Gadgetell | Tech News, Reviews, and Interesting Things

The Netflix player from Roku seems like it could be in store for some potentially great changes in the future, some of which would force us to remove the “Netflix” from the name. We have already discussed the possibility of other services such as Hulu and YouTube becoming available on the player, however Roku has just posted the source code for the set top box, which makes this possibility a little more of a reality.

In the past VP of Consumer Products for Roku, Tim Twerdahl had already stated that even though they had a deal with Netflix, it was not exclusive and they were still able “to seek out other content providers to put their content on the Roku box.”

That statement lead to the speculation of Roku adding other services to the player, but nothing had been confirmed, and as of now we are still awaiting (and hoping) form something official. While some of the web based video services seem like an obvious choice, there is also some recent speculation that an announcement may be coming from Microsoft or Sony as well.

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Coming just a few months after the last software update for the Mylo COM-2, Sony has just released yet another update. This brings the version up to 1.201 and should be well worth the time it takes to update. The new version of software offers a few big items which include support for video recording and the ability to support Memory Stick Duo memory cards up to 16GB in size. In addition the update also includes some other notable items which include:

• Adds a new menu option for easier photo and video uploading
• Provides an “Optimize” option in Task Manager for system memory
• Adds a function to format Memory Stick Duo media
• Adds the ability to display thumbnail images in the Game menu
• Improves Flash playback of YouTube videos

Coming in at just about 60MB, the update is slightly large, but like I mentioned it seems to be a worthwhile update. Hit the update link below to find the download.

Update [Sony]

I’ve been waiting for some kind of response from the big manufacturers to the iPhone.  Sure they’ve thrown some clones our way but nothing that puts them on the path to a true “iPhone killer”.  Today, they’ve shown they mean business by uniting the Symbian OS. 

Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Motorola and NTT DoCoMo have all joined forces to open up Symbian and work to encourage developers on the common platform.  By bringing together Symbian OS, S60, UIQ and MOAP(S) they will create one open mobile platform.  And they are working with carriers and other telecom giants like AT&T, LG, Samsung, STMicro, Texas Instruments and Vodafone to widen the net of users and developers.

This is a relatively big deal.  To me, it says, “we get the idea that software is king.” To the world, it says, “this is how we move forward.” And a lot of weight moving forward it is.  Going open source and royalty free they hope to attract all the developers who have iPhones royalties in their eyes right now.

This is definitely a step in the right direction.  As my Econ professors used to say, “competition is a good thing.”

Read [Sony Ericsson]

Sony has recently begun shipping the mylo com2 with a free charging cradle. While its certainly not a must have item, and I am not sure it would push me over the edge and make me run out to purchase a mylo, its always a nice deal when you are getting a $29.99 item for free.

A dock or charging cradle is one accessory that I consider a must have for most gadgets. It looks much nicer sitting on the desk, it helps to keep your device from getting bumped and knocked to the floor and is much easier to stick your device in the dock or cradle as opposed to fiddling with a loose wire.

Sony has not made any mention of whether this is a permanent or just a limited time offer, but if you were already considering a mylo purchase, this sounds like as good a time as ever to make that purchase.

Product [Sony Style] Via [pocketables]

Thanks to a recent partnership, the SonyNEC Optiarc formed between NEC and Sony, we may be looking at an affordable priced internal PC Blu-ray drive by the end of the year. They are predicting a sub-$100 drive by this upcoming holiday season, which means people may actually begin to use Blu-ray media.

Of course, while this sounds great, this low price would be for a reader only, which means these low priced drives will only be able to read Blu-ray discs, but also write to DVD and CD’s. In addition they have predicted that the pricing for notebook drives as well as Blu-ray burners would be a little higher, in the ballpark of $150.

Via [CrunchGear]

2008 - it seems to be the year of the UMPC. Following the success of the low cost Eee PC from Asus, other companies have been queuing up to create a worthy challenger. Although it had been expected that Sony would release a competitor soon there has not been any official announcement. Following in the path of the recent leak of the Dell mini notebook, the Quanta stand at Computex revealed the latest Sony mini notebook to the masses.

The properties screen on this mini notebook not only displayed its admirable specifications, but also that its manufacturer was none other than the Sony Corporation. As for the specifications, here is what we currently know; it’s powered by a 1.6GHz C7-M processor from Via Technologies which in this case was running Vista Home Basic. It also had a 8.9-inch display with a 1024 x 600 resolution, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, a 60GB hard drive, 1GB of RAM and also has built-in support for WiMAX.

So, if the price is up to the standards set by the Eee PC then this should become a welcome addition to the market, but if its in the Vaio lineup, then it will probably become the most expensive low cost laptop on the market as well.

Read [PC Advisor]

The rumored launch date is set for June 17, but those who are anxious to get more information about the BeiBei (G702) from Sony Ericsson will have to settle for this latest promo video. It seems this handset is taking its lead in from the P5 Paris, as they have both had a bunch of leaked images, followed up by some specs and then a video. The BeiBei will offer a touchscreen display, with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth and will be running UIQ over Symbian OS. Keep reading to check out the video.

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That sound you hear may be the death knell for the set-top box/dust magnet in your home entertainment center. Sony and the National Cable and Telecommunications Association have announced an agreement that will place the cable companies’ technologies inside future Sony TV models. This will allow consumers to dial up ALL their cable channels, access video-on-demand and use interactive services without having to find a place for a steaming-hot cable box near the TV.

The nation’s largest cable companies - Comcast, Time Warner, Cox, Charter, Cablevision and Bright House - are on board, and the pressure is now on Samsung, LG and other big-screen makers to follow Sony’s lead. The NCTA says they’re welcome to do so.

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Sony Europe has announced the DVP-NS708H upscaling DVD player. Touting this new DVD player as a perfect complement to BRAVIA LCD TV or any other HD Ready TV, the DVP-NSH708H transforms your standard definition DVDs into a better 1080p at 1920x1080 maximum full HD resolution, which suits perfectly for viewing in a larger TV screen sizes. Aside from packing the DVD player with a useful remote which controls the DVD player using BRAVIA Sync, the DVP-NS708H also features; HDMI, high resolution video output at 720p/1080i/1080p up-convert, stable playback through precision drive 3 mechanism, precision cinema progressive, photo TV HD, component video and coaxial digital outputs. If you feel dizzy after reading those specs and features, just relax. It simply means that this Sony DVD player will give you a more exhilarating DVD watching experience with better detail in the images and motion. The DVP-NS708H is now available in Europe, but no pricing information available just yet.

Read [Marketwire]

Sony has started shipping its weird egg-shaped music device, the Rolly in the United States. Released in Japan back in September 2007, the Rolly packs two integrated speakers which are capable of producing surround sound. It boasts 2GB of flash memory, Bluetooth, ATRAC and MP3 music file format support as well USB connectivity.

But aside from these features, what makes Rolly innovative or should we say a novelty item is the fact that it was designed to move to the beat of the music that it plays, thanks to its built-in robotic technology. It comes with pre-programmed choreography for three songs, “Also Sprach Zarathustra”, Avril Lavigne’s “Girlfriend” and Earth Wind and Fire’s “Boogie Wonderland.” In addition to this features, the Rolly also comes with 700 colors which light up to the music beat.

If this new Sony music player sounds interesting to you, it currently retails for $400 at all Sony Style retail stores.

Via [I4U News]