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.

CloudFTP is a USB adapter that has two functions: it allows you to wirelessly access data from a USB storage device, and it can also back up the data from a USB storage device to a cloud service. CloudFTP is very portable – it’s about as big as a deck of cards, weighs only 3.8oz, and has an internal battery that can power external hard drives for up to 5 hours.

It goes without saying that the CloudFTP needs access to a wireless network so it can back up your data, but you don’t need an Internet connection to use it to stream media or use it as an FTP server. Here’s Chin with more on the device:

Ride a Kintoun Cloud to Kickstarter and pay $69 (USD) to be one of the first to get a CloudFTP device; Chin says it will retail for $100, so that’s a considerable amount of savings right there. My only complaint, if I could even call it that, is that Chin – who already owns a successful tech company – is likely not as fiscally challenged as many of the other people who use Kickstarter to raise funds. Then again, it’s not like he’s forcing people to pledge for his device.

[via GadgetReview]

Packaged in a relatively nondescript grey case, BeoLit 12 comes with a leather handle so that you can ferry it around easily enough. The speaker has Wi-Fi and Apple Airplay capabilities, as well as an Ethernet and USB port. There also appears to be a resting area on top for your device. There’s not much else known about its specs, but they’ll surface soon enough as Bang & Olufsen should be launching it soon.

We’re expecting great audio playback, but it makes you wonder if you’d really want to lug around a B&O speaker. It might get dinged up, and it won’t be cheap to repair. There’s yet no word on pricing – hopefully it’ll be less expensive than the rest of B&Os gear. It’s supposed to be available in time for the upcoming holidays.

[via wireless goodness via Ubergizmo]

To refresh your memory, the Hulu Plus service costs $7.99 (USD) a month and gives you access to content from ABC, NBC, Fox, Comedy Central, MTV and more. It’s no Netflix in terms of movie selection, but more content is being added all of the time.

[via Techcrunch]

That rumor has now come true with Hulu issuing a curt statement that it has cancelled the bidding process and is staying with the owners it has now. I think this is good news, since had another firm grabbed it up would could have seen changes that made the service much less desirable to users than it is now.

The joint statement from Hulu owners News Corporation, Providence Equity Partners, and The Walt Disney Company simply said, “Since Hulu holds a unique and compelling strategic value to each of its owners, we have terminated the sale process and look forward to working together to continue mapping out its path to even greater success. Our focus now rests solely on ensuring that our efforts as owners contribute in a meaningful way to the exciting future that lies ahead for Hulu.”

The need for an invite meant a bunch of folks couldn’t access the free service and had to pay for the monthly service instead. Spotify and Facebook have tied up with a new offering that will allow Spotify users to share what they are listening to on Facebook. That also means that if you have a Facebook account you can access Spotify with no invite and at no charge for six months.

The six month free service with your Facebook login is unlimited listening too. That means the ten-hour free limit that is normally applied is nowhere to be seen for the full six months. After that six-month period, you can keep the free ten-hour monthly service or buy the premium service to continue.

[via TechCrunch via LifeHacker]

The streaming deal in place now will last through February 2012, and then it’s gone. Netflix says that in the beginning Starz was only a small portion some of its mainstream content and now that it has more content providers, Starz is only 8% of its mainstream stuff. I’m not buying that, Starz is almost all of the mainstream content I want to watch. The rest are artsy films and other crap I don’t care about.

Once Starz is gone, I guess I will have to go back to watching on satellite to see the stuff. The content I will really miss are the Starz original shows I won’t be able to watch when I feel like it such as Spartacus. Netflix, you had better replace Starz with some good stuff.

[via Business Insider]

This new device from Marvel Digital is called the Smart TV Enabler, and it can play 1080p HD content through an Internet connection or an attached USB device (HD, memory card, USB flash drive).

The box also allows you to browse the Internet from your TV. It will also allow you to run Android Apps from the Android Market, albeit on a large screen.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

It will be released at the end of August and cost $110 at the Marvel store (but don’t expect any Superheroes to be there.)

In fact, the creator goes so far as to say that when OnLive servers were co-located with DIDO servers the latency was only about a millisecond. That is less latency than the same game playing on a console next to your TV according to the company. DIDO is able to kill latency by replacing some of the processing that needs to take place in your access point or router with processing done on the cloud.

The DIDO server knows what PC on the network is going to get what data on it sends that data directly to the computer that needs it. That means that the computer on the other end doesn’t have to search one big stream of all user data for its own stuff. How cool is that? I hope the service will work as well in the real world as it sounds on paper. Speaking of paper, you can read the detailed DIDO whitepaper for more details on how it works.

[via PCMag]

The Roku XD model with 1080p HD playback and integrated 802.11n WiFi has landed at your local Best Buy store for $79.95 (USD). It will play all sorts of streaming content like Netflix, Hulu Plus, Crackle, and lots more.

The streaming box will also support streaming music from the web with Pandora, MP3 tunes and lots more. You can even access Facebook on it. This is one of the cheaper and easier ways to get web content onto your TV in the living room.

The device is also available in BJ’s Wholesale Club, Fry’s and RadioShack.

Grace Digital Audio has a new micro shelf system with stereo speakers called the Grace Wi-Fi Stereo Micro System (GDI-IRMS300). The system has integrated Ethernet connectivity and supports 802.11b/g/n WiFi as well for wireless streaming. The radio has FM, AM, and HD tuners for tuning normal stations and it has the ability to stream just about anything from the web.

The system supports Pandora, Rhapsody, NPR, Sirius, and a lot more. The system can tune about 50,000 radio stations in total and it has 16W of peak power. Each speaker has a 3.5″ main and a 1″ tweeter. Other features include a dual band EQ, support for all sorts of digital file formats, and a media player that can stream tracks from your computer. The system retails for $249.99 (USD), but you can already find them over at Amazon for under $190.

The RCD-N7 stereo receiver pairs with with Denon’s SC-N7 speakers, and outputs 65-watts per-channel. The system can also stream Rhapsody, Napster, Pandora, and Last.fm and has a built-in iPod dock, too.

It also comes with something called Party Mode Plus, a five system, multi-zone networked management system that can be distributed around your house and controlled by Denon’s iOS app. Now that’s sweet.

You can find the RCD-N7 and SC-N7 over at Amazon for around $733 (USD).

[via CoolHunting]

After all, there are any number of dangers to be concerned about while they are still infants. Wouldn’t it be nice to keep an eye on them no matter where you are? Well if you have an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch then you can do just that by purchasing a WiFi Baby 3G.

This little camera can be setup in your child’s room and used to observe them. It it completely wireless, so you won’t need to worry about running an Ethernet cable to its location. You’ll then be able to view the live feed from any computer, or from whichever Apple device you happen to own.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

The best part is that you aren’t just limited to viewing it while on your own home network. You can stream the video to your phone (or other device) from anywhere in the world. Unfortunately peace of mind will set you back $280.

[via Gearlog]

D-Link today announced that the Boxee Box will start shipping on November 10th, 2010, accompanied by a NYC launch event to celebrate the momentous day. In addition, they expect them to start turning up in retail outlets around the 17th.

The lopsided little black box may have had some of its thunder stolen by the new Apple TV and Sony/Google Internet TV offerings, but it’s still a compelling option if you want a platform that can really consume tons of free content from just about any source or file format there. Plus, it can handle full 1080p video and ships with a full QWERTY remote. And if you’ve ever used the Boxee PC, Mac or Linux apps, you know the interface is awesome for a big-screen browsing experience.

Amazon is already taking pre-orders for $199.99 (USD), so if you want one at launch, you’d better head over there now.

The device connects to any camcorder and can broadcast the video you take to the web in realtime. The miniCASTER connects to your camera and can even transmit video in HD resolution. If you don’t want your own wacky web show, the broadcast device can also be used to broadcast news or even put your kids football game online live for people who live far away to watch.

The obvious drawback to the miniCASTER is the price. The analog connection entry model is $1399 (USD) and the high-end SDI version is $1999. The video can be streamed online using a landline, cellular network, or satellite and the maker says an hour of video streaming will cost about $10.

The quality of the video is approximately the same as the screenshot you see above, but there are caveats of course, not least of which is the fact that video sites like YouTube compress any video that’s uploaded.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Surprisingly good right? And he was even playing via a wireless connection. According to Hill, he got “SD” quality video over his 3Mbps connection, but with a 4Mbps or 5MBps connection, you’re supposed to be able to stream games in “HD”.

It would’ve been better if Hill mentioned what his laptop’s specs were though. But overall, there seemed to be minimal lag and I think that’s the most crucial factor here. If you’re interested, you can check out OnLive’s website for more info; you can sign up on the site for a chance to win a one year free subscription.

[via Gamertell]

The kit consists of a pair of adapters – one plugs into your router or gateway, while the other sticks close to your media devices, be it a computer, gaming console or Ethernet/WiFi-compatible TV. The adapters make use of the 5 GHz band to transmit data to avoid interference that may be caused by other wireless gear in the vicinity.

The kit is modular too, i.e. you can add additional adapters if the second one can’t serve all of your gadgets. No word on the price yet, but they’ll be available this fall. Check out Netgear’s website for more details.

[via Technology Review]

The Home Base can also use one of your external drives as a media server for DLNA-enabled devices, like the Xbox 360 or PS3. If I didn’t already have the PS3 Media Server on my Mac, I’d get the Home Base just for that function alone. You can get the Belkin Home Base at Amazon for $66 (USD). That’s very cheap, considering Belkin’s asking $130 for it on their online store.

[via GadgetGrid]

When you plug it in, the device is recognized as a flash drive, but actually it only links to the actual storage media where your files are stored. So for example you can configure it to access the music on your laptop, or perhaps the videos in your home server. In other words, the virtual capacity of the Wireless Media Stick reflects the actual capacity of the drives it streams from.

Definitely a device with lots of potential, especially since its simplicity makes it compatible with a ton of devices, even cheap DVD players or digital picture frames. The Wireless Media Stick’s price and release date should be available later this week during CES.

[via Everything USB]

Each DreamScreen features a bright, high-resolution LCD color screen, and has built in speakers so it’s a completely self-contained media playback device. And if you don’t want to bother streaming media from your PC, the DreamScreen has a built in 6-in-2 media card reader and a pair of USB ports too. Video formats supported include MPEG 1, 2, 4 and H.264, while you can listen to audio in MP3, AAC, WMA and WAV formats.

In addition to media playback, you can access Facebook and view updates without getting up from your chair. There’s also a slideshow integration with Snapfish, so you can upload photos to their site and view them on the DreamScreen. HP has also been kind enough to provide access to streaming digital music via Pandora, and HP’s own “SmartRadio” which aggregates Internet radio from around the globe. There’s also a built in calendar and alarm clock, so you might want one of these on your bedside table instead of a traditional alarm. There’s no word on future plans to roll out additional Internet services, but I’m hopeful HP will release more integrations in future.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

The only major downside I can see to the DreamScreen is that it’s crying out for a touchscreen surface. For now, you have to navigate using the buttons along the sides of the screen, or using the included wireless remote. Hopefully, HP will make a touch-enabled version in the future. I also wish there were an open standard for widgets like there is with the Chumby.

The DreamScreen 100 features a 13.3″ display, while the DreamScreen 130 has a 10.2″ screen. Both devices have 800×480 screen resolution, so the smaller display just has smaller pixels. The DreamScreen 100 lists for $249.99 (USD) and the DreamScreen 130 is $299.99, but you can find both models over at Amazon for a few dollars less.