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For Your Consideration: How TV Ruined Your Life

Posted: 14 Apr 2011 06:59 PM PDT


It’s possible you may have managed to avoid ever running into Charlie Brooker’s columns at the Guardian, it being a British newspaper and all. But even if his scathing reviews of UK shows are no longer appearing regularly, there’s a newer piece of Brooker no one should be missing: How TV Ruined Your Life.

I thought I’d recommend it after watching the fifth episode (above), which blames TV for our adoration of progress, technology, and gadgets. The rest of the show is brilliant as well, and is an excellent indictment of a single technology that has made its way into our deepest emotional and social norms.

In 20 years, do you think there will be a How Smartphones Ruined Your Life? I hope so.

RIM CEOs: PlayBook Reviews Not “Fair,” Device Is “Superior”

Posted: 14 Apr 2011 05:59 PM PDT

Early reviews of the PlayBook have been unfavorable, but optimistic, mostly concluding that the tablet was launched half-baked, lacking some basic and promised functions like a native email client and Android app support. RIM’s executives have gone on the defensive, but their statements, reported by Bloomberg, aren’t really convincing.

Mike Lazaridis described the form factor and technology as “superior,” and industrial design VP Todd Wood said the design was “iconic,” hearkening back to items like Picasso and Hemingway’s notebooks. Of course, those notebooks had completely different purposes and usage methods, and, for the record, folded up when you were done. And despite the fact that the PlayBook is arguably technically superior to many tablets out there, it’s not superior in many ways the average consumer is likely to notice — yet. Instead, consumers will notice that they have to use the browser to access their email or that the selection of apps isn’t as great as they’d like (though 3000 is nothing to sneeze at, if they’re good).

Co-CEO Jim Balsillie said of the allegations that the device is missing key features: “I don't think that's fair. A lot of the people that want this want a secure and free extension of their BlackBerry.” If that were true, don’t you think devices like the Folio and Redfly would have taken off? Furthermore, if RIM expects to sell iPad numbers of these devices, they can’t hamstring their ambitions by positioning it as a glorified BlackBerry accessory. The proportion of business to party in the PlayBook has never been clear, and the launch hasn’t helped.

After reading the reviews around the net, I’m pretty convinced that the consistent message is no conspiracy and no accident. RIM felt they needed to put this device on the market, and they put it out leagues short of feature parity with the competition. Any launch will have its faults, and features will be filled in over time, but RIM may not be able to recover in the consumer space if the PlayBook doesn’t come into its own within a couple months.

Does it still have legs in enterprise? Trends are still too preliminary to really say too much on that front. Many businesses have integrated iPads, but that could easily be because the competition in the first year was so negligible. Some say tablets themselves won’t ever trickle up. One thing is for sure: BlackBerry is still a big brand in business, though for advantages that are easy enough for Apple and Google to approach. While RIM is busy keeping the lawn in order by appearing to be competitive in the tablet space, one of their competitors might just sneak in the back door and steal their lunch.

Lasers Suck, Says The War Nerd

Posted: 14 Apr 2011 04:29 PM PDT


We get excited about lasers here at CrunchGear, mainly because they’re lasers. Lasers are something we’ve wanted since our childhoods, when we watch Star Wars and thought “Man! I’m so glad they don’t have guns in the future, or this movie would have been boring!” Yes, these brightly-colored rays captured our hearts, even if our brains kind of knew that things didn’t really work like that.

Fast forward 30 years or so, and here we are, watching a video of the Navy setting a boat on fire with a real-life laser. Shouldn’t we be jumping for joy? Well, it’s not that simple.

The War Nerd points out some very good reasons we should not only be laughing at this demonstration of laser-based weapons, which is in actuality just melting some plastic over the period of a minute or more. If that was our normal weapon, and then someone said “hey, watch this” and fired an artillery shell or guided rocket at that thing, we’d freak out about how amazing these futuristic weapons are that destroy the whole boat in a second!

It’s true, lasers are pretty weak, which is why the draw is not what they are, but what they could be. The fantasy of a laser is a different thing from the reality of a laser, and what we’re celebrating (in our undeniable geekdom) is that we are, however imperfectly, attempting to make that fantasy a reality — it’s the closest thing we can get to the childish joy of playing pretend.

That said, there is a budget for these oversized laser pointers that could be paying for food and housing. That’s a whole can of worms I don’t want to open here, but it is worth pointing out that pie in the sky shouldn’t cost billions of dollars in real money.

For my dollar? Give me that railgun.

[via Reddit]

Sensor In Fujifilm’s X100 Outperforms Micro Four Thirds

Posted: 14 Apr 2011 03:54 PM PDT


A lab analysis by DxOmark of the impossible-to-find X100 has found that the sensor performs better than competing compact manual digitals. Of course, the X100 is a different type of camera, but they’re aimed in the same direction. At any rate it’s a testament to the engineering and the benefits of a fixed-lens system. Hopefully we’ll have one of these guys to test out soon.

[via 4/3 Rumors and PetaPixel]

Wii Successor Rumors Heat Up: Far More Powerful Console To Show At E3, Launch In 2012

Posted: 14 Apr 2011 03:42 PM PDT

We heard in March that a new Nintendo console was slated for an E3 release. We also heard more recently that the Wii is getting a price cut in May. The rumor mill is grinding, grinding, and an anonymous source claiming Nintendo is already showing the console to developers is adding grist today.

Game Informer says they’ve “heard from multiple sources” that the new, HD-capable system will be launching at E3 — if not before. Kotaku adds that the system may actually leapfrog the PS3 and 360 in terms of power.

The console would be announced at E3 but wouldn’t actually ship until 2012. Nintendo has teased its consoles a long ways ahead of time historically, so this wouldn’t be a surprise. They’re planning on launching with a strong third-party lineup, perhaps hoping to right the wrongs of the Wii.

Do we think this is for real? Personally, I think if Nintendo doesn’t really throw down something big at E3, they run a real risk of being hammered in the console sector, though they’re probably safe in handhelds. Last year it would have been a surprise, but this year, not showing something would be a surprise.

Update: More rumors (tracked here). Maybe someone just got fired and is info-dumping at some bar:

HD screen in controller – I’m not buying the HD, but a screen in the controller would make for DS-style control of inventory, commands, etc. That’d be pretty cool. But why not just use a DS? I’d guess that this theoretical “HD” screen will have the same resolution as a 3DS bottom screen.

Kickstarter: The Flow Is A Capacitive Paintbrush, Kind Of

Posted: 14 Apr 2011 02:12 PM PDT


The secret to liking the Flow is knowing what you’re getting. Art on the iPad or other capacitive devices can be difficult due to the fact that interaction with it doesn’t really feel like drawing or painting. You can finger-paint, basically, or use a stylus to draw, and either way there’s a disconnect. The Flow isn’t going to change that, but it does provide a way for you to actually use a paintbrush on a touchscreen, more or less the way a paintbrush is supposed to work.

Continue reading…

Adidas Now Has The Lightest Shoe In All Of Basketball. You Might Even Call It Crazy Light.

Posted: 14 Apr 2011 01:30 PM PDT

You’re looking at the lightest shoe in all of basketball. It’s the Adidas adiZero Crazy Light, and it weighs a mere 9.8 ounces. With the Crazy Light, Adidas now has the market cornered on lightest-footwear in three sports: basketball, football, and soccer, soccer being the best sport of the three, of course.

The adiZero Crazy Light follows the path led by the other two lightest bits of footwear: it’s 15 percent lighter than its nearest competitor, and it took two full years to develop. What have you been doing for the past two years, because I’ve certainly done nothing of note.

Derrick Rose, of Chicago Bulls fame, has given the shoe his stamp of approval, saying that "it will no doubt make [him] faster on the court for [their] playoff run."

High praise from someone who would know a thing or two about the sport.

I should probably say that it’ll be available from June 3 for $130.

Mionix Puts Out A Mechanical Keyboard, The Zibal 60

Posted: 14 Apr 2011 12:56 PM PDT


While there are plenty of keyboards to choose from between Microsoft, Razer, Logitech, and SteelSeries, Sweden-based Mionix wants you to know that they’ve got a solid device too with their Zibal 60. Can’t say it one-ups any of these guys on features or price, but hey, it’s an alternative to the usual suspects.

It’s got mechanical keys, as I mentioned, for that clicky, long-travel keydown feel. The keys themselves are backlit, and while it’s just one color, you can dim them or select just WASD to light up. There’s 6-key rollover, headphone and mic ports, and two USB 2.0 ports.

It’ll set you back $150, which is the same price as the SteelSeries 7G (which I’m typing on right now) but almost twice as much as the basic BlackWidow (I reviewed the $130 Ultimate) from Razer. Is it worth it? For the price, you’re getting better USB speeds than the 7G, but fewer features than the Razer. That said, I prefer the feel of the 7G.

Ah well! It’s impossible to say. Looks like a solid piece of hardware, anyway.

Think Tank’s Retrospective 5 Is An Understated, Compact Camera Bag

Posted: 14 Apr 2011 12:22 PM PDT


If the ONA Union bag I reviewed last week seemed a little too large or expensive, take a look at Think Tank’s Retrospective 5. It’s a similar messenger/flap style, but smaller and less geared towards waxed canvas fetishists like myself. I can’t actually tell from these pictures whether it’s nylon or canvas, no matter how hard I look, but either one would be fine by me, really.


It’s got removable interior barriers for organizing your stuff, a couple exterior pockets, and considerately includes the ability to “silence” the velcro fasteners so you don’t get that rrrip noise when swapping lenses during a wedding.

Looks like a totally solid bag if all you want to carry is your camera and a couple accessories — or indeed a mirrorless camera and quite a bit more. It’s not available quite yet, but it’ll cost $129 as soon as it is.

[via Photography Bay]

Apple Releases iOS 4.3.2 (4.2.7 for Verizon) for iPhones, iPads, and iPod Touches

Posted: 14 Apr 2011 10:33 AM PDT

iOS Updates! Get your fresh iOS updates here!

It’s only been about 3 weeks since Apple released iOS 4.3.1, but it’s time for another trip to your local Updatery.

Read the rest at MobileCrunch >>

Guinness World Records Launches An iOS Game, Will Print Highscores In The Book

Posted: 14 Apr 2011 10:32 AM PDT

When I was a lad, the Guinness Book Of World Records meant something. Kids at my school would battle to be the first into the library, kicking and clawing as they raced past the lame books — you know, the encyclopedias, almanacs, or other books meant for actual learning — to the little back-corner shelf where they kept the book. Screw knowledge — it was time to read about about the dude with the longest fingernails and chuckle at those two fat guys on the motorcycles.

Alas, the name doesn’t seem to mean quite as much these days. At this point, Guinness will give out a World Record for just about anything. Longest line of people washing dishes? Alright. Most plastic bottles recycled in one hour? Sure!. Most people sanitizing their hands? Yep! (Seriously.)

Watering things down a bit more, it looks like Guinness will be adding a few more weak ones: the highscores from an iOS game.. that they made… so that people could get into the book.

Read the rest at MobileCrunch >>

Comcast’s 105Mbps On Deck For National Rollout

Posted: 14 Apr 2011 10:30 AM PDT

Flickr’d

Comcast is about to nationally roll out its 105Mbps (!) Internet service. The ISP hopes to have the service in several of its top markets, including Boston, Chicago, Denver, and Miami, bringing the total number of potential subscribers up to 40 million. Considering so much of legitimate media consumption these days is based on streaming, having a super fast Internet connection will only help to a point.

I remember when I ordered Cablevision’s 101Mbps service two years ago, and the tech that installed it told me flat out, "You’re going to be faster than the services you’re trying to tap into." YouTube was still dog slow, for example. In fact, the only time I’ve regularly topped out the connection, which costs $99 per month (to Comcast’s $105 per month), is when using BitTorrent or Usenet.

Comcast says a 4GB iTunes download takes about four minutes with the service. That sounds about right, given my own experience.

The only issue, of course, is if Comcast decides to implement bandwidth caps. What’s the point of having a 105Mbps connection if you’re given a ceiling?

Review: Nike+ SportWatch GPS

Posted: 14 Apr 2011 09:57 AM PDT

While I am aware that my body generally looks like poorly mixed pizza dough spread over a misshapen skeleton, I do like to get my runs in when I can. For years I’ve tried all sorts of sports watches, from GPS devices from Garmin that looked like cigarette packages with straps to heart rate monitors that told my how hard I was working while wandering down the stairs to make a sandwich.

That’s why I was actually quite intrigued by the Nike+ SportWatch. Nike+ has long been the domain of iPod and iPhone users and the original Nike+ devices were designed to work specifically with Apple music players. Slowly, Nike weaned themselves off of the produce of Cupertino and began building standalone devices including an underpowered “sport watch” that worked with the Nike+ foot pod and now this, a more complete solution with built-in TomTom GPS sensor. It is also compatible with the Polar Wearlink+ Transmitter heart-rate transmitter, in case you also wanted to check your heart rate during the run.

The SportWatch connects to Nike+ footpods or it can grab data from orbiting GPS satellites. The footpod, actually a tiny disc-shaped device that fits inside certain Nike shoes or, with a bit of finagling, on the outside of any standard pair of running shoes, senses your footfalls and distance travelled and allows for exercise measurements indoors and in locations where GPS reception is limited. The GPS sensor, however, is quite superior to the footpod and offers an up-to-the-second read out of your speed and distance.

When you’re done with your run you simply flip down an ingenious little cover to expose a USB connector and then plug it into your Mac or PC. Your run is uploaded to the Nike+ website and stored. There you can set goals, see your performance, and even challenge other Nike+ users to races. The screen is quite readable and a built-in backlight ensures you can see how fast you’re going in the dark.

Like all sports watches, this model requires considerable discipline to gain any benefits from it at all and even those benefits – unless you’re training for a longer race – are dubious. However, I was pleased with the overall design and usability of the watch and I barely noticed it on my wrist during the few runs I took it on. Nike has done an excellent job of completely stripping out extraneous settings, even to the point of removing date and time settings and requiring a PC sync to change any settings. Many sports watches suffer from a surfeit of features all controlled with two or three inscrutable buttons. This watch basically lets you start a run and end a run and then go over previous runs. It will also remind you of upcoming planned runs. You can also tap the screen to set lap times. But, thankfully, that’s about it. Many newer watches create “ghost competitors” for you to race against and offer way too many read-outs and numbers on screen at a time. The closest thing this watch gives to feedback is a “Good run!” message when you’re done.

The watch is rechargeable and lasts about four days on one charge. You can charge it via USB in a few hours.

Again, rather than stuff this watch full of on-screen functionality, most of the magic happens in the included Nike+ app and website. For that Nike is to be commended. Most GPS watches of this sort are far too complex for their own good.

That said, does the world need another GPS watch? If I didn’t, for example, carry and iPod or iPhone with me during runs I’d say “Yes.” However, many of the features built into this watch can be replicated with a good app. But you are not always going to be carrying a few hundred dollars worth of mobile electronics with you during a 10K, so this is the next best thing.

At $199 the SportWatch is a little pricey but I would agree that you’re getting what you pay for. Again, I’m no longer a huge fan of the whole “all-in-one” sports watch system but this one performs quite admirably and is amazingly easy to use. And if it gets me out of the house for a run or two, I’m happy.

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EU Court’s Advocate General: Internet Filtering May Conflict With Charter Of Fundamental Rights

Posted: 14 Apr 2011 09:00 AM PDT

Flickr’d

The Advocate General of the European Union Court of Justice, Cruz Villalón, says [PDF] that national courts there should not have the ability to tell Internet Service Providers to filter their connections in order to prevent copyright infringement because such a move would conflict with the Charter of Fundamental Rights. That was a mouthful, yes. It should be noted that the Advocate General’s opinion isn’t binding in the least, so this shouldn’t be read as EUROPE BANS INTERNET FILTERING. Hardly. It’s more for the Court of Justice to consider as it goes forward than any sort of official, or even unofficial, ban.

This all stems from a case in mighty Belgium where an artists’ rights group, the Société belge des auteurs compositeurs et éditeurs, or Sabam, took issue with copyright infringement occurring via a local ISP, Scarlet Extended SA. After a series of court actions, the ISP was eventually told to install filtering software on its network in order to prevent the continued infringement of copyright.

Today we learn that, in the opinion of the Advocate General, this should never have happened in the first place.

Get ready for a wall of text!

…the Advocate General proposes that the Court of Justice should declare that EU law precludes a national court from making an order, on the basis of the Belgian statutory provision, requiring an internet service provider to install, in respect of all its customers, in abstracto and as a preventive measure, entirely at the expense of the internet service provider and for an unlimited period, a system for filtering all electronic communications passing via its services (in particular, those involving the use of peer-to- peer software) in order to identify on its network the sharing of electronic files containing a musical, cinematographic or audio-visual work in respect of which a third party claims rights, and subsequently to block the transfer of such files, either at the point at which they are requested or at the point at which they are sent.

Stripping that down a bit, the Advocate General is saying that EU law should have prevented the filtering system from being installed, or ordered to be installed, in the first place. Such a filtering system would amount to "a restriction on the rights and freedoms of internet users" and that it could only be legal if it "were adopted on a national legal basis which was accessible, clear and predictable."

So the idea of a filtering system isn’t 100 percent verboten, just that it’d have to be done in such a way that would happily co-exist with the laws on the books.

Again, none of this particularly means anything particularly here in the U.S., but it does show the evolution of courtroom understanding of some of the technologies involved in our lives.

400-CAM003: Bike-Friendly Mini DV Camera

Posted: 14 Apr 2011 08:33 AM PDT

Japan-based Sanwa Supply announced [JP] a mini camera specifically aimed at cyclists. The so-called “Bike Mini DV Camera 400-CAM003″ can not only shoot videos and pictures, it also doubles as a voice recorder.

Just place the device into the bicycle handle (which Sanwa throws in), and you’re ready to go. Technically, you get a 5MP CMOS camera that shoots MPEG-4 AVC/H.264(MOV) videos in 1,280×720 resolution and JPEGs in 3,200×2,400 resolution.

The device comes with just 40MB internal memory, which means you will have to use microSD cards (32GB max.). It features an HDMI interface and a USB port to transfer material to Windows XP/Vista/7 PCs. Sized at 85×50×23mm, the camera weighs just 81g.

The Bike Mini DV camera is already on sale in Japan where it costs $205 (including a mini remote control/pictured above). Ask Geek Stuff 4 U or the Japan Trend Shop if you’re interested in importing one.

Kinect And Netflix Joined Together In Beautiful Motion Harmony

Posted: 14 Apr 2011 08:12 AM PDT


The Kinect is big news and is currently on a march to take over the Xbox ecosystem with Netflix now supporting the motion controller. The update should hit, well, now. Mr. Xbox Major Nelson states that an update will be available the next time you fire up the Netflix app that adds the necessary bits. From there you should be able to control the entire app with your voice and hands. Stop, pause, fast forward, it all works with just a wave of your hand. Go go gadget, movie streaming!

Available today, Kinect support for Netflix on Xbox LIVE delivers controller-free movies and TV shows exclusively on Xbox 360

Starting today, Kinect support for Netflix now allows consumers to instantly watch TV shows and movies streaming from Netflix with just the wave of their hand and sound of their voice. As the first console to launch streaming from Netflix in 2008 and the only device that lets you share your favorite movies and TV shows with up to seven friends in a Movie Party, Xbox is now the only place to enjoy thousands of TV shows and movies streaming from Netflix controller-free on the biggest screen in your home.

“By integrating Kinect into the Netflix experience on Xbox LIVE, we’re continuing to transform the way people enjoy their favorite entertainment in the living room,” said Pete Thompson, General Manager, Xbox LIVE. “Since its launch, Netflix has always been one of the most popular services on Xbox LIVE, so we are excited to deliver a brand new way to control this experience in a way that can’t be found anywhere else.”

The Netflix application currently offers Xbox LIVE Gold members who are also Netflix members in the United States and Canada the ability to instantly watch TV shows and movies streaming from Netflix, which contains thousands of TV shows and movies from the major networks and studios, and independent and international producers. Now, through the power of Kinect, your voice is the remote control – just say “Xbox play” to start movie night.

“Netflix continues to provide its more than 20 million members in the U.S. and Canada unparalleled convenience, selection and value,” said Netflix Vice President of Corporate Communications Steve Swasey. “With thousands and thousands of titles available to watch instantly, paired with the innovation of Kinect and the power of Xbox LIVE, this is an entirely new way for Netflix members to enjoy instantly watching TV shows and movies streaming from Netflix on their TVs.”

With Xbox LIVE, take your Xbox 360 online and browse the full Netflix library to find the movie or TV show that you want, or launch Netflix from the Kinect Hub and select from one of the recommended titles using your voice and hand gestures as the remote control. Even play, pause, fast forward and rewind what you’re watching with the wave of your hand or the sound of your voice.

With a growing community of 30 million active members on Xbox LIVE spending more than one billion hours a month online enjoying entertainment, Xbox 360 is the only place to experience controller-free entertainment with tens of thousands of movies and TV shows in 1080p streaming, thousands of live and on-demand sports, and millions of songs – all on the biggest screen in your home shared with the people you care about most wherever they are.

Alienware M18X Gaming Notebook Leaked, Crazy Specs And All

Posted: 14 Apr 2011 08:10 AM PDT


Milk it! The already-full Alienware notebook line is soon getting a new big brother in the form of an 18-inch gaming monster. The M18x briefly appeared on Dell’s Canadian site and listed all the pertinent information including the pricing and specs. Yeah, this big boy doesn’t come cheap, but it’s certainly a mobile powerhouse just like the M17x.

Inside the M17x-ish casing is a Core i7 Extreme that’s overclockable to 4GHz, either AMD CrossFireX or Nvidia SLI GPUs, and up to 32GB of RAM. Of course with that much real estate on the massive casing there’s enough room for HDMI 1.4 port, dual headphone jacks, four USB jacks, VGA, Ethernet, eSATA, and an SD card slot. Alienware even included the impressive WirelessHD magic for cable-free fun.

The Canadian site listed the starting price at $2,000 CAD ($2,088 USD) but add in all the fun parts and that’s likely to skyrocket. The launch is likely immanent since the product page is clearly ready. The little delay is probably for the best. It should give you enough time to clear some room on your credit card.

Intel Calls USB 3.0 & Thunderbolt ‘Complementary,’ Will Support USB 3.0 in 2012

Posted: 14 Apr 2011 07:45 AM PDT

Intel now says it will support both its Thunderbolt interface, which first appeared on the recent MacBook Pro revision, and USB 3.0 sometime in 2012. Presumably if it supports USB 3.0 then it will support all previous versions of USB.

Intel made the announcement at a developer conference in Beijing, calling the technologies (ThunderBolt and USB) "complementary." This won’t be HD DVD vs. Blu-ray all over again.

This comes only one day after AMD made a big splash by announcing that at least two of its upcoming APUs will support USB 3.0 right out of the box, meaning motherboard manufactures won’t have to add a separate USB controller to offer USB support. Helps keep costs down.

The addition of USB 3.0 support to its Ivy Bridge platform—you’ll recall that Sandy Bridge was recently launched—means peripheral makers won’t have to fret over the increased adoption of USB 3.0. In other words, if you’re Company A and you make Device 1, which connects via USB 3.0, you know there will already be a potentially big userbase to work with.

The Humble PC: The Weirdest Computer You’ll See All Day

Posted: 14 Apr 2011 07:05 AM PDT

Every few years in the CE industry we get products that really make us scratch our heads. A few years ago it was some guy who had built a “quantum computer” and this year at CES we had the goofy Peep Wireless, a company that stripped the label from one of those RSA keys and pretended they had invented a mesh networking telephone.

This one is a bit harder to fathom but, sadly, it has all the markings of a charming, if involved, ruse. These PCs “run” Xilinx Field Programmable Gate Arrays to power what appears to be a desktop. The inventor, a man who calls himself Humble Gregg, has a very Zen-like approach to technology demos, offering “humble” (Hardware Unified Multiple Branch Logic Engine) devices for folks who want to think different.

The “PCs” cost a hefty $4,999 and, as evidenced from the multiple YouTube videos Gregg narrates in a calming voice, they don’t really work.

In any case, Gregg seems to know generally what he’s talking about. He even took to the time to describe his system in Xilinx’s own magazine (see page 48). However, you also get lines like:

Q: How does the Humble© PC intend to connect to the internet?

A: The initial method intended is via Ethernet connection through a FIOS telephone line (e.g. a Verizon broadband connection).

And you wonder what exactly is going on. Regardless, it’s a fascinating study in folk technology and hopefully you guys can make heads or tails of it more capably than I can.

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Is TiVo Working On A 4 Tuner HD DVR?

Posted: 14 Apr 2011 06:42 AM PDT


TiVo is a fun company to watch mainly because they move at such a slow pace. Updates come on a seemingly yearly basis and new hardware launches with Hally’s Comet. It’s been just over a year since the TiVo Premiere launched and the highly-touted HD interface is still laggy and often reverts to the old SD scheme. So imagine my reaction when Dave Zatz posted an excerpt from a recent TiVo survey regarding interest in a 4-tuner DVR. Yeah, I’m not exactly expecting such a model before the end of the decade.

The thought is good. I totally want a 4-tuner TiVo that would allow me to record four TV shows while watching a fifth off the hard drive. That way my wife can record all her dumb cake/little people shows while I watch the Wings destroy the Coyotes. I believe such a device would only require a big hard drive and two Multi-Stream CableCard decoders with cards.

Still, let’s remember what’s important, though. Hopefully TiVo finishes the damn HDUI before moving onto a new project. I mean, it’s been over a year and the UI still only uses one core on the Premiere’s dual-core platform. Sad.
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