Hasta La Gadget!

Just as we heard back in February, Time Warner and Comcast have joined hands in order to regain control on some of the content that is slipping right out from under ’em. In the olden days, the only portal for catching content was the ‘tube; today, a vast array of television shows are available gratis on the web, and that’s downright frightening for pay-TV operators. Today, both firms are detailing TV Everywhere in the most general way possible, only telling us that paying Comcast subscribers will soon have access to “premium long-form content” via a web portal. TNT and TBS are the only networks specifically named thus far, but considering that both of those already offer their best programming online to everyone, we’re not terribly impressed.

The agreement also includes a trial with around 5,000 Comcast users, which will be used to heavily test a newfangled authentication technology that will be necessary to allow paying Comcast users to access the material from any internet-connected PC. NewTeeVee has also assembled a clean, easy-to-digest FAQ that explains what exactly all this is. To be frank, it seems like a solution in search of a problem from the consumer viewpoint. After all, with portals like Hulu and individual network websites already providing in-demand content online, why is there even a need for some “special portal” for Comcast users? We’ve heard that paying subs will have access to even more material, possibly movies or other premium shows. But we won’t front: we certainly don’t want TV Everywhere to convert some of the content that’s already free into pay-only content in order to accomplish the aforesaid “even more” goal. At any rate, the public at large probably won’t hear more about this until the trial sessions end at an undisclosed time, but you can bet we’ll be keeping a cautious eye on any developments.

Read – TV Everywhere press release
Read – NewTeeVee FAQ

Filed under: Home Entertainment

Time Warner’s TV Everywhere to pipe internet TV to Comcast subcribers originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Jun 2009 10:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We know you’ve been literally hanging on the edge of your seat waiting for this day to come, so it’s our honor and privilege to announce that Lenovo and RIM’s Constant Connect solution is now available. For those who managed to sleep right through February, the technology enables select ThinkPads to automatically pull down BlackBerry emails whenever it’s within range, even if the laptop is completely off. There’s no word on what it’ll cost to have this added into your next corporate machine, but you can head past the break for a quick demonstration vid if you think you’re interested.

Update: It’s a $149 option from select business partners and through Lenovo.com.

Continue reading Lenovo and RIM’s Constant Connect now available

Filed under: Cellphones, Laptops, Peripherals, Wireless

Lenovo and RIM’s Constant Connect now available originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Apr 2009 13:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Given Nokia Siemens’ commitment to getting the technology rolled out with carrier partners on the double and the fact that Nokia’s tie-up with Qualcomm for S60-optimized HSPA and LTE chipsets will bear fruit in 2010 — not to mention the fact that multiple carriers will be deploying LTE over the next two years — it only stands to reason that Espoo would have LTE devices in the pipe sooner rather than later. Indeed, the company has now gone on record saying that it’ll have “data intensive” LTE gadgets launched next year, though they’ve failed to go into the nitty gritty details of what kind of devices those might be. That could very well be where this new rumor comes into play, though: TheStreet.com is claiming that there’s chatter of a Verizon / Nokia partnership that would see a serious full touchscreen multimedia phone launched to help inaugurate Big Red’s LTE airwaves — and considering that Nokia has ramped up its Verizon-branded product portfolio over the past year and publicly cheered on the carrier for choosing LTE over WiMAX or UMB, it’s not all that difficult to believe. If the rumored device comes in a brown pleather wallet, count us in.

[Via Phone Scoop, thanks papari]

Read – Nokia bringing LTE in 2010
Read – Verizon partnership?

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds, Wireless

Nokia says it’ll have LTE devices by 2010, Verizon partnership in the works? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Mar 2009 14:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We already knew that Acer was signed on to load Phoenix Technologies’ HyperSpace instant-on OS onto some of its machines, and we had a hunch that ASUS would be next in line. Today, the aforesaid outfit has affirmed our suspicions by announcing that the company responsible for the overpopulation of the Eee will “incorporate HyperSpace into its next generation laptops.” Oh, and we get the idea ASUS won’t be the last to join in, so you Gateway fanboys can feel free to hold out just a bit longer.

Filed under: Laptops

Phoenix Technologies HyperSpace instant-on OS coming to ASUS laptops originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Jan 2009 14:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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