Archive for September 23rd, 2010

Roku and You…

Do you have a Roku? Do you want a Roku? Do you have any idea what a Roku is? Do you care? Would you like to see some info on a Roku? Well too bad. First things first then. What is Roku? From the Roku website:

Roku is a little box that allows you to instantly stream tons of entertainment on your TV. Watch movies and TV shows from Netflix or Amazon VOD, listen to music on Pandora, catch the latest ballgame, and more — it’s all available whenever you want it.

In the realm of electronics the Roku is categorized as an internet streaming media device. Assuming you already have high speed internet, strap one to your favorite TV and you can stream offerings from Netflix, Amazon VOD, Pandora, MLB.tv, Vimeo, Flixster and more. That’s a large amount of entertainment from a device that only measures 1 inch tall by 5 inches wide. And options? Oh yes friends, Roku has options galore.

Roku is rolling out three, count’em, three new boxes for our digital enjoyment: The Roku HD, XD and XD/S.

The price points on the three offerings are $59.99, $79.99 and $99.99. With such a narrow price margin across the different models it’s easy to talk yourself into buying all the bells and whistle of the XD/S at $99.99 as it feels like a better values. Well played, Roku. How about dollars trading hands after purchasing the hardware? Again, from the Roku website:

There are free and premium entertainment channels on Roku. Free channels include music services (like Pandora, RadioTime), major network news (Roku Newscaster), original programming on current events and culture (Revision3, Twit.tv), photo and video sharing (Flickr, Facebook Photos, Vimeo), and much more. Premium channels include subscription movie, TV, sports, and music services (like Netflix, Major League Baseball, MP3Tunes) and on-demand services (Amazon Video On Demand). Many of these channels provide free trials or make parts of their service available for free. Amazon currently provides a free $10 credit to new Roku customers to apply towards on-demand movies and shows. Some even enable you to use them on other devices like mobile phones and computers. Roku does not charge extra to access any premium channel. For example, a Netflix subscription that provides access to a streaming library of over 20,000 movies and TV episodes starts at just $8.99 per month. Roku simply works with that subscription — there is no extra fee.

You’ll notice they didn’t really name specifics on price points and that’s for a couple of reasons – for one, who wants to have to keep up with the price each individual media provider is charging and for two, and more importantly, not having anything in print lets you adjust what you charge for content without memorized price points reverberating in your customers brain.

And that’s about it kids. In a field with opponents wearing badges from WD, Seagate, Sony, Netgear, Linksys, Apple, Microsoft and apparently even your next door neighbor, the Roku seems like a pretty solid entry.

But what do you think? Love it or hate it – but write us to have your say as to why!

 

September 23, 2010   Tags: , ,
Category: News, Tech News   No Comments comments

Halo:Reach – Noob Review (Part 1)

Well I’ve given the new Halo:Reach over a week and my one word review of the game would be a resounding “meh”. Now that I have committed a heinous crime to gamer fandom, allow me to illustrate my points.

THE GOOD

Great Graphics

These graphics are impressive, and despite the fantasy elements, I have never felt more engrossed in Halo than I do now. The dust, the scratches, and little details like reflections and lights sources are all fantastic details that make me feel immersed in the game. I was expecting more realistic cinematics, much like commercials, but when I noticed that number 6 has every detail of your custom armor on as you watch the movies, I realized it was a high grade game play video, which kept me immersed in the game. Fantastic stuff.

Reach__Pinnacle06_map

Big Maps

These new maps are incredibly big. Apparently Forge World is quite large. What I mostly saw was all water, but I’m sure that there will be plenty of room to run around. The new maps allow for large groups to really mix it up without feeling like they are all fighting in basement, and it looks like the possibilities are endless for building new maps. I can’t wait to see what the person who made the Star Destroyer map comes up with.

Halo-Reach-Menu

Great Menus

Some of the hardest part of getting a new game is getting started, and this particular menu navigation features less confusion, and is definitely gorgeous. The learning curve is considerably low for trying to figure out how to do anything like getting a game started, or seeing what the daily challenge is. With the armor upgrades and increased emphasis on customization, the menus really compliment the ideas behind the new customizable Halo.

Joining games easy

Along the same lines with the menus, it’s really easy to jump into any game of Halo now, and join the crowd. Instead of waiting on the sidelines for invites, I can now just jump in and jump out. Great stuff there, and a much needed bonus.

Halo-Reach-Armor-Abilities

Armor Customizing/Upgrades/Armor Abilities

One of the best parts of this latest addition of Halo is the ability to have a pay-off for all the time put in. With all the games of Halo 3 I played, it would have been nice to have some reward to booting up the disc at least once a week for the past couple of years. Now with the credit system, we can earn points to get prettier armor, or unlock some cool game features. The continual reward system is one that I embrace. Since the tech is there, gamers now expect that their time spent will have some sort of pay off.

The new Armor Abilities is one feature that I find both good and bad. With the various choices, this will make for better long –term game play as gamers learn to optimize their play with various abilities. I’m a personal fan of the jet pack, but the surprise hit for me was the hologram. I can’t say how many times I either fell for, or was saved by the hologram. What a fantastic and creative addition to the game.

Tune in tomorrow for Part 2 – The Bad

 

September 23, 2010   Tags: , , , ,
Category: Featured, Video Games Reviews   No Comments comments

Harry Potter Trailer

The Giggaheim would be remiss in its mission to keep you hip by not posting this awesome trailer for the next installement of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Cheers

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzfEH0UPEBo

 

September 23, 2010   Tags: , ,
Category: Movie News   No Comments comments

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