Apple TV finally gets Video Playlists!

Although I’m a fan of Apple TV, one of my biggest pet peeves is that there was no way to play music videos back to back. This made no sense to me at all. I think it’s cool that if you’re throwing a party or just having a few friends over that you could not [...]

Written by Terry White on October 9th, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on Apple TV and Entertainment and HDTV and iPod/iTunes.

iPhone App Store: Relaxation apps review

iLounge just published a very interresting review about 16 App Store programs which could help stressed people to relax a bit. It is done very detailed with plenty of screenshots. One of the Apps is the famous Koi Pond program, a relaxing way to interact with koi fish in a traditional Japanese zen koi pond. Their top picks are these four: Ambiance (1$)aSleep (1$)Koi Pond (1$) iZen Garden (5$)

Written by wakuwaku on September 4th, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on Apple TV and Reviews and iPhone Tips and install applications.

Ten iPhone Programs to Check Out

I’ve spent part of the weekend downloading and trying out dozens of the more than 800 new third-party iPhone applications that launched with the debut of Apple’s (AAPL) “App store.” The store is part of the new iPhone 2.0 operating system, which not only comes with the new iPhone 3G, but is also a free upgrade on older iPhones and a $10 upgrade on the iPod Touch.

These first applications range from serious programs for doctors and pilots to silly parlor tricks that take advantage of the iPhone’s motion sensors. One, called PhoneSaber, merely displays an image of a Star Wars-like light saber and makes varying light saber noises as you wave the phone in the air.

Here are ten apps I think you might enjoy checking out, in no particular order. These aren’t meant as full reviews, just pointers to interesting items. There may be ten others, or 200 others, you think worthier of attention. Feel free to add comments with your own suggestions.

1. AIM. Finally, a native iPhone program for accessing one of the world’s most widely used instant-messaging networks. It lacks some of the more rarified features of the PC or Mac versions, but does the basic text-chat thing quite well. One downside: because Apple isn’t allowing third-party programs to run constantly in the background, you can’t receive new messages in AIM while doing other things. This will supposedly be remedied by new Apple server technology due later this year.

   

• MotionX-Poker. This is a simple poker game played with dice instead of cards. But it can be mesmerizing, because it makes full use of the iPhone’s graphics engine and motion sensors. You play each hand by shaking the phone to roll gorgeously rendered 3D dice, which even sound like dice. The $5 game comes from Fullpower, a company developing many motion-based programs that was founded by software industry pioneer Philippe Kahn.

  

• TruPhone. This is an Internet phone-calling program that works over the iPhone’s Wi-Fi radio, potentially saving you big money over using the device’s regular cell phone capability, especially when calling internationally. Biggest downside in my initial tests: it sometimes worked and sometimes didn’t.

  

• FileMagnet. One of the frustrating things about the iPhone is that it has no easy way for users to transfer files from their computers and store them on the phone, even though it is capable of viewing many types of files. FileMagnet, which costs $5, places a small program on your computer, and then wirelessly transfers any files you drag into it to the FileMagnet program on the phone. It works with Microsoft Word files, PDF files, images and more. Biggest downsides: it only works on Macs, but I’d bet a similar Windows program will come along soon.

  

• SpeechCloud Voice Dialer. This free program allows you to dial anyone in your contact list by simply saying his or her name.

  

• Movies. This is a free service that lets you find movies in your area, watch the trailers, buy tickets to them, and view a map to the theater.

  

• Remote. This free program, written by Apple itself, allows you to control any copy of iTunes, on any Windows or Mac computer, over a local wireless network. It also works on Apple TV boxes.

  

• Where. One of many new IPhone apps that attempt to provide information based on your location, Where, which is free, aggregates local content from services like Yelp and Eventful, which also have their own iPhone apps.

  

• Pandora. The new iPhone version of the wildly popular Pandora music-streaming program, is also free. It creates personalized radio stations based on artists you like.

  

• MLB.com At Bat. This $5 program lets you track games in progress, which is no big deal. The big deal is that you can actually watch video clips of key plays before the games are over.

  

Written by Walt Mossberg on July 13th, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on AAPL and Apple and Apple TV and iPod Touch and iTunes and movies.

iTunes rumored to get $3.99 movie rentals

All signs are pointing to an announcement of iTunes movie rentals at Tuesday’s Macworld Expo; that’s the conclusion drawn after a Bloomberg report quoted “people familiar” with Apple’s upcoming addition to the media download service.  Newcomers Warner Bros. and Fox will join existing studio partners Paramount, Walt Disney Co. and Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. in making their films available for temporary download, priced at $3.99 for 24hrs.

 

(more…)

Share This

Written by Chris Davies on January 9th, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on Analyst and Apple and Apple TV and Macworld Expo and iTunes and iTunes Store.

Rumor: Could the Apple TV be receiving an iTunes Store update?

Right now you have to download content on your computer in order for it to be available on your Apple TV. After the release of the iTunes Wi-Fi store there are rumors floating around of a similar feature popping up in the next Apple TV update.

With the recent advent of movie rentals through iTunes this would be a great new feature. With all of these devices sporting access to the iTunes store Apple is going to have to move the library associations online so people can have access to all of the content they’ve purchased regardless of which device was used.

(more…)

Share This

Written by James Allan Brady on September 12th, 2007 with no comments.
Read more articles on Apple and Apple TV and iTunes Store.

« Older articles

No newer articles