itunes

itunes

iTunes 8?

Since I'm posting screen caps, this one is from my hosted GMail account this past weekend. I've been having issues with a download from iTunes and this is a cap from an auto-generated store reply.

I do not usually look at the text ads, but the one for iTunes 8.0 caught my eye, especially since (a) iTunes 8.0 does not exist and (b) the URL that the ad purports to take you to has 4 "w's" in it.

I thought it might be a phishing site, but it the unwieldy Google syndication redirect actually takes you to the Apple iTunes page where the 7.x series is available for download.

Wishful thinking on Apple's part? Ad released too early?

If it comes up again, I'll hit it with curlor wget to see if it really is a phishing scam that is somewhat intelligent (goes after Windows/IE users, not OS X/Safari users).

(click on the image for a larger view)

953 reads |

Tags: 2007, Apple, Google, itunes

Ringtones, ringtones, ringtones...

You probably know that iTunes 7.4.1 kills the simple ringtones hack for the iPhone. You may also know that Apple finally added that ringtone-creation functionality today. If you didn't bother to upgrade (I didn't since it was obvious why the update was released) then you'll be glad to know that you can still purchase/make ringtones using iTunes 7.4.

Now, the only question left would be *why* you want to make/use ringtones in the first place.

823 reads |

Tags: 2007, Apple, iphone, itunes, ringtones

Apple TV -- et. al -- Impressions

(NOTE: black, as a nod to the theme on Apple's TV site)

Well, I've had the Apple TV since Thursday. Packaging was beautiful, setup was quick and easy. The user interface is slick and gorgeous (I have the device configured for 1080i on our 32" Toshiba tube-based high-def display).

The way you add content makes it feel like a network-enabled iPod Video, though I highly recommend either getting your network on 802.11n or hardwiring the Apple TV and your main iTunes box...unless you like waiting for stuff to sync.

Existing iTunes shows play as well or better (thanks to the component output, I believe) than using the MacBook Pro with s-video out. Music and photos all work really well (and, again, the interface is slick, including the screen saver).

I have no high-def content to test it with yet (I'm encoding some things now @ 720p) but I did export a camera video of Ian to "Apple TV" format and it plays fine. I can see this as being a great way to keep home movies online and available at the click of a button.

I was disappointed that I could not sync playlist items of "live" content (WHYY - 90.9FM - NPR from Phila live stream), but I suspect this will remedied in a firmware release (too many people want it and it just makes sense). It's ability to elegantly handle podcasts makes up for this in the interim (I sub to a few more NPR ones now).

I was also disappointed at the lack of decent movies in the iTunes store and that none have been re-released in HD. Hopefully Apple has something in the works, or this will really be limited to TV content and/or pirated content and that will almost make this not worth having. The last thing I want to do is re-encode my DVD library (@ 2hrs or more per disc).

The small (40GB) hard drive is also pathetic, since I'd like to store most of my videos (until Apple offers a better way to archive content). It took less than 24 hrs for folks on the Net to violate their warranties and upgrade the HD to 120GB. I won't be doing this, but it shows that other people also have high expectations for Apple's "media center".

I am very happy that I no longer need to dedicate my laptop to playing Lost and Numb3rs episodes, tho.

Overall, it's a great box, a welcome addition to the a/v rack and a good excuse to look for a reciever with optical and coax inputs.