ReelSmart.com » DigitalLifeStyle

So Where is the Apple TV SDK? My Two Cents

Stephen Antonucci — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 15:35:54 +0000

The iPhone SDK (software development kit) is taking up a lot of space on websites all over the blogosphere and rightfully so. This fantastically successful device is on the verge of being truly "insanely great" to take another more famous Steve's quote. In all the news on the iPhone SDK that will open up the iPhone to thousands of third-party apps, I have to wonder if Apple will even bring an SDK for the Apple TV? Where is the Apple TV's App Store? Imagine the apps we could have running on an "open" Apple TV. DVR, SlingPlayer, TiVo, sms, chat, RSS, social networking, games, home automation, alarm clocks, remote desktop, security, video conferencing... Bluetooth add-ons like keyboards and mice. Maybe this would be the right approach to bringing what Jobs called a "hobby" into yet another "insanely great" and very successful product for Apple. There are no really open set top boxes on the market. With Apple TV running OS X the developers would flock to it. If Apple wanted to get into the living room further what better way? None of this gets in the way of Movie rentals and gives loads of people another reason to buy an "open" Apple TV with all these added capabilities. What are your thoughts? Take our poll on the left.

Apple Updates MacBook and MacBook Pros

Stephen Antonucci — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 15:49:54 +0000

Apple has released for immediate availability updated MacBook and MacBook Pros featuring the latest Intel Core 2 Duo Penryn processors and larger hard drives. The MacBook Pro has better graphics and a trackpad with "multi-touch" that was first introduced on the MacBook Air. See all the juicy details at the Apple site.

Apple Updates .Mac Web Gallery

Stephen Antonucci — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 13:55:30 +0000

Apple has enhanced .Mac Web Gallery with some new features. Many require that you running the latest version of iPhoto ’08 and iMovie ’08. Web Gallery is now integrated with the latest update of the Apple TV that now allows viewing any .Mac member’s public photos and movies right on your widescreen television. You can also view Flickr accounts. Other new features are:

Full-size JPEG downloads. Using iPhoto ’08 7.1.2, you can now choose to let visitors download your full-size JPEGs (highest resolution), or images optimized for 16-by-20-inch prints (smaller file size).
Standalone photo albums. Also using iPhoto ’08 7.1.2, you can publish standalone albums that do not appear on your Web Gallery home page. These are ideal for sharing photos intended for a select audience.
Password-protected movies. Using iMovie ’08 7.1.1, you can now require visitors to enter a password to view or download specific movies from your Web Gallery.
Web Gallery subscriptions. Visitors can now subscribe to your entire Web Gallery with a single RSS feed. The feed is updated any time new photos or movies are added, so subscribers can stay up to date automatically.
Aperture support. Aperture 2.0 users can now publish directly to .Mac Web Gallery. You get all the publishing features of iPhoto ’08, plus an option to allow visitors to download your original RAW files.

Humor: The Perfect Companion for Your Desk

Stephen Antonucci — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 15:02:13 +0000

If you want to stay fit and spend way too many hours in front of your computer, this might be for you. [iPhone and direct link]

iVideosongs Teaches You How To Be A Real Guitar Hero

Stephen Antonucci — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 16:29:21 +0000

TechCrunch has a post about a new startup called iVideosongs that is offering video tutorials on how to play guitar from world-class instructors, musicians and sidemen. The site offers some free tutorial videos, but most cost $5 (for instructor videos) or $10 (for artist videos) that play in QuickTime of an player that supports H.264 playback.

The site has launched with a catalog of 50 songs, plus 25 free tutorials. By the end of the year, it hopes to have 1,000 different songs. Instructions for how to play the drums and keyboard are available as well. The content is downloaded to your computer once purchased and appear to be DRM-free. I looked over some of the lesson previews and they look great.

Apple Brings Us A Time Capsule

Stephen Antonucci — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 04:21:07 +0000

Apple has delivered a hardware companion for Mac OS X Leopard's Time Machine feature called Time Capsule. Time Capsule combines an AirPort Extreme base station supporting 802.11n and a hard disk drive. Time Capsule's main use is to allow wireless users to use Time Machine without connecting their MacBook's to a "wired" hard drive. Time Capsule features dual-band antennas for 2.4GHz or 5GHz frequencies. It has one USB 2.0, one Gigabit Ethernet, and three Gigabit LAN ports. The device also has a built-in power supply and can connect to print wirelessly from a USB printer. OS X Tiger and Windows XP/Vista users can access Time Capsule directly from the wireless network for exchanging and storing files quickly and easily. So Time Capsule is not limited to Leopard and Time Machine users only. Shipping in February, Time Capsule will be available in two capacities: a 500GB model for $299, and a 1TB version for $499.

Why Sony is Lost in Digital Music Sales

Stephen Antonucci — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 23:59:57 +0000

Sony may be on their way to victory in the Blu-ray vs. HD-DVD format war. But when it comes to digital music Sony BMG STILL truly does not get it. They are moving to DRM-free music in the dumbest of ways imaginable. John Scalzi does a nice job explaining what will probably be Sony's downfall with its new MusicPass idea. Check it out!

Comcast Launches Fancast.com Movie-TV Hub

Stephen Antonucci — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 20:47:52 +0000

The cable giant Comcast has launched its one-stop movie-television destination for viewers to watch more than 3,000 hours of TV shows, movie trailers, and short videos. Fancast.com gathers film and TV offerings scattered all over the Internet on such a large scale, thanks to agreements with content owners such as CBS, Viacom and Hulu.com, which is owned by NBC Universal and News Corp's Fox Network.

Google and Panasonic Team to Bring Internet TVs

Stephen Antonucci — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 20:43:46 +0000

Google has teamed with Matsushita's Panasonic in developing televisions that display Internet content such as photos and videos. The TVs, to be launched this spring, will allow users to directly browse and access videos from YouTube, a video-sharing web site owned by Google, and view Picasa Web Albums, a free online photo-sharing service from Google, Panasonic said in a statement on Monday.

CES 2008: Slacker Portable

Stephen Antonucci — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 16:35:04 +0000

Slacker's portable music players are set to be available on their website on January 31st with 4GB ($199) and 8GB ($299) versions. Slacker is based on customizable streaming radio stations with the basic version being free. A Premium Service includes all the features of basic Slacker Radio, and adds unlimited skipping, and the ability to save radio songs to your Slacker device library and play them whenever you want for $7.50 per month. See demo video on Slacker Portable player. This is the lazy person's iPod alternative.

CES 2008: FlyTunes Comes to iPhone

Stephen Antonucci — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 14:59:20 +0000

FlyTunes is a free music service that is designed for today's highly integrated and 3G capable cell phones and media players, such as the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch (via Safari). Offering a music experience that you can personalize (a bit like Pandora) making it better than satellite radio. Featuring thousands of high quality music channels to enjoy on your iPhone any time, anywhere you go, without limitations, and without fees. FlyTunes can queue up to a half hour of music should you want to listen for awhile after leaving an EDGE / WiFi-covered area!

Natsper Goes MP3 and Hikes Subscriptions

Stephen Antonucci — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 14:41:18 +0000

Napster has joined DRM-free MP3 party, by dumping Microsoft’s Windows Media format for DRM-free as it plans to offer copy protection-free music downloads by spring. The DRM-free tracks, will only be available purchased music. Napster's subscription customers must of course deal with DRM copy protection while also getting a price hike in their monthly service fees! Obviously, another nail in the coffin for DRM, but is this the beginning of the end of subscriptions?

Apple Lawsuit Claims Monopoly?

Stephen Antonucci — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 19:59:03 +0000

In what I have to consider one of the most ridiculous of 2007, a lawsuit has been filed against Apple (filed December 31, 2007) claiming Apple by not supporting .wma is a monopoly. The lawsuit revolves around Windows Media Audio, which is notably unsupported by both the iPod and iTunes claiming that Apple could easily afford a license from Microsoft. Despite the fact that DRM is fading and Apple supports .WAV, AIFF, Apple Lossless, AAC, Audible, and the most ubiquitous MP3 format. For the uninformed .wma is part of a proprietary standard controlled by one company, Microsoft. What is very interesting is that .wma is not supported on the Mac platform by its owner, Redmond giant and competitor, Microsoft. Microsoft has given up support for its "owned" proprietary technology on the Mac platform long ago. Most Mac users download third-party and free apps like Flip4Mac or Perian to even playback this proprietary format. There is no solution for playing back protected WMA audio on a Mac (Janus DRM Format). This seems like a failed attempt by Microsoft to use its much larger platform to hurt the Mac. Unprotected WMA files import into iTunes on Windows just fine. Despite having no support from Microsoft for their proprietary formats, the Mac platform, iTunes and the iPod has growth in record numbers. All while Apple has supported "open" standards they do not control. Apple does not even have a proprietary format. iPods and iTunes have always supported open standards based around MPEG4. The "protected" content (DRM) sold at the iTunes Store is actually AAC with Apple's Fairplay DRM applied. Again Apple has no proprietary format of their own. I might note that the Microsoft Zune only recently added AAC support to any Microsoft product. Microsoft's own Zune and Zune Marketplace do not exactly play nice with all the flavors of WMA DRM. that Microsoft itself sells through it old PlaysForSure partners like Napster, Urge, Rhaposody and others. The music industry seems to have embraced MP3 format for its DRM-free content that is being sold in several places online. iTunes Store sells unprotected DRM-free audio content in AAC. Steve Jobs and Apple have lead the charge for DRM-free music. A fact missing from the filed lawsuit. iPod owners and iTunes users are not forced to "buy" music from Apple's iTunes Store. There are several alternatives such as Amazon MP3 Store (largest online retailer), eMusic (second largest online music store), Wal-Mart (largest retailer in the US), ConcertVault, MP3.com, MP3tunes or even ripping your own CDs. Converting unprotected (DRM-free) .wma audio tracks is quite easy with freeware and shareware apps. Maybe Microsoft might like to adopt MPEG4 AAC or MP3 as their default standard for delivering unprotected DRM-free audio instead of the proprietary "owned" format they prefer? Any reason they might prefer WMA? Want to guess? I would hope this lawsuit gets throw out even though lawyers smelling money are trying hard to make it a "class-action." So what if you want to use iTunes without an iPod? See iTunes for Mac OS X: Compatible Players

DRM: And Then There Were None

Stephen Antonucci — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 15:56:01 +0000

Well to be truthful DRM is far from dead, but at least it is moving that direction as far as music downloads anyway. BusinessWeek is reporting that Sony BMG will now join the other major labels, offering part of its catalog DRM-free. Sony BMG would become the last of the top four music labels to drop DRM, following Warner Music Group, which in late December said it would sell DRM-free songs through Amazon digital music store. EMI and Vivendi's Universal Music Group announced their plans for DRM-free downloads earlier in 2007.

Holiday Shopping at the ReelSmart Online Store

Stephen Antonucci — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 20:33:20 +0000

Shop with confidence with Amazon and support ReelSmart.com at the same time. ReelSmart.com is supported by Amazon, the best online store on the planet. Buy your holiday gifts from the ReelSmart.com online store and support this website. We offer the same discounts that make Amazon famous on your tech gadgets as well as many of the devices and software I write about on ReelSmart.com. Most are offered at a discount, many times with free shipping.

Why Amazon’s Kindle is NOT the iPod of Reading

Stephen Antonucci — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 19:14:52 +0000

When Amazon launched the Kindle yesterday I pondered the future of this device and the future of reading and have come to the conclusion that the Amazon's model for the Kindle is flawed for several reasons. It is not at all the "iPod of Reading" as many websites are calling it. Sure Amazon is hopeful that many will think that is true, deriving the same success that Apple has had with the iPod when comes to selling the Kindle.

It is not however a fair comparison. The iPod had from day one the ability to play the music you already owned. In fact, when the iPod launched that is all there was as the iTunes Store did not yet exist. The iPod has always had the ability to play DRM-free MP3s and and AAC tracks ripped from your own CDs or purchased from some other online stores.

Apple offers many DRM-free songs at the iTunes Store these days. But, even after you buy tracks from iTunes that have DRM you are able to easily burn them to CD. You also have the ability to play these tracks on up to five computers and as many iPods or Apple TVs as you like. Of course for videos this is a different story.

Amazon has seemed to have gotten a lot right with the Kindle as far as the user experience and probably even the hardware. But the Amazon model for the Kindle has some clear shortcomings.

The books, newspapers, and magazines you purchase for the Kindle can only be read on one device and are totally entrenched with proprietary DRM. There is no computer syncing at this time. Your existing PDFs can not be read on the device (Sony's E-Book readers can display PDFs). Word documents and pictures (.JPG, .GIF, .BMP, .PNG) need to be emailed to the Kindle at a small cost to you.

If the Kindle were to become the "future for reading" as some have already claimed it will become a world were sharing a newspaper or a book is a thing of the past.

Amazon does allow you to re-download your purchased content in case of a hardware failure or when you are forced to delete your device to make space for more content. There seems to be no way to really build a library as with physical books or with your music as the iPod/iTunes allows.

I know people that own iPods and have never bought any content from the iTunes Store and have still enjoyed the device. There is also tons of free podcasts and choices of DRM-free music from Amazon's MP3 Store and EMusic. Without Amazon’s DRM-protected content (solely controlled by Amazon), the Kindle is pretty worthless.

You can not even really browse the Internet with it. Sure you can read "selected" blogs on the Kindle, but you need to pay for each one to be placed on your Kindle since it does not use the standard RSS feed or have a full featured browser. The blogs would need to be converted to this DRM format to read them on the device.

Amazon's model for the Kindle is this in a nutshell: Pay for downloadable books that can’t be printed, shared, or read on any device other than Amazon’s own $400 device with no way to build a library.

Surely this is not the same as the iPod model that Apple has its business on. As cool as the Kindle looks it is to be seen if it is a big seller when users realize these shortcomings.

Amazon Launches Kindle Today

Stephen Antonucci — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 15:37:19 +0000

Amazon introduces Kindle which it hopes is what the iPod was to music will be the definitive device to read books, newspapers and selected blogs. Amazon's Kindle, $399 looks pretty cool and uses Sprint's EVDO (free to Kindle owners) to download books and newspapers. I would not mind having this under the tree this year. See demo videos and details here.

Some Sirius Announcements

Stephen Antonucci — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 14:49:20 +0000

Sirius Satellite Radio has made a few new announcements: Howard Streamed to Your Living Room Sonos announced today that their Digital Music System, which wirelessly streams music across a house, has updated to System Software 2.3 and features Sirius Satellite Radio in addition to the Pandora and Zune services. Any Sonos system connected to the internet can subscribe to Sirius, which offers music, news and talk radio. New Sirius subscriptions cost $12.95, while current Sirius subscribers can upgrade their account to work with the Sonos for an additional $2.99. A 30-day free trial is also offered in the package so you can decide if Sirius is worth the hype. The Sonos system already works with iTunes and the iPod. Sirius Brings Backseat TV for The Kids Sirius announced its SCV1, aka Backseat TV. The new receiver is able to grab both radio and TV signals, bringing Nickelodeon, the Disney Channel, and Cartoon Network to TV screens in the backseat while it streams music or talk up front. The system offers a "kid friendly" remote for controlling Backseat content, while the "adult" section is operated by a separate, wired remote. The radio can also be controlled via Sirius-compatible aftermarket headunits. The SCV1 will be available in the 4th quarter of 2007, and will run you $299.99 for the unit, plus an additional $6.99 for TV service each month. I thought a rear DVD player was enough, but I do not have "little ones." Sirius Brings New Portable To Town Sirius announced Stiletto 2, a new portable player with a slew of interesting features, including a "LOVE" button which allows you to store a song you're listening to on the fly, recording options that let you to capture up to 100 hours of pre-scheduled programs, enhanced WiFi implementation, and the ability to access Sirius's premium audio offerings. The 4.3-ounce player can play back MP3 and WMA files, sports a microSD slot, 2.2-inch color display, and up to 20 hours (non live) of music playback. The player will be available this Fall for a pricey $349.99 -- plus your monthly radio costs. Color Display Comes to Sportser Sirius' new Sportster 5 (dock-able) has gone color. Featuring both a color display and a customizable backlighting to match your dash, the new Sportster is sure to offer hours of heated discussions over the merits of various schools of color design. The unit will offer 16 more minutes of recording (now you can record up to an hour of Sirius broadcast) but otherwise the same FM transmission. The Sportster 5 will be available this fall at $169.99. Wonder if any of this will help their falling stock price?

Opie & Anthony To Return To XM; Reactivation Fee Waived

Stephen Antonucci — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 13:30:52 +0000

Opie & Anthony will return to the XM Satellite Radio airwaves this Friday, June 15, at 6 a.m. XM suspended the duo last month. Many of the radio show’s fans protested XM’s decision by, canceling their XM service, destroying their XM units and complaining about censorship. The fans pay for the adult humor and content of the show, not to mention that their channel can be blocked quite easily; it’s not like this went over the public airwaves or anything. XM says it’ll waive the $14.95 reactivation fee. I guess if you destroyed your radio receiver, you will need to buy a new one. Probably many of the angry fans feel this is a small price to pay to make a point of their satisfaction.

Highlights of Gates and Jobs at D5

Stephen Antonucci — Thu, 31 May 2007 14:03:34 +0000

Highlights of Gates and Jobs together at the D5: All Thing Digital Conference. See more of the Steve Jobs and Bill Gates Together: Part 1 of 7 interview videos.

Palm Intros the Foleo - Are They Out of Ideas?

Stephen Antonucci — Wed, 30 May 2007 22:47:13 +0000

OK, I got rid of my Palm sometime ago and I do not own a Treo, but I do like the Treo and was a Palm fan at one time. With that clarified, I think I can comment on the new Foleo device on they just introduced. The Foleo is a laptop-looking device that has a 10 inch screen, I guess they expect users to carry around along with their Palm Treo. This may be the companion the Treo phone NEVER wanted! Most users already own laptops and this thing is the size of sub-notebook like the Dell X1. Is Palm listening to their users? At $499 the Foleo weighs in at 2.5lbs, has Bluetooth for pairing with a Treo, offers built-in 802.11b/g, lacks G support, as the device is supposed to be a smartphone companion. Good luck with this one Palm! See more at Arstechnica.

XM Subscribers Destroy Radios and Cancel in Protest to Opie And Anthony Suspension

Stephen Antonucci — Fri, 18 May 2007 14:41:23 +0000

Some Opie and Anthony fans are pretty upset with the suspension of the duo by the satellite radio provider. Some subscribers are hammering, sawing, blowtorching and smashing their XM radios. Here's a roundup of several of such videos. Warning: several contain bad language. I have to admit the videos are entertaining.

Amazon to Sell Music Without DRM

Stephen Antonucci — Thu, 17 May 2007 16:42:56 +0000

Amazon has announced that they will be launching their own downloadable music store. All downloads will be in MP3 format that can be freely copied to any computer, cellphone or music player, including the iPod. Amazon said its service would include music from one major label, EMI, and from 12,000 independent music companies that have chosen not to use DRM copy-restricting software (Digital Rights Management). This move joins Steve Jobs announcement to make most of the tracks in the iTunes Store DRM-free. This could be another step toward the demise of the copy-protection for downloaded music. Apple controls more than 85 percent of the U.S. market for music downloads, will charge $1.29 for unprotected songs that will also have improved sound quality, versus 99 cents for a protected track. Apple plans to start selling those songs this month. No word on pricing from Amazon yet. EMI has the smallest share of the U.S. market. Others like Sony BMG Music Entertainment and Warner Music Group, have not sounded like they are ready to drop DRM. However, Universal Music Group, the world’s largest label with about one-third of the U.S. market, may be getting ready to join the DRM-free fray. Universal has been offering unprotected files in Europe in the MP3 format. The question is will selling unprotected music help offset the decline in CD sales? I still think not. Only selling music people really want will help falling sales in my opinion along with marketing the right artists for mass appeal. But what do I know? I was only a DJ for some twenty-plus years! There are few artists today that can fill stadiums the way the older artists have, and this has little to do with illegal downloads! The push for subscription services sure has not helped much as it seems so far that Steve Jobs as right, "most people want to own their music." There is little evidence against this as Napster and other subscription stores have faltered as Apple's iTunes has grown.

Dell Defrauded PC Buyers Claims NY Top Lawyer

Stephen Antonucci — Wed, 16 May 2007 16:58:26 +0000

The New York attorney general has filed a lawsuit in Albany County Supreme Court yesterday, charging that Dell Inc. used fraud and false advertising to increase profits on PC sales. The Wall Street Journal, however, said the lawsuit alleges that Dell misled its customers by applying high credit rates to their computer purchases although it had promised cheap financing. The suit also alleges that Dell failed to deliver rebates, warranties and technical support as simply as it had promised, the report said. Dell denies the charges and plans to fight the suit, according to an e-mailed statement. Well off to court they go!

Digg the Code with Cali

Stephen Antonucci — Fri, 04 May 2007 03:20:26 +0000

Cali Lewis of GeekBrief.tv posted this cute video to Geoff Smith’s HD DVD code song featuring the Digg guys while doing a nice nerd version of Bob Dylan flipping out the now famous HD DVD magic crack numbers, one at a time. I loved it and wanted to share. Geoff Smith of TheGeoffSmith.com wrote this song to commemorate this moment in Digg history.

Cablevision Going Private to Dolan Family

Stephen Antonucci — Wed, 02 May 2007 16:26:12 +0000

According to Bloomberg, Cablevision just agreed to be taken private by the Dolan family for $10.6 billion in cash, capping their two-year effort to buy the company. The Dolans will pay $36.26 a share, compared with a $30 bid rejected in January, the Bethpage, New York-based company said today in a statement. The price is 11 percent more than yesterday's close.

RIM Moves onto Microsoft Devices

Stephen Antonucci — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 18:16:10 +0000

Research In Motion (RIM) has announced plans to expand its support for Windows Mobile 6 based devices with a new software application suite that will enable devices from third-party manufacturers to benefit from the popular BlackBerry software applications and services (the BlackBerry application suite will be available for select Windows Mobile 6 based devices. Check with your service provider for availability). Once installed, the software will provide users with a virtual BlackBerry application experience, including support for BlackBerry email, phone, calendar, address book, tasks, memos, browser, instant messaging and other applications developed for the BlackBerry platform.

Joost Invites Sent Out

Stephen Antonucci — Sat, 21 Apr 2007 00:14:12 +0000

Thanks for participating in the Joost invite giveaway. And thanks for reading ReelSmart. I had fun reading your comments. If Joost hands over any more invites I will post another giveaway. To the lucky winners, enjoy watching Joost.

Cablevision to Appeal for Virtual DVRs

Stephen Antonucci — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 19:05:02 +0000

Cablevision prepares to appeal a federal court ruling that stopped the New York-region provider from offering more potent DVR services to its customers. This case amazes me. Cablevision, created and was testing a virtual DVR (digital video recorder) service. This would allow for DVRs with video storage moved from a hard drive inside a STB (set top box) located in the customers home, to a network server location that lets the storage occur there. Most users have no idea where the shows they want recorded are stored, or even care. They would simply get the DVR features they want, and the virtual DVR was a platform that made it easier to enhance and update services going forward. Cablevision would be able to save money on set top boxes and updates. This would have been a big win for consumers and the cable providers. Now it is up to the courts it seems.

Joost Expands Invites to Beta

Stephen Antonucci — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 19:54:41 +0000

I have just received my Joost invite:

Garmin Releases POI loader and WebUpdater for Macs

Stephen Antonucci — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 15:50:28 +0000

I meant to post this last week. Garmin has released POI loader and WebUpdater in beta for OS X. Although, I have been adding pictures and music to from OS X from day one. This makes me very happy as I no not have to use a Windows machine to update my Garmin Nuvi anymore. Garmin has finally delivered on their promise for Mac compatible software after a long time of waiting. Garmin delivered Training Center back in January, for Mac users. So Garmin should be commended for getting better for Mac users.

New UPS Feature Allows For Redirecting Packages From Web

Stephen Antonucci — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 15:34:56 +0000

UPS has rolled out a new service called UPS Intercept, that allows you, to intercept packages while they're in transit and re-redirect them.Through the UPS Intercept page you can request:

return to sender
deliver to another address
reschedule delivery
have the package held at a UPS location for pickup

Nice to see "brown" innovating. This has the potential of making all of our busy lives easier.

Verizon to Release Updates to FiOS TV in NJ

Stephen Antonucci — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 14:52:56 +0000

Verizon will be rolling out an update to their FiOS TV offering in a few weeks, first in the New Jersey market. After this upgrade the company is expected to release this nationally. FiOS 2.0 as some are calling it, is said to have an updated user guide, better search, and better IPTV functions. Verizon previewed some of the new FiOS TV features at CES 2007. This upgrade is part of "Project Mercury" that has Verizon improving and actually re-writing some of Microsoft's code that runs the supplied Motorola STB (set top box), as first reported by the Wall Street Journal. Verizon planned to roll out its FiOS TV service in three phases, adding more features with each phase. But there have been some reports that as the project progressed, Verizon encountered obstacles with the Microsoft code. Seems the Microsoft code powering FiOS was too big and bulky to run in the hardware provided by Motorola.

Nike Will Make All Running Shoes iPod-compatible

Stephen Antonucci — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 18:18:24 +0000

Nike reported net income in the December-February period grew 8 percent to $350.8 million, or $1.37 per share, up from $325.8 million, or $1.24 per share, during the same period last year," according to the Associated Press. Nike said it plans to make all its running shoes compatible with its Nike+ technology by the end of the year. Nike+ allows runners to track their workouts with Apple Inc.'s iPod. The Nike + iPod Sport Kit runs $29 to add to your iPod.

Mossberg On Copyright Laws

Stephen Antonucci — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 18:09:50 +0000

The Wall Street Journal’s Walt Mossberg has published, "Congress Must Make Clear Copyright Laws to Protect Consumers" telling the U.S. Congress that it’s time to pass laws to straighten out the digital copyright mess. I could not agree more. It is time for the lines to be un-blurred and "fair use" to be defined for consumers.

Verizon’s New EV-DO Card Has MacBook Pro Support

Stephen Antonucci — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 21:56:46 +0000

Verizon Wireless announced that they are shipping Novatel’s V740 ExpressCard, an expansion card that enables laptops including MacBook Pros to work on Verizon Wireless’ BroadbandAccess network at EV-DO Rev. A speeds. The card costs $179.99 with a two-year service agreement or $229.99 with a one-year plan.

SlingCatcher - Place-Shifting To Come to Your TV

Stephen Antonucci — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 19:59:45 +0000

On what may be the eve of Apple shipping the Apple TV, I thought I might share this info on Sling Media's forthcoming SlingCatcher that was announced at CES 2007. The SlingCatcher is poised to ship in mid 2007 and will allow Slingbox owners to "sling" or stream their live TV to regular television sets either in your home or remotely over the Internet instead of only PCs, Macs, and mobile phones.

Microsoft Wants To Replace JPEG Format

Stephen Antonucci — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 19:38:59 +0000

Microsoft is planning the end of the wide use of the JPEG format. Just in time for the JPEG copyright that is ending. Microsoft is submitting their "JPEG-Killer" as they are claiming called HD Photo format to an international standards organization. The format, previously named "Windows Media Photo" met with objections from partners and was renamed HD Photo back in November. Manufacturers apparently did not care to have something branded 'Windows' in their products. Not wanting the backlash in the industry, can explain the name change. By the way the "HD" does not stand for "high definition" according to Microsoft.

Joost To Get Content From Viacom

Stephen Antonucci — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 17:09:18 +0000

Joost is what I call the "one" to watch. I have applied for an account for the beta testing, but as of yet I have not been invited. Joost, formerly an operation "under wraps" known as "The Venice Project," is the latest product from Janus Friis and Niklas Zennström. They're best known as the creators of peer-to-peer file-sharing software Kazaa and Skype, which was acquired by eBay in 2005. Joost is currently in a limited private beta test, compatible only with Windows at first and recently expanded to Intel-based Macintosh computers. Hey Joost guys, I am still waiting for my invite! The downloadable Joost software, works on a peer-2-peer model similar to Kazaa, featuring a slick, television-like console and aims to offer high-quality, professional video content supported by an advertising revenue model. Full screen, high quality TV-like viewing is possible with on-screen widgets and information. Sounds like a very cool IPTV solution that may prove to be very popular once opened up to more people provided Joost can make more content deals like the Viacom one announced today.

XM and Sirius Satellite Radio Agree To Merge

Stephen Antonucci — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 04:20:26 +0000

With both companies never showing a profit a deal has been struck to merge them into one company. Question is will it be good for the consumer? The FCC may not think so and may block the merger. The hurdles for this merger are high according to Kevin Martin, FCC Chairman as there is a provision that specifically forbids the two companies to combine. Sirius' Chief Executive Mel Karmazin will lead the combined company, and XM's CEO Hugh Panero will stay on only until the deal is closed. XM Chairman Gary Parsons will remain in that role. The XM shareholders will receive 4.6 shares of Sirius stock for every share they own, valuing them at $17.02 each based on Friday's closing price for Sirius shares. That gives XM shareholders a premium of 22 percent to the $13.98 closing value of their stock on Friday. Markets were closed Monday for the Presidents' Day holiday.

ReelSmart Launches Online Store

Stephen Antonucci — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 16:03:41 +0000

I have launched an online store powered by Amazon to help support ReelSmart's hosting and administrative costs. If you like the site and have found any of my tips helpful, I hope you will consider purchasing anything you may need from our online store. Amazon pays as a small commission for anything you buy from them through the ReelSmart website. It will not make us rich, but may pay for some of increasing costs. Your cost will be the same low Amazon price. Thank you.

Ticketmaster Partners with iTunes for Promo

Stephen Antonucci — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 14:44:20 +0000

Ticketmaster has announced a partnership with Apple's iTunes Store which will allow customers to receive a free song from iTunes, starting this summer with every concert ticket purchased on Ticketmaster.com. Additionally, music fans who pre-order select digital albums on iTunes can buy that artists' concert tickets on Ticketmaster.com before they go on sale to the general public. Ticketmaster and iTunes have also created the ultimate gift for the ultimate music fan. Beginning later this year, users will be able to purchase a Ticketmaster + iTunes gift card pack redeemable for credit on both Ticketmaster.com and the iTunes Store. Music fans will be able to purchase $50 gift card packs at all Target stores nationwide.

PandoraBoy: Use Your Apple Remote With Pandora

Stephen Antonucci — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 14:00:19 +0000

My favorite Internet radio station by far is Pandora. If you never tried Pandora do not waste a moment, go set up a free account and start listening. Pandora is a lot different than other Internet radio stations. Pandora is a music discovery service that helps you find new music based on your old and current favorites. The first thing that you will see when using Pandora is that it is run inside your web browser. PandoraBoy frees you from using your web browser and allows you to control your music with global hotkeys or your apple remote. Additionally, it supports growl notifications so that you always know what your listening to. PandoraBoy is free and open source for OS X users.

SlingCatcher Will Send Web Videos to TV - Updated

Stephen Antonucci — Sun, 07 Jan 2007 22:00:33 +0000

Sling Media Inc. will unveil SlingCatcher at CES, although they say it will not be available until the middle of the year. The price should be about $200. The SlingCatcher is a new set-top box, which actually does the reverse of the Slingbox. The SlingCatcher will send multimedia from the Web to your TV, whether it's a slideshow from a photo-sharing site, clips from a video sharing site, or films downloaded from an online movie service. SlingCatcher will hook up to your TV and must be connected to your home computer network. To accomplish this SlingCatcher will work with the free SlingPlayer media software that has to be installed on a laptop or desktop computer to convert digital media formats into video and audio playable on televisions.

Jack is Back!

Stephen Antonucci — Sun, 07 Jan 2007 18:11:23 +0000

I have never been a big game player, but I used to play "You Don't Know Jack" years ago. Well Jack is Back and blast from the past makes it to an online game for all users. Check out the old PC franchise as a web-only game. It is still fun and has been polished up, worth a try. The website also has a store where you can buy the Windows XP version on disc and "Jack" T-shirts.

Happy New Year!

Stephen Antonucci — Mon, 01 Jan 2007 16:23:41 +0000

Let's hope for a great 2007 for all. I thought you may like this video to inspire you for the new year. Thanks to all my readers for taking the time out of their busy day to check out my blog. I hope it was worth your time.

Kyocera KR1 Using EVDO For WiFi Anywhere

Stephen Antonucci — Sun, 17 Dec 2006 18:01:21 +0000

The Kyocera KR1 Mobile Router ($219.99 with $50 Mail-In-Rebate) allows you to create a wireless broadband network virtually anywhere. It uses 1xEV-DO as its WAN backhaul and functions like an access point supporting multiple computers and devices with high-speed wireless (WiFi). All you need is a 1xEV-DO card or phone*. The KR1 Mobile Router is especially useful for mobile work groups such as dispatch teams, consultants, road-warrior sales groups, satellite offices, command posts, and more. It can also be used as a reliable alternative for fixed broadband services in your home.

Laser Etch Your Gadgets

Stephen Antonucci — Sat, 16 Dec 2006 22:49:26 +0000

Adafruit laser services is an appointment only laser etching service in New York City. They do laser etching of your artwork on laptops, iPods, cell phones or any other gadget using high powered lasers that would make "Woz" smile.

Web-based Graphing Calculators

Stephen Antonucci — Fri, 15 Dec 2006 17:50:23 +0000

Need a graphing calculator? Try InstaCalc and Calc5 on the web. These "ajax-powered" Web 2.0 applications may just be what you were looking for.

Sharpcast: Backup and Sync iPhoto

Stephen Antonucci — Fri, 15 Dec 2006 14:41:05 +0000

Sharpcast, has released a new software that easily helps Mac users backup and sync their iPhoto library online. Once online, the photos can also be viewed using a web browser or a web-enabled mobile phone.