‘Tis the season to go shopping and slightly broke! Unless you’re living off the grid, you can’t escape the marketing merriment amping up the arrival of that most wonderful time of the year. You know, the one where loved ones run themselves ragged skipping from store to store in an attempt to find the perfect gift that just screams, “I care,” and costs a pretty penny, too. Well, we know things can get hectic and the options overwhelming, but for the music aficionado in your family, you can’t really go wrong with a speaker dock. Let’s face it, even Great Aunt Eddie’s rockin’ a portable media player these days. So, why not help her get up off the couch, out of her mind and into a living room hoedown with a wall of MP3 sound? Lucky for you, we’ve whittled down the dizzying array of digital audio offerings into a handy guide fit for the frugal and lavish alike. Need a little inspiration? Then head on past the break to peruse the goods and get psyched for that onslaught of holiday cheer.

Continue reading Engadget’s holiday gift guide 2011: docks

Engadget’s holiday gift guide 2011: docks originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 Nov 2011 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Roku users will soon be able to access their Spotify playlists on the device: A dedicated Spotify channel for Roku is apparently close to being launched, I’ve been told by a source familair with both companies’ plans.

The launch could happen as soon as next month, with mid-January 2012 being mentioned as another possibility. I’ve heard that the channel is basically ready to go, with the only hold up being contractual negotiations between Roku and Spotify.

One should note that I haven’t been able to confirm these plans with either company. Spotify didn’t reply in time when asked about the app, and a Roku spokesperson told me that the company doesn’t comment on “rumors and potential partners.”

However, I do have two early development screenshots of the Spotify on Roku user interface:

Spotify has been working on bringing its platform into the living room and recently rolled out an app for the WD TV  platform as well as Boxee. There has been a lot of demand for bringing Spotify to Roku as well, which means that a Spotify channel on the device could make many Roku owners very happy.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
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• Connected Consumer Q2: Digital music meets the cloud; e-book growth explodes
• Connected Consumer Q3: Netflix fumbles; Kindle Fire shines
• Report: The Connected TV Marketplace

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Continue reading Biscotti TV dunked in the FCC’s latte, still a bit hard

Biscotti TV dunked in the FCC’s latte, still a bit hard originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 Oct 2011 17:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading Verizon’s My FiOS app puts your entire living room under one Android roof

Verizon’s My FiOS app puts your entire living room under one Android roof originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Oct 2011 10:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Had your eye on an AirPlay accessory for your iPhone or iPod touch? Well, Pioneer is looking to help you pull the trigger on one. The company has announced a new set of AirPlay Music Tap systems that enable access to your music library without being chained to a peripheral. By connecting one of these bad boys to your home WiFi or ethernet network, you’ll be able to access your entire iTunes library in various locations throughout your home — after you install Apple’s Remote app, of course. Other features include a 2.5-inch full-color LCD display, Pandora, iHeartRadio, vTuner internet radio and Air Jam, which allows for playlist sharing on your arsenal of the company’s Music Tap systems. When this pair drops in October, you’ll have your choice of the X-SMC-3-S for 0 or the more dapper, bluetooth-enabled X-SMC4-Elite for 0. You can take a peek at the Elite, along with the full PR, after the break.

Continue reading AirPlay-enabled Music Tap systems touted by Pioneer, free us from living room control

AirPlay-enabled Music Tap systems touted by Pioneer, free us from living room control originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Sep 2011 02:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Far from sneaking in to the living room, Vestel had a BitTorrent Certified television on display at IFA 2011 this past week. That official stamp means it packs the usual suite of connected TV features including playing local media across the network, and it’s guaranteed to work with BitTorrent approved files from the internet. There’s no word on any official release for this prototype — and we haven’t been able to locate anyone who got a hands-on demo, let us know if you saw it — but it definitely shows how BitTorrent is trying to expand its platform in a manner similar to DivX and XBMC / Boxee. Check out the press release after the break, we’ll be sitting back and watching some totally legal content we just torrented.

Continue reading Vestel shows off a prototype BitTorrent Certified TV at IFA

Vestel shows off a prototype BitTorrent Certified TV at IFA originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Sep 2011 10:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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