TV and Movie Streaming - What device wins?

I've long been a proponent of the contraptions that Roku makes to watch TV and movies from the Internet.

Roku devices hook up to your TV either via an HDMI cable or via the old school video/audio cables. They are very user friendly. They are small so they don't take up a lot of room in your TV area (in fact, I have some hanging from the back of our wall-mounted TVs so you don't see them at all.) They are easy to set up. They support tons of channels including favorites like Netflix, HuluPlus, HBOGo, Amazon Video and hundreds more.

Anyway, Gizmodo just did a comparison of Roku to other devices (check it out here: Streaming Device Showdown: Who Wins the Battle for Your TV? ) and the Roku won.

So if you are looking for an easy, inexpensive way to start watching Internet TV/Movies, get yourself a Roku.  And if you are looking to get your older mom or dad online, this could be a great way to start.

We Don't Have a Smart Phone ....

I was wandering through Costco today with my 18 month old granddaughter when a older couple stopped to admire her. She had that newfangled DIY scanner thingy up to her head, playing with it like it was a cell phone (pretty much anything in a rectangle shape is a cell phone toy to her.)

They said, "Isn't that cute? She is using a smartphone." Then, they continued, "We don't have a smartphone because we aren't smart enough." Then they laughed.

I laughed, too, but was a smidge alarmed by the sentiment. First, I really think they believed the scanner was a cell phone. Second, you don't have to be smart to have a smart phone.

Why do you think older adults believe that they have to be smart to use technology? That's the whole point isn't it? Technology gives you access to tons of information which makes you look smarter.

Just saying...

P.S. I LOVE the DIY checkout scanner. Love it. Saves a unload and load into the cart. Saves waiting in line. Love, love, love.