Dave Zatz, Author at Zatz Not Funny!

TiVo iPad App… Now An iPhone App Too

TiVo did say it was coming. And now it has arrived… as TiVo’s iPad app has morphed into a universal app that now also supports the iPhone and iPod Touch. While I’ve enjoyed the rich and powerful iPad edition, I much prefer the smaller form factor of a smart phone to use as a virtual remote and for device management.

In addition to the new iOS platform, version 1.5 of the free TiVo app brings limited DVR management to Series 3 and TiVo HD owners along with the requisite and supported virtual remote. Also, it appears TiVo is shooting for some sort of halo effect by offering a new “guest mode” to allow non-TiVo subscribers to browse their local guide.

TiVo Courts ReplayTV Castaways

TiVo’s launched a landing page to court upcoming ReplayTV castaways. As of 7/31/11, the ReplayTV service will be discontinued. At best, owners will be left with a dumbed down digital VCR. Worst case? A brick. TiVo’s pitch is similar to others we’ve seen recently… and not truly limited to ReplayTV customers. You can grab a … Read more

Will The DirecTV TiVo Arrive This Month?

Originally announced in 2008 and expected to launch in 2009, the new DirecTV TiVo unit remains a no show. Back in February, we read the tea leaves to determine that the forthcoming DVR does indeed exist and has been undergoing testing. Unfortunately, given the delays, it features the old TiVo interface running on vintage DirecTV … Read more

HDMI Licensing Strikes Again

The organization that controls the HDMI spec appears to be cracking down on unlicensed products. And its first significant victim is Mini DisplayPort-to-HDMI cables, as the specification only permits HDMI connectors. In fact, Macrumors reports that Monoprice has already pulled their inventory… offering instead an adaptor/dongle. As a Macbook Air owner intending to turn this 23″ … Read more

Amazon Kindle Tablet Features Dual Screens?

File this one under unsubstantiated rumor. A friend of the site recently shared a flight with a highly placed Amazon employee, or so he said. He also had a few things to say about Amazon’s upcoming tablet. Most notably that it features two displays: e-Ink on one side, color LCD on the other. And he … Read more

TiVo Android App Released (in the UK)

Thanks to an ad run in CE Pro, we knew TiVo had Android and iPhone software in the pipeline. And a variant of their Android app has now been released… in the UK. Unlike TiVo’s rich and powerful iPad app, the Android experience being made available to Virgin Media TiVo subscribers is significantly pared down … Read more

Can’t Trust The Cloud?

As we increasingly construct virtual identities and migrate our digital possessions into the cloud, it’s a worthwhile exercise to periodically reflect on these increasingly amorphous services. And my top two concerns are security and dependability.

On the security front, my guiding principle is an assumption that just about any host can and will be hacked. Which is why we turn to encryption for additional layers of defense. Unfortunately, some companies offer insufficient protection or overstate their capabilities. For example, it now appears that cloud file storage and sharing provider Dropbox embodies both. Whereas the company originally claimed user files were encrypted in such a way that even employees couldn’t access the data, it turns out encryption is handled on Dropbox servers and they maintain the encryption keys. Meaning, yes, employees can and have accessed user data… leading to a FTC complaint. Additionally, a recent service update inadvertently left all Dropbox accounts without password protection for about 4 hours – a startling development. Is Dropbox unique in their shortcomings?

Roku 2 Revealed, Angry Birds In Tow?

Why thank you, FCC. Once again our government regulatory agency has kindly spilled the beans on an upcoming gadget. Meet the Roku 2. Granted, we already knew Roku had new hardware in the pipeline… given recent allusions in support of their upcoming casual gaming app initiative (starting with Angry Birds).

Having owned the original Roku media streamer, and iterations from two successive generations, I’m not quite certain how they came up with Roku “2” — perhaps it’s that new gaming angle. And perhaps these new models will also be mated with a refreshed interface. Regardless, as with the prior two pre-holiday revs, Roku intends to offer a three box lineup (HD, XD, XS). Which is probably one too many. But, marketing aside, the spec sheet included with the filing (below) offers up some interesting details. Whereas wireless network connectivity was a differentiator amongst previous Roku models, all members of the new line feature the same chip. However, the two lower-end models do away with Ethernet. Not a problem for me, as I only attempt Ethernet when I’m on the road.

More interesting is the inclusion of Bluetooth within all three boxes.