Internet – Page 5

OnLive US launch set for June

March 11, 2010March 11, 2010 Doug Groves Mac gaming, OnLive, PC gaming0 comment

Remember OnLive, the cloud gaming service that promises to handle all the computational power of video gaming at their servers, requiring only a browser plug-in (Windows & Mac) or MicroConsole? Yesterday OnLive announced that the service will officially launch for US consumers (well, the 48 contiguous States) starting June 17th during the E3 2010 show. Access to the service is $14.95 a month, although that’s on top of game rentals or purchases. There will also be lower prices if you sign up for multi-month plans, though details haven’t been announced…

OnLive demoed at Columbia University, looks promising

December 29, 2009 drsquid cloud computing, Compression, console, Gaming, OnLive, PC, video7 Comments

Gamertag Radio recently posted a 48 minute demonstration of OnLive, the cloud gaming platform that many claim is just smoke and mirrors, recorded at a lecture at Columbia University. While final judgement should withheld until the service actually launches – and someone outside the company has tested it in the ‘real’ world, this video goes a long way to proving to me that there is real technology here that will work, and could potentially revolutionize gaming as we know it. However I am not ready to give up local gaming…

Mozilla exec recommends Bing for search

December 11, 2009December 11, 2009 Doug Groves Aza Dotzler, bing, Eric Schmidt, google, Microsoft, Mozilla, privacy, search4 Comments

Asa Dotzler, Mozilla’s director of community development watched Google’s CEO Eric Schmidt talk about privacy concerns in a CNBC interview, and was compelled to respond with recommending Microsoft’s Bing as the search engine of choice for Mozilla’s Firefox. This is what Schmidt said… “I think judgment matters… If you have something that you don’t want anyone to know, maybe you shouldn’t be doing it in the first place. If you really need that kind of privacy, the reality is that search engines — including Google — do retain this information…

“Rogers On Demand Online” – Hulu North or just another VOD?

November 24, 2009November 24, 2009 Doug Groves Hulu, Rogers, VOD0 comment

We’ve talked about the lack of a Hulu-type service in Canada on a number of occasions. In the US, Hulu is a free service that allows users to watch full TV episodes and movies from a number of content providers in an on-demand service on their computers, either via a web browser or dedicated client. The service does contain advertising, but is less intrusive than watching over the air or cable broadcasts. Rogers announced that they have partnered with 15 network content providers to allow streaming of content from 19…

AOL is dead. Long live Aol.

November 24, 2009 Danny X America Online, AOL, time warner0 comment

AOL today unveiled its new branding, and people are less than impressed. The new corporate identity, created by hotshot design agency Wolff Olins New York, involves using a set of hundreds of different backgrounds to sit behind the new mark in which AOL is written Aol. (don’t forget the full-stop). Landing on this design was the result of a long and winding road which included research, testing, and creative reviews, all to answer the question, “should we even stick with the AOL brand?”

YouTube getting all Hulu – that’s a bad thing

November 20, 2009November 20, 2009 Doug Groves google, online video, Popcorn Hour, YouTube31 Comments

Starting on December 2nd, YouTube is planning on blocking access to content based on where and how it’s being delivered. This according to Popcorn Hour’s COO Alex Limberis: On November 18, 2009 Syabas, makers of the award-winning Popcorn Hour product line, uploaded a message to their Media Service Portal that said, “As of Wednesday, December 2, 2009, YouTube will no longer be available to Popcorn Hour users.” Please understand that this is neither a technical glitch nor a decision the company has voluntarily made. To be clear, Google has changed…

Google Chrome OS reveal party

November 19, 2009November 19, 2009 Doug Groves 1 Comment

It’s been a while since Google first announced its foray into the desktop OS market, but today is the launch party, and the open source project is free to download. If the above video, in all its treacly glory, isn’t enough of an indication, Chrome OS may already be obsolete. The new OS is a lightweight Linux based operating system targeting low end computer systems such as netbooks running both X86 desktop and ARM based mobile CPUs. It’s designed from the ground up to run inside the Chrome browser, right…

Inside scoop on Modern Warfare 3 via The Onion

November 11, 2009 Doug Groves 1 Comment

Ultra-Realistic Modern Warfare Game Features Awaiting Orders, Repairing Trucks Modern Warfare 2 has only been out for a day, but The Onion managed to get some details on the inevitable sequel. The missions in this beta are looking to be even more true to life, and vary from the very easy “Pose for photo-ops for Thanksgiving media reports” to the more challenging “Settle the debate on who’ you’d rather have sex with: Jessica Biel or Shakira“. Infinity Ward isn’t known for adding such subtle role-playing elements, and it’s nice to…

CRTC decision already having effect?

October 26, 2009 Doug Groves Bell, CRTC, net neutrality, throttling7 Comments

Last week, the CRTC released it’s initial net neutrality decision, which was quickly followed by a wide range of opinions, from pie-in-the-sky to “The sky is falling“. More reasonable responses suggested that the ruling wasn’t bad, and the head of a 3rd party ISP or two even said it was pretty good overall, with some problems. That being said, one of the major issues was bandwidth throttling, and there were guidelines put in place that would restrict how and when ISPs could do so. Less than a week after the…

HULU might start charging for content.

October 26, 2009October 26, 2009 Danny X Hulu2 Comments

HULU, the online ad-supported content provider that provides streaming content from FOX, NBC and Disney for free, may start charging for content as early as next year. Chase Carey, deputy chairman of HULU’s parent company News Corp., discussed the future of the company’s model at the B&C OnScreen Summit recently, saying “It’s time to start getting paid for broadcast content online”.

CRTC ruling merely “a framework”

October 21, 2009 Doug Groves Bell, CRTC, Teksavvy, throttling11 Comments

The CRTC has finally ruled in the long standing Bell throttling case. The ruling is a bit of a mish-mash of both good and bad, and a fair bit of haziness. Although there is a requirement of transparency from the major ISPs to both their retail and wholesale customers, it looks like Internet Traffic Management Practices (ITMPs) such as throttling will likely continue at least until the first complaint rolls into the CRTC (which should happen pretty fast). The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) today introduced a new framework…

Canadian Copyright Reform… uhm… stuff

October 21, 2009October 21, 2009 Doug Groves comedy, copyright, CRIA, CRTC, Hulu2 Comments

The above clip from This Hour Has 22 Minutes (from Oct 20, 2009) is a great bit about the fears of new technologies and their impact on the recording and television industry. Of course, the fears of new technology destroying the living of artists stretches all the way back to the player piano. Somehow we’ve managed to survive this far… In other news, the Globe and Mail today has an interesting article about how Canadians are being left out in the cold (no ‘snow’ wisecracks please) when it comes to…