iPad hits the NetPad bullseye

January 28th, 2010

In a post last March, DeviceGuru foresaw the emergence of “NetPads,” a new class of “sub-$500″ consumer devices that would be a cross between NetBooks and MIDs. Additionally, we suggested that a rumored upcoming Apple NetPad would most likely be a NetPad, predicting “iPad” as its name. How well did our crystal ball perform?

Boxee embraces paid content

January 20th, 2010

Now don’t get all hot and bothered. After all, Netflix instant video streaming has been one of the most asked-for capabilities among the Boxee A/V platform’s early adopters. Soon, a host of additional PPV (pay per view) and subscription-based A/V content may be streaming to consumer TVs via Boxee.
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Boxee opens beta to all

January 11th, 2010

Boxee has quietly moved its long awaited Beta release onto its public download site. The new version of this free Internet — and local — A/V-streaming player currently supports PCs running Mac OS X, Windows XP, and Ubuntu OSes, with an Apple TV version coming soon.
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Move over BoxeeBox, here comes PopBox!

January 4th, 2010

Following closely on the heels of the December announcement of D-Link’s BoxeeBox, Syabas Technology today said it will ship a $129 Internet-based A/V streaming set-top box (STB) in March. Both new gadgets have the potential to give Roku’s popular Netflix-streaming STB a run for its money.
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BoxeeBox among 2009's most popular DIY projects

December 12th, 2009

Hey, we just discovered that our very own DIY BoxeeBox has made LifeHacker.com’s list of the “Most Popular DIY Projects of 2009.” This certainly shows the popularity of Internet-based multimedia streaming to the big screen in the family room — and of Boxee’s free, easy-to-use multimedia access platform. Check out LifeHacker’s article, and be sure to cast your vote for our BoxeeBox!

What’s NOT going to happen in 2010

December 11th, 2009

Technology market analyst ABI Research has published its annual prognostication of technology trends and events that won’t happen in the coming year. The 11-page article is available for free download (after registration) from the firm’s website.
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D-Link tips Linux-based Boxee box

December 8th, 2009

D-Link unveiled its soon-to-be-released “Boxee Box” at Boxee’s preview of Boxee Beta in New York last night. Few details have been disclosed other than that it runs Boxee on Linux, provides HDMI and both analog and digital audio outputs, and hooks up to the Internet via either WiFi or Ethernet.
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Boxee Beta previewed in New York

December 7th, 2009

Boxee gave a preview of the long-awaited Boxee Beta release in New York today. Frustratingly, the Boxee Beta won’t be available for public download until January 7 (at the soonest).
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UMPCs, netbooks, and MIDs, oh my!

November 2nd, 2009

Shipments of Ultra-Mobile Devices (UMDs), including a range of emerging devices such as UMPCs (Ultra-Mobile PCs), netbooks, and MIDs (Mobile Internet Devices), are expected to grow to 385 million units annually within five years. Their main obstacle will be smartphones, such as the iPhone and various Android models.
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Comparing 10 free media center apps

October 23rd, 2009

A 20-page downloadable whitepaper compares 10 free media center applications, with an eye toward discovering their potential synergies. The study, from the Telematics Freedom Foundation’s “Freedom Box Project,” aims to standardize and promote open, free, and user-friendly web-based TV media center platforms.
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World’s smallest Linux webserver?

October 16th, 2009

Lantronix has introduced what it claims is the “World’s Smallest Linux Networking Server.” Within an elongated RJ45 Ethernet LAN connector, the XPort Pro packs a 32-bit RISC CPU, 8MB SDRAM, 16MB flash storage, and a 10/100 Mbps Ethernet LAN port.
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Boxee snags $6 million funding, aims at STBs

August 12th, 2009

Despite today’s gloomy financial climate, Boxee has just closed a $6 million Series B round of funding. The investment will go toward improving the product, increasing the number of content sources, attracting independent application developers, and embedding boxee in consumer devices, says the company.
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Roku STB gains A/V aggregation service

July 20th, 2009

Mediafly’s A/V podcast aggregation service will be added to Roku’s $100 digital video player set-top box (STB) this Fall, the companies report. According to Mediafly, its service will provide free access to “tens of thousands of audio and video podcasts” from NBC, CNN, ESPN, Comedy Central, and other sources.
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How to kick the fossil fuel habit

July 1st, 2009

A new book by University of Cambridge Prof. David J. C. MacKay aims to provide a roadmap for kicking our fossil fuel habit. “Sustainable Energy Without the Hot Air” is available for free download in PDF form and is released under a Creative Commons license.
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Boxee vs. Zinc vs. Hulu

June 28th, 2009

After losing patience with waiting for Netflix video streaming to come to the Linux version of Boxee, and needing to relocate my Roku Netflix Player to the garage’s fitness equipment zone, I decided to add a Windows partition to the BoxeeBox (my DIY media center STB) so we could continue to enjoy instant Netflix downloads on our family-room TV.
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Intel swallows Wind River

June 4th, 2009

In another sign of these tumultuous times, Intel announced that it plans to acquire embedded software market leader Wind River for around $884 million. Wind River’s renowned VxWorks real-time operating system (RTOS) is found in myriad consumer gadgets such as LinkSys wireless routers.
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EPA moves to plug major Energy Star leak

April 28th, 2009

DeviceGuru recently reported on a reader’s discovery that his “Energy Star compliant” Sony HDTV was consuming 200 times its advertised standby power. Now, he’s back with good news: the Environmental Protection Agency has decided to plug this gaping energy-draining hole via a new release of its Energy Star TV specification.
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Linux Boxee users get Hulu relief

April 25th, 2009

The Linux version of Boxee’s eponymously-named multimedia platform has finally been updated to include several new features introduced into the OS X and Windows versions over the past few months. Key additions include an “App Box” and restored support for Hulu.
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Is Apple’s mystery product a netpad?

March 13th, 2009

In recent years, two new sub-$500 mobile device categories have burst onto the scene: the “mobile Internet device” (MID), with the iPhone representing its greatest success; and the “netbook,” popularized by the Asus Eee PC. Get ready for the third wave: the “netpad.”
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Device gives its wearer a “sixth sense”

March 10th, 2009

At last week’s TED2009 conference, two researchers from the MIT Media Lab demonstrated a “Sixth Sense” device that gives its wearer supernatural abilities. What’s next — Google implants?
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Boxee hack restores Hulu (sort of)

March 6th, 2009

Boxee has restored support for Hulu to its free media center platform for PCs and Macs. The support, a hack to Boxee’s RSS feed functionality, has a DIY aspect to it.
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How to package that device idea?

March 4th, 2009

DeviceGuru recently was asked to recommend a platform for prototyping a consumer electronics device idea. Below are a few possibilities we came up with — readers are encouraged to add to the list.
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Roku's VoD box adds Amazon's videos

March 3rd, 2009

Amazon’s video-on-demand (VoD) service has just been added to Roku’s Internet-based VoD set-top box. The upgrade, pushed out to the devices over the Internet, is the first to expand the Roku box’s content beyond its Netflix-centric origins.
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First impressions of the Neuros Link

February 26th, 2009

Having recently constructed the BoxeeBox, I naturally was eager to check out Neuros Technology’s somewhat similar IP-TV set-top box. Though currently at a “gamma” release, the Neuros “Link” shows great promise.
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Lenny lights up an old laptop

February 22nd, 2009

With the Debian Linux project officially designating “Lenny” as its new “stable” distribution, I decided to install it on an old Thinkpad to see how well it performed on a low-end machine. Without doubt, the results surpassed my wildest expectations!
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