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'Mr. Robot' star Rami Malek wins Outstanding Lead Actor Emmy
The USA series Mr. Robot has more than just surprisingly realistic hacking scenes, as it now can claim an Emmy win. Series star Rami Malek snagged the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series award tonight, beating out Kevin Spacey, Bob Odenkirk and others. After double checking to make sure we were all seeing this too (good call), Malek said he wanted to "honor the Elliots...because there's a little bit of Elliot in all of us." The show's season finale airs Wednesday night, and if the breakdown of its hacking scenes hasn't turned you into a fan yet, take a look at our interviews with show creator Sam Esmail.
'Mr. Robot' gets a nationwide VR experience for Comic-Con
That online season premiere isn't the only elusive Mr. Robot video that you can watch this month. USA Network and Within are partnering on a Mr. Robot Virtual Reality Experinece that will be simulcast across the US on July 21st at 1:45PM Eastern, the same day that San Diego Comic-Con gets underway. Neither company is spoiling the surprise for the 12-minute short, but Within teases that you'll get an "important flashback" from Elliot's past. And no, this isn't throwaway material. Series creator Sam Esmail wrote and directed this, so it should maintain Mr. Robot's signature off-kilter style.
Watch the 'Mr Robot' season two premiere episode right now (update)
Can't wait until Wednesday for the season two premiere of Mr. Robot? No problem -- the show's official Twitter account just posted the first episode. Watching it on Twitter might not give the full home theater experience, but we suspect fans will be ready to see Elliot Alderson and his fellow (surprisingly realistic) hacktivists more than once anyway. The tweet went up at 8:30PM ET on Sunday and says it won't be here long, so move quickly if you'd like a look before it gets pulled. A follow-up tweet reveals it's also premiering on Snapchat, YouTube and USA's own website, so there are plenty of options if you don't want to wait until the 13th. Update: And it's gone. In a stunt fitting for the show, the episode's premiere apparently kicked off presented as a hack into a Facebook Live Q&A that was streaming. The first two episodes will be back Wednesday night at 10PM ET, but until then viewers can check out the Mr. Robot_dec0d3d.doc special episode, and install an emoji keyboard made for Android or iOS devices.
'Mr. Robot' promo has you hacking a fake ATM
If you were planning a real-world promo for Mr. Robot, a TV show that's all about hacking and the culture that goes with it, what would you do? Invite fans to do some hacking of their own, apparently. As part of the run-up to the series' second season, New York City retailer Story has remade its store with a hacking-inspired game as its centerpiece. Clues littered around the store offer codes that let you 'hack' an Evil Corp ATM for real cash -- if you're astute, you can get as much as $50. It's not the same as a real ATM hack (thankfully), but it's very much in the spirit of Mr. Robot's stick-it-to-authority ethos.
Mr. Robot has an FBI consultant to make hacking look authentic
A line of people snakes through the halls until it winds down a flight of stairs; more than 1,000 fans are anxiously waiting for the doors to open inside the Austin Convention Center. They're here to see the creator and lead actors of Mr. Robot, the most compelling TV show about hackers in recent memory.
The many (surprisingly realistic) hacks of 'Mr. Robot'
Most infosec pros agree that few Hollywood films or TV shows have gotten hacking as "right" as USA's Mr. Robot. The show's creator, Sam Esmail, told Engadget, "The hacker side of it actually was a combination of my frustration with the way hacker culture and tech culture was represented in Hollywood. I thought it was a very inaccurate, forced and cartoonish way of representing that kind of a culture." Getting hacks and hacking right on Mr. Robot means the tools and techniques pull from work done by security researchers in real life. In fact, it's not uncommon to see hackers tweet that they spotted a colleagues' research on episodes of the show. This is all in large part because it's a TV show about hacking that chooses accuracy over drama. Mr. Robot's technical consult, Michael Bazzell, told Forbes, "We don't need to fake it. ... We want that code to be accurate so that even the most sophisticated hacker or technical person out there will not roll their eyes at a scene." So while we all wait patiently for Mr. Robot's season one finale, let's take a look back at Mr. Robot's notable hacks and the researchers who made them possible.
'Mr. Robot' creator on the evils of Facebook and hackers in Hollywood
You'd be forgiven for being skeptical about Mr. Robot, USA's new hacker thriller starring Rami Malek and Christian Slater. In general, movies and TV shows haven't done a great job of portraying hackers, and really, technology of any sort. Even the king of cinematic cool, director Michael Mann, couldn't make cybersecurity exciting with the film Blackhat. But that's what makes Mr. Robot so special: It's a show about hackers that actually features live computer screens with working code and viable cyberattack vectors. It centers on a disaffected cybersecurity expert named Elliot (Malek), who stumbles on a clandestine group of hackers dedicated to disrupting the global economy. We sat down with the show's creator, Sam Esmail, for a long conversation about how it came to be.
USA network brings streaming shows to iPad, iPhone
The USA network has released an iOS app that allows users to stream shows to their iPhones and iPads. USA is owned by NBC Universal and like other NBC television streaming apps, USA Anywhere Plus allows viewers to watch full episodes of USA shows, including new episodes available the day after they air and back episodes for some shows. For most of the content, the app does require users to login with their cable-television credentials. However, if your current cable package does not include the USA network, you can still take advantage of some limited features of the app including some full television episodes. In addition to full TV episodes, the app also offers special clips, interviews and behind-the-scenes video. USA airs many popular shows including Psych, Suits, Covert Affairs and Graceland. USA Anywhere Plus is a free download.
USA Network now lets you watch past episodes on its iOS app
Like many, many (many) other programmers, NBC Universal's USA Network has had its own iOS app, USA Anywhere, for quite some time. However, users have been disappointed with the lack of past episode availability, among other foibles, so USA has just taken the wraps off a new app called Anywhere Plus, available for free on iTunes. You'll now be able to watch all its programs a day after they air and back episodes for certain shows, assuming you're signed up for the network with a cable provider. Even if you're not, selected episodes are now available along with behind-the-scenes clips, interviews and the like. You'll also get a program guide and the usual social network bells and whistles, so if you've been looking to get your Psych or Burn Notice fix on the go, hit the source.
Amazon lands Prime Instant Video exclusives for five NBCUniversal shows
Amazon is still determined to snag every TV exclusive possible, and it just scored one of its better deals -- or at least, one of the more forward-thinking. It now has the sole unlimited subscription streaming rights to the previous seasons of five NBCUniversal shows. The highlight could be Hannibal, which will reach the service later this year; gamers may also like the crossover SyFy series Defiance, which should be ready in early 2014. Those who just can't wait to stream something will get their fill through exclusives for Covert Affairs, Grimm and Suits, all of which are in the catalog today. Amazon isn't completely shutting out rivals like Netflix, however: its expanded NBCU deal includes regular deals for Alphas, Eureka, Smash, Warehouse 13 and a collection of children's shows destined for Kindle FreeTime Unlimited. While we'd prefer that there be as few exclusives as possible, there's no question that some Prime members will feel better about springing for that $79 yearly fee. [Thanks, John]
NextGuide iPad app update adds second-screen content for USA Network
If you're constantly on the lookout for more second screen apps to enhance your television viewing experience and you happen to be a big fan of Psych, NextGuide's newly minted integration with the USA Network might be right up your alley. In its latest update, the TV Guide replacement app now has a handy "USA Sync" button whenever you're watching the network's shows, which include Psych, Burn Notice and Suits. During their live broadcasts, hitting that button will bring up related content like trivia, polls and bonus clips. This is yet another arrow in NextGuide's quiver of second screen features, which includes the ability to seek out programming from traditional broadcast channels along with streaming services like Amazon, Netflix and Hulu Plus. The USA Sync function is already available via the network's own site and app, but it's nice to see it play nice with third-party apps as well. You can go ahead and download the latest NextGuide from the Apple App Store or just head to the source below.
Screen Grabs: Covert Affairs exposes secret Rogers service in Washington DC
Screen Grabs chronicles the uses (and misuses) of real-world gadgets in today's movies and TV. Send in your sightings (with screen grab!) to screengrabs at engadget dot com. Fans of USA's Covert Affairs know that Annie Walker's stomping ground is Washington DC, where she pretends to be a buyer for the Smithsonian. So, there are only two plausible explanations for her iPhone 4 being able to connect to Rogers Wireless Canadian network: Either she's got a nuclear powered antenna on that thing, or the company is running a south-of-the-border service for Government agencies. Some might point out that the show is filmed in Toronto for cost purposes and the art directors aren't too hot at spotting continuity errors, but we'd dismiss that as paranoid fantasy. [Thanks, Mike G]
Screen Grabs: BlackBerry PlayBook pops up on 'White Collar'
Screen Grabs chronicles the uses (and misuses) of real-world gadgets in today's movies and TV. Send in your sightings (with screen grab!) to screengrabs at engadget dot com. You know those pictures of smiling people and happy families that come with frames when you buy them from department stores? We'd like to submit this image from USA Network's White Collar to RIM as a possible preloaded wallpaper, should it ever want to go in a dramatically different direction with its marketing for the PlayBook. Standard business customers are only so exciting. But white collar criminals and the people tasked with stopping them -- now that's where the action is. Side note to the gentleman on screen: you're holding it wrong. [Thanks, Imdad]
Screen Grabs: Google Street View car rolls on to set of Burn Notice
Screen Grabs chronicles the uses (and misuses) of real-world gadgets in today's movies and TV. Send in your sightings (with screen grab!) to screengrabs at engadget dot com. It looks like somebody's got a new publicist. Sure, the Google Street View car's received its fair share of bad press lately -- what with all those invasion of privacy claims -- but we wouldn't feel too sorry for the little guy. A recent episode of Burn Notice saw the camera-equipped auto make its national TV debut. It probably won't win an Emmy for its role -- it didn't have any speaking lines, after all -- but at least it's getting some positive attention. [Thanks, Pat]
Yamaha's cinema-lovin' YSP-5100 and YSP-4100 soundbars ship this month with breathtaking price tags
Yamaha's YSP-5100 and YSP-4100 soundbars (or Digital Sound Projectors, as the sophisticates would say) emerged early last month over in Japan, but then CES happened. In a stellar effort to jog our memories, the company has just announced that both units will be on sale here in the States prior to January's end, and while each comes with a laundry list of features, the MSRPs are downright shocking. Both bars offer up 40 beam drivers, two woofers and a dedicated amplifier, while the 5100 adds a pair of tweeters. They're also equipped with HD Audio decoding (TrueHD DTS-HD Master Audio, etc.), 1080p-compatible HDMI sockets (4 in/ 1 out), internal upscaling, a UniVolume feature to maintain a consistent volume level between different sources and an integrated FM tuner. Sounds nice, but the internal yAired wireless technology must be the icing on the cake, as the $2,199.95 (5100) / $1,899.95 (4100) price tags clearly have some sort of premium baked in.
Psych pilot free on iTunes
Hey all you free loading Americans out there (which including yours truly) the iTunes Music Store has a free goodie for you (and yes it is US only, don't shoot the messenger). You can download the pilot of the USA Network's newest show 'Pysch.'I don't know how long this will last, so get to downloading whilst the downloading is good!Thanks, Philip.
