Android 3.2 Update Will Bring Netflix To Asus EEE Pad Transformer!

Netflix on Asus EEE Pad Transformer! http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/
Looks like Asus is testing Android 3.2 on EEE Pad Transformer, and there are talks of owners of EEE Pad Transformer getting official Netflix app. with the Android 3.2 update.
My EEE Pad just got the Android 3.1 update. So I am hoping that the next update will come sooner and bring what Asus tells us in the EEE Pad spec page.
Most of the Android tablets are getting the Netflix app or able to sideload the app. But EEE Pad Transformer owners are in a bit of jinx in the that direction. Yes of course you can root the device and jump through some hoops to get it working like the XDA forum explains.
I cannot root my device as I am developing a vertical market app and the people who are paying for the app wants absolute clean slate. So I am out of the rooting solution for the moment
So I will stay watching Netflix on my iPad 2 :) , yes I got one of those too but that is a whole another story.
I can tell you, I love my Asus EEE Pad Transformer (which is getting a partner, a 3G enabled EEE pad soon), in fact 64GB WiFI+3G iPad sat in the very box for a few days before I opened it. It is not bad but as far as I am concerned it lives up to and because of the hype. I have not put the iPad through the hoops like I have done with the EEE pad and before that the Motorola XOOM.
In any case if you are the rooting type follow the link to XDA Forums to find out how to do it. I am going to trust Asus and wait for them to provide me with Netflix App.

Hulu On Facebook Connect Causes A Security Breach, Exposes Employee Accounts.

Hulu On Facebook Connect Causes A Security Breach http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/
Looks like Hulu sneaking on in to Facebook ahead of Netflix did not go very well. Right after it was launched, many people noticed the security breach and gave Facebook users, who tried to connect to the service, access to Hulu employee accounts.
Some how the breach was noticed and Hulu took the service offline in time. Hulu now has posted to say that everything is under control;

Here’s what we know: When we launched our Facebook Connect feature early this morning, we discovered that a small number of users weren’t seeing their own Hulu account information upon login. We’re still drilling down on the precise nature of the issue, but we know that it was a coding and configuration error on Hulu’s side, and not the result of hacking, or other third party actions, or a vulnerability in Facebook Connect. We’ve been able to confirm approximately 50 affected users whose profile data, including email addresses, could have been accessed. But no one gained access to Hulu systems or highly sensitive user information such as passwords or credit card numbers.
......
Once we are certain that the issue has been fully addressed, we will re-launch our Facebook Connect program.

So you can go soon and claim that free month of Hulu Plus they offered!
Source, Hulu Blog.

CRTC Must Reverse It's Decision On Usage Based Internet Billing, Canadian Government Says

CRTC Must Reverse It's Decision On Usage Based Internet Billing http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/

You can learn about this whole issues, at Anti UBB, (It is not Usage based Billing, if you used 1GB, you will not be billed less than 10GB user, It is simply a fixed fee Plus per GB charge.)

Update:
The CRTC must reverse its decision that ends unlimited internet access plans offered by smaller internet providers or the federal government will intervene, Industry Minister Tony Clement announced.
The controversial decision by CTRC, Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, must be reversed, the Canadian Government has said.
CRTC decided, recently, of course influenced by Bell and perhaps it's money that effectively imposed usage-based Internet billing on small service providers. The CRTC  wanted to put usage caps on the companies that rent Bell's internet access services. None of the big internet service providers like Bell offer unlimited plans. The rule forces the smaller internet companies from offering unlimited usage plans any longer. Their customers will now have to pay based on how much data they upload to and download from the internet.
“The CRTC should be under no illusion — the Prime Minister and minister of Industry will reverse this decision unless the CRTC does it itself, If they don’t reconsider we will reverse their decision.” a senior Conservative government official said Wednesday. “Frankly, a decision like this is clearly not in the best interest of consumers,” continued the official.
Canadian consumers and internet advocates have been lobbying hard against the CTRC decision, which they said would lead to higher prices and snuff out competition among internet service providers (ISPs.) The CRTC with theoretically prevent consumers from taking advantage of new services such as Netflix, which allows users to stream high-definition movies and TV episodes over the internet to their television for a monthly flat rate. 

Update:
The CRTC must reverse its decision that ends unlimited internet access plans offered by smaller internet providers or the federal government will intervene, Industry Minister Tony Clement announced.

Set Top Boxes Inside Your TV and Bluray Players?

End of set top Boxes?

Plex -LG Deal will put Set Top Boxes Inside TVs http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/
Plex, a friend of Open Source Project XBMC has inked a deal with LG Electronics to bring Plex's  media platform inside LGs HDTVs and Bluray players.
These will be real challenge to Apple TV and Boxee Box (another friend of XBMC project) if the team execute the deal properly.
Plex has done its ground work already and already works with multitude of streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, BBC’s iPlayer. The project also supports almost every codec and format you can throw at it. So in the future, users of LG products will be able to say good bye to the set top boxes or Atom PCs VESA mounted on the back of the TV, like my Lenovo Atom 230.
From the press release, it looks like we will be able to see these LG HDTVs and Blu-ray players at CES 2011. LG is already up beat about the project and it would be nice if other manufacturers take the head, 'cos only LG product I have is a small NAS server, supporting my home development projects.

“After considering many alternative solutions, LG Electronics chose to utilize Plex’s media server platform technology as a part of its next generation NetCast™ enabled home entertainment products because of the breadth of available applications and content and the ease of developing new services, Plex’s capabilities offer our customers’ additional methods of displaying their content on LG’s next generation TVs and that is exciting to us.” said Hojun Nam, Director of LCD TV R&D at LG Electronics

Of course Plex too must be happy to have the Asian Electronic giant behind it;

“Plex was developed to provide a simple solution for navigating an increasingly complex digital media landscape. As our access to a greater variety of high-quality content continues to grow and we create more of our own content, it is clear that we need a new way to enjoy and provide a consistent experience across the expanding universe of disparate content sources,Plex enables LG to more easily offer a wide variety of content sources to consumers using the NetCast™ services.” said Cayce Ullman, CEO and co-founder, Plex.

Plex Press Release
XBMC Project

Netflix On iPhone And iPod

Netflix on iPhone iPod http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/
Now you can add more to the load on AT&T networks with Netflix on iPhone and iPod touch. I think it would be enjoyable over the WiFi but I do not know about 3G as I have not had much luck with it. At least iPhone and iPod users now can stand abreast with iPad users watching Netflix movies..
The App is available at iTunes Store and Netflix members can watch TV shows or Movies.
Here is the Netflix press release;

LOS GATOS, Calif., Aug. 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Netflix, Inc. (Nasdaq: NFLX) today announced the availability of its free Netflix App for iPhone and iPod touch, allowing Netflix members on plans starting at just $8.99 a month to instantly watch a vast selection of TV episodes and movies streamed to their iPhone or iPod touch at no additional cost.
The Netflix App is available for free from the App Store on iPhone and iPod touch or at www.itunes.com/appstore/.
“Apple has changed the game for mobile devices,” said Reed Hastings, Netflix co-founder and chief executive officer. “We’re excited that our members can now carry Netflix around in their pockets and instantly watch movies and TV shows streamed from Netflix right to their iPhone or iPod touch.”
The Netflix App delivers a high-quality viewing experience, a broad array of movie and TV choices and a clean, intuitive interface. It is available via both Wi-Fi and 3G networks. TV episodes and movies are conveniently organized into a variety of categories based on members’ personal preferences, popular genres, new arrivals and members’ individual instant Queues. Members can choose a movie or TV episode from any of the lists and just tap the innovative Multi-Touch user interface to watch instantly or to save the title for viewing later.
Additionally, users have the option of fast-forwarding and rewinding the video stream, and stopping at any time. When users want to start watching again, the video stream starts exactly where it was stopped, even on a different device capable of streaming from Netflix.
The Netflix App supports any iPhone or iPod touch device running iOS version 3.13 or later.

Images from CrunchGear