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Hulu will stream last two presidential debates live on October 7th and 15th
The broadcasts are accompanied by a new Election '08 hub and the premiere of the political documentary "Crawford."
Hulu will stream the last two presidential debates live as they happen on October 7th and October 15th, a first for the site known for its on-demand offering of TV shows and movies. Clearly making an attempt to encourage political discussion, the live broadcasts are accompanied by an Election '08 hub -- an idea that has become popular with other services like Twitter -- that houses everything from debates and commentary to political spoofs from SNL. Not content with discussion and streaming alone, the company will also premiere "Crawford," the politically charged documentary that follows George W. Bush's relocation to a small-town in Texas. While Hulu's future as a streaming service is unclear, its actions at least demonstrate initial experiments with the functionality.
[Via TechMeme]
Profile pages: Hulu
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Nintendo confirms DSi will be region-locked
Both DSi games and downloadable content will be country-specific because the upcoming DSi tailors functionality to each region, says Nintendo.
Nintendo told CVG that the upcoming DSi will be region-locked, meaning DSi cartridges and downloadable content purchased in a given country will only work on devices sold in that country (e.g. Japanese DSi games are playable only on Japanese DSi units). This announcement contradicts earlier suggestions by the company that the new model would be region-free, claiming the new restriction is necessary because built-in internet services and parental controls are tailored for individual countries.
Though Nintendo says DS titles will remain region-free and will work on any DSi device, the massive homebrew communities built around these gaming systems may find a way to unlock them completely using the built-in SD card slot.
[Via Gizmodo]
Around the web: I4U News
, I4U News , Gizmodo , Joystiq , Joystiq , Joystiq , The Technology Chronicles , paidcontent.org Profile pages: Nintendo, Nintendo DSi, Nintendo DS, Region-locked
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Ask.com launches latest revision of its search engine
Built from scratch, the newest version focuses on a more efficient and helpful presentation of answers to questions.
Ask.com has launched the latest revision to its search engine -- this time starting from scratch -- that focuses more on showing answers to questions, as it was known for when it launched in 1996. While the new features aren't likely to threaten Google or Yahoo, they do improve the overall experience by offering answers directly inline with search results instead of displaying anonymous links alone. Pulling hand-written answers from sites like Yahoo Answers and WikiAnswers, the company is hoping to source and present informative, hand-written answers from individuals in a more helpful layout. In addition to subtle but effective changes to the user interface, the new engine said to be 30 percent faster and more accurate than the previous incarnation.
[Via The New York Times]
Around the web: Techmeme
Profile pages: Ask.com
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Yamaha announces four mini audio systems with iPod compatability
Ranging from $300 to $1,100, the new systems boast flexible connectivity, strong output and high signal to noise ratios.
Yamaha has announced four new mini audio systems that support everything from older RCA jacks to CDs to the latest iPods. At about $1,100, the flagship MCS-1330 also features a USB port for compatible flash drives, 2 x 60 watt output with a signal to noise ratio of 100dB and a 10Hz - 40,000Hz frequency response. Stepping down, the piano-black finish $345 MCR-330 and black-grain finish $320 MCR-330 offer the same features as their bigger brother, but drop output to 2 x 20 watts and a have a frequency response of 20Hz - 20,000Hz. While the base model $300 CRX-430 ups the output to 2 x 25 watts and maintains similar frequency characteristics, it loses the USB port offered by its pricier siblings. Yamaha mentions that the USB connection is disabled when the iPod dock is in use, likely to prevent piracy.
[Via Tech Digest]
Profile pages: USB, Yamaha, iPod dock, Frequency response, Signal to Noise Ratio, Yamaha CRX-430, Yamaha MCR-230, Yamaha MCR-330, Yamaha MCS-1330
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Royalty rate increase is rejected, Apple keeps iTunes open
Apple warned that iTunes would likely close down if rates were allowed to jump from 9 to 15 cents per song.
The Copyright Royalty Board has rejected the royalty rate increase, from 9 to 15 cents per song, that prompted Apple to threaten a complete shutdown of iTunes. Originally Proposed by the National Music Publishers Association, the rate hike would have made the iTunes store unprofitable because Apple is unwilling to budge from its 99 cents per song model -- from which it currently pays 65 to 75 cents to labels and artists -- and eat the cost of the increase. Not surprisingly, Apple and the Digital Media Association are pleased with the decision and the iTunes store will remain open. Until now, royalty rates for digital sales have been subject to the rates set for physical albums, but the CRB's recent decision sets the rates at 9.1 cents for song downloads and 24 cents for ringtones for the next five years.
Profile pages: Apple, iTunes Store (iTMS)
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Acer releases ultra-high-end Aspire Predator G7700 gaming rig
Looking to compete with Alienware and Falcon, the Predator desktop systems sport a bold design, liquid-cooling and a matching gaming monitor.
Acer has released its ultra-high-end Aspire Predator gaming rigs, revealed earlier this year. Shipping in two editions, the $1,650 G7700-UQ9300A includes a liquid-cooled 2.5Ghz Core 2 Quad processor, a GeForce 9600GT graphics card, 8GB of memory, and two 640GB drives, while the $2,200 G7700-UQ9550A ups the processor to 2.83Ghz, sports the GeForce 9800GTX video card, and gets an extra 640GB hard-drive giving it almost 2TB of storage. Acer also sells a matching 24-inch, 1920 x 1200 resolution gaming monitor, the $400 G24, that includes both DVI and HDMI ports and has a 50,000:1 contrast ratio with a 2 millisecond response time, according to the company.
[Via Engadget]
Profile pages: HDMI, Acer, Acer Aspire, DVI
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Philips exhibits 56-inch autostereoscopic quad HD, 3D TV
Currently aimed at businesses, the so-called "4k2k" set displays full 3D images without requiring viewers to wear special glasses.
Philips has unveiled another autostereoscopic 3D TV that is 4-inches larger than its previous version, a 56-inch set that can display Quad HD resolution 3D images without requiring viewers to wear special glasses. Based on the company's 3D WoW technology -- revealed last year in a 20-inch unit geared for point-of-sale locations -- the TV relies on the same eye tricks employed in previous incarnations of 3D, using advances in display technology to allow the sets to stitch together several different images and present them at different angles to the observer. Said to offer up to 46 views at once, the business-oriented unit is expected to cost $25,000 when it is released. Of course, the foundational elements for this system, ranging from Philips' WOWvx BlueBox 3D development rig to the ultra-fast fiber optic networks required to stream enough data for 3D images, are still in their infancy.
[Via Engadget]
Profile pages: Philips, Quad HD, Philips 56-inch Quad Full Autostereoscopic 3D HDTV Display
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JVC unveils pocket-sized, SDHC-only HD camcorder concepts
Targeting similar offerings from Sanyo and Panasonic, these unnamed concepts record high-definition video directly to SDHC.
JVC has revealed two pocket-sized, SDHC only HD camcorder concepts at CEATEC, capable of shooting both high-resolution video and stills. Following Sanyo and Panasonic's lead, JVC's unnamed concept cameras appear to ditch an internal hard-drive in favor of SDHC storage, allowing them to be lighter and smaller. Though there are no details provided by the company, it is likely that the devices will use AVCHD recording and compression format and include an HDMI port. Both palmcorder and pistol-grip designs were shown at the exhibition, though it remains to be seen what impact the small form factor will have on the sensor size and zoom capabilities when the units allegedly ship in the first half of 2009.
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Western Digital releases updated Green hard-drives and new networked storage system
Both the Caviar Green drives and the new ShareSpace Storage System employ "GreenPower" technology to reduce power consumption.
Western Digital has released the second-generation of its Caviar Green hard drives and a high-capacity, Green network storage system aimed at small offices and homes. Meant to reduce overall power consumption, the company's GreenPower technology allows the revamped 3.5-inch Caviar drives -- with capacities up to 1TB for $220 -- to consume 20% less power with a 10% increase in performance over the previous generation. This same reduced-power technology is present in the ShareSpace Storage System, a small-footprint, networked unit that lets multiple computers share and automatically backup files to a centralized place. Available in both $700 2TB and $1000 4TB variants, both models use 33% less power than standard setups, according to the company, and offer both RAID 0 and RAID 1 configurability, though only the latter adds a RAID 5 option as well.
Profile pages: Western Digital, RAID
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Toshiba reveals prototype of fast-charging, long-life SCIB laptop battery
Not commercially available any time soon, the prototype laptop battery features a 10-minute recharge time and a 10-year lifespan.
Toshiba has debuted a prototype of a new fast-charging laptop battery, based on its Super Charge Ion Battery (SCiB) technology that was revealed late last year. SCiB's charge to 90% capacity in under 10 minutes, have a 10-year lifespan with frequent recharging (withstanding 5,000 to 6,000 recharge cycles), won't explode if crushed or overheated and work in sub-zero temperatures, giving them a clear advantage over the currently-dominant Lithium-ion batteries. Though Toshiba's innovative technology has already been available for industrial machinery since March and will be available next year on the Cannondale electric bike from Schwinn Tailwind, the company says the laptop-version demonstrated won't be commercially available for quite some time. Eventually meant to make their way into electric and hybrid cars sometime around 2010, it remains to be seen if there are any drawbacks or other yet-to-be-discovered risks associated with these new batteries.Profile pages: Toshiba
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