PC Tech World: December

Showing posts with label December. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Netflix and DreamWorks to launch original show for kids in December

Netflix And DreamWorks Animation Launch First Ever Netflix Original Series for Kids

DreamWorks Animation's Summer 2013 Film Turbo Speeds onto the Streaming Service

Feb 12, 2013

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 12, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Netflix, Inc. (Nasdaq: NFLX) and DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. (Nasdaq: DWA) today announced they will create the first ever Netflix Original Series for kids. Based on the highly-anticipated DreamWorks Animation movie Turbo, premiering in theaters this summer, the Netflix series Turbo: F.A.S.T. (Fast Action Stunt Team) debuts exclusively this December in the United States and across the globe in the 40 countries where Netflix offers its service.

"Families love Netflix, so creating an original series for kids was a natural for us. And we're doing it in a big way by adapting Turbo, this year's DreamWorks Animation summer tentpole movie," said Ted Sarandos, Chief Content Officer of Netflix. "DreamWorks Animation has a long track record of creating incredibly successful characters and stories that delight people of all ages. We're thrilled to add Turbo the series as well as all new DreamWorks Animation films, starting with their 2013 slate, to Netflix."

"Netflix boasts one of the largest and fastest-growing audiences in kids television. They pioneered a new model for TV dramas with House of Cards, and now together, we're doing the same thing with kids' programming," said DreamWorks Animation's Chief Executive Officer, Jeffrey Katzenberg. "DreamWorks is thrilled to be part of the television revolution."

DreamWorks Animation's Turbo is a high velocity 3D comedy about an ordinary snail who dares to dream big – and fast. After a freak accident miraculously gives him the power of super-speed, Turbo kicks his dreaming into overdrive and embarks on an extraordinary journey to achieve the seemingly impossible: competing in the Indianapolis 500. The film, which stars Ryan Reynolds, Paul Giamatti, Michael Pena, Luis Guzman, Bill Hader, Richard Jenkins, Ken Jeong, Michelle Rodriguez, Maya Rudolph, Ben Schwartz, Kurtwood Smith, Snoop Lion and Samuel L. Jackson, comes to theaters on July 19, 2013.

Turbo's pursuit of racing greatness continues in Turbo: F.A.S.T.: an episodic animated television series that picks up where the feature film leaves off. It showcases the world-traveling exploits of our snail hero and his tricked-out racing crew as they master outrageous new stunts and challenge any villain unlucky enough to cross their path.

In addition to the original TV series Turbo: F.A.S.T., new DreamWorks Animation feature titles will be made available for Netflix members in the U.S. to watch beginning with the studio's 2013 film line-up.

In 2012, Netflix members streamed more than 2 billion hours of kids content. Always commercial free, the content in the kids section of Netflix was curated in conjunction with ratings and reviews from Common Sense Media, a leading non-profit organization that provides independent, trustworthy ratings, reviews and information to help parents make great media choices. In addition to character-based selections, the service displays rows of TV shows and movies organized by easy-to-understand genres such as superheroes, princesses, dinosaurs and girl power. The unique Netflix technology provides each member with a personalized experience based on preferences and favorites.

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By: Unknown On 1:50 PM

Thursday, February 7, 2013

ComScore: iPhone up to 36 percent of US phone share in December, Android stayed put

ComScore Android's US phone share stayed put in December, iPhone up to 36 percent

There's been indications that Apple staged something of a comeback in the US during the fourth quarter, owing partly to an iPhone 5-related spike. ComScore's smartphone share data for December appears to bear that out. It estimates that the Apple claimed a 36.3 percent slice of the American market in the last month of 2012: that's a noticeable boost from 35 percent in November, and two points up since the iPhone 5's September arrival. Android remained on top at 53.4 percent, but it was once again unusually static, edging down from highs earlier in the year. Other platforms took their usual blows, although there's no doubt some hopes for revival.

Just don't anticipate looking for overall cellphone market share. ComScore has switched to focusing on smartphones, and it's telling a different story than we've seen in the past. When only smartphones count, Samsung's December share left it in second place, at 21 percent -- still an increase over prior months, but not as large as Apple's 36.3 percent. The biggest surprise is LG's rise to 7.1 percent and fifth place, quite possibly due to the Optimus G and Nexus 4. Enough shifted that the market may be even less recognizable in 2013, for better or worse.

Source: ComScore

Saturday, January 5, 2013

Google quietly removed search warning message in China in early December 2012

Google's search engine has a turbulent history in China, from search results being censored to temporary shutdowns. The company's most recent effort to serve mainland China with unfiltered search results met with an untimely end back in early December, Google confirms -- a warning previously told mainlanders when the search term they were using had met with issues (read: Chinese government intrusion causing lengthy connection times) for other users. GreatFire discovered that said message no longer popped up when searching for various censored terms on Google Search in China, and while Google's confirming that fact, it's unclear what the exact reasoning is. Given the rocky history between Google and China, it seems likely that China responded in turn to Google's efforts with its own -- or as The Guardian puts it, "Google concedes defeat in China censorship battle." Whether that's the case or not remains to be seen, but Chinese Google searchers should beware that your experience may result in some unfortunate connection issues from time to time (as much as 90 seconds), per China's censorship policies.

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Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Must See HDTV (December 25th - 30th)

Even though most of us are enjoying a holiday break and our favorite TV shows are too, there's still a few things worth checking out this week. Look below for the highlights this week, followed after the break by our weekly listing of what to look out for in TV, Blu-ray and videogames.

The Room
Touted as "one of the worst films ever made," Tommy Wiseau's The Room is one of the few movies being released on Blu-ray this week. Whether you consider it as an intentional comedy or one of the most poorly crafted efforts at a drama of all time, it is not a movie you should watch...unless you love bad movies. Check out the trailer after the break for a taste, the full HD experience (according to an interview, the filmmaker shot it entirely both in film and digitally in HD because he couldn't make a decision) will cost more than thirty bucks.
($31.99 on Amazon)

Bowl Games
You name it, there's a bowl sponsored by it. If your college football team hasn't played in a bowl yet, there's a good chance they will this week, and it will be on ESPN, check the listings below for the list of games and times. Of course, until the BCS games start these matchups don't have a lot of pull, but if you just want to see your favorite team one more time, these will have to do.

Continue reading Must See HDTV (December 25th - 30th)

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

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By: Dilusha On 8:02 PM

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Refresh Roundup: week of December 17th, 2012

Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!

Continue reading Refresh Roundup: week of December 17th, 2012

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Software, Mobile

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By: Dilusha On 4:37 PM

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Next Wii U system update due late December, will improve software loading times

The Wii U launch didn't go quite as smoothly as consumers would've liked, with a major update to sit through right after unboxing, and support for various video streaming services absent on day one. Well, head honcho at Nintendo Satoru Iwata has taken to YouTube and announced from his cream studio that the next system update is due late December. It's primarily being pushed out to improve the frustratingly slow software loading times on the new console -- an issue we highlighted in our review. Iwata only makes a fleeting appearance at the beginning of the video before it moves on to talking up the latest Dragon Quest iteration, but if you've got a decent knowledge of Japanese, the embed awaits you below.

Continue reading Next Wii U system update due late December, will improve software loading times

Filed under: Gaming, Software, Nintendo

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Source: GoNintendo

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By: Dilusha On 11:02 PM

Nintendo TVii app launches on Wii U in US and Canada on December 20

Nintendo TVii app launches on Wii U in US and Canada on TKTK

Nintendo of America announced this morning that its delayed Nintendo TVii service for the Wii U will launch on December 20. Nintendo TVii, first introduced back in September, intends to tie all of your currently balkanized media services on the Wii U -- various streaming services, your cable box, and your DVR -- into a single, cross-searchable application. At launch, the service will tie in Hulu Plus and Amazon Instant Video, but Netflix and TiVo are skipping the party until some time in "early 2013."

Nintendo TVii was given a December 8th launch date in Nintendo's home country of Japan, lining up with the launch of the company's new console; the TVii service notoriously missed the launch of the console everywhere else in the world, remaining absent ever after its various support services were added (Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant, etc.) as individual apps. Like those apps, Nintendo TVii wasn't built by Nintendo itself, but in a partnership with i.TV. It's unclear what lead to the delay of the TVii service, but we're glad to see it arrive ahead of the various big present-giving days.

Continue reading Nintendo TVii app launches on Wii U in US and Canada on December 20

Filed under: Gaming, Software, HD, Nintendo

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By: Dilusha On 10:18 PM

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Mobile Miscellany: week of December 10th, 2012

If you didn't get enough mobile news during the week, not to worry, because we've opened the firehose for the truly hardcore. This past week, a company that you're no doubt familiar with announced its departure from the smartphone business, a UK-based carrier put the Nexus 4 up for sale and Republic Wireless made good on a promise. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the "best of the rest" for this week of December 10th, 2012.