By Rick.BroidaGuest Blogger
at 8:31AM,
a month ago
|
under
Stuff We Like
Amazon Instant Video. Hulu Plus. Netflix. These big-three video
services get all the ink, but there's another source for TV and
movies you might want to check out.
It's called
Crackle, and it's free.
Though you've probably never heard of it, Crackle's been around
since 2007, when it was acquired by Sony (and known as Grouper).
For the past two years or so, the service's primary claim to fame
was streaming episodes of "Seinfeld."
However, Crackle just joined the big leagues (in my humble opinion)
by
adding the first two seasons of "The Shield,"
the Emmy-winning FX cop show that only recently came to Amazon.
Of course, you need an Amazon Prime account ($79 annually) if you
want to watch the show there.
By Rick.BroidaGuest Blogger
at 10:30AM,
a month ago
|
under
Product Review
I don't mind telling you I have three Roku boxes in my house.
That's not me being boastful; it's me revealing how much I love
Roku boxes.
The new $99.99 Roku 3 takes the place of the Roku 2 XS as the
high-end model in the line, and it's without a doubt the company's
best box yet. But questions remain: Is it worth the extra cash, and
does it beat the Apple TV at its own media-streaming game?
For the uninitiated, a Roku box plugs into one of your TV's
HDMI ports, then serves up nearly every video and audio service
known to man: Amazon Instant Video, Hulu Plus, HBO Go, Netflix,
Pandora, Slacker, Spotify, TuneIn Radio, Vudu, and literally
hundreds of others.
By Rick.BroidaGuest Blogger
at 7:30AM,
a month ago
|
under
Freebies
If you've ever tried to use a tablet as an e-reader, especially a
big tablet, you know that it's not exactly ideal. Larger, heavier
models can be hard to hold for long periods, and I find them
especially unwieldy for reading in bed.
Plus, tablets offer no end of distractions, everything from
e-mail to Facebook to Angry Birds to Netflix. With so many cool
apps competing for your attention, it can be hard to focus on your
book.
At $269, the HD+ is already a killer deal.