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Latest Roku TV update makes any smartphone a wireless headset
One of Roku's smartest features was the company's decision to pop a headphone jack right into the remote, turning it into a wireless headset and saving your housemates from overhearing potential spoilers in the process. With Roku's latest OS 7.5 update, users can now get that same feature on any Roku TV model using any iOS or Android device connected to the same WiFi network.
Xiaomi's $69 4K Android TV box arrives in the US
Xiaomi's Mi Box, a 4K Android TV device, is officially launching in the US from lunchtime today, priced at $69. If you want to pick one up, then you can head over to the company's official website or at your local Walmart in the very near future. Unless, of course, you happened to spot that the devices have actually been available on store shelves for the last couple of weeks. Then you can just sit back, enjoy your already-installed unit and ignore all of this talk of an official announcement.
With the PlayStation TV, Sony's going after families with young kids
The PlayStation TV is a curious oddity. The $100 device, a rebranded Vita TV that's slated to launch in North America and Europe later this fall, is Sony's direct answer to the Apple TV, Roku and Amazon Fire TV streaming boxes currently flooding the market. It's also the only box of the bunch capable of offering a video game experience that goes beyond just casual gaming. In fact, the PlayStation TV's library of titles spans several platforms: the PS Vita, PSP, PS One, PS3 (via PS Now's cloud streaming) and PS4 over Remote Play. It'll also offer consumers the ability to stream video content. But with the PS4 occupying the top spot in the PlayStation totem pole, we have to wonder: Just who is the PlayStation TV for?
This is BlackBerry's unreleased 'Cyclone' streaming box
In 2011, BlackBerry was rumored to be developing a media box to compete against the likes of Roku and Apple TV. While that device never made it to market, it looks like the company did manufacture some units, as proven by pictures posted on the CrackBerry forums. These photos were taken by user "isaac708," who claims he got 10 BlackBerry Cyclones (the device's code name) inside a box full of server stuff from a RIM liquidator. Half of those units came with a remote control, and some of them can actually connect to the internet via WiFi as well as stream videos to a TV using HDMI connection. One of the images he posted even shows the box's user interface with the YouTube and Slacker apps in full view, though Netflix, which is also supposed to be part of Cyclone's repertoire, is nowhere to be seen. While the device's fate is likely up in the air (if it hasn't been scrapped yet) due to the company's ongoing struggles, the pictures after the break should give you an idea of how it looks. [Thanks, Joel]
Rumors of an Amazon music service, TV set-top box swirl yet again
We're still not sure whether Amazon's truly launching a music streaming service, but if it does, you might only be able to access songs and albums for a limited time. According to the Wall Street Journal, the e-commerce company hopes to offer music streaming as part of Prime to justify an annual membership (from $79 to $119) price increase. Unlike other services like Spotify or Pandora, Amazon's end goal is to entice people to download tracks from its MP3 store, hence, the time limit. Meanwhile, Billboard reports on rumors compiled from sources at multiple labels, where Amazon's apparently going after older titles, and proposing smaller, capped payments based on the number of plays. The service's existence depends on whether Amazon and recording companies can agree on licensing fees, though -- it's reportedly far from being a done deal.
