Coinstar, the parent company of Redbox, has agreed to purchase the assets of NCR Corporation for $100 million.

NCR is the company behind the Blockbuster Express kiosks, Redbox's main rival in the business. The purchase wil bring Coinstar "DVD kiosks, certain retailer contracts, and DVD inventory from NCR's entertainment line of business."

Additionally, the two companies will "enter into a strategic supplier arrangement where Coinstar will purchase product and services from NCR" in the future.

Says Redbox president Scott Di Valerio: "We are very pleased to enter into this agreement with NCR. As the global self-service solutions leader, NCR has strong technology, manufacturing and servicing capabilities, and we look forward to leveraging their expertise as Coinstar continues to grow its core automated retail businesses and expands its offerings."

Adds NCR: "Through this agreement with Redbox, NCR will be better positioned to focus on expanding our business in our targeted industries. Additionally, this transaction affords us the opportunity to develop a long-term strategic relationship with Coinstar and partner on delivering new and innovative solutions to the market."

Netflix saw its stock rise today after The Verge posted a Best Buy survey that included the still-unconfirmed Apple iTV (HDTV) being linked to the streaming service.

Best Buy surveyed customers asking how they felt about a 42-inch Apple television for $1,499 including streaming services like Netflix and apps from YouTube and Flickr among others.

For its part, Best But says the survey was completely hypothetical: "The customer survey was a routine offer effectiveness survey conducted by one of Best Buy's research partners. Any brand reference was hypothetical."

Apple's long-rumored iTV is expected to finally be released this year, as even Steve Jobs said before he passed that Apple had "cracked" the nut that was holding the TV back.

As expected, the device will be run on iOS, support iCloud, be controllable from an iPhone or iPad and have a camera for FaceTime (and Skype).

Canalys has posted their Q4 2011 global smartphone research report and it appears that for the first time, ever, smartphones have outshipped PCs.

158.5 million smartphones were shipped during the quarter, for a total of 488 million on the year. The figure was a huge 63 percent jump from the 300 million shipped in 2010. PCs, on the other hand, only saw a 15 percent bump to 414.6 million units, including tablets like the iPad.

Says Canalys: "In 2011 we saw a fall in demand for netbooks, and slowing demand for notebooks and desktops as a direct result of rising interest in pads. But pads have had negligible impact on smartphone volumes and markets across the globe have seen persistent and substantial growth through 2011. Smartphone shipments overtaking those of client PCs should be seen as a significant milestone.

In the space of a few years, smartphones have grown from being a niche product segment at the high-end of the mobile phone market to becoming a truly mass-market proposition. The greater availability of smartphones at lower price points has helped tremendously, but there has been a driving trend of increasing consumer appetite for Internet browsing, content consumption and engaging with apps and services on mobile devices."

The developer has expanded into a hot market.

Crytek, the company behind the Crysis series, has announced the launch of Gface, their browser-based, social gaming platform.

The platform will be run by a newly created affiliate, also called Gface, says Joy.

Much like other social networks, Gface will make it easier for gamers to find casual (or hardcore) games, and find other people to play them with. Because the platform is in-browser, you will need to install a plugin dubbed "Seed Engine," which allows for the streaming gameplay with no further installation required.

Right now, the platform is in closed beta, but you can try to get in here: Gface Closed Beta

Verizon and Redbox parent company Coinstar have announced today that their oft-rumored streaming video, physical media disc joint venture is coming this year.

The service is unnamed, for now, and will not be limited to Verizon subscribers. The service will be national at launch, which is expected to be in the Q3 2012.

Verizon will supply digital streaming and digital video downloads on demand, while Redbox will continue to distribute physical discs through its thousands of kiosks.

The press release says "the download service will be multi-platform, offering video for PCs, phones, tablets, smart TVs, consoles - the whole gamut of video-capable devices to which Verizon already delivers some video services through FiOS."

There is no word on content partners for launch, most of which will be revealed later in the year.

Sony has announced today that the term "PlayStation Network account" will no longer exist as of tomorrow.

Starting tomorrow, Qriocity and PSN accounts will be replaced in title and become Sony Entertainment Network accounts instead.

Outside of the name there is no difference between the accounts, as the functions and features will remain identical. Your username, password and other profile details will remain untouched, as well.

Says Sony (via Joystiq): "The goal is for there to be one networked log-in for all Sony services. Changing the name 'PlayStation Network account' to 'Sony Entertainment Network account' helps clarify the unity between PSN and other Sony Entertainment Network services."

If you are a PSP owner, you will not see any change, as your login will still show as PSN account.

Dropbox has announced that the official Android app has been updated to experimental beta version 2.0.9, bringing the ability for fans to get another 5GB free of storage space.

The new version also brings a new automatic Camera Upload feature. The feature has been available through third-party apps, but will now be built in.

Reads the presser:

-The app can now automatically upload photos and videos in the background using Wi-Fi or your data plan.
-No more size limit. So upload to your hearts content.
-If there are network issues, the upload will resume when those issues are resolved.
-Some performance improvements and bug fixes.
-You'll also get 500MB of free space on your first automatic photo upload.

RIM has dropped the price of their PlayBook tablet, again, actually bringing the device down to a price where buyers may step up and purchase it.

Following the second slash in under 6 months, the 16GB model now sells retail for $199, the 32GB for $249 and the 64GB model for $299.

At $199, the price makes the tablet appealing, especially when compared to the current champion in the 7-inch market, the Amazon Kindle Fire. The PlayBook has double the storage, HDMI ouput, dual cameras, a mic, GPS and other features not seen on the newer Fire.

There is one major catch, however. The Playbook runs on the PlayBook OS, which could discontinued at any time, literally, especially as the tablet continues to catch little traction.

Regardless, RIM is expected to launch their Playbook 2.0 OS later this year in a final effort to make a dent in the tablet market dominated by Apple and Android.

As a reminder before the big game, NFL.com and NBCSports.com will be live streaming the Super Bowl tonight for those who cannot get in front of a TV.

Super Bowl XLVI, between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots, starts tonight at 6:30 PM EST.

In addition to the broadcast, the streams will have additional camera angles, in-game highlights, real-time stats and other enhanced viewing features.

Says the NFL: "Whether it's just for a quarter if somebody has to run out to the store to get something they forgot, now they can stay connected to the game. With such a big television audience, it will be interesting to see the expanded reach."

Finally, the games will be available on Verizon smartphones if you have the NFL Mobile app. If you have a 4G data plan, the app is free, but if you have a 3G-capable device only, Verizon Video subscriptions cost $10 per month.

Slovenia's Ambassador to Japan Helena Drnovsek Zorko has apologized for signing the ACTA agreement on behalf of her nation.

The Anti Counterfeiting Trade Agreement resulted from efforts by the entertainment industry to mandate copyright law via international agreement. It was written in secret, with the input of movie and recording industry lobbyists, but with the general public provided information only via leaks from various parties to the negotiations.

Zorko says she was overworked and did not pay enough attention to the agreement before signing it. It has been signed by the U.S., Japan and 22 European nations.

Here apology is worth reading:

On Thursday, 26th January, 2012, I signed the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) on behalf of the Republic of Slovenia, following the directive and authorisation of the Slovenian government. I signed the agreement because I was instructed to do so by the government, and because it is a part of my job.

Read more...

Paul Thurrott has posted this week that Microsoft is removing the Start button from Windows 8.

There have been reports during the week that the button, which has been a standard on every Windows edition since at least 95, will be gone, and Thurrott says his "internal sources" within Microsoft have confirmed the move.

You will still be able to access the Start orb from the Windows button on keyboards or by hitting ctrl+esc on the keyboard. Additionally, if you "hover the mouse over the bottom left corner of the taskbar to bring up the Charms," you can mimic the Start orb function.

The Windows 8 Consumer Preview, aka beta, will be released soon, with a final version expected in the late summer of early fall.

Here is how the Windows 8 screen looks like without the Start Orb:

Microsoft has put the Nokia Lumia 900 up for pre-order, with $25 down payment, but only if you live near a Microsoft retail store.

There are mainly stores in only California, but there a few on the east coast, such as one in Atlanta. You can check the locations here: Microsoft Stores

Furthermore, even if you pre-order the device, Nokia and Microsoft are still not revealing the final price of the device.

The Lumia 900 has 4.3-inch AMOLED display, 1.4GHz single-core processor, Nokia's ClearBlack technology, LTE support, an 1830 mAh battery, 512MB RAM, 16GB internal storage and an 8MP Carl Zeiss camera with large aperture (F2.2) and wide angle focal length (28mm). The phone also has a 1MP front facing camera.

Brandon Watson, one of the top Microsoft execs for Windows Phone, has left the company and will be headed over to Amazon.

Says Microsoft: "We can confirm February 6th is Brandon Watson's last day at Microsoft. Brandon did a great job helping us build a vibrant developer community and we wish him well with his next adventure."

Watson was in charge of getting devs to build apps for the Windows Phone platform but will now do the same work for Amazon and their Kindle devices.

The news follows Microsoft's decision to replace the head of the mobile division, Andy Lees, with one of his VP's while moving Lees to a new role that remains a mystery.

Watson says he was mostly attracted to Amazon due to his love for the Kindle. In the past, Watson said his levels of reading have gone up significantly since getting a Kindle.

Starting tomorrow, Netflix will be offering its first ever original series, "Lilyhammer," to subscribers.

All eight episodes of the first season will be available right from the get-go.

Lilyhammer is the "story about a New York gangster living in Lillehammer, Norway, as part of a witness protection program." Steven Van Zandt, formerly of "The Sopranos," is the star of the show.

Later this year, Netflix will debut "House of Cards," starring Kevin Spacey and directed by David Fincher. Netflix had to outbid rivals like HBO and offer major incentives to the companies behind the political drama which is expected to be a hit. Additionally, the fourth season of the cult classic "Arrested Development" will be hitting the service in early 2013.

Netflix senior spokesman Steve Swasey has said Netflix will have five original shows running in 2013. The last two shows have not been purchased yet, but they are expected to be the prison comedy "Orange Is the New Black" and the thriller series "Hemlock Grove." Says Swasey: "By 2013, we'll have five original content programs. We're dabbling in original content with a pretty good mix of dramas, comedies and quirky series. We're excited about it."

According to a new report from firm Crittercism, iOS apps crash more often than Android apps do.

The smartphone app monitoring company collected data for 2 months from all versions of iOS and Android and came to the conclusion after breaking down all the data.

Crittercism says they found 23 different versions of iOS and 33 versions of Android, pretty much the entire range of versions ever made available for each smartphone OS.

As expected, the higher the OS build, the higher the crash rate, as devs rush to make their apps compatible with the latest firmware update.

More info here.