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LG and Netflix are finally unveiling the first joint Blu-ray/media streamer set-top box later tonight, almost eight months after it was first announced at this year’s CES.

The entertainment media center is the latest move by the Internet movie rental service to port their business from the mailing model to the cloud, which, combined with the public’s growing demand for Blu-ray content, might start a real push for people to buy their first Blu player. After all, Netflix has a wide and dedicated base of people who love the service (~ 6 ½ million users).

However, this player might be a good test about where the media player market is going to go in the next few years. By adding a streaming service, which most people don’t have much experience with, to a coveted Blu-ray player, it could function as a Trojan horse for streaming tech.

If a media player can easily stream movies (thought not at the same quality as that of on-set Blu disk), they might actually skip that player and wait a few years until the streaming matches the quality. In contrast, it could also succeed in pushing the Blu-ray brand further into the mainstream by showing the difference in quality; to say nothing of the extra behind-the-scenes content that’s only available on the large Blu-ray disks.

Dubbed the LG BD300 Network Blu-ray Disc Player, the box essentially combines a high-end Blu-ray player with the capabilities of the recently released Roku player, a box that streams Netflix content straight from the web to HDTVs.

However, it’s important to note again that just like the Roku player, the LG BD300 streams video instead of downloading it. This means that the connection speed will determine the quality of the stream (as opposed to a scratched disk in physical media). The Roku provided streaming speed at 1.0 Mpbs and turned in a quality picture, so this one shouldn’t have a problem either.

In addition to playing Blu-ray disks, it will up-convert standard DVDs to 1080p resolution, and will allow subscribers of the movie service to stream about 10% of its catalogue, or about 12,000 titles. All this can be done without using a computer, except when you need to add movies to your queues.

You should also be able to browse through that queue with the player’s remote, and forward and rewind the stream as well, replicating the video rental experience people are used to.

When we reviewed the Roku earlier this year, we found that the relatively small percentage of movies available for streaming was indeed its one major flaw. Otherwise, it was found to be a quality service, and that $100 tag was particularly attractive. The expected price of this one is expected to come in under $500.

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Ed. Note: Will update this with a comment later from an LG representative regarding the potential conflict between streaming and Blu-ray tech.

Sources: LG, Netflix, RossRubin.com, VentureBeat

See also:

• Review: Roku Netflix Set Top Box Is Just Shy of Totally Amazing

Worried about people accessing your computer when you’re not around? The Biometric Fingerprint Encrypted Mouse might just solve your problem. This mouse has a couple of security features, such as PC-Lock, Web bank, Virtual Disk, and File encryption/decryption. Said features would be able to prevent users from using the computer when you’re not around, remember personal data such as passwords, hide sensitive files, and also encrypt files. The mouse will be going for $116, which isn’t too high a price to pay for security, though it’d be interesting to see what would happen if someone nicked the mouse.

I wonder whether Sony’s entry into China’s portable media player (PMP) market has anything to do with diversifying their portfolio, as you won’t be able to find the PMX-M80 anywhere else. Some of the features found on this PMP include :-

• Map browser suite
• 4.3″ 480 × 272 resolution display
• 16GB internal memory
• SRS 3D audio
• Support for MP4, AVI, WMA, MP3, and AAC formats
• Built-in microphone
• Memory Stick slot

Sony has priced the PMX-M80 at approximately $331.

Samsung SGH-U900 Soul "Magical Touch"

Before we got our mits on this much hyped, 5-megapixel Korean import, we were slightly skeptical. Sure, we got to play with it a little at CTIA (when it was solely called the Soul) and were instantly cast under a spell of gadget lust. But really, anytime a manufacturer dubs a product “Magic” we’re secretly hoping it has the ability to turn PCs into Macs and make Edge networks disappear.

The Samsung U900 aka Soul aka Magical Touch doesn’t really have any supernatural abilities. What it does have is a tiny touch OLED nav-pad that is one of the coolest, most efficient touch interfaces we’ve seen on a handset. The small display (situated below the main 2.2-inch QVGA screen) features icons that morph based on whatever application they’re in. Switch to camera and controls for snapping pictures appear. Toggle to the music player and buttons for fast forward, rewind, pause, and play pop up. But unlike David Blaine or (shudder) Criss Angel, this genteel stainless steel slider boasts more than just a handful of cheap tricks.

The big selling point is the phone’s pocketability. The picture quality and dynamic range could be better (LED flash, we’re talking about you) but at 0.5 inches thick and 7 ounces heavy, this slider more svelte than just every 5MP cam we’ve tested. Ultimately, our biggest complaint is that you cannot use the camera without sliding open the phone first. This design protects the lens from dust bunnies and pocket grime, yes, but shooting with a fully-open device was a tad awkward at times. And you know, sometimes that just ruins the magic.  —Steven Leckart

WIRED External microSD slot makes it a cinch to swap cards on the fly. Bluetooth (+A2DP). Competent image editing suite. Video Editor allows you to layer additional audio tracks. Decent facial detection. Haptic feedback can be tweaked to three different levels of intesity or switched off entirely.

TIRED Bundled proprietary ear buds sound duller than Ben Stein. No Xenon flash. No GPS. No Wi-Fi. Lower-res vid clips. Proprietary headphone jack positioned on the side = hard to pocket. Noticeable screen glare when outdoors.

$400, samsung.com

(Photo by Issac Brekken for Wired.com)

There’s a close look at the BACTrack breath tester over on our sister publication coolest reviews. Follow the link to see how well it worked in the real world…

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I hate Bluetooth headsets. Being a geek, I liked the idea of them and tried to be an early adopter, but they all sucked. From the static introduced by poor Bluetooth connections to minor incompatibilities between phones and headsets to the problem of keeping them charged and the fact that they either hurt my ear or fell off, I never found one I could use. And that’s after purchasing the best that Logitech, Plantronics, and Motorola had to offer.

I looked at the Apple Bluetooth headset, but the reviews on it all stated that the range and connection quality was poor. I also have rather small ears, so headsets designed to be held in place by the ear canal have never worked for me.

I’ve got friends who use the original Jawbone headset, but it was clearly too large and too heavy to be comfortable, no matter how good the sound quality could be. But when Jawbone released their new and much smaller headset, Jawbone II with NoiseAssassin, I decided to give it a try.

In one word, it’s amazing. It’s the most comfortable headset I’ve ever worn, with multiple ear buds and ear clips to guarantee a good fit. It pairs easily and seems to be 100% compatible with my iPhone. The charger is easy to use and charges from USB, ensuring that a charger is always nearby and that I won’t be screwed for another $40 just to charge it in my car. Nobody I’ve spoken with complains about the noise quality, and I’ve had the kids run through the room screaming without bothering people I’m on the phone with. I can use it in my convertible at freeway speed without bothering people. It seems to be a better microphone than the built-in microphone on the iphone.

The speaker sound quality is a bit tinny at higher volumes, which I require because I have significant hearing loss in the ear that I use it in) but quite acceptable. My friend with an original Jawbone says that it’s not nearly as good as the original, but the original is considerably larger and heavier. The battery life is exceptional—in excess of five hours in my testing. It’s more than enough time to be considered “all day”—I’ve not had it run out of juice on me during the day yet. Battery life is considerably better than my Plantronics or Motorola headset, both of which would die at about two hours of talk time.

It’s expensive at $140, but that’s actually far less expensive than the sum of all the headsets I’ve bought in the past that are just unusable. I bought mine at Best buy, but it’s available at Amazon.com here:

• Jawbone Bluetooth Headset with NoiseAssassin at Amazon.com

In the end, headsets can be a lifesaver when I’m driving and need to take a call, but they are useless if they don’t work with my phone, the sound is bad, or if the battery is dead. Fortunately, the Jawbone II excels on all of those levels and is a perfect addition to my workday armor.

Nokia, sitting pretty in pole position as the #1 cell phone maker in the world, will move to reduce the prices of most of its handsets by up to 10%. Phones that are affected the most will fall under the music and media category - at least that’s what market data and industry sources imply. Will this price cut pressure Nokia’s smaller rivals into a desperate corner? I’m not too sure, as I’ve met my fair share of Sony Ericsson loyalists in this lifetime who swear on the Walkman and Cybershot range of phones no matter what Nokia throws their way. Will this piece of news cause you to get up and look for a Nokia handset instead?

Sony is said to be among the first manufacturer to take advantage of Centrino 2’s ability to switch between graphics chips with its Vaio Z570. Back in the days, “thin & light” (<4lbs) laptop users complained about having to choose between a decent graphics chip and a better battery life. The solution was to make manually switchable graphics: the user had to physically move a switch, and then reboot to use a different graphics chip. As we covered during the Centrino 2 launch, things ate getting better: the system can now switch between integrated (low power) and discrete (high performance) graphics without rebooting. This is indeed a huge progress, as most people would not reboot, unless they direly needed more battery life.

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NVIDIA: We Are Going to Open a Can of Whoop Ass

It goes without saying that having some sort of car-based computer these days is the in-thing, as in-dash DVD players don’t just make the cut any more. KNGT of Korea has just launched a new multimedia-capable car PC known as icom MK1, and this will be powered by Windows XP. It will come with a 6.95″ wide touch screen display (why can’t they just use a 7″ display instead beats me) at 800 x 480 resolution, an on-screen keyboard, and Wi-Fi connectivity that is able to stay connected via telecommunication service providers such as SK, KT and Nespot. You ought not to get lost with the icom MK1 since it boasts an Internet map for you to get around.

Source: AVing

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by Joshua Fruhlinger, posted Jul 31st 2008 at 7:28AM
If you’ve been looking for more information about — and pictures of — Lenovo’s diminutive X200, you’ve come to the right place. Crave got their hands on the laptop, compared it with its bigger brothers, and even supplied some measuring tape for the size-conscious like some poor, chopping-block-destined farm animal. For review, the 3.5-pound machine sports the Centrino 2 platform, measures just 0.8-inches thick, runs around $1,200, and early reviews are positive.

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