cast

Capture onscreen action easily

As screencasting software gets better and easier to use, people have found more and more uses for recording and sharing live video from their Mac's screen--from hands-on tech support to online gaming braggadocio. Screenium has long been one of the best options for Mac users who want to record video and audio captured from their desktops, and the jump to 2.0 has made the app even better.

Screenium can help you record full-screen, or in a single window or prescribed area, and the app captures anything and everything -- including streaming video, microphone audio commentary, picture-in-picture of your … Read more

Snagit 2.0 for Mac adds video capture, sharing

Your Mac comes with some handy options for taking a quick screen grab, but sometimes you need a bit more. Most Mac users will recognize the Command-Shift-3 keystroke to take a screenshot of the whole screen or Command-Shift-4 to capture a selected area of your screen. But often you'll want to tell a story with that screenshot, and that's where popular image capture app Snagit comes in.

Snagit for Mac just had a major upgrade to version 2.0, and while it still hasn't reached feature parity with the Windows version, it's clear the folks at … Read more

Motorola Xoom 2: Second time's the charm?

Motorola is hitting the market with all new Xoom tablets.

Dubbed the Xoom 2, the new Android tablets will make their debut this month for consumers in the U.K. and Ireland. The tablets come in two flavors--a traditional 10-inch Xoom 2 with built-in options for business users and an 8.2-inch Xoom 2 Media Edition.

Both tablets are powered by dual-core 1.2 GHz processors, run Android 3.2 Honeycomb, and offer Wi-Fi connectivity. The displays are strengthened with Corning's Gorilla glass and come with a special splash-guard coating designed to make them more durable and stain resistant.

Motorola is certainly crossing its fingers with the Xoom 2, hoping for better results than the original Xoom has delivered. Launched in February, the Xoom got off to a slow start, with some analysts estimating that the company likely sold around 100,000 tablets during the initial couple of months.

The situation certainly hasn't improved over time.… Read more

Darth Vader-style cast tracks progress with sensors

As anyone who has broken a bone knows, keeping up with physical therapy post-injury can be painful and annoying, and without a clear way to gauge progress, the regimen is as tempting to avoid as a bland diet.

Recent Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design graduate Pedro Nakazato Andrade hopes to keep people motivated--and thus improve recovery time--via a prototype cast that employs electromyographic sensors, which measure the electrical activity produced by a muscle when it moves.

Called "Bones," his cast prototype can keep a running tally of how much the injured area is being exercised.

The idea behind the design is rooted in the idea behind weight loss programs such as Weight Watchers: people who can track their progress using real, hard data are more likely to stay motivated and keep doing what they have been told to do.… Read more

Verizon Video replaces V Cast Video

Verizon Wireless today launched Verizon Video, which is a new version of its V Cast Video service. Like its predecessor, Verizon Video is an on-demand video application that partners with a variety of providers to stream archival or live television footage. Content includes 250 full-episode TV shows and clips from ABC, NBC, CBS, Comedy Central, Animal Planet, and other channels. You can also pay for premium content if you want live sports coverage from NFL Mobile, NFL RedZone, NBC's Sunday Night Football, and NFL network.

The app is currently available for download from the Android Market on 4G LTE and certain 3G smartphones. You can get a free preview with NFL and IndyCar clips, at which point Verizon will prompt you for a $10 monthly subscription, or you can try out the app for 24 hours for $3. As you might expect, a data plan is required. Current subscribers with V Cast Video should expect to get an update to Verizon Video as well.… Read more

'Big Lebowski' cast reunites for Blu-ray release

Mark it here, dude.

Yes, after a long wait, "The Big Lebowski" has finally coming to Blu-ray, and it looks really good.

To promote and celebrate the launch, cast members reunited last night at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City, where a crowd of over 1,500 fans greeted them for an onstage press conference that featured Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, John Turturro, and Julianne Moore reflecting on the film that was released in 1997 and has since turned into a cult classic (see photos of the event below).

Here's the quick skinny on the Limited Edition release:

Available for a limited time with an all-new 28-page companion book featuring an exclusive interview with Jeff Dowd--the real-life inspiration for The Dude--Jeff Bridges' personal, on-set photography, a film timeline, trivia and much more. In addition to all-new features exclusive to the Blu-ray release, The Big Lebowski Limited Edition Blu-ray also offers a digital copy of the film that can be viewed anywhere at any time on the consumers' choice of devices including laptops, tablets, smartphones as well as Internet-connected TVs and set-top boxes.

It's also worth noting that the bonus features include "The Lebowski Fest: An Achiever's Story," which takes an "in-depth look at the popular Lebowski Festival," which co-sponsored the cast reunion along with Universal. Check out our photos (click on image to start slideshow).

… Read more

Panasonic DMP-BDT210 review: Fastest Blu-ray player gets Editors' Choice

It's tough to stand out in the Blu-ray player market, with all the midrange models having the main features we think are important: built-in Wi-Fi, Netflix streaming, and excellent image quality. Though the Panasonic DMP-BDT210 doesn't have any single killer feature that puts it head and shoulders above the competition, it does just about all the little things right.

It has the fastest disc-loading speeds we've seen on a player so far, coming in a good deal faster than its competitors. Its user interface is very simple to use and we love that the remote includes a … Read more

Panasonic Viera Cast TV on 2011 Blu-ray players review

They may be called Blu-ray players, but in 2011 they're as much about streaming-media services as they are about high-definition discs. With every manufacturer having a different collection of streaming-media services, we've been taking an in-depth look at each company's content portal for 2011.

Today, we're looking at Panasonic's Viera Cast, which takes after LG's Smart TV in its simplicity. There's no app store or cross-platform search, but it has a solid collection of streaming-media services and an easy-to-use interface.

Panasonic Viera Cast is the same on most 2011 Panasonic Blu-ray players--and home … Read more

V Cast Music app gets an Android update

If you ever find yourself wanting an alternative to the Amazon MP3 Store on Android (though we can't quite imagine why), you can now consider the V Cast Music application if you're a Verizon customer. You can get both full song downloads and ring tones, and song prices range from $0.69 to $1.29 for DRM-free MP3s. You can get song plus ringtone packages for a reduced cost, and Verizon is also offering a Jukebox program that will rotate or randomize ringback tones.

This new version of V Cast requires Android 2.1 and up, and existing … Read more