The Skinny: If you don't already have some device hooked up to your TV that can access these sites, or you want to watch European news whenever you feel like it, you might want check this thing out. In addition to the video clip search and 90+ live feeds (200-300 planned for the future), the ITV 2000 can connect to cinema now, vu now, or photo services. You can also plug in a USB drive and watch or listen to your own media via USB.

The device connects over wi-fi or ethernet, and has composite, component and HDMI connections. The Netgear ITV2000 Internet TV Player will be available this summer for $200.

Internet TV Player (ITV2000)

NETGEAR’s Internet TV Player (ITV2000) is a compact, easy-to-use, “plug in and go” Internet set-top
device with a simple remote control that enables viewers to catch up on the world of Internet videos
including YouTube™, live Internet TV, popular Internet video websites, premium video-on-demand and
online video searches retrieving billions of Internet videos from a place it was previously unavailable —
the TV in their living rooms. Rather than watching videos on PC screens in separate rooms, families can
watch video from a variety of Internet sources on the TV together, in the comfort of their den or family
room.

The Internet TV Player unlocks the value of new HDTVs as well as old analog TVs. It is ideal for the
Internet families who enjoy online video, and for those who are geographically displaced from their
preferred television content, such as international sporting events and Bollywood productions. It streams
content from popular sites such as BBC.com, CNN.com, ESPN.com, EuroSport.com, NBC.com,
PGATour and TMZ.com, as well as video powerhouses YouTube, Google Videos™, Yahoo Videos™ and
MetaCafe™. NETGEAR’s Internet TV Player supports streaming of live TV broadcasts from Internet sites
around the world, and premium, paid movies on demand such as CinemaNow.com, in addition to
downloaded videos from sites such as BitTorrent®. Its superior VTap ™ video search capabilities enable
the intelligent search of Internet videos, including targeting video sites by country, topic of interest,
person or popular website. Consumers are also able to play video, music, and photos from a local USB
flash drive as well as from the NETGEAR ReadyNAS® family of storage solutions.

Slightly larger than a deck of cards, the compact Internet TV Player connects to the home network and the
Internet via Ethernet or wireless USB adapter. It does not require a PC to play Internet video, nor does it
require installing any PC software or setting up file sharing or firewall settings.

The NETGEAR Internet TV Player (ITV2000) is expected to be available in early Summer 2009 through
leading retailers, e-commerce sites, and value-added resellers, at an MSRP in the U.S. of $199. More
information can be found at
(http://www.netgear.com/Products/Entertainment/DigitalMediaPlayers/itv2000.aspx).

Do a quick trawl through Microsoft advertising history and you find something interesting: as weird as the Gates/Seinfeld comedy duo Microsoft ads are—weird enough to get them set aside for the "I'm a PC" campaign—they're just following in the footsteps of earlier ads. Check out this one, dubbed "Soar," for Windows XP: what does it tell you about the software's capability? Not much. But the Madonna sound track isn't too shabby, and apparently using Windows can make you fly. Hmmm, that's pretty odd... but then there are even more obscure ones.

"Everybody is looking for the door to the new economy. But actually, it's a window." That Windows 2000 ad tagline has a bit of punch, and was pretty timely back then. But there's a guy crashing a tractor into a tin shack (oh, the irony), there're chickens and (just what every good computer advert needs): a bleating lamb. That's way more confusing than Windows-induced flying.

No lambs in this Windows 95 ad...but we do get a leaping tiger, and fast cuts of wrinkly old men and smiling kids interspersed with glimpses of hot spreadsheet and Word document action. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do with what this ad's telling me: should I go out and make trouble? Or "just do something amazing" since, after all..."this stuff is powerful." The flight-sim glimpse of the Twin Towers is just an unfortunate coincidence, but adds to the shower of strange imagery.

And then there's this one. Okay, so it's for Office XP, but it's glorious, and the best of the bunch.Microsoft taking the mickey (albeit gently) out of the moments when its own security techniques get right on your tits *ahem*.

So, do you feel better about Gates and Seinfeld now? I actually like those ads, weirdness included. Ditto for the "I'm a PC" one, complete with Deepak Chopra's insightful ramblings. They tell me nothing, nada, zip about Microsoft products...but they're just brand adverts, and they make me laugh. And they're right in line with Microsoft's advertising heritage. [Microsoft]

"No motors, no noise and no moving parts to wear out," just computer-designed "electronic memories"... fabulous, especially since I remember hunkering down before our old TV to swirl the dial. My Dad used to get me to change the channels, as a kind of intelligent remote control. Nowadays my cat brushes past the touch-controls on my flat-screen LCD TV and does that job for me. [Paleofuture via Boing Boing Gadgets]

The breakdown shows Windows to be making major aesthetic development around the release of Windows 2000. Mac OS took off a little later, with OS 9 looking like a gimped UI in comparison. Mac OS X saw Apple make a large step up in the graphic pants department. The eye candy at present seems pretty level between the two. Perhaps Apple has the slight edge? However, functionality is an entirely separate ball game. What do you guys make of it all? Post your views, as well as the obligatory Apple/Microsoft flame war, in the comments below. [Top image via VineetB-log]

An upgrade of the original Beer Machine, this Beer Machine 2000 lets you brew your own beer at home easily and safely. Just in time for the underwear-peeling summer months, this beginner-targeted brewing system makes beer in around 7 to 10 days, and has a pressure relief unit to make sure you're not cleaning beer off the walls. There's also two pub-styled tap handles included so you can pretend you're Sam from Cheers, minus the pre-scientology, pre-chubby, pre-crazy Kirstie Alley. – Jason Chen

The Beer machine 2000 [Beer machine]