Posts with «author_name|richard lawler» label

Twitter has been plugged into a Handspring Visor for some reason

In a curiosity that appeals to all seven people who still have a working Handspring Visor PDA, Gizmodo points out that developer Jorge Cohen has worked out a solution bringing Twitter to the PalmOS device via its HotSync cradle. Sure it's "kinda buggy," but that can slide considering it's running on a device released back in 1999. How old is the Visor? Within a year of Engadget's launch, we were already writing articles about the "old" device back in 2005.

Still kinda buggy, and tweeting/liking/etc still WIP, but I’m pretty happy with it.

— Jorge (@JorgeWritesCode) March 10, 2021

The like/retweet counters are janky I think the desktop part is messing up the database, but should be easy to fix. Anything with an emoji looks bad, I’ll probably create a custom font with the most used emojis and do the text drawing manually.

— Jorge (@JorgeWritesCode) March 10, 2021

 The Visor appeared as a spinoff of the Palm family way before social media sites connected the world and even before WiFi or cellular connections were a standard feature. While modems were available as a hardware option that plugged into the device's expansion slot as a backpack, it was built for an offline world — I'd download the day's news stories on mine before I left for class in the morning and not get any more updates until I returned in the evening. In the year 2000, that still worked as a way to stay well ahead on the day's news without being tied to a radio or TV.

Now the blessing/curse of real-time information flow has invaded even this monochrome device, proving that nothing can stay pure forever and giving me a reason to figure out where I put the handheld's dock. Unfortunately, this madman won't stop there — the MesagePad 120 and Apple Newton are next.

Netflix's 'Resident Evil' CG anime leans on familiar voice actors

We're still waiting to hear more about the live-action Resident Evil show Netflix has in development, but tonight the streamer revealed more details about its anime series that will arrive later this year. Timed to coincide with the game's 25th anniversary, Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness will follow along as Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield investigate two zombie outbreaks, eventually reuniting at the White House.

Leon and Claire will be voiced by Nick Apostolides and Stephanie Panisello, respectively, with the two reprising their voice roles from the Resident Evil 2 remake that came out in 2019. Netflix and Capcom will reveal more about the show during the AnimeJapan 2021 event on March 27th.

Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness is bringing back the RE2 remake’s Nick Apostolides as Leon Kennedy and Stephanie Panisello as Claire Redfield. pic.twitter.com/qjIa13hfZc

— NX (@NXOnNetflix) March 12, 2021

The Roku Channel's first free exclusive show will debut next week

Later this year Roku will add Quibi's library of content to its free streaming channel, but the first exclusive show for the platform debuts next week. The action drama Cypheris a show licensed by Roku to stream on The Roku Channel, portraying a "top FBI cryptanalyst" who comes into possession of a coded document that belongs to some bad people.

Not necessarily the most original concept, but again, it's available for free on the web or any device with the Roku app. Once it launches, all seven episodes will be available for binge viewing, but let's be honest — we're all just waiting to see The Golden Arm.

Check out our brand new CYPHER art and catch all episodes streaming free on The #Roku Channel March 19. pic.twitter.com/V3IOzvAYKP

— Roku (@Roku) March 11, 2021

Vudu has arrived on Amazon's Fire TV platform

Last year Walmart sold its mostly-video on-demand video service Vudu to Fandango, and now, after many years of not working on Amazon's Fire TV platform the app has finally reached one of the few devices it wasn't already on. Vudu has always specialized in delivering high-quality movies and TV shows, even dating back to when you needed a $400 box just to access it.

While Fire TV of course includes Amazon's own video on-demand store, having Vudu available means people can stream 4K and HDR content from another source, as well as enjoy the various sales and even free ad-supported streaming it has. In a statement, Fandango exec Kevin Shepela said "With Vudu’s vast library of premium content from new release event movies to favorite films and TV shows, we are excited to deliver to Fire TV users so many new viewing options to watch in their living rooms, many in breathtaking 4K."

The announcement also noted "double-digit" growth in new accounts during 2020 — you'd hope so, with so many people watching movies at home — compared to the previous year. Along with this launch, and Vudu recently becoming available on Comcast's set-top boxes, that hopefully means good things about its future under new ownership. The pace of developing new features for Vudu has always been relatively slow, and while its UI is consistent, it hasn't changed significantly in many years, so anyone with a library of content stored on the service benefits from it continuing to grow.

Canoo plans to launch this oddly-shaped electric truck in 2023

Canoo has already given us a peek at the van and delivery vehicle it plans to launch, and now the company has unveiled images of its first electric pickup truck built on the same electric platform. According to the company, pre-orders will start in Q2 of this year, with the truck's release due in early 2023. The design certainly takes a different approach from Tesla's edgy Cybertruck, and is even going to stand out as electric pickups from Rivian, Ford and others start to hit the streets.

Executive Chairman Tony Aquila said in a statement that this truck "is as strong as the toughest trucks out there and is designed to be exponentially more productive...We made accessories for people who use trucks – on the job, weekends, adventure."

The specs promise more than 200 miles of range on a charge, with up to 600 HP and 550 lb-ft of torgue in a dual-motor configuration, and a payload capacity of up to 1,800 pounds. At 76 inches, it's one inch taller than Tesla's Cybertruck but notably shorter than GMC's 81.1-inch tall Hummer EV. It's also short in length compared to those competitors at just 184 inches, although a pull-out bed extension brings the total length to 213 inches. The Hummer EV is 216.8 inches long while Tesla's truck reaches 231.7 inches.

When that extender is out, the bed is eight feet long, big enough for a 4x8 sheet of plywood, assuming you don't want to break up the space with modular dividers. Their design also includes side steps, flip down side tables, and a front compartment with a flip down table and storage section. The truck also has plugs to make exportable power available on all sides of the vehicle, in case you're in need of a generator. Canoo hasn't revealed full specs or a price, but we should find out more about this truck soon.