After breakup, TiVo sends love letter to woo me back

NEW YORK—Breaking up really is hard to do.

Last week I wrote that I had ended a relationship with TiVo that had begun late in the 20th Century. Despite my affection for TiVo’s interface and many of the features inside the DVR that helped me record or find shows to watch through the years, TiVo no longer fit my situation. I had moved on to Verizon Fios.

I heard from many of you who came to a similar decision, along with several others who thought I was nuts for ditching TiVo.

But the folks at TiVo itself, which a company called Rovi bought last year for $1.1 billion before adopting the iconic TiVo name, remained silent.

Until that is the other day.

An unsolicited box arrived in my office. In it, Pop Secret popcorn, Brach’s Conversation Hearts candy, TiVo socks, and most notably, a 3TB TiVo Bolt + Unified Entertainment System.

Seems my old flame had turned stalker after all, begging me to renew our romance.

“Dearest Ed,” the letter in the box read. “You and I go way back, so I want to find a way to make things right, perhaps spark that special something we once had. Admit it, you’ll miss the adorable sounds I make, and the way I can give you just what you want. And I’ve got all-new tricks that just might tickle your fancy, like SkipMode and QuickMode. Who knows, Ed, you might just fall in love all over again."
At the conclusion of the letter, which is pictured above, TiVo gives it one last shot: “Throw caution to the wind, Ed, and let’s see if we can make it magical again," before signing off with “Love, TiVo.”

I'm a romantic at heart so in the spirit of the upcoming Valentine’s Day, I'll just say, `you never know what could happen?'

Email: ebaig@usatoday.com; Follow Paste BN Personal Tech Columnist @edbaig on Twitter