Zatz Not Funny!

Gadget Recycling with Best Buy & Office Depot

There’s nothing like a move to get you sorting through old electronics. Thankfully, both Best Buy and Office Depot were on hand for us this weekend to help out with the necessary recycling. I remembered the Office Depot program where they sell boxes to be filled with electronic waste, but it was my hubby who … Read more

Free, One-Click Tethering on My Thunderbolt

I’ve always been wary of rooting any phone with a two-year contract, but the appeal of being able to tether my smartphone wirelessly to get an Internet connection on other devices has been tough to resist. Luckily, Verizon has solved the problem for me. At least until next Wednesday. Back in March, Verizon started offering … Read more

Roku 2 Revealed, Angry Birds In Tow?

Why thank you, FCC. Once again our government regulatory agency has kindly spilled the beans on an upcoming gadget. Meet the Roku 2. Granted, we already knew Roku had new hardware in the pipeline… given recent allusions in support of their upcoming casual gaming app initiative (starting with Angry Birds).

Having owned the original Roku media streamer, and iterations from two successive generations, I’m not quite certain how they came up with Roku “2” — perhaps it’s that new gaming angle. And perhaps these new models will also be mated with a refreshed interface. Regardless, as with the prior two pre-holiday revs, Roku intends to offer a three box lineup (HD, XD, XS). Which is probably one too many. But, marketing aside, the spec sheet included with the filing (below) offers up some interesting details. Whereas wireless network connectivity was a differentiator amongst previous Roku models, all members of the new line feature the same chip. However, the two lower-end models do away with Ethernet. Not a problem for me, as I only attempt Ethernet when I’m on the road.

More interesting is the inclusion of Bluetooth within all three boxes.

TiVo Premiere Multi-Room Streaming Arrives

We’ve known for some time that TiVo intended to break away from their pioneering, yet potentially locked down, multi-room viewing techniques. While copying recordings, TiVo-to-TiVo, had its benefits on slower home networks and given former DVR hardware limitations, the cable company’s ability to restrict file transfer in the name of piracy prevention has rendered the solution near worthless in many markets (such as those managed by Cox Communications and Time Warner). However, CableLabs and their partners have deemed video streaming permissible. And TiVo’s finally ready to play ball with beefed up Premiere hardware and the recently released 14.8 software update.

In theory, the feature should lay dormant until TiVo, Inc is ready for the big reveal. However, folks on the forums indicate multi-room streaming is available today. Albeit, without any visual cues — merely hitting the play button, when viewing a recording listing from TiVo Premiere 1 on Premiere 2, starts content streaming. The performance reviews are mixed… and possibly why this feature isn’t officially official yet. And, perhaps, also emphasizing the benefit of a more predictable and efficient MoCA connection – as seen in the upcoming Premiere Q/Elite.

Now ZNF regular Brennok tipped Engadget and I off to the TiVo Community threads this past weekend (thanks!), but I’ve been tracking a potentially more interesting topic for about ten days (by way of an anonymous tip).

Slingbox Client Headed To Boxee

Looks like I missed a good time in NYC last week. Amidst the pre, pre-holiday tech events, gdgt hosted Sling Media. Who reiterated their intentions to provide a leanback interface for Slingbox viewing. Basically, a SlingCatcher… without a SlingCatcher. At CES, SlingPlayer for Connected Devices was demo-ed on Google TV. Which I discovered was merely a … Read more

Yahoo Connected TV: Not Dead Yet?

In the category of “not dead yet,” Engadget has caught word from the Yahoo Advertising blog that the Yahoo Connected TV platform still has life left in it. According to a post from last week, the Yahoo platform will be embedded in TVs from Sony and Toshiba by the end of this year, along with … Read more

TiVo Premiere Q Headed To Retail As Premier Elite

Looks like the FCC’s possibly antiquated analog compatibility requirement has led TiVo to out the retail version of the quad tuning Premiere Q, that was recently announced at The Cable Show. From TiVo’s June 7th FCC filing:

TiVo Inc. (“TiVo”) is prepared to bring to the consumer retail market an exciting new four tuner, all-digital digital video recorder (“DVR”) that promises customers increased recording capability, increased capacity (300 HD hours), reduced power consumption, and a space-saving design. This device – the Premiere Elite – will provide a new option for consumers that currently can obtain an all-digital DVR only from a multichannel video program distributor like their local cable operator. TiVo already is taking orders for a version of the Premiere Elite from cable operators for deployment later this year to customers served by digital cable systems, but TiVo also seeks to offer it directly to consumers served by such systems.

Highlights from This Week’s CEA Line Show

The CEA Line Show is taking place this week in New York, a preview of sorts for the post-summer gadget season that starts in time for holiday shopping. So far, there hasn’t been a whole lot of noise from the show, but a few products did catch my eye from the NYC coverage.

Parrot-AR-Drone-CEA-Line-Show-June-2011

First is the Parrot AR Drone, a small helicopter device with two video cameras you control with your iPhone. (The International Business Times covered it here.) Apparently there’s some sort of multi-person game you can play with the drones, though at $300 a pop, I don’t know how many of your friends are going to shell out the required cash. More interesting to me is the potential usefulness of the streaming video feeds. Whether for scouting out unreachable locations or creating multi-dimensional models, the AR Drones have interesting potential. So far, it appears you can only buy the little helicopters in the US from select hobby stores, but presumably online availability is on the way.

Next up is a new Android tablet from Vizio.