Intel and Yahoo! are looking at new ways to bring Internet content and services to the television environment with the announcement of the new “Widget Channel”. The Widget Channel is a television application framework powered by the Yahoo! Widget Engine, and optimized for TV and related CE (Consumer Electronics) devices utilizing the Intel Architecture platform. Developers using the Widget Channel framework can utilize standard web programming languages and technologies to create widgets that bring together television content with interactive Internet-based services from a variety of sources. Yahoo! also plans on releasing their own branded TV Widgets that utilize their own services.

It sounds nice but how does this really pan out? The basic idea is as follows - developers create TV-based Internet applications in the form of widgets (powered by Yahoo! Widgets). These widgets then run on Intel architecture devices.. ah but what kind of devices are these? Since we’re talking about the television market, they have to be either HDTV sets, or set-top boxes (or perhaps standalone CE portable devices some day). This is why Intel is in the picture - they’ve been trying to break into the consumer electronics market and the Widget Channel is the perfect opportunity to do so.

Now why would Yahoo! want to be in this picture? Once software developers are on-board with their TV Widgets and set-top boxes get distributed to the masses, Yahoo! can 1) spread their influence via Internet services and 2) generate additional revenues through advertising - this time via televised content. Consider the possibilities of Internet based advertising delivered alongside television content!

The key to making this all pan out will be the hardware manufacturers of CE devices - the folks who manufacture HDTV sets, set-top boxes, and portable consumer electronics. If there’s wide-spread adoption, then Yahoo! and Intel could be on to something. If no one bites, then well.. this one will just drift off into space.

The two companies plan on releasing a software development kit to developers, advertisers/publishers, as well as hardware manufacturers of TVs and consumer electronics. The Widget Channel will also include a Widget Gallery where developers can publish their TV widgets across multiple devices.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Intel, Yahoo!, TV Widgets, Widget Channel

Archos introduced three new connected devices today as part of their new “Internet Media Tablets” product lineup - the Archos 5, the Archos 7, and the Archos 5g. These players offer many of the same features found in previous Archos models except now, there’s a large touchscreen display and even 3G connectivity on the Archos 5g model. The focus of these devices is clearly on the Internet - following the trend that Apple established with the iPhone and iPod touch. The Archos 5 is the company’s flagship product featuring a 5 inch display and a wealth of features. The Archos 5g adds 3.5G HSDPA support and the Archos 7 increases the display size to 7 inches while keeping the same resolution.

On the application front, the new Archos Internet Media Tablets support features such as:

• Web browsing via a free Opera browser
• Email application
• Web TV and Web Radio
• Widgets
• Video playback
• Music playback
• Photo playback
• Games
• Content streaming from a PC
• TV recording

Powering these new Archos players is the new ARM Cortex superscalar processor. These in fact are the first devices out there to use the new Cortex processor.

Some of the common specs include:

• 800 x 480 resolution display
• Video playback support for MPEG-4, WMV, MPEG-2 (optional on the Archos 7), H.264 (optional on the Archos 7), and M-JPEG. HD MPEG-4 and WMV support optional
• Audio playback support for MP3, WMA, Protected WMA, WMA pro 5.1, WAV, AAC, and AAC+
• Photo playback support for JPEG, BMP, PNG, GIF
• Built-in PDF viewer
• Supports optional DVR station
• Supports POP3 and IMAP email accounts
• Wi-Fi support
• 3.5 mm mini-jack
• Built-in speaker and leg stand
• Lithium Polymer battery

The Archos 5 will be available in three storage configurations - a 60GB ($349.99), 120GB ($399.99), and a 250GB ($449.99) model while the Archos 7 will be available in a 160GB ($449.99) and 320GB ($549.99) model. The Archos 3G which comes with a SIM card slot and supports 3.5G connectivity will only be available in a 30GB model ($549.99).

[Check it out via PC Mag]

Technorati Tags: Archos, Internet Media Tablets, Archos 5, Archos 5g, Archos 7

Best Buy is looking to branch out beyond the retail store by launching a pilot program of automated kiosks situated at major airports around the country. Dubbed Best Buy Express, these automated kiosks will have a variety of products and accessories ideal for for business and leisure travelers. Offered products will include cell phone and computer accessories, digital cameras and accessories, flash drives and portable storage devices, MP3 players, headphones, speakers, unlocked phones, portable gaming devices, gift cards, travel adapters and chargers. Best Buy Express kiosks will be rolled out to the following airports - Atlanta (ATL), Boston (BOS), Dallas (DFW), Houston (IAH), Las Vegas (LAS), Los Angeles (LAX), Minneapolis (MSP) and San Francisco (SFO) - with the rollout continuing through Sept. 1st.

Technorati Tags: Best Buy, Best Buy Express

Just a small notice to owners of Logitech Harmony remote controls and Mac systems - Logitech has released version 7.5 of their Logitech Harmony Remote Software for OS X and is available for download here. Of course if you’re remote is working perfectly fine for your setup, then there’s probably no reason to update your Mac.. but if you need to make some changes, go ahead and download the 29MB beast. And now… my little plug for the Harmony - these remotes utterly rock!

[Check it out via GearLive]

Technorati Tags: Logitech, Harmony Remote Software 7.5, OS X

If you’re looking for something a bit different than your standard wall clock, you’ll have to check out the “Around About Clock.” Unlike traditional clocks with moving hands, the Around About Clock keeps the lone hand fixed and rotates the numbers around to reveal the current time. You gotta love it! Of course, this clock isn’t quite suitable for walls but now you have an interesting table centerpiece to look at. You can purchase the “Around About Clock” in either white or black for $39.00.

[Check it out via technabob]

Technorati Tags: Around About Clock, Clocks

Popcorn Hour has announced a new enhanced version of their popular A-100 model called the Popcorn Hour A-110. Major features and improvements with the A-110 include the following:

• Support for 2.5 inch/3.5 inch SATA Hard Drives
• USB Slave functionality
• Support for HDMI 1.3a
• Full support of HD Audio pass-through for DTS HD-HR, DTS HD-MA, Dolby Digital Plus and Dolby TrueHD (ha.. you know what this means!)
• USB port moved to the rear
• Optical S/PDIF instead of the co-axial S/PDIF connector in the first model
• Hardware reset button

As before, the A110 allows you to play content stored either directly on the device or streaming from the network. The device supports playback from PCs, NAS’s, digital cameras, USB mass storage devices, internal SATA HDDs, and even via the Internet through the Media Service Portal.

The supported codec list is just too long to write here.. so make sure to check out the webpage at popcornhour.com. I’ve yet to directly play with the device but a friend of mine has the A100 and absolutely loves it. The asking price for the A110 is $215. Well worth it when you consider what it’s capable of.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Popcorn Hour A-110

Duracell has launched the Duracell My Pocket Charger and PowerSource Mini to help keep your mobile devices powered while you’re on the go. Its actually pretty amazing that the company best known for batteries didn’t come up with these solutions sooner! In any event, here’s what you need to know about these two new products.

The Duracell My Pocket Charger is a pocket-sized power source comprised of two Duracell AA batteries. It comes in two models - one for MP3 players and one for all BlackBerry models and the newest Motorola phones. The MP3 player model can provide up to 24 hours of music on the latest iPod nano. The BlackBerry model can provide an additional hour of talk time.

The Duracell PowerSource Mini is a pocket sized rechargeable battery that can provide power to USB powered devices (cell phones, BlackBerry phones, MP3 players etc). The PowerSource Mini is a DC to DC lithium-ion battery pack. Features include:

Via GearFuse

• mini USB pivot arm for direct connections to devices
• Second USB port allows you to power two devices at once
• Includes AC adapter and DC charger - each with a USB port

Technorati Tags: Duracell, PowerSource Mini, My Pocket Charger

Sony announced on Thursday that they were opening up their Reader Digital Book to the EPUB XML based format which has gained acceptance among major trade book publishers. The Reader will support both DRM and DRM-free EPUB eBooks in addition to support for DRM protected Adobe PDF eBooks and eBooks from Sony’s eBook Store. Current owners of the Reader PRS-505 will be able to upgrade their eBooks by going to the Sony support site here.

Sony also introduced a new limited edition red PRS-505 model which will be available next month at SonyStyle stores and on SonyStyle.com. The Reader will retail for around $300 dollars.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Sony Reader Digital Book, Limited Edition Red Reader, PRS-505

Who doesn’t love a cuddly teddy bear right? What about a teddy bear with say… a holographic display and Bluetooth wireless support? Even better right? That’s exactly what Brazilian industrial designer Bruno Oro de Abreu is coming up with in the “Dilus” teddy bear. With the holographic display, the Dilus can be used to surf the web, play games, attend remote classes, and basically socialize with other owners of the Dilus.

The Dilus was designed to address kids hospitalized for long periods of time in the hopes of raising their spirits, help facilitate learning, and increase interaction with others.  The designer is currently working on the Dilus as a graduation project and hopes to have production units in kids hands by 2010.

[Check it out via Crave]

Technorati Tags: Bruno Oro de Abreu, Dilus, Teddy bear

Creative Japan has a new portable media player out called the Creative ZEN Mosaic. One half of the ZEN Mosaic is covered by the 1.8 inch LCD display while the other half is covered by a patchwork of square and rectangular patterns (which also double as control and navigational buttons).  Spec wise, this is a flash based media player with storage options ranging from 2GB,4GB, and 8GB. Other specs include:

• Measures 79.5 x 40 x 12.8mm
• Weighs 43 grams
• Supports MP3, WMA, WAV, JPG
• Built-in speakers
• FM tuner

The ZEN Mosaic will be due out in August.

[Check it out via Akihabara News]

Technorati Tags: Creative ZEN Mosaic, Portable Media Player