Dave Zatz

D-Link WiFi Extender Features Apple AirPlay Streaming

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By way of the FCC, we learn that D-Link intends to build upon their diminutive WiFi extender (DAP-1320)… with newfound home audio capabilities housed within the upcoming DCH-M225 WiFi Audio Extender. In addition to expanding one’s wireless network to perhaps the far reaches of your home, the 81 gram plug-with-benefits also incorporates an audio-out jack – similar to Apple’s Airport Express. And, while we can’t say with any certainly that D-link has licensed AirPlay, the pre-release manual suggests the Audio Extender will indeed relay AirPlay tunes from Mac or iOS device to whatever speaker you may have wired up. Just as interesting is the far more agnostic, baked-in DLNA streaming functionality. Of course, as we opined earlier today, we’re big Sonos fans and prefer our speaker and streaming hardware are one and the same.

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Sony Throws In the eReader Towel (and cuts off 3G)

Amidst mounting losses across the board, Sony’s decided to jettison a few under performing businesses. While their exit from computers grabbed most of the headlines, they’ve also thrown in the towel on eReaders. Early on Sony actually produced the best eReader hardware. However, their success was held back due to pricing, marketing, and distribution. Not … Read more

Beep To Discover What Sonos Knows

Beep is latest entrant in whole-home audio. But, unlike Sonos‘ key products, their music streaming technology isn’t currently embedded within a speaker enclosure. And we suspect the potential market of people looking to network traditional speakers is rather modest. The $99 Beep appendage is sharp looking blinky, clicky dial … that’ll ratchet up your clutter … Read more

Best Buy Entices Smartphone Shoppers With $50 Gift Card

Best Buy has launched an interesting promo to proactively reach potential customers, no matter one’s smartphone predilection. Register your intent now to pick up any new phone by the end of the year, and receive a $50 gift card upon completion of that purchase. Of course, with two huge 2014 launches expected in the Samsung … Read more

Best Super Bowl Ads Of 2014

Although neither the Super Bowl 48 match-up nor the 2014 crop of ads lived up to expectations, according to TiVo quite a few remained tuned in until the bitter end – with 3 of the top 5 most “engaging” commercials airing during the 4th quarter. Of course, there were the bizarre, the the boring, and … Read more

Superbowl Advertising On Twitter: It's All Gibberish

In an industry where any publicity trumps questionable publicity, several brands have leveraged Twitter to draw attention to themselves via apparent mistakes. It’s a low risk, high reward approach that got going last summer when Chipotle faked a Twitter hack. The costs of sending a tweet, versus shooting and placing a Super Bowl commercial, are insignificant. And many members of the social network seem to enjoy calling out and retweeting the “drunk” 140 character missives. But as an old fuddy duddy with an apparently rusty funny bone, the attempted manipulation and misdirection is too much to overcome, leading me to purge most “brands” I follow on Twitter.

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