John P. Falcone/CNET Add Google Play to Roku’s long list of video channels. The Google movies and TV app is now available on current-generation Roku boxes and streaming sticks in the US, UK, Canada, and Ireland. (Roku says the app is “coming soon” to Roku TVs; we had it up and running on our TCL …
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Sonos Sonos is finally cutting the cord. A software update (version 5.1) made available today for the multiroom streaming speaker system will allow customers to connect directly to a Wi-Fi network. That will all but eliminate the major caveat that has dogged Sonos since its debut: the fact that the “wireless hi-fi system” required at least one wired connection to …
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Peel The Peel remote app is a big hit on Android, where it comes pre-installed on HTC, Samsung, and ZTE tablets and phones, using those models’ built-in infrared blasters to act as makeshift touchscreen clickers. But the app has been MIA on the iPhone since the outboard Peel Fruit blaster faded away a few years ago. That changes today, however, …
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Roku Roku may have gained another major rival yesterday in the form of Amazon’s Fire TV , but it hasn’t stopped the streaming upstart from expanding its roster of channels. The latest addition is Qello Concerts, a channel that offers a huge library of musical performances and documentaries for a flat fee of $4.99 per month. Qello is no stranger …
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The Xbox One isn’t the only gadget that’s got a bull’s-eye on your television viewing. Slingbox owners are about to get quite a few additional options when streaming live TV. The new SlingPlayer 3.0 apps for Android and iOS, available today, offer an overhauled user interface with a variety of improvements on both platforms. Among the upgrades delivered are improved …
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NEW YORK — When Bang & Olufsen decides to go wireless, it doesn’t mess around. The company today unveiled a trio of new wireless speaker products: the BeoLab 17 bookshelf speaker, the BeoLab 18 tower speaker, and the BeoLab 19 subwoofer. The three are the first commercial speakers to utilize the new WiSA (Wireless Speaker and Audio) standard, which opens …
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Rumor no more: the PS4 is coming soon. Summer is almost over, and that means the tech calendar is about to go into overdrive. The year has already seen the release of some amazing products — the HTC One, Samsung Galaxy S4, and OLED TV come to mind. But there’s an even longer list of products that have been announced …
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Google has shaken up the world of streaming video with its new (and hard to get) Chromecast. The $35 unit effectively turns any “dumb” HDTV into a smart TV with Netflix and YouTube, and uses any iPhone, Android phone, or tablet as a remote. Some pundits were quick to declare the ultra-affordable Chromecast the new top dog of the streaming …
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Last week, I visited San Francisco for a long-overdue trip to the CNET home office. In anticipation of the four-night stay, I added my new Chromecast to my luggage. (I managed to get in on the first wave of Amazon sales before it quickly sold out.) My thought: I could queue up some Netflix rather than watch the random 20 …
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Google today announced a $35 streaming-TV dongle called the Chromecast, and everyone promptly went nuts. The product sold out almost immediately. For a while, the Chromecast coverage was the most popular content on CNET — surpassing interest even in the newly announced (and very promising) Nexus 7 tablet. Headlines from Business Insider (“Google announced a brand-new Apple TV-killer…”) and the …
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