Two decades after domestic video recorders first appeared, some people still
have trouble programming them. So Sony is going back to basics with a machine
called Smart Dial. The new VCR has a supposedly idiot-proof push-dial on the
front. To set the VCR, you press the dial and turn it to set the start time on a
display. You press again and turn it to set the stop time, and press a third
time to set the channel. Another push confirms the setting, so you can happily
leave it and go out.
More from 51¶¯Âþ
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Health
The mysterious reason why women get hotter from age 18 to 42
51¶¯Âþ
Comment
This is the most underrated sci-fi film franchise of the 21st century
Culture
Comment
Shiver me timbers: Do we have to worry about space pirates now?
Regulars
Life
PMOS shows us why many scientific terms need to be renamed
Leader
Popular articles
Trending 51¶¯Âþ articles
1
The Selfish Gene at 50: Why Dawkins’s evolution classic still holds up
2
The distant world that is our best hope of finding alien life
3
The ‘doomsday’ glacier’s giant ice shelf is about to break away
4
Mystery of the ancient giant stone jars of Laos may have been solved
5
How I used psychology to come back from the worst year of my life
6
Can we harness quantum effects to create a new kind of healthcare?
7
We could generate hydrogen from rocks while storing CO2 in them
8
Solar farm on the ocean outperforms land-based solar in Taiwan
9
Where did the laws of physics come from? I think I've found the answer
10
CAR T-cell therapy bolstered by stiffening up cancer cells first
