Hulu has never been a friend to workplace efficiency, but now it’s taking things to a whole new level. The streaming video site has just introduced a new desktop application, letting users watch the site’s catalog of films and TV shows without the use of a Web browser.

The application acts a lot like Windows Media Center, letting you control your viewing experience with an Apple remote or Windows Media remote (or, for traditionalists, your keyboard and mouse). You may not be able to stream live television, but it’s an easy way to catch up on that episode of “House” you missed last night.

Desktop loads fast and has a great user interface. Want to skip to a particular scene? Thumbnails pop up as you move your mouse along the scrubber. Want to get information about what you’re watching, turn on close captioning or submit a rating? Just click the screen to pause all of those options (and more) are at your fingertips. (Click on the thumbnail above for a closer look.)

The menu structure of the application is well laid-out, as well, giving you a number of ways to find content that’s of interest.

The downside? You’re going to need some horsepower to run Hulu Desktop. The system requires 2 GB of RAM and a 1.8Ghz processor for the PC or 2Ghz processor for Mac users. You’ll also need an Internet connection of at least 2Mbps.

A boatload of free time might come in handy, too.

What’s particularly interesting about this is people with wide screen monitors can now watch Hulu programming fullscreen, recreating the living room television experience. It won’t replace TV as we know it anytime soon, but it’s a notable step forward for Hulu.

Add the movie theater to the long list of things that the iPhone has put its stamp on.

Flixster’s popular “Movies” app is getting even more popular with the arrival of the summer movie season. The company says the app has been installed on 4.5 million iPhones (and, presumably, iPhone Touches) since its introduction, giving it a penetration rate of 18 percent.

"Movies" launched in november 2008, but it was an update in April of this year that really made the app popular.

The app recreates the functionality of the Flixster Web site on the go, letting filmgoers find nearby theaters and showtimes, watch trailers, read reviews from professional critics and the Flixster community. For stay-at-home types, the app also offers access to a catalog of 50,000 DVDs.  

Microsoft is taking the battle with Apple to the next level. 

The company on Tuesday officially announced the Zune HD, a completely redesigned media player that looks set to go head to head with Apple’s iTouch and iPhone. And to help it in its fight, it's enlisting the Xbox 360. From the press release:

“Zune will be a premium partner in the Xbox LIVE Video Marketplace, bringing an exciting catalog of TV and film to the platform. Zune will occupy the first slot within the Xbox user interface in the Xbox LIVE Video Marketplace, exposing the Zune brand experience to millions of new consumers for the first time. At the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) next week, attendees will see firsthand how Zune integrates into Xbox LIVE to create a game-changing entertainment experience.”

Since the Zune was first announced, Microsoft has been teasing integration with the Xbox. And tying together the video marketplaces of the two systems is long overdue. (Previously, XBL downloads haven’t been able to transfer to the Zune.) The ability to carry your downloaded films and TV shows with you takes away an advantage Sony was able to boast with the PS3 and PSP.

Meanwhile, 360 owners who previously hadn’t given the Zune much consideration may now rethink their stance on the device.

“Many of our Zune customers are Xbox Live Subscribers,” said Brian Seitz, a spokesperson for Microsoft’s Zune division. “For Xbox Live subscribers that aren’t Zune owners, we’re hoping they’ll be impressed with the video offerings they see ... and give us a second look when they’re looking for a new device.”

Look at some of the Zune HD’s new features and it’s pretty obvious that Microsoft realizes their first efforts weren’t game changing enough to make a real impact on the portable entertainment marketplace. If it lives up to the hype, the Zune HD could become a much larger player in the field.

Among the new features are:

• Built-in HD Radio receiver
  
• HD video output capabilities
  
• OLED touch screen, allowing you to flip through music, movies and other content
  
• Wi-fi
  
• Internet browser optimized for multi-touch

Of course, today’s announcement was a tease. While oodles of intriguing features were listed, nothing was said about price or memory capacity. The release date is technically “this fall,” but Seitz said mid-September was a “pretty safe bet.”

On pricing, Seitz avoided specifics, but said “This thing’s meant to go head to head with the [i]Touch, so we’ll be priced competitively.”

We’ll have more next week when we’ve seen the Zune HD and Xbox 360 in action together.

The art of fan-made fantasy trailers on the Internet has come a long way. The latest -- this appeal to cast Nathan Fillion in the upcoming Green Lantern film -- could fool a lot of people. For the record, though, this is not an official trailer for the film. 

You didn’t think Nokia was going to sit on the sidelines of the downloadable application market forever, did you?

The leading cell phone company has quietly expanded its Ovi Store to the world -- well, almost. 

U.S. consumers will have to wait a little while longer before they’re able to download games and gadgets to their Symbian-equipped phone (or other select Nokia device).

While you can’t yet buy from the store, you can window shop at https://store.ovi.com/. It’s a noteworthy first step, but don’t expect Apple to break a sweat at this point. Nokia may have a much larger installed base of customers, but the offerings at Ovi don’t yet measure up to depth or number of offerings in the App Store. (For example, there are less than 100 games offered at Ovi’s site, versus over 10,000 in Apple's App store.)

AT&T will introduce the Ovi Store later this year, according to PCWorld, which speculates payment methods could be behind the delay. (Ovi Store purchases can be made via credit card or by tacking the charge onto your wireless bill.)

Whatever the reason, the delay give Nokia a chance to further polish the store before it launches in the critical U.S. market. Taking on Apple (not to mention other application offerings from BlackBerry and Windows Mobile), is a daunting task – and a poor start could quickly doom Ovi to “also ran” status. 

Despite only being available from a single carrier, and despite its hefty price tag, Apple’s iPhone has more than doubled its market share in the past year.

A new report from Gartner shows the iPhone captured 10.8 percent of the smart phone market in the first quarter, up from 5.3 percent a year ago. That comes as the overall sales of cell phones were down 8.6 percent.

“Overall sales in the first quarter of 2009 registered the biggest quarter-on-quarter contraction since Gartner began monitoring the market on a quarterly basis in 2001,” said Carolina Milanesi, research director for mobile devices at Gartner.

Nokia still is far and away the industry leader, with 36 percent of the overall market and 41 percent of the smart phone market – but it has lost ground in both areas over the past year.

Research in Motion’s Blackberry is showing fast growth in the smart phone field as well, increasing its market share from 13 percent to nearly 20 percent.

Things could get really interesting once AT&T’s exclusive distribution rights for the iPhone come to an end in 2010. There have been reports that Apple and Verizon are discussing the possible development of an iPhone for Verizon.

If true, that would vastly expand Apple’s reach and almost certainly move it to (at least) the #2 position in sales and share.

We've already seen software that could eventually replace the ubiquitoius, obsequious Hollywood assistant. Now we may have the hardware.

Per Engadget, here's a modification of the auto-vaccuum Roomba that can pick up anything. Need someone to get your coffee? Bring you your "meds" (whatever their legality)? Pick up those pens or papers or computer monitor you knocked over in a jealous rage? This baby can do it with no complaining.

The only drawback: No opportunities for inappropriate ogling when it bends over.

Here's a rather interesting suggestion from the Motion Picture Assn. of America, via BoingBoing.

Apparently there's a rulemaking process for the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (the law that, for better and for worse, limits what average consumers can do with digital copies of music, movies, TV shows and software) going on right now in Washington and educators are asking for an exemption to rip DVDs for classroom purposes.

The MPAA's response seems to be that teachers should play DVD clips on a TV and use a camcorder to record them on a new tape they can play.

Of course, camcording is one of the top ways movies get pirated in theaters and has been regularly attacked by studios. And it's technically illegal for you or I to record a DVD playing on a TV and then use that tape for our own purposes, be they nefarious or not.
But I guess giving teachers the OK to break the security code on a DVD is the worse of two options.

Vimeo has a somewhat amusing video of an MPAA rep showing how it's done.

MPAA shows how to videorecord a TV set from timothy vollmer on Vimeo.

Much as the digitally savvy love to criticize big media for not embracing new digital business models enough, we have to acknowledge sometimes those moves bit them in the ass.

Case in point: Warner Music Group, which yesterday took a $33 million write-down on its $35 million (combined) investment in LaLa and iMeem, two social music discovery sites, as noted by PaidContent. As CEO Edgar Bronfman put it, that essentially erases its digital investments. The company is now focusing on its artists and letting other folks try to figure out online and see if there are any good ways to compete with Apple.

Particularly disappointing has been MySpace Music. As Bronfman put it bluntly, "MySpace Music has been slow to create monetization tools and to be able to impact in a revenue-generating way the massive audience that they have been able to attract."

He's not the only one. CNET News recently reported, "At a MySpace Music board meeting last month, the company's CEO, Courtney Holt, got an earful from several music label representatives" unhappy about the lack of money they're making.

Yesterday in its earnings call, News Corp. (MySpace's corporate owner) admitted that MySpace costs have risen 7% in large part due to the rollout of music, but ad revenues are down 16%. However the company thinks it has a bright future.

"I think MySpace Music is less than six months old and has a tremendous amount of traffic," president/COO Peter Chernin said on a conference call with analsyts and media. "We're working hard on monetization opportunities that are just beginning to roll out."

Warner's Bronfman seemed optimistic about Vevo, the new musicvideo portal that Universal Music is launching with the support of Google's YouTube. But he's none-too-excited about the prospects of another site built on advertising alone.    

"Any premium video model is going to have to include very significant monetization opportunities above and beyond advertising in order to be effective," he said bluntly.

Charging for music videos? Well, good luck with that.

One of the major factors holding back the downloadable movie market has been price. With a minimum $9.99 price, often higher, for most films, it's at best competitive with and often pricier than DVDs. Doesn't make much sense given that digital downloads are much cheaper to distribute and the rights are more restrictive.

The reason, of course, is that studios don't want to upset their existing, slowly dying but still multi-billion dollar DVD business. Pricing downloads lower than DVDs would piss off major retailers like Wal-Mart and Best Buy. So most movies on iTunes and other digital stores cost the same as DVDs and the market remains tiny.

The New York Times and Washington Post, both of which trumpeted a partnership with Amazon for its new big screen Kindle DX today, are following the same strategy, according to the press release:

So yeah, it's an innovative new business model! But only in locations where it doesn't threaten the slowly decaying old business model.