Hulu Plus Coming To iPad, iPhone, PS3, Xbox Live And More

After weeks of speculation, a premium Hulu service has now become official. Full seasons of shows will become available for Hulu Plus subscribers which will set customers back $10 / month whereas the free service only provides limited number of episodes for TV series. 

Also there will be a new portfolio of devices capable of receiving content from the on demand service. Iphone and iPad apps will be available which will allow you to stream shows over Wi-Fi and 3G. This covers mobile devices however many users want to be able to watch their favourite shows on the big screen. Both Sony and Microsoft have that covered with both companies gaming consoles gearing up to receive streams from Hulu. Ps3 users will be able to enjoy Hulu Plus as early as July however Xbox 360 users will have to wait till sometime in “early 2011”. To compensate 360 users, they will be receiving a 'custom experience'  exclusive for Xbox Live Gold members which will include “controller-free navigation” thanks to Kinect.

Samsung connected TVs and Blu-Ray players will also get a taste off the Plus experience by utilising Samsung Apps platform. To get you invite to request a preview invitation just go here.

White iPhone 4 Delayed Due To Manufacturing Challenges

The iPhone 4 is officially now on sale with huge queues being reported worldwide and many analysts suggesting this could be a record breaking first day sales for Apple. However those hoping to get their hands on a white iPhone should prepare for disappointment as Apple says that the white model won't be available until sometime in July. The reason behind this is that the device has been “more challenging to manufacture than expected”.

Apple did not clarify what the actual problem was with the manufacturing process however the most likely culprit is that there is a issue with the colourant used. In previous years there had been discolouration issues with Apple's white MacBooks so a similar problem may be occurring here.

The good news is that the black model has not been affected by this particular issue but unfortunately they may be having problems of their own. Nevertheless sales of the iPhone seem extremely strong so if any shortages do occur then we can safely assume that Apple just can't make enough of them.

Toshiba Announces Dual Screen Portable PC/Tablet

Toshiba has raised the curtains on its latest ultra-mobile PC using a design similar to the one found on the now shelved Microsoft Courier.

The Libretto W100 sports a pair of 7” 1024x600 multi-touch displays with haptic feedback giving a more natural tactile feel. The unique laptop is powered by a Pentium U5400 processor clocked at 1.2Ghz, 62GB SSD and 2GB of ram. As far as connectivity goes, we will find Bluetooth accompanied by 802.11b/g/n.

For an ultra-mobile PC, it has a slightly bulky body, measuring in at 7.95” x 4.84” x 1.2.” However, it is relatively light at only 1.8lbs, which not much more that an iPad and fairly impressive given its specs.

One draw back though is the choice of operating system used. As good as it is, Windows 7 Home Premium does not have the best touch user interface in the industry. However, Toshiba saw fit to implement some custom software to help in this department. “Toshiba Bulletin Board” is a touch friendly, widget based desktop replacement which can be used instead of the standard Windows theme.

Having two screens is the major selling point for the W100. It can be used as a conventional laptop by using the second display as a keyboard, which would fit Windows 7 perfectly. However that wouldn't justify buying the W100 over a normal laptop. The value of buying the W100 will lie in the extra functionality the second screen could potentially provide, such as holding the device like a book. Unfortunately Windows 7 lacks the software to make proper use of the second screen.

With a starting price of $1099, the W100 seems a bit on the expensive side, which may explain why it will be available in August in limited quantities. In the future, we may see ourselves buying one of these if the price falls and software more suited to the hardware, such as Android or even Meego, is installed.

Source Technorati

MWC - Windows Phone 7 Series roundup

Microsoft has evidently been working their socks off with their new mobile OS. They have completely rebuilt Windows Mobile, getting rid of any indication that Windows Mobile ever existed. Therefore, it makes sense that Microsoft has decided to do a little re-branding by calling this new mobile platform “Windows Phone 7 Series”. So what is there to know? Head on past the break for the full break down.

MWC - Maemo plus Moblin Equals MeeGo

One of the biggest announcements so far at MWC has certainly been this one. Nokia is merging Maemo with Intels Moblin OS. This was something no one even saw coming. What this will create is a "software platform that will support multiple hardware architectures across the broadest range of device segments, including pocketable mobile computers, netbooks, tablets, mediaphones, connected TVs and in-vehicle infotainment systems" called Meego. Yes it seems like Nokia and Intel are trying to get this platform into everything they can possibly imagine which is not such a bad idea as both Maemo and Moblin have very good features when mixed together would make an unbelievably amazing platform. It seems like MeeGo will support both x86 and ARM architectures meaning we could find this OS in literally every device if Nokia and Intel play their cards right. We can also be rest assured that the new platform is fully open. Jump the break for the full press release.

Nokia is back in the game with Symbian^3

First of all we all knew Symbian^3 was coming. What we didn't know was how it would look like and how it would do it. Well today we just received some answers at MWC. A video preview is out and waiting and hell its definately is worth it. In fusing ideas from WebOS and Android, Symbian is finally looking like a modern day platform. Symbian now has everything we need, multiple desktops with customizable widgets, visual multi-tasking WebOS style, hardware acceleration making transitions look smooth and the basics which were missed out it Symbian 5th edition such as kinetic scrolling. Also multi-touch has found its way onto the platform with the addition off pinch to zoom. Now lets just hope Nokia has improved the browser as this is looking like a very promising platform now. Check the video after the break.

MWC - Sony Ericsson going miniture with the Xperia X10 Mini and X10 Mini pro

Sony Ericsson has just announced the double trouble X10 Minis at MWC. The X10 Mini will be coming to market rocking Android 1.6 but hopefully SE will see the light and have a 2.0/2.1 upgrade ready pronto. SE's custom user interface will be slapped ontop of Android to deal with the miniture screen size of 2.5 inches with QVGA resolution. Main features include a 600Mhz Qualcomm MSM7227 processor with the standard Wi-Fi and Bluetooth expected of from all smartphones. The X10 Mini pro is basically an identical device but with the addition of a full QWERTY landscape sliding keyboard. We can expect to see these devices shipping in Q2 if SE doesnt decide to delay them which we've become accustomed to with the original X10. Full press release and specs after the break.