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Best apps for streaming video on Android

When the smartphone craze first started, the thought of being able to stream a movie or TV show while commuting into work or waiting at the airport was simply a dream. Screens were small, coverage was spotty, and it was hard to find shows you actually wanted to see. Fast forward to today, and streaming content on the go is genuinely good.

We rounded up seven apps that provide a great streaming experience on your Android device, whether you're sitting on the couch with solid Wi-Fi or out and about with a 3G or 4G connection. Here they are. … Read more

The 404 1,082: Where it's rude to point (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Scumbag Facebook changes your e-mail address on the sly.

- HBO teases Sorkin's 'Newsroom' pilot for free on YouTube.

- Winamp history lesson of the day: how the greatest MP3 player undid itself.

- Orbitz capitalizes on Mac users to boost online business.

- A first look at the new Star Trek Communicator app!… Read more

'Game of Thrones' Bush head episode spiked from HBO Go, iTunes

One of the wonderful benefits HBO subscribers get these days is HBO Go, an online -- or mobile -- service that lets them access almost all of the network's archive.

But today, clearly embarrassed by the firestorm caused by an episode of its hit series "Game of Thrones" featuring former President George W. Bush's decapitated head on a spike, HBO has yanked the episode from both HBO Go and iTunes.

The controversy first arose earlier this week when the Web site io9 posted a story about its discovery of the Bush head in episode 10 of … Read more

Google Maps adding 3D, offline directions

In today's show we're changing our passwords, talking to strangers and pretending we can fly:

Google Maps are going 3D. Google announced new features it's building into maps, and it gives the perspective of what you might see if you could fly between buildings. Multiple photos are taken by airplanes, and then it's automatically stitched together to look like a 3D model. The demo was of San Francisco, but no word on which other cities will be the first to get this feature. It is expected to cover 300 million people by the end of the … Read more

New site calls for cable-free HBO Go option, but it's an uphill battle

With "Game of Thrones" now the most pirated show on the Internet, a site has sprung up calling for HBO Go to become available without a cable membership, but unfortunately it's unlikely to work.

The site, started by Web programmer Jake Caputo and called Take My Money, HBO!, is designed to convince HBO to sell individual memberships to HBO Go to reduce piracy.

In response, several sites have pointed out why this strategy is doomed to fail. Even the company itself seems happy with its current domestic situation: in response to my request for comment, a HBO spokesperson instead pointed me to this tweet, which links to a TechCrunch article detailing why "HBO doesn't want your money."… Read more

Kindle Fire gets HBO Go

If you're an HBO subscriber and Kindle owner, good news: HBO Go is now available as free download from Amazon's Appstore for Android.

While many don't consider the Kindle Fire a true Android tablet because it runs a heavily skinned version of the OS, it nevertheless marks the first time HBO Go is available for an Android tablet (it's been available for Android smartphones). Amazon says the app gives you access to more than 1,400 titles, including every episode of every season of the best HBO shows.… Read more

Buy your own 'Game of Thrones' Iron Throne

Many of you out there simply can't get enough of the trials and tribulations of House Stark, Baratheon, and Lannister on "Game of Thrones," the HBO adaptation of George R.R. Martin's epic novel series. For those still hungry for more after Sunday's epic season two finale, perhaps a $30,000 replica Iron Throne could do the trick.

The official 350-pound replica Iron Throne from "Game of Thrones" costs a fortune, but according to the HBO store, the custom hand-finished, hand-painted fiberglass and fireproof resin chair gives any aspiring ruler a truly epic sitting space. The chair's materials should also save you from the cuts or nicks that would normally endanger any sitter. … Read more

HBO Go coming soon to Android tablets

HBO Go, the service that provides unlimited on-demand access to everything in HBO's catalog, past and present, rocks.

Unfortunately, it's had something of a rocky start. The service is available only from select cable/satellite providers, and only on certain devices.

For example, HBO recently updated the HBO Go Android app to support devices running Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich). But tablet users? Outta luck.

Not for long. As PC Magazine reported last week, HBO Go for Android tablets is in the works and "coming early this summer," according to an HBO spokesperson. The updated … Read more

The 404 1,024: Where winter comes a little late this year (podcast)

We're believers: WINTER IS COMING. Technically I guess it arrived a year ago, but Jeff and I are finally catching up to the "Game of Thrones" hype and spend the first few minutes of today's episode discussing the George R. R. Martin books and the anachronisms of the show.

The reviews are in for Microsoft Kinect Star Wars and nobody is impressed with the glitchy gameplay and a story that seems to appeal more to kids than fans of the original movies. With years of anticipation in the making, Jeff echoes the fans in the galaxy … Read more