Squeezebox Review: On My X’mas List

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I admit to feeling some trepidation when my Slim Devices Squeezebox review unit arrived. Since buying a house a year and a half ago, my stereo from early high school has sat unused in our basement. (Note the cheesy, Space-Invaders-like display on the screen and the layers of dust.)

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I popped open one of the tape decks and look what I found:

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So imagine my nervousness at trying to combine the archaic technology of my high school years with something as beautiful as the Squeezebox.

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I’ve contemplated upgrading my music options for quite a while now, but frankly I’ve been pretty happy with my iPod and the kitchen radio for listening to NPR. Satellite radio has a monthly fee, which I’m not willing to pay, and my music collection isn’t stellar enough to warrant buying an iPod dock with speakers.

Looking at the Squeezebox, I wondered not only if I could make it work with my stereo, but if it would even be worthwhile given my decidedly low-key approach to music.

Here’s the answer: Yes, yes, unequivocally yes. Can I have it for Christmas, please? Pretty please with a cherry on top?

Every new thing I tried with the Squeezebox just made it better — Starting with streaming my own music, then accessing the SqueezeNetwork and finally going full out with Pandora. If you want to skip set-up and some of the more gory details, scroll to the end for a list of pros and (very few) cons.

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TiVo Sells Ads After Recordings

We knew this was coming… In fact, Mari just covered a similar advertising service that will glue commercials onto Charter’s video-on-demand programming. TiVo’s “Program Placement” allows advertisers to buy slots for their commercials to play at the conclusion of a recorded program. This could be very lucrative for TiVo as it really creates a secondary … Read more

Digital Media Bytes

A periodic roundup of relevant news… Beatles and Apple near exclusive iTunes deal: Fortune EchoStar retrial on TiVo patents denied: Denver Post Will paying for user video pay off: GigaOm Xbox movie downloads timed: Gizmodo Control BeyondTV with Slingbox: Fresh Arrival TiVo Glo Remote available for 8,500 Reward Points: TiVo

Dave Touches Wii

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One of my goals here in NYC today was to pick up a Wii. I didn’t expect my odds to be very good and they weren’t: Nintendo Store, Best Buy, and Toys R Us are all out of stock. Though, I did see one guy purchase a Wii at the Toys R Us and another wandering with a unit in hand — perhaps these were pre-orders?

At the Nintendo Store I had some hands on time with Excite Truck which turns out to be a horrible game and makes me question my desire for a Wii. The graphics are poor and the game is just boring, though I assume two player mode is more fun.

Those of you who live in town better wake up early tomorrow… Both the Nintendo Store and Toys R Us received Wii shipments and will be selling them at 10AM.

Bonus NYC day tripping pictures after the jump…

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Ad-ding It Up for VOD

It’s kind of like the war between spammers and anti-spammers. As soon as one side comes up with a new technological weapon, the other builds something for the arsenal to counter it. So it goes with television advertising. Charter is starting a trial in hometown St. Louis of dynamic, on-demand advertising. The reason this is … Read more

Dave’s Holiday Shopping Agenda

It’s that time of year again! No, not the season of giving… Rather, it’s the season of trampling your neighbors to get the best deal for yourself at the Walmarts of the world. I’ve put together a small list of what I want, where to get it, and at what cost. The odds of my … Read more