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Roku XDS versus Apple TV: Round one

The great Internet TV battle royale of 2010 is officially underway, with new boxes from Roku and Apple TV leading the charge. On paper, it's a very even-handed match-up: both are miniscule $99 streaming-media boxes that promise to offer an expanded slate of TV shows, movies, and music for consumers. Other matching features: both offer Netflix streaming, dual-band 802.11n Wi-Fi and Ethernet networking, and HDMI output. So, which is worth your hard-earned Benjamin Franklin?

Unfortunately, it's not a cut-and-dry situation. Both units scored an identical 3.5 stars on our CNET rating scale. But if you look at the sub-ratings (design, features, performance), you'll see that each box has a relative strength and weakness. Right now, it shakes out as follows:… Read more

3D editing comes to Magix Movie Edit Pro

Anyone who starts feeling creative enough to toy around with digital media would be well-advised to do a little research into the multitude of multimedia tools floating around the Interwebs. At some point, you'll no doubt stumble across something by Magix, an entertainment software maker that has put out a shocking array of audio, photo, and video editing programs, including the lovely and simple FunPix Maker and the GarageBand-like Music Maker.

Today, the company released its latest offering in the form of Magix Movie Edit Pro 17 Plus. In addition to providing all of the video-editing features from version … Read more

Wii Remote Plus official, MotionPlus onboard

While most of last night's Nintendo Conference 2010 news was aimed at the 3DS and its release date, and Game Boy Virtual Console, we also learned about a new controller for the Wii.

Just after we finished reviewing the Nyko Wand+--the first Wii remote to pack in MotionPlus hardware onboard--Nintendo has announced plans to release its own all-in-one MotionPlus controller. We had speculated about such a device last week when a leaked photo of box art surfaced, but now Nintendo has officially confirmed the details. We imagine that the Wii Remote Plus will eventually replace the current Wii … Read more

Victimized by a 'legitimate' drive-by download

I know very well to uncheck the preselected software offers that accompany so many program updates these days. In August 2009, I edited a story by Susan Bradley in the Windows Secrets newsletter describing how Sun Microsystems, Apple, and Microsoft were making money by pushing unwanted software on unsuspecting customers.

So I have only myself to blame for the half-hour I wasted this weekend making sure my laptop's antivirus protection was active and up-to-date. That doesn't make me feel any better about Adobe preselecting the download of McAfee's Security Scan Plus freeware along with the Flash Player … Read more

Is Nintendo readying a new Wii Remote?

Rumors are swirling that Nintendo could soon announce a new Wii Remote that combines the functionality of the current controller with the Wii MotionPlus add-on.

Speculation about a new Wii Remote started when game retailer GameStop displayed box art for a soon-to-be-released game, FlingSmash. The title, which combines aspects of tennis and pinball to help gamers "save the day" on Suthon Island, is being developed and published by Nintendo of America. It's expected to hit store shelves in November.

According to a description of the game, the title uses the "Wii Remote controller with the Wii … Read more

Apple's Game Center playing nice with others

One question that was raised almost immediately when Apple announced Game Center, the company's first-party social gaming service, in April was what would happen to existing social game networks on the platform? The early answer, surprisingly, is comfortable cohabitation.

Game Center has cropped up in a very, very small percentage of games on the App Store, though in the coming months it's likely to be found in just about every new game that comes out from major publishers. It adds a number of social features to games including achievements, leaderboards, and game challenges--all things developers can build into … Read more

LG Ally heads north to Canada as Shine Plus

LG joins Telus Mobility's growing lineup of Android phones this week with the release of the Shine Plus. Available for as low as $69.99 with a three-year commitment, the handset looks nearly identical to Verizon's Allyreleased back in May. Details include Android 2.1, a 3.2-inch WVGA touch screen, a sliding QWERTY keyboard, and support for 3G and Wi-Fi. The only noticeable difference between it and its U.S. counterpart is the Shine Plus comes with a slightly better 5-megapixel camera.

The Ally never really took off here in the United States, presumably overshadowed by … Read more

Nyko ships Wand+ with Wii MotionPlus built in

When Nintendo released its MotionPlus attachment last summer, we really liked the additional degree of control it offered, but didn't love the fact that it required a bulky add-on to the standard Wii remote.

Sure, we figured Nintendo would have addressed such a thing with a Wii remote redesign, but instead Nyko has beaten them to the punch.

Today, Nyko begins shipping the Wand+ Wii remote. We first got our hands on the Wand+ at CES 2010 and really liked the new soft-feel rubberized surface that coats the entire remote. It appears identical to the original Wand controller, save … Read more

Palm WebOS 2.0 beta available to developers

Though we're still waiting to see what comes out of the HP-Palm merger, Palm's still plugging away on WebOS and released some new information about WebOS 2.0 on Tuesday.

The news mostly affects developers, as they can now download a beta version of the WebOS 2.0, but Palm also gave us a glimpse of what's to come and we're pretty excited. The new functions include:

Enhanced multitasking with the ability to stack related cards together for easier access.

Developers can now access the Synergy feature for integrating contacts, calendar, and messages.

A feature called … Read more