Continue reading DirecTV survey hints at NFL Sunday Ticket on Apple TV, Boxee and Roku players?
DirecTV survey hints at NFL Sunday Ticket on Apple TV, Boxee and Roku players? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Dec 2010 08:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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See, sometimes dreams do come true. Just days after we asked how you'd tweak the second generation Apple TV, in flies an update that a good many TV owners have been anxiously awaiting. The 4.1.1 update purportedly solves "an issue that causes some high-definition TVs to incorrectly display at 480p," as well as an issue that "may cause a movie or TV show to be re-downloaded." It's pretty obvious that Apple's aiming to correct a nagging color / banding problem that has been plaguing some owners since day one, but according to users over at Apple Insider's forums, it's not a cure-all solution. A handful of members have stated that their sets -- typically using an HDMI-to-DVI adapter -- still display incorrect colors after the update. Flip on your own box and get the download started, and let us know if it's the fix you've been after down in comments below.Apple TV updated to 4.1.1, aims to fix resolution and download problems originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Dec 2010 08:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Google Voice app now supports iPad and iPod touch, brings Click2Call originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Dec 2010 15:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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The service, codenamed "Spectrum" and "Xcalibur," is one of several experiments the cable giant is conducting as it looks to the future and the inevitable convergence of TV and internet. According to the WSJ, the new boxes can access a "smattering of Web video" and some social networks, though they don't offer full web browsing like Google TV. Still, the web video served by the new boxes, as well as live TV, DVR and OnDemand content, is fully searchable with a new "fluid and graphical" interface.
I'm of two minds about this! On one hand, I've got it in my head that it would be really cool to watch Vimeo videos on my TV; on the other, I know there's no way in hell that Vimeo is included in the "smattering" of web videos Comcast's deigning to serve to my TV. And that's essentially the rub here—cable companies, whose dinosaur boxes occupy some space in all of our TV rooms, have unparalleled access to put internet on our TVs with little headache or hardware. But that's going to be the internet on their terms, and we've seen how they're not afraid to throw their muscle around to protect their interests.
Comcast says they're not sure if or when they'll launch the mega-boxes, though it's hard to imagine that serving up just enough internet content to keep the Google TVs and Apple TVs and Rokus of the world out of living rooms isn't part of their master plan. At least there's that fluid interface to look forward to! [WSJ]
Image credit: Mr. T in DC
OnLive MicroConsole torn down, Marvell Armada found lurking within originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Dec 2010 09:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Freebox v6 Revolution set-top box brings calling, TV and gaming together originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Dec 2010 08:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Similar to last month’s report, Android tied with iOS as the largest Smartphone OS on the network for November, with both mobile operating systems sharing 38 percent of ad impressions on the network. Both Android and iOS’s share increased by one percent from last month. RIM followed Android and iOS with a 19 percent impression share in November, down one percent from October.
One of the more interesting data points from the network’s report is that Android apps represented 54 percent of all apps on the Millennial network and are averaging 10 percent growth month-over-month over the past 4 months. Apple was second on the list with a 38 percent share. Additionally, Android was named the leading platform that publishers/developers intend to support in 2011, with the iPad and Windows Phone 7 tied for second on the list.
General smartphone impression share decreased by 3 percent month-over-month and accounted for 58 percent of the mobile phone impression share in November. Feature Phones and WiFi Connected Devices (i.e. the iPad) experienced a 1 percent and 2% increase in impression share month-over-month, respectively. Together, they represented 42% of impressions in November.
Samsung came in second in terms of manufacturers, followed by Motorola with a 15 percent impression share Motorola had three devices in Millennial’s network—Droid, Droid 2 and Droid X). RIM devices represented five of the Top 30 Mobile Devices on Millennial’s network, with a combined impression share of 11 percent in November.
While Android is eating away at the smartphone marketshare that Apple and RIM once commanded, there’s the possibility that Android’d rampant growth could be slowing down. The OS only posted a 1 percent increase in impressions share on Millennial’s network versus an 8 percent increase in October.
It will be interesting to see if Android can manage to surpass impression share in December. According to a new IDC report, Millennial is the third largest network behind Google AdMob and Apple’s iAd, so a shift in share on Millennial’s network would be significant.
That is, unless you can turn to a platform that can handle all of them at once. That’s the promise offered by Integrate, a startup that launched in February of this year that allows advertisers to purchase placement on everything from billboards to the web from a single site. Today, the company is announcing that it’s closed a $4.25 million funding round led by the Foundry Group.
Integrate’s system allows advertisers to place their contextual ads into multiple ad networks without having to deal with each one individually; it can also place ads on TV, on billboards, and through other channels.
All of Integrate’s transactions are done on a performance basis — you pay based on how well your ad is converting. The system does this by assigning unique 800 numbers (or web URLs) to each ad campaign, allowing Integrate to determine how many potential customers have been acquired as a result of the ad (calls are all recorded to verify accuracy). Founder Jeremy Bloom says that since launch, the company has run over 1,000 campaigns.
Integrate also provides a platform where advertisers and publishers can discuss possible deals. For example, an advertiser could log into the platform, specify which regions they wanted their ads to appear in and to whom, and state that they’re willing to spend $10 per acquisition. A publisher can then say which of these requests they can fulfill, and can also say whether they’d like a price adjustment. Integrate takes a cut of each transaction, but it varies depending on the vertical and the size of the allocation.
All of these negotiations are done on Integrate’s platform, and while there’s a chance advertisers and publishers could scheme to finalize their deal elsewhere (so as to avoid giving Integrate its cut), Bloom says that these conversations are all reviewed by the company’s employees, and that everyone in the system is credible to begin with because of a vetting process.
Bloom says that some of the platform’s functionality is available through other systems, but that this is the only one that offers this flexibility on a performance basis, as opposed to CPM. Other players in this space include Right Media Exchange.
Also worth noting: Bloom has a pretty incredible resume. He’s a two-time Olympian, three-time World Champion, and eleven-time World Cup gold medalist snow skier. He also played NCAA football at the University of Colorado and was drafted into the NFL.
It's probably one for those who lead active lives away from the TV and computer, but you know what? Huddled up against my heater, wrapped in a blanket, I'm thinking it could suit a blogger very well too. Get it now, for around $130 from Amazon or $119 from The Home Depot. [Uncrate]
What happens when you outfit a robot with a pair of prosthetic blades and fourteen artificial, pneumatic-powered muscles? You end up with a bipedal humanoid who researchers hope will have the ability to run like a sprinter.
Currently, Niiyama and his team are busy trying to teach the robot how to run, which involves analyzing the timing and patterns in which human muscle sets contract and relax. Right now, Athlete can only cover about three steps (at 1.2 meters/sec) before collapsing, which, BTW, is up there with the Big Dog on the creepiness scale. Niiyama hopes to get Athlete out on a real track someday. [IEEE]
The $100 meat thermometer features a range of 200 feet, will register temperatures up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, and if you don't have an iPhone, you can also use the simple display box that comes with it. Furthermore, if you purchase a second meat thermometer for an extra $20, the iGrill app will track both foods cooking at once, in what is termed as "MULTI-PROBE CAPACITY." (Exciting!)
Aaaaaaand now that I'm completely unsure whether or not I'm describing a culinary aid or some cutting-edge sex toy, I'll just leave you the link and shut the hell up. [iGrill]
Continue reading Kingston's DataTraveler Mini Fun USB flash drives: they're small and thrilling
Kingston's DataTraveler Mini Fun USB flash drives: they're small and thrilling originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Dec 2010 21:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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