TVSquad

The update to Verizon's FiOS TV service includes enhanced graphics, automatic updates, an improved search capability, and widgets for weather, traffic, and community information.

Zatz has some great screen shots showing the following features:

• An indicator of how much free space you have left on your hard drive
• Ability to configure the commercial skip button to fast forward 30 seconds, 1 minute, 2 minutes, or 5 minutes
• Search for HD only shows
• Integrated video on demand
• Ability to record shows and view program guides from your cellphone expected this fall

People have been hacking their TiVo recorders as long as there have been TiVo boxes. You can add more storage, enhance your networking experience, or make your TiVo remote control a bit more useful.

While some of the more advanced hacks require some technical know-how and some modifications that could potentially leave you with a dead PVR, there are plenty of beginner-level hacks. Our buddy Dave Zatz has compiled his top 5:

1. Program your TiVo remote control to add a 30-second "commercial skip" button.
2. Add an extra hard drive or replace your existing hard drive with a larger one (or pay someone to do it for you).
3. Transfer video to your TiVo box.
4. Remove the DRM from TiVoToGo programs you've moved from your TiVo to your computer.
5. Stream AAC, WMA, OGG and MP3 files to your TiVo.

Zatz's article has all the steps you need to take to perform these hacks.

Are you a Mac-loving, TiVo-loving person who only opens Google Reader to look for TiVo related blogs? Well now you don't even need to go that far.

Alex over at TiVoBlog has created a nifty little OS X dashboard widget using Yahoo Pipes and Apple's dashcode. The widget shows you TiVo-related content from a number of website, including TV Squad, TiVoBlog, ZatzNotFunny, TiVoLovers, Zeigen.com, and DavisFreeberg.com.

Sure, you could bookmark each site individually or add them to your RSS reader, but this is the sort of widget that I think is really useful. I tend to read hundreds of RSS feeds every day, and it would be impossible to add each one my desktop. By grouping a bunch of the best sites on a given topic together, you can condense the number widgets you need. Just add another for local and national news and you're all set (assuming you're only interested in news and TiVo information).