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Tech Tuesday: Amazon on a TV Near You!

Quickie tech Tuesday today: Amazon.com has announced that members of their prime delivery service now have the ability, for no extra cost, to stream over 5000 movies and TV shows direct to their PC, MAC, or internet compatible TVs or Devices. Yes, at no additional cost.

Prime members currently enjoy upgraded 2 day shipping on many of their Amazon purchases, so the instant streaming is just another bonus. If you are already an Amazon Prime member and go to the Amazon.com website, you will be greeted with the below:

If you do not currently have a Prime Membership, the cost is $79, with your first month free as a trial.

What do you think? Will you join Amazon Prime to get this bonus? Will this hit Netflix where it hurts? Leave us a comment below! Also, if you do decide to become a Prime Member, please remember to click through the Amazon Links here (in the FORUM) at the Yak so they will know who sent you!

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Streamers and Instant Watchers Unite!

With the interest in streaming TV Shows and Movies picking up, and Televisions, boxes and gaming systems joining the wifi train, I thought it a good idea to post the “what’s new” and “Coming soons” in Instant TV. Here at YakkityYaks, you will find the coming soon to Netflix (with the dates) and any big news in the instant streaming world, I will also let you know.

I joined the masses not all that long ago, and told my cable company to come pick up their equipment, leaving me with a Tivo and Netflix. Sure, I still have to pay the cable bill, but not nearly the amount they are used to getting out of me each month. Each “DVR” box of theirs costs close to $20 (the box, the remote, and the “dvr service”) and the movie channels between $10-$15 each. Canceling those has since saved me $67! (I had two of those DVRs and two movie channels.) I am paying for the Tivo service, and Netflix however, which adds up to about $20 per month, so add that, and I saved close to $50. Now, eventually, I am planning on doing away with cable all together and just going back to antenna, AND porting over my home phone to Google (for a one time $20 fee) but that’s a whole different story… we will save that experience for a later date.

There are so many ways now that you can get the stream to your television, you probably already own something that will do it for you. The cable companies are definitely falling behind in this arena. It seems to me that they really need to just give in to this new revolution, and provide this access themselves. Instead, they are fighting it more and more each day. This is precisely why you hear and read about cable companies trying to charge you for bandwidth use. They want to have the ability to raise your rates if you are a streamer, hoping people will drop it. With 3g, 4g and fios entering the markets soon, it is just another mistake the cable companies will make.

The news coming from the cable heads are downplaying just how many are leaving as of late, but the numbers are high. It has been reported that people that have dropped cable have not picked up elsewhere. The growth in Satellite has not kept up with the numbers cable have lost. The News and the big television providers have said it was “because of the recession.” Yes, I do believe that may be a piece in the puzzle. People just can’t afford nor justify the high rise in television costs, while most of us remember it being free. People are irritated with channels going black in negotiations when if they were attached to an antenna on the roof, it would still be on, and free. People are sick and tired of the infomercials that show ALL NIGHT. People are getting tired of the rhetoric provided on the cable “news” shows, which have become, not news at all, but all commentary shows. People are tired of the quality of programming put on by the bigger cable channels. (Think MTV Skins.) The list goes on. People are leaving the TV providers in droves, and the providers keep telling themselves it’s the recession.

Well, keep telling yourselves that guys, while I watch the newest releases on Netflix.

Stay tuned to YakkityYaks where will begin providing a calender for new Netflix Instant Watch Releases, plus any news in the Instant Watch arena.

Anything else you would like to see? Please let us know below or in the forum HERE!

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Tech Tuesday! This week’s top stories in the world of Geek

I admit it, I am a total geek. I would imagine I am not alone in this, so I thought I would write an article aimed at those like me. Cool geek is how I refer to myself. I am a proud member of “Geeks are Sexy” (yes, they are) over at Facebook, and keep up to date with the Mashable App on my iPad.

I am, however, not a rich geek, and a pretty thrifty one as well. The iPad was a gift, and wifi, not 3g. I do not own an iPhone. In fact, I recently downgraded all the phones on my current “family plan” to newer flip phones (with qwertys of course) and got rid of all internet plans on them. Do I miss it? A little admittedly. However, I would much rather view the web on my larger iPad screen, then on this itty bitty phone screen, and, for free. My family plan bill dropped a whopping $80 dollars by doing it. I just couldn’t justify the $80 for our phones to have internet, and the additional $50 or so that goes to my cable company for home access.

I own a MAC. Yes, I put out a good sum to get it a couple of years ago, but the headaches and cost it has saved me in the long run is well worth every penny. Now I know that statement may have irritated a few PC users, and I’m sorry for that. I was a PC user for years, fearing the switch, but I jumped over anyway, and am so glad I did. I was a PC Technician for years, and the one thing a PC Tech will never tell the customer? “Get a Mac.” It would put us out of business!

I also own a Tivo Box and Wii, and am becoming a Netflix and Hulu streaming extraordinaire. Now, one might say that I am putting all this money out on those services (Tivo, Netflix) how can that make me a thrifty geek? Well, I cut my cable bill WAY down, only receiving, at the moment, cable’s basic service. I’m sure the cable company can’t be that happy with me. Eventually, I plan on going strictly antenna, and cutting the cable TV service all together. It’s just a matter of finding the time to re-wire the house. It’s on the agenda for 2011 however. Now if MagicJack would get number portability…. (prod prod poke poke)…

I just got so tired of every bill I get costing me around $200 a month. When did $200 a month become the norm?

Anyway, I digress. Let’s take a look at this week’s tech headlines:

iPhone coming to Verizon: I heard about this a few days ago, and the Verizon announcement has been made. The iPhone 4 will be exclusively offered for pre-order to current Verizon customers on Feb 3rd and Feb 10th for everyone else.

Now I have to say, if you are interested in getting the iPhone and paying the monthly price, it is well worth it to make the switch. One, it’s an iPhone, and they are, well, awesome. Second, it’s the Verizon Network. You will actually be able to use the “phone” part without dropping calls or losing signal. Nice huh?

Apple Launches the Mac App Store: Yep, now there is one for your Mac. It doesn’t sound like such a big deal since there are already app stores for all other Apple products it seems, but it actually is a big deal. Having an app store (for free and paid apps) will allow for more development, and more business opportunity for developers. Matter of fact, hopefully there will be a YakkityYaks app out there soon! Now, if they can get it together to offer it up to us old Leopard users…. As of now, it’s currently available to Snow Leopard users.  I’m hoping they will remember we are out here soon.

Facebook NOT shutting down on March 15th. I repeat, Facebook is not shutting down on March 15th. I have heard the rumors, seen them spread like wildfire, especially on Facebook itself, and it’s just not true. Just days before, as a matter of fact, Facebook raised $500 Million in funding, so yeah, not shutting down.

Those are the big stories this week! I’m sure there are plenty more, but I have kept you long enough for now. Come check out our FORUMS and talk about the latest in all things tech!