B&O Play previews A9 Nordic Sky edition wireless speakers (eyes-on)

B&O Play's A9 Nordic Sky edition wireless speaker keeps summer's night lights alive through winter

Not to leave its $2,699 A9 wireless speaker stuck with solid colors for the fall and winter, B&O Play's added some limited editions inspired by the natural color palette of Scandinavia. Dubbed the Nordic Sky editions, the three variants previewed for Copenhagen Fashion Week represent dawn, twilight and dusk. The pastel gradient grilles aim to keep the summer night's visual influence alive through the colder seasons, as B&O explains it. The units still feature the same 480-watt (x5) 2.1 stereo output, with DLNA and AirPlay to keep the music flowing. The Nordic Sky editions will retail for the same $2,699 price as the standard versions, while current A9 owners can also purchase each color kit (three wooden legs and a grille cloth) for $259 a pop. There's no exact arrival date yet, but B&O says to expect them on its shelves in September. No doubt these pieces scream opulence, but they're a visual treat in person. Full press release after the break.

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GreenWave Reality ships WiFi-aware light bulbs that flick on through motion and smartphones

GreenWave Reality ships WiFi light bulbs that flick on through motion and smartphones, join the 21st centuryWe've seen connected light bulbs before, some more sophisticated than others, but they're rarely as straightforward as GreenWave Reality's just-shipping Connected Lighting Solution. Eco-friendly LED bulbs in the lineup include support for WiFi and are immediately controllable from a smartphone or tablet as soon as they're receiving power. Basics controls like group presets and timed lighting are just the start; if you're not worried about leaving anyone in the dark, the bulbs can respond to motion sensors and only illuminate the rooms that need attention. And while the intelligence isn't new in itself, GreenWave would argue that sheer accessibility gives it an edge, with electric utilities in Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden skipping the retail middleman by selling directly. Don't despair if you live in the US: the linked-up lighting is cleared for eventual use by Americans who'd like to save both energy and a trip to the light switch.

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GreenWave Reality ships WiFi-aware light bulbs that flick on through motion and smartphones originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Oct 2012 08:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Netflix streaming launches in Sweden, lets you get your Bron on

Netflix streaming launches in Sweden

Sweden is home to some of the world's better known movie makers and some very high speed data connections, but it has only had so much love from movie streaming services that you'd think would be a natural match. Netflix is making that union a reality today through the launch of its Watch Instantly service in the country. Pay 79 kronor ($12) a month and you'll get access to a mix of both international and domestic movies and TV shows on any device that can take Netflix in the country, which includes at least computers as well as Android and iOS devices. Other Nordic territories are still promised as coming soon; although that won't be much help to Danes, Finns or Norwegians, we're sure Swedes won't mind having one more excuse to flaunt their cheap fiber internet access.

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Netflix streaming launches in Sweden, lets you get your Bron on originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Oct 2012 12:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ZTE confirms Blade III Android 4.0 smartphone, makes Nordic debut with two color options

ZTE confirms Blade III Android 40 smartphone, will debut in Scandinavia with two color options

It might have over-keenly popped up online just a few weeks ago, but now ZTE's given the Blade III the official nod. As suspected, it bears a 4-inch 800 x 480 display, runs on a 1GHz Qualcomm chip, and offers Android 4.0 with 512MB of RAM to play with. The internal memory is confirmed as 4GB, with the OS taking up some of that, but there is (thankfully) the option to expand up to 32GB via SD, and that 5-megapixel shooter to use for filling it up. The HSPA phone will be getting a Nordic debut (much the same as its Nordic leak) with the black version landing in Sweden for 1,499 SEK (about $228) in October, but is available in white this month in Finland. Other "key markets" in Europe can look forward to seeing the Blade III sometime later this year.

Continue reading ZTE confirms Blade III Android 4.0 smartphone, makes Nordic debut with two color options

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ZTE confirms Blade III Android 4.0 smartphone, makes Nordic debut with two color options originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Sep 2012 06:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HBO Nordic to offer internet streaming subscriptions, no cable or satellite service required

While in the US, requests for an HBO Go subscription option that brings the channel's programming without being tethered to a cable or satellite-TV package go unheeded, HBO revealed today that its Scandinavian offering will do just that. While the HBO Nordic joint venture between HBO and Parsifal International will be available over "local distribution partners," it is also available strictly as an over-the-top service for VOD and subscription access to premium content for less than €10 when it launches in October. It brings all the HBO current and catalog content you'd expect (subtitled for the local markets in Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark) and it's also tossing in content from other providers, like the popular Canadian show Continuum. CEO Hervé Payan says it will be available on "any" internet connected device, and says the decision to go over the top is because its target group of viewer have changed their consumption to multiple screens.

Netflix revealed its own plans to expand to the region this fall on the same day HBO Nordic was originally announced, and CEO Reed Hastings welcomed the competition with a message on Facebook asking when HBO would bring the service to the USA, and joking that it expected the first match-up to be in Albania. In case you forgot, that last dig was a reference to Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes 2010 statement comparing Netflix to the possibility of the Albanian army taking over the world. The battle is on this fall, we'll see if it's just a dry run for other regions soon.

Continue reading HBO Nordic to offer internet streaming subscriptions, no cable or satellite service required

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HBO Nordic to offer internet streaming subscriptions, no cable or satellite service required originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Aug 2012 20:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Netflix Watch Instantly streaming coming to Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland this year

Netflix mentioned during its most recent earnings call that it had identified an attractive European market to launch its streaming video service in during Q4 2012 and now we know where that is: Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland. There's no word yet on pricing or which devices the service will be available on, but Nordic viewers can expect the usual assortment of movies and TV shows for a flat rate, with many available in HD and surround sound. Judging by the languages of support personnel Netflix was looking for last year, Asia is next on its world domination map (after Canada, Latin America and UK & Ireland) although how investors will react to the hit expansion makes on its earnings in the short term.

Continue reading Netflix Watch Instantly streaming coming to Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland this year

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Netflix Watch Instantly streaming coming to Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland this year originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Aug 2012 01:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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