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iPhone X may pack a 6-core processor
This weekend's huge iOS 11 leak continues to spill the beans on the iPhone X... and the latest tidbits may be particularly relevant to performance junkies. Twitter user Longhorn has found that the processor in the iPhone X, and likely the step-down iPhone 8 models, will be a six-core chip. It's not clear how many of these will be higher-powered cores versus energy-saving secondary cores (Longhorn suspects only two are high-speed cores), but it looks as if they might all be usable at the same time. That would be a big step up from the A10 Fusion in the iPhone 7, which only allows the high- or low-speed cores to run at any given moment.
India is building a monsoon-predicting supercomputer
In India, monsoons are big business. If the country has a healthy rainy season, its agricultural industry thrives and helps account for a fifth of the total value of its goods and services. It's vitally important for meteorologists to predict when those rains will come, so instead of utilizing numerical or statistical predictions -- which once failed to predict India's biggest drought in 40 years in 2009 -- the country is spending $60 million on a supercomputer that could give farmers the advance notice they need to plant crops and increase yields.
Monsoon Vulkano Flow, Blast launch DVR-to-mobile feature for iPhone, iPad and Android
Monsoon Multimedia is again advancing its Vulkano line of set-top boxes with a feature not found on Sling, TiVo or Roku, adding the ability to make DVR recordings directly to iPad, iPhone or Android devices. While users can still watch TV from anywhere in the world using the Vulkano, the new DVR-to-mobile feature is restricted to WiFi and will only work with the Vulkano Flow and eventually the Blast. Sure you could store your shows on a hard drive and move them over or stream later, but this way fans of The Killing on AMC can be disappointed by the season finale later on even while offline. Updates for the platform-appropriate $13 apps should arrive shortly, while Blackberry users are assured the feature is on the way soon for them too.
Poll: How important is placeshifting?
We know, the dream of the future is to watch all the content we want, wherever we want, but unfortunately the present is a little more complicated. While Dish seem to have the best thing going for "TV Anywhere" with its Sling integration and AT&T has made some strides with U-Verse Mobile, others like Cablevision and Time Warner have only extended the live TV string as far as the bathroom, kitchen or other rooms within your home. TV Everywhere efforts have so far mostly allowed viewing of video on-demand wherever you are like Comcast's Xfinity and HBO Go so we're wondering if true placeshifting is actually a key feature for you right now, or something you can live without. %Poll-62881%
Vulkano Flow now available, does 480p placeshifting for under a hundred bucks
Monsoon has announced the "general availability" of a new placeshifting box, the Vulkano Flow. As we learned during CES, this box has a $99 price tag and trims last year's Vulkano to just the placeshifting essentials. It's most similar to the Slingbox Solo in that it will accept HD inputs but can only stream video at a max 720x480 resolution, which could be passable watching on a PC with a small screen or one of the mobile apps (iOS, Blackberry, Android, $12.99/ea.) There are a few hands-ons and reviews out already, with ZatzNotFunny noting a few tweaks were still necessary to get things running while The Gadgeteer has a bevy of screenshots for you to check out the UI. Monsoon's other new box, the Blast, is still launching in "the near future," which builds on the Flow's specs (detailed after the break) with DVR recording capability and HDMI output for $199.
Vulkano Blast and Flow due this month, streaming your media all over the place
You know what was missing form Vulkano's last release? More pun-ful names, that's what. Enter the Vulkano Blast and Flow do-it-all media boxes. For $99, the latter boasts watching live TV, browsing episode guides, and accessing recorded content via PC, Macs, smartphones, and various tablets -- iOS, BlackBerry, and Android for now, according to the press release, with Windows (Phone?) 7 and Symbian on the horizon. Meanwhile, the Blast adds HDMI out, UPnP support, and a 160GB hard drive for $199. Both have a 802.11n router and both are due out this month, if ya dig.
Android and BlackBerry remote viewing / scheduling apps hit for Monsoon Vulkano
Forgotten about Monsoon's darkhorse-of-a-DVR? Surely not! Particularly if you're a BlackBerry or Android user. Monsoon's do-it-all STB has just received a pair of free applications for two of the largest mobile operating systems on the market, with both BlackBerry and Android users soon able to both schedule recordings and watch live / recorded television from afar. According to the company, the apps enable users to "enjoy all the Vulkano features including integrated DVR, web video, place shifting, Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) streaming and Mobile Video Recording from anywhere," which sounds dangerously hopeful if we're being frank. But hey, if mobile access was keeping you from making the plunge, you'll need to scrounge up another excuse now. A good problem to have, you know?
Monsoon Vulkano do-it-all media box starts shipping, gets unboxed
Looking for one box to rule them all? If so, you must have glossed right over Monsoon's Vulkano launch, but lucky for you, there's a reminder coming in the form of a 'now shipping' proclamation. Just weeks after the $379 mega-box -- which aims to replace all of those other STBs under your television -- went up for pre-order, the earliest of adopters have started to receive their devices. We're still waiting on a proper critique, but if you're yearning to have a glance at what the future of media looks like, give those links below a look. Just kidding about that last part, by the way. [Thanks, Dan]
Monsoon Vulkano all-in-one DVR/placeshifting/media streaming box ready for preorder, ships August 10
Monsoon -- after taking advantage of a few delays since our initial hands-on by adjusting the name and pricing -- is finally ready to show off the followup to its HAVA line of placeshifting media streamers, the Vulkano. Integrating a video processor and local storage into its slim frame, the Vulkano accepts HD video over its analog inputs for recording and live streaming to other devices (PC, Mac, iPhone/iPad, Blackberry and Android players will be available at launch, with a Symbian version on the way) or it can convert recordings locally for them to be downloaded over WiFi or 3G and stored on those devices for offline viewing. Remote scheduling and channel changing functionality (controlling connected set-top boxes via IR blaster) isn't a shocking new feature, but this goes a step further by bringing internet videos to your TV (YouTube, local UPnP devices) Boxee and Popbox style, and other big names like Hulu, Netflix, Google TV, Amazon Yahoo! Widgets and a full HTML browser are promised to show up in firmware updates soon. Believers can hit the site to preorder now, with units ranging from the $279 Vulkano with 8GB of SD card storage, up to a $379 Vulkano Pro with 1TB eSATA HDD included and other sizes planned in between. Check after the break for a press release with more details, and our hands on video from CES. %Gallery-98258%
Monsoon adds streaming, sideloading sweetness to new Volcano placeshifting box
Blazing a different path from Sling or even its own HAVA line, Monsoon's Volcano is not just an HD placeshifting device -- it can play back video from attached storage devices, NAS or PCs, plus internet video from YouTube or CinemaNow. Existing remote DVR and streaming features are joined by sideloading, as it can deliver compressed recordings to compatible mobiles (Android, iPhone, BlackBerry, Symbian, Windows Mobile) over 3G for later offline viewing. Other additions include an OS X client, MPEG-4 support plus plans for downloadable apps like Boxee and an open SDK for developers. Pricing is set at $199 with 4GB of flash memory included or $299 with 250GB HDD. Check out a video of our quick demo of the client running on a Motorola DROID and a press release with all the other details after the break. %Gallery-82512%
HAVA media streamer for iPhone available now
Just a quick note to all you HAVA Player enthusiasts: the iPhone app that Monsoon announced at CES is finally ready for public consumption. Available from the App Store (of all places), the software lets HAVA owners control it all remotely -- including cable, satellite, and DVR. What's more, you can stream your recorded programming right onto the handset for all those times when you can't stand to be apart from Jim Cramer (few and far between, we know). Supports iPhone and iPod touch (with OS 2.2.1 or higher) and goes for $9.99. PR after the break.
Monsoon brings HAVA Player for Apple's iPhone
Early last year, Monsoon Multimedia announced that the HAVA Mobile Player would be coming to S60 handsets; here at CES, we've learned that the same software is headed to Apple's iPhone. For those unaware, HAVA Player for iPhone allows HAVA customers to view and control their home television and services, including satellite and TiVo, from anywhere in the world. An on-screen remote enables users to change channels, browse the EPG and pause / view recorded shows from most any cable / satellite DVR in real time. Furthermore, iPhone users can also export their HAVA DVR recordings to iTunes (pictured after the break) to watch later, but those looking to take advantage will have to wait until sometime next quarter. Ah well, at least it'll be free. Full release is after the break.
HAVA Mobile Player comes to S60 handsets
It seems like just yesterday that Nokia's N800 and N810 internet tablets garnered HAVA support (not to mention those WinMo cellies), and lo and behold, Monsoon Multimedia is now announcing that S60-based handset owners will be able to enjoy the same luxuries. Hailed as a TV place-shifting, video-streaming solution for S60 3rd edition on Symbian OS, the HAVA Mobile Player gives HAVA adopters "the ability to watch and control all of their home television channels and services from anywhere in the world on a mobile device." Unfortunately, the free download (for HAVA owners) won't be available until Q3, but it's being shown off now at the S60 Summit 2008 and in the gallery below. Dig in, won't you? %Gallery-23832%
HAVA player hits Nokia's internet tablets
Monsoon's HAVA HD streamer doesn't get quite as much love as the various Slingboxes, but it's a fine piece of kit with features Sling doesn't have quite yet, like pause and rewind -- and now it's got one more supported client platform, as the company's using CTIA to roll out support for Nokia's Internet Tablet OS. That means the N800 and N810 can now get in on the action, and the quality looks pretty decent -- the crew over at Internet Tablet Talk got a chance to play with an early version, and they think it looks even better than the PC client. Hmm, looks like that WiMAX N810 could double as a fairly decent portable TV, eh? Video after the break.[Thanks, Joey]
Hands-on with Monsoon's new HD-capable HAVA streamer
Well, after both Samsung and Netgear demoed wireless HD streaming yesterday -- and Netgear actually got cheers for pulling out a RAID drive while doing it -- Monsoon's breathless press release for its HD-capable HAVA hardware streamer seems a little overenthusiastic, but it's their party, so we won't wreck it too much. The new box rocks 802.11n and allows users to multicast up to 1080i video to unlimited clients on their home network and one broadband-connected client over the net -- including WinMo phones -- and the PC client software features PVR features that'll allow you to pause and rewind the stream. Monsoon says the new HAVA gear will be available in spring through "select retailers," but pricing details are still a little up in the air. We actually caught some time with this thing yesterday in what looks to be the older-style casing, check it out in the gallery! %Gallery-12900%
Will name changes let ninjas run free?
While Robin and I think it's a great idea, some people are in an outcry about the upcoming name-change service that Blizzard is offering. As Monsoon tells Blizzard on the forums:This is probably the worst ever decision ever made. How are we supposed to track ninjas and retards who may apply to our guild if there is no way to track their name changes?"Nethaera calmly responds:Perhaps putting them on an ignore list might help.The ignore list will be automatically updated once that character's name change gets activated. Of course no system is fool proof, and there will always be someone looking to exploit things, but realistically, is it a terribly big problem if people you consider "ninjas" and "retards" yet are still unwilling to put on your ignore list can change their names once every 90 days? In my experience, the kind of person who likes to call others "retards" generally isn't very nice themselves, and tends to find new "retards" all the time (with no offense meant to Monsoon here). I don't think it would be possible, even if the ignore list were extended to include a potential thousands of names, for some people to be satisfied that all the "ninjas" and "retards" were sufficiently dealt with and removed from the system
Hava-maker Monsoon slapped with first GPL lawsuit
It looks like the open source community is about to head into some uncharted waters, with the first GPL-related lawsuit in the US now headed to court. At the center of this particular brouhaha is Hava-maker Monsoon Multimedia, who is being sued by the Software Freedom Law Center for alleged violations of the GNU General Public License (GPL). In particular, the SFLC says that Monsoon licensed the BusyBox software for embedded applications from its clients, yet failed to provide the underlying source code to its products in return, which is required under the GPLv2. Adding a bit more interest to the case, as Linux-Watch points out, is the fact that Monsoon is headed by a "highly experienced" lawyer named Graham Radstone, who apparently previously held the top legal spot at an unnamed "$1 billion private multinational company." For its part, the SFLC is seeking an injunction against Monsoon, and is asking for damages and litigation costs to be awarded to the plaintiffs. [Via Slashdot]
Monsoon's HAVA line gets Windows Mobile support
Placeshifting just seems to make so much more sense when you can shift to your handset. Sling recognized that last year (though its Symbian support is still a no-show unless you're on 3) and now Monsoon's hopping on the mobile video bandwagon, adding Windows Mobile support to its HAVA line of placeshifters. No word on exactly when it'll be coming out of beta, but when it does, HAVA owners will have compatibility with Pocket PC phones, Smartphones, and even classic Pocket PCs (via WiFi, naturally) to get their TV fix on the go. If they make it free, it's a strong marketing point over Sling's now-commercialized offering (hint, hint, Monsoon).[Via PhysOrg.com]
