This is just one of the many apps that has been released for Windows Phone 8 over the past few months, with some of the bigger mobile apps still waiting for their turn for Windows Phone 8 support. Either way, Hulu subscribers who pay for the $8/month plan will be able to enjoy streaming on their WP8 devices now.

As for the layout of the app, Hulu went with the traditional Windows Phone 8 layout rather than their own concoction, and firing up the app will lead to the home screen where you can scroll through TV shows — very similar to other Windows Phone 8 apps, and the look should be reminiscent of the Hulu app on Windows 8.

Some of the more popular apps and games that have landed on Windows Phone 8 include Pandora, Spotify, Microsoft’s own Photosynth, Modern Combat 4, and Netflix, which arrived on Microsoft’s new platform last month. We can only assume this is Hulu’s answer to Netflix as a way to earn more subscribers by offering Windows Phone 8 support.

Hulu has seen its paid subscriber base exponentially grow since Q4 2010, when at the time it had around only 250,000 Hulu Plus subscribers. As for mobile viewing, Hulu says it’s “growing at a significant rate,” and they predict that it will account for around 15% of Hulu’s consumed videos this next year.

Another big step for Hulu is the announcement of two new original series, which the company hopes will allow them to compete more with Netflix and Amazon. Hulu announced Quick Draw and East Los High. Quick Draw is a comedy set in the western style in 1875, and the story revolves around a sheriff who wants to introduce the science of forensics to an unruly Kansas town.

As for East Los High, Hulu that it’s “not your typical high school,” but we have a slight feeling that it may be just that. The show follows around a group of teens as they explore romance and mystery. Sounds familiar, right? Release dates for the these two shows have not been announced yet, but we’ll see them premiere at some point this summer.

Peter Chernin was one of the individuals responsible for the early days of Hulu, and now it seems, if the sources are correct, that he has returned with a bid for the service. Chernin left Hulu back in 2009 to start The Chernin Group, which has holdings in a number of companies, including the popular online music streaming service Pandora.

His bid is said to be approximately $500 million, but neither his people, Disney, or News Corp. would comment on the rumor. Word has it that Disney and News Corp. have reached out to multiple potential buyers, but the two sources who provided this information do not know if any other bids have been placed for Hulu. All of this comes as methods for monetizing the service and taking it in a solid direction have been pondered.

Per past sources, News Corp. was leaning towards a model for Hulu that involved subscriptions as the primary way of monetizing the service, using something like the currently-implemented Hulu Plus service. Disney had different ideas, however, leaning more towards an advertisement-based model that would depend on advertisements, something the service also utilizes. For a long while, the two companies were unsure of whether they would sell the service, but if the sources are correct, it would seem they are close to making a decision.

[via Reuters]

According to the sources, the company’s board still has not made a decision about whether the popular video streaming service will be sold, or if other steps will be taken instead. As we reported on March 1, Disney and News Corp., which own the majority of the company, can’t agree on how the service should be monetized. That information came from sources who likewise claimed the two were considering selling Hulu.

Reportedly, News Corp. is leaning towards using subscriptions as the primary way of funding the service, such as the already available Hulu Plus monthly subscription that costs $8 USD. This differs from how Disney thinks it should be run, however, with the latter company maintaining that Hulu should utilize an advertisement-based business mode, relying on ads, which are displayed on videos regardless of whether users have a monthly subscription.

Thus far, it is said that both the majority holders have approached Dick Clark Productions, Hollywood Reporter, and Guggenheim Partners LLC, and all of them are said to have shown interest in the possibility. Beyond that, nothing else is known, and nothing official has been stated. When asked, Hulu declined commenting on the rumor.

[via Bloomberg]

Shatner played the infamous Captain James T. Kirk in several Star Trek films and TV series, and while Shatner has become more of an odd character nowadays (now known as the “Priceline negotiator” in those weird hotel booking commercials), he’ll leave behind a legacy for Star Trek fans to remember forever.

Five Star Trek television series are available on Hulu, all of which will be free until the end of the month: Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and Star Trek: Enterprise. All of these shows are available now to watch at no cost.

UPDATE: We’ve been informed that Star Trek: The Animated Series is missing out of the bunch, as well as “The Cage,” which is the pilot episode of Star Trek: The Original Series.

As an extension of the festivities, Star Trek will be conducting a poll to see which episodes they’ll feature on the Hulu home page, and they’ll also be holding a “Star Trek Madness” tournament, putting all of the major Star Trek characters up against each other to see who is the most popular Star Trek character of them all.

The first thing you’ll most likely notice in the redesigned app is the new content categories that are spread out along the top of the app, making it easier to jump to a specific section. Inside each category, you’ll be greeted with various other subcategories of sorts, one of which is a section detailing new shows, as well as new episodes for the shows that you already watch.

The “Shows You Watch” tray allows you to jump right in to any show that you want to watch, and Hulu says that this is to make sure users never miss a new episode or lose their place in a television series. Another new feature is the ability to quickly turn on subtitles by holding down the “Select” button while watching a show.

One caveat is that you must be running the latest Apple TV firmware, so if you’re not up-to-date and are wanting to take advantage of the new Hulu Plus layout, now would be a great time to head into Software Updates in Settings and get on the latest software version of Apple TV. From there, you can just boot up the Hulu Plus app to experience the redesign.

Mr. Kilar’s blog post originally went out as an email to the Hulu team, and in it he states that Andy Forssell will be taking his place as the acting CEO of Hulu at the end of this month when Kilar steps down. The current CEO then goes on to praise Forssell, who is currently a “critical” senior executive for the company.

Says Kilar: “You know Andy well; he’s been a critical senior executive and has been here from the start of this great adventure. Andy exemplifies the Hulu culture and has been central to Hulu’s journey, helping to grow this company from 2 content partners and no revenue to over 450 content partners and approximately $700 million revenue in 2012.”

He then goes on to state that Forssell has “strong support” from the Hulu board, having built relationships with many of its members. The decision is not final, however, and won’t be until News Corp. and Disney, the primary owners of the company, decide the direction they will take Hulu in, after which point they’ll decide if Forssell remains as the permanent chief executive.

[via Hulu]

Per the two individuals who provided the information and are said to have knowledge about what is going on, News Corp. is of the opinion that Hulu should be primarily monetized via subscriptions, which is a current option with Hulu Plus ($8 per month). Disney, on the other hand, thinks Hulu should instead be dependent on an ad-based business model.

As part of the talks, both Disney and News Corp. will look into making changes to Hulu’s business model, or into possibly selling the service. Although they are in talks, says the sources, no deal is guaranteed and nothing may come of the alleged talks. Neither corporation has had anything official to say on the matter.

Hulu has grown since its humble beginnings, having been formed by Fox and NBC, which is now the minority holder. The service has grown, with the company reporting late last year that revenue had climed to $695 million, and that the number of subscribers was up substantially to 3 million. These rumors follow the upcoming leave of Hulu’s CEO Jason Kilar, who is set to step down at the end of the month.

[via Bloomberg]

Criterion announced the news via Twitter today as what we’re guessing is their own Valentine’s Weekend promotion. That would certainly make sense, since you’ll be able to sit down with your sweetheart and watch some classic cinema right from your couch while you pour over some wine and maybe even some popcorn for the full effect.

There’s a ton of these movies available on Hulu, so it may be difficult to know where to even start, but Hulu gets you on the right track by showing off the most popular titles, as well as recommended films. They even split up movies into different categories to hopefully guide you to the films that you’ll enjoy the most.

Criterion themselves recommend starting with Breathless, a 1960 film by Jean-Luc Godard about a young car thief that kills a policeman and tries to persuade a girl to hide in Italy with him. If you don’t have any plans this weekend, this might be the perfect time to check out a handful of Criterion films. Granted, you definitely won’t get through all of them over the weekend, but at least you can get a good start for now.

Netflix’s new original series House of Cards is debuting this weekend, and it seems Netflix wants as many users as it can get to watch the new show, even if it means unlocking access on Xbox Live. Plus, all episodes of the new show will be available for streaming, so clear all your weekend plans and make sure to tune in if you’re interested.

Furthermore, Hulu’s AdZone on Xbox Live will be completely free this weekend using the Internet Explorer app, as long as you have a Xbox Live Gold membership (you’ll need it to access IE). Since it’s Super Bowl weekend specifically, Hulu is letting users access the Hulu AdZone in order to watch all the commercials from this year’s Super Bowl, as well as commercials from as far back as 2008 that aired during the big game.

Again, both Netflix and Hulu’s AdZone (not Hulu Plus) will be available for free. You’ll still need a separate Netflix subscription in order to access the service, but Hulu AdZone will be completely free (even if you don’t have a Hulu Plus subscription) for Xbox Live Gold members. Happy watching!

Kilar doesn’t mention a reason for departing, but he says that his decision was “one of the toughest” that he’s ever made, and he’s “very thankful” for the entire team at Hulu. As of now, neither Kilar or Tom have solid dates for stepping down from their helms, but Kilar says that he’ll “be here as we get off to a very strong start in 2013.”

While we could speculate all day on the reasons for both Kilar and Tom stepping down from their respective roles at Hulu, you certainly blame the company’s finances as a reason. Hulu saw almost $700 million in revenue in 2012, which was quite the jump from where they were the year before, and they saw a doubling in their subscriber base in 2012 compared to 2011.

From reading Kilar’s farewell letter, you can easily tell that Hulu meant a lot to him, and we certainly can’t blame him for saying that it was one of the toughest decisions he’s ever made, but perhaps he’s moving on to better things and teaming up with his colleague, Rich Tom? Either way, the best of luck to both of them.

According to sources familiar with negotiations, $200 million is about twice the amount the owners of Hulu have contributed to the streaming video site this year. It remains unclear whether or not Hulu will get the extra $200 million in funding. Hulu has been around for five years and has been unprofitable so far.

Another interesting aspect of the request for $200 million in additional funding comes in the fact that only Disney and News Corp can vote on the Hulu business model. Comcast is barred for regulatory reasons from voting even though it owns a portion of Hulu assets. Disney and News Corp. have also been at odds on how they want the company to be operated.

News Corp. wants Hulu to become a pure subscription service. On the other hand, Disney wants the service to continue to be free and ad supported. We don’t have a clear indication of what Hulu’s finances look like this time, but Disney did reveal that Hulu had sustained more significant losses than expected during the current fiscal year. Disney blamed the increased losses on increased programming and marketing costs.

[via Wall Street Journal]

It gets even better for Hulu though, as it reports that Hulu Plus now has 3 million paying subscribers. The number of Hulu Plus subscribers doubled in the past year, as it was sitting below 1.5 million when 2011 came to a close. Hulu Plus grew steadily throughout the year, receiving its biggest boost in quarter one. We can probably expect a similar jump in Q1 2013, as many people will have just received a new device capable of playing Hulu’s videos.

It was also a big year for content, as Hulu says it grew offered content by 40% during 2012. That’s pretty aggressive growth, with Hulu now working with 430 content partners – those are partnerships that have put 60,000 TV episodes from 2,300 series on the streaming service. In 2012 alone, Hulu paid $500 million to make new content available, and since launching back in October 2007, it has paid out more than $1 billion to its partners.

All things considered, 2012 sounds like it was an excellent year for Hulu. It’s only getting more popular as time goes on, though it still has a ways to go before it can challenge Netflix for streaming domination. We’re looking forward to seeing what Hulu does in 2013, and if it’s as big as 2012 was, then it should be another excellent year.

The service known as PlayOn collects 45 different brands together into one big batch, adding not just service like HBO Go and Amazon VOD to your television set through your Wii U, but your own videos from your Windows PC as well. Have a peek at the chart below to see the vast selection of connections you’ll be working with right out of the box – and note that the four selections in the upper left-hand corner are already on Wii U as their own app – daunting!

The PlayOn ecosystem is available with a one-time lifetime license cost of $39.99 – one time and you’re hooked up forever. Just like a real software build should be. Once you’re good to go, you’ll find that all of the services above are available to you on your Wii U as well as Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and the original Wii as well! There’s also a massive amount of other devices that the PlayOn interface works with, and you can work with DLNA-compliant devices galore, too – have a peek at the full device list for compatibility – you’ll find the iPad, iPhone, Android phones with OS 2.2 and up, Google TV, and Roku appearing there as well.

The Wii U GamePad remote allows you to use your touchscreen controls to make selections and you’re able to watch videos on either your Gamepad or your TV. You can watch Hulu for free on your television (the free version) without a Hulu+ subscription where otherwise you’d not have been able to, but of course you’ll need a Netflix subscription to get on the Netflix train, and Amazon video needs the necessary costs to be the boss, too – but with all the rest of the massive amount of channels you’ve got here, you’ll have more than enough free video to go around!

The Wii U support page has gone live today – note that you will need a Windows PC or a Mac running some form of Windows virtualization to get this party started. Get that video right this minute!

The folks at Squrl have a search engine for instantly playable videos from YouTube, Netflix, Hulu, Ted (aka Ted Talks), AOL, Vimeo, Blip.TV, and more. This list is expanding in Squrl, and the app works just as well on the iPhone 5 as it does on the iPad – and the iPhone 4S/4, the iPod touch, and the rest, too, of course. You can make your own profile and share your favorite videos if you want, or you can remain entirely anonymous.

You can add your own feed collections or you can use the app purely for search. Add the Android feed and you’ll find our favorite sister-site Android Community featured prominently – but you want to stick to Apple, right? There’s an Apple feed as well. You can connect to your Facebook to show an interest graph for yourself over time, this generating suggestions from the app itself as it gets to know you better. It’s one of those things that seems a bit creepy to some people and quite magical to others – I tend to lean towards the latter.

You’ll want to check out the competition in Flixter and Dijit, Showyou and every other app just like this one if you want o judge the best user interface experience for yourself, but the end result right this minute will be thus: Squrl is fresh, it works, it feels nice to use, and it’s free. This app is up on the iTunes App Store right this minute and you can hit up Squrl.com to see if they plan on releasing any Android-based solutions in the near future – or Windows Phone, for that matter too.

Be sure to head down to our iOS App Reviews portal for more of the best for your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch from all angles. Games, utilities, oddities, and everything in-between – have at em!

There’s also the functionality to stream Hulu Plus content directly to the GamePad, meaning that even if you’re roaming around the house, you should still be able to watch. A button in the lower right corner of the screen flips playback between the GamePad and the TV.

Hulu has also taken the opportunity of Wii U functionality to launch its new Hulu Kids section, with over 43 shows – including some from Nickelodeon – with no commercials. Adults get content from ABD, Comedy Central, NBC, and other networks.

There’s a free week’s trial for Hulu Plus on Wii U, and after that it’s priced at $7.99 “with limited advertising.” Unfortunately there’s no way to access the free, more ad-heavy basic Hulu service on the Wii U.

The Video Games Hub is live now, and it’s already got a bunch of trailers ready to watch. Browsing through the long list, users can find trailers for Assassin’s Creed III, Grand Theft Auto V, New Super Mario Bros. U, and BioShock Infinite. There’s a section dedicated to Electric Playground episodes so you can get video game news in video form, along with a section for reviews from X-Play (though we can’t imagine that section of the Hub will be around for much longer).

Not feeling video game trailers? Hulu says it will also be offering gameplay videos through its Games Hub, and there’s also a selection of video game-related movies to check out. All of these seem to be documentaries about games and gamers, so at least for the moment there aren’t any actual movies based on video games (though maybe that isn’t such a bad thing).

So there you have it – Hulu now offers video game trailers alongside gaming shows and documentaries. Hulu says that starting out, this feature will only be available on PC, but it’ll begin rolling out to other devices before long. What do you think of Hulu’s new Video Games Hub?

[via Hulu Blog]

Hulu has launched its new Hulu Kids service for paying subscribers, while the Samsung Galaxy Express and the MiFi Liberate are headed for AT&T. The creators of Expendable Rearmed have been working with NVIDIA to bring the classic Dreamcast game to Android, and we heard that Foxconn may be thinking about expanding into the US. Google began teasing its Niantic Project earlier today, and speaking of Google, it launched Free Zone today as well, a new program that will attempt to give feature phone owners access to basic Google services.

Hitachi has revealed its lineup of HDTVs and Smart TVs for fall 2012, and scientists have spotted a “Super Earth” in the habitable zone of a star that’s 42 light years away. The HTC One S has popped up at T-Mobile with a price tag of zero dollars, and AT&T is willing to shave $100 off the price of a new tablet so long as you’re willing to sign a two-year data agreement. Flomio has taken to Kickstarter to raise funding for its FloJack NFC reader for iOS, and Mimo has introduced a new touch screen monitor that’s compatible with OS X.

We learned when Star Wars: The Old Republic will be going free-to-play, and GameFly is offering BioShock as a free download for a limited time, so if you haven’t played it yet, have at it. AT&T has backtracked somewhat on its FaceTime restrictions, and the Humble Bundle for Android 4 has launched with six games that are all worth checking out. Finally tonight, Chris Burns gives us his review of Evernote 5 for iOS, so be sure to have a look at that. That’s all for tonight’s Evening Wrap-Up, enjoy the rest of your night folks!

Probably the best thing about Hulu Kids is that all the shows are completely ad-free, despite the fact that regular shows still show commercials even with paid subscriptions. Hulu wanted kids to be uninterrupted while watching their favorite shows, so nixing all ads was crucial for a kids-only section.

Hulu Kids features a bevy of kids shows, and there’s even different categories for different types of shows. For example, “Dino Time” features shows like “Barney” and “Dinosaur Train,” and the category “Cartoon Favorites” offers shows like “Arthur” and “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles“. You can also browse shows by network, like Nickelodeon and PBS.

Hulu Kids is also coming to the PlayStation 3, where the whole family will be able to enjoy modern children shows as well as the classics that you watched growing up, all right from the living room. Of course PS3 users will still need a Hulu Plus subscription in order to get Hulu Kids. If you’re not yet a subscriber, Hulu offers a free 7-day trial.

In Europe, it’s a bit of a different story there, as YouTube accounts for 20% of all downstream traffic during peak hours on both fixed and mobile networks. It probably won’t come as much of a surprise that video streaming sites take up most of the downstream traffic during peak hours, but what’s interesting is that Netflix takes so much share for itself. Amazon, Hulu, and HBO Go were all mentioned in Sandvine’s report, but they only respectively account for 1.8%, 1.4%, and 0.5% of downstream traffic on North American fixed networks during peak hours.

Hearing that, it’s immediately clear just how strong Netflix is in North America. All in all, Sandvine says that mean monthly data usage on North American fixed networks has risen quite a bit, jumping from 23GB to 51GB in just one year. That’s an increase of 120%, and we can probably expect that to climb even higher as more people begin turning to the Internet for their video content.

Sandvine, which calls itself a “leading provider of intelligent broadband network solutions for fixed and mobile operators,” collected this data from a selection of its 200 customers around the world. It’s an interesting study to say the least, and we’ll be even more interested to see where these numbers are a year from now. Oh, and just in case you were wondering, Sandvine is predicting that the 2014 World Cup will be the most-streamed event in Internet history.

The deal between CBS and Hulu will bring more than 2,600 episodes of various programming from CBS over to Hulu Plus starting in January. Of course, newer episodes will be available for regular Hulu users who don’t have a Hulu Plus subscription, but much of the back catalog will only be available for paying customers.

Also, not only will modern CBS shows be available to watch (like CSI: Miami and Numb3rs), but classics such as Star Trek, The Twilight Zone, and I Love Lucy will also become available. The deal between Hulu and CBS spans multiple years, but it’s non-exclusive, which means CBS shows will still be available on Netflix as well.

It’s good to finally see all four major networks on board with Hulu. NBC and Fox were originally the only networks streaming their shows over Hulu, but ABC joined in on the fun in 2009. Finally, three years later, CBS is now a part of the Hulu family, and users will be able to browse even more shows starting in January.

The Hulu Plus app will come pre-loaded on a selection of Acer and Sony tablets, and will also be available to download through the Windows Store onto any Windows 8 machine. Hulu implemented some of Microsoft’s own flavor of Windows 8 into the Hulu Plus app, and works seamlessly on tablets as well.

The app uses a tile-based UI that’s similar to the new UI featured in Windows 8. Hulu says the clean and simple user interface allows them to put “the most relevant content first, creating a visually immersive experience in the most engaging way.” We can’t argue with them really, since the UI actually does look pretty good.

A nifty feature of the new is the ability to do many actions right from the main screen, like share content with friends. If you tap an image and slide it down and then up, a menu of options will appear. This will let you share the show, add it to your queue, or just the play the show right away. You can also “pin” shows, which gives yo access to any pinned shows right from the home screen. They’ve also added “Snap View,” which allows you to watch a show in a small screen while using another app in the foreground.

In order to use the Hulu Plus app on not just Windows 8 machines, but any device, you’ll need a Hulu Plus subscription, which costs $7.99 per month.

The buyout was announced in April of this year, and last month, a leaked Hulu memo showed that the company was setting up contingency plans in the event that CEO Jason Kilar would leave his position shortly after it happened, reading: “Outline transition plan for new CEO. Discuss potential candidates and process.” Kilar is now free to cash in on his shares, which, according to an inside source, would gain him about $100 million. Hulu has not offered a statement on the leaked memo.

Back in August, a source said that the Hulu board was in talks with CEO Kilar about his plans, but that nothing had come from it thus far. At the time, no one had been approached to replace Kilar, and a search committee had not been formed. Whether any of this has changed since then is unknown. Some speculate that Kilar may leave due to the altercations he has had with the board, which has always been a tumultuous relationship.

Hulu’s future is unknown. Some speculate that the exclusive content currently on Hulu by its three major broadcast companies (NBC, Fox, and Disney) could come to an end soon, as the companies seek to increase profits by licensing the content to more than one distributor. With Hulu’s revenue already tottering along in the “moderate” range, such a change could harm the company, throwing it into a downward spiral as the number of shows available decreases, and the wait time for access to the ones that remain potentially lengthen to longer than next-day availability.

[via Tech Crunch]

Nickelodeon shows destined for Hulu include “Spongebob Squarepants,” “iCarly,” and “Big Time Rush.” Unfortunately for those with younger kids, the deal doesn’t include any Nick Jr. shows like “Max and Ruby.” This may be due to licensing issues that would arise, given that several of the shows are currently licensed for other video providers, including Amazon.

Recently, Viacom has been criticized for offering content online and via Netflix, with some claiming that by doing so, the network is shooting its TV ratings in the proverbial foot. In addition, Hulu is apparently in for some major changes, with an alleged leaked internal memo that reads: “Outline transition plan for new CEO. Discuss potential candidates and process.” Fortunately, Hulu’s seemingly uncertain future hasn’t affected its relationship with Viacom.

Hulu is owned by NBCUniversal, Fox, and Disney-ABC. It offers content from its own networks, as well as content from CBS and Nickelodeon, to name a few. Viewers can watch clips and many episodes online for free, with access to premium content available via a Hulu Plus subscription.

[via All Things D]

According to their latest survey, 45% of Americans are using their televisions as their primary display for watching online video content, while only 31% said they primarily used their computers to watch online videos. It’s almost a scary statistic if you know that just last year, 48% primarily used computers for online videos while just 33% used televisions.

However, it’s also not too surprising. The growth of different set-top boxes has led to a new revolution when watching online streaming content. Many companies have their own solutions, including Roku, Boxee, Google, and even Apple. Hard drive manufacturers like Western Digital and Seagate also have set-top boxes of their own.

What’s also unsurprising, is that Netflix came out on top as far as the most-used service for watching online content on the television. 40% of consumers use Netflix, while 12% use Hulu Plus, and 4% connect to Vudu. What about you? Have you made the transition to watching online video in the living room instead of on the computer?

[via BGR]

Back in June Netflix had a lawsuit tossed against them regarding not offering CC, which ended in their favor, although this has nothing to do with that but they could be avoiding it. Earlier this week all three of the apps mentioned, Hulu Plus, HBO GO, and Max Go received updates for iOS which brought closed caption support, and today Android is getting the same.

Those moments where you don’t have headphones, or are in public and would rather have the volume down and use CC this will really come in handy. It isn’t a major improvement, but something I’ve been waiting to come to HBO GO for months and months — well that and tablet support on Android.

Hulu specifically mentions that a few languages are available other than English, but the others make no mention of that, nor did we find the option in settings. Hulu also added Facebook integration where users can share what their viewing (links, not the content) and a few other new features but sadly no rewind capability like iOS received. Obviously to truly enjoy any of these options on Android or iOS you’ll need a subscription to each individual service, but we welcome any and all new features. Get ready to enjoy Boardwalk Empire and more with CC. Personally I’m a Dexter fan.

[via AndroidCommunity]

The Samsung Galaxy S II Plus showed its face again today, complete with a 1.5GHz dual-core Exynos processor, and we were even given a glimpse at the Nikon Coolpix S800c Android-based camera. Samsung announced the GALAXY S DUOS, which features dual-SIM functionality but seems to be a tad underpowered with the Galaxy S III on the scene. We received yet another picture of the next iPhone’s reported new dock connector, and we got a better idea of what OnLive will look like moving forward. Unfortunately, it looks like HTC will be losing quite a bit of money now that OnLive has been bought out, which isn’t good news for the already-struggling company.

The Nintendo 3DS XL has finally arrived in North America, and a number of Motorola DROID RAZR HD tutorial videos were spotted before quickly being taken down. Hulu’s CEO might be exiting the company sometime next month, the Galaxy Note 10.1 has been given a pretty excellent score by the folks at iFixit, and pieces of Amelia Earhart’s plane may have been discovered off the coast of an island in the Pacific. Netflix has very quickly added 1 million subscribers in the UK and Ireland, while Barnes and Noble said it will be launching new devices in the UK this fall. Grand Theft Auto V got a round of new screenshots today, though they didn’t show much, and Sony announced that the PS Vita has passed 2.2 million sales worldwide since launch.

NASA announced the next Discovery mission today: InSight, which will be headed to Mars in 2016, while the Hubble Telescope gave us a picture of two star clusters that are on a collision course with one another. A new Android threat called SMSZombie has hit 500,000 phones in China, and it’s particularly hard to get rid of, while today the Curiosity rover laser-blasted its first Martian rock. Star Wars here we come.

Finally tonight, we have a couple of original articles for you to check out, like this review of the Motorola PHOTON Q 4G LTE and this column explaining why you might take a pass on the Samsung Galaxy Note 2, which is supposedly getting a reveal at IFA 2012. Enjoy the rest of your evening, folks!

Apparently Hulu’s CEO woes are brought on by the buyout of one of its investors, Providence Equity Partners. That buyout is expected to close sometime next month, and when it does, Variety says that “any Hulu executive with a significant number of vested shares” will be able to cash out. Hulu CEO Jason Kilar obviously has a lot of shares, and stands to make as much as $100 million in the event that the Providence deal closes successfully. That significant sum has Hulu worried he may take his $100 million and resign from the company.

Despite the worries, sources say Hulu isn’t searching for a new CEO just yet. Apparently Hulu board members have been talking to Kilar about his future with the company first, but so far those talks have been “without resolution.” This Providence buyout could bring more problems aside from having to search for a new CEO, however, as the memo also signals an incoming change in Hulu’s licensing agreements. It may not be long before News Corp. and Disney pare back their next-day offerings in an attempt to bring more visitors to their own websites, for instance.

Also a possibility is the end of exclusive content on Hulu. It’s suggested that these upcoming changes – or at least the possibility of them – might help convince Kilar to exit the company, but at the moment, all we have is this memo and Variety’s sources to go on. We won’t know what sweeping changes this Providence buyout brings with it until the purchase is officially on the books, but if these rumors are true, get ready for a pretty big shakeup at Hulu’s offices.

Of course, Apple hasn’t said so. In fact, the company has remained tight-lipped on any and all plans it might have. Rather than tip its hand and give up its plans, Apple has decided to let the rumor mill do all of the work.

Given that, I’m going to assume, at least for the time being, that the rumor mill is correct in its assumptions. And upon doing that, I’m going to lament the idea that Apple is even considering launching a set-top box rather than the long-rumored (and more-desirable) television it was supposed to be working on.

Maybe it’s just me, but I was excited at the prospect of owning an Apple television. The company has a flair for the dramatic and could have very well offered up something that sets apart its television from all others available today.

And how might have Apple done so? The company would have undoubtedly delivered a high-end screen in its television, and probably would have offered an application marketplace for those who would want to extend its functionality. Apple would have, in some ways, set a new trend in the television market.

By launching a set-top box, Apple isn’t really doing anything that excites me. I already have an Apple TV, a TiVo, a Roku set-top box, and a Blu-ray player. Why would I need anything else? Moreover, what would make Apple’s set-top box so valuable that I would disconnect those devices to use its own?

I’m sure there are many Apple fans out there that can answer that question. They’d argue that Apple’s set-top box would come with an App Store and a software experience that could trump its competitors’ offerings. Moreover, they’d claim that Apple’s device would have more cable partnerships and a general design that would look nice in the entertainment center. It would be a must-buy, they argue.

I can understand that argument, and it’s awfully compelling. But perhaps I’m displeased with the thought of an Apple set-top box because I already know that a television could have been in the works. I’ve had my heart set on an Apple television for months now, only to have the rug pulled out from under me with the prospect of the company launching a set-top box.

It’s not that a set-top box isn’t appealing – it is. But a television with all of the same functionality built right in is, well, better. And to not want that over a set-top box would be rather ridiculous, don’t you think?

So, count me as one of those who are extremely displeased with news of Apple considering launching a set-top box. Unless it’s designed to be the precursor for the television and not its replacement, I won’t be happy.

The project known as OUYA has gotten another big update for those anticipating the full system: Final Fantasy III assurance from the folks at Square Enix. The film Skyfall has been given a brand new trailer complete with more bombs, guns, and 007 than you can handle! There’s a new collection of LRO photos up now showing that most of the USA’s planted flags there still stand proudly.

The folks at RIM will likely be cutting 3,000 jobs on the 13th of August as BlackBerry continues to drain out. Microsoft has made a change to Bing search results in Facebook tagging galore! Motion tracking group Leap Motion is getting ready to ship their first big product in February 2013 as 26,000 developers jump on board for the future of next-level tracking.

There’s a brand new Sony Xperia Tablet out in the wild. Samsung is getting prepared to work on an 11-inch 2560 x 1600 pixel resolution tablet for all to love and hold. There’s a new app out there ready to take on Siri and Google Now: Saga, available for your perusal. NASA’s Grand Entrance videos coming out now will feature William Shatner and Wil Wheaton for all the nerds to love.

Apple, so the rumors go, had put the Hulu Plus Apple TV app on ice over concerns that it could bite into its own iTunes revenue. The delay was not said to be a technical one, with all elements of software and service ready for action, with Apple instead suspecting that Hulu Plus subscribers might be less likely to spend money renting or purchasing movies from its own download store.

Muddying the waters were Hulu Plus’ existing iOS apps, available on the iPad and iPhone, and which already offered access to the subscription based streaming media service. At the time it was suspected that the absence of AirPlay streaming support for the apps that was all that had prevented Apple from denying its a place in the App Store; users would simply be too lazy to plug in an HDMI cable and adapter.

Availability on the Apple TV, however, makes opting for Hulu Plus rather than iTunes far more straightforward. Hulu hasn’t mentioned the delay in its blog post on the new functionality, and Apple was apparently content to push it out without fanfare.

Apple TV has seen a sales boom in its third-generation, though Apple itself still refers to the set-top box as a hobby among its range. The company has seen long-standing rumors suggesting it is working on a full television set as part of a more forceful challenge to the living room.

Apple reportedly began rolling out the app this morning, although users may need to reboot their Apple TV before they see the app appear. The app seems to work as advertised, streaming television shows from networks such as Fox and NBC as long as you subscribe to the Plus service, which currently costs $7.99 a month.

Hulu Plus has been available on a multitude of hardware devices for some time, including consoles, and users also have the option of streaming shows through their web browser. The app finally arriving on the Apple TV makes for a compelling argument for the little streamer given its $99 price. Combine Hulu Plus with a Netflix subscription and Apple’s own access to paid movies and TV shows, and suddenly you have an inexpensive and practical way to cut the cord.

Users are also reporting that Hulu Plus can be billed straight to an Apple iTunes account. New users will be able to sign up directly from the Apple TV and given a week’s free trial, and after that they’ll be charged $7.99 a month to access Hulu’s library of TV shows.

[via MacRumors]

A Consumer Reports survey of 15,000 users found that 81% of those who have used a video streaming service in the last six months have used Netflix. That made it far and away the most popular service, but it was #6 when it comes to customer satisfaction. 69% of Netflix users said they were satisfied, and the others called out things like poor selection of titles and being unable to see Netflix as a viable replacement for cable.

Vudu, surprisingly, garnered a 76% satisfaction rate, giving it the top metric. Apple’s iTunes was close behind at 75%, while Amazon Instant Video took a 74% satisfaction rate. Amazon Prime’s video streaming option and Hulu are both satisfying 70% of their customers. While that is certainly not a happy set of numbers for Netflix, its subscription numbers don’t lie so we doubt it’s losing much sleep over this.

[via PC Mag]

The new version of the Hulu Web-based video player is more compact, and it streamlines controls like pop-out and closed captioning so they are combined into one menu. In addition, the player now automatically selects your video quality for you, based on the available bandwidth of your Internet connection. The biggest new feature, though, is the 10-second rewind button that allows players to basically have an “instant replay” option at their fingertips.

It is true that Hulu has more of its viewership coming from computers on Hulu.com than Netflix has from Netflix.com, but both obviously rely on getting their content out to as many users through as many devices as possible. Hulu doesn’t exist on as many products – for example, it still isn’t available on Google TV – but clearly it is working hard to make it as strong a competitor as possible.

[via Mashable]

This is the video streaming company’s first ever international co-production arrangement. The show will continue to air as normal on BBC Four in the UK, but stateside it will air exclusively on Hulu, both for regular subscribers as well as premium Hulu Plus members. The show was created and is written by Armando Iannucci, whose most recent credit is the HBO series Veep starring Julia Louis Dreyfus.

“We’re really excited to give U.S. audiences a chance to catch up with all previous episodes, and as series co-producers for season four, we are proud to make full seasons of this distinctive and smart show available exclusively to Hulu viewers,” said Hulu senior VP of content Andy Forssell. This comes just days after Hulu announced that it will air episodes from the Israeli series Prisoners of War, which is the site’s first exclusive non-English series.

[via paidContent]

The first episode of Larry King Now will have the creator of Family Guy, Seth McFarlane as a guest on the show. Other guests scheduled to be on upcoming episodes include political commentator Meghan McCain and actor Matthew McConaughey. The show hopes to highlight what King has always done so well throughout his career, featuring him having great conversations with interesting individuals in a more updated style and version of his past show.

Check out the sneak peek in the video below.

Of course, to keep with the whole Internet theme of things, King will take questions from Twitter instead of phone calls on his new show. Larry King Now episodes are scheduled to be available online around 3pm PST every Monday through Thursday.

[via LA Times]

The show in question is Prisoners of War, an Israeli drama that is one of the most heralded series in the region. It was the highest-rated TV drama in Israel, and won nine Israeli Emmy Awards. The story follows two soldiers after they emerge from an enemy prison in which they were captured for 17 years during war. Hulu has the exclusive rights to air it in the US.

“We are looking forward for this great opportunity to bring the unique voice of ‘Prisoners of War’ to a worldwide audience. We are happy and proud to partner with a market leader such as Hulu in this U.S. debut,” said Keshet Broadcast CEO Avi Nir. The show will debut on Hulu tomorrow, July 14.

Update: Prisoners of War is Hulu’s first exclusive non-English show. The service already has other non-English content.

[via Shockya]

Because of that, I spend an awful lot of time evaluating different entertainment opportunities. From Netflix to Hulu Plus to iTunes, I’m always out there examining what’s best and what might need some work.

For a long time, I truly believed that Netflix was the best entertainment option available to me. The platform had all kinds of movies and television shows, and it was cheap. Netflix was, for a while, the best living room entertainment option we had.

But now, I’m starting to move away from that. Netflix’s content library is on the decline, and I’m finding myself watching programming on Hulu Plus and HBO Go far more often. To me, those two services are delivering the very best in living room entertainment.

How, you might ask? Simple: top-notch content.

Let’s start with Hulu Plus. Although the commercials can be annoying, the sheer amount of content on the service is delectable. I can watch some of the latest episodes of television shows I might have missed, as well as check out some older films that, in some cases, really aren’t too bad. Granted, Hulu Plus has its limitations, but for those looking for a solid television alternative to Netflix, it’s quite good.

HBO Go, however, might just be the best addition to the living room experience I’ve seen in years. How HBO is willing to give away so much of its content for only the price of subscribing to its network is beyond me. But I’m more than happy to take advantage.

If you haven’t tried out HBO Go, you should do so sooner rather than later. HBO offers every episode (yes, you read that correctly) of its series both on now and off the air. In addition, it comes with the network’s documentaries, sports coverage, and films.

The issue with HBO Go is its general lack of availability in the living room. Unless you have certain devices or televisions, you’ll more than likely be watching it on a computer. Luckily, my Samsung television recently started supporting HBO Go, so I can watch all of its programming right from the couch. Over time, I expect more vendors to support the application, as well.

So, let’s consider this new scenario: when we want to watch popular, current major network and cable programming, we can opt for Hulu Plus. And in those cases where we want to check out what, I believe, is a grouping of even better shows and entertainment, we can go for HBO Go.

With Hulu Plus and HBO Go in tow, I don’t quite miss Netflix. In fact, I couldn’t care less about it.

VentureBeat quoted a “Hulu spokesperson” as saying, “As has been reported, Jason Kilar has been a focus of the Yahoo CEO search committee. He has graciously declined to be considered.” Prior to joining Hulu, Kilar worked at Amazon for a decade. He moved up the ranks until eventually becoming to senior vice president of Worldwide Application Software. In other words, he knows his stuff.

The current CEO at Yahoo, acting as interim chief, is the company’s global media head Ross Levinsohn. The company had of course also been considering him as the new permanent CEO. And even with Kilar’s name in the running, sources were saying that Levinsohn was looking to be Yahoo’s top choice. So it looks like it will be a nice turn of events for Levinsohn.

[via VentureBeat]

After that horrifying PR nightmare, Yahoo’s global media head Ross Levinsohn was appointed the interim CEO. The company is now considering making Levinsohn the permanent CEO, but it also apparently has designs on Kilar. He has been part of Hulu pretty much since the beginning, and has certainly helped to grow it into what could be considered the most significant Netflix alternative.

Prior to joining Hulu, Kilar worked at Amazon for a decade. He moved up the ranks until eventually becoming to senior vice president of Worldwide Application Software. In other words, he knows his stuff. According to reports, though, Levinsohn is the top choice since he is obviously already quite well acquainted with Yahoo. But if he does anything to show he isn’t up to the task, the company will likely approach Kilar.

[via VentureBeat]