plus

A GPS device from the 1920s

What did people do before the days of GPS satellites and battery-sucking A-GPS phones? Not only was there a navigational device that gave driving directions in the early 20th century, it was small enough to fit on your wrist.

This product from the 1920s is a scroll-map navigator in the shape of a watch. It came with tiny interchangeable instructions that you scrolled manually to see which roads to take when driving.

Named the Plus Four Wristlet Route Indicator, this relic from the past was a British product that would have cost about 5 pounds at the time, about 50 … Read more

Hulu's iPhone hiccups (with video)

With such insistent clamoring for a mobile version of Hulu.com ever since the streaming TV site captured the hearts and eyeballs of American viewers, this week's release of Hulu's new Hulu Plus app for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch has received a surprisingly large number of user complaints.

Why? Of the multiple reasons, the most significant is price.

Although the Hulu Plus app is free to download, the premium Hulu Plus service costs $10 a month for access to a full helping of TV series and movies, rather than the current online sampling of five episodes for each show. For many users, the price feels too steep, and the fact that advertisements run with the same frequency for subscribers as they do for online viewers of free shows only serves to rub salt in the wound.

The detractions, however, are countered by profuse praise from Hulu fans who enjoy strong signal on their iPads, iPhones, and iPod Touches. Indeed, when the iPhone and iPad are glutted on data and Wi-Fi, Hulu Plus runs extremely well.

However, we also experienced signal interruptions even with reliable 3G and Wi-Fi while testing the Hulu Plus service on both the iPad and iPhone 4.… Read more

Hulu's iPhone hiccups

Ever since it became the go-to URL for streaming TV episodes, folks have been wanting to see a version of Hulu.com for smartphones. The response comes in the form of a monthly subscription to premium content that's available on the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch via the free Hulu Plus app.

Hulu's large storehouse of content from major TV networks and movie producers is its claim to fame over competing services that are attempting to bring on-demand entertainment to mobile devices. Though we found the app's interface attractive, navigating around was doable, but more difficult than … Read more

The 404 613: Where we're now offering paid 404 Plus Plus for $49.99 a month (podcast)

The 404 Podcast will never charge for premium content because the words "premium" and "The 404" have never occurred in the same sentence before, and besides, we're no Hulu, who just announced Hulu Plus, a premium subscription service that offers all-you-can-eat helpings of your favorite primetime shows from ABC, NBC, Fox, and other cable channels for $9.99 a month. In addition, Hulu Plus will also stream full back catalogs of shows like Glee and Saturday Night Live.

The company also announced a Hulu Plus app that works with the Apple iPhone, iPad, and iPod … Read more

Hulu CEO: We're no cable killer

If you're planning on swapping out your expensive cable TV service for Hulu's $10 a month subscription offering, Jason Kilar has advice for you: Don't do it!

The Hulu CEO insists that his "Hulu Plus" service, which gives subscribers a deep catalog of shows they can watch on their computers or on gadgets like the iPad, isn't meant to replace cable. Instead, he says, it's meant to augment cable. Just like your iPhone doesn't replace your PC.

And he's right. Hulu Plus is designed explicitly not to threaten the cable business. … Read more

preGAME 20: Singularity

This week on preGAME, we're wielding the power of time travel in our hands as we take a look at Singularity, Raven Software's new historical fiction thriller.

But first, we'll talk about a few new deals going on for Xbox Live starting with the "Gold for $1" promotion that offers current Xbox Live Silver members a month long upgrade to Gold for just $1. After that initial $1 charge, it's the normal $50 for the entire year. Xbox 360 owners also has access to a handful of quality discounted XBLA games this week like … Read more

Hands-on look: Hulu Plus for iPhone, iPad

Today, Hulu officially announced Hulu Plus, a premium subscription service that gives you all-you-can-eat (er, watch) access to streaming TV shows and movies for $9.99 per month.

For now, Hulu Plus is available by preview invitation only, but iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch owners can get a sweet, sweet taste of the service by downloading the new Hulu Plus app.

Here's a sampling of what you can watch right now, for free--no invitation or subscription necessary:

"30 Rock," Season 4, Episode 1"Ugly Betty," Pilot"Spaced," Season 1, Episode 1"Parenthood," Pilot"Grey's Anatomy," Season 6, Episode 1"Wipeout: The Top 10 Moments of Wipeout""Cosmos: The Shores of the Cosmic Ocean""Great Museums: Wild Thing: The Smithsonian National Zoo""Super Size Me"

Remember, that's just the stuff in the Free Gallery. If you switch over to the Featured, Popular, TV, Movies, or Recently Added sections, you'll find pretty much everything Hulu has to offer. The apps are simple, straightforward, and elegant.… Read more

Buzz Out Loud 1259: No, YOUR mom plays FarmVille (podcast)

Today in tech news, Hulu launches its subscription service and we're thinking about going over the top (maybe next year). Also, FarmVille is apparently so prevalent that it forced a Firefox update ... or, put another way, Firefox gets a little bit broken so that FarmVille people can be happy. Sheesh. Steve Jobs sends more email, Kindle for Android arrives, and we fight for a while about Froyo.

PS3 update 3.40 brings PlayStation Plus, video editing, and more

Rumors of a fee-based PlayStation Network subscription service swirled before E3 2010, and Sony officially announced the product at its press conference. Starting Tuesday, PS3 owners can sign up for PlayStation Plus by installing firmware update 3.40.

With update 3.40 come some other enhancements, including a new network-based photo-sharing application that allows users to upload, comment on, and share items on Facebook and Picasa, or between their PSN friends. Other minor tweaks include new power settings (auto-off is now two hours by default), and a rating system for items available in the PlayStation Store.

Sony is also giving … Read more

Sony to launch PlayStation Plus subscription service later this month

After years of offering a totally free online experience, Sony has announced an add-on subscription service to the PlayStation Network called PlayStation Plus.

All the current features of a standard PlayStation Network membership will continue uninterrupted; PlayStation Plus will work as a premium service, allowing PS3 owners early access to certain game demos, discounts, digital content, automatic updates, and other perks like the PlayStation lifestyle series Qore.

PlayStation Plus will cost $50 a year or $18 for three months. All content from PlayStation Plus is only usable during the length of the subscription, so users won't have access to … Read more