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IDF demo gods frown on 'Family Guy'

Tom Krazit Former Staff writer, CNET News
Tom Krazit writes about the ever-expanding world of Google, as the most prominent company on the Internet defends its search juggernaut while expanding into nearly anything it thinks possible. He has previously written about Apple, the traditional PC industry, and chip companies. E-mail Tom.
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Tom Krazit

The demo gods giveth, and the demo gods taketh away. A sharp demonstration of how quick and easy it is to set up a networked Intel Viiv PC was followed shortly by a balky exchange with a voice-sensitive remote control during Intel Digital Home executive Don McDonald's keynote speech at IDF.

It wasn't nearly as bad at Bill Gates' demo meltdown at CES two years ago, or Yahoo's equally star-crossed speech at CES this year. But a prototype remote control that responded to voice commands didn't want to find the listing information for a freakin' sweet episode of "Family Guy."

McDonald kept at it, to his credit, and after several attempts eventually showed how a future Viiv user could order his or her TV to record shows without pushing a button. But the combination microphone/remote control might need to go back to the lab for some tweaking before the next IDF.