Hasta La Gadget!

It’s ugly. It’s buggy. It requires a Windows PC. But PlayOn for iPhone actually works, slinging Netflix, Hulu, CBS and more to your waiting Apple device over WiFi and (occasionally) 3G. Using the same PlayOn desktop client that presently redirects video-on-demand to your game console or a media streamer attached to your TV, subscribers can download an app on July 15th that transcodes content for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad as well, and is today the only way to get Netflix on your phone.

We spent some quality couch time with the program over the last couple of days, and with a powerful PC, fast internet and WiFi connection, we found video quite watchable on our iPhone 4, and there’s no knocking PlayOn’s breadth of content available, with loads of TV, a good deal of anime and your entire Netflix streaming queue available on the phone. The interface is barely there, though, just a series of poorly-spaced nesting menus, and it can take quite a few touchscreen presses and a bit of thought to find what you want to watch. There are a few bugs too, like one that kept shooting us back to the main menu randomly upon a button press, and another that locked us into a particular piece of content until both app and desktop server were restarted. Some content could have looked better on the 3.5-inch Retina Display if only we’d had the option to press the HD button, but the only controls Media Mall provides are forward, backward and volume, and even with full bars we’re afraid we couldn’t get 3G playback to work reliably. Since the company still offers a free 14-day trial of the service, the software’s definitely worth a try, but if you want Hulu or Netflix on the go (or even around the house), we imagine you’ll eventually end up using their dedicated apps instead.

Update: PlayOn’s PR team tells us some of the exact bugs we found have already been fixed for tomorrow’s launch, including crashes that return the user to the main menu, and system states that chain the user to a previously selected video. That’s an impressive turnaround!

Update 2: The same team just pinged us again, and it looks like they’ve hit a roadblock. Apparently the app is once more “in review” under Apple’s watch, so only Cupertino knows when exactly it’ll be released to the world. We’ll let you know as soon as we hear more.

PlayOn for iPhone brings a wealth of streaming video to iOS, we go hands-on (update) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Jul 2010 15:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This world needs a better class of network streamer, and PlayOn wants to give it to you. In exchange for more greenbacks, of course. The media server software — known for bringing Hulu, Netflix, YouTube, and a bunch of other online video repositories to networked devices within the home — is making the move up in price class from its current one-off $20 fee to a $39.99 upfront charge followed by annual recurring payments of $19.99. How does MediaMall justify such a splurge? It’ll be offering a new Comedy Central channel, along with NHL, TV.com and PBS content in an ongoing effort to expand its library of media sources. If the extra choice doesn’t sound like the kind of thing you’d want to pony up two Hamiltons for every year, you’ve got until the 15th to grab the Basic version, which will continue to be supported without further fees, but won’t be available to new subscribers after that cutoff date. So, better get decidin’ soon.

PlayOn wants you to PayOn, jumping into Premium price class on May 15 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 May 2010 05:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Thermos audio wasn’t the only idea Sony Japan introduced this week; there’s also the company’s glossy new speaker docks, the NAS-V5 and NAS-V7M, whose intense reflection make us remember that time mom told us never to stare at the sun. Unfortunately, NAS doesn’t stand for Network Attached Storage here, but the ¥50,000 (about $535) NAS-V7M does have 16GB of internal memory onto which you can rip audio CDs with a single touch, and both it and the ¥40,000 ($428) NAS-V5 have internal WiFi that’ll have your Japanese counterparts pumping internet radio jingles from Shoutcast, vTuner, your PC and anything else with a compatible wireless audio stream when they hit Akihabara on June 26. They both feature 32-bit DSPs for what we can only guess will be crisp, clean audio quality, have all the standard AM-FM radio features you’ve come to expect, and include an AUX jack and a powered USB port. Oh, and lest we forget amidst all the bedside table aural goodness — they’re also Walkman docks. Hear a deep, soothing Japanese voice explain why you need one, after the break.

Continue reading Stylish Sony Walkman docks sport WiFi radio, ludicrous sheen

Stylish Sony Walkman docks sport WiFi radio, ludicrous sheen originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 09 Apr 2010 02:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hey, remember Spawn Labs? Look, we know last September was a long, long time ago, but how could you ever forget the box that essentially acts as the Slingbox for your video game consoles? The HD-720, which arrives with the ability to pass along either Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 signals to a web-connected PC for remote playback, is now available to order for $199.95, while additional adapters can also be purchased for $39.95. Of course, you should make sure you have a pretty robust Windows-based laptop and a solid internet connection before getting your hopes up too high here, but if those are well taken care of, your portable gaming dreams are now just a credit card indention away.

[Thanks, Ryan]

Spawn Labs starts shipping HD-720, your video games now ready to be slung originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Feb 2010 11:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ZAGG has been dropping a few hints about its ZAGGbox media center for a little while now, but it’s so far been keeping a relatively low profile — it even managed to slip under our radar at CES. It was at the show, however, and its now finally announced that the ZAGGbox is available to pre-order for $799. Not exactly the cheapest set-top box around, to be sure, but that price will get you a few fairly unique features, not the least of which is simultaneous transcoding of captured video for easy viewing on both your TV and the mobile device of your choice (it also comes with its own iPhone app). Otherwise, you’ll get an ample 1TB of storage, a full range of A/V inputs and outputs, built-in 802.11n WiFi, and some Slingbox-like streaming to any device, anywhere you like. Unfortunately, ZAGG still isn’t making any firm promises about a release date, although it will supposedly be out sometime in the second quarter of this year.

ZAGGbox media center / streamer now available for pre-order originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 Jan 2010 15:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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