Saturday, October 2, 2010

Apple TV + EyeTV = Ultimate Home Entertainment Experience!

Apple TV - MC572LL/A NEWEST MODEL

The new Apple TV is on the verge of being jailbroken. Just like the iPhone before it, this will lead to an explosion of new apps ready to be installed on the tiny device from Apple. What do I think the killer app could be? EyeTV.



Elgato has been making hardware and software for recording TV on the Mac for years now, but you've always had to watch it on your Mac unless you had your Mac hooked up to your TV. Lets face it, who wants a 23" iMac hooked up to their 50" TV? Not me. This is where the Apple TV comes in.

The new Apple TV is the real game changer here. Once it is jailbroken, someone could potentially write an app that would allow for streaming of your EyeTV recorded content to the device. Elgato already has an app that does this for the iPad. The app allows for the viewing of live TV, recorded TV, and managing the schedule of recordings.

This would be the ultimate set up. You could have your iMac or Mac Pro loaded with storage and hooked up to an EyeTV in one room, and the small, barely noticeable Apple TV hooked up to your big screen, streaming your live content and recordings. With the price of the Apple TV, you could have a second unit hooked up to your TV in the kitchen or bedroom, to allow you to pause live TV in one room and resume in another. The possibilities are endless.

Even better, Steve Jobs himself said that an Apple TV app store could launch when the time is right, leading the way for Elgato to port their existing app to the Apple TV.

Truly, this will be the ultimate home entertainment experience!

Monday, September 27, 2010

Blackberry Playbook: Why it will surpass the iPad in the boardroom

Today, RIM announced the Blackberry Playbook, their competitor to Apple's iPad. This not so well kept secret has been anticipated for months now, with most people focusing on RIMs ability to knock Apple out of the top spot in tablet computing. I think it can, and I'm an Apple fan and iPad owner.

The Blackberry Playbook has one major advantage going for it over the iPad: BES integration. Blackberry Enterprise Server is what keeps Blackberries as the email device of choice at most major corporations. The Playbook will integrate seamlessly into this environment, making it easier for IT departments to deploy as they already have e backbone in place.

Another major advantage: Blackberry tethering. You won't need a separate data connection for your Playbook, as it will link up with your Blackberry and share it's data connection. I'm sure certain carriers will be against this idea as they want to make as much as possible from extra data fees, but I don't think they'll have much choice in the matter.

And finally, software. The preview video looks amazing. Haven't seen it yet? Take a look below and see for yourself. This newly created OS is going to be very versatile.
Blackberry Playbook promo video

Thursday, September 16, 2010

John Morrison parks in "No Parking" zone, and I'm fine with that




Yes, it's true. On Sunday, September 12, John Morrison parked his rented Chevy Impala right in front of the no parking sign at the Peterborough Memorial Centre in Peterborough, Ontario. One of the fans yelled at him, and he said something back to the guy. Once he had Melina and all of her stuff unloaded from the car, Morrison left the arena, and we didn't see him again until his match with the Miz, which was by all accounts, the match of the night. Morrison is so awesome, he can park where ever he damn well pleases, so stop complaining fans!

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

One of 2 million. I'm now an iPad owner!

Remember that post about converting my net book to Ubuntu Linux? Well, I think that net book might be up for sale soon, as I am now the proud owner of a brand new 64GB wifi + 3G iPad!

It wS a little bit of an impulse buy, since all of the other models were sold out. Looking back on it though, I'm glad. I got the 64GB version. After loading a bunch of my iPhoto albums on to it, and downloading some apps (like the 500MB Wired magazine app) I'm glad I have all of that space.

Speaking of apps, their are some truly cool iPad specific apps. Wired is one of them. It's like the actual magazine, but better. Some people out the are complaining that it isn't interactive enough, but as a former graphic designer for print publications, I can say I'm more than happy and I,pressed with the first issue, and I'm looking forward to see what their future issues will look like. I'm also hoping for a $20 a year subscription, which would keep me coming back for more and make me renew the subscription that I cancelled for their print magazine.

Other apps that have rally impressed me include the Marvel comics app. This is the future of comic books. The images are so vivid and vibrant on the screen that the artwork really pops out at you. I love it.

One disappointment for me was Apples iBooks store. Being from Canada, we can only download free books. Sounds great, right? Well it's not, because the selection is just not there. I found myself downloading Amazons Kindle app, which has really blown me away. The selection is great, and thanks to their "whisper net" if I start reading something on my iPad, I can continue reading from the same place on my iPhone, iPod or computer. Very cool. I'm definitely going to be buying some books from the Kindle book store.

I haven't installed the SIM card yet, as I'm primarily using this thing at home. The reason why I went with the 3G was so that I can get cheap data while I'm traveling to Florida on vacation, which has become a yearly tradition of mine now.

Anyways, I'll be back with some more thoughts on this later. I have to try out a few more things.

Oh by the way, this entire blogpost? Written on my new iPad!


Sunday, May 16, 2010

I am now officially a geek: I just installed Ubuntu 10.04

That's right. I just installed Ubuntu 10.04 on my netbook. And so far, I'm liking it. A lot!
I tried Ubuntu on a live CD a couple of years ago, and it was alright, but I didn't feel it was ready for prime time. But now, it's better. A LOT better.
The interface is much cleaner, crisper, and high tech looking. It's a bit Mac like, but different. Different in a good way.
My favourite change is the Ubuntu Software Center. It's almost like the Apple App Store on the iPhone, but for software. The last time I tried Ubuntu, it was using the Synaptic Package Manager, which worked well, but it was still difficult and cumbersome to get the right software. Now, one click, and everything is downloaded and installed. It's that easy.
I'm a Mac user through and through. I'm going to give Ubuntu a chance for casual use on this netbook for the next few weeks to see how it goes. I'll keep you posted.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

I bought an iPhone

Well, I took the plunge and bought myself an iPhone 3GS on March 25.

So far, I am loving it!

I knew what to expect since I've had an iPod Touch since they first came out, but it's even more handy than I had imagined. I came to the iPhone from a Blackberry Curve 8330, and I almost upgraded my Blackberry to the new Blackberry Bold 2. I'm glad I didn't. The screen on the iPhone is just amazing, and the interface is far superior to the dated Blackberry OS. I can type faster on the virtual keyboard than I could on the Blackberry's physical keyboard.

There are a few things that I do miss about my Blackberry that I wish the iPhone had though.
  1. The message indicator light. This one tiny LED was the most useful thing on my Blackberry. The light blinks when you get an e-mail, so you know someone it's there without having to turn on the screen like with the iPhone. This is a big plus.
  2. Integration with the holster. Ok, I know most iPhone users aren't big on holsters, but the Blackberry holster and the way it integrates with the device is awesome. In case you didn't know, the Blackberry holster has a magnet in it, and the Blackberry itself has a sensor which detects this magnet, thus, knowing if it is in the holster or not. Why is this useful you ask? You can set the profile based on whether it's in the holster or not. For example, if my Blackberry was holstered on my waist, I don't want it to chirp with every e-mail, it can just vibrate. If I have the Blackberry on my desk, I'm not going to feel it vibrate, so I want to hear it chirp. It's a little feature that leads to a lot of customization, as you can select any combination of alerts that you feel like based on your preferences.
  3. Battery life. The battery life on my Blackberry was amazing. I could go for around 5 days without having to charge it.
Ok, that's all I can think of for the Blackberry right now. What do I like about the iPhone? Just about everything.
  1. Interface. Awesome. Just awesome.
  2. Media integration. Again, the Blackberry just sucks when it comes to media. The iPhone is easy to sync with iTunes. The media playback is amazing.
  3. App store. I didn't think this one would be as important to me as it has become. The App Store is full of useful (and some useless) apps that greatly enhance your original purchase. Yes, the Blackberry has it's own app store now, but the apps tend to be clunky as they are shoehorned into the Blackberry interface. Not nice.
To sum it all up, I'm very happy with my decision to switch to the iPhone from the Blackberry. The only complaint that I have about the iPhone is that it's just too damn pretty. What does that mean? Well, it's glossy black on the back, which shows every single finger print. The back of the device is definitely a finger print magnet, but I think I've found a way around that.

But that is for another post.

Sunday, February 14, 2010

iPhone: Buy now, or wait?

Right now, I am a Bell Mobility customer with a Blackberry Curve 8330. I have an upgrade credit coming up in March. Now it's decision time: Do I upgrade to an iPhone on Bell's new HSPA+ network, or do I wait until June / July to see what the new iPhone brings.

It's a tricky spot to be in. Sure, I could get the iPhone in March and be perfectly satisfied with it for the next four months. But come June, something better will be released by Apple. It might not be that much of a game changer, but at the same time, it might. Steve Jobs reportedly said the next iPhone will be an "A+ update... that Android / Google won't be able to keep up with"

That could be Jobs just trying to build hype, which we all know he does well. But at the same, what if it is something truly amazing?

I could sell the 3GS in June and purchase the new iPhone for full price, but I don't know if I want to do that or not.

On the flip side of this, if I upgrade now, I could skip the 2010 iPhone and be eligible for an upgrade come time for the 2011 iPhone which could be even more of a game changer, perhaps even supporting 4G LTE.

So, what would you do? Buy an iPhone in March, or wait until June?

The state of TNA wrestling

Ok, so Hogan has been with TNA for a few months now. The first live episode with him was awesome, full of surprises and a through back to the glory days of WCW and the NWO.
Now, we're in some bizzarre transitional phase. There are glimpses of awesomeness everywhere, but then they toss out some crappiness. Example: Kurt Angle vs. AJ Styles for the title a few weeks ago. Earl Hebner rang the bell without Angle tapping out, rehashing the old "Montreal Screwjob" angle, again. TNA has done that same angle three times. Seriously guys, that's getting old.
Anyways, it seems TNA may be moving to Monday nights now. That could lead to some good competition, and I'm looking forward to it. Hopefully Hogan sets some clear goals and milestones for the company and they stop copying old WWF/WCW angles and come up with some of their own.