Video

A new era for Disney on ice

Disney is back in the game with “Frozen,” the Oscar winner for best animated feature and best song “Let It Go.”

The movie might not have potential pop hits — the songs sound much more like musical theater show tunes — but the animated comedy-adventure has a sweet and modern message, plus strong characters. More important, the movie blends the music-minded mentality of yore with the more recent ambition of truly appealing to all ages.

Its surprising and poignant ending, which subverts so many fairy-tale stereotypes, feels as though it cancels out the movie’s small flaws and dragging moments.

The DVD and Blu-ray (Disney, $30-$45) include deleted scenes, the Oscar-nominated animated short “Get A Horse” and a music video for “Let It Go.”

Washington Post

 

Colin Covert says: Compelling interpretations of classic ­stories is what built Disney’s brand. It’s good to see that they’re still on the job.

 

Also out Tuesday

Movies: “American Hustle,” “Frozen,” “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom,” “Saving Mr. Banks.”

TV: “Atlantis” (Season 1), “Devious Maids” (Season 1).

Blu-ray: “A Brief History of Time,” “The Hidden Fortress.”

 

Gadget

Small TV device packs big features

Roku has announced the $50 Streaming Stick, a small device that users can plug into the back of their HD TVs through the HDMI port to stream video content from the Internet. The Streaming Stick must also connect to an electrical outlet or the USB port of a TV for power.

The Streaming Stick comes with the same features as the $50 Roku 1 but is faster and much smaller. It can stream 1080p HD video, has access to all of Roku’s more than 1,200 channels and comes with a Wi-Fi remote control. It also can be controlled using the iOS and Android Roku apps.

The device is available for preorder online from its website (www.roku.com ) and will ship in April.

Los Angeles Times

 

App

It’s you vs. Apple AutoCorrect

Failures in predictive text algorithms might be great fodder for humor websites, but those goofy typos can be maddening. SwiftKey has been one of the most popular keyboard apps for Android, as an app that lets you swipe to type. Apple, however, doesn’t allow developers to modify its keyboard. So SwiftKey (free for iOsS devices) is looking to improve typing on iDevices in another way — by applying its algorithms to improve Apple’s AutoCorrect.

Rather than integrating into the keyboard, SwiftKey is a note-taking app, which offers users three options for each word they type to increase speed. It also learns your habits as you use it, so it saves you time in the long run. You also can share the notes over e-mail or text. Doing so adds a step to the process, but it might help you save face.

Washington Post

 

Game

Top 10 Xbox 360 games

1. “Dark Souls II”

2. “Strider”

3. “The Walking Dead: Season 2, Episode 2 – A House Divided”

4. “South Park: The Stick of Truth”

5. “Thief”

6. “The Lego Movie Videogame”

7. “Earth Defense Force 2025”

8. “World of Tanks”

9. “Fable Anniversary”

10. “Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII”

Game Informer