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Apple spits out Android option from Chomp app navigator
It's taken a bit longer than we expected, but following Apple's acquisition of app search engine Chomp, the Android option has now been cut out from its homepage. We're now left with the choice between iPhone and iPad categories, alongside existing shortcuts for popular freebies and apps on sale, in a few efforts to cut through Cupertino's 600,000-strong app selection. Hit up the source to give it a run for yourself.
TiVo inks VOD-related deals with SeaChange and Alticast
While many are still eagerly awaiting their tuning adapter for utilizing tru2way on their existing TiVo box, said company has announced two partnerships today that look to solve issues with cable carriers that don't currently have an OCAP / tru2way deployment plan. The tie-up with SeaChange will enable those lagging carriers to bring cable VOD services to the TiVo HD DVR experience, giving them the option to highlight offerings on a TiVo guide, for instance. The second partnership involves Alticast, and while details are a tad fuzzier here, we get the impression that TiVo's looking to possibly push its heralded interface out onto other devices, such as embedded within a Blu-ray deck or other set-top-box. Or as Joshua Danovitz, Vice President and GM of International at TiVo puts it: "[We need to make] the TiVo experience available on a broad range of platforms, both in the United States and around the world." Hit the read links for more on each, and don't be surprised if you dig the vibes you get.\[Via Yahoo! / PC World]Read - Alticast partnershipRead - SeaChange partnership
Buckeye Cable gearing up for HD VOD, Start Over-type service
Buckeye Cable, which serves upwards of 150,000 customers in the greater Toledo / Sandusky, Ohio area, is looking to make some pretty big changes. The carrier has just upgraded its SeaChange VOD infrastructure in order to "dramatically expand" its HD video-on-demand offerings, and on top of that, it's also hoping to launch a Start Over-type service to help those who notoriously show up late for their favorite show. Better still, the company is looking to expand its linear HD lineup by adding in 15 to 25 new ones over the next 9 to 12 months. Pretty big words for a "small" provider -- guess we'll have to wait and see if it delivers.
Shark Shield experiences epic fail, gets chomped by great white in test
As we're certain you know by now, there are fails, and then there are epic fails. This case most definitely falls into the latter category, as Sea Change's shark-deterrent system (affectionately dubbed Shark Shield) was actually bit into by a great white when tested off the coast of South Africa. Reportedly, the device sends out electronic fields that are meant to deter sharks from coming near surfers, but according to the company's CEO, the botched trial was "due to a problem with the electrode's configuration." Furthermore, he noted that the thing is only "guaranteed to work when it's stationary, not when it's surfing in the wave or paddling." Needless to say, the effectiveness of these type devices have now been called into question, and regardless of whether this thing actually works as advertised, the lack of total protection -- you know, while actually surfing -- is enough to make us steer clear.[Via UberReview]
