TiVo Continues to Lose Subscribers

Today, TiVo reported that they lost thousands of subscribers, bringing their total customer base down to 3.6 million, compared to the 4.2 million customers they had just last year. However, amidst the dwindling subscriber base, the company did manage to achieve a 4% revenue gain, and an 88% increase in hardware sales, making their report a mixed bag.

TiVo remains certain that they can continue to stay profitable with changing business model, shifting the focus off hardware, and onto both licensing their own software, and getting other partners, such as YouTube and Entertainment Weekly into the fray. It has seemed as if TiVo was on its last legs for quite some time now, and the move to licensing the TiVo operating system was the one thing many spectators championed when they were dropped from Direct TV.

I can personally attribute the decline in customers to a few key issues. Naturally, the pressure from increased competition with cable providers has impeded the company's ability to retain their customers, and the advent of affordable, multi-room DVRs already integrated with customers' cable service hasn't exactly helped their efforts. But, above all, I believe loyal customers are annoyed with the creeping introduction of ads, the buggy and non-existent timely software updates, and the lack of software support (especially for OS X) has left many with a bad taste in their mouth.

Lots of people are leaving TiVo. We'll find out roughly how many when the company reports second-quarter results this afternoon. By a couple estimates, TiVo lost anywhere from 100,000 to 142,000 subscribers last quarter alone, which leaves the company with a subscriber base of around 3.[6] million. 

Source: Wired Blog

Nikon D90 is World's First Video Recording DSLR

Nikon's famous D90 digital SLR has been speculated on and outed again and again for weeks now, but Nikon sent out an official announcement today. Though the camera still has the usual fanfare of specifications, namely the 12.3 megapixel lens, Live View LCD, and ISO speeds from ISO 200 to ISO 6400, it also offers something DSLRs have lacked: the ability to record video.

The recording function does seem to be a bit limited at best. For example, 720p video is limited to five minutes because of the FAT32 2GB filesystem limitation, the camera lacks auto-focus while shooting video, audio is only captured in mono sound, and the motion JPEG compression the D90 utilizes results in a much larger file size when compared to more efficient codecs such as Divx or H.264.

But even with the D90's somewhat noticeable gimmick-factor, the impressive lens and ISO capabilities will give many camcorders a run for their money. I can see many photography enthusiasts willing to pick this camera up to shoot gorgeous photos with the recording option as icing on the cake.

Incase you were curious to see what the video's shot with the DSLR look like, Nikon has uploaded a video gallery to their website.

Now is the time for new creativity, and to rethink what a digital SLR camera can achieve. It's time for the D90, a camera with everything you would expect from Nikon's next-generation D-SLRs, and some unexpected surprises, as well. The stunning image quality is inherited from the D300, Nikon's DX-format flagship. The D90 also has Nikon's unmatched ergonomics and high performance, and now takes high-quality movies with beautifully cinematic results. The world of photography has changed, and with the D90 in your hands, it's time to make your own rules.

Source: Nikon, Via: DailyTech

Misleading iPhone UK Ad Pulled

The Advertising Standards Authority has pulled an iPhone advertisement in the UK, but it's not one of the questionable ads about the phone being "twice as fast" or "half the price" that aired in the U.S. Instead, this particular ad stated that "all parts of the internet are on the iPhone," without noting the lack of proper Flash or Java support, which many web surfers would consider part of the internet.

Apple responded with the claim that the context of the ad was specific. The company "aimed at highlighting Internet site availability, not to every aspect of functionality available on every website." Unfortunately, even with this excuse, the interpretation was far too lose for many viewers who complained about the ad, and there are many Flash-only websites, which would counter their argument.

The ASA has banned the commercial from future broadcast, but as you might expect, the video can still be viewed on YouTube and other online video websites.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said it received complaints from two local viewers who took issue with a claim in the 30-second spot which stated that "all the parts of the internet are on the iPhone."

Source: AppleInsider

August 27th Tech Roundup

• ECS P45T-A Black Series - Legit Reviews
• ASUS Rampage Extreme - Hardwareoverclock Austria
• AMD Phenom X4 9750 Quad Core - Hardware Canucks

• Samsung SyncMaster 2263UW 22" Display - ThinkComputers
• Acer X193W+ 19" Display - TheTechLounge
• EVGA GeForce GTX 260 896MB FTW - TheTechLounge

• Logitech MX 1100 Mouse - I4U
• OCZ Alchemy Elixir Keyboard - Virtual-Hideout

• Vantec Aeroflow FX 120 CPU Cooler - Pro-Clockers
• Cooler Master GeminII S CPU Cooler - InsideHW

• NZXT Guardian 921 - Overclockers Club

• YOYOtech NightHawk Nova XT - Elite Bastards
• Lenovo ThinkPad X200 Notebook - HotHardware