Zatz Not Funny: Apple and AT&T’s anti-competitive ways, TiVo's patent trolling, Windows Media Center, and more

A periodic roundup of relevant news from our friends at Zatz Not Funny

Apple and AT&T’s colluding, anti-competitive ways

Dave Zatz: I’m calling BS on their FCC responses. I pay $30/month for data access. And it seems to me that Apple and AT&T are collaboratively and selectively blocking apps that could compete with their own service offerings.

New tech still on tap for 2009

Mari Silbey: Here are four enabling technologies to watch out for in the next four months. This tech may not be sexy, but it’s guaranteed to make those shiny gadget toys work better, smarter, faster.

TiVo loses more customers, sues AT&T & Verizon

Dave Zatz: TiVo’s quarterly call was a bit more dramatic than usual. While they continue to lose customers and innovate at a very unhurried pace, TiVo seeks a repeat DISH Network performance in going after AT&T and Verizon for infringement. Basically, TiVo’s current business model appears to be ad sales and patent trolling.

Should Media Center be decoupled from Windows?

Dave Zatz: I believe packaging Media Center with the Windows operating system definitely was not the correct decision. I understand the reasons MS did it and I agree it might have helped in making some more aware of Media Center, but locking in the development of a true HTPC product cripples that software due to the extremely long, drawn out product update cycles.

last100 is edited by Steve O'Hear. Aside from founding last100, Steve is co-founder and CEO of Beepl and a freelance journalist who has written for numerous publications, including TechCrunch, The Guardian, ZDNet, ReadWriteWeb and Macworld, and also wrote and directed the Silicon Valley documentary, In Search of the Valley. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.

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