As a former frequent flier, I can’t tell you how many battles between passengers and/or flight crew I’ve witnessed in relation to wireless devices and reclining seats (including very dramatic testimony from a breast-feeding woman who asserted the man in front of her had starved her infant). Fortunately, we appear to have moved to a better place with the advent of gate-to-gate wireless gadgetry and what looks to be an end of reclining seats… on at least a few airlines. And next up is Monarch Air. The carrier is outfitting their fleet with thinner, non-reclining seats… that conveniently provide a tablet holder where one might expect an entertainment console — which sure beats attempting to prop up your device via water bottle (as shown below), providing more stability and a better viewing angle. Not to mention if US carriers like Southwest or United follow suit, our iPads would truly replace the seat-back TV given onboard streaming options.
Dave Zatz
Simple.TV Gets Perforated, Lands Chromecast Support
Remember that buzz saw of a fan that the second gen Simple.TV shipped with? Well Simple, and their hardware partner Silicon Dust, have resorted to a variety of software updates and a drill to rectify the issue. And, as you can see above, they’ve begun shipping devices with a newly perforated chassis. But the good news doesn’t end … Read more
Tom Rogers, TiVo CEO
I have no doubt we are building a very, very, strong strategic asset and to the extent the best interest of shareholders are served by providing an exit through acquisition from a strategic player who sees the fundamental uniqueness of what we’ve created, obviously that will get all the consideration it deserves.
YouTube Rates Your Broadband
Following in the footsteps of Netflix, YouTube has just launched their Video Quality Report to rate, and possibly shame, broadband providers as the net neutrality and peering debate boils over. In my ‘hood, Verizon performs admirably, with its worst showing 8PM – 11PM with 93% of streams coming thru in high def, whereas the Comcast Xfinity service performs … Read more
Meet Giik, Thoughtful Mobile Accessories
Meet giik, a new line of thoughtful mobile accessories by geeky road warriors such as ourselves. While you can find similar products from both well known manufactures and inexpensive imports, the folks behind giik up the ante as each widget features “+1” capabilities — so that headphone splitter also supports dual mics and the aux car … Read more
TiVo App Now Plays YouTube & Facebook Video (TV or Phone)
TiVo continues to execute on their multiscreen strategy, having just cranked out a significant update to their iOS app. In addition to the requisite iPhone and iPad bug fixes, the revised app features: New design for iOS7 New Facebook feed in “What To Watch” New YouTube video feeds in “What To Watch” By linking both my YouTube and … Read more
Amazon Instant Now Streaming HBO (for free*)
As announced a few weeks back, Amazon has begun streaming HBO content… without requiring an HBO subscription. The exclusive, multi-year deal has a few caveats, tho. First, we’re mostly talking back catalog content here, with a three year dark period after broadcast. So you’re still going to have to borrow that HBO GO password for Game … Read more