GADGETS
Microsoft’s Xbox 360 video game console will be able to stream thousands of movies over the Internet, thanks to a deal with Netflix.
The arrangement Microsoft Corp. announced Monday at the E3 Media & Business Summit in Los Angeles will give Netflix’s 8 million subscribers another way to stream movies on a TV instead of a computer. A Netflix-backed startup called Roku already sells a small streaming device that connects to TVs.
The Netflix streaming service – which operates in addition to its DVD-by-mail program – offers 10,000 movies and TV shows. Microsoft’s Xbox had movies available before, but not nearly as many. This expansion is key in helping Microsoft compete with Sony Corp.’s PlayStation 3, because gaming consoles are becoming entertainment hubs with movies, videos and music.
General Imaging, the worldwide exclusive licensee for GE digital cameras, entered the crowded field of digital cameras in 2007, and the sophomore year for the company has produced a bunch of new models. Among them is the 10.1-megapixel E1035, which has a fingerprint-free metal housing that comes in several colors.
There is no viewfinder, which is becoming typical for pocket-size digital cameras, but the 2.7-inch LCD screen has auto-brightness technology to help with viewing in bright light.
Other features include 4.5x digital zoom, all-glass lenses for sharper images, true color reproduction, 14 scene modes, in-camera panorama stitching, red-eye removal, smile detection, electronic image stabilization, MPEG-4 video recording and a rechargeable lithium-ion battery. This camera also has blink detection, a feature that alerts the user if the subject blinks, right after the photo is captured.
The E1035’s estimated retail price is $169 to $189, but it’s selling for $149.99 at the Amazon.com electronics store.
Most Apple Stores were sold out of the new iPhone by Sunday afternoon even though consumers had to wait hours to buy and activate them.
Friday, Apple introduced a new version of the iPhone.
The iPhone was sold out in New York, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Denver, Chicago, Boston and many other large cities.
From wire reports