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Apple adds movies in the cloud for Japan, others
Apple has continued their global expansion of iTunes in the Cloud for Movies with the addition of eight new markets for the service. Movie fans in Austria, Estonia, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovenia, and Switzerland can now re-download content they've previously purchased in iTunes from the cloud. Since launching in 2011 as a music service, iTunes in the Cloud has slowly expanded to cover new markets and services. In 2012, support was added for Movies, but the roll out to different markets around the world has been slow. For a complete list of countries where the service is currently not available head over to Apple Support.
PSA: iPhone 5 available in 22 more countries, on Cricket and US regional carriers galore
Disappointed that your country or favorite carrier missed the initial cut for the iPhone 5 launch? Odds are that you're all good now. Worldwide, 22 more countries have joined the mix as of today, including wide swaths of Europe as well as New Zealand; you'll find the full list in the release here. Americans also don't have to turn to the big carriers, as they can now opt for prepaid carrier Cricket in addition to a slew of extra providers that include C Spire as well as regionals like GCI and nTelos. In some cases, you'll even snag a discount by going with one of the smaller networks. If you bagged an iPhone in Barcelona, or caught one on Cellcom, let others know how it's going in the comments. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Web Marketplace for Windows Phone gets 22 more stamps in its passport
If you've been holed up in Thailand, waiting to browse the latest and greatest apps for your Windows Phone in your browser instead of on the device directly, then things are looking up. Microsoft has just announced that 22 new countries are being graces with their own web Marketplace. The full list covers Bulgaria, Costa Rica, Croatia, Estonia, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey, Ukraine, Venezuela, UAE, Bahrain, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kazakhstan, Israel, Thailand, and Vietnam. The same blog post advises that work is also underway to improve the search results delivered by the site. So you might not have to play Hungry Birds for much longer.
PSA: Get your new iPad today in Austria, Ireland, Mexico and many other places
If your homeland wasn't part of the initial iPad roll out we've got good news -- today is the day for iOS tabletry. Maybe. The latest slab of Retina display-equipped machinery out of Cupertino is landing in 25 additional countries today, including Liechtenstein and Luxembourg. So, if you haven't been waiting on line since the 16th in anticipation of this day, then go to your local Apple store to score one. Or don't. For the full list of countries check the PR after the break.
Robots learning our pain threshold by punching humans and seeing if they cry
The first rule of robotics is you do not talk about robotics that a robot should not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. But how does a robot know when its acts or omissions are causing nearby fleshies discomfort? The obvious way is to scan for the same signals of distress that we humans do -- facial, physical, and aural -- but another, more fun, way is to just hit people over and over again and ask them how much each blow hurt. That's what professor Borut Povse over in Slovenia is doing, in a research project he describes as "impact emulation," where six test subjects are punched by a robotic arm until they can't take it anymore. It's funny, yes, but it's also novel and a somewhat ingenious way to collect data and produce more intelligent machines. Of course, whether we actually want more intelligent machines is another matter altogether. [Thanks, Anthony]
Robot Partner 2.0 shuffles objects around the table so you don't have to
This is Robot Partner 2.0 by Slovenian artist Stefan Doepner. Recently exhibited at the 2008 ARS Electronica Festival, Robot Partner is billed as a robotic "living table installation." The table can clumsily shuffle objects around itself using an undisclosed technology (magnets, perhaps?) and is intended to showcase the "absurdity" of "service-automation." We're not entirely sure what that means, but you can see for yourself after the break.[Via Make]
Busy Labor Day for Apple rumors
While the TUAW team was enjoying our holiday grilling (important safety tip: be sure to clean out the grease trap on your grill at the end of the season, so you don't have an incendiary problem... and also, it's true that baking soda really works well on grease fires) our sister scribes at Engadget were pumping out a few posts on some percolating iPhone & iPod items, mostly from the Berlin IFA trade show. The scorecard: The first wild sighting of a case for the rumored "skinny iPod nano" was picked up by Engadget Spanish and translated for English-speaking audiences. The Hama case even has a full gallery of photos over at ES. It's beginning to look like Kevin Rose (no relation!) may have been right about this one. The kitchen is rocking with the new "made for iPhone refrigerator" from Slovenian manufacturer Gorenje. That's the unit in the picture on the right. Aside from music and video playback, the iFridge features an iPhone-optimized web portal that lets you control your WiFi enabled appliances, Jetsons-style. I'm simultaneously amused, appalled, and seriously jonesing for a new refrigerator. One rumor post that, while it still may pan out, is awaiting some evidentiary support: this Best Buy circular leak that purports to show a new iPod touch model. We all want a new touch, but in this case the circular turns out to be over a month old. Good thing I can still save that $300 and put it towards the iFridge
Cinemassively: Futuristing Tower
As big business analysts are once again interested in Second Life, we can expect a flood of agencies on the scene, ready to virtualize their clients. Futuristi?ni Marketing, a Slovenian company, will be opening their offices in SL on December 18th, 2007. Now that Americans are the minority, it's nice to see other countries offering targeted marketing for the brands that they identify with.Not much can be said for the Machinima itself. It's a building, but at least it's a nice building. Honestly, the music is what hooked me. Well, that and the promise of things to come. I look forward to seeing what they choose to do with their new space!
