entertainment

Apple offers up full schematics on new iPod Touch, Nano

Apple is helping accessory makers out with a neat new look at its latest iPods.

The company recently published the full schematics on its recently announced fifth-generation iPod Touch (PDF) and seventh-generation iPod Nano (PDF). The drawings might not be all that useful for the average consumer, but they're an important resource for developers and accessory makers.

With help from the schematics, accessory makers can design cases, docks that'll fit the new form factor, and much more. Apple's schematics include the standard dimensions, like width and thickness, but also show the amount of space between the top … Read more

Man + machine: Joaquin Phoenix falls for computer in 'Her'

Do you spend more time with a computer, smartphone, or tablet than your significant other? Your life serves as the elementary premise for a futuristic love story, "Her," in which the film's star, Joaquin Phoenix, falls in love with an interactive operating system.

The movie, directed by Spike Jonze and made in collaboration with Annapurna Pictures, also stars it girls Amy Adams, Rooney Mara, and Olivia Wilde. … Read more

No new Apple TV this year, report says

Apple's plans to reinvent the way we enjoy entertainment in the living room are being pushed back another year, a new report claims.

Apple has decided to shelve plans to launch a new Apple TV set-top box this year after facing negotiation troubles with cable and media companies, Bloomberg is reporting today, citing sources. Chief among the disputes is how software would be implemented in the new device.

The companies also can't reach a deal on whether the box should be sold directly to consumers or offered through cable providers, Bloomberg's sources say.

The Apple TV set-top … Read more

Sony offers cheaper -- and non-mobile -- $5 music service

BERLIN -- Sony announced a lower-cost $4.99 monthly option for Music Unlimited, a plan it hopes will increase adoption of the streaming-music service.

Sony announced its Sony Entertainment Network's $9.99-per-month music plan a year ago at the IFA consumer electronics show, letting customers tap into a library of 16 million songs using personal computers, PS3 game consoles, and Android devices. This year at the show, it announced the cheaper alternative, which offers the same library but which doesn't work on mobile devices.

"It's going to bring new customers in, that's for sure," … Read more

Avatar on Blu-ray 3D available to all October 16

It took nearly two years, but "Avatar" on Blu-ray 3D is finally being offered in-store to anyone who wants to purchase it.

Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment today announced that the film version will be available globally starting October 15. The company will launch the movie in North America on October 16.

"Avatar" has been available on Blu-ray 3D since 2010. However, the film was offered exclusively to Panasonic customers who purchased one of the company's HDTVs or other devices. All others were forced to stick with the Blu-ray version.

Why it took so long … Read more

Sony Nasne DVR launches in Japan Aug. 30. But in U.S.?

Sony's Nasne DVR add-on is launching in Japan at the end of the month, but there's no word yet on when it might be making a trip overseas.

Sony announced the launch date today, saying that the device, which comes with 500GB of onboard storage, will be available to Japanese customers for 16,980 yen (about $216), including tax. The device will launch over a month later than Sony had initially anticipated when it announced a July 19 release date back in April.

Although the Nasne looks awfully similar to a PlayStation 3, the device doesn't play … Read more

YouTube to spend $200 million more on professional videos

YouTube is ready to dump more cash into its professional programming, according to a new report.

Google-owned YouTube will drop another $200 million into the programming to more effectively market the nearly 100 channels boasting professional videos, the company told the Wall Street Journal in a report published yesterday.

The Journal is reporting today, citing sources, that YouTube has so far attracted $150 million worth of advertising to its original programming. That investment, if it carries throughout the year, would help cover the startup costs YouTube incurred to get its programming off the ground.

YouTube has so far invested $150 million to experiment with original programming. … Read more

I'd Cap That+ adds even more funny to photos

I'd Cap That+ is the paid follow-up to the wildly popular, free caption-generating app I'd Cap That. For 99 cents, "+" offers the same crude humor of its predecessor, but adds a few features that many felt the original were missing.

Like its free counterpart, I'd Cap That+ is a novelty app that automatically generates hilarious, sometimes crude captions for your iPhone photos. Just fire it up, choose to either take a new photo or use an existing photo from your phone's gallery, and hit Use. After that, watch I'd Cap That slap a … Read more

Spotify finds a spot on Yahoo

Yahoo users will soon be able to stream music from Spotify without leaving the Yahoo site.

Yahoo and Spotify announced a global content distribution and promotion agreement today that will integrate the on-demand music service into Yahoo's media network.

This means Spotify will reach the network's hundreds of millions of unique visitors and that Yahoo gets some cool points with Spotify's 10 million or so active users. Both companies hope the partnership means more user engagement.

Spotify will initially roll out to Yahoo Music before being integrated globally across Yahoo. Yahoo entertainment sites will feature Spotify's … Read more

Google TV gets new audition with $199 Sony box, due July 22

Sony has finally said when it'll launch its next-generation Google TV set-top box it unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this year.

Dubbed the NSZ-GS7 Internet Player with Google TV, the device will launch nationwide on July 22 for $199. Sony has already opened up preorders on the device on its online marketplace. In addition, the company has unveiled the NSZ-GP9, which adds Blu-ray support to the Google TV integration. That device will hit store shelves "in time for the holiday season," and will go on sale for $299.

Google TV has been somewhat of a … Read more