End User

Bites from the Apple: The Hobbled Hobby that Is the Apple TV

One bright spot to being relegated to bed with flu-like symptoms (happily, not the H1N1 varietal) was I was already in front of my telly and Apple TV when the Apple TV 3.0 update, so at least I could feel mildly productive while feeling mildly feverish. While introduced to great fanfare in March of 2007, the Apple TV has slowly become Apple's version of the weird uncle you wish hadn't shown up at the reunion. For much of the last year, the Apple TV has been virtually forgotten by Apple, which probably has followed the lead of Steve Jobs who famously referred to the device as just a "hobby." And while it's a good sign to see a software and UI revamp in addition to the recent $100 price drop on the 160 GB Apple TV, the ATV could be so much more if Apple would throw a bit more weight behind the product.

The UI of the Apple TV 3.0 software adds a welcome graphical oomph, displaying cover images of unwatched TV shows or recently added albums to the top of the screen, as well as elevating the menu choice for content you've synced to the Apple TV as the first choice over the previous top item that brought you to the iTunes storefront. The update also purports to support the recently added movies with iTunes Extras (i.e., bonus materials) and iTunes LPs (albums with a multimedia interface offering lyrics, photos, etc.). However, I was unable to get the one iTunes LP I own (the new Jack Johnson live album, the only one of the few choice available that interested me) to work with the Apple TV--the songs synced over, but not the iTunes LP multimedia package.

It sounds like this might change in the next couple weeks as Apple updates compatibility with previously released iTunes LPs (and movies with iTunes Extras), but that will require a re-download of that material--which is frankly stupefying, but just another reminder that the Apple TV's second-class hobby status. Anyhoo, it doesn't sound like I'm missing anything, as Jason Snell at Macworld notes that the iTunes LP interface "drops away" once you decide to actually start playing the album, returning you to the standard Apple TV Now Playing screen.

There are some who wish Apple would add a Blu-ray drive or DVR recording of TV content to the Apple TV's arsenal, but these are pie-in-the-sky wishes that Apple will surely never fulfill. As an Apple TV owner, I just want a device that plays media reliably (my ATV has recently started to freeze occasionally for a brief moment during playback) and a fuller spectrum of content choices. While the TV section of iTunes is pretty robust (which is great, since we gave up cable over a year ago), movie selection (rentals in particular) is frustratingly hobbled by the complex web of availability windows dictated by Hollywood studios. At minimum, I'd love to see Apple open up the ATV to additional file formats, but luckily the device is decently hackable on your own with Boxee or using ATV Flash collection of apps (which I will be purchasing as soon as it's compatible with the new ATV software 3.0).

Now, for other Apple-y bits and bites from the week (on the shortish side as I'm still bed-ridden)...

• Leander Kahney has a review of his new 27-inch iMac over at Cult of Mac, calling it the "sexiest desktop on the planet." I got to ogle a 21.5-inch model a friend bought this week, and I love the build quality of the unibody design and the screen was definitely kick-butt. However, 27-inch iMac owners beware--it seems some users have been afflicted with choppy Flash video playback.

• The VMware Fusion 3.0 virtualization software (which lets you run Windows alongside the Mac OS) got released this week, and MacNN gives it an extensive and positive review. And it's got full support for Windows 7.

• Rumor Revue: The next iteration of the MacBook Pro (which got a refresh just in June) is rumored to include some models with Intel quad-core processors. References to new MacBook Pros have been detected in the latest build of OS X, and they could be released before the holiday season. And 9to5Mac reports the iTablet has been shopped around down under, with the Sydney Morning Herald among several top-dog media companies getting the low down on the specs of this machine.

• I've been using the Lala.com streaming music service more and more lately, and Lala's hoping to get its iPhone app approved by Apple for release in November. TechCrunch has a look at the app along with a hands-on video.

• And finally... perhaps the greatest Apple-related Halloween costume ever: lifesized iPhones with fully working screens:

--Agen G.N. Schmitz

HP Brings Touchscreen and App Power to the Printer

The Photosmart Premium with TouchSmart Web.

Touchscreen with app power.

Connects to photos stored on your Snapfish account.

I don't want to go too far out on a limb here, but I think this touchscreen thing is here to stay. All kidding aside, I love watching how quickly my toddler picks up the touch UI of iPhone apps as well as how disappointed he gets when something with a screen doesn't swish back and forth with the swipe of his finger. Which makes me think that HP designed the top-of-the-line model in its new crop of touchscreen-enabled all-in-one printers more for this new computing generation than for the parents.

The centerpiece Photosmart Premium with TouchSmart Web scans, copies and faxes as well as prints and includes both Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n) and Ethernet networking. But where other network-connected printers are happy just to connect with other PCs on the network, the Photosmart Premium Web can also access the Internet (albeit a gated community) via apps created by HPs partners. Using the integrated 4.33-inch touchscreen display, you can access the Snapfish photo sharing web site to view, edit and print photos stored online without having to boot up a PC. Other partner apps include Fandango (enabling you to buy movie tickets through the app and then print them out), Google maps (though without the ability to print directions), Dreamworks and Nickolodeon (the latter two geared specifically for kids with activity books and coloring pages). The touchscreen panel can also be used make basic edits to photos before printing (such as rotate, crop, and adjust brightness).

Stepping down a bit, the Photosmart Premium features a 3.45-inch touchscreen, but one that doesn't do apps--it just connects to your online Snapfish and provides basic on-screen photo editing. But aside from that (and the faxing capabilities of the Photosmart Premium Web), the Photosmart Premium offers much of the same features including networking (802.11b/g Wi-Fi and Ethernert), Bluetooth capabilities, 33 ppm black and 32 ppm color printing, and automatic two-sided printing. Lastly, the affordable PhotoSmart Plus all-in-one offers a touchscreen panel that controls the printer, but does not include access to Snapfish or HP's web apps. It also does just Wi-Fi networking (no Ethernet or Bluetooth). And because all three do Wi-Fi, they're all compatible with HP's iPrint Photo iPhone/iPod touch app (link opens in iTunes), which allows you to print 4 x 6-inch photos directly from your Apple device.

All three are HP Photosmart TouchSmart printers are currently available from Amazon.

--Agen G.N. Schmitz

Easiest Hack Ever: Install All Your Essential Programs at Once with Ninite

If you've ever had to do a format and reinstall of Windows XP (and I like XP, but everyone's had to do it at least once), you're familiar with the hours spent on a fresh desktop hunting down drivers and all the essential programs you need to get back to being productive.

Ninite (formerly a project called Volery) can take one of the lengthiest steps out of the process of any new Windows install.  It's a site with a catalog of useful free software--familiar apps like Firefox, Pidgin, Skype, and VLC--that you can select for download.  Once you've selected all the software you need, simply click "Get Installer" and you'll download a sub-200K file that you can carry anywhere for future installs.  (The installer will have a huge filename, so you may want to rename it for convenience, but this is optional.)  Keep it on a flash drive, or even save it in a draft email in your Gmail like I do, and you'll always have one-click access to your most-needed apps for those dark days when there's no other way to be sure but to nuke your hard drive from orbit.

Using the installer will install each of the programs you selected without any input needed, selecting each program's default settings and automatically refusing any addons like browser toolbars.  Note that this does mean that if you need special settings, like different install paths, they won't be available; once it starts, you can cancel the process but otherwise can't affect it.

There are only a couple of catches.  First, no 64-bit apps are available, though they're reportedly coming soon.  Second, as mentioned, you only get the default settings with each install, so you'll still have to do a little configuring once everything's up and running.  Lastly, Ninite is currently free to use, but will eventually have the option of "premium accounts", with free accounts to lose some features (but not the basic purpose or functionality).  So you may want to hop on and grab your essential programs while you can. 

Ninite works for Windows XP, Vista, and 7.  Grab your own custom installer at the Ninite website.

Wirelessly Charge Your Mobile Phone with Powermat

My wife has never been good at remembering to charge her mobile phone, and after she got an iPhone 3GS this summer I tried to help her figure out a strategy that would make it easy to both store and charge it. We found a decently priced Apple dock on the used market (it typically retails for an exorbitant $29) and that seemed to work for awhile. At least until she wrapped a silicone case (from Switcheasy--nicely colorful and affordable) around the iPhone, after which she stopped using the dock as she found it to be too much trouble to slip the silicone cover off the iPhone. Thusly, we're back to a continually non-juiced iPhone.

Which makes the Powermat wireless charging device an intriguing possibility for our household. The Powermat charging pad allows you to simply place a mobile phone or other portable device on a charging mat to juice it up. Well, for maximum convenience, you do need a bit more than just one of the Powermat charging pads (one for home/office, the other portable). In order for it receive a charge, your iPhone or BlackBerry needs to be outfitted with a case (for the former, at left) or a battery door (for the latter, at right) to receive the electrical charge from the Powermat pad.

Both the home and folding portable version of the Powermat charging pads can charge up to three devices at a time, and they come with a "charging cube" universal receiver (seen below) that includes tips that fit a wide range of mobile phones and PSPs (including BlackBerry and iPhone, so you don't have to invest in the optional case or battery door). And in addition to the convenience of wireless charging, the Powermat is also rather energy efficient, terminating the transmission of power once a device is at full charge to save energy as well as protect the device from over-charging.

The company is also marketing itself with some rather funny ads:

Amazon is offering all of the Powermat charging pads and accessories for ordering, and they'll start shipping on October 25.

--Agen G.N. Schmitz

Bites from the Apple: Basking in the LED-Backlit Afterglow of New Apple Hardware

This week's Apple news was dominated by revised iMacs (in 21.5- and 27-inch versions with new touch-enabled Magic Mouse) and a new unibody MacBook (still polycarbonate body, though) as well as faster new Mac minis (see more coverage of the launch here). Gizmodo already has its review of the 27-inch iMac (image at right from their review), and Giz both likes what it sees (high-res display) and doesn't see (less aluminum chassis). AppleInsider also reminds us that the 27-incher can be wall mounted, making it a great replacement for the 30-inch Apple Cinema Display.

CNet's Crave posts some hands-on thoughts about the new MacBook (complete with video), calling it the "best version to date of it's non-Pro laptop line." Walt Mossberg calls the improvements to both the iMac and MacBook "evolutionary, not revolutionary," but he is quite taken with the Magic Mouse. For more on the Magic Mouse, check out this review at Register Hardware.

• Speaking of the 27-inch iMac's wall-mounting capability, The Apple blog wonders if this foretells the future of the Apple TV (i.e., its UI and functionality embedded with an HDTV/Mac).

• Pocket-lint features an Apple video for the new iMac and Magic Mouse with Jonathan Ive (and other Apple brand managers) talking about their design. Yes, it's very market-ey, but I can listen to Ive's voice all day.

• Apple also released new versions of its Airport Extreme wireless router and wireless Time Capsule backup devices (in 1 TB and 2 TB flavors) this week, with promises of "50 percent better performance and up to 25 percent better range." Wi-Fi guru Glenn Fleishman explains how this is done with a new 3x3 MIMO (multiple in, multiple out) antenna array (instead of the up-'til-now 2x2 standard).

• You may have heard that Windows 7 got officially released this week. Ars Technica reports that Apple will be providing support for the various flavors of Windows 7 (Home Premium, Professional, Ultimate) by the end of the year.

• Speaking of which, Apple released a salvo of new Get a Mac ads to counter the Windows 7 rush, and Kara Swisher over at All Things D includes all three videos.

• The Mac minis got some decent speed boosts, but the most interesting wrinkle of this year's crop of mini is a configurable version that includes the Snow Leopard Server OS. TUAW looks at the possibilities this brings for small businesses.

• While we're talking servers, I've been considering some options for a Mac-friendly network attached storage (NAS) solution for our home media and home-based businesses (I do writing, my wife is an architect), and there have been a couple of new releases that have attracted my attention. Iomega recently added its lineup of ix4-200d NAS servers (available in 2, 4 and 8 TB sizes, and offers four drive bays for more storage), which seems to ably handle backup and media storage/streaming responsibilities based on these quick reviews from the UK's Register Hardware and MacUser. Iomega also offers a smaller version (the ix2-200), with two drive bays and an interesting BitTorrent feature according to Cult of Mac.

  But I think I'll be saving my pennies for the latest release of the HP MediaSmart home server (which I covered previously). Gizmodo has a review of the top-of-the-line EX495, which includes 1.5 TB of storage out of the gate (with the extensibility of four drive bays) and a dual-core Pentium processor (HP also offers the EX490 with 1 TB and a Celeron processor). Having a dual-core processor in a NAS server might seem a bit much, but Gizmodo notes it's pretty handy for DVD conversion (a feature of the new MediaSmarts):

  In our tests, the EX495 was able to convert a DVD movie into a full resolution h.264 and a phone-streamable 300MB movie in about an hour and a half, give or take. Very useful for not sucking up your main machine's horsepower to convert videos when you can just vomit them onto the network and have it be done by a slave machine.

  The MediaSmarts have also upped the Mac integration with improved Time Machine backup capabilities and (finally) a native home server console (instead of dealing with just a Web interface). At just a shade under $700, it's definitely an investment, but one I think will work for our needs. I just hope it's a little quieter than the HP MediaVault I tested out.

• I'm salivating at the prospect of this report from 9to5Mac of the BBC taking its iPlayer international, providing download purchase access to those living outside the UK. Currently, iTunes offers some BBC content such as Dr. Who, its spinoff Torchwood and Top Gear. But I'm a bit of a Beeb-o-phile and would love to get my hands on other shows that don't get much exposure here in the States, like Spooks (new season coming up) or Master Chef.

• AppleInsider reports that an ad for the Android-powered T-Mobile myTouch 3G has inadvertently spurred sales for a steamy iPhone app that's similar to one featured in the ad.

• Fast Company reports that Amazon is working on a native Kindle app for the Mac (it already offers one for the iPhone).

• Despite a jittery economy, Apple reported yet another record-busting quarter this week with a net profit $1.67 billion and more Macs (3.05 million units) and iPhones (7.4 million) sold than in any previous quarter (via TidBITS).

• And finally... my colleague Jeff Carlson provides a short-but-sweet video comparison of a 15-inch MacBook Pro, 20-inch monitor, and new 27-inch iMac:

--Agen G.N. Schmitz

Video: Is this reason enough to buy Windows 7?

Microsoft isn't typically known for wowing audience with its product demos, which may explain why this moment at the company's Windows 7 launch event in New York today impressed even some veteran company watchers. If Microsoft's goal was to make a statement and convince the skeptics that its new operating system is different, and much better, the attention-getting demonstration might have done the trick.

The feature, called "PlayTo," lets Windows 7 users stream content from a computer to devices and screens around a house. It was the capper for a series of slick demos by Brad Brooks, the Windows vice president for consumer marketing, during the company's Windows 7 launch event in New York City this morning.

Will be interesting to hear what people think after watching.

Read more of Todd Bishop's posts at TechFlash.com, and follow him on Twitter @toddbishop

Notes from PhotoPlus

Today is the Photoplus Expo, a giant trade show that, judging by recent new equipment releases, seems to be more important to camera manufacturers every year. All of the big players will be there showing off their new toys, and I will be covering it for End User. So that I down overwhelm the blog, I will post all of today's notes as updates to this post. So if you're interested in digital cameras and photography gadgets, keep checking!

There is a lot of media there, but I hope to bring a slightly different perspective as someone who makes more than 99 percent of their money from actually using cameras. The biggest perspective difference is that as an enthusiast, gear is a reward, part of the reason why you go to work in the morning. As a professional, it's a liability, and purchases are made with not-fun things like "bottom line" and "amortization" in mind. If I could do what I do with $5 of gear, that would be great. So photo gear has to not just be shiny and new, but actually make the job of photography easier or better.

Thinking about shifting to Windows 7? Read this first

Windows 7 has arrived. After three years of development and testing, Microsoft is releasing the new operating system to the world Thursday with a full slate of festivities in New York and a remote ringing of the NASDAQ opening bell from the company's Redmond headquarters.

But the most interesting stuff will happen in homes around the globe, as people upgrade existing computers and boot up newly purchased PCs preloaded with Windows 7. If you plan to be one of those people, here's a guide to a bunch of online resources that should help.

WINDOWS 7 FEATURES: The uninitiated can get a quick sense for what Windows 7 can and can't do through reviews -- such as those published by CNet, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, and USA Today. Read the glowing remarks with a grain of salt, however, because positive reviews don't necessarily translate into winning products -- as demonstrated by Windows Vista.

Also see our informal survey of Windows gurus for more on the pros and cons of the new operating system. Microsoft's official site offers descriptions and videos of many key Windows 7 features. And of course, there are already plenty of Windows 7 books available, as well, if you're interested in even more information.

SHOULD YOU UPGRADE? Maybe, maybe not. "If you have an existing machine, and you have Windows XP or Vista on it, don't feel overly pressured to go get Windows 7," said Jon Bach, president of Seattle-area custom computer builder Puget Systems, during our recent visit to his shop. "But if you're getting a new machine, yeah, I don't see any reason not to go with the latest and greatest."

If you decide to go for a new machine, you just might land yourself a deal. Microsoft and its industry partners are rolling out a series of special offers on new computers in the coming days -- starting with Best Buy's package of three computers, and more, for a total of $1,200. Watch the Windows home page for more.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: This Microsoft page lists the minimum specs your computer will need to run Windows 7 -- including a 1 GHz processor and 1GB of memory. In some cases, however, experts suggest exceeding those minimums significantly for an optimal experience. Bach, for example, recommends 4GB of memory.

Also check out Microsoft's Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor, which scans a computer to see if it can run the new operating system. In addition, the Windows 7 Compatibility Center provides a sense for whether your devices and peripherals will work with Windows 7.

ALTERNATIVES: Of course, there's more to computing than Windows. Apple and IBM hope to persuade consumers and businesses to switch to Mac or Linux rather than moving to Microsoft's new version.

DECIPHERING WINDOWS 7 EDITIONS: The complexities of Microsoft's Windows product lineup remain a frequent target of criticism. This Microsoft page compares the many Windows 7 editions. As a rule of thumb, however, Microsoft says most consumers should go for Windows 7 Home Premium ($119.99 to upgrade from XP or Vista; $199.99 regular price) and most businesses should pick Windows 7 Professional ($199.99 upgrade; $299.99 regular price).

SOFTWARE DISCOUNTS: For college students, the cheapest route is to take advantage of this promotion in which Microsoft is offering Windows 7 for $30. And people planning to upgrade multiple Windows PCs should take a look at the Windows 7 Family Pack, which lets PC users upgrade to Windows 7 Home Premium on up to three existing Windows Vista or XP computers for $149.99. That's more than $200 less than buying the upgrades individually.

UPGRADING FROM WINDOWS XP: Many people are still using Windows XP PCs. The good news is that Windows 7, unlike Windows Vista, has been fine-tuned to help it run on many older machines from the earlier Windows XP era. I've been running Windows 7 smoothly on an older IBM ThinkPad that originally came with Windows XP.

The bad news is that an upgrade on a Windows XP computer can be a pain in the butt, requiring users to back up their data and applications and make a fresh installation of Windows 7, then reinstall the data and applications after the new operating system is in place. Windows Vista users, in contrast, will be able to make an "in-place" upgrade, shifting to Windows 7 while preserving data and programs.

See our earlier post for more details: "Leaping from Windows XP to 7? Some important stuff to consider." If you're willing to spend some money to smooth the transition, Bellevue-based Laplink Software is offering its PCmover software and related tools to help people make the shift from Windows XP to Windows 7.

Do you have more questions about Windows 7? Email them to us here or submit them in the comments below, and we'll try to address them as soon as we can in updates to this post.

Read more of Todd Bishop's posts at TechFlash.com, and follow him on Twitter @toddbishop

Windows 7, as seen through the eyes of Windows gurus

Many PC users around the world will be trying Windows 7 for the first time on Thursday, but testers and other techies have been using it for months, or more. To give the uninitiated a sense for what to expect, TechFlash.com contacted five Windows experts this week and asked them to name two things: their favorite Windows 7 feature, and the area where they feel Windows 7 most falls short of its potential.

Reflecting the generally positive regard for Windows 7 among early users, some of the experts struggled with the second question but had no problem coming up with a favorite feature. In fact, in some cases, the biggest problem seemed to be narrowing it down to one favorite.

Some of the more high-profile new features are user interface tricks such as Aero Shake and Aero Peek, but the authors, bloggers and analysts we contacted pointed to many other areas not quite as obvious. Here's a summary of their responses.

Ed Bott, blogger and coauthor of Windows 7 Inside Out

Favorite feature: "My favorite Windows 7 feature is Media Center, hands-down. It’s our DVR and our jukebox, with an interface that is genuinely usable and slick. And it rates highly on the most crucial metric of all: Spousal Acceptance Factor."

Biggest shortcoming: "I’m disappointed that there isn’t a good migration/upgrade story for XP users. Yes, there are options, but none of them are particularly fun or attractive. I understand Microsoft’s reason for choosing not to offer an XP upgrade path, but it’s still difficult for upgraders." (Windows XP users can use a lower-priced upgrade version of Windows 7, but they have to make a clean install that involves backing up and later restoring data and programs. Windows Vista users can avoid that hassle with an "in-place" upgrade.)

William Stanek, author, Windows 7: The Definitive Guide

Favorite feature: "My favorite Windows 7 feature is not so much a single feature, rather it is a super-set of features called Windows Recovery Environment (aka Windows RE). Windows RE is a safety net that you can use to repair your computer if it fails to start. The single-best thing about Windows RE and the reason I’m such a big fan: a Windows RE partition with all the related tools is created and configured automatically as part of Windows 7 installation. This means every computer running Windows 7 has Windows RE."

Biggest shortcoming: "Asking me to name the biggest shortfall about my favorite release of the Windows desktop OS ever? Ouch, that’s tough and it’d be a let down, not a shortfall, and it’s this: another one of my favorite features is found only in the Professional and higher editions. The feature: Windows XP Mode. Another sticking point for me is that the some of my favorite Vista included-in-the-box applications are now available as download only. You have to get the apps from Windows Live now and they’re very different from the originals."

Michael Cherry, analyst, Directions on Microsoft:

Favorite feature: The ability to run Windows 7 on low-priced netbook computers. "I am now running Windows 7 Professional Edition on a netbook with only 1GB of RAM, and I love its performance. ... If they can improve the performance profile at that end, then I'm going to love it even more on my Dell with a 64-bit processor and 4GB of RAM."

Biggest shortcoming: "I still don't like all of these versions, the different versions," Cherry said. "Too many, and too (difficult) to draw a line between them." He cited the example of BitLocker, a corporate data encryption system available in Windows 7 Enterprise Edition but not in Windows 7 Professional. A better approach, he said, would be for Microsoft to offer one low-priced version that can be configured for different "roles," as the company does with Windows Server, installing only the features needed by a particular type of user.

Paul Thurrott, Windows SuperSite; coauthor, Windows 7 Secrets

Favorite feature: "There's no one, major new feature -- it's a bunch of little things, it seems. I guess if pressed, I would probably go with the taskbar, and the features that come off of that, like the customizability and the Jump Lists, which are essentially per-application Start menus, which I think is really exciting and interesting."

Biggest shortcoming: None in particular. "You have to look at it in light of the previous release, because this is an update of Vista. This in many ways is correcting that problem. This is a refinement of what came before, not a brand-new thing. For that reason, they've already covered the bases I think with all of the big complaints last time around."

Woody Leonhard, Windows guru; contributing editor to Windows Secrets

Favorite feature: HomeGroup. "It makes sharing among Windows 7 computers very easy," Leonhard said.

Biggest shortcoming: Difficult to pinpoint one. Setting up television and some other media isn't as easy as it could be, and there are too many versions of the operating system. "But other than that, Windows 7 is great," he said. "It really is the best version of Windows ever. I think they've finally hit a home run."

Read more of Todd Bishop's posts at TechFlash.com, and follow him on Twitter @toddbishop

Lightroom Beta 3 now available

Well, NYC's PhotoPlus Expo has begun with a bang! The poplar image managing and development software Adobe Lightroom has been updated with a version 3 beta, available for free download. The biggest thing is that is feels much, much more responsive, both in selecting individual images and in making changes to each image. The import module has also been completely rethought, and it comes with out-of-the box Flickr integration. I will talk more with the Adobe team about it in the morning, but for now you can download it for free here.