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The number of Android devices officially compatible with the Netflix streaming app has more than doubled in v2.3, growing from 9 to 24. Last night the description was updated with a new list of devices but the actual updated APK only started pushing this afternoon, bringing Netflix not only to the Lenovo tablet announced last night but also to the Droid 3, HTC Thunderbolt, Motorola Atrix, several Galaxy S phones including the Epic 4G and Fascinate and more. Fragmentation is clearly still an issue for DRM’d apps like this and Hulu Plus, but at least now there’s a growing number of recent superphones supported instead of sitting on the sidelines. We’ve got the updated list of devices after the break, hit the source link to download the app from the Android Market.

Update: As multiple commenters have noted, sideloading the Netflix APK will still work for devices that haven’t yet made the list. We were able to confirm the app works fine on the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and Motorola Xoom, however we’re hearing it’s not up and running on the Tegra 2-based Transformer just yet. Itching for some Watch Instantly on your Honeycomb tablet? Check XDA-Developers for a download link.

Update 2: Alex wrote in to let us know that things are now operational on the Transformer, too. Check out xda-developers for the details.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading Netflix app on Android updated to work on 24 models including Galaxy S, Droid 3 (update: tablets too!)

Netflix app on Android updated to work on 24 models including Galaxy S, Droid 3 (update: tablets too!) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Jul 2011 18:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Now there's yet another place where you can lose hours of your life to Angry Birds

If your favorite thing about the latest Apple TV is its size, you’re going to love the Roku 2. The already dinky little box has shrunken even further — at 3 inches on each side, it is smaller than the Apple TV and shorter than a pack of cigarettes (both 3.5 inches).

More importantly, the Roku now plays games. Specifically, it can play — among others — Rovio’s Angry Birds. In short, not only can the Roku pull in pretty much any streaming content out there on the web, it can also turn your TV into a game console.

The Roku 2 follows a trend of hardware consolidation, especially in the television space, where internet-connected devices are becoming increasingly versatile. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, for example, offer video rentals in addition to gaming functionality. While the Roku 2’s primary focus is still internet video, with the addition of some lightweight gaming capability it provides an inexpensive alternative to the traditional game console.

On the TV side, little has changed about the Roku 2. You can stream Netflix, Hulu, Amazon and more, as well as live sports and music from Pandora and MOG.

But what about those games? To play them, you just tune in to the games channel and pick up the new Game Remote. This doubles as a regular remote when you’re watching TV and movies.

The remote is included with the top-of-the-line XS ($100) which also comes with a free copy of Angry Birds. For the other two boxes in the new lineup you’ll need to buy both the remote and game (games are bought and accessed through the Channel Store).

As for the hardware, we’ll go from the bottom up. All models have Wi-Fi. The $60 HD can show 720p video, the $80 XD adds 1080p and the $100 XS adds 1080p, an Ethernet port and a USB port for adding music, movies and photos. As mentioned above, only the XS includes a game and Game Remote.

All three are available now.

Roku 2 product page.

See Also:

• Review: Roku Netflix Set Top Box Is Just Shy of Totally Amazing …
• Roku Launches $60 HD Streaming Media Player
• Roku Moves Beyond Netflix, Says Hello To Amazon

You read that correctly — Netflix streaming is about to get really real on impending Honeycomb tablets. One of the nuggets that makes Lenovo’s newly unveiled IdeaPad K1 so special is the internal DRM module that allows it to play nice with a fresh build of the Netflix app. As we saw back at MWC with the LG Revolution, future Android 3.x tablets (with an unspecified hardware inclusion) will not only support native Watch Instantly streaming over mini-HDMI / HDMI, but it’ll also enable something totally new: local storage. The fresh build of the app — which will remain exclusive to Lenovo for “a short while” — will have a heretofore unseen option that’ll let subscribers store flicks locally for offline viewing. We’re told by Lenovo that files can be stored on the internal flash as well as on microSD cards, and while we’ve yet to get a hands-on look at the app, we’ll be doing everything we can to change that.

Just to answer the obvious question: no, your existing Honeycomb tablet won’t be able to support this goodness through a firmware update. You’ll actually need a slate with the requisite hardware within to take advantage, and it’s hard to say at this point who will follow Lenovo down the path. We’re hoping that the added functionality won’t lead to a boost in Netflix’s monthly rate, but given the history of the app, we can’t say we’re too terrified about that possibility. So, how fast will the APK be ripped from the fabric of a K1 and thrown out onto the web? Somewhere between “quickly” and “you’ve got to be kidding me,” we’re surmising.

Netflix to stream natively from HDMI-equipped tablets, enable local storage with hardware DRM module originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Jul 2011 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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While US residents seethe over increases in Netflix’s pricing, our neighbors in Canada are upset by the competing Movie Club package Shaw Cable is offering. The $12 per month service offers unlimited access to “hundreds of the best Hollywood movies” and plans to have high definition feeds later this summer for an additional $5 (cable companies in the US have a similar scheme under the name Vutopia.) Causing the issue are promises that “the only limit is the number of hours in your day” unlike bandwidth capped streaming from unnamed services like Netflix. While Movie Club viewing over the internet on a PC, tablet or other device is capped just like any other service, access via the cable box is not metered. That distinction doesn’t sit well with subscribers and consumer groups arguing for net neutrality, particularly as the CRTC is in the midst of hearings over usage-based internet billing. While that case hasn’t been decided, our own ruling is already in and is firmly against Shaw, or anyone else, advertising based on advantages that exist only due to policies it created in the first place.

Continue reading Shaw Cable’s Netflix competitor bypasses bandwidth caps on its way to the TV

Shaw Cable’s Netflix competitor bypasses bandwidth caps on its way to the TV originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 16 Jul 2011 15:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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