At a CES sideshow (PEPCOM) I met Akimbo CEO Josh Goldman. Basically our conversation went something like this, “So what do you think?” “I’ll let you know when you send me a review unit!” And look what arrived this week…
In Vegas, I learned these guys are totally out of the hardware business: The new stand-alone Akimbo device is solely a RCA hardware platform, AT&T is using Akimbo on Homezone, and Akimbo was integrated into Windows Media Center some time ago. On the business side, I’ll need a refresher on the various pricing plans and where they’re headed. I wonder if Movielink’s potential acquisition will have any impact on Akimbo?
Josh asked me if I had seen anything else cool at PEPCOM, and other than Sling, I really hadn’t. So he walked me over to the Hillcrest Labs booth to check out the Loop remote. (Potential partnership here?) The Loop, and more importantly the interface, look pretty interesting — As Hillcrest is just up the road (Rockville, MD), I may stop by at some point for a more thorough briefing.
So keep an eye out for an Akimbo (on RCA) review in the next month or so.
The RCA player seems to have component out (HD?) but not HDMI.
Curious since their technology supports HD video and they plan to offer it in the future.
Our old friend WMV is used.
http://akimbo.com/akimbo_hardware.html
Also, the type of functionality the RCA box offers is what I think TiVo has needed to add. Instead of playing in its own proprietary space, TiVo could offer access to content from folks like Akimbo, Vongo… and make revenue generating deals for doing so.