life is indeed impressive, lasting me for days of casual listening (I left the Supertooth in the kitchen and used it to play music and podcasts whenever I was in there). I couldn’t test the battery life at “high volume”, as I live in an apartment with neighbors stacked all around me, but in general use it’s long enough not to worry about, and you can always just plug the thing in (and it takes just three hours to charge from empty).

So how does it sound? That depends on what you’re listening to. Rock sounds pretty rushed and jangly, classical music – notoriously demanding on stereo equipment – is equally bad. But try some jazz, some spoken-word or anything warm and funky and it sounds very good indeed. I have been obsessed with Noël Akchoté’s So Lucky these past weeks, which is an album of instrumental acoustic guitar covers of Kylie Minogue’s hits (don’t laugh – it’s pretty awesome). The guitar and the squeaking of fingers on strings are projected into an impressively big sound by the Supertooth. Which brings us onto the subwoofer.

You can really crank this speaker. At full volume it distorts, but it’s loud enough to stop any conversations well before you get that far up the dial. Press the bass-boost button by the main dial and you’ll get mixed results. Sometimes it overpowers the music, other times it adds the right amount of warmth and kick. It’s not set-and-forget: You’ll be tweaking this on a per-album basis. The bass itself is big, though, and even with the volume less than halfway up you can feel the air punching out of the rear hole.

The Supertooth comes with a case, a spongy neoprene-type thing with a mesh hole for the bass-port and a Velcro-shut flap for the ports around back (power and line-in via jack). It seems perfect for keeping splashes off in the bathroom, or for taking the speaker out for a trip.

Would I buy the Supertooth (it costs $150)? Sure. It’s not as good as the sub’n’satellite speakers I have hooked up elsewhere, but considering its size the speaker sounds fantastic (just steer clear of the White Stripes) and the portability will be a huge bonus once my leg is no longer broken. And before I go, here’s one great extra use for the Supertooth. Because Bluetooth-streamed audio is in sync with any on-screen video from the same device, you can sit the Supertooth behind your iPad when watching movies and enjoy a pretty good mini-home-theater experience. Add in a pico-projector and… Well, that’s something coming in a future post.

Supertooth Disco product page [Supertooth]

Photo: Charlie Sorrel

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