Life with Apple TV

As an Apple geek, I usually (ok always) get the latest and greatest from the Cupertino company. I waited for the Apple TV though, and now that they have updated the software, I have taken the plunge.

I have got it plugged in to the HD TV (52", 1080P, LCD) and the surround sound and I must admit I like it more than I expected.

I listen to my podcasts, and watch my video podcasts on there.  I've started directly renting movies (especially the $0.99 movie of the week.. Last week, The Dead Zone... a classic)

The HD movie rentals take WAAAAY too long to download, but I think that's a problem more with my network than anything else.  I rented Michael Clayton, and it was HD quality and surround sound.  Can't beat that.  It won't beat Netflix, but it's a lot better than the cable box.

I am also a big fan of the movie trailers for theater movies, except the length of time it takes to stream them.

I love the fact that my music now easily plays through my stereo.  I have tried Airtunes through the Airport Express and the iPod dock through the receiver, but the Apple TV is by far the best way for playing your iTunes music, plus its then integrated into all your photo displays.  Very nicely done.

The TV show organization is great.  Best thing about it is that I can rip DVDs from the UK using Handbrake and then fill out the tags using MetaX, push them out of there and there they are in iTunes, on Apple TV and the iPhone...  Sweet.

Renting content directly through the box is a big difference.  For those premium channels that I don't get in my cable package, such as Showtime, I can now buy the shows when I want to watch them. (Californication is hilarious by the way, if you haven't caught it yet)

You Tube integration is nice, but typing the search criteria is cumbersome, and the resolution of the video on there is too grainy to work on the big tv screen, so I don't use that very often

But the thing I like the best is the photo viewing, especially the Flickr and .Mac integration.  I love it.  The integration with iPhoto and iTunes is very well done, and the cloud based photo galleries are fantastic.  In fact, I just publish my photos to .Mac now, without the need to copy them to the Apple TV, and slideshows use your music.  Its very slick.

Ok, the faults are...  I prefer the old Main Menu, but from my experience in the software industry, everyone thinks they are a UI expert, so I'll live with it. 

The other thing is the download speed, but again, I think that's my wireless network as Time Machine is brutally slow on my MacBook as well

So, if you have a lot of music, have lots of friends on Flickr or .Mac, and love movies, its a winner.  I recommend the bigger hard drive one.  I bought the smaller one and its full already....

Looks like I need to spend some more money...  Damn you Steve Jobs.

Grand Slam

We don't see one for 27 years and then they go and win 2 in 4 years.

Great game, sat in a pub in full St. Patrick's Day party preparation.  The Guinness was good, and score was better.  Wales beat France pretty comfortably to win the Grand Slam and the Championship.  A change in the team management has made all the difference as it is the same players.  Well done boys. 

I felt a bit homesick to be honest.  It would have been nice to be in the middle of it all.

The Most Beautiful things on 4 wheels...

Triple Crown, Canes and Heels..

A good day sports wise for me:  Carolina Hurricanes win in OT against the Buffalo Sabres; UNC beats Duke at Duke on Senior night, but MUCH more importantly...  in rugby, Wales beat Ireland in Ireland to win the Triple Crown and have one game left to win their second Grand Slam in 4 years.  That's a very big deal..  Best news is that my parents will be over from Wales for the game, so me and Dad get to watch the game together.  Can't beat that !!

iPhone SDK and Enterprise Roadmap

Yesterday's announcement of the iPhone SDK has been long anticipated, but, as with just about everything Apple does, they didn't promise and over delivered.

This is really a follow on from the post I put up earlier this month. Apple is again controlling the eco-system for application and game distribution for the phone. Carriers just get data traffic revenue. Now the community of Mac developers can turn their attention to the iPhone, and I am sure there will be a plethora of wonderful things to behold, especially with the iFund money is a good incentive. Kind of makes Google's Android $10m look like a drop in the ocean...

Developers now have the opportunity to create applications (or interesting NEW games to enjoy the new interaction) and get them distributed on the fastest growing smartphone in the world. RIM has got to be concerned (although they have almost become the Microsoft of the smartphone market at this point), and Palm may as well shut up shop and go home. (They have just been rendered obsolete. Palm is at least 4 years behind...).

I must admit I haven't looked at Google's Android in great detail, but it would seem that Android and iPhone are going to be two major platforms on which to create applications moving forward. J2ME doesn't have enough access to the phone functionality, and mobile linux is struggling to get off the ground. Others such as N-Gage and Symbian will continue, but they are going to get less penetration it would appear as time goes on.

The widespread networks are still too slow and the high speed spots are limited to the bigger cities, and pervasive wi-fi is going to take a LONG time to appear. Therefore, on device applications are going to be the way forward, and with Apple opening up the best device with access to all the features is going to create some interesting new things.

Speaking of things, THINGS would be the FIRST application for the iPhone that I would pay whatever they are asking. If you are a Mac owner and are a bit of a GTD geek, I have been using this app for a while and it is great. Check it out here...http://culturedcode.com/things/

Roll on June. Its going to be a very interesting year...

An Inspiring story for a Not-so-Good week

Been a rather bad week at the office with layoff announcements, but I saw this video and it made me hopeful.  If this doesn't put a lump in your throat, please go and see your doctor immediately....

Wonderful presentation on Education

I am always fascinated by good presenters and presentations.  This one from TED in 2006 by Sir Ken Robinson is really wonderful.  Its conversational, and so well delivered with a mix of humor and message that it really sticks with you.  If you have time, dig around some more on the TED site.  There are some fascinating talks on there.

Enjoy