Category: Platforms

Sony will be launching its PlayStation 2 on Broadband service in Japan in April. Through recent deals it now has access to 70% of Broadband users and is talking about offering general entertainment (music, films, etc) as well as downloading and playing games.

A potentially interesting clash of old friends is brewing. Paul Allen co-founded Microsoft and over the last five years has bought a large number of cable companies that he amalgamated into Charter Communications, making it the fourth largest cable provider in the USA with around seven million customers.

He also has a company called digeo which has just announced with Motorola. their ‘broadband media center’. It’s comprehensively equipped with PVR, photo, music, games and telephony facilities. Using an interesting approach, it will initially be an add-on box that works with Motorola’s widely used DCT2000 set-top box, later moving to one box that performs all of the functions. I imagine it will have a period of exclusivity on Charter, then be sold into the large number of other cable companies that run on Motorola hardware – leading to a pretty formidable platform.

We await its launch in May with interest and look forward to the ensuring battle.

SONICblue announce that they are going to start selling their DVR’s through the retail market, rather than just direct.

UK company Pace today announced a sub-£100 digital TV adaptor, that enables and analogue TV to receive digital broadcasts.

Initially Microsoft denied that the Xbox would be an entertainment gateway, fearing that would raise paranoia in potential purchasers. It was clear to everyone that this was of course nonsense. Xbox 2 or HomeStation as it cheekily rumoured to be called will apparently not be disguised as ‘just’ a games machine.

The second release of TiVo brings it functionality up to the level of it’s new entrant competitors – BB and dialup access, Real player built in, etc

A German company, Gericom has co-announced with Siemens a GPRS enabled notepad. First of many to come I’m sure – this one only giving around ISDN access speeds.

This is the first review I’ve seen of a Sonicblue ReplayTV 4040. The piece is a bit light-weight but covers the ability to send recording to other Replay TV units.

I’ve felt for a long time that wireless tablets would be where it’s at for home users, as they’re so adaptable – use when sitting at a table or lounging on the sofa. Sometime back there was some promising announcement of products but no delivery, well finally it appears to be happening. A couple of wireless tablets, one from Sony (Air Board) and the other from Viewsonic (AirPanel 150).

Back from my Winter break, hence the lack of comments recently.

What SonicBlue stared with their ReplayTV 4000 product, Moxi now take to another level with the key, multi-room (four) facility – a very exciting media convergence product.