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