Not only was there an update to iTunes today but there was also a software update for the Apple TV media center box thingee! With it there's a shiny press release and overhauled website.

If you haven't heard of Apple TV, it's their answer to the Windows Media Center -- just plug it into an HD TV, connect to a Mac or PC running iTunes via your local network... and blam! All of those lovely iTunes-bought movies and TV episodes can now be easily streamed to your big screen.

The new functionality being touted with version 3.0 of Apple TV are their two musical technologies: iTunes LP and Genius Mixes. iTunes LP is like some kind of 'immersive experience' -- not only do you listen to your favourite albums through your living room sound system (which is usually the best in the house!), but you also get 'extra footage' displayed on the TV! Presumably this will be liner notes from the album, studio photos and video footage from live concerts.

The update also brings the other new, neat feature of iTunes -- Genius Mixes -- to the Apple TV. Using some kind of match-making algorithm (a la Pandora?), Apple will apparently create smooth-sounding playlists automatically.

Of course, available to you at any time with the Apple TV there's the usual fare of streaming Internet radio and YouTube (though I can't imagine your living room speakers are going to be very kind to YouTube videos...) Also worth mention is the ability to easily get your photos from your hard disk (or Flickr) over to your big TV.

It all comes at a price though -- $230, for a box with a small hard disk and a network adaptor.

At least it's a pretty box.

[via Engadget]

There are a few different iPhone-based options to remotely control your Mac, but Rowmote might be the most complete. Instead of just controlling your media via Front Row, it can actually switch applications on your Mac. The list of apps you can use from Rowmote is impressive, including everything from PowerPoint to VLC to PandoraJam, and it also works with AppleTV. For 99 cents, that's not too shabby.

Rowmote also has some features that greatly improve the user experience. You can set it to keep your Mac's display from sleeping, which is handy when you're watching a movie, and you can also choose between light and dark interfaces, so you don't hurt your eyes if you're using it in the dark. All in all, it might be the best iPhone-to-Mac remote solution I've run across.

There are other programs that can download videos from YouTube for Apple devices, but Tooble requires only a few clicks to do the entire process of download, convert, and copy to iTunes. Tooble is free for Mac 10.4+ and requires a (free) install of Perian for the conversion work.

To use Tooble, either enter a YouTube video URL or use one of the helpful sidebar options like "Popular Videos," "Highest Rated," or even "Your Favorites" which Tooble finds if you enter your YouTube username into the preferences.

You can also search YouTube from within Tooble, so you don't have to go find a video's URL from YouTube to put back into Tooble. When you start the download, Tooble queues the item and will start to download the video. The video is then converted and copied to your iTunes Movies library so that it can be synced with your iPod, iPhone, or AppleTV (although AppleTV supports YouTube directly).

Last month Steve Jobs promised you'd be able to watch YouTube videos on the AppleTV, and today the company has delivered. Starting today, AppleTV owners can download a free software updated that will let them browse and view YouTube videos.

But those sneaky little PR folks at Cupertino decided to pack a little something extra into the press release. The iPhone will also be an overpriced portable YouTube player when it hits the shelves June 29th.

The news is a bit anticlimactic, seeing as YouTube launched a mobile interface this weekend, allowing pretty much anyone with a mobile phone and a data plan to watch videos of cute cats and ugly babies. But judging by the demo video Apple put on its website, the iPhone does have a pretty nifty looking navigation system for YouTube, and the videos play in full screen.

[via tuaw]

Steve Jobs is taking all of the fun out of hacking Apple products like the AppleTV by announcing that new features are on their way. While hackers have been busy working on a plugin to play YouTube videos on an AppleTV box, apparently so has Apple.

Jobs made the announcement during a talk with the Wall Street Journal's Walt Mossberg at the paper's "D: All Things Digital" conference.

YouTube video won't officially be supported for a few more weeks, but it should greatly expand the utility of that little box in the living room by providing tons of free (if short) content to go along with your iTunes purchases.

YouTube is quickly becoming the next Doom. Whereas a consumer device (cellphone, PDA, internet appliance) was once judged as truly geek-worthy when someone hacked it to play Doom, now you know your device has arrived when someone hacks a way to play YouTube videos on it.



A Series of Tubes is the latest in a long line of AppleTV hacks for those not afraid of voiding their warranties. You'll need to install Perian on your AppleTV, and you'll have to load the program using Patchstick or ATVLoader. In other words, this hack is not for beginners.

So far, the plugin lets you download and view YouTube videos. A future release will let you stream them from the web.

After spending several weeks in public beta, SlingPlayer for Mac OS X turns 1.0 today, with hundreds of bug fixes and a redesigned GUI based on user input..

SlingPlayer is Sling Media's software for watching video streamed over the internet from a Slingbox attached to your TV, DVD player, personal video recorder, AppleTV or other A/V devices.

Probably the biggest updates from the beta version include support for remote control of several new Apple products, including Front Row, AppleTV, and the iPod in a Universal Dock or an iPod Hi-Fi.

SlingPlayer for Mac supports PowerPC and Intel processors running Mac OS X 10.3.9 and later.

It's no secret that the AppleTV runs a modified version of OS X. And that means that intrepid hackers might be able to get the OS to run on non-AppleTV boxes or add functionality to the existing hardware. But the first step is getting the operating system off of the hard drive to take a look at it.

Well, it looks like we can cross that one off the list. While it's no longer hosted on his web site for obvious reasons, one fine fellow managed to extract a disc image of the AppleTV OS. He reports that it's now available on various BitTorrent sites.

The disc image is about 200MB, and right now it only works with the AppleTV hardware. Maybe it's wishful thinking, but perhaps we could see homebrew software running on the AppleTV, support for more video codecs, and perhaps support for peripherals?

[via Engadget]

MacScoop reports that it has obtained a document suggesting Apple will release a final version of Boot Camp for Mac OS X Tiger this Spring -- and that it could cost $30.

At the same time, Apple will be launching Mac OS X Leopard, which will include Boot Camp, so if you want the option to dual boot two operating systems, you'll have dual choices: purchase a copy of Boot Camp or upgrade to Leopard.

The beta version of Boot Camp has been around since April of 2006, and should still work for free until September. The final version is expected to support Windows Vista.

This follows news that Apple will be charging users $2 to enable 802.11n support in the Apple TV, and that the company could be charging more than twice the manufacturing costs for the upcoming iPhone. But then, does anybody expect a company like Apple to make money by giving away software or selling hardware with narrow profit margins?

We all saw Bill Gates sell something no one was buying, and Steve Jobs selling many things people really want in their respective keynotes this week. I am always the kind of person trying to find the meaning in it all. So, what do you think? I think Microsoft is putting out some decent software (Vista, Office, etc) but I think they have largely missed the boat on the digital lifestyle. Apple has that covered. I played with a Zune for the first time over the weekend, and I was actually quite impressed with the interface. Microsoft has done a great job of competing with the iPod, and by this I mean from a strictly device capabilities and functionality standpoint. Zune is just taking off, and the iPod has been around a while so you really can't compare sales numbers...yet. What about these "connected experiences" Microsoft is touting big time? I beg to differ, but I have been having connected experiences for ages now, and to me it seems that Microsoft is pushing old products in new wrappers. I remember the same speech about XP, it will do this better, it will do that better...yeah, but where is the new, cool, blow-me-away innovation? I didn't see it. Until I watched Jobs' keynote. Apple TV? Sign me up, good price, good features, works with PC or Mac, wirelessly anywhere in your house. Can you say "living room killer app." Also, despite Cingular's exclusive, required 2 year contract, and EDGE, the iPhone is also one of the best, most user-centered, all-in-one functional devices ever. It is dead sexy. Tell me, what has Microsoft come up with in this vein, something to create a huge demand or something to blow away the PC world? Sure, there is the XBOX 360 for gaming, but what in the computer space? I don't see the drive, the innovation, the passion for customers needs and fixing problems. I must say I was expecting a bit more from Microsoft. Is it enough that Microsoft only delivers a bit of eye-candy as the best innovation in a new product? I know they have the mindtrust to generate great new stuff, so why is it that Microsoft doesn't try to win anymore? Are they always behind the eight ball, or is this just my imagination? Also, what did you think of Apple's new stuff?