Gizmodo: hockey

Apple Takes iTunes TV to Canada

Wilson Rothman — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 08:44:53 EST

Today, TV programming from Canada and the US—plus the NHL, eh—will be available north of the border on iTunes. You lucky ducks (looneys?) get such CBC and CTV smash hits as Corner Gas and Little Mosque on the Prairie along with US programming from the likes of Comedy Central, including the strangely inappropriate South Park. (What ever happened to "Blame Canada"?) Canada has only had to wait two years for access to TV shows on iTunes. By my calculations, that means Apple is still well ahead of TiVo in terms of serving the media needs of our hockey-loving northern brethren.

Apple Announces Hit Television Programming Now Available on the iTunes Store in Canada
Programs from Canada's Top Networks, US Favorites & NHL Now Available on iTunes

CUPERTINO, California—December 12, 2007—Apple® today announced that hit television programming from Canada's top networks, US broadcasters and the National Hockey League (NHL) is now available for CAN$1.99 per episode from the iTunes® Store in Canada (www.itunes.ca). iTunes customers can choose from Canadian-produced favorites such as the top-rated, award-winning "Corner Gas" from CTV, smash hit comedy "Little Mosque on the Prairie" from CBC, Emmy and Peabody Award-winning "South Park" from Comedy Central and the NHL Games of the Year.

"We're thrilled to bring television programming to the iTunes Store in Canada in time for the holiday season," said Eddy Cue, Apple's vice president of iTunes. "We're off to a great start with hit shows from CBC, CTV, Comedy Central and MTV Networks, along with the best of classic and current NHL action."

Television shows purchased and downloaded from the iTunes Store can be viewed on a PC or Mac®, iPod® nano with video, fifth generation iPod, iPod classic or on a widescreen TV with Apple TV™. Television programming on the iTunes Store in Canada includes:

• CBC's comedy programs "Little Mosque on the Prairie" and "The Rick Mercer Report," reality programming "No Opportunity Wasted" and "Dragon's Den;" • CTV's smash hit comedy "Corner Gas," dramas "Instant Star," "Degrassi: The Next Generation" and "Robson Arms;" • Comedy Central's "Drawn Together," "The Sarah Silverman Program" and Emmy and Peabody Award-winning "South Park;" • MTV Networks programs "Avatar: The Last Airbender" and "The Hills;" and • NHL Games of the Year, including top NHL games in their entirety for the 2007-2008 season, as well as Stanley Cup Classics, a five-game bundle of great Stanley Cup Final games.

With Apple's legendary ease of use, pioneering features such as integrated podcasting support, iMix playlist sharing, seamless integration with iPod and the ability to turn previously purchased songs into completed albums at a reduced price, the iTunes Store is the best way for PC and Mac users to legally discover, purchase and download music and video online.

Pricing & Availability
iTunes 7 for Mac and Windows includes the iTunes Store and is available as a free download from (www.itunes.ca). Purchase and download of songs and videos from the iTunes Store requires a valid credit card from a financial institution in the country of purchase. Television shows are available in the US, UK and Canada only, and video availability varies by country. Television shows are CAN$1.99 per episode in Canada. TV shows from the iTunes Store are downloaded in near-DVD quality at a resolution of 640x480 (up to 480, depending on the aspect ratio) and can be viewed on a PC or Mac, iPod nano with video, fifth generation iPod, iPod classic or on a widescreen TV with Apple TV.

Air Hockey for iPhone Sadly Doesn't Use Air

Christopher Mascari — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 15:50:45 EST

Today's iApp-a-Day brought iPhone users a surprisingly fun game, Air Hockey. This 2-player game takes advantage of the multi-touch display by having the player's finger control their air hockey mallet. The game can be a bit buggy at times, especially when your mallet goes out of control and hits the puck into a million different directions, but overall it's an awesome game when you have a partner to play with. To use, iPhone users must jailbreak their phones to get installer.app, which will then allow them to install iApp-a-Day. [Instructions]

NHL Players Testing Out Heated Skates for More Lube Action

Matt Buchanan — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 17:10:31 EDT

It's actually not quite as dirty as it sounds. Thermablades, developed by Tory Weber, are heated to five degrees Celsius, which cuts down friction between the skate and the ice by increasing the layer of water between the two. Result: Players go faster, easier. Right now, barely 10 players are set to don the fancy footwear next month, but the idea has enough traction (sorry) that Wayne Gretzky himself thinks they're "going to revolutionize hockey." I know nothing about hockey except what I learned from his N64 game and I suck at skating, so I'll take his word for it. [Reuters]

Honey, I Shrunk the Air Hockey Table

Charlie White — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 09:49:57 EDT

You'd better hope your fingers are small if you want to play these positively minuscule table games from Japan. They're shrunken down to palm size, letting you play hockey, Foosball or air hockey wherever you go. There are even fold-away legs to make them easier to carry around. Check out the air hockey game, where you turn on a switch and a battery-operated fan keeps that tiny puck slightly elevated over the table's surface, just like the real thing. Each air hockey, hockey and Foosball mini-table game is $12.85. [Rakuten, via Like Cool]

Hockey-Themed Cleaning Gear Concept

Travis Hudson — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 15:45:02 EDT

Hopefully I wasn't the only one who spent the better part of the weekend watching hockey (by the way, that Rangers goal was legit, it wasn't a kick). This is the Nike Life Extreme Sports concept gear that features a hockey-stick broom and a vacuum sucking goal. Avoid taking this broom out to the actual ice, or prepare for obscene name-calling. The only other time I had more fun sweeping was when I stuck tape to my cat's paws (just kidding, PETA). –Travis Hudson

First I will clean. Only then will I serve my penalty minutes [Gearfuse]