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FuboTV adds NHL and MLB coverage to its premium sports packages
With FuboTV, the soccer programming focus is right there in the name. However, the cord-cutting service wants to capture fans of all sports, so it has just unveiled two pretty great new additions. If you subscribe to the FuboTV Extra or Sports Plus packages, you'll now get access to the NHL Network and MLB Network. The latter offers up to 150 live games per year, along with news, analysis and more, while the NHL Network also plays multiple games per week plus shows like NHL Now and NHL Tonight.
Sling TV launches new Extra channel bundles
It's no secret that Sling wants to overthrow the sluggish cable providers. But as more an more people start cutting the cord, Sling is finding out that some of them aren't quite ready to ditch the channel packages that they're used to. Now, to cover the middle ground between broadcast TV, streaming services and a complete cable replacement, Sling is introducing new channel bundles for fans of Comedy, News, Lifestyle or Children's programming.
House of Cards S2 Blu-ray goes on sale June 19th for those who prefer a hard copy
House of Cards may be most famous for leading the charge of Netflix's original streaming content, but the show's producer Media Rights Capital is ready for all avenues. Just like the first season, season two will get a release on physical discs this summer from Sony Pictures. Frank Underwood's Washington D.C. escapades are ready for viewing in 1080p, and although that's not 4K, at least your ISP's connection to Netflix can't get in the way. One change this year is that there are a few extras on the discs including a behind the scenes look at a table read and dive into Frank's tendency to directly address the viewer -- we'll have to wait and see if Netflix adds special features to the streaming editions before the next season arrives. There's no pricetag yet, but the first season started off at about $50 before settling in near $30, and we'd expect about the same for this one.
Kaleidescape's online video store officially opens, promises Blu-ray quality downloads
Kaleidescape launched its online offering in beta late last year, and now it's officially open, becoming what it claims is the first store to provide "internet delivery of Blu-ray quality movies." The Kaleidescape Store goes beyond other 1080p services (Vudu, iTunes, Xbox and PSN come to mind) by promising the disc-equaling higher bitrates, extras and lossless audio options they don't have. There's no streaming to be had here, only downloads, with file sizes we saw ranging from 23GB (Austin Powers) to as much as 55.4GB (Inception) and everywhere in between. While the store is only built to work with Kaleidescape's high-end disc-playback systems -- these usually start in the thousands of dollars, and you'll need M-Class hardware for HD -- it currently offers movies from Warner Bros. with an Ultraviolet copy attached, so buyers can play them back on mobile devices through apps such as Flixster and Vudu. Ultraviolet support also means $6.99 upgrades of DVD purchases to Blu-ray-quality HD, and potentially disc-to-digital type features later. Naturally, anyone interested will need an internet connection with a generous / non-existent bandwidth cap, but we imagine that's not out of the price range for these niche owners. Still, it does provide an idea of the difficulty others like Sony and Netflix will face when trying to digitally distribute feature films in 4K to a wider audience. Check out a few screens of the store in the gallery, and the Random Thoughts blog link below for firsthand impressions from a beta tester.%Gallery-187360%
Wii U WiiPads won't be sold separately at launch in US, will be later on
We've known the Wii U can support the simultaneous usage of two WiiPads for as long as we've known that no launch titles will support such madness. Japanese Wii U owners will eventually be able to purchase extra WiiPads for ¥13,440 ($173), while Americans have not been given a price or separate release date yet."Through the launch window, there are no games that leverage a second controller," Nintendo of America CEO Reggie Fils-Aime told Engadget. "And so, during the launch window here in NOA territories, we will not be selling at retail a second gamepad. But certainly, when the games come out, we'll be making that accessory available."We suppose that wanting to future-proof your living room against the inevitable games that will support two WiiPads could be a valid reason for buying one right now, but a more likely scenario is one involving children, permanent markers and that stylus-driven touchscreen. Anyone looking to replace a damaged or otherwise undesirable WiiPad will need to contact Nintendo customer support when the times comes.
Clips from Kick-Ass Blu-ray show off exclusive special features
Kick-Ass comes to Blu-ray next week, and it seems Lionsgate has been dropping clips of the special features all over the web in preparation for its release. Not surprisingly for a studio with a rep for pushing the technological limits, it has plenty of Blu-ray exclusives planned, including "Ass Kicking Bonus View Mode" to draw together commentary, background footage and graphics along with the movie, and the "A New Kind of Superhero: The Making of Kick-Ass" documentary. Check out the most recent clip from MovieWeb embedded after the break, along with a few others TheHDRoom has found floating around the net, and check out the movie when it's released August 3.
Sony Ericsson spends some marketing bucks, christens its accessories 'Extras'
Long gone are the simple times when accessories were just accessories, apparently, because Sony Ericsson is making a pretty big deal that they all fall under the umbrella of an actual brand now: "Extras." Yes, "Extras" with a capital "E," as opposed to saying "hey, I'm going to buy some extras with my phone." Totally different animal here, you see. To commemorate the occasion, Sony Ericsson is kicking off the Extras brand on the right foot with the VH110 and VH410 Bluetooth headsets (pictured left and right, respectively), both of which will be available in August; both fall into the "Talk" subcategory. Oh, we forgot to mention those? Yes, Extras will be divided into four buckets depending on the accessory type: Talk, Play, Listen, and Go. We imagine we can expect announcements to fill up those other categories shortly. Follow the break for Sony Ericsson's release.
What's that menu item mean on my Mac?
Ever since you've started using your Mac, you've been looking at those icons towards the top right of your display in your menu bar. These items can direct to many different things, from connecting to a wireless network, to finding items on your Mac. These items not only can be clicked on to show a pop-up menu to perform actions, they can also indicate activity depending on what that icon if for. Here's a summary of some of the most widely-used icons, some menu items you might not have seen before on your Mac, common applications that have uses for menu items, and some extra functions in these items. Spotlight: The Spotlight menu item provides an easy shortcut to finding files on your Mac. Clicking it will show a search box directly under the menu bar, and will provide a summary of results when searching. This icon will also indicate when your Mac is indexing new search results, like when you plug in a external hard drive, by a pulsing dot inside the magnifying glass. Bluetooth: This icon (which is a Bluetooth logo) will show the current status of Bluetooth on your Mac. If Bluetooth is turned on, it will simply show the Bluetooth symbol. If it's turned off, the item will appear faded. If the Bluetooth part has been unplugged, it will slow a line and it will also appear faded. If your Mac is connected to a Bluetooth device, it will show three dots along with a faded Bluetooth logo. If your Mac is connected to an Apple Wireless Keyboard or Mouse, there will be a low battery warning displayed on the icon if their batteries are running low.
Find a use for that extra DS
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo/Ten_uses_for_that_extra_DS'; Nintendo is pumping out new DS colors with a vengeance, and many DS owners who've been clinging to their original models are finally breaking down and upgrading to a Lite. Still others already had a Lite, but found themselves lulled into spending even more money on a spiffy new shade. We just can't control ourselves in the face of such beauty. But what happens when you end up with a second DS? Unless you've been retro-fitted with an extra pair of arms, you probably don't need two handhelds. Rather than letting the extra sit around and collect dust, check out our suggested uses for that second DS. Ten things to do with that DS
AT&T enables Flickr photo viewing on U-verse TV
As carriers (and STB manufacturers) continue to implement new and varied extras to make their service just different enough to reel you in, AT&T's making sure it doesn't get caught stale by enabling its users to view Flickr images from the comfort of their couch. AT&T Online Photos, as it's so eloquently dubbed, is an integrated photos channel that allows users to access their own account and watch slideshows by simply flipping to channel 91 or navigating through the U-verse TV menu. Hey, U-verse subscribers -- why not give this a go and see if it's more useful than gimmicky (or vice-versa)? One more look after the jump.
DS Daily: Other uses
If you're anything like us, you may have more than one DS. Unless you play a lot of multiplayer with your sad, lonely, DS-less friends, that extra unit may not see a lot of use. If that's the case, what do you do with that extra unit when it's not in use? Sometimes we let cats lick it, if they are so inclined, because we like to share, but it often sits forgotten on a table or bookshelf ... unless we decided to set up something funny (to see how long it takes for others to notice it). See above. For the record, you could not pay us to challenge Ein at multiplayer anything.What do you do with yours? Or, if you are extra-free, what would you do?
The interactive Wii cost calculator [update 2]
Let's face it: the true "price" of the Wii is nowhere close to two hundred and fifty dollars. It varies wildly from person to person, dependent on launch titles, extra controllers, and virtual console points. That's why some clever folks at N-sider.com have put together a lovely calculator for you, to determine how much you'll be spending come November. It gives accurate descriptions of all confirmed launch titles, and takes into account just about everything you could possibly desire ... except, unfortunately, an SD card. Still, with the limited number of Virtual Console titles at launch, the chances that you'll be needing a additional storage immediately are pretty slim. Check below for the entire Wii Fanboy staff's expected costs!Jason Wishnov - $476.94Extra controller w/nunchuk, classic controllerZelda: Twilight Princess, Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz2000 Virtual Console pointsDavid Hinkle - $667.70Extra controller w/nunchukElebits, Excite Truck, Rayman Raving Rabbids, Red Steel, Zelda: Twilight Princess, Trauma Center: Second Opinion2000 Virtual Console pointsAlisha Karabinus - $635.90Extra controller w/nunchuk, classic controllerExcite Truck, Red Steel, Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz, Trauma Center: Second Opinion, Zelda: Twilight Princess2000 Virtual Console pointsNikki Inderlied - $558.99Extra controller w/nunchuk, classic controllerZelda: Twilight Princess, Trauma Center: Second Opinion, Red Steel, Rayman Raving Rabbids500 Virtual Console pointsWhat are you guys spending? Let us know![Update 1: Added in Alisha's projected costs.][Update 2: Added in Nikki's projected costs.]
CamiScript 4.0
CamiScript, the script menu plugin for Camino, has been updated to version 4.0. This isn't quite a landmark release that enables Camino to fly around your room or tell you the future (besides, some day, the latter will be Google's job), but this new version does bring one big handy new feature: the ability to disable/enable the Extras menu.CamiScript is free and can be had from nadamac; oddly, PimpMyCamino hasn't updated yet.
Every Extend Extra footage
This 8.1mb video for the highly-anticipated Every Extend Extra was available at E3, but for all of you out there that were at home, likely covered in salty, warm tears, what is sure to be Tetsuya Mizuguchi's next brilliant offering to the gaming world may be seen. With the smash hits that were Lumines and Meteos, we're willing to bet this game will be just as great.In Every Extend Extra, the goal of the game is for the player to destroy their own ship to create giant chain reaction explosions, which upon being large enough, will reward the player with extra lives, or "extend" gameplay. With a clock ticking away, the tension is huge to pull off amazing explosions and earn "every extended extra" life that you can.[Via QJ]
Saft 8.3.0
PimpMySafari noticed that Saft, a vital Safari plug-in, has been updated to version 8.3.0. New and updated features include: New feature: AutoComplete always on New feature: Tab thumbnails (like Shiira’s Tab Expose, not Omniweb style) Improvement: Also restore tab history when undoing closing tab Improvement: Undo support for closing other tabs Saft is available from haoli and sells for $12 for either Panther or Tiger, though the Tiger version is the only one being updated. A demo is available, but if you're already an owner, you can snag the 8.3.0 upgrade from haoli's Saft for Tiger download page.
Delibar 0.8 update adds tag bundles, auto-reloading, more
Delibar, my favorite little missing link for social bookmarking, has received a great update to version 0.8. In case you aren't familiar, I'll summarize my previous post: Delibar turns your del.icio.us bookmarks into a bookmark menu that's accessible from your menubar. New features go a little something like this: Improved Interface Support for Bundles and recent Post Auto detection of system proxy Auto reload Bookmarks Tag sorting (alphabetically or by frequency) Tag scraping (show only tag with more than 1/2/5 post) New icon and overall better user interface Delibar is donationware and available for 10.4 (v 0.8) and 10.3 (v 0.5.1), though I believe the version for Tiger is the only one being updated from now on. You can pick up a copy of either from Matteo Rattotti's site.
iWeb Enhancer 1.0
Awesome: Chad Brantly has created a small add-on app for iWeb that can insert all sorts of blogging goodness into your sites such as Flickr pics, AdSense, YouTube videos, blogrolls and more.I haven't tried this out yet, but one word of caution: due to what I would assume could be iWeb's unfriendly plugin architecture, the process for inserting any of these little addons is a little wonky. Don't fear it though, as Chad walks you through the short operation on his site.All things considered, iWeb Enhancer still seems like the easiest and most feature-enabling iWeb addon I've seen to date. Go check it out if you've been looking for a few of those blogging extras to complete your iWeb-powered sites.
