Now that we’ve all had a full day to nurse our Mardi Gras hangovers, let’s talk about what happened in the tech world this week.
1. PS3 finally nabs HBOGo
Better late than never, PS3 owners can at last watch HBOGo through their game consoles.
The app comes two years after the Xbox 360 got its own variant, and iPhone and Android devices have had access for a while now.
Unfortunately if you have a Comcast subscription — like me — none of that matters. The cable giant on the verge of purchase by Time Warner doesn’t support the app. Any Comcast user with a Roku knows this struggle.
It’s unclear specifically why the app isn’t supported. A Comcast rep told The Verge it needed to “work through technical integration and customer service which takes time and resources,” and Sony is insisting it isn’t the problem.
I can’t understand what “technical integration” is really necessary to complete a simple login. Though this being Comcast, unnecessary complications come with the service. Hopefully the company gets its act together.
2. Cortana confirmed for Windows Phone 8.1
Windows Phone 8.1 has many improvements for the third-most popular mobile operating system, but Cortana is possibly the most discussed.
Stealing the name and voice from the Cortano of the Halo series, the virtual assistant does more or less what iOS’ Siri does — schedule meetings, update you on the weather, search things for you, etc.
Except, it’s Cortana. From Halo. So it’s awesome.
3. Move over Chromecast — Roku Streaming Stick
Remember late 2013? When the tech world lost its mind over Google’s stream-anything* stick, the Chromecast?
*anything, of course, being Google-approved apps (though it’s open-source now.)
Roku might have just beaten it. Though the company technically had a device before the Chromecast, it wasn’t very popular.
That changes with the Streaming Stick. Though it’s $50 — $15 more expensive than the $35 Chromecast — it comes with an actual remote and access to more than 1,000 apps (Unlike the connected-device based Chromecast, which has less than 10 apps).
It’s a feature-packed device and is hitting shelves in April.
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That’s all the news for this week! Make sure to check back next week for the latest and greatest in tech.
