Sony?has announced that it has signed a deal with six Hollywood studios to deliver movies to your TV in HD via the PS3.

The company has signed the deal with 20th Century Fox, Walt Disney Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Universal Pictures, and Warner Bros. meaning it is the first to offer films from all the major movie studios direct to your TV via download.

Films already promised include Fantastic Mr Fox, Inglorious Bastards, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, and Zombieland.

The news is likely to send widespread panic through video rental firms like BlockBuster and LoveFilm who are already struggling against services like Apple TV, Boxee and Hulu.

Sony has said the new offering will first launch in the US, although has not announced an official timeline for the roll out, but has said that it does have plans to launch in the UK, France, Germany, and Spain shortly afterwards.

The films will be delivered via the PlayStation network,

Tags:
Home Cinema Gaming Sony PS3

PS3 goes to the movies: Sony signs up all major Hollywood studios for HD films originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:36:32 +0000

You’ve got an App store for your phone, so why not your TV. Well that’s the thought, presumably, behind the Samsung App Store for your TV, Blu-ray player and home cinema system.

The electronics’ giant has launched Samsung Apps, the first HDTV-based application store where users can download applications from select 2010 Samsung HDTVs, Blu-ray Players and Home Theater systems via the upgraded Internet@TV – Content Service.

Samsung says there will be more “than 20 apps” available by the end of March, with the promise of hundreds more expected by the end of the year.?

Applications can be downloaded and viewed all while watching TV. Premium apps will be available for purchase via the platform’s transactional interface in the second half of 2010.?

It’s not just news ticker tapes or weather reports, Samsung says it’s even planning on allowing connectivity with Samsung mobile phones citing an example of people able to use the phone as a controller.

“Consumers will be able to?play Texas hold ’em poker with friends, where the TV screen shows the table and the phone serves as the controller, while showing cards in your hand like a real poker game”.

Tags:
Home Cinema Televisions Samsung

Samsung App store for your TV launches originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:58:03 +0000

Following the launch of the Sigma DP1x at PMA in Las Vegas, the company has thrown it on a plane to Blighty for us to come along with a camera and snap the goods.

Still in “prototype” development we managed to get a quick fondle of the new model, but alas not allowed to take any photos of the menu system in action.

The DP1x is an upgrade from the DP1, launched in March 2008. It has a 14-megapixel Foveon X3 image sensor, and Sigma’s TRUEII image processing engine.

Inside, there’s a 16.6mm F4 lens which has been designed solely for the DP1 series and the autofocus algorithm and UI have been tweaked a little over the DP1.

The bad news is, currently Sigma isn’t giving out pricing or availability at the moment.

Tags:
Cameras Sigma Compact cameras 14 megapixels Sigma DP1x Digital cameras

PHOTOS: Sigma DP1x hands-on originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 08 Mar 2010 20:02:09 +0000

Valve?has announced it will be bringing its Steam gaming service to the Mac bringing with it a shiny beacon of gaming fun to Mac users who’ve in the past been left out.

“Steam and Valve’s library of games including Left 4 Dead 2, Team Fortress 2, Counter-Strike, Portal, and the?Half-Life?series will be available in April.” The company has confirmed in a statement following a teaser campaign last?week.

“Steamworks for the Mac supports all of the Steamworks APIs, and we have added a new feature, called Steam Play, which allows customers who purchase the product for the Mac or Windows to play on the other platform free of charge,” says the company.

Even better news for Mac gamers is that Valve says they will be treating the Mac as a “Tier 1″ platform meaning it will be releasing games at the same time as PC and Xbox 360.?

Mac and Windows players will be part of the same multiplayer universe, sharing servers, lobbies, and so forth the company has confirmed.

The first Mac Steam client will be the new generation currently in beta testing on Windows.

Tags:
Gaming Mac games Valve Steam Apple

Valve’s Steam comes to Mac originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 08 Mar 2010 19:43:50 +0000

As the rumours suggested, Panasonic has announced the launch of two Micro Four Thirds cameras on Sunday: the G2 and G10.

The G10 claims to be the world’s “lightest digital interchangeable lens camera with a viewfinder”, sports the Micro Four Thirds format and packs 12 megapixels into the mix as well.

In the box you’ll get a LUMIX G VARIO 14-42mm/F3.5-5.6 ASPH/MEGA O.I.S. lens? (35mm camera equivalent: 28-84mm).

Other features include Panasonic’s iA (Intelligent Auto) mode that automatically detects the best options for the shot at hand while, as rumoured, the G10 will sport 1280 x 720 HD video recording in Motion JPEG, QVGA, VGA and WVGA formats.

An electronic viewfinder, My Colour mode with art effects and 26 scene modes complete the package.

The G2 adds a 3-inch moveable touchscreen display into the mix and follows on from the G1 already available.

Using the touchscreen operation, once a user locks onto a subject, the Lumix G2 enables AF Tracking and will track the subject as it moves within the frame say Panasonic.

Users will then be able to select the part and the size of AF area with the 1-area AF. The Multi-area AF sets a group of AF points according to the composition. While using the manual focus, users can enlarge a subject by touching it and then choosing to enlarge it by 1x, 5x or 10x and then smoothly moving the part by dragging it on the screen.?

The G2, like the G10 will sport a 12-megapixel sensor, 720p video recording capabilities and the 14-42mm kit lens as standard.

Tags:
Cameras Digital cameras Micro Four Thirds Hybrid cameras Panasonic 12 megapixels Panasonic G2 Panasonic G10

Panasonic G2 and G10 cameras officially announced originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Sun, 07 Mar 2010 12:47:37 +0000

This harks back to the days of your granddad tinkering away in his shed trying to emulate the latest new-fangled invention that has hit the market.

And it’s all the better for it too.

Byte Mods is a place where geeks gather to swap ideas on how to do things, make things and generally mess about with technology.

Top of the bill at the moment? A beer case media centre.

Why would you want one? some might ask.

We say, why wouldn’t you?

Byte Mods?

If you have a website that you want to tell us about email us via the feedback form.

Tags:
WebsiteOfTheDay Websites Software Online

WEBSITE OF THE DAY ? Byte Mods originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Perhaps you love Xobni, the plugin for Outlook which pulls in data and statistics about your contacts and displays them in a handy toolbar. Perhaps you also love Gmail, Google’s webmail client that offers a boatload of storage and access from anywhere in the world, as long as you’re online.

Until recently you’d have to have picked between the two of your loves. You’d have had to leave one crying at the altar while snuggling into the arms of the other. No-one ever said relationships were easy. But there might be light at the end of the tunnel of love. An extension called Rapportive, for Firefox and Chrome, may be about to make your polygamous dreams come true.

It takes the space over on the right side of your Gmail window, which is filled with ads, and it replaces those ads with contact info about the sender. You give it your name and email addresses through Gmail, and then it cross references the name of anyone who emails you with various social networks and gives you handy links so you can find out more.

It’s not quite as extensive as Xobni, but if you’re going to two-time both of the apps, then you’re not going to be able to get the best bits of both. You’ll just have to live with your compromise.

Tags:
Software Email Gmail Google Xobni Webmail

Gmail gets Xobni-like sidebar originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 05 Mar 2010 18:04:33 +0000

Google?has added email notifications to its?Google Wave?application hoping to entice more people to the service.

The “collaboration” software that has so far failed to gain any real traction with users, is now able to notify those that do use the service that something they are following has changed.

Users will be able to set the frequency of their email updates with Google promising to intelligently keep users up to date without bombarding them with numerous changes if they haven’t logged in.

Those that sign up for the service will get a short summary of the text and links of your updated waves.

Will the new features make you want to sign up for Google Wave? Or do you still need more? Have your say in the comments below.

Tags:
Software Online Google Google Wave

Google wave(s) hello to email alerts originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 04 Mar 2010 22:54:48 +0000

Want to know what’s been hot in the world of technology and gadgets today?

Everyday Pocket-lint thumbs through all the stories from the last 24 hours and sorts the ten most-read into one handy place, so you can get an at-a-glance look at what’s what.

Top of the pile today is news of a technology which allows users to not only interact with a computer/gadget via the skin, but create a touch interface on the skin itself. We also have word from Opera who reports a boost of its browser, since the roll out of Microsoft’s ballot screen, whilst a Google exec states that desktops will be redundant in 3 years.

We also have a couple of top-notch reviews in the form of the new Sky set-top box, which boasts a massive 1TB of storage, as well as the Sony Ericsson U5i Vivaz mobile phone. Here are the top stories from the last 24 hours:

NEWS:VIDEO: Skinput sees human body as controller
REVIEW:Sky 1TB set-top box
NEWS:Opera reports massive browser ballot boost
NEWS:Google Exec: Desktops will be redundant in 3 years
NEWS:VIDEO OF THE DAY – Drawing in Excel
REVIEW:Sony Ericsson U5i Vivaz mobile phone
NEWS:Apple pulls Wi-Fi detection apps
NEWS:Android to get gesture recognition
NEWS:Penguin demos iPad books
NEWS:WEBSITE OF THE DAY – Coffee Geek

Tags:
Audio Car And GPS Dad Gadgets Gaming Hardware Home And Kitchen Home Cinema Phones Cameras Software Sports Fitness

Daily news roundup: Skinput controller, Android gesture tech and more originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 04 Mar 2010 18:29:58 +0000

Statistics released by Opera have shown that downloads of its desktop web browser have tripled since Microsoft rolled out its ballot screen, which allows users to pick a different browser to use, other than Internet Explorer.

While the company didn’t give out any specific numbers, the surge has apparently been seen in France, Spain, Britain, Belgium and Poland. No doubt statistics have also been helped by the release of a new version of its desktop client, version 10.50.

No other software companies have issued any statistics so far about whether they’ve seen a ballot boost, but if the difference is as pronounced as with Opera, then the most recent browser market assessment could look very different next month…

Read

Tags:
Software Browsers Opera EC Statistics

Opera reports massive browser ballot boost originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 03 Mar 2010 18:00:13 +0000