Dave Zatz, Author at Zatz Not Funny!

Is There Room For Playstation TV? (Best Buy Doesn't Think So)

Amongst the various E3 gaming convention announcements is news that Sony intends to bring PlayStation TV to US shores this fall. Introduced in 2013 as PlayStation Vita TV (review), Sony appropriately drops “Vita” branding given its generally poor mobile market reception and the PSTV’s broader capabilities. Part TV streamer, that will surely replace Sony’s unsuccessful line of Roku competitors, and gaming system, PSTV will be priced at Fire TV equivalency: $100 for the base system, add $40 if you’d prefer the gaming controller upsell.

Slingbox M1 Coming Soon

Why hello there, little Slingbox. I’ve been tracking you several weeks since first popping up on the Sling Media warranty page as the Slingbox M1. Further I’m told, as FCC docs now confirm, that you’ll bring wireless capabilities to the lower end of Sling’s lineup via a more Roku-esque form factor. In fact, you may even replace the Slingbox … Read more

Starbucks Picks Up Coffee Bean's Abandoned Inductive Charging Initiative

While Coffee Bean may have given up on café table Qi charging, Starbucks has just announced a nationwide initiative to bring Powermat inductive charging to all US stores. Despite the promise of wireless power, a variety of competing standards and far-from-universal mobile manufacturer integration have led to limited consumer uptake. Perhaps more than 12,000 retail SBUX outposts will stimulate adoption. Although, iPhone and iPad owners will require compatible cases or external chargers, which probably defeats the purpose, as wireless power hasn’t (yet?) been integrated.

Amazon Prime Music Arrives!

After months of rumor and speculation, Amazon Prime Music has arrived. And, as with other Prime benefits, the streaming service is effectively free for existing Prime members ($99/yr). At launch, Amazon’s collection pales in comparison to other streaming music services, such as Spotify. Yet, as The Verge notes, it doesn’t have to compete head-on. Prime Music … Read more

Two Apple Software Deep Dives

Any geek (or developer) with even a passing interest in Apple surely is aware that the Cupertino company hosted their annual developer’s conference this past week. And what a doozy it was, with massive, meaningful updates planned this fall in iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite, emphasizing continuity and cloud. There’s a lot to digest. But even given a limited, initial analysis, I’m pretty stoked. Here’s an early breakdown of two compelling Apple software initiatives:

Chromebooks Land Offline Movies & TV

By way of Twitter, we’ve learned that the Google Play Movies & TV Chrome browser extension has been updated to allow Chromebooks to cache rented or purchased video content for offline viewing. And, given my travels, this may breathe new life into my largely abandoned $250 Samsung Chromebook. It’s been interesting to observe the platform evolve … Read more

T-Mobile: The Uncarrier Hard Stop

My T-Mobile honeymoon has long since passed, with the day-to-day reality of life on a second-rate carrier having set in. Of course, your mileage may vary as cell coverage is highly dependent upon locale (or building composition). For me, T-Mobile has provided an extremely frustrating experience with perhaps, ironically, superior coverage roaming overseas partners versus native networks here at home — with the majority of my calls dropping. On the occasions I have coverage to initiate one.