Some bemoan the commercialization of the winter holidays, but in the spirit of “if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em,” why not look at the fun side of the seasonal shopping extravaganza? Naturally you have the giving and receiving of many gadgets, but there’s also new tech to experience in the act of shopping itself. … Read more
The SCTE cable industry show, having hit full swing in Denver, has revealed another EchoStar attempt at wooing the cable industry with a Slingbox-enabled DVR (aka “SlingLoaded”). Like the units I photographed at The Cable Show back in April, this model appears to be a tru2way CableCARD device. However, the SCTE edition features a brand … Read more
I’m definitely a fan of the digital book reading devices. If you read many books, you’ll want something that’s easy on the eyes – you know, like paper. And e-ink is really the way to accomplish — unlike LCD screens it doesn’t strain the eyes. But there are those times when it’s nice to “extend” … Read more
The interwebs are abuzz (OMG!) with Hulu’s confirmed exploration of paid tiers and pay-per-view, in addition to the current ad-supported video content model. News Corp CEO Rupert Murdoch, as quoted by the Associated Press: Are we looking at it with a view of adding subscription services in there and pay-per-view movies? Yes, we are looking … Read more
While most folks have fixated on the Nook‘s ($259) secondary color screen, compared to the pedestrian and now antiquated Amazon Kindle, the most significant feature of Barnes & Noble’s upcoming Android-based eReader is digital lending. From the Nook FAQ: With our new LendMe™ technology, you can now share from nook to nook. But it doesn’t … Read more
With the Showtime EBIF app already raking in dough on TV sets across the country, the cable network has decided to go mobile. Showtime launched its own iPhone app this week complete with teaser episodes, video extras, and broadcast schedules. Given that the EBIF version may not be available in your area, the iPhone application … Read more
Although the Star Trek holodeck always held great appeal (when it wasn’t malfunctioning and killing off lesser characters), many people reserve a bit more skepticism on the need for 3DTV. This has a lot to do with left-over images from the 1950s, but it also stems from the fact that 3D viewing still requires special … Read more
Photo by John Atheron Earlier this week Herkko Hietanen gave a talk at Berkman Center for Internet & Society with the provocative title “Network Recorders and Social Enrichment of Television.” Hietanen is well known for his research on Creative Commons licensing and is a practicing lawyer who counsels clients on technology related legal issues. The … Read more