Dave Zatz, Author at Zatz Not Funny!

Meet Peq, The Next Smart Home Hub

As if we didn’t have enough smart home hub entrants, Peq appears poised to launched. Pronounced “peek”, we believe this newcomer is Best Buy’s answer to Lowe’s Iris and Staples Connect – a home automation solution we’ve been tracking since January. While sources originally indicated we’d see both a fee-free tier and subscription options, Peq marketing materials refer only to a monthly fee… which immediately puts it at a retail disadvantage compared to Staples, Wink, and SmartThings.

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Unlike Revolv‘s extreme $299 hardware pricing, Peq has bundles starting at $120, that include a Netgear hub housing the requisite radios and likely local logic. And, taking a page from SmartThings book, Peq will offer up a variety of branded sensors… which is what a source indicates Best Buy is banking on.

Amazon Fire TV On Sale For $84

While it’s maybe not quite the deal one can find with Roku or Chromecast, the up-and-coming Amazon Fire TV is momentarily discounted by 15 bucks to an all-time low $84. Featuring well designed hardware and regular updates thus far, Fire TV has replaced my Apple TV in the family room and is now our go-to box for Amazon … Read more

Microsoft To Beef Up Xbox One TV Features

While Microsoft has seemingly abandoned Windows Media Center, they’re clearly not done with television.

First, the company has announced an Xbox One USB television tuner for European markets that will run about 30 bucks, when it launches this fall. Beyond basic OTA tuning and the requisite One Guide integration, Microsoft also kindly provides a 30 minute buffer to pause, rewind, and advance. Even better and just announced yesterday, the Xbox One will stream this television content to devices around the home:

Stream TV to SmartGlass – launching first in markets receiving the Xbox Digital TV Tuner, Xbox One owners will be able to stream their TV across their home network to their smartphones and tablets using the Xbox SmartGlass app. They can also pause, play and rewind as well as change channels, without interrupting gameplay on the Xbox One. This will work for SmartGlass apps on Windows, iOS, and Android.

So, no US support off the bat. However, Microsoft leaves the door open…

How To Update Toyota Entune

Coming upon the two-year mark of Prius ownership, I began searching for updates to Toyota Entune – the automaker’s app platform. Originally designed to be a revenue generating service, Toyota took it fee-free in 2013. It seems a number of usability quirks and connectivity issues have been improved since taking possession of my Prius. Unfortunately, … Read more

The HDHomeRun Prime Giveaway

Hot on the heels of our DLNA streaming piece, and amidst CableCARD uncertainty, we’re offering up our Silicon Dust HDHomeRun Prime review unit. While humble in appearance, this little box is capable of tuning three simultaneous streams of digital cable, via a single CableCARD, and beaming the content across your home network. Those running Windows Media Center are best positioned to … Read more

DirecTV Extends TiVo Agreement Into 2018

Sadly, the initial fruits of their renewed labor haven’t been very compelling, leading some to wonder if DirecTV is doing the bare minimum to avoid costly licensing. And is it coincidental that TiVo’s Time Warp patent protection expires in 2018? Regardless, hope these guys have a higher def whole-home TiVo solution in the works for DirecTV subscribers. Given THR22 scarcity, there may indeed be something new in the pipeline…

Google Fiber Hardware Refresh Detailed

Google Fiber beta invites are rolling out, shedding light on upcoming hardware consolidation. Via kcjak:

Just got an email from Google Fiber saying we’ve been selected into their test program. Test includes replacement of the hardware, which will combine the network box and storage box into a single unit, as well as upgrade of WIFI to 802.11ac. New Google Fiber app, as well, but currently supported only on Android platform.

We’re not entirely surprised as we’d previously documented incoming TV Box updates and recently stumbled upon this public image – picturing, for the first time, the v2 extender in the lower left. But cramming the Google Fiber router and television hub into a single, refreshed Storage Box is news, perhaps shedding light on Google’s ongoing service intentions.

Comcast Opens X1 Beta Testing To All Comers

While Comcast dicks around with TiVo, to presumably avoid costly Time Warp licensing and FCC scrutiny, the cable giant continues to crank away on their preferred platform – the X1, which has been deployed across 100% of their footprint and sees 20,000 new installs every day. And now, in possibly a first for a cableco, they’re ‘going Google’ by making pre-release features available to subscribers via “Comcast Labs”

Comcast engineers have added a subsection under “Settings / Preferences” called “Comcast Labs,” designed as a sandbox to beta test new features before they go live. Comcast Labs […] serves as a playground where customers can test innovation before it receives the final stamp of approval. […] beta features will be given a thorough test-drive to aggregate user data in order to determine whether they get the green light to officially launch on X1.