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Roku Adds Amazon Videos to Streaming Device
Tweet Share on Facebook January 5, 2009 Comment (1)The hits keep on streaming. On the heels of LG's expanded partnership with Netflix, Amazon revealed its On Demand service will be Roku's first partner beyond Netflix. Amazon will make its titles available on the Roku box early in 2009.
Roku has said last month it would move beyond Netflix, which once was monogamous with Roku but is jumping in bed with just about any electronics company that's willing.
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Apple Fans Relieved that Jobs Illness is Treatable
Tweet Share on Facebook January 5, 2009 Comment (4)Now we know that not only was Steve Jobs actually losing weight, but it was due to what he describes as a treatable medical condition. Before today, the Apple CEO refused to even acknowledge weight loss. His hand was forced by a whirl of speculation after the company said he wouldn't appear at this week's Macworld trade conference.
Early reactions seem to depend on how big an Apple fan the blogger is. This from the Unofficial Apple Weblog:
Who says Apple doesn't listen? More to the point, who says Steve Jobs isn't aware of the rumors?... Steve's no dummy. I applaud him taking this time to be with his family, and I'm personally quite happy to hear his weight loss appears to stem from a rather strange but reversible affair.
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LG Jumps Ahead with Netflix Streaming on TVs
Tweet Share on Facebook January 5, 2009 CommentPitch the box. LG this spring will start selling TVs with built-in Netflix streaming, bypassing the need for all the set-top devices that have been arriving with Netflix flicks. LG says they'll charge a small premium for the added capability.
A number of makers, including Sony and Panasonic, connect their TVs to the Internet. But it's a leg up for LG to be the first with Netflix, my favorite for getting commercial video streamed across the Web.
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Firefox Gaining, Internet Explorer Slipping
Tweet Share on Facebook January 2, 2009 Comment (7)The open-source browser Firefox grabbed a 21 percent market share in December, keeping its share above 20 percent for a second month. Microsoft's Internet Explorer slipped again, this time to 68 percent from 70 percent a month earlier, according to preliminary data from Net Applications.
IE always suffers a bit around the holidays because it is used more in offices, while Firefox is more popular at home. But the long-term trend is clear, as IE steadily loses share to the more flexible Firefox.
Some still predict that Microsoft can recover. But not Henry Blodget at Silicon Alley Insider:
Its share of the browser market...continues to decrease, a trend that to our knowledge has never happened in a market Microsoft wanted to dominate. If nothing else, this should alert those who regard Microsoft's Internet domination as a foregone conclusion that they might want to rethink things.
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TiVo Underscores the Mess that Awaits with Digital TV Switch
Tweet Share on Facebook January 2, 2009 Comment (5)I've had more than my taste of the looming disaster of the switch to digital TV. I had another bite at the dirt pie today as I work to get my gear ready. I'm actually trying to follow my own advice and get ready well before the deadline next month.
Today's frustration was TiVo, my favorite TV recording device. I've got an older model with an analog tuner. Luckily, TiVo is nothing more than a specialized computer, which makes it possible to update it to work with digital TV broadcasts.
And luckily, the folks at TiVo have provided a software update for DTV. If only it worked smoothly.
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Another Kiosk for Movies on Memory Cards
Tweet Share on Facebook January 2, 2009 Comment (1)This is a look at a potential kiosk for downloading movies from Mod Systems. The company is backed by Toshiba and NCR and will detail next week how it sell music and movies through Internet-connected booths in retail stores.
Toshiba is expected to also demo decks that can play the movies on TVs. The flicks could be played through SD card slots, or through card adapters that plug into USB ports. Existing devices, such as TVs with USB slots, would need software updates to play the copy protected movies.
