Roku has gone from a barely known streaming media box manufacturer to a retail darling in a remarkably short amount of time (the last hardware revamp launched less than a year ago) and it’s back with more new hardware to continue the assault.

The Roku 2 lineup will put their footprint in the spaces left by their predecessors when they hit shelves later this month without changing the price one bit. Besides being more energy efficient, it brings new channels including Angry Birds, Epix, MLS and more, while also upgrading the Netflix experience with support for subtitles, surround sound and 1080p video.

The pricing tiers of $60 (HD), $80 (XD) and $100 (XS) remain; while stepping up to the XD adds 1080p video output, splurging for the XS adds a game remote (a $29 accessory), included copy of Angry Birds plus Ethernet and USB ports.

SOURCE via Roku

When Isis was first announced, it can’t really blame us for being skeptical. Isis hasn’t shown us much more than a logo and a black and white rendering of its NFC-powered mobile payment system, but the outfit has finally proved that it has what it takes to be one, as major credit card companies are now listed in its brochures.

According to the group – collaboration between AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon – Isis will launch with Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express on board. Google’s already got a head start, with Wallet trials underway in New York and San Francisco, but the internet giant might just need the lead, considering the list of heavy hitters Isis has lined up for its 2012 debut.

How will this actually clash out?

SOURCE via Isis

Back when we first laid eyes on Tango, the startup was sticking strictly to mobile, serving up free video calls over 3G, 4G, and WiFi to both iOS and Android devices (with front-facing cameras, of course). Now the company’s thinking big — quite literally — with the announcement that it plans to bring its video calling service to PCs sometime later this summer. As of now, it looks as if this will be a Windows-only affair, and will remain free of charge — as before, you won’t need to register to get your videophone on. FaceTime for Windows users?

SOURCE via Tango

When Gears of War 3 lands in September you’ll be able to pick yourself up a special edition Xbox 360. If you’ve already got an Xbox though, you don’t have to skip out on the branded accessories game completely. Mad Catz has you covered with a trio licensed goodies, including a throat communicator, a stereo gaming headset and a 7.1 surround sound headset all decked out in the iconic blood-red and black of the franchise.

The special edition of the surround sound set (above) is actually just a slightly updated version of the company’s Tritton AX720 headgear with a new decoder box and an extra two channels of sound. Those who want to shout at their opponents without donning bulky ear-wear will likely gravitate towards the throat communicator.

All three will launch alongside GOW3 on September 20 for $30, $100, and $180 respectively. You can pre-order now at the link below.

Order yours via Game Shark

Need a little extra unlocked WP7 incentive to keep you from buying those oh-so-distracting iOS and Android devices? Well, that official homebrew love is going to cost you — $9 to be exact. We already knew the Microsoft-sanctioned ChevronWP7 Labs would be open for business soon, but recent tweets from the jailbreaking outfit’s Chris Walsh have shed a little more light on the process. In addition to the nominal fee users will have to fork over for the official unlock, Walsh also points out that software updates to Mango and Nodo will close any security holes in the platform. So, if you were planning on getting your pirate-y hands dirty hacking away at WP7, think again — Microsoft’s still got the keys to its mobile OS’ house.

SOURCE via Pocketnow

It hasn’t been a good week for RIM. It’s only Wednesday but already we’ve heard rumors that the company may be discontinuing its PlayBook tablet and gotten word that the executive in charge of the PlayBook project has jumped ship and is headed for Samsung.

Ryan Bidan, senior product manager for the BlackBerry PlayBook, yesterday updated his LinkedIn job title to Direct of Product Marketing at Samsung. He provided extra confirmation via his Twitter account, revealing that he would be moving to Dallas, Texas. Prior to his position at RIM, which he has held for two years and 10 months, Bidan spent just under eight years at Microsoft.

The news of Bidan’s departure comes amid speculation that the PlayBook is being discontinued. Announced last September and launched in April, the device received lukewarm reviews from critics. Boy Genius Report claims that RBC Capital Markets Managing Director Mike Abramsky yesterday reiterated an OTR Global report that said RIM could be planning to stop production of the current Wi-Fi BlackBerry PlayBook model. At the moment, there is still no 3G model.

SOURCE via Financial Post

Angry Birds developer Rovio has been dragged into a lawsuit over patent infringement filed by Lodsys against eleven defendants. Developer Rovio and its famed physics-based game Angry Birds has become one of the primary targets in a recent patent infringement lawsuit.

The complaint was originally filed by patent licensing firm Lodsys at the end of May, but was recently amended to remove Vietnamese company Wulven Games. In its place, five highly-popular (and highly lucrative) game companies were added including Rovio, Electronic Arts, Atari, Square Enix and Take-Two Interactive.

According to the lawsuit, Rovio is accused of infringing at least one of Lodsys’ patents with Angry Birds for Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android OS.

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