Got a second-generation Apple TV? Get it while it’s hot: a new update has just hit Apple’s update servers.

Everyone who owns an Apple TV loves AirPlay – it’s a fantastic way of streaming your moves and music straight to your TV that was previously a luxury only iOS and iTunes users could enjoy. However, thanks to the doubleTwist software, users can now send content to the Apple TV from their Android smartphones.

The doubleTwist software for Mac & PC advertises itself as “the iTunes for Android” and allows you to wirelessly sync your iTunes playlists, photos and videos to your Android phone with the accompanying Android application. Its most recent update introduced the ability to stream all of this content to the Apple TV over AirPlay.

A small company called Robocast seems to be making a bit of a cash grab against Apple in a new patent infringement lawsuit, as the former claims that Cupertino has ripped off their automated browsing technology in iTunes, Apple TV and Front Row.

Now that Apple has tipped their new, dual-core A5 SoC as the central cortex of the iPad 2, it’s reasonable to expect that the chip will start creeping down the rest of the iOS line-up later this year. That means an A5-equipped iPhone 5 in June, followed by an A5-equipped iPod Touch in September.

But even though it doesn’t look like one, there’s one other member of the iOS family: the Apple TV. Can we expect Apple to update their set-top box offering as well?

Although $400 million is nothing to sneeze at, for Apple’s expected $88 billion in revenue for fiscal 2011, the amount is “positive, but fairly immaterial,” one analyst told investors Wednesday. However, the $99 Apple TV could be a “game changer” if some tweaks are made to the box the Cupertino, Calif. company once called just a “hobby.”

Tuesday, Apple took the unprecedented step of announcing ahead of time it expects to sell 1 million Apple TV units by the end of the week. The move was widely seen as a way to steal thunder from competitors, Roku and Google.

An Apple press release has observers scratching their head. The usually tight-lipped Cupertino, Calif. company projected it will sell more than 1 million Apple TV units by the end of the week. Normally, the company run by Steve Jobs only speaks about milestones it has already passed. However, the announcement could be more a way to stick a finger in Google’s eye than pre-tooting any corporate horns.

The backstory: Monday, Roku said it will sell its millionth TV set-top box in the next two weeks. Also, the curious announcement likely has a tie-in with Google’s TV.

Google TV reportedly is having trouble, warning partners of a possible delay in supplying the software for televisions. In its announcement, Apple pointedly noted it is selling 400,000 television episodes and 150,000 movies every day.

[Silicon Alley Insider, Barron’s]

Jailbreak developer p0sixninja recently tweeted an image link that revealed a nicely jailbroken Apple TV. The jailbreak showed the injection of a new menu option which was like the ones used in hacks for the previous version of the Apple TV.

There is a lot more to do before this one will see prime time since the iOS based Apple TV generation two doesn’t even include an app launcher at this time.  It will be interesting to find out what Apple’s plans are for the new Apple TV. Perhaps a hint might leak out today during Apple’s special event.

This jailbreak isn’t publicly available yet so don’t get all excited just yet. Oh heck, go ahead be excited Apple TV fans. This looks like fun!

httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adVp-IxcDHI&feature=player_embedded

The inclusion of an A4 chip and iOS in the new AppleTV made a jailbreak only a matter of time, but even we’re surprised by the Dev Team’s lightning-speed alacrity in cracking open Apple’s latest set-top box within mere hours of its delivery.

Just fives hours ago, Dev Team member MuscleNerd reported on his Twitter feed that he’d successfully jailbroken the second-generation AppleTV through the existing SHAtter exploit.

Apple’s tiny new Apple TV packs one heck of a punch in a very small package — Netflix! Youtube! $0.99 TV shows! It’s dead easy to set up, absolutely tiny in size, and a pleasure to use. And it’s ridiculously priced at only $99.

On the other hand, iTunes’ movie selection still sucks; and the Apple TV won’t play nice with popular internet video formats like DivX or Avi.

Still, this pint-sized box is now based on iOS, and Apple may yet try to turn its “hobby” into a real business by adding apps that feature new content channels, communication tools and maybe even games. If so, this Apple TV may have a very good future. The hardware is certainly ready and it is based on the same technology as the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad.

If Apple opens up Apple TV to apps like it did eventually on the iPhone it could be unstoppable. Jailbreaking might just do that before Apple is ready to offer this feature.

Read the full review below so you can decide if this Apple TV is for you.

Apple began shipping the new Apple TV this week and the new gadget isn’t in anyone’s hands yet as far as we know. So it came as a surprise when an iPhone developer, chpwn via Twitter, found a firmware update for it and posted a download link for it. The new firmware, “AppleTV2,1_4.1_8M89_Restore.ipsw,” a 242 MB download can be downloaded from Apple’s servers now.

Apple TV is running iOS, something people were only guessing about after it was announced, and now hackers are claiming that it can be jailbroken.

The Dev-Team has posted an entry on their blog stating that they had already successfully used SHAtter, an in development iOS 4.1 exploit, to jail break the new Apple TV firmware:

It’s looking like SHAtter is going to be the gift that keeps on giving.  Even though the new AppleTV isn’t yet in people’s homes, the firmware is available on Apple’s normal public distribution servers and SHAtter has been used to decrypt its keys!

The Apple TV being released this week isn’t setup to run third-party apps, but it is possible that an Apple TV Store could happen in the near future. Hypothetically that new store could allow content creators to sell their content directly to you via Apple TV. If this ever comes to pass I might be able to finally tell cable good-bye.