GDC is winding down here in San Francisco, but Playcast Media is hoping to snag its 15 minutes by announcing new partnerships with Atari, Capcom, Codemasters and THQ (to name a few) for use in its “console-free games-on-demand” service. ‘Course, streaming games in through a set-top-box is nothing new , but few operators in the States offer such a thing with any real substance behind it. Playcast’s solution enables titles to be pushed through existing cable and telco STBs, and we’re told that the US market is next in line to get gifted. We’re not given any significant details beyond that, but we’re pretty jazzed about big name publishers signing on to finally give this distribution method a bit of credence. Now, if only this Scientific Atlanta Explorer 8300HD shipped with a SIXAXIS controller, we’d be golden.

Feel like your broadband’s not living up to how they’re advertised? Here’s your chance to prove it: the FCC’s introduced a Consumer Broadband Test that’ll let you know exactly how good a connection you’ve got. More

In today’s Remainders: comings and goings. Google Latitude refuses to Buzz off; Dell’s super skinny Adamo XPS vanishes into thin air; cable subscribers say Hello to channels they never knew existed; and some users just can’t part with their iPhones. Raditude Amidst all the buzz around the launch of Google Buzz, a few peopled stepped back and asked how Google Latitude fit into the company’s ambitious new social platform. In an interview with eWeek, Google Latitude project manager Steve Lee explained that the plucky Latitude was still being developed independently of Buzz. Latitude, he explained, is about “friend-finding,” whereas Buzz is about “creating conversations.” On the future of both: “Down the road, there might be points of integration between Buzz and Latitude, but they are separate products and have different use cases.” So there you have it: Latitude lives on. [ eWeek ] Cable Costs In the last decade, the number of cable channels served to your TV has probably tripled

Comcast— aka Xfinity —has launched an online backup service called Secure Backup & Share . Current high-speed internet customers will get 2GB of storage for free, upgradeable up to 200GB for $100/year. But hey wait—didn’t Comcast desperately need to cap data ? The service comes via a partnership with Mozy , with plans including the aforementioned free 2GB, a 50GB option for $5/month or $50/year, and 200GB for $10/month or $100/year. That’s a decent price for cloud storage, but it’ll also put you dangerously close to maxing out your monthly bandwidth allotment.

Ever plugged your gadget into someone else’s computer for a quick charge and helplessly watched as your data started to sync? It’s an annoyance and wastes time, but with the Sync Blocker cable it’s optional. The Sync Blocker cable is a USB to Micro USB cable with a small switch that allows you to choose whether you want to sync data or just charge your gadget. It goes for ten bucks which is about equal to regular cables which force syncing.

For a 20% savings, more than 50% cable and satellite subscribers are likely to jump ship to save money. But Telco TV (services like AT&T U-verse ) have a much, much more loyal following. Anecdotally, would you agree? [ Multiplayblog via engadgetHD ]

How much do single mothers in Akron spend on electronics? What about married Chicagoans, without kids, on their phone service? Bachelors, on cable, in New York? If only there was an interactive web app to tell you this stuff! Bundle , a strange joint venture between Microsoft, Citi and Morningstar, scrapes data from government sources, Citi customers’ purchase history, and god knows where else. The important thing is, it’s a ton of data, about a ton of subjects: namely, how much different demographics spend on a variety of stuff, from household wares and gadgets to travel and eating out, as well as where they do their spending. Some of the conclusions—single dudes spend a shit-ton on cable!—are entirely predictable.

Apparently worried its On Demand Online project would suffer the shame of a silly name all by its lonely , Comcast has rebranded its cable TV, internet and phone services as Xfinity TV, Xfinity Internet and Xfinity Voice. Other than the name not much is changing (@ComcastCares will still be doing its thing on Twitter), although the rollout of the new branding (starting next week, the first 11 markets include Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington D.C., Chicago, Portland, Seattle, Hartford, Augusta, Chattanooga, parts of the Bay Area and San Francisco) should sync up with 50mbps or high speeds becoming available. Of course, if those slick flame colored letter started showing up on TV repair guy trucks at the same time as a truly revolutionary new DVR software package instead of the slightly spruced up version we’ll be getting over the next few months , then they could call it anything they want to. Comcast smears the XFINITY brand across all its services originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Feb 2010 00:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds

So, Comcast has some public image issues. And what do you do when you want to fix the perception but not the underlying problems? Change your name! Change it to the worst, pseudo-pornographic, retro-futuristic garbage marketing dollars can buy. Do you get it , people? It’s infinity, which is awesome, and X, which is dangerous . It’s, like, dangerously awesome.

The duaLink cable for iPod and iPhone contains its own miniature USB hub, a single USB connector on one end, and two iPod connectors on the other end. If the promise of charging and / or syncing multiple devices from the same USB port hasn’t blown your mind, the company has been thoughtful enough to place the whole shebang in a housing that seems to be a little more durable than the (admittedly not so durable) stock Apple cable. We don’t believe that this will be compatible with the iSlatelet , but if we hear anything to the contrary (you know, from “leading industry analysts”) we’ll let you know. Available now from CableJive for $26, hit the source link to get started. Continue reading duaLink cable charges two iPhones on one USB port, no problem duaLink cable charges two iPhones on one USB port, no problem originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Jan 2010 16:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds