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LG's SnowWhite is like a Keurig for ice cream
SXSW 2019 isn't just about films, politicians, designers and social media founders. There are also gadgets here to check out. Enter LG's SnowWhite, a concept machine designed to let you easily make ice cream at home. The SnowWhite is basically like a Keurig, featuring a pod-based system that allows you to choose the base and flavor for a variety of frozen desserts. That means it isn't just limited to ice cream: You might also be able to make gelato, granita, sorbet, yogurt and more. I say "might" because LG is adamant that the SnowWhite is only a prototype right now -- this is more about showing off what the company thinks it can create for your home. That said, LG did just introduce its automated HomeBrew machine at CES 2019, so the SnowWhite could eventually become a reality. If it does, LG says you'll be able to make ice cream, gelato or any of the other desserts listed above in two to five minutes. In addition to that, the system can clean itself and may offer both a touchscreen and physical dial for controlling its settings. Unfortunately, the SnowWhite at SXSW wasn't a working model, which is disappointing because it would've been great to have a scoop in this Texas heat. But, considering the popularity of Keurigs, the SnowWhite isn't a bad idea. Now I just hope LG adds some sort of smartphone integration in the future, because that would make my life even easier. I could just pull out my phone, use an app to tell the SnowWhite what to make me and in a few minutes, boom, I'd have ice cream waiting for me in the kitchen. Ultra lazy status achieved.
Samsung, it turns out, knows how to make a white Galaxy S
That rumored white Galaxy S for Europe is looking closer to reality now that Samsung has announced a "Snow White" version of the M110S -- the particular flavor of the burgeoning Galaxy S series that it sells in its own backyard of South Korea. Notably, this puppy lacks the white bezel we'd seen in the European rumor, but regardless, it's still a whole lot paler than any version we've seen launch thus far. No word yet on what sort of space-age materials, science, and technology went in to getting this thing manufactured as of press time; if your interest is sufficiently piqued, SKT is the carrier you're going to want to hit up.
Frog Design releases 1983 tablet prototypes
It's this week! It's almost a sure bet that we'll finally, after all of these years, see the Apple tablet unveiled this week, and to celebrate, Frog Design (the company responsible for many of Apple's designs back in the day) has given Wired some old shots of prototype tablets from the Cupertino company ... from 1983. Of course, Apple has released tablet-like devices before, and they've been thinking about this type of computer for a long time. But back in 1983, they apparently commissioned some concepts for an unreleased tablet called "Bashful" (so called because it was designed to work with the Snow White "industrial design language" that Apple used back then in the //c and other releases. As you can see above, the tablet isn't exactly "elegant" by today's standards, but it is interesting how similar it actually is to many of today's smartphones and handhelds, considering that we're talking about almost 30 years ago now. One model had a floppy drive attached (which was gigantic), and apparently they even considered a version with a phone on it as well. We still don't know for sure what Apple's release this week will look like, but it's fascinating to think just how far back the planning for this week's unveiling actually went.
Paramount flicks to see Blu-ray purchase, DVD rental availability ahead of DVD sale date
We'll leave it to rabid commenters to debate how well Blu-ray is or isn't doing, but Paramount's latest weapon to boost sales and DVD rentals is a staggered release schedule. Variety reports Dance Flick (sure reference material) will debut on September 8 in unrated Blu-ray form for purchase, plus rental DVD & blu-ray, while a version for purchase on DVD should arrive four to eight weeks later. Disney already tried something similar with its Bolt rollout, but retailers botched it and put both versions on shelves at the same time in many cases, though that hasn't stopped the studio from planning to try again with Snow White. At least in this case, we figure it's probably more about boosting rentals and testing the waters, but with VP of Paramount Ken Williams saying "that releasing a Blu-ray exclusively for sell-through will help drive adoption of the format" we figure the day a new blockbuster hits shelves on Blu only (for a limited time) isn't far off.
Snow White's Blu-ray debut is October 6
Announced during CES as the third title (after Sleeping Beauty and Pinnochio) to get Disney's Platinum Edition treatment, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs will appear for the first time in high definition October 6 --well ahead of the standard DVD November 24 -- and Disney prez Bob Chapek is already bragging that it will be a reference point for home entertainment libraries. Expect a major push from Disney to upsell its family customers to the HDTV edition, with the staggered release scheduling and meticulous attention paid to this release, there's no question this as much a part of the company's Blu-ray driving strategy as its Magical Tour last year. USA Today also says several Blu-ray exclusive extras will be included, but your guess is as good as ours what they are, other than the now standard for Disney $40 combo pack that includes a DVD and Pinnochio's Disney View picture frame.
Disney to finally unleash a few classics on Blu-ray
Ever since the early days of the format war, many have questioned Disney's dedicated to the format because over the years as Disney has released a few classics out of its vault onto DVD, Blu-ray fans were left looking through the window. About a year ago we finally got word that Disney was going to stop this trend and release Sleeping Beauty on Blu-ray -- complete with BD Live extras -- and now we got word that there are more classics to follow. In the next two years, Disney plans to release Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio and Beauty and the Beast on Blu. This is a great sign the Disney is finally pulling out all the stops and putting all its weight behind the new HD format, but only time will tell if these family favorites will be enough to help Blu-ray replace DVD and not be replaced by digital downloads -- anytime soon anyways.
