We're closing in on the day when it will be easier to list the things that TiVo (Nasdaq: TIVO) can't do, rather than the things it can.
TiVo is teaming up with Research In Motion (Nasdaq: RIMM), giving BlackBerry owners the ability to program their digital video recorders remotely.
Yes, TiVo owners have been able to set up recording times for their boxes through the Internet for a few years now. You can even do it through Yahoo! (Nasdaq: YHOO). The allure here is reaching BlackBerry thumb jockeys -- 16 million and counting -- with a convenient tool that also opens the door for future applications.
Future applications? Sure. Tell me what the following line in this morning's press release tells you:
Future collaboration between the companies will focus on software applications that further simplify mobile access to video content.
Am I reading this correctly? Are we talking about watching your TiVo-recorded programs on the go through your BlackBerry?
Again, many TiVo subscribers already know that they can take their shows on the road. All they need is a laptop, a Sony (NYSE: SNE) PSP, or even an Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) iPod. However, this move is reaching out to the corporate BlackBerry types, who probably didn't know that so much was possible with a basic TiVo subscription.
So which of the following can you not do with a TiVo these days?
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Stream clips from top-video sharing site YouTube, including downloading select video content like The Onion.
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Playing music through your home theater system, if you are a RealNetworks (Nasdaq: RNWK) Rhapsody subscriber.
- Use Amazon.com (Nasdaq: AMZN) to either watch digital downloads or go shopping for television-featured products.
- Baste your turkey.
The answer, of course, is the turkey-basting, but don't count out TiVo just yet. Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and TiVo probably has several cool press releases to issue between now and then.
Other "thumbs up" reads to kill time until the earnings report:
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