Netflix iPad app now available in the App Store (update: ABC Player, too)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/01/netflix-ipad-app-now-available-in-the-app-store/

We'd gotten wind of the Netflix iPad app earlier this morning, but when it wasn't included in the first batch of apps to hit the App Store we just assumed it was coming on Saturday -- or possibly even later. But fear not, movie fans: it's just gone live, complete with screenshot confirmation that it'll do streaming video. That's a huge win for Apple and the iPad, given the restrictions on mobile devices Netflix has traditionally operated under -- remember, Microsoft was only allowed to say the Windows Phone 7 Series Netflix app was a "prototype" when it was demoed at MIX. We're guessing the blurry line between the iPad and regular laptops / netbooks worked in Netflix's favor here, but that's just a semantic debate -- we're much more amused by the fact that the app itself is rated 12+ in the App Store for "Simulated Gambling," "Fantasy Violence," and "Suggestive Themes," simply because it plays back movies from your queue that might have such scandalous content. Oh, App Store -- you truly are a paradise of misapplied bureaucratic intent unequaled in the tragic history of our civilization.

Update: Looks like the ABC Player (opens iTunes) is now also available in the app store for the low, low price of nada.

Netflix iPad app now available in the App Store (update: ABC Player, too) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Apr 2010 19:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Think to start selling City electric vehicle in New York, other locales this year

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/01/think-to-start-selling-city-electric-vehicle-in-new-york-other/

Talk about a revival story. Recently saved from the brink of disaster, Think Electric is back in a big way. Fittingly announced around the New York Auto Show, the company has revealed that it will begin selling its Think City -- one of the planet's first highway-capable electric vehicles, it'll have you know! -- in New York and "other select cities" later on in 2010. Think's currently working in conjunction with the US Department of Energy's local Clean Cities chapters to make it happen in the Big Apple, but exact details (you know, like an on sale date and MSRPs) are nowhere to be found. Considering this company's position just six months ago, though, we'll take whatever progress we can get.

Think to start selling City electric vehicle in New York, other locales this year originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Apr 2010 22:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nintendo 3DS to feature 3.4-inch Sharp parallax barrier display?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/02/nintendo-3ds-to-feature-3-4-inch-sharp-parallax-barrier-display/

There aren't many mass production options on the market when it comes to glasses-less 3D displays for Nintendo's forthcoming 3DS handheld gaming console. And according to early leaks from Japan, the special Nintendo 3DS display is supposedly built by Hitachi and Sharp using a parallax barrier system. So guess where this new 3.4-inch, 480 x 854 pixel display is likely headed? While Sharp doesn't say for sure, it's a good bet that this parallax barrier 3D LCD will be fronting the user interface on the 3DS. Unlike the 3D displays you'll find in modern 3D HDTVs requiring the viewer to wear active or passive glasses, Sharp's display uses a parallax barrier system to create a sense of depth by using a series of vertical slits in an ordinary LCD to direct light to the right and left eyes. The panel offers a 500nit brightness, 1,000:1 contrast, and is available with or without a touchscreen. A non-touchscreen version of the display goes into mass production before June but there's no specific mention of the touchscreen timeline (but we imagine it won't be far behind). In other words, we could have a Nintendo 3DS on the market before the holidays. Just saying. Guess we'll find out for sure at E3 in June.

Update: Akihabara News went eyes-on with the display and came away impressed with the colors and brightness. Better yet, it says, "Sharp succeed to do what Sony and Panasonic does with 3D Glasses!" Well, that sounds hopeful.

Nintendo 3DS to feature 3.4-inch Sharp parallax barrier display? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Apr 2010 01:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toshiba UX600 series: first HDTVs certified Windows 7 compatible

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/02/toshibas-ux600-series-wifi-tvs-feature-windows-7-logo/

Here's something you don't see every day: a Windows 7 certified 55-inch TV. Toshiba's 120Hz UX600 series is just such a beast, the first on the market to receive official Microsoft certification thanks in part to DLNA support over Ethernet or WiFi. The logo's a nice touch that takes the guess work out of the purchase equation for the average consumer looking to stream media to the living room. Just don't let us catch any retailers slapping a "Compatible with Windows 7" sticker on the bezel ok; this ain't no Best Buy laptop.

Toshiba UX600 series: first HDTVs certified Windows 7 compatible originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Apr 2010 04:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HP and Dell said to be investing less in 10-inch netbooks, looking to bigger and better things

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/02/hp-and-dell-said-to-be-investing-less-in-10-inch-netbooks-looki/

The latest word from our favorite rumor rag DigiTimes suggests that HP and Dell are both curtailing investment in the 10-inch netbook market, with their sights now set on the chunkier 11.6-inch size class. Additionally, with profits from machines built on Intel's Pine Trail platform appearing lower than expected, both are also said to be contemplating AMD's alternatives, presumably in the shape of the Neo CPU and Radeon integrated graphics. HP is even claimed to be considering quitting the 10-inch space entirely, which wouldn't be that unusual given the progressive obsolescence we've witnessed with the 7- and 9-inch predecessors of the current de facto netbook standard. Not to worry, though, Acer, ASUS and Samsung are still deeply involved, and the 10-inch mini laptop isn't about to disappear on us anytime soon. What may happen, according to the source, is that we could see fewer smartbooks popping up as a result, which just means we'll have to find some other way to sate those media consumption needs.

HP and Dell said to be investing less in 10-inch netbooks, looking to bigger and better things originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Apr 2010 07:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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