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Today, Netflix and EPIX announced a multi-year partnership that will bring “an array of new releases and library titles from EPIX” to Netflix subscribers beginning September 1st. EPIX is “a joint venture between Viacom, Paramount, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios [MGM] and Lionsgate,” and “has subscription pay TV rights to new releases and movies from the libraries of its partners.” According to the press release, EPIX “will make these movies available to Netflix 90 days after their premium pay TV and subscription on demand debuts.” The move is big for Netflix, as “historically, the rights to distribute these films are pre-sold to pay TV for as long as nine years after their theatrical release.” More updated streaming content is certainly great news for Netflix users, no? We’ve got the full press release for you after the break.

EPIX AND NETFLIX ANNOUNCE EXCLUSIVE INTERNET-ONLY DEAL TO INSTANTLY STREAM EPIX MOVIES TO NETFLIX MEMBERS

NEW YORK and BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., August 10, 2010 – EPIX™ and Netflix, Inc. [Nasdaq: NFLX] today announced an agreement through which Netflix members can instantly watch an array of new releases and library titles from EPIX streamed over the Internet from Netflix. Movies from the multi-year deal will begin streaming from Netflix on September 1 and include movies from Paramount, Lionsgate and MGM.

EPIX has subscription pay TV rights to new releases and movies from the libraries of its partners and will make these movies available to Netflix 90 days after their premium pay TV and subscription on demand debuts. Historically, the rights to distribute these films are pre-sold to pay TV for as long as nine years after their theatrical release.

For Netflix, the agreement is a significant step in building the company’s streaming offer, adding many popular movie titles from some of the world’s leading studios. It adds meaningfully to a growing library of movies and TV shows that can be watched instantly on TVs via a range of leading consumer electronic devices capable of streaming from Netflix and on computers.

For EPIX, the deal reflects the value of the EPIX platform which, from its start, has provided new rights and flexibility for the distribution of its movies. The agreement allows EPIX to continue the distribution of popular content on a variety of platforms and preserve the premium television, subscription on demand and online window reserved for cable, satellite and telco television partners.

“Adding EPIX to our growing library of streaming content, as the exclusive Internet-only distributor of this great content, marks the continued emergence of Netflix as a leader in entertainment delivered over the Web,” said Ted Sarandos, chief content officer for Netflix. “The EPIX deal is an example of the innovative ways in which we’re partnering with major content providers to broaden the scope and freshness of choices available to our members to watch instantly over the Internet.”

Mark Greenberg, president of EPIX, added: “Netflix is an incredibly popular service and we welcome them as our newest distribution partner. We are pleased to be able to continue our mission of bringing consumers the movies where they want to watch them, while satisfying the differing needs of cable, telco and satellite operators. This deal also underscores the tremendous value of our offerings in the marketplace.”

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One of our ninjas just blessed us with a look at a portion of AT&T’s Windows Mobile road-map for the rest of the year. Quickly glancing at it we can see that the AT&T Tilt 2 will obviously launch in October, and refreshingly, the Samsung Epix and Samsung Jack will be getting upgrades to Windows Mobile 6.5 courtesy of upcoming maintenance releases. What’s more exciting, however, are the HP Obsidian and LG Monaco launches. While not brand new to the world, it’s nice to know that these Windows Mobile business-focused handsets will finally see the light of day come November. We know October is going to be full of 6.5 handsets like the Tilt 2 and Pure, and November shows no signs of slowing down either. Here’s a quick refresher on specifications for the LG Monaco and HP Obsidian and a larger shot after the break:

HP Obsidian:

• GSM/GPRS/EDGE/UMTS/HSDPA (850/1900/2100MHz)
• Bluetooth 2.0
• Wi-Fi b,g
• QWERTY keyboard
• microSD slot
• GPS
• 3.5mm headset jack
• Windows Mobile 6.5

LG Monaco:

• GSM/GPRS/EDGE/UMTS/HSDPA (850/1900/2100MHz)
• Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
• Wi-Fi b,g
• Slide-out full QWERTY keyboard
• GPS
• 5 megapixel autofocus camera

Thanks, Feech!

Epix users, it looks like it may finally be your time to shine. For those who haven’t been following the story, AT&T’s Samsung Epix had issues. Samsung pushed out a patch to resolve said issues but it only caused more issues. After promising to address the new problems in early May, Samsung has just pushed out a new ROM for the Epix that addresses the following:

• ”Slog Dump” Fix: On certain circumstances, the handset may report a “Slog Dump” error message. This software provides an update to the network layer which prevents the problem from occurring.
• Missed Email Audio Notifications:  A previously released cab file for notifications is now included this firmware version. This enables the EPIX to provide audible notifications alerts for your emails when the device enters an unattended power saving mode.
• Outlook Notes SSP Support:  The update contains the ability to synchronize the popular Notes feature available within Microsoft Outlook.
• Ascending Ringtone: Ringtone behavior design was set to ascending/escalating volume during inbound call regardless of setting specified. With this update, the handset will act in accordance to the volume settings selected.

Users also report that the major issue brought about by the initial Slog Dump patch — phones freezing on outbound calls — is now resolved as well. Beyond that, it looks like the only old bug still present is an issue with LED notifications but with all of the other issues that have been resolved, we doubt Epix users will be too upset. Got a slogged Epix? Hit the read link to get your fix on.

Thanks, Amir!

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Good news, Samsung Epix owners — if your handset has been driving you crazy by randomly and inexplicably freezing, AT&T will apparently have a solution for you soon. Last week we reported a fix that AT&T pushed out some time ago in order to resolve the SLOG DUMP error that had been plaguing Epix handsets. As you may recall, the patch did indeed resolve the error but it also brought about random but frequent freezes when users attempted to dial out. Needless to say, people were less than satisfied with this solution. According to a recent update from CareAce, a blog following the issue closely, AT&T is preparing to push out a new patch in under two weeks that will address the new issues brought on but the SLOG DUMP patch. In other words, Epix owners, you should have a working phone again in less than two weeks.

Thanks, Amir!

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Some time ago, AT&T realized it had a bit of an issue on its hands with the Samsung Epix. A “Slog Dump issue” in fact. As exotic as that sounds, it pretty much means the phone would continuously crash with the pop up message “This is forced SLOG DUMP”. After months of hounding from users, AT&T finally pushed out an update to the bizarre issue last week and all was right again in the world of QWERTY Windows Mobile phones. Or not. While AT&T did resolve the Slog Dump error with its OTA update, it also brought about a new problem that is just as severe — many are reporting the Epix now freezes on a daily basis when attempting to dial out. Ouch. Are you an Epix owner affected by all this craziness? Let us know how things are going in the comments section and head on over to the AT&T forum to read more about the issues.

Thanks, Amir!

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Well, this has been a long time comin’, hasn’t it? We just got our grubby mitts on that much-debated Samsung Epix i907 and boy… it’s thick! Counting out the AT&T Tilt, this is probably the thickest phone in their line-up. Now, you do get Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional with a touch screen with Haptic feedback, a QWERTY ‘board, optical mouse, 850MHz/1900MHz/2100MHz HSDPA and GPS. So, for some, that might be enough of a reason to overlook the beast-like form of the Samsung Epix. We’re highly disappointed with the screen in general as it looks extremely dated and pixelated — much like the Samsung Omnia. We haven’t had much time to put the phone through our rigorous tests, so check out the unboxing shots in the meantime.

Click on over to our AT&T Samsung Epix i907 unboxing gallery!

Wondering what your shopping list might look like this holiday season? One of our AT&T ninjas got his hands on an internal control document outlining new release between now and the holidays so if AT&T is your carrier of choice, here’s what Big Blue has in store for you between now and the holidays:

• Pantech Matrix: $80 after MIR
• Samsung Propel:$80 after MIR
• AT&T Quickfire: $100 after MIR
• Samsung Eternity: $150 after MIR
• Samsung EPIX: $200 after MIR
• LG Incite: $200 after MIR
• HTC Fuze: $300 after MIR

Last but certainly not least, our ninja did in fact report that the Bold is on the list – with no pricing specified of course. At the very least, this may put the Bold on store shelves by the time the holiday shopping season starts, though we expect that it’ll drop sooner rather than later. Then again, as much as it has been delayed thus far AT&T may just be holding the spot without any real indication that it will be ready in time. Fingers = crossed.

Well, there goes BlackJack III… We just got a hot tip from one of our readers and it clearly shows what we all knew as the Samsung i780 dressed up in AT&T branding as the AT&T Epix. There’s also been some physical tweaks to make the device more polished. Specs? There’s the awesome optical joystick which doubles as the select button for the 5-way d-pad, Windows Mobile Professional 6.1, UMTS/HSDPA, and GPS. We weren’t briefed on the other specs, but you can be sure there’s a camera (with VideoShare likely) and Bluetooth. We were also told to look for it to launch around the same time-frame as the AT&T Fuze for probably around $199 after MIR. Samsung, you’re doing alright, but you’ve got to learn how make QWERTY keyboards, ok?