TV - page 8

While Samsung itself is quick to take Apple’s innovation and pass it off as its own, resulting in a number of lawsuits, the Korean electronics giant is still happy to mock the device that inspires many of its Android-powered smartphones. In a new TV commercial for its popular Galaxy S II handset, Samsung pokes fun at the iPhone and its devoted fans who wait in line for hours to pick up the device on launch day.

I think someone’s a little jealous that they don’t see endless queues when they churn out a new product.

To be fair to Samsung, it is rather humorous. My favorite bit: “You know, if it looks the same, how will people know I upgraded?”

[via The Mac Observer]

httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXS5VHw7rwA

We stumbled across this rare video of Steve Jobs at the CAUSE 1998 Conference in Seattle. In the short clip, Steve Jobs gives a particularly comedic and lighthearted talk about the PC and TV.

The video quality is pretty awful, but what’s said in the talk is very interesting. In the video, Jobs says, “TV turns your brain off, PCs turn your brain on.” What most don’t know is that Jobs was quoting a failed campaign for the original iMac.

Apple has begun airing a new commercial for the iPad 2 called ‘Love’, which showcases our love for the company’s incredibly popular tablet. In the thirty-second clip, we see people of all ages using the device while they go about their daily lives, doing things like movie editing, music recording, painting, learning, and more.

“Getting lost in the things we love has never felt quite like this.”

aTV Flash (black) from FireCore has now dropped its beta tag and hit version 1.0. The software package is designed to supercharge your second-generation jailbroken Apple TV, introducing a whole host of functionality that isn’t available from Apple. In addition to a media player which supports a huge variety of formats, aTV Flash will also introduce a web browser, weather and RSS feeds, a Last.fm radio, and more to your set-top box.

Fanhattan is absolutely the required guide for TV/Movie junkies who frequently view titles on the iPhone. Just like on the iPad version, the app acts as a gateway to entertainment — it gathers a heap of information about shows or movies that can be watched on the iPhone, then serves up that information in a super-cool, easy-to-navigate interface (that looks absolutely stunning on the iPhone 4).

Sony CEO Howard Stringer recently revealed the company’s intentions to launch a revolutionary new television before Apple, and according to The Wall Street Journal, it will be a web-based alternative to the traditional set that will allow users to avoid the cable companies.

Steve Jobs told his biographer Walter Isaacson he had “finally cracked” the television set, sparking more rumors his team in Cupertino are on the cusp of launching a revolutionary new television that will change home entertainment forever.

Apple won’t be the first to attempt this, however. Sony’s CEO Sir Howard Stringer says he is competing against Steve Jobs to change the traditional television set.

Since the unveiling of its iPhone 4S back in October, Apple has received heaps of praise for one of its new features in particular: Siri. The digital assistant is by far the most impressive voice recognition service built into a mobile device, and it seems everyone has been blown away by it.

What many of you may not know, however, is that Siri is one of the few Apple products that wasn’t created by the team in Cupertino. Instead, Siri was created by Dag Kittlaus, a 34-year-old man from Norway, and it has made him a multimillionaire.

A Hulu Plus application seems like the perfect addition to Apple’s $99 set-top box. While the device already comes packing a native Netflix app, the only way users can access current TV shows is by using the iTunes Store. According to some sources, however, a Hulu Plus app is ready to go, but Apple may not release it.

The idea of Apple entering the fractious and shark-infested waters of the television set industry has always made us scratch our heads. We were almost convinced the fever had passed when Steve Jobs biography was released, quoting the Apple co-founder that he’d “finally cracked” the problem of integrating home computers with television. Now comes an analyst suggesting the whole idea is bonkers and why even bother?

A deal to bring CBS shows to the Apple TV has been the focus of a number of rumors in recent times, but neither company had officially confirmed whether or not a deal had been met. Until this week, when CBS CEO Les Moonves confirmed the company had turned down an Apple TV deal.

The belief that Apple will enter the TV set market appears too good to let drop. One high-profile Apple analyst tells investors Monday the Cupertino, Calif. tech giant already has prototypes of a device worth $2.5 billion next year.

The BBC has finally issued an update to its free iPlayer app for the iPad that allows users to stream content to their Apple TV for viewing on their television.

As originally noticed by iFans, NBC has finally updated its iPad app with the ability to watch full-length TV shows, including titles like The Office.

The app is free in the App Store, and the same content that’s available on NBC.com is also available on the iPad, thanks to the latest update.

Even as Apple co-founder Steve Jobs exits as CEO, talk of a TV from the tech giant is still thriving. A new report suggests the Cupertino, Calif. company is working on a new way to stream video (aka Netflix) to televisions and mulling a “subscription TV service.”

No, it’s not. But a quick glance at its box might fool you into thinking so, and that’s because Sony seems to have used Apple’s default OS X Lion wallpaper as the background image on the company’s EX621 BRAVIA TV.

News that high-end TVs are nearing the sub $1,000 range may be the impetus for Apple to enter the market, a new report suggests. For some time, talk has swirled around the tech giant moving beyond the world of 10-inch screens. Might 32-inches and above be the next step for Cupertino?

That’s right  — the next time you watch a pirated feed bringing you announcement of the next iPhone (like, say, next month), you could be kicking back and watching it on the iPad, thanks to Ustream’s new iPad app.

Okay, we’ve heard before that Apple should or is going to get into the incredibly fractious TV set business. But another voice now suggests the Cupertino, Calif. tech giant needs iTunes to ensure success. Apple’s $65 billion in cash could go a long way toward that goal.

Rather than focusing its efforts on its diminishing smartphone business, it seems RIM may be planning to launch a device that will rival the Apple TV, packed with PlayBook hardware.

For years now, a prominent analyst has predicted Apple will get into the high-definition TV business. While that makes about as much sense as my idea for an iToaster, the rumor is back again, this time piggy-backing on the iCloud.

Remember the gnashing of teeth from the television industry when the DVR was first introduced – it would kill TV ads. Well, the real threat to TV advertising is your iPhone.

The iPhone and other smartphones account for 60 percent of the distractions from TV ads, according to a behavioral survey. The study participants reported turning away from the TV – and the advertising – whenever they received a text or a call.

With the DVR, even if you hit the ‘fast forward’ button, the advertising message registers with you.

How will Hollywood react to the findings? Will we see campaigns similar to that against distracted driving? Perhaps the industry will create an iPhone app that disables your phone when ads appear?

2011’s World Wide Developer’s Conference is fast approaching, but for the first time in four years, there is no expectation that Apple will reveal a new iPhone there. That might be a very good thing for investors looking to capitalize on low expectations.

It may not be as pretty as an Apple product (but seriously — what is), and at $180, it’s almost double the price of the ATV. But Elgato’s HDHomeRun comes in swinging for the fences with a trick Apple’s little black coaster doesn’t have: the ability to stream live TV, in HD, to your Mac or iPad — even over a 3G connection.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Um4gLMZDXkA&feature=player_embedded

Apple has released a new commercial for its iPad 2 that follows the same theme as its previous ‘We Believe‘ commercial launched in early April. Entitled ‘If You Asked’, the new ad focuses on the iPad’s user experience and how people perceive the device rather than its technical specifications.

The smooth guy in the voiceover reads:

If you ask a parent, they might call it intuitive. If you ask a musician, they might call it inspiring. To a doctor, it’s groundbreaking. To a CEO, it’s powerful. To a teacher, it’s the future. If you ask a child, she might call it magic. And if you asked us, we’d say it’s just getting started.

Apple’s commercials for the second-generation iPad thus far have been a little more personal than the company’s other ad campaigns; highlighting what users can achieve with the device, rather that what the device itself is technically capable of.

It really is amazing that the iPad is being used in so many amazing ways by everyone from toddlers to CEOs.