Gadgets Archives - Page 14 of 78

Simple TV Dual Tuner First Impressions

Bringing tech to the corn fields of the Midwest, gadgeteer and cat lover Adam Miarka contributes to Zatz Not Funny when the overlord allows. When not on ZNF, Adam posts pictures to http://www.adammiarka.com and harasses the public from @adammiarka on Twitter.

Background
Being a Kickstarter for the first generation Simple TV, I’ve always been interested in technologies that could disrupt traditional TV viewing. When the original Simple TV was announced back in 2012, it looked like something that could actually let me break from my current (TiVo) setup while lowering our monthly expenditures.The original Simple TV had one fatal flaw, a single tuner for recording.

Despite this limitation, I decided to back the project to get a feeling for how this new setup might work in our household. The idea of having a device that could basically capture any OTA or ClearQAM signals and then have it playback on a myriad of devices (web browser, iOS devices, Android devices, Roku) was very enticing. You only need to bring a hard drive to get the Simple TV party started!

The CES 2014 Posts

Now that the Vegas dust has settled, we’re finally caught up on the bloggable topics and have collated the bulk of our CES coverage in this handy bulleted list. Until next year!

Meta

Smart TV & Streaming

Read more

Zonoff Links Home Automation Silos Via Staples Connect

As our homes acquire sentience, a few are attempting to traverse the technological silos… in an approachable way, suitable for civilians and geeks alike. While companies like Zonoff, Revolv, and Smarthings each strive to take home automation mainstream with somewhat differing technological and marketing approaches, they share a vendor- and network-neutral approach as they aim to provide an alternative to the security and telecom firms that are likewise pushing into this realm. And, as you might guess from the tweets and pics, I came away from CES quite enamored with Zonoff.

Anker Saves The Day (Again)

As I’ve yet to find that perfect gadget caddy, we’ve gone ahead and implemented Plan B. When picking out a new bedroom set about 18 months ago, we went with a collection that we otherwise may have passed over due to tricked out nightstands housing a power squid in the top drawer (and undercarriage lighting). … Read more

CES 2014: Oh, The Miles

While I mostly classify activity trackers as novelties, with limited actionable intelligence, CES is the absolute best place to put them through their paces (ha, punny). With my buddies Brad Linder of Liliputing and Kevin Tofel of GigaOm each stepping up to the plate. Kevin sports a Fitbit Force wristband and Brad rolls with a Withings Pulse puck – so … Read more

D-Link To Challenge Belkin WeMo With Wi-Fi Smartplug

As alluded, the connected home category is primed to explode. And, based on this FCC filing, the next entrant will be D-Link – who’ll be adding an $80 “WiFi Smart Plug” to their existing stable of IP cameras. The DSP-W215 mydlink Wi-Fi Smart Plug is a multi-purpose, compact, and easy-to-use device that allows you to … Read more

Amazon Preps "New Product Bigger Than Kindle"

Via The Digital Reader, we learn that Amazon continues to schmooze talent in the Boston region. The next Lab 126 event can be found here, with more interesting language attached to a December mixer: We are working on a revolutionary V1 product that will allow us to deliver Digital Media to our customers in new … Read more

Google To Acquire Nest (for truckloads of cash)

Earlier than expected and for a sum that cannot be calculated rationally, Google has entered into an arrangement to purchase Nest for 3.2 billion in cash. Which totals more than two Instagrams and two Flips… combined. While Nest has grown rapidly, now exceeding 200 employees with healthy buzz and presumably solid sales (which the company does not disclose), the acquisition strikes me as a move to lock up the Nest team and product/service pipeline – before someone else does. Of course, this isn’t Google’s first foray into home monitoring and control. But unlike the short-lived Google powermeter the upside, via retail sales and Google service tie-ins, will be much higher. And, with the connected home as the next frontier, this gives Google one of the hottest players in the game ahead of whatever the likes of Sony or Apple might be working on. (Related, we can’t help but wonder if Apple will keep Nest on store shelves.)