| Hulu Japan lands HBO content, but don't expect any changes in the US Jun 29th 2012, 06:02  Hulu Japan has mailed in a status update noting that its content library has increased by more than 300 percent since launching last fall, now amounting to over 800 films and around 6,900 TV shows. Newly added to that list is Mad Men and more notably, "select HBO shows" including Entourage and Sex And The City today, followed by Entourage and Band of Brothers later this year. Of course, similar to the situation that sees Showtime favorites like Dexter available on Netflix in Latin America but not here in the States, it doesn't make it any more likely HBO will suddenly become cord-cutter friendly at home -- this is an international deal only. Hulu does have more good news in Japan though, now that it works on more devices with the Wii coming soon and "aggressive expansion" planned for the rest of 2012. While it doesn't help the list of Hulu Plus-compatible Android phones grow any faster, there is a quick trailer celebrating the new content, viewers on either side of the Pacific can check it out after the break. Continue reading Hulu Japan lands HBO content, but don't expect any changes in the US Hulu Japan lands HBO content, but don't expect any changes in the US originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jun 2012 02:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink |  Hulu Blog | Email this | Comments | | Rice University researchers create spray-on battery, powered bathroom tiles Jun 29th 2012, 05:29  Liquid solar cells are pretty neat, to be sure, but current-generating paint can be a hard color to match. Good thing, then, that researchers at Rice university have developed the perfect complement: a spray-on battery. By carefully layering five coats of specially formulated paint, the team has found a way to apply a thin coat of lithium ion storage to multiple surfaces, including glass, ceramics, steel and flexible polymers. Early experiments are promising -- after applying the process to nine ordinary bathroom tiles, the painted batteries were able to power a small array of LEDs (spelling "Rice") for six hours, consistently pumping out 2.4 volts of electricity. After 60 charge / discharge cycles, researches say the batteries retained most of their capacity. Neelam Singh, Rice graduate student and lead author of the team's report, says the technology will only improve when coupled with modern methods. "Spray painting is already an industrial process, so it will be very easy to incorporate this into industry," she said. "We really do consider this a paradigm changer." Scope out the processes (and its fruits) for yourself after the break. Continue reading Rice University researchers create spray-on battery, powered bathroom tiles Rice University researchers create spray-on battery, powered bathroom tiles originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jun 2012 01:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink  CNET | Rice University, Nature | Email this | Comments | |
