Hello folks and welcome to another edition of Tuesday Tech Talk. I am fresh back from Nashville where I attended PodCamp so I had to absurd a lot of tech news in a short period of time. Let’s see what is going on this week!
Firefox 4
Last week Mozilla released the official version of Firefox 4. It brings several new notable features, my personal favorite is Pin Apps which basically allows you to take your most frequently opened tabs and reduce them to favicons in the upper left hand corner of the browser for quick access.
In addition it also has a feature called Grouped Tabs which sets up multiple tabs of pages for quick access. To give you an idea of what is new, check out the video. I would post it here but Mozilla does not give me the option to embed their videos. I am a fan of Google Chrome but I decided to give Firefox 4 a week of exclusive use and I will let you know next week of what I think about it. MacWorld has chimed in with their initial review of it which you can read here.
Yahoo debuts “Future of Search”
Remember this company? We used to check them out for search results before Google came along. Well, anyhow, they are rolling out a new search technology. I have to say it is really impressive but is it enough to compete against Google at this point? Only time will tell.
Audible offers WiFi download to Kindle
Huge news for Kindle users, Audible now offers the ability to download their 50,000 titles via WiFi to your Kindle. I don’t have a Kindle myself...yet. But this is a lot more convenient than having to side-load via USB.
Warner Brothers adds more Films to Facebook
After offering the Dark Knight on Facebook for users to rent and watch, Warner Brothers is now offering 5 additional movies to the service. The new movies are Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Inception, Life as We Know It and Yogi Bear. I think the jury is still out on this one as no other studios have come on board to offer their content on Facebook. I still stand by the fact that people in general do not want to watch a movie on a computer screen which is why AppleTV and Roku boxes are doing so well right now.
Well, that is going to do it for this week’s Tuesday Tech Talk. If you want to know about my experience at PodCamp Nashville, you can read my post about it here. See you next week!
Showing posts with label AppleTV. Show all posts
Showing posts with label AppleTV. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Thursday, March 10, 2011
AppleTalk Thursday #12
Hey everybody and welcome to another edition of AppleTalk Thursday. We got quite a bit of news to cover here and some app reviews too. Let’s get started!
iOS 4.3
Yesterday iOS 4.3 was made available in advance of tomorrow’s iPad 2 launch. Among the new features in the OS update is the ability to AirPlay third party apps and videos within Safari to your AppleTV. I did this last night when I was watching the iPad 2 guided videos Apple put on its website, I found that I had the ability to stream them from my iPad to my AppleTV...super cool!!
Also of note is the ability to Home Sharing between your Mac or PC and your iOS devices. Once again I tried this on both my iPhone and iPad and found once I selected one of my Mac’s that it would display the entire library content on my iPhone and iPad. Now you can only select one computer at a type to display content, but this is super cool if you want to watch a movie stored on your computer on your iPad without having to install it on the iPad...both a huge time and space saver as it simply streams the content similar to the current AppleTV.
Another update is Safari, it is now a whole lot faster on my iPad and iPhone, pages load so much quicker now...big difference! The Safari update runs JavaScript twice as fast as it did before.
On the iPad they have restored the ability to make the slider switch on the side either a mute or screen rotation lock...THANK YOU APPLE!!! I hated it when they took the screen lock option away in 4.2 and made it a mute switch, now you have the choice on if it will be a mute or screen lock switch. I never mute my iPad so the choice is easy for me...screen lock!
Finally, the update brings Personal Hotspot to the iPhone 4. What this means is if you are out somewhere with your iPhone and MacBook for example and you need to use your MacBook to access the internet, you can turn on Hotspot on your iPhone to share the connection with your MacBook basically creating a mobile WiFi network using 3G for data. It is available for Verizon and AT&T but beware if you are an AT&T iPhone user that is grandfathered in on the unlimited data plan, you will have to switch your data plan to either the 250MB or 2GB data plan for that feature and you can NEVER get unlimited data back. So I will not be using it but with my iPhone and iPad, I am never really in a spot where I would need my MacBook. I have DropBox on my iPad and iPhone so my documents are within reach when needed. But if you are not in an unlimited data plan, AT&T is making it pretty easy to add on when necessary and turn off without a penalty.
AppleTV gets Sports
In addition to the 4.3 update, Apple also pushed out an update to the AppleTV version 4.2. With this update it brings 2 new channels to it, MLB.tv and NBA League Pass. What that means is if you subscribe to those services, you can now watch live baseball and basketball games right on your TV without having cable or satellite TV services. Those 2 services have been part of Roku for quite sometime as well. Now if the AppleTV could get Hulu Plus on it. Also of interest is Netflix has been updated to support 5.1 audio.
iPhone 5 Rumors
With the new iPad 2 supporting an A5 dual core processor, speculation is the iPhone 5 will sport the same chip when it arrives in the summer. Also another story making the rounds is the iPhone 5 will sport an aluminum backing similar to the iPad.
Tablet sales to Steamroll PC Sales
Another bit of news is that Gartner expects PC sales to be slower over the next 2 years than previously expected as tablets such as the iPad continue to sale like gangbusters.
Apple introduces JointVenture
Apple is making it easier to get small biz up and running with their new Mac equipment with a new service called JointVenture. Under the plan, Apple will setup Mac and iOS equipment as well as train employees how to use them, and offer dedicated support. The cost is $499 and supports up to 5 systems. If you do have a system that needs repair, Apple will even loan you a MacBook Pro or MacBook Air with Mail, iCal, iWork, iLife, and Microsoft Office pre-installed, while your system is being worked on.
Apple in Discussions with Record Labels to Offer Unlimited Music Downloads
Apple is said to be negotiating with record labels to allow users to download multiple times a song they bought once. This is similar to the App Store which you pay once and download an unlimited number of times at no additional cost. This would line up with their much anticipated mobile revamp as part of their North Carolina data center that will go live this spring.
Apple most Admired Company
Forbes announced that Apple is for the 4th straight year, the world’s most admired company thanks to its constant innovations of products. Take that haters!!
More iPad 2 News
So as I said earlier the iPad 2 will go on sale tomorrow both online and at Apple Stores everywhere in the U.S. Online sales will begin at 1am Pacific Time and in store purchases will begin at 5pm local time. When I first heard this I thought, “boy I hope the 2 Austin, TX Apple Stores have a good selection as South by Southwest (SXSW) starts tomorrow. But Apple is going to open a pop up store on Congress and West 6th St. It will be inside a 5,000 square foot building so should be plenty of space for iPad 2 purchasing and within walking distance of SXSW.
Also if you are a current iPad owner but are worried about losing your unlimited data plan from AT&T when upgrading to the iPad 2, worry not as AT&T will allow grandfathering in like they do with iPhone upgrades. If you are not signed up with either AT&T or Verizon and are getting an iPad 2, then you may want to check out their data plans to see which one fits you best than buy either the GSM (AT&T) or CDMA (Verizon) based model.
Finally some of the first iPad reviews are starting to come out. Great reviews for the most part with the only criticism being about the quality of the cameras.
iOS App Reviews
DirecTV iPad Remote (FREE) - Last week I mentioned how DirecTV had released an app for the iPad that allows you to control your receiver from the iPad. Well since then, I have my modem and router relocated to the living room and now have it wired to my DirecTV receiver and it works as advertised. You can setup favorite channels, and view your DVR playlist and select which show to play. My only criticism is that you can’t play the recordings on your iPad but I guess they can always add that feature later.
TweetDeck (FREE) - Another app I tried out this week was TweetDeck, they have a version for both the iPhone and iPod touch as well as the iPad. With the iPhone version you can set it to post to both Twitter and Facebook and view your columns for lists and mentions. The Facebook feature though tends to have a lot of errors which may explain why they don’t have it in the iPad version.
Well, that is going to do it for this edition of AppleTalk Thursday. See you next week for another all things Apple report.
iOS 4.3
Yesterday iOS 4.3 was made available in advance of tomorrow’s iPad 2 launch. Among the new features in the OS update is the ability to AirPlay third party apps and videos within Safari to your AppleTV. I did this last night when I was watching the iPad 2 guided videos Apple put on its website, I found that I had the ability to stream them from my iPad to my AppleTV...super cool!!
Also of note is the ability to Home Sharing between your Mac or PC and your iOS devices. Once again I tried this on both my iPhone and iPad and found once I selected one of my Mac’s that it would display the entire library content on my iPhone and iPad. Now you can only select one computer at a type to display content, but this is super cool if you want to watch a movie stored on your computer on your iPad without having to install it on the iPad...both a huge time and space saver as it simply streams the content similar to the current AppleTV.
Another update is Safari, it is now a whole lot faster on my iPad and iPhone, pages load so much quicker now...big difference! The Safari update runs JavaScript twice as fast as it did before.
On the iPad they have restored the ability to make the slider switch on the side either a mute or screen rotation lock...THANK YOU APPLE!!! I hated it when they took the screen lock option away in 4.2 and made it a mute switch, now you have the choice on if it will be a mute or screen lock switch. I never mute my iPad so the choice is easy for me...screen lock!
Finally, the update brings Personal Hotspot to the iPhone 4. What this means is if you are out somewhere with your iPhone and MacBook for example and you need to use your MacBook to access the internet, you can turn on Hotspot on your iPhone to share the connection with your MacBook basically creating a mobile WiFi network using 3G for data. It is available for Verizon and AT&T but beware if you are an AT&T iPhone user that is grandfathered in on the unlimited data plan, you will have to switch your data plan to either the 250MB or 2GB data plan for that feature and you can NEVER get unlimited data back. So I will not be using it but with my iPhone and iPad, I am never really in a spot where I would need my MacBook. I have DropBox on my iPad and iPhone so my documents are within reach when needed. But if you are not in an unlimited data plan, AT&T is making it pretty easy to add on when necessary and turn off without a penalty.
AppleTV gets Sports
In addition to the 4.3 update, Apple also pushed out an update to the AppleTV version 4.2. With this update it brings 2 new channels to it, MLB.tv and NBA League Pass. What that means is if you subscribe to those services, you can now watch live baseball and basketball games right on your TV without having cable or satellite TV services. Those 2 services have been part of Roku for quite sometime as well. Now if the AppleTV could get Hulu Plus on it. Also of interest is Netflix has been updated to support 5.1 audio.
iPhone 5 Rumors
With the new iPad 2 supporting an A5 dual core processor, speculation is the iPhone 5 will sport the same chip when it arrives in the summer. Also another story making the rounds is the iPhone 5 will sport an aluminum backing similar to the iPad.
Tablet sales to Steamroll PC Sales
Another bit of news is that Gartner expects PC sales to be slower over the next 2 years than previously expected as tablets such as the iPad continue to sale like gangbusters.
Apple introduces JointVenture
Apple is making it easier to get small biz up and running with their new Mac equipment with a new service called JointVenture. Under the plan, Apple will setup Mac and iOS equipment as well as train employees how to use them, and offer dedicated support. The cost is $499 and supports up to 5 systems. If you do have a system that needs repair, Apple will even loan you a MacBook Pro or MacBook Air with Mail, iCal, iWork, iLife, and Microsoft Office pre-installed, while your system is being worked on.
Apple in Discussions with Record Labels to Offer Unlimited Music Downloads
Apple is said to be negotiating with record labels to allow users to download multiple times a song they bought once. This is similar to the App Store which you pay once and download an unlimited number of times at no additional cost. This would line up with their much anticipated mobile revamp as part of their North Carolina data center that will go live this spring.
Apple most Admired Company
Forbes announced that Apple is for the 4th straight year, the world’s most admired company thanks to its constant innovations of products. Take that haters!!
More iPad 2 News
So as I said earlier the iPad 2 will go on sale tomorrow both online and at Apple Stores everywhere in the U.S. Online sales will begin at 1am Pacific Time and in store purchases will begin at 5pm local time. When I first heard this I thought, “boy I hope the 2 Austin, TX Apple Stores have a good selection as South by Southwest (SXSW) starts tomorrow. But Apple is going to open a pop up store on Congress and West 6th St. It will be inside a 5,000 square foot building so should be plenty of space for iPad 2 purchasing and within walking distance of SXSW.
Also if you are a current iPad owner but are worried about losing your unlimited data plan from AT&T when upgrading to the iPad 2, worry not as AT&T will allow grandfathering in like they do with iPhone upgrades. If you are not signed up with either AT&T or Verizon and are getting an iPad 2, then you may want to check out their data plans to see which one fits you best than buy either the GSM (AT&T) or CDMA (Verizon) based model.
Finally some of the first iPad reviews are starting to come out. Great reviews for the most part with the only criticism being about the quality of the cameras.
iOS App Reviews
DirecTV iPad Remote (FREE) - Last week I mentioned how DirecTV had released an app for the iPad that allows you to control your receiver from the iPad. Well since then, I have my modem and router relocated to the living room and now have it wired to my DirecTV receiver and it works as advertised. You can setup favorite channels, and view your DVR playlist and select which show to play. My only criticism is that you can’t play the recordings on your iPad but I guess they can always add that feature later.
TweetDeck (FREE) - Another app I tried out this week was TweetDeck, they have a version for both the iPhone and iPod touch as well as the iPad. With the iPhone version you can set it to post to both Twitter and Facebook and view your columns for lists and mentions. The Facebook feature though tends to have a lot of errors which may explain why they don’t have it in the iPad version.
Well, that is going to do it for this edition of AppleTalk Thursday. See you next week for another all things Apple report.
Friday, February 11, 2011
AppleTalk Thursday #8
Hey everybody and welcome to the AppleTalk Thursday late late edition! We had another slow storm come through here that disrupted my blogging pattern and schedule. There is a lot of Apple related news so let’s see what is going on!
Netflix getting more user traffic on AppleTV than iPad
To me this is not a big story, I mean if you are watching video content you are more likely to want to view it on a bigger screen. Being that I own an iPhone, an iPad, and an AppleTV, I opt for the AppleTV every-time. I have Netflix on my iPhone but that is more to just add content to my queue while on the fly. Furthermore this should really inspire Apple and Hulu to get a deal done already to bring it to the AppleTV.
iPhone strikes again at BlackBerry in the Corporate World
Another blow to RIM in the corporate world as the iPhone continues to make strides in the Enterprise market. Deutsche Bank Equity Research announced it is switching to the iPhone and dumping their BB’s.
iPad 2 Rumor Rundown
Some of the latest information regarding the 2nd generation forthcoming iPad. One analyst with Concord Securities claims it will have a more anti-reflective screen providing a better reading experience, also the front and rear camera quality would be similar to that of the iPod touch instead of the iPhone 4. Meanwhile the Wall Street Journal is reporting they are in production and will be offered through both AT&T and Verizon. Both articles seem to hint that it will not have the retina display found on the iPhone 4.
Verizon iPhone 4 Followup News
Of course last week existing Verizon users got to pre-order the iPhone 4 and this week converts got their chance. A review from WIred of the Verizon iPhone even suggested it is an actual phone now...OUCH! My personal experience with my AT&T-based iPhone is a positive one. Granted it took them a long time to deploy 3G in the Tupelo area, but now they have gotten more aggressive with 3G rollout in the rest of Northeast Mississippi. So much so that even my parents little town as 3G now, something I never saw coming. Verizon stated it sold more iPhone 4’s on pre-orders in the first 2 hours than they have on any previous product launch in one day...yes that includes Androids! Another benefit of the Apple-Verizon partnership is that the iPhone is arriving in new areas that previously it could not. A recent survey found that 54% of Verizon’s BlackBerry and Android users are somewhat likely to switch to the iPhone as well which further hammers home Verizon’s thought that iPhone users are more loyal when compared to BB and Android users. I would tend to agree.
Apple sets 3/31 Deadline for in-app Purchasing for Periodicals
To follow up on last week’s Apple rejection of the Sony e-reader app, the Wall Street Journal is reporting that Apple has set a March 31st deadline for periodical apps to offer an in-app purchase option for content. To me I like this idea as I hate leaving an app to purchase say an e-Book from Amazon via the Safari browser. One thing about iBooks is you don’t have to leave the app but the content is not as great as Amazon. I don’t really like the take it or leave it attitude Apple is giving the developers of such apps. But I think in-app is something a lot of customers will enjoy but from a developer perspective I can see where this would be an issue when it comes to revenue splits which is really the bottom-line of the story here.
iPhone and iPad Shifting Reading Habits
An interesting study here pointing to the ways iPhone and iPad users reading preferences have changed. I would tend to follow into this ground. I rarely read on my MacBook anymore and tend to prefer my iPad for that. My MacBook is pretty much for creating content such as blogging, but when it comes down to say reading others blogs, I grab the iPad and fire up River of News.
The Confession App
Ok so there has been a lot of news about a Confession app that is available for both the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Being that I am both a Mac geek and a practicing Catholic, I thought I would share my thoughts on it. First and foremost, this is NOT a replacement for confessing your sins to a priest and receiving the proper penance. It is instead a guide to helping you make a good confession and a handy thing to take with you into the confessional. It is an aide when examining your conscience prior to going to confession at your local parish. I have it myself and will use it at my next confession next month (I go monthly). For another take on the Confession app check out what the good folks at Southern Fried Catholicism over in Oxford, MS say about it.
Reagan Library adds iPod touch to Exhibits
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library now offers 250 iPod touch units as part of the museum tour. Pretty nifty and tech savvy to utilize.
Finally I wan to share an entertaining graphic on the different type of iPhone users. It is pretty interesting, I think I know which one I fall under. See you all next week for another edition of AppleTalk Thursday.
Netflix getting more user traffic on AppleTV than iPad
To me this is not a big story, I mean if you are watching video content you are more likely to want to view it on a bigger screen. Being that I own an iPhone, an iPad, and an AppleTV, I opt for the AppleTV every-time. I have Netflix on my iPhone but that is more to just add content to my queue while on the fly. Furthermore this should really inspire Apple and Hulu to get a deal done already to bring it to the AppleTV.
iPhone strikes again at BlackBerry in the Corporate World
Another blow to RIM in the corporate world as the iPhone continues to make strides in the Enterprise market. Deutsche Bank Equity Research announced it is switching to the iPhone and dumping their BB’s.
iPad 2 Rumor Rundown
Some of the latest information regarding the 2nd generation forthcoming iPad. One analyst with Concord Securities claims it will have a more anti-reflective screen providing a better reading experience, also the front and rear camera quality would be similar to that of the iPod touch instead of the iPhone 4. Meanwhile the Wall Street Journal is reporting they are in production and will be offered through both AT&T and Verizon. Both articles seem to hint that it will not have the retina display found on the iPhone 4.
Verizon iPhone 4 Followup News
Of course last week existing Verizon users got to pre-order the iPhone 4 and this week converts got their chance. A review from WIred of the Verizon iPhone even suggested it is an actual phone now...OUCH! My personal experience with my AT&T-based iPhone is a positive one. Granted it took them a long time to deploy 3G in the Tupelo area, but now they have gotten more aggressive with 3G rollout in the rest of Northeast Mississippi. So much so that even my parents little town as 3G now, something I never saw coming. Verizon stated it sold more iPhone 4’s on pre-orders in the first 2 hours than they have on any previous product launch in one day...yes that includes Androids! Another benefit of the Apple-Verizon partnership is that the iPhone is arriving in new areas that previously it could not. A recent survey found that 54% of Verizon’s BlackBerry and Android users are somewhat likely to switch to the iPhone as well which further hammers home Verizon’s thought that iPhone users are more loyal when compared to BB and Android users. I would tend to agree.
Apple sets 3/31 Deadline for in-app Purchasing for Periodicals
To follow up on last week’s Apple rejection of the Sony e-reader app, the Wall Street Journal is reporting that Apple has set a March 31st deadline for periodical apps to offer an in-app purchase option for content. To me I like this idea as I hate leaving an app to purchase say an e-Book from Amazon via the Safari browser. One thing about iBooks is you don’t have to leave the app but the content is not as great as Amazon. I don’t really like the take it or leave it attitude Apple is giving the developers of such apps. But I think in-app is something a lot of customers will enjoy but from a developer perspective I can see where this would be an issue when it comes to revenue splits which is really the bottom-line of the story here.
iPhone and iPad Shifting Reading Habits
An interesting study here pointing to the ways iPhone and iPad users reading preferences have changed. I would tend to follow into this ground. I rarely read on my MacBook anymore and tend to prefer my iPad for that. My MacBook is pretty much for creating content such as blogging, but when it comes down to say reading others blogs, I grab the iPad and fire up River of News.
The Confession App
Ok so there has been a lot of news about a Confession app that is available for both the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Being that I am both a Mac geek and a practicing Catholic, I thought I would share my thoughts on it. First and foremost, this is NOT a replacement for confessing your sins to a priest and receiving the proper penance. It is instead a guide to helping you make a good confession and a handy thing to take with you into the confessional. It is an aide when examining your conscience prior to going to confession at your local parish. I have it myself and will use it at my next confession next month (I go monthly). For another take on the Confession app check out what the good folks at Southern Fried Catholicism over in Oxford, MS say about it.
Reagan Library adds iPod touch to Exhibits
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library now offers 250 iPod touch units as part of the museum tour. Pretty nifty and tech savvy to utilize.
Finally I wan to share an entertaining graphic on the different type of iPhone users. It is pretty interesting, I think I know which one I fall under. See you all next week for another edition of AppleTalk Thursday.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
AppleTalk Thursday #2
Hello everybody and welcome to the second edition of AppleTalk Thursday. Just a quick note, I am taking a Christmas and New Years break next week so there will be no AppleTalk Thursday next week. With that said we got a lot to cover here so I’m going to dive right in!
iPad 2 Rumor Roundup
Lot of stuff out there on what might be in the upcoming iPad 2 so here is a quick rundown of rumors regarding the tablet. DigiTimes is reporting Apple has added 2 new touchscreen suppliers for the iPad. The article goes on to say that Apple is expecting to ship 6 million iPad 2’s per month. The Unofficial Apple Weblog explains that DigiTimes is hit and miss on rumors so only time will tell. Another source, a Japanese Mac blog named Mac Otakara states that it will sport a larger “wide-ranged-speaker” and a flatter backing to it similar to the new iPod touch. They have an image of the reported speaker as well. Again this is speculation and rumors, but here is the photo of what they claim is the new speaker.
Course the at this point it is a safe bet that the iPad 2 will sport both a front and back facing camera. Not sure if it will sport a Retina Display like the iPhone 4 does, but it would be nice if it did. But that is a run down of the latest iPad 2 rumors. Sounds like we could see it ship around February.
Apple TV News and Notes
Apple announced that this week it expects to sale its one millionth new AppleTV. For those that don’t have one, I can assure you it is worth the $99! We have enjoyed watching Netflix on it, renting movies from the iTunes store that are not available on Netflix yet (Inception and A-Team), and with AirPlay now out, I can stream Pandora from my iPhone and iPad to my stereo system. It also works with apps like iheartradio and TuneIn Radio as well. As long as you have an HDTV already and a broadband connection, then you are good to go with one. In addition, it has also been a boom to Roku sales as well. If you don’t have an HDTV but have RCA connections, then Roku is the way to go although it doesn’t have access to iTunes movie rentals and lacks AirPlay support, but it does have Hulu and MLB as apps among others. Another bit of AppleTV news is this story on how using Google’s public DNS address for your internet can hinder the AppleTV’s performance on iTunes movie rentals. Now this could be just a fluke, but if Google is doing this then isn’t Google breaking their own “Don’t be Evil” policy? Oh, maybe not. Then again maybe it is just sour grapes over the failure that is GoogleTV. Another interesting note is according to a DirecTV survey, they may soon offer their popular and exclusive NFL Sunday Ticket to AppleTV users. This would be huge if it were to happen!
Apple removes Unofficial WikiLeaks app from Store
This week Apple chose to remove the Unofficial WikiLeaks app. I agree with this decision, Apple is choosing to be a responsible party here in removing an application that supports a service that could cause severe harm to our troops overseas. If you still want the app I’m sure you can get it on the Android market next to the porn section which Apple also does not allow thankfully.
Verizon sees iPhone as “Essential to Future Success”
Continuing the long rumors of the iPhone to Verizon stories, comes this article on how Verizon which apparently has seen its Android unit sales decline, very much sees the iPhone as vital to sales and market share. This story kind of surprised me as I thought Android was going to take over the world according to what its proponents have been stating. Apparently the numbers just don’t add up in Verizon’s case anyway. Full disclosure, before I upgraded my 3GS to an iPhone 4 at Radio Shack, I did research the Android phones and was just not impressed in how it would relate to my Mac hardware such as syncing my iTunes music library and such. Plus their battery and network icons at the top of the screen just look tacky and not as smooth as the iPhone icons. Ok, I have said enough, I’m sure I am going to hear from the Android fanboys and girls out there now.
Sam’s Club selling iPhone 4 for $147
Well, if your reading this on Thursday or Friday and missed out on the Radio Shack deal, Sam’s Club is selling the iPhone 4 16GB model for $147 and the 8GB 3GS for $47. No word on the price of the 32GB model though. Hurry!
iWork ’11 to arrive in Early January?
Based on limited retail copies of iWork ’09 and the launching of the Mac App Store on January 6th, there appears to be growing speculation that iWork ’11 will make its debut as part of the App Store. This would certainly entice people to come check out the Mac App Store on launch day and maybe even buy some apps for their Mac. Sure makes sense to me.
Skyfire coming to the iPad
Yes, it is finally coming soon, Skyfire which allows you to view Flash content on the iPhone using its browser, will soon have a counterpart on the iPad. Should arrive any day now and sell for about $5. It will also have social network quick view for Facebook and Twitter updates.
iOS App Reviews
CNN iPad app (FREE) - CNN has launched an iPad only app. Of course it already offers an app for the iPhone and iPod touch. The view on the iPad app is very nice as you scroll down to view photos of stories with captions over them. Selecting on the photo opens the story up, it is like reading Flipboard almost in terms of how it displays.
MobileNavigator ($44.99 North America) - MobileNavigator recently updated their app to include some new goodies, among them is an iPad version, also Active Lane Assistant which gives a more accurate view of the road you are on in terms of lanes on the road. Also offers Travel and Restaurant guides via in-app purchases, and sharing favorites between iOS devices via email, and MyReport which allows you to leave feedback on a route that is no longer accurate on MobileNavigator which will allow it to be more responsive with map updates.
Flipboard (FREE) - Speaking of Flipboard, it has been updated to support Google Reader and Flickr. If you have never tried Flipboard then you really should. It is like reading your social media in a magazine form. Please note, this is an iPad only app though.
Voices 2 (99 Cents) - If you have ever tried Talking Tom Cat, then you will love this app. It gives you the ability to record your voice and then add about 26 different effects to your voice. My favorite is Max which basically makes you sound like Max Headroom.
Emoji (FREE) - This is a nice free app that allows you to add emoticons to your text messages. It was one of the first apps I added to my wife’s iPhone so she could insert the smileys she had on her old flip phone. It is very cool and for a free version, it includes a lot of icons to use.
Well, that is going to do it for this edition of AppleTalk Thursday, A lot of news this week but you got 2 weeks to digest it all before another edition of AppleTalk Thursday on January 6th which will be the same date the Mac App Store launches. So now doubt we will have a bit more news then over the course of 2 weeks. See you then and have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
iPad 2 Rumor Roundup
Lot of stuff out there on what might be in the upcoming iPad 2 so here is a quick rundown of rumors regarding the tablet. DigiTimes is reporting Apple has added 2 new touchscreen suppliers for the iPad. The article goes on to say that Apple is expecting to ship 6 million iPad 2’s per month. The Unofficial Apple Weblog explains that DigiTimes is hit and miss on rumors so only time will tell. Another source, a Japanese Mac blog named Mac Otakara states that it will sport a larger “wide-ranged-speaker” and a flatter backing to it similar to the new iPod touch. They have an image of the reported speaker as well. Again this is speculation and rumors, but here is the photo of what they claim is the new speaker.
Course the at this point it is a safe bet that the iPad 2 will sport both a front and back facing camera. Not sure if it will sport a Retina Display like the iPhone 4 does, but it would be nice if it did. But that is a run down of the latest iPad 2 rumors. Sounds like we could see it ship around February.
Apple TV News and Notes
Apple announced that this week it expects to sale its one millionth new AppleTV. For those that don’t have one, I can assure you it is worth the $99! We have enjoyed watching Netflix on it, renting movies from the iTunes store that are not available on Netflix yet (Inception and A-Team), and with AirPlay now out, I can stream Pandora from my iPhone and iPad to my stereo system. It also works with apps like iheartradio and TuneIn Radio as well. As long as you have an HDTV already and a broadband connection, then you are good to go with one. In addition, it has also been a boom to Roku sales as well. If you don’t have an HDTV but have RCA connections, then Roku is the way to go although it doesn’t have access to iTunes movie rentals and lacks AirPlay support, but it does have Hulu and MLB as apps among others. Another bit of AppleTV news is this story on how using Google’s public DNS address for your internet can hinder the AppleTV’s performance on iTunes movie rentals. Now this could be just a fluke, but if Google is doing this then isn’t Google breaking their own “Don’t be Evil” policy? Oh, maybe not. Then again maybe it is just sour grapes over the failure that is GoogleTV. Another interesting note is according to a DirecTV survey, they may soon offer their popular and exclusive NFL Sunday Ticket to AppleTV users. This would be huge if it were to happen!
Apple removes Unofficial WikiLeaks app from Store
This week Apple chose to remove the Unofficial WikiLeaks app. I agree with this decision, Apple is choosing to be a responsible party here in removing an application that supports a service that could cause severe harm to our troops overseas. If you still want the app I’m sure you can get it on the Android market next to the porn section which Apple also does not allow thankfully.
Verizon sees iPhone as “Essential to Future Success”
Continuing the long rumors of the iPhone to Verizon stories, comes this article on how Verizon which apparently has seen its Android unit sales decline, very much sees the iPhone as vital to sales and market share. This story kind of surprised me as I thought Android was going to take over the world according to what its proponents have been stating. Apparently the numbers just don’t add up in Verizon’s case anyway. Full disclosure, before I upgraded my 3GS to an iPhone 4 at Radio Shack, I did research the Android phones and was just not impressed in how it would relate to my Mac hardware such as syncing my iTunes music library and such. Plus their battery and network icons at the top of the screen just look tacky and not as smooth as the iPhone icons. Ok, I have said enough, I’m sure I am going to hear from the Android fanboys and girls out there now.
Sam’s Club selling iPhone 4 for $147
Well, if your reading this on Thursday or Friday and missed out on the Radio Shack deal, Sam’s Club is selling the iPhone 4 16GB model for $147 and the 8GB 3GS for $47. No word on the price of the 32GB model though. Hurry!
iWork ’11 to arrive in Early January?
Based on limited retail copies of iWork ’09 and the launching of the Mac App Store on January 6th, there appears to be growing speculation that iWork ’11 will make its debut as part of the App Store. This would certainly entice people to come check out the Mac App Store on launch day and maybe even buy some apps for their Mac. Sure makes sense to me.
Skyfire coming to the iPad
Yes, it is finally coming soon, Skyfire which allows you to view Flash content on the iPhone using its browser, will soon have a counterpart on the iPad. Should arrive any day now and sell for about $5. It will also have social network quick view for Facebook and Twitter updates.
iOS App Reviews
CNN iPad app (FREE) - CNN has launched an iPad only app. Of course it already offers an app for the iPhone and iPod touch. The view on the iPad app is very nice as you scroll down to view photos of stories with captions over them. Selecting on the photo opens the story up, it is like reading Flipboard almost in terms of how it displays.
MobileNavigator ($44.99 North America) - MobileNavigator recently updated their app to include some new goodies, among them is an iPad version, also Active Lane Assistant which gives a more accurate view of the road you are on in terms of lanes on the road. Also offers Travel and Restaurant guides via in-app purchases, and sharing favorites between iOS devices via email, and MyReport which allows you to leave feedback on a route that is no longer accurate on MobileNavigator which will allow it to be more responsive with map updates.
Flipboard (FREE) - Speaking of Flipboard, it has been updated to support Google Reader and Flickr. If you have never tried Flipboard then you really should. It is like reading your social media in a magazine form. Please note, this is an iPad only app though.
Voices 2 (99 Cents) - If you have ever tried Talking Tom Cat, then you will love this app. It gives you the ability to record your voice and then add about 26 different effects to your voice. My favorite is Max which basically makes you sound like Max Headroom.
Emoji (FREE) - This is a nice free app that allows you to add emoticons to your text messages. It was one of the first apps I added to my wife’s iPhone so she could insert the smileys she had on her old flip phone. It is very cool and for a free version, it includes a lot of icons to use.
Well, that is going to do it for this edition of AppleTalk Thursday, A lot of news this week but you got 2 weeks to digest it all before another edition of AppleTalk Thursday on January 6th which will be the same date the Mac App Store launches. So now doubt we will have a bit more news then over the course of 2 weeks. See you then and have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Tuesday Tech Talk #70
Hey everybody and welcome to another installment of Tuesday Tech Talk.
Big Brother looking at disabling your cellphone in a vehicle
This is somewhat tech and a lot political, but it was enough to fire up the libertarian in me (note the small “L”). Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood was quoted as stating the following:
“There’s a lot of technology out there now that can disable phones and we’re looking at that,” said LaHood on MSNBC. LaHood said the cellphone scramblers were one way, and also stressed the importance of “personal responsibility.”
Now here is the problem I have with this statement, scramblers would scramble any cellphone in the vehicle so even if you are a passenger in the vehicle, your cellphone would be scrambled too. Of course if you are driving you should not text and drive that is just personal responsibility which he states at the end. Never the less, with the whole controversy of TSA naked X-Ray machines and pat downs, the last thing the American people want to hear is how someone else in the government wants to take away more of our freedoms. Go shove it Mr. LaHood!
Hulu Plus leaves Preview and drops its price
Hulu Plus is now for everybody and at a $7.99 price and, is available on Roku boxes. No word yet on an AppleTV deal, but with it being available on the iPad and iPhone, it can only be a matter of time before it is available for AppleTV.
Zuckerberg talks Messaging, Data Portability, and Mistakes
Last week at the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg addressed the future of messaging and how email will be used in more formal communications, but more casual messaging is growing more and more through IM, SMS Texting, and Facebook messaging. He also touches on data portability and mistakes made.
Twitter CEO takes issue with China over labor sentencing over a retweet
Dick Costolo sent out a tweet last week critical of the Chinese government sentencing a woman for one year to a labor camp for “reeducation”. Here is a snap shot of the Tweet:
News Corp and Apple building iPad only Newspaper
According to Women’s Wear Daily, Apple and News Corp are collaborating on an iPad specific digital newspaper called The Daily, that would sell for 99 cents per week. There is even speculation that Rupert Murdoch and Steve Jobs will make a co-announcement sharing the stage together. I have thought the iPad is perfect for reading a digital newspaper, in-fact I subscribe to the Wall Street Journal newspaper on my iPad and if The Daily is anything like the WSJ, then we are in store for something special at a cheaper price than the WSJ.
Apple working on CDMA-GSM iPad?
According to All Things Digital, Apple may be working on a “World iPad” in that it would contain both a CDMA and GSM chipset to work with multiple carriers. If so this would be huge and is going to sell units in just about every wireless providers store. Take that Samsung Galaxy and Blackberry PlayBook!
GoogleTV gets double negative reviews from New York Times and Wall Street Journal
Basically calling it complex and not as straight forward as the AppleTV. The New York Times and WSJ said that GoogleTV is a step in the wrong direction and missing the mark, respectively. Quite frankly, I would agree, I played around with both the Logitech Revue and Sony-based systems and found it to be a cross between watching WebTV while viewing TV content. Look, if people want to browse the web while watching TV, their going to do it from their laptop, smartphone, or tablet device and not their TV. It may be ahead of its time possibly, but for right now it is a pure geek device and not something you would get your parents or grandparents. By contrast, the AppleTV is straight forward, you have a basic remote for browsing a basic onscreen menu to jump between the different services that all do one thing, provide video and audio content for your TV. Once again, Apple gets it, try again Google!
Well, that is going to do it for this edition of Tuesday Tech Talk, I still love you guys at Google, but with Thanksgiving this week, there will be no Googling Friday this coming Friday. You don’t need to spend your time reading my blog that day, instead spent it with your family. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Big Brother looking at disabling your cellphone in a vehicle
This is somewhat tech and a lot political, but it was enough to fire up the libertarian in me (note the small “L”). Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood was quoted as stating the following:
“There’s a lot of technology out there now that can disable phones and we’re looking at that,” said LaHood on MSNBC. LaHood said the cellphone scramblers were one way, and also stressed the importance of “personal responsibility.”
Now here is the problem I have with this statement, scramblers would scramble any cellphone in the vehicle so even if you are a passenger in the vehicle, your cellphone would be scrambled too. Of course if you are driving you should not text and drive that is just personal responsibility which he states at the end. Never the less, with the whole controversy of TSA naked X-Ray machines and pat downs, the last thing the American people want to hear is how someone else in the government wants to take away more of our freedoms. Go shove it Mr. LaHood!
Hulu Plus leaves Preview and drops its price
Hulu Plus is now for everybody and at a $7.99 price and, is available on Roku boxes. No word yet on an AppleTV deal, but with it being available on the iPad and iPhone, it can only be a matter of time before it is available for AppleTV.
Zuckerberg talks Messaging, Data Portability, and Mistakes
Last week at the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg addressed the future of messaging and how email will be used in more formal communications, but more casual messaging is growing more and more through IM, SMS Texting, and Facebook messaging. He also touches on data portability and mistakes made.
Twitter CEO takes issue with China over labor sentencing over a retweet
Dick Costolo sent out a tweet last week critical of the Chinese government sentencing a woman for one year to a labor camp for “reeducation”. Here is a snap shot of the Tweet:
News Corp and Apple building iPad only Newspaper
According to Women’s Wear Daily, Apple and News Corp are collaborating on an iPad specific digital newspaper called The Daily, that would sell for 99 cents per week. There is even speculation that Rupert Murdoch and Steve Jobs will make a co-announcement sharing the stage together. I have thought the iPad is perfect for reading a digital newspaper, in-fact I subscribe to the Wall Street Journal newspaper on my iPad and if The Daily is anything like the WSJ, then we are in store for something special at a cheaper price than the WSJ.
Apple working on CDMA-GSM iPad?
According to All Things Digital, Apple may be working on a “World iPad” in that it would contain both a CDMA and GSM chipset to work with multiple carriers. If so this would be huge and is going to sell units in just about every wireless providers store. Take that Samsung Galaxy and Blackberry PlayBook!
GoogleTV gets double negative reviews from New York Times and Wall Street Journal
Basically calling it complex and not as straight forward as the AppleTV. The New York Times and WSJ said that GoogleTV is a step in the wrong direction and missing the mark, respectively. Quite frankly, I would agree, I played around with both the Logitech Revue and Sony-based systems and found it to be a cross between watching WebTV while viewing TV content. Look, if people want to browse the web while watching TV, their going to do it from their laptop, smartphone, or tablet device and not their TV. It may be ahead of its time possibly, but for right now it is a pure geek device and not something you would get your parents or grandparents. By contrast, the AppleTV is straight forward, you have a basic remote for browsing a basic onscreen menu to jump between the different services that all do one thing, provide video and audio content for your TV. Once again, Apple gets it, try again Google!
Well, that is going to do it for this edition of Tuesday Tech Talk, I still love you guys at Google, but with Thanksgiving this week, there will be no Googling Friday this coming Friday. You don’t need to spend your time reading my blog that day, instead spent it with your family. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Tuesday Tech Talk #67
Hello all and welcome to another edition of Tuesday Tech Talk. This week I am going to depart from the regular format and share with you a review of AppleTV which I unexpectedly got on Saturday.
How we went to the Apple Store for iLife ’11 and walked with an AppleTV
So on Saturday we decided to head up to Memphis, specifically Germantown to visit the Apple Store at Saddle Creek and grab lunch at Qdoba there. We were just going there to pick up a copy of iLife ’11 in order to take advantage of the new features of iPhoto.
Once we arrived at the store, I showed Kristen on one of the iMac’s what iPhoto ’11 can do and she was quite impressed so I grabbed a copy off the shelf. After doing so, I showed Kristen the AppleTV box they have connected to an HDTV next to the software shelf. I showed her how easy it is to browse Netflix and YouTube content.
After only a few minutes she asks how much it is and once informing her of the $99 price tag she replies with, “Ok, lets get it!”. I stood there stunned and reminded her how it is a $99 item and she said, “thats Ok, lets get it.”.
Once I picked my jaw off the hardwood floor, I grabbed an AppleTV box and looked over the cables needed to connect it to our TV. My setup is an HDTV and an audio receiver, the 2 HDMI ports on our receiver are already taken by a DirecTV HD-DVR and a Sony Blu-ray player. So I find that not only does Apple sell their own HDMI cable, but it is $20! I looked for the optical audio cable next and can’t locate one, luckily Jacob our friendly Apple Sales rep looks in the back and minutes later, appears with a 6’ one which is perfect and also $20.
So the AppleTV plus the cables rings up at around $150 with tax. Course we also get the iLife ’11 as well. Jacob rings us up and we are set to go, before departing though, we look at the MacBook Air, the iPod touch, the iPhone 4, and the iPod nano and shuffle, models but depart without buying anymore Apple goodies. We eat at Qdoba and then head home.
The Setup
Once home (I had unsealed all the wrapping on the items on the drive down.), I open up the box to the AppleTV and I find one thing very striking, Apple knows how to package product efficiently. Enjoy the un-boxing photos.
All sealed up
Apple TV itself, right in the palm
Next, the remote
A little divider which doubles as a remote holder, separates the remote and AppleTV from the power cable and instructions and Apple stickers.
The power cable (note the excitement on Angel’s face)
Setup Guide (didn’t need it)
Apple stickers (I got a lot of these!)
The box nearly empty of its contents.
So the hookup to the TV and audio receiver took less than 5 minutes. Within 10 mins, I am entering in my user and password for Netflix, iTunes Store info, and wireless network password. About 5 mins after that, we are watching YouTube videos first, you know kid, your finger wouldn’t hurt if you didn’t put it in Charlie’s mouth to bite in the first place.
Initial Thoughts on AppleTV
So what are my thoughts after a couple of days of using AppleTV? Well, I can safely say if you have a broadband connection, an HDTV, and a Netflix account, then you should get one of these! The content available from Netflix alone is worth the $99, but when you consider you can watch video content stored on your Mac computers, on the AppleTV it is even more compelling. At this point I have not rented TV shows on it yet and I don’t see myself doing so either.
VideoCasts
I want to share something else I realized while watching video podcasts on the AppleTV. I think devices like AppleTV, Roku, and GoogleTV can do for good quality VideoCasts what the iPod did for audio podcasts. I watched 2 episodes of MacBreak Weekly, a show that is between 90 mins to 2 hours and watching a show of similar length is much more preferable on the TV over a computer, iPhone, or iPad.
How this changes TV
After a day of using the AppleTV, we went ahead and cut our DirecTV package down to Choice programming which is their minimal programming package. We intend to keep it there until our contract ends at which point we will look at providers of the same day content we enjoy. I don’t see myself ever getting rid of Satellite or Cable TV outright simply because I love to watch live sports and that is just not available right now with AppleTV, Roku, or GoogleTV. However, the days of Sat. and cable companies charging an outrageous fee for programming, is nearing its end. These boxes offer a competitive alternative to sat. and cable and they will have to get better on pricing or lose customers.
So, that is my AppleTV review. I would love to see Hulu added to the mix at some point for even more TV content. Next week I will return to the normal format of Tuesday Tech Talk, but if you have any questions about the AppleTV, feel free to leave some in the comments.
Oh and one more thing, if you are reading this on November 2nd, don’t forget to vote today! If you don’t vote, you can’t well, you know.
How we went to the Apple Store for iLife ’11 and walked with an AppleTV
So on Saturday we decided to head up to Memphis, specifically Germantown to visit the Apple Store at Saddle Creek and grab lunch at Qdoba there. We were just going there to pick up a copy of iLife ’11 in order to take advantage of the new features of iPhoto.
Once we arrived at the store, I showed Kristen on one of the iMac’s what iPhoto ’11 can do and she was quite impressed so I grabbed a copy off the shelf. After doing so, I showed Kristen the AppleTV box they have connected to an HDTV next to the software shelf. I showed her how easy it is to browse Netflix and YouTube content.
After only a few minutes she asks how much it is and once informing her of the $99 price tag she replies with, “Ok, lets get it!”. I stood there stunned and reminded her how it is a $99 item and she said, “thats Ok, lets get it.”.
Once I picked my jaw off the hardwood floor, I grabbed an AppleTV box and looked over the cables needed to connect it to our TV. My setup is an HDTV and an audio receiver, the 2 HDMI ports on our receiver are already taken by a DirecTV HD-DVR and a Sony Blu-ray player. So I find that not only does Apple sell their own HDMI cable, but it is $20! I looked for the optical audio cable next and can’t locate one, luckily Jacob our friendly Apple Sales rep looks in the back and minutes later, appears with a 6’ one which is perfect and also $20.
So the AppleTV plus the cables rings up at around $150 with tax. Course we also get the iLife ’11 as well. Jacob rings us up and we are set to go, before departing though, we look at the MacBook Air, the iPod touch, the iPhone 4, and the iPod nano and shuffle, models but depart without buying anymore Apple goodies. We eat at Qdoba and then head home.
The Setup
Once home (I had unsealed all the wrapping on the items on the drive down.), I open up the box to the AppleTV and I find one thing very striking, Apple knows how to package product efficiently. Enjoy the un-boxing photos.
All sealed up
Apple TV itself, right in the palm
Next, the remote
A little divider which doubles as a remote holder, separates the remote and AppleTV from the power cable and instructions and Apple stickers.
The power cable (note the excitement on Angel’s face)
Setup Guide (didn’t need it)
Apple stickers (I got a lot of these!)
The box nearly empty of its contents.
So the hookup to the TV and audio receiver took less than 5 minutes. Within 10 mins, I am entering in my user and password for Netflix, iTunes Store info, and wireless network password. About 5 mins after that, we are watching YouTube videos first, you know kid, your finger wouldn’t hurt if you didn’t put it in Charlie’s mouth to bite in the first place.
Initial Thoughts on AppleTV
So what are my thoughts after a couple of days of using AppleTV? Well, I can safely say if you have a broadband connection, an HDTV, and a Netflix account, then you should get one of these! The content available from Netflix alone is worth the $99, but when you consider you can watch video content stored on your Mac computers, on the AppleTV it is even more compelling. At this point I have not rented TV shows on it yet and I don’t see myself doing so either.
VideoCasts
I want to share something else I realized while watching video podcasts on the AppleTV. I think devices like AppleTV, Roku, and GoogleTV can do for good quality VideoCasts what the iPod did for audio podcasts. I watched 2 episodes of MacBreak Weekly, a show that is between 90 mins to 2 hours and watching a show of similar length is much more preferable on the TV over a computer, iPhone, or iPad.
How this changes TV
After a day of using the AppleTV, we went ahead and cut our DirecTV package down to Choice programming which is their minimal programming package. We intend to keep it there until our contract ends at which point we will look at providers of the same day content we enjoy. I don’t see myself ever getting rid of Satellite or Cable TV outright simply because I love to watch live sports and that is just not available right now with AppleTV, Roku, or GoogleTV. However, the days of Sat. and cable companies charging an outrageous fee for programming, is nearing its end. These boxes offer a competitive alternative to sat. and cable and they will have to get better on pricing or lose customers.
So, that is my AppleTV review. I would love to see Hulu added to the mix at some point for even more TV content. Next week I will return to the normal format of Tuesday Tech Talk, but if you have any questions about the AppleTV, feel free to leave some in the comments.
Oh and one more thing, if you are reading this on November 2nd, don’t forget to vote today! If you don’t vote, you can’t well, you know.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Tuesday Tech Talk - Apple Event Special
Greetings everybody, yes I’m back with an extra installment of Triple T. as I wanted to talk about the Apple Special Event today. So lets dive right into things. My comments are in italic. Please excuse the notes form of the post but I decided for the sake of a timely release it was best to just keep it the way I wrote my notes.
iOS 4.1
Proximity, Bluetooth, iPhone 3G bug fixes- Glad to see the proximity censor issue finally addressed here.
High Dynamic Range photos-uses algorithm to enhance photos So basically a built in software function to enhance photos
HD video upload over WiFi
TV show rentals
Game Center-Multi-player games Challenge friends, auto matching, Compare scores
Will be out next week for the iPhone and iPod touch
iOS 4.2 sneak peek iPad
Everything in 4.1 plus
Wireless Printing - Finally! This is going to be awesome and make working with Pages a whole lot easier
AirPlay- stream audio, photos, and video formerly called AirTunes
Out in November free update to iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch - Although I was hoping the iPad would have multitasking earlier, for wireless printing, I can wait.
iPods
Buttons and voiceover
Multiple Playlists
Genius mixes
15 hours of music
2GB available in 5 colors
$49
Smaller no wheel multitouch has a clip on the back to wear
24 hours of music battery life
Square looking
voice over
radio
Nike+
Pedometer
screen rotates
Photos
7 colors
$149 8 GB, $179 16 GB
Slightly thinner than the previous iPod touch
Retina display like in iPhone 4
Apple A4 chip also like in the iPhone 4
3-axis gyro
iOS 4.1
FaceTime with front and rear facing camera - This means if you have an iPod touch and a friend or family member has an iPhone 4 you can talk to each other using FaceTime. I’m guessing this will be tied via an email address since the iPod touch is not a phone.
HD video recording
40 hours battery life
8GB $229
32GB $299
64GB $399
Available next week
This is great if you wanted the iPhone features of HD video capture, FaceTime and the retina display but don’t want to sign up for an AT&T contract. They will sell a ton of these!
iTunes
iTunes 10 - dig the new logo...the CD is gone!
Ping- Social music discovery, see what your friends are listening to. Connect with your friends and favorite artists. I think MySpace has a problem!
available today Free
AppleTV
The new AppleTV is a fourth the size of the original AppleTV and it fits in your hand!
On the back:
HDMI
Optical audio
Ethernet
802.11n WiFI
Comes with a remote
streaming- no syncing so don’t have to worry about HD space
HD movie rental $4.99 for first run titles
HD TV shows 99 cents commercial free
ABC & FOX signed on to deliver content Please CBS sign on so I can get my NCIS episodes in HD since my local channels are not offered in HD by DirecTV yet.
Netflix - I finally got to see how Netflix streaming on a TV looks after going down to Hattiesburg and seeing it stream via the Nintendo Wii to my in-laws TV. I can’t wait to get this device.
YouTube - Love that my wife and I can browse our TV for YouTube content.
Flickr & MobileMe - Cool to show off pictures on the TV without hooking up a computer to it to do so
$99 Available in 4 weeks - Keep in mind it was $299 so they are dropping $200 on this and it does so much more now. I will be getting one!
Well, that is what Apple came out with today. Lot of cool stuff that made my eyes as big as saucers. What really stands out to me is the new AppleTV. I think the price point and its features is really going to turn it around in sales. Also the new iPod touch is going to be big for those that want the FaceTime and HD video shooting but not the expense of a 2 year AT&T contract.
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