It could mean anything that Amazon is hosting a press event Monday morning, February 9th at the Morgan Library here in New York City. Maybe they just want to talk about how much they enjoy huge archives of original manuscripts and the smell of aged paper. Whatever the case may be, the last time we went to an Amazon event, they ended up launching the Kindle, so it’s not crazy to speculate that we very well could see the introduction of a new iteration of the successful e-book. We’ve pinged the company for more solid word, but it’s been radio silence thus far. Of course, we’ll be there live covering any news as it breaks, so just plan on being here… or being square.
If an invitation for an event at New York’s, ahem, Morgan Library is to be believed, Amazon’s new-and-improved Kindle could soon see the light of day.
The date meshes exactly with the previously assumed Q1 ’09 release date, and rumored pictures of the new device have been flowing since before the holidays. And we generally know what happens when gadget makers schedule press events at literary-themed NYC locactions.
We’ll be there, of course, to bring you all the news as it drops.
Need something to take your mind off work? Check out Gearlog’s deals for Thursday.
1. Oprah just loves giving things away. For today only, until 10 p.m. EST, Oprah.com is letting you download “American’s Song,” written and composed by Will.i.am, David W. Foster, Jean Baptiste and George Pajon, Jr., and featuring the vocal talents of Faith Hill, Seal, Mary J. Blige, Bono, and Will.i.am. Keep up those high spirits with this song celebrating the recent inauguration of our new President. [Via Bargainist.com]
2. Fans of “The Wire” will be happy to know that the complete series is on sale from Amazon for 67 percent off of the original price. Get 23 discs for just $81.99, down from $249.99. The sale ends today, so get to it.
3. Get the Canon PowerShot A590 8MP digital camera (pictured above) from J&R.com for just $109.88. The camera normally costs $179.99, so this deal saves you $70. Also, add an Epson Stylus Photo Printer (models 1400, R1900, or R2880) and get a $100 back with a mail-in-rebate. The rebate ends on December 31.
We found out yesterday that there is something amiss with the ratings that Belkin products have been receiving on Amazon — and while the company’s president pleads ignorance, more evidence of wrongdoing continues to mount. According to The Daily Background, Amazon accounts with names like B. Ekim (whose nickname is listed as “mikebayard,” same as the name of the employee that seems to have started this whole mess) exist with little to tie them to reality, aside from the fact that they enthusiastically rated Belkin products on sites like Amazon and PriceGrabber. When we asked a representative of the company point-blank whether or not anyone at Belkin has been offering money for positive reviews, we received this evasive reply:
Thanks for your email. We are still investigating the situation, and we hope to have a follow-up statement that will answer these questions later this week.
To be entirely honest, we don’t know what’s worse — that someone would outsource fraudulent five star ratings for his company, or the fact that the alleged fraud was so painfully obvious. Looking back, it does seem suspicious that so many people were so psyched about TuneCast.
This past year, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs began to focus on priorities other than tech. Who will fill their winged sandals and become the new Gadget Gods?
These next gods will, like their predecessors, be people whose professional and private lives, and even personal appearance, are of equal importance to hordes of obsessed nerds. They’re people whose creativity and willpower are presumed to steer the course of personal technology, with legions of engineers and programmers and designers and manufacturing experts carrying out their vision. The key is putting themselves out for all the public to behold, with the hopes of becoming revered by apostles who buy anything they unveil. Seeing as we’re running low on golden calves, let’s check out the current options:
APPLE Tim Cook People say Cook is the man who makes the beautiful products turn into a beautiful pile of money, and he actually took over Apple when Jobs was recovering from his first surgery. A southern gentleman, avid cyclist, iron-fisted boss, mysterious loner, emotionless decider—man, Cook is so easy to reduce to two-word stereotypical descriptors, he’s bound for godhood. Even his name comes packaged in a suave but unforgettable two syllables. The catch of course is that he can’t ascend the mighty throne of Apple until the big cheese retires or bows out due to health. Cook’s trod the boards at Stevenotes before, but now he’s holding back—or being held back—perhaps because if he becomes big boss, he’ll need a fresh start. All eyes not on Steve are on this guy. Can he fill the shoes left open and be the forceful visionary that Jobs is? Chance of Godhood? 75% with a few variables we’d rather not think about
Phil Schiller Schiller has helped sell Apple products since forever, but the general impression is that he’s best used as a right-hand man, a Boy Wonder to the real Batman. The mullet/beer gut combo probably doesn’t do wonders for his public image, either, though “death diving” from 30 feet up like he did back in ’99 isn’t a bad way to entertain the fanboys. It’s easy to forget that Phil used to be involved in product development, including notebooks, and some even credit him for the addition of the iPod’s clickwheel. We also hear that the man can kick some ass behind the scenes. He might have what it takes to be the next product don of Apple, but the current hierarchy won’t make it easy for him. Chance of Godhood? 35% assuming the Apple board is thinking like we’re thinking
MICROSOFT Steve Ballmer The Monkey Man act may work to get attention, to rally your troops and put fear in your enemies, but it’s too easy to make fun of in Photoshop. This kind of attention has taken Ballmer pretty far along the road to godhood, but the public doesn’t often see the quieter, shrewder Ballmer that we know exists. The key is this: He is not a code nerd, but a Harvard-educated marketing-and-sales guy. Being able to climb inside the mind of the Average Joe, typically oriented around useful features instead of sheer software power, is what Microsoft needs to limit bloat in product design. If Windows 7 is a success, we’ll see the Bruce Banner in this Hulk, but if it’s not, it’ll be “BALLMER SMASH!!!!” and the end of Microsoft. Chance of Godhood? 85% assuming Windows 7 erases the terrible memory of Vista
Robbie Bach Microsoft’s Entertainment and Devices boss has Xbox, Zune, Media Center and a lot of other potentially tasty toys in his workshop, and he’s rumored to be the man who would replace Ballmer. What’s most important here? His group accounts for most of the Microsoft products that don’t suck. Word is, though, that the limited profitability of his group, today, limits the amount of respect he gets internally. We say the rest of the company should stop and see what he’s doing right. He certainly understands the art of the keynote, strutting around and working the crowd with the shoulders-forward energy of a college football coach. He may be too good at sticking to the script, though. His cautious replies may be good for stockholders, but you can’t inspire the masses without a little bit o’ crazy. Chance of Godhood? 70%, higher if he is heard matter-of-factly admitting that Windows Mobile sucks
SONY Sir Howard Stringer Usually you get the “sir” appended to your name after you live a wild and crazy life in the public eye, but this guy is only more and more in the spotlight each year. When he talks he brings delightful controversy and charisma, but he doesn’t do enough with big crowds. How come no gloaty Blu-ray victory dance party? Chilling with Charlie Rose isn’t a direct path to divinity, but showing up with Tom Hanks at CES is a start. Still, Sony needs to regain gadget clout, not remind the world that it’s a piracy-fearing movie maker. One thing he has done is give the Japanese firm a leader who isn’t afraid to lay off when the company is bloated with employees not pulling their weight, unlike traditional Japanese CEOs. And he encourages Japanese employees to work abroad to increase their understanding of the customers of the world. But he’s also been working hard to unify the company’s software and hardware development not only in each division, but across product groups. Only Apple and Microsoft have done this successfully, but Sony is actually making progress here, behind the scenes. Chance of Godhood? 45% because it might just be too late for the guy—or for Sony
GOOGLE Larry Page/Sergey Brin Never mind that Google keeps more products in beta than it launches or that these two are tech titans already on the web. Their first foray into hardware was received lukewarmly. But Google is here to stay, and no matter what CEO Eric Schmidt does, these two dudes’ faces will be the ones people think of. The last 60 years of tech are full of dynamic duos—Woz and Jobs, Hewlett and Packard, etc.—but unless you’ve got the timing of Martin and Lewis, it’s hard to pull off a tandem keynote. It definitely doesn’t help when you show up late wearing rollerblades. We just hope that the company can give their Android division the support it needs to compete with the companies full time in the gadget game, because Android is not only disruptive, but it’s the ammo that the phone makers need to compete with the all-in-one giants from Redmond and Cupertino. Chance of Godhood? 60%, could go up if they release more products, or undergo the operation Damon and Kinnear had in Stuck On You
ASUS Jonney Shih Netbook-revolutionary Asus is probably the company (companEee?) doing the most with Apple’s old mantra, “think different.” Their stuff coming out of Taiwan is radical and fun, and Jonney Shih, little known in these parts, is the sole capitano up top. He’s not afraid to rock the microphone, but he keeps doing it at other people’s events. Asus also makes a lot of notebooks for competitors, and has hardware expertise to spare. But in terms of software, they’re still limited by a strong dependence on Windows for their notebooks. As for their weak brand presence in the mainstream: Dude, you got some cash, time to throw bigger parties of your own, and not just ones timed with CES. And take another page from Apple: Learn how to keep products secret until they’re finished and shipping. Chance of Godhood? 40%, more if he finds a good barber and a dealer of fine turtlenecks and presentation sweaters
HTC Cher Wang The phone maker who first teamed with Google and launched the T-Mobile G1 is chaired by, yep, a lady! Named Cher! Cher actually got her start selling computer parts for a computer company, and helped found HTC to realize the vision of the true handheld computer. Even if the HTC brand is only a few years old to consumers, HTC has been making phones for other companies for a while: One in every six phones sold in the US this year were from her factories. They’ll grow stronger now that Android is here and Windows Mobile is (hopefully) in a period of major improvement, but their branding and design is still a bit on the chunky side. From the looks of her official corporate portrait, she could probably use a queer eye or two—I know I sound like a dick here, but sadly society does judge women more harshly than men on personal appearance. My guess is that as someone who emphasizes being a “devout Christian” in her bio, she’d probably frown on the whole “tech god” thing anyway. Chance of Godhood? 30% since Cher’s probably too busy to take our advice anyway—she also runs the chipmaker VIA
PALM Ed Colligan Colligan’s generally stormy course at Palm’s helm finally reached some smooth waters: He just unveiled Pre, a fresh, attractive take on the smartphone, bolstered by healthy chunks of DNA from Apple and other new smartphone platforms via the talent they aggressively poached. He’s proven he has what it takes to make big aggressive changes with this handset, and get the right talent in place, just like Steve Jobs would. And Colligan isn’t afraid to make bold brash statements, a requirement of godhood. But can he go all the way? Currently, his problem is with presenting—he’s not all that memorable, which might actually be good if you’re the guy who introduced the world to the Palm Foleo. Chance of Godhood? 15% cuz did I mention he believed, not long ago, that Foleo would “redefine how people work”?
Jon Rubinstein The “executive chairman” to Colligan’s “president and CEO,” it’s hard to tell if Rubinstein is sitting on the throne or next to it. He has our vote. The man in charge of bringing about Palm’s would-be salvation, the Pre, previously at Apple led development of the frickin’ iPod (maybe you’ve heard of it), and has actually out Apple’d Apple with the UI in this new handset. And Rubinstein’s team is one of the only in the world that is capable of revolutionizing cellphone operating systems. He keeps it cool on stage, reminding us a little of Nintendo’s amiable US boss, Reggie Fils-Aime. And his more than passing resemblance to Jeff Goldblum is a plus, too. One limitation in Palm that both Rubinstein and Colligan have to face: Palm will never build an end to end personal tech environment the way Apple and Microsoft can, even if they are on par in terms of making interfaces from the future. Chance of Godhood? 55%, but sky’s the limit if he can shoo Colligan away
AMAZON Jeff Bezos Bezos already was a god—a dotcom god. Many of those other former household names are now mercifully forgotten, but Bezos still shows up on magazine covers. He recently heralded in the eradication of DRM from online music retailers to the applause of paying music customers. But what really surprised us, and earned him a place on this list was that he had such a grand vision of what the ebook should be—the replacement of the book—and the funding and drive to make it happen. But he should do more live appearances to drum up more mainstream excitement over software initiatives like the DRM-free MP3 store and video on demand. And he needs to keep Kindles in stock long enough for people to buy them. Most importantly, he’s finally learning that tech gods are only as good as their next products. Just because Bezos understands books on a deep level doesn’t mean he’ll ever be able to do any other type of gadget besides E-Ink tablets. That’s ultimately limiting when it comes to building next-generation personal tech ecosystems. In the meantime, where’s my Kindle 2? Chance of Godhood? 30% if he does more bragging in person, though that braying laugh of his could be a liability
DEKA/SEGWAY Dean Kamen Back in 2001, the rumor mill leading up to the launch of the Segway rivaled any Apple buzz. Before the product was even seen, people wrote about it being civilization-changing, and as important as the internet. Kamen’s been on a roll (get it?) since then, not just developing the police Segway, the golf Segway and some kind of Segway footstool, but also perfecting a water purifying technology and a truly robotic prosthetic arm, all while greening up his own private island. He’s did it all with few mainstream public appearances: Showing up at All Things D with a video of the robot arm—not the real thing—was a misstep in our minds, but appearing on Colbert with a working water purifier was definitely a sign of publicity (and worship) to come. If he can invent something for the gadget lovers of the world that is as bright and thoughtful and life changing as his humanitarian tech, he’d become the Jobs that Jobs wishes he was. Chance of Godhood? A tragic 45%, seriously, this guy is Q, MacGyver and Hank Scorpio rolled into one—why isn’t he a god already?
FACEBOOK Mark Zuckerberg The sad fact is that our whole world is shifting over from hardware to software. Sure, Kamens are still needed to make sure there’s progress in mechanical devices, but our toys are less and less mechanical. Facebook is probably the best example of an internet platform that has stolen thunder from the gadget world. Trouble with Facebook is that it’s big and amorphous, and the charming Zuckerberg needs a second act to propel him into the heavens. Still, he’s like 13, with his whole life and a lot of money ahead. He’ll think of something. But to be a Gadget God, he’ll have to always depend on the hardware of others. At least until we have browsers in our brains with which we can access our social networks with. Chance of Godhood? 95% even if it doesn’t happen in my lifetime
These are all strong candidates, but the assumption is that there will, in fact, be new gadget gods. Maybe, like the ancient gods themselves, our new era doesn’t have as much use for them. Maybe it’s not just the transition to software, but the shift from bright ideas to massive team efforts. Or maybe Jobs and Gates are the kinds of guys that only come along once a century, and we’re gonna have to wait a little longer for something that divine.
You heard it right! Microsoft’s Xbox Live Gold subscription, which normally runs $50 annually, is being sold by Amazon right this very instant for $29.97. A similar discount was apparently going on at Buy.com last week, so we’re not sure what it all means, but we suppose it could mean that Microsoft might possibly be moving toward a lower price for the subscription (don’t hold your breath). We don’t really know “why” or “how” this has happened, but it “rules” and we’re looking forward to all the extra cash our avatar’s going to have in the coming year for new hats and fingerless gloves.
Remember how Michael Bayard, a Belkin Business Development representative, was apparently hiring people from Mechanical Turk to post glowing reviews of Belkin products on Amazon and elsewhere? Well, we just received an apologetic letter tucked firmly between the quaking legs of Mark Reynoso, President of Belkin — a man clearly fearful of a consumer backlash. Reynoso expressed “surprise and dismay” that one of his employees “may have” (er hem, may have?) invited positive reviews for payment. While Belkin isn’t admitting fault, it’s at least taking responsibility to “re-instill trust” through the following actions:
“We’ve acted swiftly to remove all associated postings from the Mechanical Turk system. We’re working closely with our online channel partners to ensure that any reviews that may have been placed due to these postings have been removed.”
Back in our day, if you weren’t busy walking up uphill both ways, you’d write your own dang fake reviews on Amazon, but apparently Belkin‘s Michael Bayard — or a clever impostor looking to smear the man’s good name — decided it’d be easier and totally non-obvious to hire people on Mechanical Turk to do it for him. For a whopping $0.65 cents you can write a 5 out of 5 review of a Belkin product, and downrank negative reviews while you’re at it. Michael Bayard is a Business Development Representative at Belkin, and seems to have pulled the Mechanical Turk posting, but the him and his company have yet to comment publicly. Say it ain’t so, Mike!
Another work week is over, so it’s time to kick up your feet and relax. While you’re sitting on the couch, check out Gearlog’s deals for Friday:
1. Amazon is having a buy-one-get-one free sale on select TV seasons on DVD. Not only are the DVDs already discounted by 30 percent, but you also get another season free. Shows like “I Dream of Jeanie,” “The Shield,” or “Get Smart,” are available, but check out the full listing of 121 available titles. The sale ends on January 14.
2. Looking for an inexpensive headset? Sellout.woot is offering Philips’ PC Stereo Headset SHM3100 for $2.49. It’s offered on Amazon for $9.99, so this is quite the deal.
3. ThinkGeek is having a sale on a plethora of items. Save 25 percent off of the Ultra-thin Digital Voice Recorder (above), 27 percent off of the 15-inch Gigantor Digital Photo Frame, and 40 percent off of the Pico USB Flash Drive. Check out all the discounted items before it’s too late.
Everybody is launching networked TVs it seems, but Vizio’s “Connected HDTV” sounds killer: Built-in 802.11n Wi-Fi, with every service you’d want: Amazon, Blockbuster and Netflix VOD, Pandora, Flickr, Rhapsody, plus any other Yahoo widget.
Not there, you notice is Hulu. BUT, Vizio says they’re in “deep talks” with them. So Hulu, directly integrated into your TV, looks likely. The connected platform runs on Yahoo widgets and Adobe Flash Lite, and you can develop your own widgets with Yahoo’s SDK. It’ll start in two TVs this fall, eventually expanding to Vizio’s entire XVT line. Not all of the services were up and running, but overall, it looked and performed well—easy to use, and not intrusive.
The crazyass QWERTY slider remote, on the other hand, might not be so simple, but it’s fully Bluetooth 2.0 compliant, meaning you can do more than control your TV with it.
VIZIO ANNOUNCES NEW AND EXCITING “CONNECTED HDTV” PLATFORM WITH WIRELESS CONNECTIVITY (802.11n)
– VIZIO’s “Connected HDTV” Platform gives HDTV viewers unprecedented choice and access to Internet-based content streamed directly to their VIZIO HDTV without the inconvenience and expense of a PC or set top box.
– VIZIO’s “Connected HDTV” Platform provides a fully customizable and dynamic entertainment experience with built-in wireless (802.11n) to access on-demand movies, music, news, weather, sports, gaming and social networking services.
– Content and service providers are rapidly expanding and now include Accedo Broadband, Adobe®, Amazon®, Blockbuster®, Flickr®, Netflix®, Pandora, Rhapsody® and Yahoo! ®
LAS VEGAS, NV (CES) and IRVINE, CA – – January 7, 2009 – – VIZIO, America’s TV and Consumer Electronics Company, announced today the unveiling of its “Connected HDTV” Platform, which enhances the HDTV viewing experience by bringing personalized entertainment, information and social networking content into the viewer’s living room. With unprecedented choice and control of web-based and local content from a wide range of popular content providers and services, including on-demand movies and music, news, weather, sports, gaming and social networking services, this platform will be integrated as a key feature into VIZIO televisions shipping to retailers nationwide this Fall 2009 in time for the busy holiday season.
VIZIO’s “Connected HDTV” Platform is designed to compliment TV viewing. At a single touch of the VIZIO customized remote control, viewers can access their favorite Internet content from the easy to navigate on screen display, without interrupting the TV program they are viewing. With built-in wired and wireless (802.11n) networking, VIZIO televisions with the “Connected HDTV” Platform will provide true plug-and-play connectivity right out of the box.
“In our recent report on the future of the television, Evolution of the Television – From Passive Consumption Device to the Entertainment Center of the Home, we noted, ‘The television has evolved from a passive consumption device that received limited over-the air programming, to the entertainment center of the home where multitudes of activities come together,’” stated Nathan Safran, Analyst at Forrester Research, Inc. “While broadband set top boxes that deliver content into the home are interesting because they establish a new way of delivering content to the television, they have had limited appeal because of the up-front equipment outlay and because content has been restricted to a single partner. However, when streaming media capability is integrated directly into the network enabled television, it becomes a game changing proposition, and is the next step in the evolution of the television, as it eliminates the equipment outlay for the set top box and gives the viewer a broad range of content to choose from.”
“As consumer demand for content and information grows exponentially, we want to address what our customers are increasingly looking for – the ability to enjoy their favorite content and services from the comfort of their living room easy chair,” said Laynie Newsome, VP Sales and Marketing Communication and Co-Founder of VIZIO.
Paul Gagnon, Director of North America TV Market Research at DisplaySearch also noted, “In a hyper-connected world, TVs will start integrating more completely with the various sources of available content. According to a recent study DisplaySearch conducted, 22% of respondents wanted access to web-based information and more than 31% already watch movies from on- demand services.”
Along with the expectation of anywhere, anytime access, consumers crave variety and the freedom to choose from a wide set of entertainment and information sources. “Our ‘Connected HDTV’ Platform is a key element of VIZIO’s Consumer Ecosystem, which places the VIZIO HDTV as a focal point, allowing viewers to seamlessly connect to information and entertainment sources that they want, when they want them,” said Matthew McRae, VIZIO VP. “The platform also provides an unprecedented opportunity for Internet-based service providers to develop and deploy innovative applications to a large consumer audience.”
VIZIO’s “Connected HDTV” Platform will incorporate the Yahoo! Widget Engine, which provides an open platform enabling a new class of Internet services, called TV Widgets, to thrive in the TV environment. The platform will also include support for Adobe Flash LiteTM, which will enable developers to deliver rich applications, content, and video over the Web to the television itself.
Leading popular content and service providers are working with VIZIO’s “Connected HDTV” Platform to bring a very wide variety of entertainment, information, social networking and other applications to consumers, including:
Accedo Broadband (www.accedobroadband.com) — Accedo’s popular casual gaming service, Funspot®, allows viewers to play a variety of fun games from the comfort of their favorite armchair. Games include Texas Hold ‘Em Poker, Sudoku, and QuizzMaster.
Adobe (www.adobe.com/flashplatform) — Adobe Flash® Player and Adobe Flash Lite are on over 98 percent of connected computers and more than 800 million devices, and deliver more than 80 percent of Web videos worldwide. Both players are part of the Adobe Flash Platform and ensure that content and applications are presented consistently in the format users want.
Amazon Video on Demand (www.amazon.com/vod) — Amazon Video On Demand plans to make its massive selection of over 40,000 movies and TV shows available to users of VIZIO’s “Connected HDTV” Platform, providing users with the total on demand entertainment solution. Using the VIZIO television’s built-in Internet connection, Amazon Video On Demand plans to give customers the ability to browse, shop and instantly watch everything from hit new release movies to classic movie favorites and individual TV episodes and seasons.
Blockbuster OnDemand (www.blockbuster.com) — One of the nation’s leading digital movie services, BLOCKBUSTER ONDEMAND makes thousands of titles, including the newest releases, available for rental and purchase. The service is available on an a la carte basis, no subscription necessary, and includes content from the major Hollywood studios as well as more than 30 other studios, television-content distributors and foreign and independent content providers.
Flickr (www.flickr.com) — Flickr, a Yahoo! company, is one of the world’s leading online photo and video sharing communities where people explore, find and manage pictures and video clips of life’s daily moments with friends, family and the world. The Flickr TV Widget helps users make their favorite photo content available to the people who matter to them. Consumers can view, share and organize photos with friends and family or check out what interesting new photos were recently posted by others — all in the social setting of the living room on their large flat panel television.
Netflix (www.netflix.com) — Since launching its streaming functionality in January 2007, Netflix has grown its catalog to more than 12,000 choices of movies and TV episodes to watch instantly on the TV via a number of Netflix ready devices. Netflix members pay as little as $8.99 per month for unlimited instant streaming and unlimited DVDs from a catalog of more than 100,000 DVD titles in more than 200 genres.
Pandora (www.pandora.com) — Based on the Music Genome Project begun in 2000, Pandora’s personalized Internet radio and music discovery service delivers personalized playlists built from a database with over 550,000 songs analyzed by more than 30 trained musicians and assessed against nearly 400 distinct musical attributes.
Rhapsody (www.rhapsody.com) — Rhapsody’s award-winning digital music service gives consumers access to more than six million songs on their PC, on their portable device and in the home. Now, VIZIO “Connected HDTV”-enabled users will have living room access as well to Rhapsody’s extensive music catalog, professionally programmed music channels, personalized recommendations and thousands of themed playlists.
Yahoo! — Yahoo! provides the best of the Internet in perfect harmony with the simplicity and reliability of the television. The innovative Yahoo! Widget Engine, which will help drive VIZIO’s “Connected HDTV” Platform, will offer VIZIO customers an enhanced viewing experience by bringing to market a new class of interactive applications called TV Widgets. Initial Yahoo! TV Widgets available will include Yahoo! Weather, Yahoo! News, and Yahoo! Finance, soon to be followed by Yahoo! Sports and Yahoo! Video. Yahoo! Video puts a wide range of news, sports, lifestyle, and entertainment video content in one place for users to enjoy on their TV via the Internet. Additional well-known content providers already developing TV Widgets for deployment include CBS, Showtime®, TwitterTM, The New York Times® and MySpace®.
By collaborating with leading content, service and technology partners to create a truly compelling and personalized user experience, VIZIO sees its new advanced platform as part of its continual evolution to deliver consumers more of what they love. “The quality of the platform partners that we are attracting validates our approach. Our partner list will continue to expand,” stated Matthew McRae, VIZIO VP. “This platform offers innumerable opportunities given VIZIO’s hefty HDTV market share and growth expectations for the future.”
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
If an invitation for an event at New York’s, ahem, Morgan Library is to be believed, Amazon’s 
This past year, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs began to focus on priorities other than tech. Who will fill their winged sandals and become the new Gadget Gods?
Tim Cook
Phil Schiller
Steve Ballmer
Robbie Bach
Sir Howard Stringer
Larry Page/Sergey Brin
Jonney Shih
Cher Wang
Ed Colligan
Jon Rubinstein
Jeff Bezos
Dean Kamen
Mark Zuckerberg
Everybody is 
Not there, you notice is Hulu. BUT, Vizio says they’re in “deep talks” with them. So Hulu, directly integrated into your TV, looks likely. The connected platform runs on Yahoo widgets and Adobe Flash Lite, and you can develop your own widgets with Yahoo’s SDK. It’ll start in two TVs this fall, eventually expanding to Vizio’s entire XVT line. Not all of the services were up and running, but overall, it looked and performed well—easy to use, and not intrusive. 
The crazyass QWERTY slider remote, on the other hand, might not be so simple, but it’s fully Bluetooth 2.0 compliant, meaning you can do more than control your TV with it.
