Microsoft’s new dashboard for the Xbox 360 is close at hand (read our full review for the details) but not all of the video partners that were announced for the new Kinect-centric experience will be launching alongside it. As of launch December 6th the list will look basically the same as it does now, with Epix joining options like Netflix, Hulu Plus, and Sky Go. Later on in the month more new providers like Crackle, Dailymotion, Rogers On Demand, Vudu, and Verizon FiOS TV will filter in, while the UFC app is timed to launch December 20th. Finally, a few highly anticipated additions including MLB.tv, HBO Go and Comcast’s Xfinity On Demand are among those slated for arrival in “early 2012″. Check after the break for the complete list, we’ll let you know about more specific launch dates as they become available.

Continue reading Xbox 360′s new video services won’t all launch right away; Comcast, Verizon, and HBO Go delayed

Xbox 360′s new video services won’t all launch right away; Comcast, Verizon, and HBO Go delayed originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Dec 2011 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Amazon is trying hard to reinvent the library for the digital age, by offering e-book lending through the Kindle via a “Netflix for books” monthly subscription, as well as by offering Kindle e-books through a public-library lending program it launched earlier this year. But it can’t seem to get anyone to play ball with it on either score. None of the major publishers are taking part in the monthly lending program — which the Authors Guild is also protesting — and Penguin just recently pulled its e-books from the public-library lending service, saying it’s concerned about piracy. Going electronic should make books easier to lend rather than harder, but it doesn’t seem to be working out that way for Amazon.

The public library service was launched in September, fulfilling a promise Amazon made in the spring of this year to rollout an e-book program for 11,000 libraries across the United States. The feature allows Kindle owners to borrow books from those libraries with a single click, and even transfers their notes, highlights and other additions from the borrowed version to their own copy if they decide to buy the book. The Kindle Owners’ Lending Library, meanwhile, (the Netflix-style service) was announced earlier this month as part of Amazon’s Prime subscription service, and allows users to borrow one book a month from a pool of about 5,000 books — but none of the big six publishers has agreed to allow its books into the program.

Publishers would rather sell than lend

Earlier this week, book-industry observers noted that Penguin had pulled its e-books from the public-library program over what it said were concerns about piracy (although it didn’t provide any details about what those concerns were). On Tuesday, it restored access to its older titles through the libraries who have signed up for the Amazon service, but said it would not be providing any of its new e-books to the program. As PaidContent has noted, this leaves just two of the larger publishers participating in the service — HarperCollins  and Random House — and one of those (HarperCollins) puts significant restrictions on its books, including a requirement that libraries must buy a new copy if they lend an e-book more than 25 times.

While Amazon is getting the cold shoulder from publishers — which perhaps isn’t surprising, given the book retailer has been stepping up competition with its former partners by signing authors to its own in-house publishing imprints — it’s also apparently reaching out to a group it has helped develop: namely, self-published authors. According to one industry report, Amazon is offering self-published writers a share of a pool of 0,000 as well as the promotional value of having their books in the Kindle Lending Library, provided they agree to sign an exclusive deal with Amazon to represent their books.

Authors who have gone the traditional publishing route, meanwhile, are apparently incensed that Amazon is offering some of their e-books through its Kindle Lending Library without notifying and/or compensating them directly. In fact, the Authors Guild posted a statement earlier this month saying it believes that Amazon is actually in breach of contract with some of the publishers whose books it’s offering to lend — since the Guild says buying books in bulk (as Amazon has done in some cases, so it can offer them for free to subscribers) doesn’t allow the buyer to lend those books in the way Amazon intends.

The Authors Guild says Amazon is not playing fair

The Guild also argues that some of the publishers who have signed up for Amazon’s Lending Library might themselves be in breach of contract by offering their books to be lent — according to the authors’ organization, lending rights are supposed to be negotiated separately, and authors should be getting compensation for participating in those programs. While some writers seem happy for the exposure they would get via the program (which could theoretically lead to future sales) the Guild seems more concerned about getting more cash from Amazon and/or publishers up front.

The bottom line is that everyone seems to agree that electronic books are a boon — to readers, authors and publishers — but no one can figure out how to allow them to be loaned the way traditional physical books can. In some cases (as with Penguin’s refusal to join the public-library program), this seems to be in part a result of a fear of losing control over the content, and in part a fear of being disintermediated by Amazon. And in the case of the Authors’ Guild and the big six publishers, neither seems to deal with Amazon because they see it as a threat to the existing power structure in the industry.

Only Amazon seems to be interested in what users want, which is easy (and cheap) access to electronic books — and in the end, that could be the biggest weapon the retailer has when it comes to getting authors and publishers to play ball.

Post and thumbnail photos courtesy of Flickr users Marcus Hansson and Frederic Della Faille

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We know you’ve got questions, and if you’re brave enough to ask the world for answers, here’s the outlet to do so. This week’s Ask Engadget inquiry is coming to us from Dave, who just so happens to be in the midst of a new PC build. If you’re looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.

“Hey all! What is the best ‘home theater in a box,’ with connectivity for my component-out Wii, HDMI-out media box and optical-out TV? Room for plenty of future additions would be awesome. Wireless would be a plus, and of course, it needs to have at least respectable sound quality. Thanks!”

So, HTIB junkies — what’s the box rocking your socks at the moment? Drop your best advice in comments below!

Ask Engadget: what’s the best sub-,000 HTIB setup? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 05 Nov 2011 22:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WiFi hacking is nothing new. It’s likely something you’ve done yourself without even thinking twice about it or even thinking of it as stealing. With a regular connection distance of about 100 feet, it’s no surprise that so many people just utilize the connection that their neighbors pay for, especially in apartments where the units are less than one hundred feet apart. For people who also show interest in web design Wellington, website design Auckland or Excel training, you can check online.

There are even ways to maximize your free connection and WiFi hacking, like purchasing an antenna or even building your own. These additions will increase the area that your free connection will expand. These were initially created to help maximize a connection for businessman that are constantly traveling. Where he may not be in a spot that offers a wireless connection it could hinder his productivity. An antenna allows you to lengthen your access area and still link up to the internet. An antenna will also come in handy if you live in an apartment where all of the activity around you can hinder the connection and speed of your internet. But WiFi hackers are using these to make stealing internet that much easier.

WiFi hacking is also popular for gamers that play Xbox games via the internet. Some people don’t want to pay for a WiFi connection just to play video games if they don’t have a laptop or wireless connection device otherwise in the home. There are now devices available to allot for WiFi hacking here as well. These are a bit more complicated and often require removing the motherboard of your Xbox and doing a serious overhaul. WiFi hackers are serious about their free internet! Seemingly, the money they’re saving in the long run more than makes up for their time and effort.

Unfortunately for the people whose internet is being hacked, it can pose a possible threat. If the WiFi hackers are using your connection to hack into an offshore bank and rob it, you could easily be mistaken for a criminal and held liable. But there is hope! Make sure you have a secure connection and that your files are secure.

Unfortunately WiFi hacking isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Stealing an internet connection form your neighbors will only work in certain spots in your home, and it will cut in an out. It’s a very weak connection and by no means reliable. You may only be able to use your laptop while sitting on the left side of the couch. It doesn’t make your life very much easier. 

In its letter to shareholders, (PDF) Netflix gave some expectations for how its pricing change and expansion into new markets will effect its growth over the coming quarters. The good news? It expects growth in international markets to ramp up in the second half. The bad news? Growth in the U.S. will largely be flat this quarter as it works through the impact of its pricing change.

Impact of the pricing change

About 75 percent of all new subscribers sign up for the streaming-only plan, which is likely one reason why Netflix felt comfortable changing its pricing plans to begin with. At the same time, the company acknowledged that many subscribers — especially those who used both streaming and DVD, were unhappy with the change.

“We hate making our subscribers upset with us, but we feel like we provide a fantastic service and we’re working hard to further improve the quality and range of our streaming content in Q4 and beyond,” it said in its note to shareholders.

Which plans will subscribers join?

Netflix therefore expects total net additions in the third quarter to be lower due to the pricing change, with revenues only growing slightly during the quarter. Those revenues will once again begin to ramp up in the fourth quarter, as the typically strong holiday season helps drive new net additions during the quarter. As a result, Netflix expects the fourth quarter could be its first-ever billion quarter.

Netflix expects to have about 25 million subscribers by the end of the third quarter, with approximately 12 million subscribing to both the DVD and the streaming service services at the higher .98 price plan. It expects 10 million subscribers to go streaming only and just 3 million to rely solely on DVDs.

Breaking out financials

As we expected, the fourth quarter will also finally bring a separation in the costs of operations and revenue benefit of both its DVD and streaming services in the domestic market. That will give financial analysts a better view into how each part of the business — domestic DVD, domestic streaming and international — are performing. The company is also adding the “contribution profit” metric to its financial results to help analysts understand how each segment is contributing to overall company growth.

Beyond Latin America

While Netflix still had few details to share over exactly when its Latin America expansion would happen, it did give some insight into its plans for a third international market. That expansion will happen in the first quarter and Netflix acknowledged that it could even mean launching in multiple markets. That fits with rumors that have it launching in the U.K. and Spain early next year. As a result, it’s also increasing its forecast for operating losses in its international business, which will grow from million in the second half to million and include pre-launch expenses for the “one or more countries” it may launch in in the first quarter of next year.

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With point and shoot cameras apparently now up against a megapixel wall, manufacturers are focusing on adding quirky new features to keep you hooked on the upgrade cycle. Sony’s new Cyber-shot TX55 includes several such additions, such as ‘amazing’ 3D image capture, ‘extremely low’ noise, and a new digital zoom technology called By Pixel Super Resolution, which promises to double the camera’s 5x optical zoom range while still capturing 16.2-megapixel images at full quality. We’re a bit skeptical about that last one, but if the 0 camera really can deliver on its promise, then we may just have a winner. Sony says there’s also high-speed autofocus that can lock onto subjects in 0.1 seconds, optical image stabilization, a 3.3-inch OLED touch-screen, and 1080i AVCHD video. It also includes some features found on the higher-end NEX-C3, such as Picture Effects, and a 42.9-megapixel Sweep Panorama mode. Sony has yet to completely nix the Memory Stick slot, including one with the TX55, though there’s also MicroSD support for those who prefer to take advantage of that more affordable memory card standard. We’re not yet convinced that all of the point-and-shoot cam’s new features perform as well as Sony suggests, but if they do, the TX55 may even be worth its 0 price tag when it hits stores in September.

Continue reading Sony Cyber-shot TX55 packs 16.2-megapixel sensor, promises ‘extremely low’ noise in dim light

Sony Cyber-shot TX55 packs 16.2-megapixel sensor, promises ‘extremely low’ noise in dim light originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Jul 2011 00:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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