Freesat, which allows customers who buy its set-top boxes to access satellite TV services for free, will announce the partnership when it unveils a hi-tech new set-top box tomorrow . This new device can give users access to Netflix and other on-demand services, which allow viewers to rent films and TV shows by downloading them over the internet direct to a TV.
The move is likely to upset BSkyB, which already considers Netflix as a significant threat. BSkyB also has a history of battling with the BBC where it believes the corporation is behaving in an overly commercial manner.
Freesat?s new set-top box is the company?s biggest step forward since it launched four years ago. As well as on-demand downloads, it will allow viewers to scroll backwards through TV shows listings to watch them up to eight days after they air. Similar services are offered by Virgin Media and YouView, but Freesat will be the only satellite television company to offer this type of service.
Freesat launched in 2008 to offer homes with satellite dishes free-to-air television. It has sold 2.6m set-top boxes or Freesat TVs to date, and directly targets BSkyB customers who are looking to cut their monthly bills.
It looks as Sony and DirecTV are coming together to offer the NFL Sunday ticket package to all PS3 owners. From what I have read on this if you have an existing subscription to Sunday ticket the app is a free download to stream all of the out of market games in full 1080p HD. The people without DirecTV finally have a way get Sunday Ticket! But it?s going to cost you. The subscription to the Sunday Ticket is typically around $199.95 for DirecTV subscribers, well to watch it directly through your PS3 with no DirecTV subscription it is going to cost you $299.95. On top of this you have to dish out, (no pun intended) the full payment up front, they will not be accepting installment payments. So if you have that type of money ready to go come Sept. 4th you can download this app on your PS3 and watch some FOOTBALL!
The new Microsoft phone OS is going to include a Kid?s Corner option which will prove a unique parental control feature to its set of phones. Kid?s Corner, formally known as Kid?s Zone is a separate start screen environment that is designed for children to access apps, videos, games, and music that is shared by a parent. Once the start screen has been activated the kids have full access to any games, music, videos and apps that are enabled by the parent. This nice new parental control feature will be introduced into the Windows phones coming later this year.
On top of one or more new Kindle Fires, there is an expectation of refreshed E Ink models in Amazon’s e-reader line at the company’s Los Angeles event next week as well. One of those is reported to be a refreshed Kindle Touch ? the button below the display is gone, and the bezel has changed from light to very dark gray. The overall shape of the product and the location of the USB port and power switch appear to be pretty much unchanged. It looks like Amazon will be pushing the unit with “higher contrast, high resolution, integrated lighting, and eight weeks of battery life,” even when using the light. The retail name for this Kondle is unclear ? Amazon could simply call it the Kindle Touch again, but “Paperwhite” might factor in as well.
Speaking of Paperwhite, this seems to be a reference to the unit’s improved display over the so-called Pearl E Ink that Amazon has been using since the third-generation Kindle. Many users, though, are likely to be more excited about the backlight ? this particular product is almost certainly designed to be the answer to Barnes & Noble’s Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight introduced earlier this year. Are you excited about the new kindles?
When a company buys another company there can always be issued and contoversy about how the purchase was handled or if it is even fair for a company to buy another company in a certain market could be bring the marketshare to a monopolistic level. Well there were plenty of concerns on the purchase of spectrum from Verizon. With Verizon’s acquisition of a large swath of AWS spectrum from a consortium of cable companies operating as SpectrumCo that includes Comcast and Time Warner. As with the DoJ, the FCC’s approval specifies “a number of binding commitments and conditions” including a spectrum swap of certain licenses between Verizon and Leap (better known in the market as Cricket) and a transfer of certain AWS holdings to T-Mobile upon completion of the purchase. In fact, the Commission says in its final report that the approval was based largely on “unprecedented divestiture of spectrum to a competitor, T-Mobile.” So with all of this information do you feel Verizon got away with something? Or did the FCC do the right thing by letting this go through? Tell me what you think.
One of the biggest issues with the Android Facebook is that it is not that good versus the iphone version. So the employees, are increasingly getting nudged and even ordered to give up their iPhones for Android devices due to this poor Android version. It seems Facebook management realizes its Android app is subpar?and believes that the only way employees will take fixing it seriously is if they have to deal with its issues day in, day out.
This is a practice called “dogfooding,” from the phrase “eating your own dog food,” which is pretty common at tech companies. That seems like a great way for Facebook to make a better app for android and I look forward to some major improvements in the near future.
