Dave Zatz

Virgin Media TiVo Updates Start Tonight

Deployment of the big Virgin Media TiVo fall update begins tonight according to reports (and photos) from online forums. Amongst the changes are a refreshed YouTube app, full BBC iPlayer support, automatic padding, TiVo control via iPad or iPhone, and support for premium Spotify subscribers, with that app supposedly landing on the 29th. Additionally, there … Read more

The Kindle Fire… doesn’t burn so bright?

After perusing the various Kindle Fire reviews… I’ve suddenly lost interest. I obviously need to hit a Best Buy or Target and for some first hand tablet impressions, but my expectations of Amazon were probably too high. At the end of the day, what we’re dealing with is a skinned version of Android running on largely recycled hardware. Of course, going in, we knew that. Yet I’d hoped Amazon would transform the experience in more notable, integrated, and polished ways. Oh they’ll still sell a ton given Amazon’s exposure, via their own site and retail partners, and amazingly wallet friendly pricing ($199). But this gadget-loving Amazon Prime member who makes Kindle purchases is most likely sitting this one out (while continuing to pine for an Amazon Instant app on devices other than the Fire).

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iPhones and Old Folks

According to Nielsen research, folks aged 55 – 64 represent the fastest growing segment of smartphone adoption (as us whipper snapper generations are somewhat saturated with technology at this point). And while I’m sorry to skew their results, we brought my 68 year old mother into the fold this past weekend.

After the last few visits with Mom, it became clear she would benefit from smartphone features – namely access to a digital rolodex and efficient web searching while on the go. But would she be comfortable with the tech? She had her doubts. But, as I reassured over the last few months, a much more capable and powerful iPhone would actually be simpler to use than her aging Nokia flip – which she had a tough time using for text messaging and routinely, but inadvertently, snapped pictures of her feet.

Of course I’m the family tech advisor and what moved this project forward was Apple opening up their Mobile Me tier by offering free email and address books under iCloud (because seniors have fixed incomes). I’m convinced Mom could have handled Yahoo Mail, but Gmail’s interface would have overwhelmed her when migrating from her Mindspring Earthlink ISP. But Apple’s solution is even cleaner, featuring a streamlined, ad-free web UI… with seemless iOS integration. So shortly after iCloud went live, I created her email account and gave her two weeks to start populating the online address book from various lists and notebooks.

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Boxee Preps Live TV. What About DVR?

As alluded to at least twice this year, Boxee intends to round out their entertainment offering by channeling live television. Whereas I assumed it’d be limited to over-the-air (OTA) broadcasts, it appears unencrypted digital cable may also be on the table. Along with live TV, Boxee will provide the requisite guide data… but what about … Read more

Why Won’t Comcast Permit HBO GO on Roku?

A day or so before HBO GO was released to Roku devices I was tipped off that DirecTV and Comcast wouldn’t offer this service. At the time, I didn’t recognize the implication… but it’s become all too clear. Comcast and DirecTV are willfully preventing access to HBO GO on Roku devices, even though that very same … Read more

Jawbone Goes UP, Fitbit Down

The folks at Jawbone continue to expand beyond their iconic Jawbone Bluetooth headset line. About a year ago, they introduced the Jambox – a versatile, portable Bluetooth speaker… that I picked up on discount. And now they’ve totally left Bluetooth and audio behind with the introduction of UP ($100), which is something of a lifestyle monitoring … Read more

Pandora Harnesses The Polish of iOS

Pandora pushed out an iPhone app update yesterday that leverages an interesting new feature of iOS 5 — the ability for third party developers to change lock screen imagery and provide textual information. Cues that seem perfectly suited for a music streaming app such as Pandora. For years we complained about missing iPhone features. But … Read more

HBO GO Now Available On Roku

Less than a month after Roku announced HBO GO was headed to their set-top streamers… the service has arrived. And, at first blush, it looks to offer the same level of programming as found on HBO’s mobile apps — both original HBO programming, like Boardwalk Empire, and a selection of full length movies. I’ll dig … Read more