The new Metro has a good cover story on how Aussie streets aren't always paved with gold, what with compulsory super, stamp duty, toll roads, poisonous spiders under the barbie and so fourth.

Yet our convict cousins still have a couple of lifestyle advantages.

At least for geeks.

Today Seven Media Group (owner of Channel 7 and Yahoo7, among other properties) announced a TiVo box (for $A699), to be released in time for the Olympics.

On the upside, it has no monthly subscription (unlike in the US). And it'll record any free-to-air TV channel - including HD broadcasts - using tags like the name of an actor to search for shows on its EPG, or to automatically record a show each time it's on - and similar shows as it "learns" your viewing habits over time.

On the downside, the home networking functions will be disabled, so Aussies won't be able to stream content from their PC to TV. Nor will they be able to directly access clips from the internet. Both crimps are being billed as necessary to make the Aussie TiVo more "user-friendly" but their real function is to try and thwart now-rampant video piracy. TiVo and others would be better to give customers what they want - and how they want - by offering commercial IPTV and movie download services. They only have to look at the record companies to see what happens when you wait too long, or go to war with your own customers (Seven does promise a download service, but not until early next year. Sony has a download service pending for its PlayStation online network - including Australia and NZ - while iTunes Australia put a broad range of TV shows online from June 25 for $A3.99 a show. The iTunes clips are in 640 x 480 resolution. That is, not up to HDTV quality, but on a par with DVD).

Meanwhile Foxtel - Sky TV's commercially-related sibling - is rolling out HD TV in a similar manner to Sky TV here. It's notable however that Foxtel's iQ2 has four TV tuners to Sky TV HDi's two. Like MySky and HDi here, it has a number of TiVo-like features, but nothing like the user-friendliness or second-guess-your-tastes features of the actual TiVo.

Seven's TiVo contact covers New Zealand as well as Australia, but so far there's no word on any local launch.

Shop and awe
Earlier, on June 19, Australia got its first Apple Store. Here we've got a handful of dedicated company shops, but although smartly presented, Samsung and Sony's showcase stores are the size of a small video shop, and pretty straightforward. Apple's giant new store in George St, Sydney goes for all the architectural hey-wow factor of its counterparts in New York and San Francisco with a multi-story glass facade. Check out some photos from one fan boy here.