Article on B2.0 hinting (actually, clubbing its readers over the head) that TiVo + Strangeberry could do wonderful things. Basically, seamless multimedia networking using TiVo's UI and making it really dumb proof.
Here's are some excerpts:
"A number of analysts and other third-party observers who've seen the fruits of van Hoff's labors believe that his team may well have succeeded. Strangeberry software gives users the power to do things that no other set-top box or PC has been able to do. You can stream any content from the Net, watch it on your TV, or route it wirelessly to any other device -- MP3 player, PDA, laptop. It can all be done with the ease that TiVo's 1.6 million subscribers already have come to relish: You'll never need to click more than a button or two on a single remote to pull entertainment into any room in your house. "Nobody else has technology that comes close," says Daniel Ernst, managing director of New York investment bank Rodman & Renshaw."
"Strangeberry works and it's totally cool," says Marc Canter, co-founder of Web media tool maker Macromedia, who was given an early view of the technology."
It always troubles me when the industry starts to go gaga over something that's not even out to market yet. Haven't read anything with this much hype since... the Segway - remember codename Ginger?
Here's a thought. The Evil Empire, MS, should buy TiVo - that's right, you heard it here first! Would give MS a legitimate play / tech in the video space - both in the PC (with MC) & the CE realm. The Evil Empire could then bankroll TiVo's profitability, market share, and have a pretty substantial and interesting customer base / service. This could also give them leverage to broker some mutually agreeable terms and biz propositions with the cable cos, etc.
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