Dave Zatz
Roku To Launch “Special Edition” Hardware for Black Friday
As they’re wont to do, Black Friday promotional materials have started trickling out. And, as you might expect, there are a number of streaming hardware deals. One of the more interesting ones has nothing to do with price. Although, that too, is compelling. For the holidays, Roku is releasing (yet another) model in the “Roku … Read more
Sleep Number: Bed Tech for your Smart Home
When it came time to choose a new mattress this past summer, I decided to wire up our bedroom with Sleep Number and Sleep IQ. Casper gets a whole lot of tech press, for reasons that aren’t entirely clear given their now commonplace bedding materials and a limited one-mattress-fits-all product lineup. Whereas I truly hoped to embrace technology as a potential means of enhancing our sleeping experience. Sleep Number seemed to fit the bill. And, four months in, we’re extremely satisfied with our decision.
After hours of research, including extensive and appreciated online pre-sales chat along with an impressive Consumer Reports’ endorsement, I ended up purchasing the entry-level Sleep Number C2 model with a SleepIQ upgrade. Interestingly, the same core components and functionality are found within all Sleep Number mattresses (that we’ll get to in a minute). What differs are things like padding and cover thickness or composition. Indeed, the Sleep Number C2 is Consumer Reports second highest rated bed… right behind the Sleep Number i8, but at 1/3rd the cost. Having replaced a pair of name brand mattresses the last few years, due to depressingly rapid deterioration, we’re appropriately conservative with ongoing bedding investments.
TiVo Mini Receives (Some) Bolt Elements
As promised, some of the new elements found in the TiVo Bolt have begun trickling down to Roamio (and Premiere?) environments. TiVo Mini is up first with newly applied guide logos and “Quick Mode” to playback content at 1.3x speed. While I’m happy to see older gear continuing to receive updates, neither of these features does … Read more
Apple TV – Did you buy one?
The [new] Apple TV reviews are out. And it seems to be something of a mixed bag. No, Apple TV hasn’t redefined television here and there isn’t much that sets it apart from a Roku or Fire TV. However, the hardware and presentation seem much more polished than the competition – despite some notable inconsistencies (Siri). The lack of 4k isn’t … Read more
Roku TV Deals at Jet
New e-commerce site Jet.com is attempting to attract customers with a generous 20% off coupon code – and I took the bait. I assume there are many good deals to be had, but one in particular caught my eye. I’ve been looking to retire an awful 22″ Vizio television in favor of something a bit more … Read more
Amazon HDMI Cables On Sale Today
The already well-priced Amazon Basics HDMI cables see a discount today. They’re rated for the 1.4 spec – supporting 4k and ARC. And should be fine with everything else as well. The cables come in various lengths, ranging from 3′ to 25′ and I was motivated to pick up four more in a 3′ pair and a 6.5′ pair.