Slashdot Mirror
Echostar 'PocketDish' to Playback Video from DVR
Trip Ericson writes "Echostar has released its PocketDish, a portable multimedia player that will store audio, video, and images. Coming in up to 40GB flavors, with varying screen sizes up to 7 inches, the real news is that it allows for the transfer of content directly from a Dish DVR onto the player. From the article: "The PocketDish can download content from Dish Network digital video recorders (DVRs), enabling users to watch TV shows on the go. An hour of content can be transferred to the PocketDish's hard drive in about five minutes." Looks like Echostar is trying to beat the long-rumored iPod Video before it even hits the market."
While I could see these sort of portable media devices being used in places like Japan or Europe, where they have developed mass transit systems that are widely used, are they used much in the more auto-dependent countries, like the US, Canada and Australia? I mean, chances are that if you're driving, you probably can't watch a movie or a TV show on such a device. Now I'm sure some people will try, but I'd image they'd get thrown through their windshield soon enough. But if you've got a 40 minute train ride to work, then yes, you might get by watching a movie on a device such as this.
Cyric Zndovzny at your service.
How about a 300 GB device? It would also act as a external HDD. Now that would be convenient!
Memory is cheap, for $599.00 why not maximize its storage size to make it a worthwhile 21st century product?
He who knows best knows how little he knows. - Thomas Jefferson
Sure, if the children can actually read (they're old enough) well enough to not interrupt said driver every 30 seconds with "What does this spell?". There are always other things to do besides watch TV but sometimes a well chosen video quiets them down long enough to maintain the driver's sanity untill the next stop. I would say that a video player in the car is far better than one in the house.
You're confusing "one way to entertain" with "the only way to entertain".
On a 6 hour trip, kids will get bored. My 3 year old "reads", colors, and watches TV on long trips, as well as listens to some childrens books on cd/tape. You may also be confusing Rugrats and GTA for more educational TV and games (you're allowed to put Sesame Street on if you feel that learning spanish and memory skills from Dora is too progressive). If you think that TV is not educational, I would say that you're not using it right. I would suggest you need to watch a bit more childrens television to find the programs which are useful. I've found very few "educational" books for my daughter that didn't require active adult participation. No that adult participation is bad, but reading stuff to kids for 6 hours in a car is not my idea of a relaxing trip.
I grew up when it was common place for kids to crawl around the back seat and count licence plates, do Mad Libs, color, sing, and ask "are we there yet" every fifteen minutes. I remember being bored out of my mind for most of the time, regarles of the number of games we had. I suspect that an hour or two fo Superfriends would have gon a long way to my childhood trips being more enjoyable. I can only imagine that beingn strapped into a 5-way harness as required by law can only make the process less enjoyable today.
Is it just my observation, or are there way too many stupid people in the world?