Spotify to Launch Hardware, Cites Alexa and Snapchat

A trusted source indicates that Spotify, the highly regarded music streaming service, will soon follow in Snapchat’s footsteps with an unexpected foray into hardware. While details on the upcoming “wearable” were not provided, several job listings seemingly provide clues. Sr Product Manager-Hardware We are looking for a passionate and seasoned Senior Product Manager that will join the Platform … Read more

$250 Off TiVo Roamio OTA with Lifetime Service

Deal of the year, if this isn't a mistake! 1TB TiVo Roamio OTA *with Lifetime service* for just $149. https://t.co/ZWwXfU4Dm6 pic.twitter.com/mQb0s39kz5 — Dave Zatz (@davezatz) April 21, 2017

Sony’s Cord Cutting Problem

Sony serves up one of the very best cord cutting offerings of a small, but growing, gaggle of services that largely replicate cable bundles in aggregating a number pay channels, but served up over the Internet, with more modern interfaces and features (except when they don’t). Unfortunately, by going with “PlayStation” Vue branding, confusion has arisen as, it’s become clear … Read more

Ecobee4 Smart Thermostat Houses Amazon Alexa

As foreshadowed by FCC documents, seemingly displaying a rear-firing speaker, ecobee4 product marketing materials that have come my way and a premature Lowe’s listing confirm the presence of Alexa… to not only adjust one’s temperature via far-field voice recognition, but leverage many if not all of Amazon’s voice assistant capabilities. Hey, look there’s even the signature blinking … Read more

TiVo Roamio OTA for only $250 (including service!)

The TiVo Roamio OTA is on sale for $250, including lifetime service (!) and free shipping. Two points to note: This is the older, 500GB model and it is a refurb. However, this is a fantabulous deal — the cheapest way to get one of the very best antenna experiences… a likely better investment than the … Read more

TiVo Cloud DVR Details Emerge

When TiVo pulled the page hosting Mavrik imagery, they left behind a search box… and search I did. The TiVo Mavrik is confirmed as an OTA two-tuner network accessory, a la Tablo, that will beam both live and recorded content to web browsers, mobile apps, and the Fire TV. Mavrik plugs into your HD antenna and … Read more

TiVo Mavrik In Pictures

As TiVo brings on new leadership, encompassing their consumer portfolio, Google has surfaced an almost treasure trove of Mavrik imagery. The majority of the photos, originally published way back in July, have been removed or relocated… leaving us with just a small selection of gadgety goodness. We anticipate the presumably delayed TiVo Mavrik will ultimately be revealed as an OTA network tuner, somewhat akin to the HDHomeRun or Tablo, with cloud DVR capabilities and, at the very least, streaming video output to Amazon Fire TV. I’d also hope TiVo is busy retrofitting their existing iOS app for Apple TV support. Assuming the project hasn’t been or won’t be scrapped.

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Ecobee4 Smart Thermostat Gets Deeper Alexa Integration

Update: Confirmation of Alexa support and a photo of the ecobee4 can be found here, ahead of a May 3rd announcement.

The ecobee4 smart thermostat, originally leaked last month by Apple, has just passed through the FCC. As to what it offers over the ecobee3 and its remote sensors, well, that remains mostly a mystery. We assume it will retain Apple HomeKit integration and there is some thought its profile will match the new and slightly revised ecobee3 lite.

But most curious, based on the FCC glamour shot above, is some sort of round opening along the top of the ecobee4’s enclosure. What I’d originally thought might be additional or relocated environmental sensors, versus an exhaust port, may actually be a small speaker given new intel I have received indicating tighter ecobee+Alexa voice integration. Incorporating Amazon’s voice assistant makes a whole lot of sense given the practicality (why clutter things up with yet another Echo Dot) and recent $35 million dollar investment.

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