W2W this wknd: changes to the newsletter, NBA Finals

The newsletter and blog will be changing a little due to the demands of a new job. I still plan to do the newsletter each week with a roundup and quick explanation of the week's news. I also plan to keep blogging, but a little less frequently. On to the weekly newsletter. Now that it's summer there won't be much going on with TV until the fall, but there are a lot of great sporting events this weekend that are available to watch without cable. Have a great weekend!

Sports

The NBA Finals continue on Sunday at 8pm and are streaming free on ESPN3 (through supported internet providers) or with Sling TV subscription (free trials available). They can also be watched free with an antenna on ABC.

MLB games of the day free on PC or with At-Bat Premium on iPhone, iPad, Android (subject to local blackout).

  • Friday: Rockies vs Marlins, 7:10pm
  • Saturday: Dodgers vs Padres, 10:10pm
  • Sunday: Mariners vs Astros, 2:10pm

The PGA St Jude Classic is streaming free on Saturday and Sunday from 3-6pm on the PGA app for iPhone, iPad, Android, or PC.

Some other events free with an antenna this weekend: NBC has the Stanley Cup Finals on Saturday night and FOX has MLB baseball on Saturday at 7pm.

See the full streaming sports schedule from kettle.tv or check your local listings to see what is free with an antenna. All times Eastern.

Netflix

See what's new on Netflix this month.

Television

See what's new to purchase on iTunes, Amazon, or VUDU.

Movies

Wild Card starring Jason Statham is the iTunes 99¢ rental of the week.

See free streaming movies on Crackle, TubiTV, Hulu, and AOL On for this month.

News

Apple's developer conference came and went without a single mention of a new Apple TV or streaming service. I expect them to announce new hardware whenever they complete negotiations with content providers for a new TV service, hopefully by the iPhone event early this fall.

This is the Streaming This Weekend (without cable) series. Subscribe to the newsletter to receive it in your inbox every Friday. All times mentioned are Eastern.

Live and local will be a big challenge for Apple's streaming TV service

ReCode is reporting Apple wants to include live local broadcasts as part of its streaming TV service:

Industry executives familiar with Apple’s plans say the company wants to provide customers in cities around the U.S. with programming from their local broadcast stations. That would distinguish Apple’s planned offering from those already available from Sony and Dish’s Sling, which to date have only offered local programming in a handful of cities, or none at all.
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Streaming Memorial Day WKND: Warriors vs Rockets, Cavaliers vs Hawks, Indy 500, Mad Men finale, Whiplash 99¢

Lots of live streaming sports this Memorial Day weekend. The NBA Playoffs continue, plus stream free coverage of the Indy 500, French Open, and more. Netflix has a new original series and they're releasing one episode per week for this one. Whiplash is the 99¢ iTunes movie of the week. The Mad Men series finale is available for purchase on iTunes, Amazon, etc. Also lots of streaming TV news involving Sling TV, Apple television set, and Xbox DVR.

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New York Times Now has become my favorite news app, hopefully its business model succeeds

NYT Now (iPhone only) recently became completely free so I gave it another try. It has quickly become my favorite news app and has replaced Circa on my home screen. Now's focus meshes with how I want to read news on my phone. There is a curated list of the day's top stories written specifically for a mobile device along with daily briefs and notifications for breaking news that don't overwhelm me.

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Why Apple shelved plans for a 4k TV and what may be next

The Wall St Journal is reporting that Apple has canceled plans to build a television set:

But after nearly a decade of research, Apple quietly shelved plans to make such a set more than a year ago, according to people familiar with the matter.
Apple had searched for breakthrough features to justify building an Apple-branded television set, those people said. In addition to an ultra-high-definition display, Apple considered adding sensor-equipped cameras so viewers could make video calls through the set, they said.
Ultimately, though, Apple executives didn’t consider any of those features compelling enough to enter the highly competitive television market, led by Samsung Electronics Co. Apple typically likes to enter a new product area with innovative technology and easier-to-use software.
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Sports will have a big influence on the future of TV

As more video streaming services come to market and some of the most profitable cable networks dip their toes into the unbundling waters, I have seen a few narratives about the future of TV. The first is the utopia of everything available a la carte live and on-demand, which would more closely resemble monopolistic competition. The second is replicating the old oligarchy of cable providers and media conglomerates over the internet. Sports will play a big role in determining how all of this shakes out.

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Receiving international call from China free

Recently I needed to receive an international call, from China specifically. I don't have a landline to receive free calls, so I set out to see whether my prepaid cell phone plan from Straight Talk or a free calling apps is capable of receiving free international calls. I searched the internet and read several forum threads but couldn't get a straight answer. There was much more information on placing a call, which almost always requires a fee. Ultimately, I used Google Hangouts to receive the call for free, and found out that Straight Talk should have worked as well. See more details and options for receiving free international calls below.

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