Dave Zatz

Steve Jobs On The Connected TV Space

In addition to calling out bloggers and lying developers, CEO Steve Jobs provided insight into his Apple TV hobby and the connected television space at the All Things D (D8) conference earlier this week. Engadget did a nice job with an on-the-fly transcription from the event (below), but I highly recommend watching the video above – which fills in some gaps.

The market challenges and premium television provider chokehold Jobs describes should be familiar to most ZNF readers. But does his talk foreshadow something like Engadget’s iPad-esque Apple TV reboot or Techcrunch’s Apple television?

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AT&T Introduces New Wireless Data Package

AT&T shook up the mobile space this AM with the introduction of new wireless data packages that go into effect next week… just in time for the fourth generation iPhone and as an accompaniment to the new $325 smartphone early termination fee (ETF).

For the last couple years, 5GB and Unlimited data have been pretty much synonymous for the carriers – with consumer rates generally running $30/month. But times are a’changing and we’re heading into an era of more tightly metered usage. Within just the last two weeks Verizon has alluded to data buckets, Sprint’s raised rates to $40 on their flagship EVO smartphone, and AT&T will be reducing rates… along with a lowered data ceiling.

AT&T’s “DataPro” plan will run $25/mo and includes 2GB of data usage, with overages running $10/GB. All in all, it’s not an unreasonable proposition as AT&T states 98% of their customers consume less than 2GB a month. In looking at my stats, I’m comfortably under the cap at <500MB/month. (Then again, I’m also without service about 8 hours a day from an AT&T dead zone.)

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Skype 2.0 for iPhone Brings 3G Calling

The Skype 2.0 update hit iPhones yesterday and brings with it 3G voice calling. Which is huge if you view AT&T as the agnostic data pipe it should be. So, instead of paying their possibly exorbitant rates, we now have a legit alternative. All 2.0 improvements: Call using your 3G connection. Skype-to-Skype calls on 3G are … Read more

Android Sirius XM App Now Available

Sirius XM Satellite Radio has launched an Android app that lets you listen to the network’s 120 channels of music and talk programming. Clearly the app doesn’t actually give your mobile phone a satellite receiver. Instead the app streams the radio stations over the internet using a WiFi or 3G connection — and the first … Read more

Hands on the Acer Aspire Revo “Nettop”

A few weeks back, my uncle’s somewhat ancient tower PC gave up the ghost… and it fell on me to find a replacement. (I’m sure most ZNF readers know how that works.) His computing needs are extremely minimal — we’re talking AOL email and web browsing (via broadband, at least). So I figured he’d be … Read more

Netflix: “Know thyself. Stream, baby, stream.”

Netflix recently launched a very interesting presentation on their employment page that describes their ongoing evolution from physical media distributor to Internet-delivered content provider. PLUS a good number of slides (accurately) describe where they see the competition coming from. It’s a must read if you’re at all interested in the space (and/or a NFLX investor). Some … Read more

No Netflix for Popbox At Launch? (Ever?)

Over the last week or so, I’ve received a few tips and inquiries regarding the Popbox folks removing all Netflix references and imagery from a redesigned website ahead of launch. While the Popbox brings along many of the powerful local playback capabilities found in Syabas’ precursor Popcorn Hour devices, the Popbox introduces a refreshed UI and apps. Indeed, Netflix … Read more

The TiVo Quarterly Call (No Surprises?)


Quarterly Subscriber Change, TVbytheNumbers

TiVo held their quarterly call yesterday and, at first glance, I’m not seeing any surprises. Subscriber count continues to decline, from 3.2 million a year ago to 2.5m as of 4/30. But TiVo’s got plenty of cash in the bank (~$250m) and zero debt, along with a number of lawsuits and partnerships in various stages of development. Speaking of which, Cox, Comcast, and DirecTV are merely sputtering along, whereas RCN is deploying the TiVo Premiere (with On Demand!) at a rapid pace. The relevant docs:

My writing partner Davis Freeberg follows TiVo closer than most, as a customer and an optimistic investor, and covered TiVo’s call on FriendFeed in real-time yesterday. His unedited stream:

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