Holy Misleading Conclusions, Batman! The Facebook Netflix-Killer That Wasn?t

This morning, news broke that Warner Brothers had begun a test on its Facebook Page wherein it's going to allow users to rent The Dark Knight for 30 Facebook Credits (which translates to $3). It's apparently the first time a movie studio has offered a full-length movie for rent on Facebook, and boy, does it have people in a tizzy. The Hollywood Reporter quotes a Goldman Sachs analyst as saying, "Facebook represents a new potential entrant that few in the investment community were concerned with prior to this announcement, so we believe it does indeed represent an incremental negative for Netflix shares." And PaidContent says that the new partnership has led to a big drop for Netflix's stock (it's down 5.76% on the day). Unfortunately these reports of a new Facebook movie initiative, which is supposedly going to compete with Hulu and Netflix, are completely misleading. Facebook doesn't actually have a partnership with Warner, nor is it launching a movie rental service. Oops.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/-jvfurwypfo/

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Immersion haptic feedback SDK for Android released

Haptic feedback, which all began with the mythical introduction of the Nintendo Rumble Pak and its use in Star Fox 64 and GoldenEye, is about to get a big boost on the Android platform thanks to the release of the Immersion SDK.

Immersion Corporation, which has long provided haptic feedback technology for a variety of other applications, has only really dabbled in video games before. This SDK is targeted straight at Android game developers, and is free to download immediately -- and royalty-wise, it's free up a $50,000 threshold, too. There's a video of the Immersion development platform after the break.

As for the effects that can be achieved with haptic feedback, the only real limit is the designer's imagination. The SDK comes with a bunch of pre-defined haptic responses which developers can simply plug into their games, but there's also a tool called MOTIV Studio that lets you design your very own rumbles. Hopefully this heralds a new age of games that don't try to vibrate their way out of your hand.

'Haptic,' if you were wondering, comes from the Greek haptikos, which means 'to grasp or touch.'

Continue reading Immersion haptic feedback SDK for Android released

Immersion haptic feedback SDK for Android released originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 08 Mar 2011 10:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/08/immersion-haptic-feedback-sdk-for-android-released/

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This Is What Pi Sounds Like [Video]

What do you get when you transpose the first 31 digits of the number pi into musical notes? Math that's never sounded so good. And if ever an unofficial holiday needed an anthem to get some much-deserved recognition, it's 3/14. [Reddit via Geekosystem] More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/14NPdJJW1DY/this-is-what-pi-sounds-like

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Konect USB watch concept is awe-inspiring, hard to tell time on (video)

We've seen some pretty interesting and insanely unique watches in our time, and just when we thought we'd seen it all, artist Olivier Demange whips up this timepiece concept -- dubbed Konect -- that packs a wide range of features and looks futuristic while doing so. Embedded in this Tron-esque gadget watch is a Bluetooth radio that'll act as a receiver -- yes, you can finally fulfill your lifelong dream of using your watch to communicate (only if you've strapped a paired BT headset to your skull). You'll also find proper controls for music playback, a button to answer and end calls, a removable USB stick, and well, a way to tell the time. Judging by the renders, we'd say finding out when it is might take more than a second or two, but you can be sure that we hope to see this thing on our wrists sometime. Check out the concept in video form below the fold -- and yes, we know, House!

Continue reading Konect USB watch concept is awe-inspiring, hard to tell time on (video)

Konect USB watch concept is awe-inspiring, hard to tell time on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Mar 2011 11:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/05dCFp4w7Kw/

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TetherGPS brings GPS navigation to Nook Color, in a manner of speaking

The smart folks over at ComptonSoft are looking to provide a GPS receiver to your mobile device in a rather unconventional way. TetherGPS links up your Android phone's GPS to the Nook Color by means of WiFi -- either on the same network or via a WiFi tether -- because the Nook Color is lacking in the standard usable Bluetooth department. After connecting the two devices, it makes a second link by running a TGPS server on the phone and a TGPS client on the Nook. The two devices are then intertwined in a blissful, all-you-can-GPS buffet of routes and roads. For the most part, the Nook's location-aware Android applications, such as Google Maps, will draw from this connection for location data and use it as if there were a GPS receiver on board. TetherGPS is up for grabs for $2.99 on the Android Market, and there's also a free "Lite" version for those who only need GPS for five minutes at a time -- we'll assume you know who you are.

[Thanks, Red]

TetherGPS brings GPS navigation to Nook Color, in a manner of speaking originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Mar 2011 20:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/74P2SJ7HR6c/

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BlackBerry Messenger coming to Android and iOS?

BlackBerry owners love BBM, and it's one of the best out-of-the-box messaging apps you'll find on any smartphone platform. According to Boy Genius Report, RIM may finally be preparing to extend BBM beyond its own OS -- releasing Android and iOS versions. The reason for the change of heart could be the spate of very capable and very popular cross-platform BBM alternatives.

While it would certainly be nice to message a handful of my BBM contacts from my Droid Incredible, I can already communicate with those people using other IM clients like Google Talk and Facebook chat. Add in the fact that BGR's sources say that BBM for Android and iOS may lack the ability to share photos, location, and videos, and I start to wonder just how successful such an app would be.

What do you think, DS readers? Is a feature-limited BBM app for your Android or iOS device something you'd install?

BlackBerry Messenger coming to Android and iOS? originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 03 Mar 2011 10:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/03/blackberry-messenger-coming-to-android-and-ios/

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Philips doubles up with both passive & active 3D TVs, new Blu-ray players in Europe

We got a peek at what the Philips/Funai combo has in store for North America during CES, but at today's Philips Pulse event in Barcelona it showed off even more of its 2011 plans. Most distinctively, while it's using FPR passive 3D glasses technology (calling it Easy 3D) in some of its new TVs just like LG & Vizio, it will break from those two by continuing to offer active shutter displays as well, branded 3D Max. If your main interest is one of those sweet 21:9 ultrawidescreen displays (pictured above) you can get it either way as a Gold or Platinum series product while the regular 16:9 sets are divided with the 7000 series featuring Easy 3D and 3D Max slotted for higher end 8000 and 9000 series products. All of the TVs mentioned here and higher end (7000, 5000 series) Blu-ray players include Smart TV features which means Net TV apps including catch-up TV where applicable, recording to USB, sharing from media from WiFi-connected devices and the ability to control the device with a Philips app on your iOS or Android phone. Check the press site for more details, model numbers and the like, but there's no word yet on pricing or availability.

Philips doubles up with both passive & active 3D TVs, new Blu-ray players in Europe originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Mar 2011 11:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/08/philips-doubles-up-with-both-passive-and-active-3d-tvs-new-blu-ra/

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Arkon Rear Seat Headrest Mount and Custom Fit Protective Holder for Apple iPad Review

Going on car trips with kids can be rough. Hearing ?are we there yet? too many times can make the trip seem endless. Electronics companies, and even car manufacturers, recognize this and make a variety of entertainment devices to keep those little backseat passengers occupied and entertained. If your car doesn?t have the built-in DVD [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2011/03/07/arkon-rear-seat-headrest-mount-and-custom-fit-protective-holder-for-apple-ipad-review/

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Weekly Links ? Did you miss anything on The Gadgeteer this week?

If you don’t subscribe to our daily email newsletter or our RSS feed, you might have missed one of our reviews or news items. Don’t worry, you can catch up fast by checking out this handy list of everything we posted this past week. Reviews Choiix Power Fort 10Wh Rechargeable Battery Review Blue Microphone Mikey [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2011/03/05/weekly-links-%e2%80%93-did-you-miss-anything-on-the-gadgeteer-this-week-3/

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Dodge is a space-shooter in which you have no weapons

Space-shooters are usually a fairly fiery affair, with many types of guns, weapon upgrades, power-ups and more. Dodge does away with all of that, while keeping the very essence of a space shooter: Dark background, fast action, and stuff blowing up all over the place.

Your vector-looking spacecraft is the fastest thing on the screen, most of the time. And as the header implies, you have absolutely no weapons; you can't get any, either. All you have is agility and maneuverability.

Your opponents shoot heat-seeking missiles at you; the missiles lock on and start tracking you. The trick is to dodge the missiles while putting them in the path of one of your enemies, thus letting them have a taste of their own medicine.

There are three types of enemies, at least in the first few levels: "simple" spaceships which fire slow projectiles, "tanks" which seem to be more serious and take more hits to destroy, and "circles." The circles simply explode, spewing twenty or thirty very fast projectiles. This sounds dangerous, but is actually great once you learn to use them; they are very destructive for tanks, and can even blow up other circles.

The soundtrack is very techno, but it meshes very well with this type of game. Intense fun!

Dodge is a space-shooter in which you have no weapons originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 01 Mar 2011 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/01/dodge-is-a-space-shooter-in-which-you-have-no-weapons/

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