Samsung Smart TV
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Samsung's master plan: the AdHub platform for Smart TVs
Cunning move, Sammy! Taking advantage of your Smart TV prominence to start up your own global ad platform is pure textbook, and calling it 'Samsung AdHub' is equally shrewd. It'll enable both mobile and big-screen smart TV app developers to embed ads that exploit features like HD and 3D, and Samsung -- never shy of talking money -- hopes it'll become a "lucrative new business model." The logical next step? A Kindle-style discount on that nice little TV set in the picture, please.
Adobe's launching Flash Player 11, Air 3 bringing HD video and 3D gaming to all
While we've had access to Adobe's Flash Player 11 in beta form for months, the company announced it will finally get official, along with Air 3, next month. Among the many new features included are support for accelerated 2D and 3D graphics with a claimed 1,000 times faster performance than Flash Player 10 and Air 2. That's enough to enable "console-quality" gaming on both computers and connected TVs and on mobile devices (Android, iOS, Playbook) with a pre-release version of Flash 11 (a production release you can take on the go is expected in "the near future"). Other new options include allowing developers to package Air 3 along with their apps in a single install, HD video quality on multiple platforms including iOS, DRM for video rentals, 64-bit support and more. Check out Adobe's pitch to developers with a press release and demo videos after the break, including a look at the hit iPad game Machinarium which was built with its tools.
Samsung brings Van Gogh 'paintings' to Korea via Smart TV, makes us reach for the absinthe
This is sort of strange. People in Korea are looking at masterpieces of Western art on a TV screen -- and not from the comfort of their laptops. It's all part of something called Rêve et Réalité (Dream and Reality), a Samsung-sponsored exhibition that brings some of the world's most celebrated works to Seoul's Hangaram Museum via four, 46-inch LEDs. The expo, on display until September, features some of the greatest hits from Claude Monet, Jean F. Millet and, most notably, Van Gogh, whose Starry Night has never been on display in Korea (and, as far as we're concerned, still hasn't). Televised docents provide background info on the artists, whose paintings are all transmitted via a giant Smart TV video wall that blurs out all semblance of texture and nuance -- much like that bottle of absinthe we're about to pound.
Samsung Smart View shrinks Smart TV down for your Galaxy S II
We're not sure how many of you happen to own both a Galaxy S II and a Samsung Smart TV but, if you do, you'll probably want to download Smart View from the Android market. Like now -- don't worry, we'll wait. This handy app lets you stream content from your set to your smartphone over WiFi, and can even be used as a controller for games from the Samsung app store. Unfortunately, you're limited to either mirroring the content shown on the TV or watching an optional second stream from a Sammy-branded Blu-ray player but, hey, at least you won't have to miss a single second of Game of Thrones just because that box of Cheez-Its keeps whispering your name. Like any good TV-connected app, Smart View can also act as a remote with a program guide and the ability to change channels, and even more functionality is promised for the future. Eventually, it will make its way to Galaxy Player, Galaxy S, and Galaxy Tab owners but, while you wait, check out the gallery and PR below. %Gallery-125150%
Samsung Smart Touch Android remote app is now available for download
Great news, channel surfers -- Samsung's Smart Touch Android remote application is now finally available in the Android Marketplace as a free download nearly nine months after originally launching on iOS. If you dropped a hefty quantity of cheddar on a new model C Samsung Internet TV in 2010 (those with older models are out of luck) and can't wait for your Android handset to assimilate yet another life-task, today could be momentous. We say 'could' simply because our CES hands-on with the software wasn't exactly swell -- but then again, a massive trade show floor isn't exactly the best WiFi testing environment. Currently, the application has an average of four stars from 25 people, but it's not completely free from a smattering of crash and error reports. Feel free to give it a whirl if you've got the necessary gear, and if that match made in couch-potato heaven feeling doesn't come... well, don't give up hope, because that dual-sided QWERTY remote could save the day soon. %Gallery-113379%
Best of CES 2011
Maybe, just maybe, you've noticed that Engadget relocated this past week to the City of Sin for CES 2011. Oh yes, we set up camp in a double-wide trailer, liveblogged our hearts out, combed the show floor, and worked our rear ends off to bring you more gadget news than you ever thought possible. It's true, we've written over 720 posts (40 or so about tablets alone!), shot more than 180 videos, and brought you over 350 photo galleries in the last seven days. That's a ton of technology news and products, but naturally, only certain ones have been able to rise above the rest and stick out in our scary collective hive-mind. With that said, we've complied our annual best of list for you, so hit the break and feast your eyes on what are bound to be some of the best products of the new year.
Adobe announces Air 2.5 for TVs, tablets and phones, launches Adobe InMarket to package apps
Adobe's making a serious play for the app space today, and it's not limiting itself to phones -- its new Air cross-platform runtime environment is designed to toss apps on your smart televisions and tablets as well. Air 2.5 supports accelerometers, multi-touch gestures, cameras and microphones, GPS data and hardware acceleration in a variety of silicon. What's more, the company wants a piece of the action, so it's going to help developers bring their Air 2.5 apps to market by partnering with the stores themselves, and charging a mere 30 percent to take care of your hosting, billing and app store approval -- though we're informed the service will be free for the first year if you sign up today. The newly-christened Adobe InMarket won't help you get into the iTunes App Store, as you might expect, but it should assist with the Intel AppUp store... and perhaps a pair of brand-new marketplaces from RIM and Samsung as well. Remember when Samsung said it had a single platform for TV and phones late last week? We think this was what the company was talking about, because we have Adobe's word that the Samsung SmartTV will run Air 2.5 apps when it launches in early 2011. Air will also come standard in RIM's BlackBerry PlayBook, but it's not just for fun, productivity and games there -- Adobe told us that the PlayBook's entire UI is built on Air. We're not sure quite what we think of Adobe's role as encapsulated software middleman in the TV and tablet spaces, but we suppose that's what the firm's been doing on desktop PCs for years -- after all, what's Adobe Reader but a free way to open licensed PDFs? You should find the Adobe Air 2.5 SDK available on the company's website today, and a full press release after the break.
