The GoodThe Beats Solo 2 on-ear headphones are sturdier and better-sounding than the original Solos, with somewhat more balanced sound and strong, tight bass. They offer a relatively comfortable fit and have an inline remote and microphone for making cell phone calls. The headphones fold up to fit in a nice carrying case (included).
The Bad Fairly pricey; some people may find they fit too snug.
The Bottom LineThese Solo 2 may not win audiophile hearts and ears, but for its intended audience -- namely, folks who are looking for a fast, exciting headphone with lots of high-quality bass -- this is an excellent on-ear headphone.
The Solo 2 looks a lot like a mini version of Beats' revamped over-ear Studio (2013) headphone. For starters, the earpads have been redesigned with swankier materials that make the headphones slightly more comfortable and should hold up better over time. Those pads do offer a slightly tighter seal to prevent sound leakage, as well as better noise isolation form the outside world.
The Beats Solo 2 comes in a variety of colors.
Like the new Studio, the Solo 2, which weighs in at 7.2 ounces (205 grams), is built more sturdily and has no visible screws. The curve of the headband has been changed to deliver a snugger, more ergonomic fit too. At times, it can feel a little too snug, and while this is relatively comfortable for an on-ear model, it's certainly not the most comfortable on-ear I've tested (I prefer the Beyerdynamic T51p andBose OE2, which has been updated to the Bose SoundTrue On-Ear). And for the record, I found both the over-the-ear Beats Studio and Studio Wireless more comfortable.
The headphones fold up (but not quite flat) and come with a soft carrying case and a detachable cord with an inline remote and microphone for making cell phone calls. (It's worth noting that the cord color matches the headphone color, which wasn't the case for the Studio Wireless I reviewed.) This on-ear model doesn't have the active noise-cancellation of the step-up Studio and Studio Wireless models.
Performance
I personally wasn't a fan of the original Solos and thought they were overpriced and lacked clarity. As with the new Studios, Beats has tamped down the bass a little and gone with a somewhat more accurate sound profile with better detail -- that doesn't mean there isn't a lot of bass, but it isn't as hyped.
After I tested the headphones for a few days, I handed them off to Steve Guttenberg, who writes our Audiophiliac blog. Steve had a similar view on the headphones and felt the bass was better balanced with the midrange and treble than it used to be (in the original Solo). But, he said, no one would accuse the Solo 2 of being mellow.
Could a 61-page children's book unlock clues about Amazon's plans for its mysterious launch event? Jessica Dolcourt read it to find out.
A children's book is certainly a unique way to welcome spectators to Amazon's event.
Beyond any hints contained within an invitation, companies don't often send journalists clues about product launches ahead of the event. And certainly not in the form of a children's book.
A note affixed to the book's front cover, tied off with Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos' printed signature, says it all:That jolt of confusion, followed by curiosity, and perhaps even delight is exactly what Amazon was going for in mailing "Mr. Pine's Purple House" to attendees of its June 18 product launch in Seattle, Wa. In fact, standing out among the crowd is the story's entire premise, and Amazon's strategy for dazzling mobile industry-watchers when it at last unveils its mystery device.
We're excited that you'll be joining us next week in Seattle. Enclosed is my favorite childhood book -- Mr. Pine's Purple House. I think you'll agree that the world is a better place when things are a little bit different. See you soon.
Bezos' note emphasized the penultimate sentence by coloring it the same shade of purple as the house that the titular Mr. Pine eventually paints in his quest to differentiate his domicile from the other homes on the same street.
Does this mean we're in for a purple smartphone? Probably not -- that would be too obvious, and bypasses the book's main point, which is one of individualism and expression, and of inspiring others by daring to be different.
Indulge me (and Bezos) with some choice passages. " 'A white house is fine,' said Mr. Pine, 'but there are FIFTY white houses all in a line on Vine Street. How can I tell which one is mine?' "
And later, after the deed is done: "Everybody on Vine Street came to look at Mr. Pine's purple house. No one had ever seen a purple house before."
Whatever it is, Amazon's device claims to stand out in the crowd.
Amazon's dangling carrot is clearly that its device has a wow factor that other cookie-cutter products lack. A teaser video depicts users declaring the device to be "awesome," "amazing," "very real life and uncomparable [sic], and "pretty damn intuitive."
Most rumors suggest that the mystery device in question is Amazon's smartphone at long last, and that its "flawless and seamless" feature that "moves" with you is a 3D experience, whatever that means. We do know that Amazon is working with sensors -- that was one detail the company asked about on its invitation request form for members of the public.
Whatever the jaw-dropping feature may be, you can bet that Amazon won't have it exclusively for long before rivals start integrating it into their own products. In fact, Amazon would do well to consider the cautionary scene contained within "Mr. Pine's" very (purple) pages:
"What a very pretty purple house," said Mrs. Green. "I will paint my house, too!"
"OH, NO! NO! NO!" said Mr. Pine. "Not FIFTY PURPLE HOUSES, all in a line on Vine Street!"
Good luck, Amazon. In this cutthroat, fast-reacting industry, 50 purple houses are exactly what you get.
Hot on the heels of the Solo 2, the sequel to its uber-popular on-ear model, Beats has now introduced the Powerbeats 2 Wireless, a Bluetooth version of its Powerbeats sports earphones.
The original wired Powerbeats have been on the market for a while, but got a boost in recent years thanks to basketball star Lebron James promoting them in a memorable US television ad. Beats says the new model has been inspired by James, and he is credited as a "co-creator."
At $200 (around £120 and AU$210, with official UK and Australian prices yet to be announced), the Powerbeats 2 Wireless is a pretty pricey headphone. But that may not bother you if you're looking for a comfortable, lightweight Bluetooth sports headphone that performs well.
The earphones are sweatproof -- but not waterproof -- and come in white, red, and the black you see here. In many ways they're reminiscent of the earlier, corded Powerbeats, with the same ear hooks that help keep the headphones securely on your head.
Here's what you get in the box.
These new hooks have some bend to them (they're pliable) and you can customize the shape to fit around your ear better. A three-button inline remote and microphone are built into the cord for making hands-free calls and skipping tracks forward and back, as well as adjusting the volume.
The headphones come with a few different sized of silicone eartips. Beats reps told me that, depending on the eartips you choose, you can opt to go for a tighter seal or leave some breathing room to let ambient noise in for safety reasons. Many people like to be able to hear cars coming when they're running or biking.
That said, because of the way the headphones are shaped -- and the way my ears are shaped -- I wasn't able to get a really tight seal with any of the eartips, so I was always left with a slightly more open fit. When that happens, you do lose a little bass, but the only time I found the looser fit to be a problem was when I was in an environment where there was a lot of noise -- the New York City subway, for example.
The headphones charge via micro USB.
Overall, I liked the way the headphone fit and you can adjust the cord length with the little crimp that's included. From a sound standpoint, as I said, despite the inability to get a tight seal, I thought it performed well for a Bluetooth headphone.
It plays loud and has relatively clean, aggressive sound that's filled out with rich bass that thankfully isn't overpowering. That seems to be Beats' MO with its new headphones: scale back the bass a bit while punching up the treble detail. As with the Studio Wireless and Solo 2, I wouldn't call this a balanced headphone, but it is more balanced than last-generation Beats headphones.
You can adjust the length of the cord.
This is a Bluetooth 4.0 headphone that's firmware upgradeable and charges via micro-USB. It gets about 6 hours of playback from a single charge, which isn't great, but that's about what competing products like the Plantronics Backbeat Fit deliver. Beats says that a 15-minute "quick-charge" gives you an hour of non-stop playback. Unfortunately, the headphone doesn't automatically shut off when disconnected from your phone's Bluetooth.
I spent some time with the headphones in the gym, both lifting weights and running on a treadmill. In all, despite a few small shortcomings, I was fairly impressed and came away thinking that the Powerbeats 2 Wireless is one of the best wireless sports earphones, combining strong sound with a shape that should comfortably fit most people. That makes it a pretty safe pick in a category (wireless earphones in particular) that doesn't have a lot safe picks.
The ear hooks are bendable, which allows you to customize the fit.
The only problem, of course, is that it's expensive. Overall, this feels more like a $150 headphone, but hey, Beats has gotta pay Lebron and all those other celebrities, so $200 it is.
The Beats Powerbeats 2 Wireless is available this month (June), with broader distribution in July. I'll post a full review after I test it a little longer and we do some jury testing among other editors.
Samsung's latest Android tablet, the Galaxy Tab S, takes direct aim at the iPad with units that are both thinner and lighter -- despite offering larger screen sizes -- for the same price as Apple's iconic tablets.
The new Samsung models add to the already dizzying array of tablets from the Korean giant available at different price points, sizes, and across two different product lines: the consumer-focused Galaxy Tab and the more productivity/business oriented Note line, which includes a stylus.
And while all new tablets always come out of the gate with the iPad in their sights, the Galaxy Tab S seems to have a leg up on its earlier Samsung siblings, at least from a specs and value perspective.
Same price as the iPad, but thinner and lighter
The Galaxy Tab S comes in two colors -- Titanium Bronze and Dazzling White -- and two sizes, a smaller 8.4-inch model and a larger 10.5-incher. Due to ship in early July, they'll retail for $399.99 (£349 ) and $499.99 (£449) respectively.
Prices sound familiar? Yes, the iPad Mini Retina (16GB) starts at $399 while the entry-level Air (16GB) goes for $499. The shape and screen sizes of the iPads don't correspond exactly to the two Tab S slates, which have a widescreen format, but they're in the ballpark.
Both Tab S models measure 6.6mm thin.
The Tab S models weigh slightly less than their iPad counterparts, with the Tab S 8.4 coming in at 10 ounces or 294 grams (compared to the Mini Retina's 331 grams) while the Tab 10.5 tops the scales at right around a pound (465 grams), or 4 grams less than what the iPad Air weighs.
Thickness? The Tab S measures in at measly 6.6mm compared to the iPads' 7.5mm. And I can tell you that both Tab S models feel very slim in hand - just as the iPads do - and share some of the same design elements as the Galaxy S5, most notably the dimpled back, which has its supporters and detractors (I happen to like it).
First AMOLED tablet displayBeyond the operating systems -- the Tab S runs Samsung's version of Android 4.4 (KitKat) -- there are differences, of course, and Samsung is highlighting them, even it never mentions the iPad or Apple by name. That's kind of weird, but it's very Samsung to do battle with an enemy that's quite visible yet invisible at the same time.
The biggest talking point -- or selling point if you buy into Samsung's marketing -- is the Tab S's display. It's the first Super AMOLED display to appear on a Samsung tablet and it's the first thing that stands out when you pick up the devices.
Its 2,560 x 1,600 pixel resolution (16:10 aspect ratio) equates to 2x HD or 2K TV (as opposed to 4K TV). The iPad Air, by comparison, has a 2,048 x 1,536 resolution with 264ppi density, so you'll be hard-pressed see any difference in sharpness. But AMOLED is known for having deeper blacks (higher contrast ratios) and richer colors. Samsung says the Tab S has a 100,000:1 contrast ration, which is 100x greater than traditional LCD displays.
Samsung says its new AMOLED display offers deeper blacks and richer colors.
In my brief hands-on time with the products, I wasn't able to whip out an iPad to compare it to the Tab S, but that AMOLED display does have plenty of pop to it, and the short video demos I watched looked impressive. (Samsung says the number one thing people do with their tablets is watch video, followed by surfing the Web and social networking).
Samsung wouldn't let me take the tablet outside, but it says its "advanced outdoor visibility technology makes on-screen content look bright, natural, and easy to view." The display is also "adaptive" and will adjust to certain lighting conditions and applications, just like the Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphone. A few different "professional" manual presets are available, too, including AMOLED Cinema and AMOLED Photo.
Battery life is rated at 11 hours of continuous video watching (for both tablets), which again, is slightly better than the iPad's rated battery life of 10 hours of continuous video watching.
There's an 8 megapixel back camera with flash.
To help manage battery life, the Tab S runs on Samsung's own Exynos 5 Octa, an octa-core mobile CPU that splits duties between a 1.9 GHz quad-core processor and 1.3 GHz quad-core processor. We're still trying to track down exactly what flavor Exynos 5 Octa is in Tab S, but it does not appear to be a 64-bit chip (the iPad Air runs on the 64-bit A7 chip).
All that said, in my short trial, the Tab S felt zippy and it does support simple multitasking (Samsung refers to it as multiwindow, where two apps share the screen at the same time), a feature currently available on the Galaxy S5 smartphone. Samsung was also highlighting SideSync 3.0, which allows you to connect the Tab S to your Galaxy S5 (via WiFi Direct) to transfer files and make calls from your tablet using your S5 as a conduit.
Expandable memory Like the iPad, the Galaxy Tab S base models come with 16GB of built-in memory (and 3GB of RAM). In fact, that's the only memory configuration that will be available at launch, but if there's one key difference between the Tab S and the iPad, it's that the Tab S has a microSD card slot for adding memory -- it accepts cards up to 128GB. That makes memory expansion is much more affordable.
I didn't get a chance to take any pictures with the tablets, but you do get an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera (with flash) and a 2.1-megapixel front-facing camera for selfies and video chats. I was told the Wi-Fi is 802.11 a/b/g/n with dual channel (2.4GHz and 5GHz) and MIMO and there'll be forthcoming versions with a 4G LTE cellular data option (add $100 or £100 for the 4G LTE models).
Samsung's SideSync 3.0 feature.
In terms of extras, you get some stuff you may or may not want. The one hardware extra is a fingerprint scanner, the very same one found on the Galaxy S5. However, there's no tap-to-pair NFC technology (I don't find it to be a terribly useful, but some people do).
Samsung has also included a Tab S-optimized version of its "free" music service Milk and itsPapergarden, a magazine subscription marketplace (as you might expect, Samsung says the content is both tailored to and designed to look good on the Tab S's AMOLED display).
For better or worse, Galaxy Gifts, a service that hawks promotions from entertainment, productivity, and news providers, is also part of the Galaxy ecosystem, and on the Tab S it includes one-year free of Gogo In-flight Wi-Fi access (up to 36 segments), a 12-month subscription to Bloomberg BusinessWeek, 6-month trial subscription to The Wall Street Journal and The Washington post, 3-month subscription to The New York Times, 3 months free Sirius XM Radio, and 3 months free subscription to Audible. This is another carry-over from the Galaxy S5 phone.
Two different sizes and colors.
Accessories One thing Samsung seems to have learned from Apple is that when you launch a tablet, it's important to have some accessories for it out of the gate. As you might suspect, the Tab S works with the Gear 2(Samsung talked a lot of about seamless connectivity with other Galaxy devices). But consumers will also get to choose between three slim covers: the Simple Cover, Book Cover, and Keyboard Cover.
What's interesting about the Simple and Book covers is that literally snap onto the tablet. The Book cover has a built-in magnet and folds into a stand with three angles to choose from.
The Tab S in its Keyboard Case.(with other cases in the background).
I got a chance to play around a bit with the keyboard cover and it seems pretty nice. It's customized for the Tab S and share the same design themes, including the dimpled back. It had a solid feel to it and the keyboard was laid out nicely.
I only saw the three covers, but apparently Samsung will also be serving up a standalone Bluetooth keyboard, S Action Mouse, USB LAN Hub, a power saving cable and portable battery packs. (SeeSamsung debuts Galaxy Tab S cover accessories and Bluetooth keyboard for more info.)
Final first thoughts When you sort through all the "special" features and marketing messages, what you're left with is a slickly designed, zippy Android tablet with a very nice screen and an expansion port for additional memory.
While the Galaxy Tab S doesn't have the iPad's aluminum unibody design, it does manage to come across as a premium tablet, though not necessarily as premium as the iPad.
The question, of course, is how the screen truly stacks up against the iPad's (we'll be doing comprehensive comparisons as soon as we get our review samples). It may very well come out the winner, but for me anyway, beyond the screen, the Tab S's biggest selling point is its expandable memory option. For about $35 more, you'll be able to turn the Tab S into an 80GB tablet, for a total of $435 or $535. Last I checked, the 64GB iPad Air cost a whopping $699.
While other manufacturers are messing about, slowly tuning and tweaking plug-in hybrid systems and waiting to see which way the market shifts, BMW has been toiling away to do something more radical, launching an entire new brand focused on alternative means of propulsion. Its first release from the "i" brand, the i3, is a little EV city car that impressed us when we got a chance to test it out last year. For its next trick, the company created something completely different. It's a bit more traditional in some ways, far more radical in others.
It's the i8, a plug-in hybrid designed from the ground up to be just that: a plug-in hybrid. It offers two motors, the more traditional being a 1.5-liter, three-cylinder, turbocharged, gas-powered lump that pushes 228 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque through the rear wheels. (It's a variation of the motor in the Mini Cooper.) In the front is the so-called eDrive motor, a tweaked version of that found in the i3, here producing 129 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque. This time it's also running through a two-speed transmission, while there's a six-speed auto box at the rear. (The i3 needed only a single gear.)
But wait, there's more. To make up for the turbo lag caused by the oversized impeller mounted on the 1.5-liter, a similarly up-rated starter has been installed that not only provides for battery charging and start/stop functionality, but can act as "eBoost" to fill the torque gap when accelerating quickly. This provides another 11 horsepower and 37 pound-feet of torque.
All-told, between the two main motors, the car offers 357 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque, but not all the time. Fully-charged (which takes just 90 minutes on a Level 2 charger, or 3.5 hours in a standard 110 outlet), you can cover up to 22 miles at a top speed of 75 in eDrive mode, using just the electric motor. Comfort mode is the default setting, which uses both motors as needed, while a sport mode is there too, which always has the rear motor running and ready.
When it isn't needed for power, the 1.5-liter engine acts as a generator, maintaining the 7.1 kilowatt-hour battery pack that runs along the spine of the car. Batteries sit where a driveshaft would normally be in an all-wheel-drive car, but here you get all the benefits of power on all four corners without a transfer case sitting in the middle, causing friction losses. At least, that's the theory, but sadly our testing was limited to dry asphalt in perfect weather. Hopefully we'll be able to try out the AWD in conditions with less grip in the future.
So how does it drive? To answer that you first must get into the thing, which requires a bit of technique. Not unlike slotting into an '80s supercar your best avenue of approach is to fall backwards into the seat and then pivot your legs in over the wide, high door sill. From here, it's a bit of a reach to pull the scissor doors down, but they close cleanly and with a satisfying thud.
Front seats are comfortable and have basic power adjustment, but they lack the sort of infinite customization found on BMW's more traditional sedans and coupes, not even offering adjustable lumbar support. (Rear seats, meanwhile, are perfectly suitable for small children and circus performers.) The cabin is somewhat simple looking, rather more familiar than the relatively exotic accommodations afforded by the i3, but clean and mostly well put together. Materials feel very good, and controls fall easily to hand. However, we can't help but be disappointed by the lack of storage in here. There are no door pockets (for obvious reasons) nor even a glovebox. All you get are a pair of small, shallow compartments in the center console suitable for a wallet, a phone, and little else. (There's also a small trunk in the back that'll manage an overnight bag. Maybe two.)
A standard shifter sits between the seats for toggling gears, rather than the dashboard twist mechanism found on the i3, and there are also paddles mounted to the wheel for when you want to try and boss the transmission around. The wheel itself is comfortably fat and leather-wrapped, sitting before an LCD display cluster that offers plenty of info. It also changes from blue to orange when you toggle Sport mode. Sporty.
Where the Chevy Volt makes an awful, groaning sort of sound when the motor spins up, the i8's engine actually sounds good.
We started in eDrive mode, however, and the experience there is quite good. There's plenty of power for zipping into openings in city traffic if you like, and even a short highway jaunt wouldn't be out of the question. Shift into Comfort, or put your foot all the way to the floor, and the gasoline engine lends a hand. This isn't all too dissimilar to the Chevy Volt, but where the Volt makes an awful, groaning sort of sound when the motor spins up, the i8's engine actually sounds good.
Mind you, there's some digital trickery going on here, a microphone in the engine compartment serving to pipe engine sounds in through the car's stereo system. This sort of shenanigans is a bit unfortunate, and unfortunately cannot be disabled, but to reluctantly give credit where credit is due, it works. In Sport mode, give the car some throttle and you'll be greeted with a surprisingly throaty growl that you wouldn't think could come out of such a pint-sized lump. It passes the "windows down in the tunnel and gas it" test with ease.
As does the acceleration. In Sport mode the car is plenty peppy, not offering anywhere the poke of BMW's higher-powered sports sedans, but giving a nice blend of EV-style throttle response and gasoline-powered speed. If only the transmission would keep up. In our brief drive, even in "manual" mode, the car up-shifted when it wanted and refused to downshift even with the digital tachometer showed plenty of room to do so. It's not a car to be hurried in this fashion.
We can't help wonder how much better this car would be with tires that prioritized grip over rolling resistance and fuel economy.
In the twisties, the i8 does an admirable job of hiding its 3,285 pounds, but is ultimately let down by relatively skinny 215/45 R20 tires up front. (245 section-width at the back.) The car dives into corners readily, but it isn't long before the Bridgestone Potenzas are squealing uncomfortably and the front is washing away. It's a gradual, progressive sort of thing, an almost reassuring signal that you've found the limit, but we can't help wonder how much better this car would be with tires that prioritized grip over rolling resistance and fuel economy.
Speaking of fuel economy, the i8 is rated at a remarkable 94 miles-per-gallon in Europe. The EPA hasn't weighed in just yet, but don't expect to get anywhere near that if you drive aggressively. In a day of admittedly hard driving, we averaged just 22.6 mpg, a figure that would likely be easily achievable even in something like an M3, never mind any of BMW's diesel offerings.
Again, that was driven hard, and we'll withhold judgement on this thing's claims to being an economical sports car until we get to live with one for a few days and give it the proper review treatment, but that figure is admittedly a bit disappointing, even for hard driving. The price, too, is something of a bitter pill: $135,700 to start, though unlike a traditional BMW there won't be many options to drive the price up from here. It's a very well-equipped car.
And a great looking one, too. From a distance the silhouette is almost traditional, but look closer and the details are striking. Most dramatic is what BMW calls a "stream flow wing" at the rear, with channels cut into the fenders and swooping under the rear glass. BMW tuned every surface of the thing to an extreme degree, offering just a .26 coefficient of drag, the slipperiest BMW ever. That's the same as a Toyota Prius, for the record, and very close to that of a Tesla Model S.
But is the exotic look and drivetrain enough to justify the exotic price? We look forward to reporting back after we've had enough seat time for a proper review.
Microsoft was criticized after its E3 media event barely mentioned the Kinect motion sensor or new TV initiatives. But the Xbox maker had its reasons.
Microsoft's Phil Spencer says Xbox is "not winning today, so I'm focused on winning."
LOS ANGELES -- Phil Spencer is laser-focused on games for this holiday shopping season.
The new head of Microsoft's Xbox group, who was named to the position in March, said in an interview at the Electronic Entertainment Expo here that he has been working to bring focus to the team, particularly for this upcoming holiday shopping season.
"I wanted gamers, Xbox fans, and everyone else to know we are a games-led platform," he said.
That was underscored by Microsoft's E3 media event Monday, during which Spencer and his teamshowed more than two dozen games over the period of an hour and a half, including crowd pleasers like an update to the Halo space-age war games and a new racing title from its Forza series.
While the company claimed this represents the best lineup of titles in its history, it's unclear if the market agrees with its message.
When Microsoft's Xbox One video game console launched in November of last year, sales were swift. The device sold more than 1 million units in its first 24 hours on the market, the best launch in the company's history. But Microsoft has since fallen behind its rival, Sony's PlayStation 4, which hit store shelves a week earlier than the Xbox One.
Microsoft in April said it had sold more than 5 million units to retail shops since Xbox One launched. Sony, meanwhile, has said it confirmed more than 7 million units had been sold to consumers over a similar time frame.
The Xbox maker has shifted position in response.
Spencer is enthusiastic about video games. As the former head of Microsoft's game-making division, he says he makes a point of playing every title his company creates, and often plays those by competitors as well.Its Kinect motion sensor, which had launched as an accessory in 2010, was a mandatory purchase with the Xbox One in 2013, contributing to a price tag of $499, higher than Sony's $399 sticker price for its PlayStation 4. Last month, Microsoft said it will offer a version of its Xbox One for $399 by removing the Kinect from the packaging and selling it separately.
He also recognizes Microsoft isn't at the top of the heap right now.
"We have a lot of work to do," he said, adding that his team has identified its lineup of games as its biggest strength this year. "I'm never going to look at being in second place and say I'm fine."
The message within his organization has been to focus back on core customers, a stark contrast from the company's marketing message last year that discussed games in addition to television capabilities, video chat, and other functions. Spencer said the customers he will target this holiday are the ones who have so far sat out because the games haven't compelled them to buy.
No rush to virtual reality or set-top boxes
Spencer said he's intrigued by virtual reality technology, an effort Sony plunged into when it announced its Morpheus goggles in March. Facebook, the social-networking giant, surprised the industry when it purchased Oculus VR, the virtual reality headset maker, shortly after that for $2 billion.
But Spencer isn't convinced the devices appeal to the mass market yet.
The same goes for streaming-media set-top boxes -- like the one Sony talked up on Monday. ThePlayStation TV, as it is called, will retail for $99, with a catalog of nearly 1,000 games on tap in addition to other capabilities streaming video and entertainment.
Spencer said he's unsure what price point is the right one, noting that Google's Chromecast streaming device, which also plugs into a television, costs $35. Roku, another competitor, sells its device for as little as $49. And both Apple and Amazon sell their respective devices for $99.
Microsoft has quietly worked on its own set-top box, but so far has yet to bring it to market.
Right now, Spencer said, Microsoft is focused on the devices it does make, and getting back to the top of the sales chart.
"I'm not winning today, so I'm focused on winning," he said.
The GoodThe TiVo Roamio is an exceptionally polished DVR for recording free over-the-air TV. The interface is excellent and intuitive, making it dead simple to record shows and series exactly the way you'd like. There's built-in Wi-Fi and a 500GB hard drive. The remote is excellent and works via RF, so you can hide the box behind a cabinet. And the hardware itself is compact, sleek and silent.
The Bad It's very expensive when you add in subscription costs. Only the entry-level Roamio records over-the-air TV, and it lacks the step-up features of more expensive models. And there should be more streaming services at this price, like HBO Go, Vudu, and a fully-functioning Amazon Instant app.
The Bottom LineThe TiVo Roamio is hands-down the best DVR for recording over-the-air TV, but its excellence comes at a great cost.
TiVo, with its burdensome monthly fee, has always been a tough sell for cord-cutters, many of whom went cable-free to get rid of monthly fees in the first place.
Even so, the entry-level TiVo Roamio ($200 list price, plus subscription fees) is the best DVR for anyone relying on free over-the-air (OTA) TV. It has a whopping four tuners, which is more than enough for the limited OTA programming options, and a 500GB hard drive built-in, so you don't have to tack on your own as you might with other OTA recording solutions. TiVo's software and interface remains best-in-class and incredibly easy to use, plus it's been overhauled to be much faster than previous models. There's even built-in Wi-Fi and a handful of streaming media apps, so you can watch more than just network TV.
Here's the bad news: add up the lifetime subscription ($500), the hardware ($200), and some incidental costs, and you're looking at about $750 for the three-year cost of ownership. And TiVo's subscription policies can seem downright customer-unfriendly: "lifetime" subscriptions are tied to your box and won't transfer to a new TiVo if your box breaks or you want to upgrade in the future. There's just a lot to make you think twice before forking over $500 for what feels like a glorified "TV Guide" subscription.
But even with the excessive cost, the TiVo Roamio is the first option I'd recommend for most cord-cutters. Cheaper options like the Channel Master DVR+ and Tablo Nuyvvo are good alternatives if you only have basic recording needs or you're a little more tech savvy, but both have just enough frustrations to make them tiring in day-to-day use. The TiVo Roamio certainly costs too much, but its mastery of the over-the-air TV experience gives you the best chance to avoid going back to cable -- and that will save you so much money in the long run, it almost makes TiVo seem like a bargain.
Design: A smaller, friendly TiVo
TiVo's mascot may be a colorful, friendly television, but the company's boxes have traditionally been gray, bulky, and joyless. That changes with the TiVo Roamio, which feels light and small, coming in at 14.3 inches wide by 7.4 inches deep by 1.9 inches tall and weighing just 3.7 pounds. Compare that to its predecessor, the TiVo Premiere, which weighed in at 6.8 pounds with a considerably larger frame.
Not only is the Roamio smaller, it looks sleeker too. The edges are rounded, and the box tapers off toward the bottom. The glossy black finish and swooping, duotone look on the front make it clear that this isn't a generic box from your cable company.
TiVo remotes have always been among the best available for any DVR, and the latest version follows the same familiar pattern. Frequently-used buttons like pause and fast-forward fall right under the thumb, and all the buttons have unique shapes and sizes that make it easy to navigate by feel alone.
Best-in-class remote design would be enough to solidify the Roamio's clicker excellence, but TiVo's gone one step further by including RF control, which means you don't need to line-of-sight to control the box. You can stash the Roamio itself in a cabinet, out of sight, or control the box from afar without contortions to aim the clicker. And the Roamio can still receive traditional IR remote commands, so it will work with a universal remote like the Logitech Harmony Smart Control.
Setup: Simple, but lengthy
If TiVo's hardware makes a great first impression, the software is more underwhelming out of the gate. The Roamio's guided setup uses older, standard-definition graphics, which is a shame since most of TiVo's interface has been polished to a high-def shine. (Emphasis on "most"; there are still some frustrating exceptions.)
The setup itself is simple enough, with straightforward questions about your Wi-Fi password and zip code. However, it takes longer than you'd expect, thanks to a hour-long software update that's required before you're up and running.
On the plus side, the Roamio doesn't require any additional accessories except an antenna. There's both built-in Wi-Fi and a 500GB internal hard drive. Compare TiVo's all-in-one package to products like the Channel Master DVR+, which require you to add your own hard drive and a Wi-Fi dongle. If 500GB isn't enough, you also have the option of adding more storage using the Roamio's eSATA port; an extra 1TB will run you about $100.
If you already have a TiVo, you'll also appreciate the ability transfer recordings from your old box via your home network. You can also transfer your Season Pass requests, so you don't have to set them up all over again.
What can you watch?
When using the Roamio with an antenna, you'll be able to receive free over-the-air TV signals. In a perfect world, you should be able to get all of the major networks (CBS, NBC, Fox, and ABC) as well as PBS and a handful of other stations. In the real world, your reception might vary considerably, depending on your location, antenna, and a host of other factors, including the weather.
In addition to over-the-air content, the Roamio also offers a handful of streaming services. On the video side, there's Netflix, Hulu Plus, MLB.TV, YouTube, AOL On, and Hotlist. There's also Amazon Instant Video, but the app isn't capable of playing back free Amazon Prime content and the interface is painfully archaic. For music, you get Pandora, Spotify, and Live365.
In all, it's just an average collection of apps for a premium-priced box, missing major services like HBO Go, Vudu, Rdio, Vevo, and true Amazon Instant streaming. It's a nice idea to fold all your video needs into a single box, but I still found myself preferring my Roku 3 for my streaming video needs, as there are more options, and it's more responsive.
User interface: Still the best, and much faster
If you've used a TiVo anytime over the last few years, the Roamio's layout should look familiar.
The home screen ("TiVo Central") lets you jump directly to your recordings or find other content, whether that's via TiVo's universal search, the "What to Watch Now" feature, or TiVo's streaming media apps. Universal search is particularly neat, combing through your recordings, TV listings, and streaming services to find the content you're looking for.
Jump to live TV and you can also bring up the program guide, which shows upcoming TV listings in crisp high-def graphics while live TV continues to play in a picture-in-picture window. You can choose between a traditional grid layout or TiVo's own arrangement, which shows you a further-future look at one selected channel.
