While Netflix caved and signed the agreement with Warner, Redbox has simply let its agreement that has been in place with Warner for a few years expire. That agreement allowed Redbox to buy new DVDs and Blu-rays in bulk at a discount directly from Warner.

By letting the agreement lapse, Redbox has done two things. The first thing is Redbox no longer has to delay the launch of new DVD and Blu-ray releases in its kiosks by the 28 days that the old Warner contract had stipulated, much less than the 56 day delay that Warner now wants. The second thing that not signing the contract has done is force Redbox to buy DVDs in bulk from retailers and wholesalers at higher prices. That could mean the rental prices at the kiosks will go up, but it should give them a competitive advantage over other outlets who have to wait if they want discounted discs for rentals. FWIW, Blockbuster made the same move with Warner recently, too.

Personally, I would gladly pay a little more money at the kiosk then have to wait two months to watch a new film that I want to see. What do you think of this move? Would you be willing to pay a little more to rent a movie if Redbox refuses to renew these contracts that force delays in getting the movies you want to see?

[via LA Times]

The RS 220 use the audio tech from Sennheiser’s popular HD 600 series, which by themselves retail for $519.95, and pair them with an uncompressed digital signal sent over a 2.4GHz connection, using DSSS technology. This is supposed to maintain audio fidelity up to 300 feet away (line of sight), even in environments with lots of wireless devices. Range is decreased to about 100 feet if you’re dealing with wall and other obstacles, though.

Headphone specs include a frequency response from 16 to 22,000 Hz, a maximum SPL of 106db, and a S/N ratio of 90 db and less than 0.1% THD. Battery life for the ‘phones is rated at appx. 6 to 8 hours on a charge. Analog, coaxial, and optical inputs are built into the transmitter, which also doubles as a recharging dock.

The RS 220 headphones retail for $599.95 (USD). Anyone wanting some higher-end wireless headphones should definitely add these to their evaluation list.

[via Uncrate]

The speakers are handcrafted out of wood, and not just any wood. JMC uses spruce that’s been hand harvested from felled 350-year old trees in the Swiss Risoud Forest in order to reduce the need for deforestation. They are quite thin, and respond well to vibrations, and their convex surface is supposed to disperse sound well in a room.

You can choose a few different colors and finishes if the beauty of the natural wood isn’t good enough for you. Of course, all this craftmanship and style doesn’t come cheap. Expect to pay up to $6,530(USD) for a JMC Soundboard.

[via Cool Hunting]

The console rumors also point to a significantly faster CPU/GPA/APU system-on-a-chip package called “Oban“, plus a switch to Blu-ray for the internal drive. Besides downloaded HD content, the only HD media the Xbox 360 ever supported was HD DVD back during the format wars, and that was through an add-on drive. The final new rumor says that when the next gen Xbox lands, a next-gen Kinect will be built into the unit.

One of the more unusual rumors floating around is disturbing to those out there that enjoy buying used games. According to a source cited by Kotaku, the Xbox 720 will in some way block the play of used games. Not only would that really hurt businesses like Gamestop, but it would force gamers to buy new or nothing – presumably in order to encourage new game sales.

I can believe most of these rumors, but I really hope the no used games one is false.

[via Kotaku]

This over-the-top looking setup gives you a comfy ergonomic leather seating unit with touch-screen controls, and a view to kill with three computer displays positioned just right for you to lean back and enjoy. The whole thing is motorized too, so you can adjust the angle of your environment without getting up out of your chair. It’s also got a work surface for a keyboard and mouse, and the monitors can be positioned at a flat eye-level if you want to get some work done.

They system wraps you entirely in its scorpion like design, ensuring an immersive experience equaled only by strapping on a super high-def head-mounted display (which doesn’t exist today.) Each LED-backlit LCD screen is a full 24″ display, with HD resolution, and they all connect up to your computer via a set of three HDMI cables. It’s also got built-in LED lighting both above and below the seating area, and a THX surround sound system. Each one is hand-built to your exact requirements, and even has an air filtration system on board.

MWE offers the Emperor 200 in other colors, so if white isn’t your thing, you can go with something a little bolder like red or black – which makes the whole scorpion thing much more effective. Priced at a whopping $44,750 (USD), this thing is definitely the Porsche of computer workstations. Though for that price, they should throw in a computer with the proper display cards an Xbox 360 and a PS3. The chair should have a massager too. Really, how much would that eat into their profit margins to throw those in?

If $45k is too rich for your blood, you might want to check out MWE’s “bargain priced” Emporer 1510, which does away with the fancy finishes and touchscreen remote, (plus you need to BYO displays), but is considerably more accessible with prices starting at “just” $6,200.

The video starts with an old record player being turned on with a press of the dot on the smartphone screen, then a Sony TV, and then confetti shooters. The last scene of the video is a robot arm pulling the dome off a tray with what appears to be a square box with a dot on it sitting inside.

Each of the devices that the smartphone turns on has a blue, glowing dot on it as well. What do you think about the tease? What do you think it’s for? Some sort of remote control software and accessories for the Xperia, or something totally different? Guess we’ll have to wait until Sony will give up the official goods on February 21 on this website.

The ePawn Arena is designed for games which use physical pieces, such as Dungeons and Dragons style RPG games and the demo below shows how figurines placed on the arena can interact with each other. For instance, the figures can attack each other with weapons and magic spells, but if a map is programmed with walls the attacking figure’s spells will be blocked. Pretty cool no?

This device won’t just work with RPGs, of course. It’ll also work well for games like chess, backgammon, and even air hockey. They are also offering an SDK for iOS (current), Android and PC platforms (future) so developers can make their own games which use the technology.

They’re also working on a version of the technology which doesn’t use a display at all, but allows you to play with pieces on top of a traditional gaming surface, and then send the information back to your device.

ePawn is hoping to have their first device in stores later this year for about $400(USD) for a 26-inch LCD gaming board. That’s not a terrible intro price and it will come down in time. Keep in mind that’s the board itself will require a smartphone, tablet or PC to work, but since most of us already have one or all of those, that shouldn’t be a problem.

[via Dvice]

It has ports for RCA cables on it, and you connect it to your existing audio gear with the to shoot the tunes out to your computer via USB. The device has recording level controls and volume controls on board, and it ships with software for digitizing tracks onto your PC or Mac. It also has a headphone port that will allow you to listen as you convert. The Vinyl Forever converter will ship sometime in 2012 for under $35 (USD).

At CES 2012, the company has rolled out a new turntable called the Duo Deck. It gets its name because not only will it convert your 33-1/3or 45 RPM vinyl records to digital tracks, it also has a cassette player in the back that will convert your 80′s cassette collection to digital too. The deck also works as a standalone turntable and tape player, thanks to a built-in speaker. It even will run on batteries.

The device comes with EZ Converter software and Audacity software to clean up the tracks once they make their way to your PC or Mac. ION didn’t talk price or availability yet, but it should be around $100 or so I’d figure. ION is rarely way out there with their pricing. This may be the best way yet to get those Milli Vanilli cassette and records onto your iPod.

Sony is using a red, green, and blue LED for each of the corresponding pixels on the screen. That means that the 55-inch prototypes it’s showing off at CES each have about 6 million LEDs to generate a 1080p image. The tiny LEDs are mounted directly to the front of the display. The contrast is said to be so high that it can’t be measured.

The TV also promises some very intense colors and perhaps the most awesome image quality ever. The LED tech allows the set to have a 1.4 times wider color gamut than conventional backlit LCD screens. There is no word on when the tech will come to market or how much it will cost. You can count on it taking a long time and being expensive when it lands though.

The Roku Streaming Stick packs Wi-Fi, a processor, memory, and custom software that allows it to connect to MHL-enabled HDMI ports on modern HDTVs. This means that you’ll be able to access services like Netflix, HBO Go, Hulu Plus and Pandora without any problems. It hasn’t yet been confirmed whether it will offer 720p or 1080p resolution, as Roku typically only includes 1080p on their top-of-the-line models.

While many sets these days have built-in digital content capabilities already, Roku makes a good point that by going with their approach, you’ll be able to upgrade to the latest tech inexpensively and without having to buy a whole new TV. Good news for consumers, not so much for the TV manufacturers though.

The only problem I see with the Streaming Stick the need for the special HDMI MHL port, that not all HDTVs have. If you haven’t got it on your TV, you won’t be able to use this version of Roku. Some sets from Samsung and Toshiba already have this port, and many more are coming out this year. However, if you have an older set without one, you’ll need to stick with a regular set-top box.

You choose the color and this entire rear end of a Porsche is hand-built, with 100% original parts. Also available are other cars, like this 1959 Cadillac Coupe de Ville, which holds a 52″ Sony LCD. It’s neat and all, but it would be cool if you could get the front end too, and create a nice Portal effect in your home, but that’s just me.

[via Autoblog via Dvice]

Designers Hwang Jungjoon and Lee Jaeryong created the Proinjector, a combination microwave oven/projector which lets you see what’s going on inside your microwave from across the room.

They claim the design is specifically to reduce the exposure risks to microwave radiation for the elderly, pregnant women and young children, but I could see it being handy if you’re just too lazy to get up from the couch and check that your baked potato hasn’t exploded yet. That said, I think I’d rather just have a tiny wireless camera inside the microwave (or my regular oven for that matter), which just lets me check on things from my smartphone. I’m sure somebody out there is already working on that. If not, I claim that patent in the name of Technabob!

If nothing else, I like the cylindrical design of the Proinjector, which is definitely unique amongst microwave ovens, if not the most practical in terms of conserving counter space.

Good news for those of you who use your Xbox to watch Netflix. The latest version of Netflix is tucked away in the latest Xbox 360 dashboard update and it has some cool new features.


You’ll find a new user interface that allows for a more streamlined browsing experience and there are up to 3 times as many titles available on screen at once. Users also have access to audio and subtitle settings, ratings, episode selection, and related title suggestions.

There’s also support for voice and gesture control when using Xbox Kinect for browsing and playing, 720p HD and Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound. The Netflix app will be automatically installed when you do the latest Xbox 360 Dashboard update. Netflix on Xbox 360 is now available in Brazil, Mexico, Chile, and Colombia. Of course, you need both an Xbox Live Gold and Netflix streaming account to take advantage of the updated app.

[via Netflix]

We still have no info on pricing, but if these spec rumors are on target, the Wii U may be expensive compared to the Wii’s current pricing – especially if you work in the cost of its fancy controller. Of course it will be much more powerful, but what really matters are the games anyhow.

[via Tomsguide]

It weighs in at only 565g and has an integrated 4w power supply for operation. It even has an iPhone dock on top so you can give presentations using only your iPhone and no computer. It can also play music back through the internal speaker in standby mode. The little projector can throw a 160-inch image if the room is dark enough.

The light source is LED so you won’t need to worry about replacing expensive bulbs every few hundred hours. It will throw a 44-inch image from only 3.3 feet from the surface and it uses DLP technology for rich colors and good contrast. It supports full 720p HD resolution, has a 2400:1 contrast ratio and 200 ANSI lumens of brightness. At double the brightness of the GP1, it sounds much better than the original projector. BenQ crams 2GB of memory inside so you can even store files directly to the projector if wanted. It also has a HDMI output and a memory card slot.

The GP2 also offers an optional battery pack which snaps onto the bottom of the projector, offering up to 3 hours of projection on a charge (although brightness decreases to 100 lumens on battery power.) The Joybee GP2 is available now, and retails for $699 (USD) – but Amazon already has it listed for just $549.

Designed by Jason Farsai, this Bose-inspired Multi-Dock concept would allow you to simultaneously dock up to five iPods or iPhones, and then automatically queue up a mega-mix of tunes from all of them. Jason’s “Bose iQ” speaker dock also includes a wide OLED screen which would display album art from the upcoming tracks, as well as a touchscreen remote for controlling the multi-device library. While Jason doesn’t specify, I’d imagine it would also charge all of your devices while docked too. That would certainly be an added benefit for party-goers.

While the idea of five docks might seem a little outlandish, I think the idea of everyone contributing to the party mix is pretty cool. Hopefully Bose (or some other dock manufacturer) will see Jason’s design and consider it for production.

I suppose if the phone packs the right tech, like VOIP and computer-compatibility, it might be useful, albeit somewhat cumbersome. The donut shape and concealed keyboard and display are interesting, but the phone takes up much more space than a regular handset.

To me, the Eclipse looks more like something you’d want to display as a piece of art rather than use as a phone.

The Eclipse DECT phone was designed by Sebastien Sauvage.  For now, it’s just a concept.

[via Yanko Design]

The delays were due to working out the bugs, and generally making sure that the game met Blizzard’s high standards. So it was pushed to 2012. And now there is light at the end of the treasure- and demon- filled tunnel.

Rumor has it that the release might be in the beginning of the new year. Amazon France now has the game listed as arriving on the February 17, 2012 and it can be pre-ordered from their website for €49.90 ($66 USD). Of course, if you don’t live in Europe, you’ll want to order a local copy to make sure you get the correct region. Hopefully, this is accurate as we are all sick and tired of waiting.

[via Ubergizmo]

One of the updates is just for the Xbox 360 owners that have a Kinect motion controller. With the Kinect installed and the new dashboard, the user can use their voice and gestures to navigate the console’s main menus. The update also brings with it voice search on Bing. There are also new social networking features as well. Facebook sharing is part of the update along with beacons. I have no idea what the beacons are though.

The Xbox will also gain access to Cloud Storage for game saves and your Live profile. That should mean no losing your saved games in the event your HDD takes a dump or you have to buy a new console. After the update, we should also expect a variety new apps for television, video, music, and more.

[via Major Nelson]