Russ with Hova--no big deal.
(Credit: Russ Frushtick)Russ Frushtick from MTV's Multiplayer blog joins us on today's episode of The 404 Podcast to give us the rundown of this month's upcoming video game releases, but first we have to give a quick head nod to the Yankees for winning the World Series and, of course, Matsui for coming through with the MVP of the series.
Also, were you as annoyed with the lame tech commercials during the game as we were? Between James Cameron's upcoming flop "Avatar" that looks like a 2-hour video game cut scene, the new Droid phone ripping Apple apart, and the rather malicious new Mac ads practically lying about past versions of Windows, we could barely watch the game!
Next, we run down a list of near-extinct tech that just won't seem to go away. The list includes items like the landline telephone, Twitter, vinyl, fax machines, Windows XP, and Sonic the Hedgehog, and although we agree with most of them, how are people supposed to send sandwiches to loved ones without a fax machine?
By far, the highlight of today's episode comes toward the tail end of the show during our classic Calls From the Public segment, where Jeff is the reluctant receiver of a huge spoiler to his current read, Lois Lowry's "The Giver." If you're planning on reading the book for the first time, you might want to click the mute button for the remainder of the episode, or risk suffering a similar fate. On the other hand, the look on Jeff's face when things get spoiled is too hilarious to miss.
EPISODE 461
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MLB debuts its Android app for Game 1 of the World Series.
(Credit: MLB)Alex Rodriguez won't be the only big baseball name making its World Series debut Wednesday night.
When the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies take the field for the first game of the World Series, Major League Baseball will also introduce its popular At Bat mobile application for Android phones.
Previously only available for Apple's iPhone and iPod Touch, the application can be downloaded from MLB.com's mobile site but not the Android Marketplace, since the league is still testing the app in advance of next season. For that reason, the Android version will be free.
At Bat for Android delivers live scoreboards, box scores, and pitch-by-pitch or play-by-play updates, along with updated video highlight reels. The big difference between the free beta Android version the full paid version now for iPhone is that there's no option for live streaming video. There will, however, be live streaming audio for the remainder of the baseball postseason.
MLB says for now it's testing the waters, and it doesn't mean there will definitely be an Android app for next season.
"We were intrigued by the adoption of Android and the recent announcements by carriers releasing devices in the coming weeks and months, and we wanted to take this opportunity during World Series" to test it out, said Adam Ritter, vice president of wireless at MLB Advanced Media. "The beta Android app will give us the feedback we need from a product and technical perspective to see what's possible for next season."
It's been a big day for Android, Google's free Linux-based mobile operating system, and MLB's embrace of the OS shows its technology savvy. While iPhone and iPod Touch sales have exploded, Android is also gaining momentum, as seen with Wednesday's high-profile launch of the Motorola Droid series. There are at least 10 Android phones available now or within the next week, and at least 10 more rumored models on the way for the holidays or next year.
MLB At Bat 2009 and MLB At Bat Lite (the free version) is currently on 1.2 million devices, according to MLB.
Going to be away from your TV and don't have an iPhone or Android phone? Check out a handful of other ways to keep track of every pitch of the series here.
More screenshots of the app after the jump.
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A quick sneak peek at Dell's new Adamo design.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)At a press conference to show off new licensed laptop lid designs from Major League Baseball and nail polish brand OPI, Dell teased the audience with a brief peek at the new design for its high-end Adamo laptop.
The system, purported to be only 9.99 millimeters thick, was previously hinted at with a single-shot teaser Web site launched by Dell in September. This time around, Dell VP Alex Gruzen pulled one of the new Adamo systems from a laptop sleeve and, keeping the lid closed, held it aloft for a few seconds before handing it off to be spirited away.
Also onhand were two new partnerships for customizable laptop lids on Dell systems. The Dell Design Studio will offer MLB designs for all 30 teams, with "Fan, Classic, and Die-Hard" versions available. Concurrently, OPI, a leading nail lacquer brand, will offer "26 exciting, high-style OPI fashion shades," as laptop lid design options. On top of that, Dell is adding another 80 designs from artists from around the world to the options available when customizing a laptop.
In keeping with Dell's current premiums for custom lids on most of its laptops, these new designs add $85 to the cost. Basic single-color lids are still an extra $40.
We managed to snap a few photos of the elusive new Adamo's brief appearance--check them out in the gallery below.
(Credit:
Roku)
In its bid to put together a roster of compelling content, Roku has just acquired an ace.
Starting Tuesday, the set-top box--known to many as "the Netflix box"--will begin streaming Major League Baseball games. As with the current Netflix arrangement, you have to be a subscriber to the service, in this case MLB.com Premium, to access the content that normally would be available only on a PC or iPhone.
And while this is a boon to baseball fans, it's an even more important development for Roku. MLB.tv Premium is the first live content available on Roku's device, and by bringing that from the PC to the TV, the 50-person Saratoga, Calif., company is beginning to differentiate itself from similar consumer electronics products.
Roku currently has access to the Netflix Watch Instantly queue, as well as Amazon Video on Demand, which allows for rental and purchase of movies. More recently, Roku added content from Blip.TV and MediaFly, two content aggregators, for videos and podcasts.
MLB.tv will work the same way. It will be accessed via a new pane that can be reached via the small remote. Once a customer's account is synced, any live, out-of-market (as in, not your home team) game across the league can be seen, with the choice of both the home and away team's local broadcast feed. Games up to one week old are available in the archive, and previews appear of each team's scheduled games up to a week in advance. ... Read more
Boxee, the open-source software platform that combines Internet media with personal content, announced a slew of updates Tuesday.
Most notably, the company announced that it has made Boxee publicly available to Windows users.
The public alpha version of Boxee for Windows will work with Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7. Users will also be able to run it on Windows Media Center, making it possible to bring Boxee to HDTVs through Microsoft's platform. A beta release of the software should be made available later this year.
MLB comes to Boxee
Boxee has also inked a deal with Major League Baseball that will bring MLB.tv Premium to the platform. According to the company, Boxee users will be able to watch "thousands of baseball games, live and on-demand in HD."
Users will be able to pause and rewind a live game. But in order for them to access those games, they will need to sign up for the MLB.tv Premium service, which costs $89.95 per year or $19.95 per month.
Even more content
Since Digg has a popular video section, it only makes sense that Boxee would sign a deal with the social-news site to bring its videos to the platform.
According to Boxee, users will now be able to watch Digg's most popular videos, as well as upcoming clips. Users will soon be able to Digg videos from within Boxee, but that feature is currently not available.
Boxee also signed on with Tumblr to give that site's users the option to stream music and slideshows to Boxee. The company said more Tumblr features are on the way, but it wouldn't divulge what those are.
As if that's not enough, Boxee also announced that Current TV shows are now available on the platform. Current is home to popular shows, including The Rotten Tomatoes Show, InfoMania, and SuperNews.
New navigation
Since Boxee has made so many content enhancements, the company apparently had to improve its user interface. Boxee now features two new categories: Applications and Local Media. The Applications menu will feature all the Internet content available for the platform. The Local Media menu lists content from the user's computer and local network.
Don Reisinger is a technology columnist who has written about everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Don is a member of the CNET Blog Network, and posts at The Digital Home. He is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure.
(Credit:
Commodore Gaming)
I don't know about the crossover between die-hard baseball fans and hardcore PC gamers, two seemingly disparate groups, but that hasn't stopped Commodore from partnering with Major League Baseball to offer custom-painted cases with your favorite team's colors and logo.
Currently, there are only four teams offered--Mets, Yankees, Red Sox, and Phillies--but the press release states that additional teams will be added in the weeks to follow. So stay tuned Kansas City Royals fans.
Since its reemergence, Commodore has offered many custom paint themes, which it calls C-kins. The MLB themes feature standard C-kin pricing: $275 for a full ATX chassis and $210 for just the painted panels, which you would them slap on the Commodore PC you already own.
No word on whether just MLB teams will be offered or if you'll be able to get player-specific themes--say, Derek Jeter's No. 2 jersey on the side of your PC. I would seriously consider purchasing a custom-painted Commodore PC if it came grossly overclocked with Barry Bonds- or Roger Clemens-themed art.
Nothing says "World Champions" like a custom-painted PC case.
(Credit: Commodore Gaming)
MLB.tv on the iPhone
(Credit: James Martin/CNET News.com)Baseball fans rejoice. MLB.tv has just debuted a killer iPhone application at WWDC 2008. The application provides live scoreboards, with individual box scores and pitch-by-pitch updates, along with current and constantly updated video highlights, minutes after the play happens.
This application is great for checking in on your team while you're on the go. Instead of being frustrated by not being able to see what your team is up to, MLB.tv's solution puts the whole baseball experience, not just the scores, in your pocket.
This iPhone application looks like it's the best in its class, as far as sports applications go. MLB.tv has been leading the way in streaming sporting events over the Internet. They are continuing their tradition of quality products here.
The development of rich sports applications like this one is nothing but great news for sports fans as others are likely to follow suit. This application is sure to drive more subscribers to MLB.tv's service.
The Pro Sports Schedule Watch, da Bears edition.
(Credit: Wireless Catalog)During football season, there are really only two times of day: game time, and the lame 164 or so hours a week when your team isn't playing.
Finally, there's a watch that realizes this. The Pro Sports Schedule Watch comes preloaded with your favorite NFL or MLB team's season schedule.
These $130 watches aren't one-year wonders, either. The USB-compatible watch can download future schedules from the Web, so you'll always have the current schedule on your wrist.
When it's game time, the watch plays "The Star Spangled Banner" for football games or "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" for baseball games. The MLB version even includes World Series results for every year since 1903.
Unfortunately, the watches do not display the actual games in high-def.
[Via The Uber-Review.]
Major League Baseball might not be a fan of Sling Media, but the National Hockey League on Wednesday announced its support of a forthcoming Sling feature called "Clip + Sling."
The NHL is the first pro sports league to make a deal with Sling. Clip + Sling is a feature that will allow Slingbox users to select clips of live or recorded television and share them with others. Though the content can only be clipped by Slingbox users, anyone can access the Web portal that will host the clips. The 2-year-old company also has a Clip + Sling licensing deal with CBS, which it first announced in January at the Consumer Electronics Show. The service is currently in private beta, and will be open for public beta later this summer, Sling said.
In a statement, the hockey league called Sling's technology "a natural fit" for its fans. It's also arguably a wise move for the NHL, which doesn't have a lucrative TV contract like those of pro baseball, football and basketball, and has been relegated to an obscure cable channel known as Versus. While the NHL does give fans the option to watch games online via its Center Ice Online feature, it doesn't seem to be as fiercely protective of its content as, say, MLB.com.
Is watching an out-of-market baseball game illegal? Potentially yes, according to Major League Baseball.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Esq. a lawyer for the league's Advanced Media division said Slingbox's capability to placeshift MLB content--that is, allow owners to watch their subscription channels from a remote location--is illegal, and MLB is mulling a lawsuit.
MLB says using the Slingbox to watch out-of-market baseball games is illegal.
(Credit: Sling Media)"Of course, what they are doing is not legal," MLB general counsel Michael Mellis told the publication. "We and other leagues have formed a group to study the issue and plan our response. A lot depends on ongoing discussions. Plus, there's no guarantee that Slingbox will be around next year. It's a start-up."
In response, Sling Media told CNET News.com that allowing anyone besides the owner to access a Slingbox is a violation of the device's end-user licensing agreement, and that if anything, the ability to watch one's home team play when out of town or at the office, "creates a much tighter bond" between a fan and his or her baseball team and local broadcasting team.
The Consumer Electronics Association has vigorously come to Sling's defense. "This is a classic instance of copyright owners trying to suppress innovation purely because it empowers consumers," CEA President Gary Shapiro said in a statement. "There is no infringement or piracy here--consumers are simply watching content they lawfully purchase (or receive free over-the-air) in a different physical location."
This is not the first time Sling has taken heat for allegedly flouting broadcasting rules. A year ago MLB's vice president of business accused Sling users of stealing from cable operators that have paid to broadcast local games. And Home Box Office's CTO Bob Zitter commented at the National Association of Broadcasters last year that "content owners don't like it (Sling) because they think it violates their copyrights." Yet none have moved to take Sling to court yet.
This also is not pro baseball's first time demonstrating its tight control over the broadcasting of its content. Right before the start of the 2007 season, the league made waves when it renegotiated the availability of its Extra Innings package with cable and satellite providers. Though the initial deal with DirecTV was on the path to being exclusive, shutting out other satellite customers from purchasing the league's out-of-market subscription package, MLB relented and agreed to continue partnering with other cable and satellite services.
