TiVo Nibbles on BlackBerry

We're closing in on the day when it will be easier to list the things that TiVo (Nasdaq: TIVO) can't do, rather than the things it can.

TiVo is teaming up with Research In Motion (Nasdaq: RIMM), giving BlackBerry owners the ability to program their digital video recorders remotely.

Yes, TiVo owners have been able to set up recording times for their boxes through the Internet for a few years now. You can even do it through Yahoo! (Nasdaq: YHOO). The allure here is reaching BlackBerry thumb jockeys -- 16 million and counting -- with a convenient tool that also opens the door for future applications.

Future applications? Sure. Tell me what the following line in this morning's press release tells you:

Future collaboration between the companies will focus on software applications that further simplify mobile access to video content.

Am I reading this correctly? Are we talking about watching your TiVo-recorded programs on the go through your BlackBerry?

Again, many TiVo subscribers already know that they can take their shows on the road. All they need is a laptop, a Sony (NYSE: SNE) PSP, or even an Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) iPod. However, this move is reaching out to the corporate BlackBerry types, who probably didn't know that so much was possible with a basic TiVo subscription.

So which of the following can you not do with a TiVo these days?

• Stream clips from top-video sharing site YouTube, including downloading select video content like The Onion.
• Playing music through your home theater system, if you are a RealNetworks (Nasdaq: RNWK) Rhapsody subscriber.
• Use Amazon.com (Nasdaq: AMZN) to either watch digital downloads or go shopping for television-featured products.
• Baste your turkey.

The answer, of course, is the turkey-basting, but don't count out TiVo just yet. Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and TiVo probably has several cool press releases to issue between now and then.

Copyright © 2008 Universal Press Syndicate