He used his simple idea, VCR Plus, to construct a mini media-conglomerate with a megamarket capthe $20 billion GemstarTV Guide.
A simple example is the over-complicated VCR.
Is it because we're used to our parents or grandparents struggling to program the VCR (yes, they still use VCRs) so that it doesn't blink "12 00" all the time, or because we think it's cute that they grew up in simpler times?
Some resourceful consumers are finding simple and cheap ways to put a television and a VCR in the car.
For example, Mr. Hoover said, it is possible to purchase a simple no-frills video camera that can be plugged into a VCR or television set for less than $50.
Or for simple display, the device can be connected to any TV or VCR with standard audio-video connections.
I have an old VCR in storage (for emergencies!), so I followed a simple YouTube tutorial on how to open and clean its heads with rubbing alcohol.
Pay-per-view movies, for example, can be encrypted and then transmitted indiscriminately to digital VCRs, with the ultimate sale being completed by way of a simple phone call that provides a code to unlock the content.
I turned off the VCR, walked over to my studio setup and played, because the strings are very, very simple.
Theirs may seem like a simple duel, but Mr. Lewis is deft at pointing out how the new device, a seemingly small improvement over the VCR, can upend the relationship between consumers and the marketers who will use the new technology to track viewers' every click of the wrist.
The VCR is an information appliance, but its infamous blinking 12 00 proves that bad design thrives in the simplest devices.
