Peon's Place

Vizio looks to start where Logitech dropped off. The Google TV box sets weren’t exactly popular, for a number of reasons, largely including the fact Google had a hard time getting media companies to feed TV shows, movies, etc through.

At last week’s Consumer Electronics Show, the company announced the VIZIO VAP430 Stream Player. The new box doesn’t just stream any old web content. It actually adds the VIZIO Internet Apps Plus (V.I.A. Plus) smart TV platform and Google TV into the mix. That basically means that users can tap into a hoard of movies, songs, photos and more, as well as a Chrome browser. It also allows users to stream photos, music and video from any networked computer, hard drive or smartphone, as well as from cloud services. If you’re needing even more entertainment options, the box can tap into the Android Market.  Read the rest of this entry » Vizio + Google TV, built ...

And better yet, it’s on sale! Again!

Apple’s manufacturing partners are expected to build 2 million iPhone 3GS handsets in the fourth quarter this year. Last week marked exactly two and a half years since Apple unveiled the iPhone 3GS during its Worldwide Developer Conference in June 2009. Citing industry sources within Apple’s supply chain, DigiTimes on Friday reported that production of Apple’s iPhone 3GS has continued at high volumes that should hit 2 million units in the December quarter. In the first quarter of 2012, production of the iPhone 3GS will reportedly slow to between 1.4 million and 1.6 million units. The same report also suggests that production of Apple’s CDMA iPhone 4 could top 1 million units in the fourth quarter this year, slowing to between 500,000 and 600,000 units in the first quarter next year. In the United States, Apple’s iPhone 3GS is available for free on contract from AT&T while the CDMA iPhone 4 is sold by both Verizon Wireless and Sprint.

I still have my iPhone 3GS, and upgrading to a new phone leaves me with the feeling of “Oh look, I no longer have the latest and greatest” 3-6 months after doing so.  At least when i purchased this iPhone, that feeling stayed for over a year.  Read the rest of this entry » Two and a half year iPhon...

Yes, that’s the actual 3-month stock drop from Netflix current as of today. Remember when Netflix announced a 60% price increase? We all knew that would be a big mistake. Netflix tried to announce Qwikster, which of course failed. CEO Reed Hastings has apologized for nearly everything he has decided to do lately.

• September 2010: Reed Hastings says Americans are self-absorbed and ignorant of Canadian price disparity.
• September 2010: Reed Hastings Apologizes
• November 2010: Netflix raises their monthly price $1.00/month.
• September 2011: Netflix raises their monthly price by 60%.
• September 2011: Reed Hastings Apologizes and announces Qwikster.
• September 2011: Reed Hastings Apologizes.

It’s getting old, really, and Netflix has declined since faster than it has ever grown.  Their shares traded around $75 for the first time in 18 months, a 36% plunge Tuesday that continues a dramatic tumble that has erased about $12 billion from the company’s market value in just 104 days.  Read the rest of this entry » Is Netflix done?

You have your home/personal cell phone. Some have work cell phones, some have pagers. You have the 3g contract for your iPad / tablet / notebook / wireless card. It doesn’t quite surprise me that for the first time, the number of wireless devices connecting to cellular networks in the United States and its territories over the past six months has surpassed the country’s total population.

A semi-annual survey conducted by the CTIA found that wireless subscriber connections now total 327.6 million while the population of the U.S. and its territories is now 315.5 million people. This means the wireless penetration rate in the U.S. in now 103.9% according to the CTIA, marking the first time that wireless penetration has surpassed 100% in the U.S. The CTIA also noted that wireless data connections increased 111% compared to its previous semi-annual survey, and wireless service revenue in the U.S. totaled $164.6 billion during the 12-month period ending June 2011, up 6% from the same period in 2010.  Read the rest of this entry » Outnumbered by cell phone...

Netflix has abandoned their Qwikster plans, and will now be on the Vizio tablet a few weeks after Hulu was added for additional movies & television streaming options. I had figured Netflix was already on the tablet as part of the original build, since the Vizio televisions with VIA (Vizio Internet Applications) all come pre-loaded. But now, it’s there.

However it’s too bad nearly everyone canceled their Netflix accounts due to the 60% price hike; and if you did keep Netflix around, I hope you’re enjoying fewer streaming options than you previously had.

Unfortunately, I’m one of those account cancelers. And to boot, they completely cleared my DVD and instant queues, leading to my decision to likely never come back.

Wonder why Steve was a no-show at the Apple convention this week? Steve Jobs 1955-2011.

Jobs co-founded Apple Computer in 1976 and, with his childhood friend Steve Wozniak, marketed what was considered the world’s first personal computer, the Apple II. Industry watchers called him a master innovator — perhaps on a par with Thomas Edison — changing the worlds of computing, recorded music and communications.

In 2004, he beat back an unusual form of pancreatic cancer, and in 2009 he was forced to get a liver transplant. After several years of failing health, Jobs announced on Aug. 24, 2011 that he was stepping down as Apple’s chief executive. ”I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple’s CEO, I would be the first to let you know,” Jobs wrote in his letter of resignation. “Unfortunately, that day has come.”

Read the rest of this entry » Steve Jobs passes away

So here we are, with Netflix plunging as I blogged before, Reed Hastings is flailing to keep customers. Oops. Reed sent me a personal e-mail (and to millions of others, I might add =p) trying to explain his vision in raising prices 60%, and then clearing out your DVD queues and forcing you to utilize a new website, Quikster.

Dear Jason,

I messed up. I owe you an explanation.

It is clear from the feedback over the past two months that many members felt we lacked respect and humility in the way we announced the separation of DVD and streaming and the price changes. That was certainly not our intent, and I offer my sincere apology. Let me explain what we are doing.  Read the rest of this entry » Netflix apologizes

Boy, am I sure glad I dropped my Netflix account earlier this month. Once Netflix announced its new pricing structure and plan options, their users understandably became disgruntled. So much, that the Netflix stock has dropped so rapidly that shareholders are wanting out, and fast!

You can see the Netflix stock dropping in real-time, right here! Google Finance – Netflix

Since then, Netflix has decided to split off into two separate companies — Netflix, which will handle the less demanding video streaming service, and Qwikster, which will handle the DVD portion. They have attempted to put out a fire of controversy over how its recent price changes by offering an apology and new name for its DVD-by-mail business. The wholly owned subsidiary Qwikster will add games to what it rents.

No more immediate price changes will result. The price changes announced over the summer effectively hiked subscribers who get both mail and streaming videos by 60 percent. Instead of one $9.99 charge, they now had two $7.99 charges. The company said this month that it lost 1 million customers since the price change, about 4 percent of its total. Netflix stock has plunged 19 percent since the subscriber loss was disclosed. The DVD unit chief Andy Rendich will be CEO of Qwikster.

The businesses will have separate websites and customers will be billed separately for each. “It is clear from the feedback over the past two months that many members felt we lacked respect and humility in the way we announced the separation of DVD and streaming, and the price changes,” Netflix chief executive Reed Hastings said in a note sent to customers. “So if you subscribe to both services, and if you need to change your credit card or e-mail address, you would need to do it in two places.” What a pain in the ass.  Read the rest of this entry » Netflix introduces Qwikst...

I canceled my Netflix after their 60% rate hike last night – yesterday was the start of a new billing cycle, and that’s when my $10 became $16 (more like $17-something after tax).

So what if I like to get a DVD every few days? I can actually grab a newer movie that Netflix doesn’t place on their streaming service, and not have to deal with the stupid bandwidth ever-changing and making it look as if I’m watching a VHS tape from the 1970s.

I checked out the Hulu Plus service for the free trial week, and we ended up watching like 4 hours of Dog the Bounty Hunter. I’m considering not signing up for the monthly membership, simply due to Linda’s ability to watch some of the stupidest shows around, in a non-stop intelligence-lowering chain.

But since Hulu also has an app on my iPhone, and i have my new Vizio tablet, which is the only tablet with Hulu installed, is still worth having? We don’t have a cable television service at home; it’s streaming, or whatever movies we have stacked around.

What do you think? Do you subscribe to Hulu, or know people who enjoy paying for the service? I loved Hulu back when it was free, and I was single, with oodles of more time on my hands.

So I went out and purchased my first tablet — the Vizio that I’ve wanted since January. Benefits?

• Vizio kicks ass
• It’s the only tablet with Hulu installed
• It’s one of the lowest priced tablets available in the market

I’ll let any interested parties know how I like it, once I’ve played with it for a bit. I’m still awaiting the Vizio phone, hoping it’ll be 4G…

While I’m on the topic of Hulu,.. Yahoo, Google Inc, DirecTV and Amazon.com have all expressed interest in purchasing the company. The price will be going from $500 million all the way up to $2 billion, and the end of this week will give a substantially better outlook as to which company seems to be the one in charge.

How will all of this change the TV shows and everything else you love about Hulu? If Google wins, you can expect some sort of Hulu-YouTube merger in the future. That might have the potential for a poor, cluttered user experience. However, I can honestly say that it would be a better way to go than in the hands of Comcast, where Hulu currently resides.