Google buys an Android gaming platform, possibly with a set-top box in mind
Green Throttle Games was late to the Android gaming platform party, and paid the price for it — the company effectively wound down at the end of 2013. However, its efforts may not have been in vain. Google has confirmed to PandoDaily that it has acquired key parts of Green Throttle’s business, including its parts, labor and two co-founders. The crew in Mountain View hasn’t said what it will do with its new resources, but PandoDaily sources claim that Google wants to refine the Bluetooth controller for its long-fabled (and possibly gaming-focused) TV set-top box. Whether or not that’s true, the move suggests that Google’s interest in games is extending beyond software.
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, Peripherals, HD, Google
Source: PandoDaily
Daily Roundup: Titanfall’s secret weapon, Edward Snowden talks encryption, and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
A closer look at Titanfall’s not-so-secret weapon: Microsoft’s cloud
Tomorrow, Titanfall’s bringing more computing power to your Xbox One than it can handle, all thanks to Microsoft’s Azure cloud infrastructure. Read on as Engadget’s Timothy Seppala explores the inner workings responsible for the title’s resource-intensive AI technology.
Snowden says encryption and oversight are key to protecting the public from surveillance
Edward Snowden made an appearance at SXSW this morning where he reiterated the importance of end-to-end encryption in protecting user’s private data. What’s more, the whistleblower spoke through a Google Hangout, which passed through seven proxies on its way from Russia.
Shaquille O’Neal talks Fitbit, Google Glass and smartphones at SXSW
Are you a Fitbit user? So is Shaquille O’Neal. We managed to sit down with the NBA superstar at SXSW 2014 and chat about how fitness wearables play a big part in keeping us healthy and active. Click on through to watch the conversation.
Apple releases iOS 7.1 with CarPlay support
Apple unveiled its CarPlay interface last week at the Geneva Auto Show, and now its complimentary iOS 7.1 update is ready for action. In addition to CarPlay functionality, 7.1 brings a lengthy list of bug fixes and and a couple of clever Siri improvements. So head on over to your settings menu and get downloading.
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Filed under: Misc
Apple TV update hides unwatched channels with ease
Alongside the release of iOS 7.1, Apple TV also received a software update today. Most notable among the changes? An easier method for hiding those channels that you don’t watch. Before now, you had to take a trip to the Settings menu and hide each option from a list. After installing Apple TV version 6.1, pick a channel from the main menu and hold the Select button to make the icons dance. Once they start to jiggle, use the directional buttons to move around before hitting the Play/Pause button to hide that content source. This certainly isn’t a major leap, but it’s sure you save some time and extra navigating for tidying up that primary menu.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Apple
Via: iMore
Got Comcast? You can watch House of Cards without a Netflix subscription
Have you been eager to watch House of Cards, but haven’t wanted to spring for a Netflix subscription? If you’re a Comcast subscriber, you no longer have to. The cable firm has reached a deal with Sony Pictures Home Entertainment that lets subscribers buy the first season of House of Cards through the Xfinity Store on their set-top boxes. Orange is the New Black will reach the store on May 13th. The arrangement also gives provides access to some hotter Sony movies and TV shows before the usual video on demand release window, including American Hustle and Breaking Bad. Netflix still has exclusive streaming rights for its shows, but that shouldn’t be a problem for Comcast customers with a little extra cash on hand.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD
Via: TechCrunch
Source: Variety
One of Facebook’s biggest science pages is becoming a TV show
Science TV shows are enjoying a small renaissance, it seems. Virtually in sync with the first episode of the Cosmos reboot, Facebook page and stand-alone website I F-ing Love Science (yes, we know how that’s really written) has announced that it’s getting a TV show on the Science Channel around the third quarter of the year. Late night talk show host Craig Ferguson will present the series, while page founder Elise Andrew (shown at center) will contribute behind the scenes. The TV deal is a testament to IFLS‘ online influence — its Facebook page alone has over 10 million likes, and over 50 million people get the site’s social updates every week. The show may only reel in a portion of that internet audience, but it still represents a victory for those who want more science in their living rooms.
[Image credit: Elise Andrew, Twitter]
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Science, Internet, HD, Alt, Facebook
Source: IFLScience
Aereo’s internet TV service in Denver and Salt Lake City shuts down today
Aereo’s streams in Denver and Salt Lake City hung on for a while after the US District Court of Utah granted its opponents a preliminary injunction on February 20th, but today they’re shutting off. Yesterday a panel of federal court judges denied Aereo’s request to stay the injunction while it appeals, claiming “Aereo has not made a strong showing that it is likely to succeed on the merits of its appeal. Nor has Aereo demonstrated that the other factors weigh in its favor.” As a result, the antenna-to-streaming company has informed affected customers service will go dark today at 10am. For now, it’s looking forward to the upcoming Supreme Court case to affirm its belief that the service is legal, and issuing a refund for this month’s service for anyone living in those two markets. Aereo’s hearing is set to take place April 22nd — check out CEO Chet Kanojia’s message to customers after the break.
[Thanks, Marc]
This means for the time being, we’ll have to cease providing services to our valued consumers in SLC & Denver markets at 10AM Saturday
– Aereo (@Aereo) March 8, 2014
A message from Aereo’s Founder & CEO:
On February 25, the District Court in Utah granted a preliminary injunction against Aereo in the Tenth Circuit of the United States, which includes Utah and Colorado. On March 7, the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals denied, 2:1, Aereo’s request to stay that injunction. This means that for the time being, we will have to cease providing our services to you, our valued customers in the Salt Lake City and Denver markets, beginning at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, March 8.
We are extremely disappointed that the District Court in Utah has chosen to take a different path than every other Court that has reviewed the Aereo technology.
Consumers have a fundamental right to watch over-the-air broadcast television via a modern antenna and to record copies for their personal use. The Copyright Act provides no justification to curtail that right simply because the consumer is using modern, remotely located equipment.
We are very sorry for the effect that this decision has on you and we look forward to presenting our case to the U.S. Supreme Court and ultimately restoring your ability to use Aereo. In the meantime, we are issuing a full refund for the current month to you, our customers in Salt Lake City and Denver. We commit to letting you know as soon as we have more information about the future of Aereo in your market.
We are unwavering in our belief that Aereo’s technology falls squarely within the law and we look forward to continuing to serve you. This is an ongoing battle, but together we can to protect innovation, progress, and consumer choice.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
Source: Salt Lake Tribune
Sharp’s near-4K TVs are now available, starting at $2,500
Even though CES 2014 is long gone, some of the stuff announced there is just now starting to become available for purchase. Case in point: Sharp’s Quattron+ lineup, a series of 2014 AQUOS televisions featuring the latest and greatest, including a revamped SmartCentral platform. But that’s not what’s interesting here. Instead, it’s the Quattron+ technology, one that Sharp describes as being able to “accept a 4K signal and play it back at near-4K resolution, with an effective resolution of 3,840 x 2,160.”
The company says this is possible thanks to its Revelation Upscaler, which takes HD content and “optimizes it for the higher resolution screen, so that it’s sharper and more vivid.” By building Q+ TVs on 1080p panels, Sharp claims it’s then capable of pricing these lower than some of its would-be competitors. Now, is that enough to get you to buy into it? If so, you’ll have quite a few options to choose from — they’re up for grabs now in 60-, 70- and 80-inch flavors, with prices ranging from $2,500 all the way to a cool $6,000.
Filed under: Displays, Home Entertainment
Source: Sharp
Charter customers can finally access Showtime on their mobile devices
If you thought Time Warner Cable was late to the Showtime party, think again. Charter subscribers have been waiting for access since 2011, and now it’s finally here. Starting today, customers can join in with the the rest of the cable crowd and stream live (or past) episodes of their favorite Showtime production on its Showtime Anytime app, which is available on iOS, Android, Roku and the web. As long as you have a Showtime subscription, getting your Homeland fix is as easy as signing into the app with your Charter username and password. Additionally, the same programming from Showtime Anytime will be available from Charter.net and the company’s TV app in the near future.
Filed under: Cellphones, Home Entertainment, Tablets, Internet, Software
Source: Charter
Dish’s TV streaming app is now available for newer Kindle Fire tablets
Dish subscribers are no longer stuck if they want to catch up on TV shows from one of Amazon’s tablets — the satellite provider has released a version of Dish Anywhere for Kindle Fire HDX devices. As with the regular Android app, HDX owners using Sling-equipped Dish DVRs (such as the Hopper with Sling) can watch live, on-demand and recorded TV from any reasonably fast internet connection. There’s no word yet on support for the lower-cost Kindle Fire HD, but those who own Amazon’s latest and greatest hardware can grab Dish Anywhere today.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Tablets, HD, Amazon
Source: Amazon Appstore, Dish
BBC makes popular TV channel ‘online only’ to cut costs
The BBC TV channel that spawned comedic classics like Little Britain and Gavin & Stacey looks set to be taken off-air as part of a cost-cutting drive. BBC Three won’t be killed off completely, however — if regulators approve, the plan is to make it an online-only channel that would somehow still serve up fresh content aimed at 16-34 year olds, but do so more cheaply. The idea isn’t hugely shocking, perhaps, given the recent pressure on the BBC’s taxpayer-funded budget and the increasing focus on iPlayer as an alternative to terrestrial broadcasts. Nevertheless, many critics have already spoken out, including the star of Little Britain, Matt Lucas, who said it would be “bad for comedy.” There’s a #SaveBBC3 movement gathering steam on Twitter and, if history is anything to go by, it might actually have a chance of succeeding — a move to shut down BBC Radio 6 was reversed following a similar outcry back in 2010.
Filed under: HD
Source: BBC
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