Here’s some good news for our friends across the Atlantic: Netflix is now available in the UK and Ireland. While it’s not a complete European launch, as some would have liked to see, it is a step in the right direction. Starting today, anyone looking to sign up for Netflix in the UK or Ireland, will be able to try it out free for one-month. Afterwards, users will be charged £5.99 or €6.99 to continue their streaming service. Netflix is one of the largest TV and movie streaming service around and allows users to view their favorite shows and movies from a variety of platforms such as: major game consoles, smart TVs, Blu-ray players, tablets, and mobile phones, as well as Mac and PC-based computers.
Huawei has announced two new smartphones at CES, one of which boasts the title “World’s thinnest smartphone.” Introducing the Ascend P1 and the Ascend P1 S (not much time was spent coming up with those names). The Ascend P1 S (we’re assuming the “S” stand for “slim”) claims the fame of “Worlds’ thinnest smartphone,” and measures a thickness of only 6.68mm. The Ascend P1 is basically the same phone only a tad thicker (perhaps for the LTE market and a larger battery) and both feature:
We’re going to see a lot of automotive electronics at CES this year, and we fully expect Android to be running on a few of these next gen infotainment systems. Parrot, who isn’t a stranger to Android powered automotive electronics, had a few of their latest on display. Their lineup of Android infotainment systems included the compact Asteroid CK, a 3.2-inch device that can be mounted to your windshield or dashboard; the Asteroid NAV, with a 5-inch display; and the Asteroid 2DIN, a 6.2″ in-dash multitouch-capable infotainment system.
LAS VEGAS, CES 2012 — A few years ago, industry watchers predicted that Apple’s iPhone would fail. They said there’s no way a computer maker could build a good mobile phone. Traditional phone makers like Nokia and Sony Ericsson would bury them.
But look what happened to that.
The TV industry may be facing a similar tipping point. Lenovo, the Chinese computer giant that purchased IBM’s PC business, is here at CES showing off it’s first television — a 55-inch monster powered by Google’s Android Ice Cream Sandwich that streams content, plays games and a dozen other things besides.
It looks pretty slick. It has voice controls, a ton of apps and a big, beautiful screen. Better yet, it’s infinitely configurable.
“It’s the computer experience in the living room,” said a Lenovo staffer manning the booth.
I’m definitely going to end up lactose intolerant by the end of CES. We fully expected to see plenty of tablets running Ice Cream Sandwich, but how about a TV? I thought it possible, and even made some bold predictions, but I didn’t expect to see something announced so soon. Lenovo made a pre-CES announcement regarding what could very well be the world’s first Smart TV powered by the Android 4.0 OS. They’re calling it the K91, and it is the world’s first smart TV powered by QualComm’s 8060 Snapdragon dual core CPU and running Android 4.0. There’s plenty to love about this Ice Cream Sandwich TV and we’ll let you know about it after the break.
