Mari Silbey

Mari’s tech career started when she became the default “IT guy” in her first job out of college. Since leaving help-desk duties to the experts, she’s focused on trends in technology as a consultant, writer, reporter, analyst and at-home gadget tinkerer. Her current paid gig is with the non-profit organization US Ignite where she focuses on how networks and digital technologies impact smart cities. All posts on ZNF represent her own opinions and not those of US Ignite. Mari is a sucker for anything in the digital media space and covers interesting happenings in cable, telecom, and whatever else she feels like. Find her on Twitter at @msilbey.

Deals of the Day – Black Friday Edition

There are a few fabulous Black Friday tech deals floating around the net. Amazon is gifting shoppers with an $89 offer on the Kindle 2 starting at Noon EST tomorrow. It’s the last-gen model of Amazon’s e-reader, but still gets a lot of usage from Dave, who picked up the same model this year for … Read more

Upgrade Accessories for the iPhone and iPod Touch

How cool is this? ThinkGeek has announced it’s got exclusive availability on a new iPhone case with flip-out keyboard. The TK-421 iPhonecase is literally a keyboard the size of your iPhone that attaches as a case and swivels out for use. I still love my Droid Eris, but the soft keyboard is the one thing … Read more

Blu-Ray Player Gets Wi-Fi Direct. Who Needs a Media Streamer?

Call me a Wi-Fi Direct junkie, but I’m watching closely as new devices get certified under the point-to-point wireless spec. This past week, the first Blu-Ray player showed up on the certification list. The LG BD690 isn’t shipping yet, but the possible implications of embedding a Blu-Ray player (or an Internet TV box…) with Wi-Fi … Read more

A Look at the Nook Color

I haven’t been a big e-reader fan, as I still get comfort from turning off my digital displays and getting my hands around a good hardcover or bendable paperback. (Yes, I enjoy ruining the spines on my paperbacks. Deal with it.) That said, I was duly impressed during my short hands-on time with the new … Read more

Hands On the Barbie Cleavage Cam

This one might be a bit outside our wheelhouse, but how can I not blog about the Barbie cleavage cam on display at this week’s Pepcom event? Apparently the Barbie Video Girl, with her chest camera implant, has been on sale for months – but Mattel didn’t market it heavily before the holiday season. The idea … Read more

Fuze Box and Why I Love It

There’s nothing like a Pepcom event in New York to get you in a CES frame of mind, and though I have a number of products I want to write up, Fuze Box tops my list. You’re forgiven if you haven’t heard of Fuze Box yet. The company’s Fuze Meeting app only started making the … Read more

Hulu Plus on the Roku

Hulu Plus landed on the Roku today with a newly discounted $7.99/month price tag for all subscribers. I don’t have a Hulu Plus account, but I was able to borrow Dave’s for a quick test drive on my home Roku. Initial impressions: Nice execution, but the content is still stinky. In fairness, some of the … Read more