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I shall call him...miniremote

I shall call him...miniremote

Dan Ackerman Editorial Director / Computers and Gaming
Dan Ackerman leads CNET's coverage of computers and gaming hardware. A New York native and former radio DJ, he's also a regular TV talking head and the author of "The Tetris Effect" (Hachette/PublicAffairs), a non-fiction gaming and business history book that has earned rave reviews from the New York Times, Fortune, LA Review of Books, and many other publications. "Upends the standard Silicon Valley, Steve Jobs/Mark Zuckerberg technology-creation myth... the story shines." -- The New York Times
Expertise I've been testing and reviewing computer and gaming hardware for over 20 years, covering every console launch since the Dreamcast and every MacBook...ever. Credentials
  • Author of the award-winning, NY Times-reviewed nonfiction book The Tetris Effect; Longtime consumer technology expert for CBS Mornings
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Dan Ackerman
Plenty of people have opted for an entertainment PC experience without Windows Media Center Edition, thanks to popular DVR apps like SnapStream's Beyond TV. One thing that draws users to that particular platform is the handy Firefly remote that Snapstream bundles with the app (and also sells separately).

But while branded Microsoft Media Center remotes come in all shapes and sizes, the Firefly has always been a bit on the, um, chunky side. Apparently, it was a bigger issue than we thought, because SnapStream is now offering a new product called the Firefly Mini.

The Mini is two inches shorter than the traditional version and a little bit lighter. It loses a few buttons along the way, but unlike its big brother, the Mini offers driverless installation, so it's easy to plug and play. And like the original Firefly, it works with a variety of other apps, including Media Center. So if coffee-table space is at an absolute premium, or your arms are too enfeebled by years of media consumption to hoist a full-size remote, SnapStream is selling the Mini via its Web site for around $29.

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