Games and entertainment

At any given time, the majority of Netflix users are watching television shows, rather than movies, a company executive has revealed.

Speaking yesterday at the Mipcom conference in Cannes, France, Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos said that "50 percent, and sometimes, 60 percent, of viewing (on Netflix) is TV episodes now," according to PaidContent, which was at the event,

Sarandos was quick to add that those statistics won't stop his company from focusing on bringing more movies to the streaming service. He reportedly said during his keynote address that the stats "can be misperceived as … Read more

So you want to lose weight? Train for a marathon? Swim faster? With 9,000 health apps in Apple's iOS App Store--with such titles as RunKeeper for runners, Strava for cyclists, and Gain Fitness for weight lifters--the health app market can appear pretty bloated. And most apps are built with a specific activity in mind.

A former triathlete, Geoff Pitfield wanted to build an app that could track his varied exercise and rate his overall fitness level. That's why he created Fleetly, a health-tracking service that launched last week on iOS devices.

Built using game design elements, Fleetly … Read more

OnLive has rolled out its cloud-gaming service to the U.K., the company announced today.

Gamers in the U.K. will be able to access 150 games from an HDTV, PC, or Mac, and will soon have the ability to play those titles from the iPad and Android tablets. OnLive didn't say when the service will be made available on those mobile devices.

OnLive's move to the U.K. is an important one. Prior to the launch, the company was only offering its service (which lets users play a host of popular games, including Assassin's Creed Brotherhood … Read more

Although Google TV's lack of support from content providers has proven troublesome for the platform, it appears that at least one network is ready to try its luck with the service.

According to GigaOm blog NewTeeVee, Turner Broadcasting, which owns both TBS and TNT, will bring full-length episodes of its shows, including "Closer" and "Falling Skies," to Google TV. In order for people to watch the shows, they will need to verify that they are, in fact, subscribers to Turner's networks, NewTeeVee says.

Google TV launched last year to much fanfare. However, soon after … Read more

In just a few short years, Pandora's apps for iOS and Android have become an ever-present part of the smartphone experience. But as the company's growth in mobile exploded, its Web-based player was stuck in the past with a design that no longer matched the look of its apps or standalone Pandora One desktop software.

Today, Pandora unveiled a dramatically overhauled site design. Beyond a welcome new look, the code behind the site now uses HTML5 in favor of Adobe Flash. In its own press release, Pandora credits the switch to HTML5 for opening up creative new cross-platform … Read more

In 2008, University of Washington scientists released the game Foldit, hoping a sort of critical mass of gamers would mess around with proteins and, in the process, uncover some of their intrigue. (We have more than 100,000 types of proteins in our bodies alone.)

Last year, we checked in on the project's progress, and principal investigator Zoran Popovic said that some 60,000 people worldwide had taken on the challenge. Popovic hoped the initial results his team reported on last year would convince those on the sidelines that scientific discovery games could actually lead to important breakthroughs.

Well, … Read more

SAN FRANCISCO--At the TechCrunch Disrupt conference here today, Angry Birds publisher Rovio's new general manager of North America danced around the big question on Rovio's future growth. That question: What can Rovio do other than extend on Angry Birds?

During an onstage interview, Andrew Stalbow kept bringing the discussion back to the success of Angry Birds itself, and all its offshoots. He rattled off impressive stats: Angry Birds games get 300 million minutes of gameplay a day, and the company is selling a million T-shirts and a million plush toys a month.

But what's next for Rovio? &… Read more

If you're like me, a jog without music just drags. Visions of the proverbial gerbil on the exercise wheel penetrate the brain, and the miles go by achingly slowly. Add the right song, at the right volume, and suddenly the run becomes something akin to enjoyable.

Recognizing the value of a good workout station, Pandora today announced a new workout genre with 12 stations. And the winners are:… Read more

Porn and adult entertainment sites can now officially register under the .xxx domain, the domain's operator, ICM Registry, announced today.

The new .xxx top-level domain is open not just to porn sites but to nonporn sites that want to block the use of their names on the .xxx domain. Located in Florida, ICM is managing and supporting the new domain but will work with 50 individual registrars around the world to handle the actual registrations.

Promoting the advantages of .xxx to potential customers, ICM said that holders of the domain name will be able to tap into global marketing … Read more