The Contemplation » television

MEEP! A Tablet Designed Just for Kids

tech — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:11:10 +0000

Oregon Scientific, a leading designer and worldwide marketer of personal electronics, announced its entry into a hot new category: kid’s tablets. Leaving cartridge-based devices behind in the dust, the new Wi-Fi enabled MEEP! tablet runs on the Android operating system and offers music, movies, e-books, and apps from leading developers – all on a large, 7-inch color touch screen! The MEEP! tablet will be unveiled for the first time at the Toy Industry Association’s (TIA) 109th American International Toy Fair 2012.

Sharing a mobile device is a tough feat, especially for parents, when there is a risk it could be dropped, broken, scratched or rendered useless. The MEEP! tablet is an affordable fix for a tech –hungry generation of kids, featuring a tough design and an enhanced rubber silicon sleeve for added protection.

Geared for children age 6 and up, the MEEP! tablet is Wi-Fi enabled, allowing access to a sea of web content that can be downloaded to its internal memory or SD card and viewed from any angle courtesy of the tablet’s internal G-Sensor. All websites and content can be monitored through intuitive parental controls that are adjusted remotely on any computer or mobile device with a browser and an Internet connection.

The MEEP! tablet from Oregon Scientific will feature a variety of accessories sold separately, including musical instruments.Similar Posts:

BBC iPlayer Plans Charging for Archive Access

tech — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:15:50 +0000

The BBC is reportedly planning to charge viewers for access to its archive programming. That may come as no real shock but it is surprising that its commercial arm, BBC Worldwide, is apparently not involved. The BBC says that any plans for such micropayments would need to be developed in conjunction with the industry and rights holders and denies that it would lead to a two-tier licence fee.

According to a report in the trade magazine Broadcast, the payment proposals are thought to have come from the BBC Online Direction Group, which is chaired by Ralph Riviera, the director of Future Media, who joined the corporation in October 2010 from Major League Gaming in New York.

It seems extraordinary that BBC Worldwide, the commercial division of the BBC, should not be involved in plans to provide paid-for access to its programming.

Ever since an online video service was first floated, from the early trials of an integrated Media Player or iMP in 2004, the idea was that there would be a catchup window during which programming would be available for free, after which it was envisaged there could be a revenue model.

At the same time, there were plans for a Creative Archive that would make available programming from its back catalogue. So far, those plans have not amounted to much, as it seems resolving the relevant rights issues remains complex, if not intractable.

The BBC iPlayer has been an undoubted domestic success. In 2011 the iPlayer received nearly 2 billion requests for radio and television programmes, with a record 187 million requests in December. While the majority were from computer platforms, there is significant growth across tablets and network-connected televisions. The BBC used to publish detailed breakdowns of usage, but appears to have stopped doing so in recent months.

BBC Worldwide, the commercial division of the BBC has meanwhile launched its own global version of the iPlayer. This includes a selection of both current and back catalogue programming, presented as a Best of British proposition. This is available on a subscription basis for €6.99 a month, or €49.99 a year. Already launched in a number of European countries, Canada and Australia, it is expected to extend to the United States and other markets.

The global BBC iPlayer subscription is currently only available on the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch, with Apple presumably taking a healthy 30% of any revenues.

The service will differ slightly for international users compared to those in the UK – some content will be offered for free (supported by advertising), but to gain full access, users will be encouraged to take out a subscription for €6.99 a month or €49.99 a year (equivalent to about $10/month or $71/year USD). Considering that in the UK every household in possession of a TV has to pay an annual license fee of €165 (equivalent to about $235/year USD), the fee for overseas users of the iPlayer looks pretty reasonable – but don’t be fooled.

Sure you get all the BBC content than you’ll ever have time to watch,but, the BBC iPlayer does carry the Channel 4, SeeSaw, ITV, or Catchup content (or the many non-BBC stations) . . . the best option is to pay $10/month for VPN and not limit yourself just to the BBC iPlayer.

With a VPN account you can watch MLB without any blackouts and all NFL 2011 games.

Try the VPN out – with a Free Trial!

Note: I would pay the BBC iPlayer fee if it has a Roku Channel.

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How to Watch Star Trek Series Seasons Chronologically

tech — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:09:01 +0000

Star Trek Series Seasons Chronologically

(printable pdf)

Star Trek: Enterprise (Seasons 1-4)
Star Trek (Seasons 1-3)
Star Trek Animated Series
Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan
Star Trek III: The Search For Spock
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
Star Trek: The Next Generation (Seasons 1-5)
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (Season 1)
Star Trek: The Next Generation (Season 6)
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (Season 2)
Star Trek: The Next Generation (Season 7)
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (Season 3)
Star Trek: Generations
Star Trek: Voyager (Season 1)
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (Season 4)
Star Trek: Voyager (Season 2)
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (Season 5)
Star Trek: Voyager (Season 3)
Star Trek: First Contact
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (Season 6)
Star Trek: Voyager (Season 4)
Star Trek: Insurrection
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (Season 7)
Star Trek: Voyager (Seasons 5-7)
Star Trek: Nemesis
Star Trek (2009 movie)

Note: This is series/season based, not episode based. If you would like to watch episodes in the entire ST episodes in chronological order head on over to The Star Trek Chronology Project.

Where to Watch

Netflix confirmed they will be streaming every episode of every season for all five live-action Star Trek series:

ST TOS Star Trek,
STNG Star Trek: The Next Generation,
ST DPN Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,
ST VOY Star Trek: Voyager,
ST ENTStar Trek: Enterprise.
Animated Series

TNG, Netflix will be the first digital delivery of any kind as that popular series is still the only Star Trek show not available at iTunes.

Note: Star Trek (2009 movie) will available via Netflix through 02/15/12.

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E-Retail Customer Satisfaction Study Released

tech — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 14:44:29 +0000

Customer experience analytics firm ForeSee today released the results of their annual Holiday E-Retail Satisfaction Index, showing that after seven years spent jockeying for first place in the Index, Amazon and Netflix are headed in divergent directions.

Amazon climbed two points to score 88 on the study’s 100-point scale, registering the highest score from any retailer in 14 consecutive studies. Meanwhile, Netflix’s well-publicized blunders caused its customer satisfaction to plummet by seven points and 8% to 79. After years of being separated by a point or two, Amazon and Netflix, which are increasingly in direct competition as Amazon expands into streaming video and rentals, are now separated by nine points in terms of satisfaction, a gulf that may be too wide for Netflix to overcome anytime soon.

”Netflix totally misread its customer base and is paying the price, damaging its brand among both consumers and investors,” said Larry Freed, president and CEO of ForeSee. “Raising prices by 60% and splitting the baby into separate DVD and streaming services totally undermines Netflix’s cost and convenience advantages. Customer satisfaction is predictive, which means that Netflix’s financial woes may be just beginning.“

Key Findings

The report (read full report) includes individual satisfaction scores for the 40 top e-retailers (see chart below) for the past seven years, allowing for comparisons over time and between companies:

Next to Netflix, both Gap.com (down 6% to 73) and Overstock.com (down 5% to 72) have the largest declines in satisfaction, leaving them with scores at the bottom of the Index.
On the other end of the spectrum, the largest gains in satisfaction go to TigerDirect.com (up 8% to 79) and JC Penney (up 6% to 83), which named Ron Johnson, former head of Apple’s retail operations, as CEO this year.
Price matters less: American consumers were less price sensitive during the 2011 holiday shopping season than they were last year
Nearly 20 years of research coming from both academia and the private sector indicates that increasing customer satisfaction is one of the most powerful things a retailer can do in any channel to increase sales, loyalty, and positive word-of-mouth recommendations. The report quantifies the impact of satisfaction on these desirable customer behaviors.

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Netflix News :: New Miramax Streaming Agreement

tech — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 15:47:43 +0000

Netflix and Miramax today announced a new multi-year digital licensing agreement that will bring a broad range of acclaimed Miramax films to Netflix members in the UK and Ireland.

Beginning in early 2012, Miramax titles will be available for Netflix members to watch instantly in the UK and Ireland streamed over the Internet to connected TVs, tablets, game consoles, computers and mobile phones.

Financial terms of the deal are not being disclosed. Netflix announced in October that it would launch its service in the UK and Ireland early in 2012.

“Netflix is proud to be able to offer the unmatched mix of award-winning, independent and commercially successful films Miramax is known for,” said Ted Sarandos, Netflix Chief Content Officer. “Miramax films are already favorites of Netflix members in the U.S. and Latin America and we’re sure they’ll be incredibly popular in the UK and Ireland as well.”

“We are thrilled to grow our partnership with Netflix as they expand their platform into the UK and Ireland,” said Mike Lang, CEO of Miramax. “This agreement further extends our broader international digital distribution strategy, as we continue to offer consumers around the world our extraordinary collection of Miramax films.”

Additional Miramax titles available to members of Netflix in the UK and Ireland will include “The Aviator,” “Bad Santa,” “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas,” “Chocolat,” “Finding Neverland,” “Gangs of New York,” “The Hours,” “Kate & Leopold,” “Rounders,” “Sling Blade,” “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” and several of the “Scary Movie,” “Scream” and “Hellraiser” films. An extensive selection of legendary Miramax titles is already available to Netflix consumers in the United States and Latin America.

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