29
Jan
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Mega Movie Showdown: A Thorough Comparison Of Movie Selections On Netflix, Amazon, Redbox Instant, And Google Play

Posted by in Features
Last Updated: January 31st, 2013

Two weeks ago, we took a look at the invite-only beta of Redbox Instant. In that article, we gave a brief glimpse into what the fledgling service's library had to offer. Of course, the inevitable question had to be asked: how does it stack up against Netflix? Or Amazon Instant Video for that matter? While we're at it, how does Google's Play Store compare? Those are pretty big questions! So, they deserve pretty big answers. Today, we have them.

With Oscar season upon us, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings laying down some serious smack talk recently, and the public release of Redbox Instant right around the corner, the time feels right to give the various services a close examination.

15
Jan
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Hands-On With RedBox Instant: Netflix Has Nothing To Be Worried About

Posted by in Features, News

At last, my collection is complete. Just the other day I received my invite to the beta of Redbox Instant. I was excited. The idea sounds great: it's like Netflix, but you also get four monthly credits at Redbox rental kiosks! Awesome, right? What's that? Verizon has something to do with it? Well, no matter. It's not exclusive to the carrier's handsets, so I'm sure it's nothing to worry about! I'm ready to get my hands all up on this thing.

Oh, how naïve I was.

I'm going to start by taking a look at the desktop site and the service as a whole, but don't worry, we'll get to the Android bit in its own section.

09
Jan
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[CES 2013] Redbox Instant Set To Launch By March, According To Verizon CEO

Posted by in Applications, News

Hi, my name is Eric Ravenscraft and I'm an addict. I have a weakness for trying out new online media services. I've signed up and, where applicable, paid for Spotify, Rdio, MOG, Rhapsody, Pandora, Last.fm, Jamendo, Grooveshark, Netflix, Hulu Plus, Epix, Crackle, Amazon Instant Video, Google Play, and virtually every other movie and music streaming service on the internet. So it bugs me that I haven't yet been invited to add Redbox Instant to my collection of collections. According to Verizon's CEO, though, people like me won't have to wait too much longer as the service will be going public 'before the end of the first quarter.'

What's most interesting is that the company is touting it has 7,500 "streaming and transactional movie titles" available so far.

08
Jan
redboxinstant

Redbox Instant Updated To Support The Nexus 10, Still Won't Work On Rooted Devices

Posted by in Applications, News

We have some good news, and some bad news. First, the good news: Redbox Instant was just updated with support for the Nexus 10! Now you can stream movies to your heart's content on that big, beautiful display. Fantastic.

And the bad news: it still won't work if you're rooted. So, if you were rejoicing that you can finally use it on your N10, you can probably stop now if it's rooted. Sadface.jpg.

Screenshot_2013-01-08-21-20-53

OOPS!

Past that, this update "squashes some bugs." So, maybe if your device isn't rooted, it'll suck less now? Can't really say for sure since, you know, I can't actually give it a try.

19
Dec
redboxinstant

Redbox Instant Hits The Play Store As The Service Inches One Step Closer To A Public Release

Posted by in Applications, News

Would-be Netflix competitor Redbox – in conjunction with Verizon – has just released its official app into the Play Store. Dubbed Redbox Instant, the service allows unlimited movie and TV show streaming, along with four monthly rentals from Redbox kiosks for a mere $8 a month.

This is not a carrier-branded application and will work with a variety of different phones and tablets – even Wi-Fi-only models.

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We've known that Redbox and Verizon have been beta testing the service for the last several weeks, but it looks like they're one step closer to a full, public release at this point.

12
Dec
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Redbox Instant By Verizon Details Announced: Unlimited Streaming & Four One-Night Disc Rentals Per Month

Posted by in News, Verizon Wireless

We've been hearing rumblings for a while now about Redbox partnering with Verizon for a streaming service. Today, the company announced the details of that arrangement: for $8/month you can get access to unlimited streaming of a selection of movies (including the EPIX library which, for those who don't know, is pretty impressive), as well as four monthly credits to rent a physical movie for one night from any Redbox kiosk.

The plan is clearly aimed to compete with Netflix directly. Customers may recall that the current leader in the streaming video world split off its DVD services from the Instant collection in an attempt to increase revenue.