Amazon finally unveiled Fire TV, its much-anticipated set-top box, at an event in New York City on Wednesday. Priced at $99 and powered by Android, the device will take on rivals like the Apple TV, Google Chromecast, and the Roku 3 — but how does it stack up against these already popular devices?
We’ve put together a handy comparison chart to help you decide which is best for you based on hardware, services, and price.
Apple and Comcast are in the early stages of negotiating a streaming TV service, according to The Wall Street Journal. The service “would use an Apple set-top box and get special treatment on Comcast’s cables to ensure it bypasses congestion on the Web.”
Rumors have been saying that Apple is working on a TV streaming product for years, and this latest report suggests that Apple is concerned about its customers have enough bandwidth to make the experience worthwhile at home.
Today Apple updated its Remote iOS app with some additional options for playing content through the Apple TV.
You can now control iTunes Radio like music played through a shared iTunes library. The ability to browse purchased movies and TV shows from the iTunes Store has also been added. Apple added the option to stream purchased content last September, and now it’s easier to navigate an online iTunes library from an iOS device.
Update 4.2 to the Remote app includes bug fixes as well. It can be downloaded for free in the App Store.
Source: App Store
Award-winning Reuters photojournalism app The Wider Image has just been updated to version 3.0.
Originally arriving on iOS platforms in October 2012, The Wider Image lets users explore the world through captivating visual stories from award-winning Reuters photojournalists.
In addition to images, each story provides additional interactive content in the form of expanded facts and quotes, along with audio materials, and more.
Apple TV users in the U.S. received a smackdown early Monday in the form of a the WWE’s new 24/7 streaming channel.
After being revealed at CES this year, wrestling fans can now watch all the brutality and drama the WWE has to offer with its live streaming network that includes access to pay-per-view events, reality shows, documentaries, and classic matches.
To celebrate 50 years since The Fab Four appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show, the Apple TV has been quietly updated with its own Beatles channel, which streams the band’s famous debut performance on U.S. shores.
In addition to streaming all 14-minutes of the Beatles first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, the new Beatles channel also allows you to purchase all of Steve Jobs’ favorite band’s U.S. albums.
Don’t have an Apple TV? You can check out the same content on your Mac or PC through iTunes here.
If you’re anything like me, as much as you love your Apple TV, the fact that it is so small actually causes some problems in your entertainment center, as it can actually be nudged around and fall behind things. That’s a big pain, especially since the accompanying Apple remote isn’t just equally tiny (and even easier to use), but depends on line-of-sight to work properly.
The Apple TV holder by Tinsel & Timber is a wonderful solution to this problem. A beautifully carved block of walnut with indentations for your Apple TV and remote, not only will it keep your entertainment center organized and the remote where you can find it, but it also looks great.
Tinsel & Tinder’s Apple TV holder is also available in maple, and no matter which one you buy, you can choose between three different felt colors to line it. It’s not actually that expensive, either: each one costs just $49.99.
Looking for a slightly cheaper alternative? Consider the similar product Bloc, which we previously wrote about here.
Source: Tinsel & Timber
This is Cult of Mac’s exclusive column written by an actual Apple Store Genius who answers all your questions about working at an Apple Store. Our genius must remain anonymous, but other than “Who are you, anyway?” ask anything you want about what goes on behind that slick store facade.
This week our Genius answers why the iPhone screen can be repaired in stores while the iPad has to be shipped away from special care. We also discuss whether working at the Apple Store can be turned into a solid career, plus the top 5 most annoying things customers do at the Apple Store.
Got a question you want the inside scoop on? Send us your questions and the answers will be published first in Cult of Mac’s Magazine on Newsstand. Send your questions to newsATcultofmac.com with “genius” in the subject line.
Q: What you are never allowed to say to customers?
Employees are taught not to use certain words that might tarnish the image of the brand. We are constantly in a struggle to portray Apple as positively as possible so that our customers return to buy from us again.
Here’s an idea of some of guidance I received when going through training.
Q: Is there a central management tool I can use to manage multiple Apple TVs on the same network?
Unfortunately, there’s not right now, but I wouldn’t rule it out in the future. The Apple TV was called a “hobby” for years until 12 months or so ago when Captain Cook said TV is an area of intense interest. Apple hasn’t made any big changes to the Apple TV for years now. I suspect Apple will release some big new features for Apple TV in 2014, but I don’t have any insider knowledge about it.
Q: Why does Apple not want customers to jailbreak iPhones? Have often do people bring in jailbroken iPhones for support?
Modifications made to iOS can cause security vulnerabilities, instability, shortened battery life, and other issues. The iPhone is different than many other devices in that it has a closed file system which means you can’t browse the files on your iPhone like you would on a Mac. It is set up this way to be more secure from malware and to prevent viruses or bugs.
Jailbreaking the iPhone opens up this file system in a way allowing apps to be installed outside of the app store and allowing changes to the functionality of the iPhone software. While this can mean opening your iPhone up to a whole new set of features, it can also mean losing the protection of Apple’s walled garden.
Jailbroken devices aren’t too common in the Apple Store as most people have learned to restore devices to Apple’s software before service. Every once in a while I find an iPhone running the forbidden software. Usually it means just restoring the iPhones software back to the most current update. Occasionally, we deny service if issues arise from the unauthorized modification.
In the Mac space, Dutch designer Martin Hajek is the crown prince of concepts, having done some of the most realistic and jawdropping renders we’ve ever seen for the iWatch, Mac Pro, iPhone 6 and more.
One product concept we thought Hajek bit the pooch on a little, though, was his idea of what an Apple HDTV would look like. His concept was black, chamfered and gorgeous… but also looked like Martin Hajek had never used a television in his life. But here comes Hajek’s Apple HDTV, Mach II… and this is an Apple television set I would buy.
AirWeb is web browser for your Apple TV. It uses your iPhone or iPad as a control and shows the results on the big screen via AirPlay, letting you quickly browse to any site using your multitouch screen.
You know hellish it is to watch somebody else browse the web as they double-click links and circle their cursor/finger around the page as they search for something to click? AirWeb solves that problem.