Study finds commercial-skipping DVRs don’t affect purchases, ‘TiVo effect’ may not exist
Two years back, consumer research told us the vast majority of DVR users skipped commercials; now, statisticians at Duke University say that’s not the case. More importantly, even those who do hit that oh-so-tempting skip button aren’t necessarily spending less on advertised products as a result. Pulling data from over 1,200 TiVo boxes over the course of three years, Professor Carl Mela and colleagues found that a staggering 95 percent of television was watched live instead of recorded, giving viewers no opportunity to skip, and even when there was an opportunity, users took it only 6.5 percent of the time.
Moreover, every attempt the researchers made to find a “TiVo effect” failed — comparing those who had DVRs with those who didn’t, they found no significant difference in the amount TV watchers spent on nine different goods (including cleaning and grooming products) advertised. This could be for a variety of reasons — perhaps advertising doesn’t work, period, or perhaps those without DVRs “skipped” commercials simply by walking out of the room — but no matter the reason, it seems these days television advertisers don’t have quite so much to fear.
If there’s one thing LCD manufacturers live for it’s “world’s first” claims, and Viewsonic has now snagged yet another with its new VX2739wm monitor, which it claims is the world’s first full HD 27-inch monitor with a 1ms response time. In addition to that standout spec, you’ll also get a 100,000:1 contrast ratio, a pair of discreetly built-in speakers, an “anti-glare” panel, a four-port USB hub, and the usual trio of HDMI, DVI and VGA connectors — not to mention a suitably slim design. Look for this one to be available from all the usual sources starting today for $349.
Consumer hard disk connectors have been pretty stable for the past few years. Most internal drives use SATA connectors and most external drives connect via USB; there hasn’t seemed to be much frustration with this other than the speed of USB 2.0, which is showing its age and is being superseded by the backward-compatible USB 3.0. Seagate, though, is betting big that a new series of breakaway connectors will bring the old usage model of floppy drives into the 21st Century and accommodate complete media libraries, as well as include a few new twists that take into account such modern tasks as media streaming, remote access and networked entertainment.
We have to admit we have an affinity for finely hand-crafted gadget accessories — be they iPad cases or PC chassis — and we’re especially impressed when they add some unique functionality to match their looks, like this wooden DSLR shoulder mount built by Jonathan Clifford Berqvist and his father Erik. In addition to being built from a single tree branch, the rig packs a nifty follow focus mechanism that lets you adjust the focus with just a twist of the handle. While there’s unfortunately no step-by-step plans for building your own, it certainly seems to be straightforward enough for anyone with some basic woodworking skills, and you can get a glimpse of the build process in the video after the break.
The Lumix G10 got pricing and a vague date yesterday, and now the first full review has finally graced the interwebs. Photography Blog put this $599, 12 megapixel Micro Four Thirds camera (and its 14 – 42mm kit lens) through a full suite of tests and came away generally impressed. The addition of 720p video recording makes this model an easy choice over the older G1, despite the subtraction of a few features and the tilting LCD. But, the upcoming $800 G2 offers all those features plus 720p video recording as well, making it perhaps a better choice for more serious shooters with deeper pockets. Still, the G10 looks to be a great option for those wanting affordable DSLR power and HD video recording in a (reasonably) svelte package.
It’s a little past January, but it’s not like you’ve had too much trouble burning through your credit limit these past few months anyway, right? VeriFone — that company responsible for the other iPhone credit card accessory — has just announced that its slip-up case is now available in Apple retail stores. For those unaware, this card reader works on all iPhone 3G and 3GS handsets, and there’s a built-in stylus for capturing signatures from those arguably shady street-corner transactions that you’ll be engaging in. Best of all, the device and app are totally free assuming you agree to a 2-year service contract and a $49 “activation fee,” but we’d caution you to read through the fine print under “merchant fees” before tossing away too much of that profit margin.
Talk about being flexible. Sierra Wireless’ newest 7.2Mbps-capable AirCard (the 890, if you’re curious) obviously isn’t content with fitting into just one slot. Rather than forcing users to choose between compatibility with PCMCIA (PC Card) or ExpressCard, this particular WWAN card actually fits into both… but not at the same time, naturally. It’s the first DataConnect card on AT&T’s network to boast a 2-in-1 form factor, and moreover, it touts integrated GPS functionality for use with location-based services. ‘Course, you won’t be using one of these with your shiny new 15-inch MacBook Pro (smart move on that SD-for-ExpressCard swap, Steve-o), but everyone else can procure one starting May 5th for $49.99 after mail-in rebate and a new two-year DataConnect contract of at least $35 a month.
