When Dell announced the Alienware X51 small form factor gaming PC, the design immediately drew comparisons to modern game consoles. Certainly it would be easy to imagine sliding the X51 onto a shelf in the component cabinet, perhaps even right between the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Given that Microsoft and Sony seem more interested in their consoles as media […]
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It has already been a busy week for streaming media deals with Redbox and Verizon hooking up, but it looks like Amazon is getting ready to make some noise as well. Amazon is reportedly getting ready to announce that they have secured a deal to add content from Viacom to Prime Instant Video. There are no details on exactly what […]
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In our previous looks at Fractal Design (the Define R3 ATX chassis, the Define Mini Micro-ATX Chassis, and just recently the Core 3000) cases they have demonstrated a favor for solid, stylish chassis that consistently deliver without the flashing lights and other “bling” often found on other enclosures that offer the same space and flexibility. As we have seen, there […]
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With AMD’s Trinity APU/IPG coming in the near future it is great to see what OEMs are planning to do with the part. No word on price or timing, but Arctic has released a picture and some [subject to change without notice] specs for their next generation small form factor (SFF) HTPC built on the CPU/GPU combo. I think it […]
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Netflix has provided over the top (OTT) video streaming via its “Watch Instantly” service for quite sometime, but until yesterday there was little to fundamentally differentiate that service (besides convenience, and the need for high-speed Internet) from a trip to the video store or the mailbox. Introducing original programming changed that – moving the company in a more interesting, welcome, […]
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The first generation Google TVs were Intel-powered, and if those original Google TV devices had been the runaway successes that Google had hoped, then Intel today would have a pretty big foot in the door of the smart TV market. Instead, the general consensus is that Google TV v1.0 flopped, sending Google back to the drawing board for v2.0, and […]
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Samsung is one of the world’s largest cell phone manufacturers and Corning’s exceedingly strong and scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass has been extremely popular for cell phone displays. The two companies have found success working together before, and now the two companies are working together on a new type of glass called Lotus Glass. Lotus Glass is intended to be used in […]
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Over the last few years the major NAS vendors have settled into some routines when it comes to product categories. Some NAS poduct lines are targeted at home and SMB users while others are geared more toward medium-sized businesses. Each product line typically delivers some 2-bay and some 4-bay devices, with the occasional single drive and 6-bay system thrown in for variety. […]
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Today was an exciting day for Netflix. They launched their first original series, Lillyhammer, and got to watch Redbox unload on them with both barrels. Redbox has risen rapidly in the last few years to become Netflix’s biggest competitor in the DVD and Blu-ray rental market, and today Redbox made two major announcements that signal their intention to be even […]
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Kaleidescape has made its mark with its high-end DVD and Blu-ray distribution systems and media servers. While many DIYers have built their own solutions for serving movies across their home networks, Kaleidescape’s systems are intended to deliver the same experience to any user in a sleek, albeit expensive, turnkey package. At the heart of a Kaleidescape system is the Kaleidescape Server for storing […]
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