(click pic for larger version)

Wow, this is pretty cool. The print edition of the Wall Street Journal devoted nearly half a page to its review of the Slide remote. I had already read the online version of the article, but to see the print article with a giant photo of the remote is pretty awesome. Either it was a really slow news day or the Slide remote is just that cool. I prefer to think the latter.

Introducing the hands down, coolest remote in the world: the TiVo Slide! I’ve designed a lot of products in my career, but the Slide is, without a doubt, the one I’m most proud of and feel the most ownership over.

One of the most rewarding things for me about product design is being able to go into a store like Best Buy, see a product, and know that I designed it. Most people have no idea the amount of hard work, dedication, and creativity that goes into designing and creating great products. Understanding what it takes, seeing the end result sitting on a shelf, and knowing that it is, or will be, used and enjoyed by many people is a fantastic feeling. For me, it provides a great sense of satisfaction and accomplishment, and is one of the main factors that motivate and drive me.

The Slide remote, however, went a step beyond that. To come up with an idea, push that concept through the company, and then design and bring that idea to production represents to me another level of accomplishment. It’s a big part of why the Slide is so special to me.

There were certainly some unique challenges in designing a slider remote. Without giving away anything (we can’t just give away our secrets now, can we?), there were quite a few things to consider. Typical remote considerations like size, shape, button set/size/shape/layout, usability/ergonomics, and aesthetics were complicated by the need to consider all these aspects in both the open and closed positions. In many cases, the various facets would fight against each other (e.g., improving one area in the closed position would result in compromises in another area in the open position).

Of course the sliding mechanism presented plenty of challenges of its own. Just about every remote that anyone has ever used contains no moving parts. As a result, people are accustomed to remote controls feeling very solid. So how do you make something that slides (and is thus inherently not solid) feel like it’s solid, especially in the closed (and predominant use) position?

The challenges were many, but I feel really good about how they were ultimately addressed, and am really happy with the end product. Users seem to agree as initial feedback, both internal and external, has been overwhelmingly positive.

Out of all the early reviewers, perhaps my favorite line is from CrunchGear (emphasis mine):

It’s just the classic TiVo peanut remote shrunk down a bit with a sliding QWERTY keyboard added. But how is it in practice? Pretty much the best thing on Earth.

I have to chuckle a bit at the first line in that quote, but the last line in the quote more than makes up for it and affirms many of the design decisions made.

Here are some additional reviews: Gizmodo, Engadget, CNET, Dave Zatz (ZatzNotFunny), Dave Zatz’s video review, Wall St. Journal, Slash Gear, Electronista, and BetaNews.

We’re currently featuring the Slide remote on the front page of tivo.com (click on pic below for larger size):

Now if you’re astute, you may have noticed the “Watch Video” link. Well, our creative/marketing group decided to have me and our industrial designer do a little promotional video for the Slide remote. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention it because even though I absolutely dread watching myself on that video, the unfortunate reality is that the video was a memorable event for me (hey, I didn’t say it was a good memory) and one of the primary purposes of this website is to help capture memorable moments in my life.

The video may be hard to find from the home page on tivo.com (and won’t be there forever) so here’s the direct link. It’s also on TiVo’s YouTube channel:

[sigh] I’ve really got to talk to somebody about changing the default frame in that YouTube video. I look bad enough in the video, but that default frame is particularly bad [deeper sigh].

Now onto some better looking things. Here are some pics of the Slide remote.

Disclaimer: Any and all content posted on this website regarding TiVo represent the views and opinions of the author only and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of TiVo, Inc.

The latest fruits of my labor: the sleek and incredibly sexy TiVo Wireless N adapter. It has the same design language as our original wireless G adapter, but several aesthetic enhancements to the design make it look far cooler.

For starters, the metal base is stunningly beautiful. Whereas the G adapter has a lighter colored brushed metal finish, the N adapter uses a black chrome finish giving it a much classier, sophisticated, and high-end look. It’s drop-dead gorgeous if I do say so myself!

With the G adapter, I was never quite happy with the logo treatment. The logo is printed on a label which is then stuck on – it’s basically a sticker which, perception-wise, just seems a bit cheap. The N adapter’s logo is monochrome silver and back (in and of itself cooler IMO), and the TiVo guy actually protrudes from the plastic, giving the logo depth. And not only is the face of the TiVo logo silver, but so are the sidewalls of the protruding logo.

Design details aside, the N adapter offers much better range and speed compared with our G adapter. And if you have a WPS capable router, then connecting the adapter to your router is as simple as pushing a button on your router and then pushing a button on the adapter.

Here’s some pics of our N adapter. It’s available now on tivo.com and various retailers.

Disclaimer: Any and all content posted on this website regarding TiVo represent the views and opinions of the author only and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of TiVo, Inc.

Today, we introduced the Premiere and Premiere XL which both feature the cool new wide-screen HD UI (High-Definition User Interface for the lay people). They also feature remote controls designed by yours truly.

To the casual eye, the Premiere XL remote probably doesn’t look much different from the current Series3 / TiVoGlo remote. However, there are some important changes.

Perhaps the most obvious is the inclusion of the four colored A B C D buttons which will be used for various functions in the UI. My feelings towards these buttons are somewhat mixed. On the one hand, I generally oppose adding any buttons to the remote. On the other hand, these buttons, particularly with the colors we have chosen, really add some nice visual pop against the glossy black plastic. And of course, I can see the benefit such flexible function buttons provide from a UI standpoint.

The battery architecture was also changed from 4 AAA batteries to 2 AA batteries. AA batteries are generally cheaper and more readily available than AAA, and the charge capacity of 2 AA batteries is actually higher than 4 AAA batteries. This required a slight expansion to the remote’s form, especially in the “waist” area, but the feel/ergonomic difference is virtually imperceptible. Some might even say that the slightly expanded waist feels better.

We also went with a new faceplate design. By “faceplate”, I am referring to the glossy black plastic that surrounds the keys. In the Series3 design, this was a clear piece of injection molded plastic that was painted black and then laser-etched to allow the backlight to shine through TiVo’s antennae and legs.

The Series4/Premiere remote uses a printed, cut, and formed piece of plastic (an applique in technical jargon). From a design standpoint, the appeal of this approach is that it enables the printing of a smooth gradient around the TiVo button (the white glow around the TiVo guy). The gradient/glow looks great in bright ambient light, but also in a dark room because it actually glows when the backlight is on.

Another big change (at least in the eye of this designer ) is that the TiVo button now actually has the true TiVo shape. In previous remotes, the TiVo body is very geometrical – it’s basically a trapezoid. The true TiVo guy has a much more organic body. When you compare the pre-Series4 TiVo button to the Series4 TiVo button, I think you’ll agree it looks much better.

From a backlight standpoint, we changed the backlight color from amber to white which results in brighter and more efficient lighting. We also utilized an improved light diffusion system which basically means that the backlight is more uniform among all the keys (reduced “hot spots” in which certain keys are more brightly lit than other keys). The Activity light (the light that flashes with each key press) color was also changed from red to amber to match what the user sees on the TiVo box itself – the TiVo box flashes an amber LED with each successful remote button press.

I’m also happy that our basic remote (the one that ships with the base Premiere) now has the improved Series3/Series4 form which is much more comfortable and ergonomic (and sexier looking!). It also has the Select button in the middle of the navigation disc. In Series 2 remotes, the Select button is below the nav disc.

So there you have it. There’s a bit more to these remotes than meets the eye. And of course, they’re perfect complements to our great-looking Premiere boxes. Go out and buy one and see for yourself!

Here’s some pics of the Premiere and Premiere XL.

Disclaimer: Any and all content posted on this website regarding TiVo represent the views and opinions of the author only and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of TiVo, Inc.

Yesterday, Judge Folsom finally made his ruling in our long-standing patent litigation case against Echostar. When I joined TiVo nearly 4-1/2 years ago, this case had already begun, and it was one of the main reasons I was so optimistic about TiVo’s future. Well, the wheels of justice turn a lot slower than I had expected, but they do turn, and fortunately the outcome is as I had hoped.

Who knows what shenanigans Charlie Ergen (Echostar’s CEO) has planned next, but this ruling is very significant and most analysts seem to agree that ol’ Charlie has just about run out of options. The market seems to agree with TiVo stock up nearly 50%.

After a decade with TiVo, Paul has decided to pursue other opportunities. The Consumer Design Group, which Paul led, got together to create a really cool plaque which we presented to Paul on his last day. Here are some pics of the plaque as well as some shots of the group.

Great news today on our long-running patent case against Echostar. This morning, we issued this statement:

We are extremely pleased that the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit unanimously ruled in our favor in EchoStar’s appeal of the district court judgment of patent infringement, full award of damages and that the injunction, which was stayed pending appeal, was ordered to be reinstated. Today’s ruling is confirmation of the value of TiVo’s IP portfolio, which is in addition to the other benefits TiVo has to offer. TiVo can now continue to focus on its goal to drive greater distribution in both its stand alone and mass distribution efforts.

The market reacted positively, sending TiVo’s share up nearly 30% – woohoo! Later in the day, EchoStar, remaining defiant, had this to say:

We are pleased the Federal Circuit found for us on Tivo’s hardware claims, but are disappointed in the Federal Circuit’s decision on the software claims. The decision, however, will have no effect on our current or future customers because EchoStar’s engineers have developed and deployed ‘next-generation’ DVR software to our customers’ DVRs. This improved software is fully operational, has been automatically downloaded to current customers, and does not infringe the Tivo patent at issue in the Federal Circuit’s ruling.

To which we subsequently responded:

Echostar has made a series of statements over the years related to the infringement of the TiVo patent that has turned out to be both false and misleading. At this point it doesn’t really matter what Echostar says by way of further self-serving statements. It matters what the courts say — and the courts have spoken.

Entertaining, no? Definitely not a dull day in TiVo land!

“We are extremely pleased that the PTO has now found all claims of the Time Warp Patent to be valid after conducting a reexamination of the patent requested by EchoStar. This decision by the PTO is final and not appealable by EchoStar. Today’s decision by the PTO brings us another step closer to ending EchoStar’s continued infringement and we are hopeful that the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit will uphold the district court judgment of patent infringement and reinstate the injunction.”

Nice.

Paul thought it would be fun to do something special to commemorate Jeff turning the big Six-Oh. So we blew up a bunch of TiVo balloons and filled up Jeff’s cube with them. Well, actually, we cheated a bit. After blowing up a few balloons, we quickly realized that we wouldn’t have the stamina to blow up enough balloons to fill Jeff’s entire cube – manually blowing up balloons is quite hard on the cheeks and lips! So we laid down some cardboard (TiVo set-top box cartons, actually) all the way across his desk so that we’d only have to fill half the cube but still have it look like we filled the entire cube.

We also printed a bunch of signs directing Jeff to his specially designated parking spot for that day. Paul came in early Friday morning to set up the signs, but after all that work, Jeff didn’t even show up to work! What a slacker! The balloons were fine sitting in the cube over the weekend, but Paul had to set up the signs again Monday morning. Here are the pics I took.

Well, I guess the launch of the new TiVo HD isn’t a complete surprise since its impending release was first discovered a little over a week ago. Although the sleuth who uncovered the leak didn’t initially blog about it, others soon found out and word quickly spread. It didn’t take long before the leaked pics and specs were picked up and posted by a variety of other sites.

The TiVo HD Box is the culmination of a lot of hard work by the TiVo team and we’re all quite proud of it. My contribution to this killer product? The sleek-looking bezel.

There’s also a nice splash page for the product at TiVo’s website that looks like this:

An HD TiVo with two tuners for only $299? What the heck are you waiting for?!! Go get one now!