Hulu officially announced their long-anticipated subscription service today. The $9.99/month service would allow users to access all episodes of the current season of several shows including Family Guy, House, and Saturday Night Live, along with access to past seasons of select shows such as the Office, Arrested Development, and Desperate Housewives. Hulu also announced the extension of their service through several devices, including the iPhone, iPad, PS3 as well as several other TVs, Blu-ray players and set-top boxes.
Ads will still be served, even for the paid service. Access to this premium service will be rolled out, with first access being invitation only (check the Hulu site to request an invitation). Meanwhile, the official iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad app has made it to the Apple App Store, allowing users to try out the new service with a fair amount of pre-programming. Click the link to the App Store to download the program now!
The Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis at University College of London just remapped New York City based on Twitter traffic. The higher the traffic, the “higher” the elevation, leading to some interesting new terrain including Times Square Peak, the highest point on the map.
Most of the hills are centered in Manhattan and Brooklyn while valleys and lowlands were scattered throughout Queens and New Jersey. Other cities were remapped as well, including London, Paris, and Munich. Check the link below for full screen images.
With a show title finally chosen, we look into the iPhone craze sweeping the nation. Deciding on a new phone? We break down the iPhone and give our two cents to the good, bad, and ugly. And for those not drinking the Apple Kool-Aid, we look at some other great options, including the Aria, Evo, and Droids. We also give a voice to Google Voice and take a peek into the future of porn (apparently you can find it on the web!).
Feel free to leave your thoughts on the show or our new name. And hey, we’re finally on iTunes! Subscribe to us with the link below and follow us on Twitter (Iyaz at @iyaz, Derrick at @derrickc82).
BillShrink has yet again prepared a really cool chart to compare the specs and costs of today’s leading smartphones, specifically the iPhone 4 (AT&T), Droid Incredible (Verizon), Evo 4G (Sprint), and the Nexus One (T-Mobile). What stands out more is the cost, which depending on the pricing plan (unlimited, minimum, etc.) can drastically differ from carrier to carrier. While there are other considerations (contract eligibility, carrier service, app availability, etc.), it’s still a good reminder of the true cost behind each phone. Click the link/picture for a larger view (on BillShrink).
With the release of the iOS4 for iPhones and iPod Touches, users across the globe have been quick to install the update. Reports are coming in, however, of issues facing for 3G and iPod Touch users, with extremely long backup times and error messages. If you’re one of the many stuck, here’s one recommendation to get around.
While normally the update is achieved through the automatic prompt and/or the “Update” option on iTunes, choose the “Restore” option right below. Be sure to sync your device first and check under Edit->Preferences->Devices that you have a recent “backup” of your device. Once that’s set, hit “Restore.” Your device will automatically update to the newest firmware (which should have been downloaded in your earlier attempts to update). After that, you’ll be asked to choose between restarting as a new device or resetting it back to your last backup. Select to backup and sit back (it’ll still take a little while) while your device loads back with the new iOS4!
If you’re a current Apple iPhone or iPod Touch user, be sure to pick up the 4.0 update for your device, out now and free to everyone. Included in the iOS4 update is the ability for your phone to run (limited) background applications; that means being able to run programs such as Pandora. However, this functionality only works on newer devices such as the iPhone 3GS and the 3rd-gen iPod Touch model. Other features include:
App switching
Custom wallpaper backgrounds
Folder system for apps on the home screen
Unified inbox (merging all your mail accounts to one box)
iBooks
Game Center (for leaderboards, achievements, etc.)
Spell check
Bluetooth keyboard ability
iAds compatibility (for the oh-so-cool Apple-supported ads!)
To upgrade, you’ll first have to update your iTunes to the newest 9.2 build (which should be automatically prompted when you load iTunes). It doesn’t hurt to backup your data as well, just in case.
On our second show, we (@iyaz & @derrickc82) give our two cents on this week’s video game convention, E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo), including our favorite picks and thoughts on the show’s winners and losers.
And like any good train wreck, we can’t help but look at the latest disaster from AT&T-Apple; when will Apple finally call it off with AT&T and find someone who can actually treat her right? And when can we finally expect to get our darn iPhone 4s? Finally, we examine Verizon’s thoughts of moving away from unlimited data plans and discuss what that means for the everyday consumer.
We still don’t have a title for the show but we’re open to suggestions. Leave us a comment and if your title gets picked… well… we’ll either send you a pic of my EVO or a tuna sandwich, your choice!
Working on a new podcast with Iyaz Akhtar. Still working on the show focus/topic as well as a name; just testing the waters, getting a feel for the mic. First time doing a podcast so please be gentle.
With the main press conferences all said and done, gamers were out at full force hitting the floors across the Los Angeles Convention Center. The line for Nintendo’s 3DS wrapped several times around the Nintendo booth; hundreds waited on line for other games as well, including Assassin’s Creed, Mortal Kombat, Killzone 3, Marvel vs Capcom 3 and Microsoft’s Kinect.
Mortal Kombat, slated for 2011 was definitely a surprise hit; the game returns to its roots, with all the blood and gore you come to expect from a franchise that led the controversy in video game violence. The demo only listed a few characters, including Scorpion, Reptile, Kung Lao, Mileena, Johnny Cage, Sub-Zero and Stryker. A few of the stages available were beautiful re-imaginations of classic Mortal Kombat stages included the Pit and the Living Forest. The gameplay was great. The moves and character switching (for tag team matches) were smooth. Responding to feedback from fans, the game brings back the violence and gore. One nice detail was the deterioration of characters as they fought; by the time the match ends, your character is bruised and bloodied up. The game is slated for release from NetherRealm Studios / WBIE for the Xbox 360 and PS3 in 2011.
Sony’s new motion control, the Playstation Move, required far more effort than the Wii. Whereas one was able to get away with wrist flicks in Wii Sports Tennis, the Move requires actual full swings and moves, as the camera tracks movement 1:1. It’s not just the motion that’s need too however, for the fighting game, full powered, full speed swings are required as well. Swinging your arm lightly will just make your character flail his arms. Within two rounds, I was definitely working up a sweat. It was fun, though, as tiring as it was. The Move is slated for release in the U.S. on September 19th.
