End User

Bites from the Apple: Do You iTV?

As the annual chill of late summer hits Seattle, it's time to pull Bites from the Apple out of its summer hiatus and get ready for a full blast of Apple-y goodness coming our way next week with an Apple special event taking place on Wednesday, September 1. Invitations started hitting the middle of this week for this now annual roll-out of this year's model of iPods, so it didn't take many by surprise. However, this year's now annual will-it-have-a-camera-or-not debate over the iPod touch has been trumped by a certain hobby that seems ready to step into the prime time.

The Apple TV has long been the odd duck of Apple's product lineup, famously referred to by Steve Jobs as a "hobby" and has thusly had the possibilities it possesses only been marginally tapped. For those unfamiliar with this box (as many still are), the Apple TV allows you to play video and music stored in your Mac or PC's iTunes library on an HDTV--either synced to the device's hard drive or streaming over Wireless-N networking. It has a few extras like playing YouTube videos and displaying photo slideshows from your iPhoto library or from a Flickr account, and you can also encode your own videos into an iTunes-friendly format for playback on your HDTV. But it's designed mainly as a way to tap into iTunes purchases and rentals, making essentially walled garden with a limited amount of plot space.

(I know this from having owned an Apple TV since 2008 (when I helped my pal/colleague Jeff Carlson update his Apple TV Pocket Guide), and getting frustrated with its limited capabilities. I've since turned to the ATV Flash package of software enhancements to open up its usability--from adding more external hard drive space to providing compatibility with more video formats, including AVI.)

So, with competition for the living room hotting up with its Google TV initiative (which will be found on several pieces of hardware starting this fall), Apple needed to step up and make its little hobby more of the real deal. And thusly, next week's annual iPod trot-out show will most likely bring with it a new Apple TV--and probably dubbed iTV (as long as the UK's ITV television network doesn't put the kibosh on it).

According to the rumors flying about the gadgetosphere, the new ATV/iTV will bring the iOS environment (i.e., the iPad/iPhone/iPod touch operating system) to the party, making it play friendly with current video streaming apps already available to those devices (such as Netflix and Hulu Plus) as well as your games, news apps, etc. For an interesting take on what it could look like, check out this guest post at The Apple Core by Alain Grignon (where the image at left comes from):

No doubt the new ATV/iTV will include some spare-buttoned remote like the current physical Apple Remote (seen in the image at the top of this post) for control right out of the box, but the consensus is that this new iOS-powered device will have something more touch-based for additional controls, such as via a newly redesigned Remote app for iPad/iPhone/iPod touch. Or perhaps a newly designed iPod touch nano with a 1.7-inch touchscreen and powered by iOS (image mock-up via The Apple Blog).

The other big component of the new ATV/iTV device looks to be the ability to rent TV shows for $1 (allowing you to watching them for a 24- to 48- hour time period) as opposed to buying them (and being able to own the files for as long as you want to store them and rewatch them to your heart's delight). Leander Kahney at Cult of Mac adds an even more interesting twist of rumor: $1 gets you a month's rental subscription to all episodes of a particular show.

In addition to the tiny iPod touch nano (or whatever it's to be called), we can also expect a 4th generation iPod touch with a camera on the rear. Additionally, we could also see the roll-out of iOS 4 for iPad, though probably not the rumored 7-inch iPad. We'll be back on Wednesday afternoon to wrap up all that is actually released, so be sure to check back. In other links:

• If you own the current version of the Apple TV (or are thinking of picking up a new hobby for cheap after the new ATV/iTV unit gets debuted on Wednesday), check out MacLife's 20 Cool Reasons to Hack Your Apple TV, a great rundown of its untapped possibilities (and most of them pretty darn easy to do, even for non-techie folks, especially with ATV Flash).

• If you're regretting that "upgrade" to iOS 4 on the original iPhone 3G, Tonya Engst has some suggestions on how to speed things up over at TidBITS.

• AppleInsider reports that Qualcomm, manufacturer of CDMA chipsets used in phones running on Verizon and Sprint, is looking to hire an "iPhone Developer Guru" for a "secret" project. Hmmm... wonder what that could be.

• Here's an easy peasy hack from MakeUseOf to open your favorite iTunes playlist with a simple keyboard shortcut.

• And finally... I totally agree with GeekDad that toddler-focused iOS developers need to broaden their scope from just learning ABCs--which seem to dominate the Kids section of the App Store. It would also be great if Apple created a separate section of apps for Kids (currently, it has a small featured page, but not an entire section devoted to the genre).

--Agen G.N. Schmitz

Something for the Weekend: Put Down That Gadget!

Time to chill out after the working week and put your feet up over the weekend to read some more in-depth items you might have missed (with soundtrack provided by The Divine Comedy):

• Digital Devices Deprive Brain of Needed Downtime (NY Times): If anything, this article is a great incentive to put down that phone or laptop and just enjoy some downtime:

  At the University of Michigan, a study found that people learned significantly better after a walk in nature than after a walk in a dense urban environment, suggesting that processing a barrage of information leaves people fatigued.

  

• Why Smartphone Adoption May Not Be as Big as You Think (Mashable): A good reminder that not everyone has an Apple-, BlackBerry-, or Android-powered do-everything phone.

• Apple Events Chronology (AAPLinvestors via TUAW): While not a very lengthy read, here's a rundown of all the Apple standalone events with their taglines compared to what actually got rolled out. Speaking of Apple, we'll be bringing the weekly Bites of the Apple post out of mothballs this weekend, so stay tuned for what to expect from next Wednesday's acoustic hoe-down (based on the invite, seen at the right).

• iTunes To Sell You Your Home Videos For $1.99 Each (The Onion): Yes, it's fake and it's funny... but can't you just see this kind of thing get monetized someday down the line.

--Agen G.N. Schmitz

Galaxy Quest: Epic Goes 4G with Sprint

The latest Android-based Samsung Galaxy S variant got its official release last weekend, and it just might be the greatest (so far). The Samsung Epic for Sprint includes the same primary specs under the hood as other Galaxy S models like the Captivate (AT&T), Vibrant (T-Mobile), and and the still-to-come Fascinate (Verizon)--including a 4-inch Super AMOLED touch display, 1 GHz Samsung Hummingbird processor, Android 2.1 OS, Wireless-N Wi-Fi, and 720p HD video recording.

The Epic adds a slide-out physical QWERTY keyboard, a front-facing camera for mobile video calls (using the Qik service), and Swype keyboard technology.

Check out this video from Michael Sherlock demonstrating all three of the Epic's keyboard input methods--virtual QWERTY, Swype input, and physical QWERTY:

But, most importantly, it takes advantage of Sprint's growing 4G network to jump ahead of the others in terms of connectivity speeds--which provides an average of 3-6 Mbps of download speed compared to Sprint's 3G network at 600 Kbps to 1.4 Mbps. You can check to see if 4G has come to your area with this Sprint coverage page (click the popup menu to see if your state and city are currently included). Additionally, the Epic features wireless hotspot capabilities, allowing you to share either the 3G or 4G connectivity with up to eight other devices via the phone's Wireless-N Wi-Fi.

And it's been garnering glowing reviews, such as from Ginny Mies at BusinessWeek:

Out of the Galaxy phones I've tested, the Epic 4G is definitely the best and definitely one of the top Android phones available. The nicely designed physical keyboard paired with the 4G goodness and front-facing camera makes it hard to beat.

And from Gizmodo:

Placed aside the other Galaxy S phones, the Epic still comes out ahead. It's the only one of the four that has 4G ... and the only one that has the slide-out keyboard. Most everything else across all four carriers are the same, except for small details in pricing and data plans. But when you're trying to decide between three skinny brothers and a stronger (but fatter) fourth brother, it's clear what the choice is.

The Samsung Epic 4G is available for pre-ordering right now (with shipment starting around August 31).

--Agen G.N. Schmitz

New Picsio Camcorders from JVC

JVC just announced two new Picsio camcorders for easy video capture and quick upload to your favorite website. The new GC-FM2 and waterproof GC-WP10 both record in full 1080p HD video, improved low-light performance and a three-inch touch screen for easy operation.


The new Picsios allow you to record in Apple's iFrame video format for easy editing in relatively small files. These new camcorders also function as a digital camera. The Picsios' CMOS image sensor captures stills at up to five MP images.

The Picsios' touchscreen handles all of the camcorders functions and even works while wearing gloves for fun in almost any situation.

Both new camcorders will be available in September 2010, but are now available for pre-order.

--Brandon M. Baker

Compare-o-rama: Droid vs. Droid 2 vs. Droid X

It seems there's a new Android phone hitting the streets every week lately, and with many of them using some variant of "Droid" in the name it can be hard to keep track of them all. Case in point: Motorola has just released not just one but two sequels over the last month to its original groundbreaking Droid--the Droid X and the Droid 2. The latter is the true sequel to the first Droid, while the former is the super-sized, non-physical-keyboard version. To help you keep your Droids straight, here's a score sheet with the key features and specs:

Models	Droid	Droid 2	Droid X
Android OS	2.1	2.2	2.1 (2.2 available soon)
Processor	550 Mhz	1 GHz	1 GHz
Screen	3.7" (480x854)	3.7" (480x854)	4.3" (480x854)
Text Input	Slide-out QWERTY + virtual keyboard	Slide-out QWERTY + virtual keyboard + Swype + voice-to-text	Virtual QWERTY + Swype + voice-to-text
On-board Memory	16 GB microSD	8 GB internal + 8 GB microSD	8 GB internal + 16 GB microSD
Camera (Stills)	5MP (dual LED flash)	5MP (dual LED flash)	8MP (dual LED flash)
Video Capture	DVD quality (720x480)	DVD quality (720x480)	HD quality (1280x720)
3G Mobile Hotspot	--	Yes	Yes
Wi-Fi	802.11b/g	Wireless-N (+ b/g)	Wireless-N (+ b/g)
GPS	Google Maps Navigation + VZ Navigator	Google Maps Navigation + VZ Navigator	Google Maps Navigation + VZ Navigator
HDMI Video Out	--	--	Yes
	Droid	Droid 2	Droid X

Both the Droid 2 and the Droid X offer Verizon's optional 3G Mobile Hotspot capability, which enables you to connect up to 5 other Wi-Fi-enabled devices (from laptop to iPod touch) to the phone's 3G cellular connection in order to get onto the Internet.

Additionally, both the Droid 2/X include the Swype virtual keyboard, which allows you to input text by swiping the finger with one continuous finger or stylus motion across the screen keyboard. You can check out some demo videos on how this tracing method works over at the Swype site.

The Droid 2 is available for shipping now over at AmazonWireless, while Verizon says that the Droid X will be shipping by the end of August.

--Agen G.N. Schmitz

Go Green with New ASUS Bamboo Laptop and Get Some Amazon Green Back

The newly revamped Bamboo Series laptop for ASUS is now available at Amazon.com, and you can get a $150 Amazon.com Gift Card with your purchase of the 14-inch ASUS U43JC-X1. Sleekly designed with a combination of brushed metal and rich, deep brown bamboo, the U43JC is specced out with a 2.4 GHz Intel Core-i5-450M, 500 GB hard drive, 4 GB of DDR3 RAM, LED-backlit 14-inch HD display, and up to 10 hours of battery life (with help from the ASUS Super Hybrid Engine's preset power profiles).

Additionally, it's outfitted with some new, bleeding-edge tech, including a USB 3.0 port for up to 10 times faster transfer speeds (as well as two USB 2.0 ports) and Intel's WiDi HD Wireless Display technology--which enables you to wirelessly transmit high-definition video to a compatible HDTV or external monitor.

It also features dual graphics processing--NVIDIA GeForce 310M with 1 GB of discrete memory and integrated Intel HD graphics--with NVIDIA Optimus technology, which seamlessly switches between the two graphics processors depending on the intensity level of your computing needs.

To purchase the ASUS U43JC-X1 and claim your $150 Amazon.com Gift Card, check out this promotion page (which explains how to take advantage of the deal, as well as explains the always important terms and conditions).

--Agen G.N. Schmitz

BlackBerry Torch Paves Way to OS 6

Taking a break from the international intrigue that Research In Motion (RIM) has found itself in of late, the company got around to releasing its new flagship BlackBerry smartphone--and the first to be loaded up with its BlackBerry 6 OS. Running on AT&T, the BlackBerry Torch straddles the line between old and new BB designs with a new form factor, featuring a capacitive touchscreen display (longer requiring the SurePress tap input of the Storm 2) and a physical QWERTY keyboard that slides out of the bottom.

Despite a sturdy design that's meant to please as many BlackBerry users as possible, it's what's underneath the hood with the BlackBerry 6 OS that's most impressive. Highlights include universal search that scours both your phone and the web for your search terms, improved touchscreen navigation, overhauled music and video players with better graphical interface for browsing through your library, Wi-Fi Music Sync so you don't have to tether your phone to your PC to load your latest album purchases, and a new Webkit-based Web browser with faster loading pages and tabbed browsing.

Check out this overview of the Web browser's strengths compared to the browser in the Bold 9700 from Crackberry (and also check out their extensive overviews of both BlackBerry OS 6 and the Torch):

And for even more on the Torch, be sure to check out Lasa Gade's 4-star review of the Torch over at MobileTechReview (with her video overview below):

The BlackBerry Torch for AT&T is available from AmazonWireless today for as low as $99.99.

--Agen G.N. Schmitz