Monsoon has released another HAVA variant – the HAVA Titanium HD. It seems to be an updated version of the HAVA Platinum HD, with the addition of USB ports. They also bundle a USB 802.11g WiFi adapter with the unit – which seems kind of a waste for those who don’t need WiFi. I think they should sell the adapter separately so those who don’t need it can save a few bucks. It also obsoletes the HAVA Wireless HD, which is basically a HAVA Platinum HD with built-in 11g WiFi.

The advantage to the Titanium is the two USB ports which can be used for 11g today, but they’re also talking about offering an 11n dongle in the future. (I’ve said before that decoupling WiFi, as TiVo and Sling have done, makes sense because of evolving standards.) And they’re also saying they’ll be offering a USB hard drive add-on in the future that will allow users to turn the HAVA Titanium HD into a standalone DVR. Right now you can record on a Windows PC using the HAVA as a network tuner. And we may see a USB TV tuner to allow the unit to directly tune (and record) OTA TV. (Since the unit only has two USB 2.0 ports, either you’re going to need a USB hub or decide which two devices you want – WiFi, drive, or tuner – if they release all of these.)

This does look like an improvement over their existing products, but it still has the major limitation HAVA has always had – it only works with Windows. You need a Windows PC or a Windows Mobile device – no Macs, no Palm OS, no Symbian, etc. Those users still have Sling Media of course.

Here’s the press release:
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