Video

Comcast and NBC Universal have jumped the last regulatory hurdle before making their multibillion-dollar marriage a reality, but what does it all mean to average consumers?

Earlier this week the companies, which are planning to form a joint venture that Comcast will control, got approval from both the Federal Communications Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice. The companies are expected to finalize the deal by the end of January.

The combination of the cable giant and media conglomerate has some watchdog groups and opponents of big mergers, such as FCC commissioner Michael Copps, wary. They are concerned that … Read more

Modern CEOs live on airplanes. But in stepping down from the CEO role to become executive chairman, Eric Schmidt's travel schedule is about to go into overdrive.

Google's bombshell announcement this afternoon that Schmidt, the company's second CEO but the first to provide "adult supervision" to Larry Page and Sergey Brin's world-changing creation, thrusts Schmidt into a role where he won't see the Googleplex very often. In ceding control of day-to-day operations to Page, Schmidt told financial analysts that he's preparing to focus on "the things I'm most interested in.&… Read more

On today's show, Brian Cooley kindly drops in to keep the streak alive -- with bourbon! Also, to discuss one analyst's counter-intuitive assessment that the Nintendo 3DS is priced too low. Well, I suppose it is, if you're a shareholder. But we're happy. In other news today, the iPad 2 will have a camera (duh), Google Voice might let you port your number for $20, and Angry Birds is probably coming to TV. Why didn't we think of Angry Birds, is what I want to know? --Molly

Boxee has added another streaming service to its set-top box, but it isn't Netflix.

After updating their Boxee Box with new firmware, customers will find movie-streaming service Vudu. To entice folks to try it out, Wal-Mart-owned Vudu is offering a $5.99 credit toward the first rental or purchase of any title to new users.

In addition to tucking in Vudu, Boxee said in a blog post yesterday, the updated firmware delivers better browser performance, improved subtitles, and a slew of other bug fixes to increase the set-top box's stability.

On the Netflix front, Boxee said it's &… Read more

Amazon.com has signed an agreement to acquire Lovefilm, a U.K.-based company that's considered a European equivalent to Netflix.

The online retail giant had owned a minority stake in Lovefilm since 2008 when the latter bought Amazon's DVD rental business, which covered the U.K. and Germany.

Fully acquiring Lovefilm is an interesting move for Amazon. The rental company is essentially Europe's answer to Netflix, offering DVD-by-mail rentals, as well as a streaming service available on PCs, the PlayStation 3, and some HDTVs. Lovefilm, which was founded in 2004, currently operates in the U.K., … Read more

On today's show, we've got a new meme, new details about the Comcast/NBCU merger, and new comments from Apple dismissing Android tablets as both "bizarre" and "vapor." Ok, guys, whatever you say. Verizon offers $200 off iPhone 4 upgrades, in case that takes the sting out a little, and we discuss the rise of universal app stores, consumer confusion over 4G, and sharks in the streets of Australia. It's a wide-ranging show, folks. --Molly

Our hilarious Internet video of the day is also a disturbingly meta metaphor for what's got to be happening if the FCC would just roll over and approve a Comcast-NBCU merger 4-1, like they did today: walking headlong into the fountain. Hello, content balkanization! What could possibly go wrong? Also in the news, Steve Jobs on medical leave again, get your info off Facebook, for god's sakes, and why everybody hates Netflix. --Molly

Netflix has triggered a slew of customer complaints after revealing that it's taking away the ability to add titles to the DVD queue from streaming devices.

Announced in a blog post yesterday by Jamie Odell, director of product management, the move would mean that people will no longer be able to use the "Add to DVD Queue" feature from their smartphones, set-top boxes, game consoles, and other devices that stream Netflix content. Users will be able to add physical discs to their queue only by going directly to the Netflix Web site on a PC or presumably … Read more

Will Courtney Love's lawyers argue that Twitter is just so fun and awesome that she can't be held responsible for defamatory crazy talk she types on it? If so, we're about to go crazy on Twitter. Also, Apple and News Corp may have pushed back their launch date for the Daily, BBC says no to Smart TV fragmentation, and why can't Samsung just give us our dang Froyo already? --Molly