Apple kicked off their annual WWDC event with their greatly-anticipated keynote, held in the historic Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, CA (the remainder of the conference will be held at the Moscone Conference Center in downtown San Francisco).
Posts filed under Apple TV
How to Use Bluetooth Devices WIth Your (4th Generation) Apple TV
The Apple TV is an amazing (and necessary, in my opinion) companion to any TV or projector. My rule of thumb... never install a new display without one! You probably already know all about the Apple TV App Store, games, watching video, listening to music and viewing your Photos library, but did you know that you can connect various Bluetooth devices to your Apple TV to make it even more powerful?
In this post, we'll walk through how to pair Bluetooth headphones, keyboards, controllers, and more with your 4th generation Apple TV.
Apple's March 21 Media Event
Apple held their much-anticipated March 21 media event today. The event was held at their very own on-campus theater and streamed live. Below are notes from the event.
Apple TV Game Recommendation: Canabalt
It's Friday, and we're all (hopefully) beginning to wind up the week in preparation for the weekend. One of the great features of the new 4th generation Apple TV is the App Store. Games, utilities, news, music, sports... you name it and it's probably there (if not, then it will be shortly).
So the question I was asked yesterday... "Kevin, what is your favorite game to play on the Apple TV?" Truth be known, I'm not much of a gamer (certainly not hard-core), but I do like to play a few minutes here and there to take my mind off of a challenging project or just to relax.
A Week with the 4th-Generation Apple TV
Apple released their 4th-generation Apple TV one week ago today. Although the roll-out was a little shaky (the original Apple TV I pre-ordered didn't arrive until 5 days after they were available in stores), the product itself is pretty solid. There are a lot of new feature that I love, and a few disappointments.
In order to help those who are still trying to decide whether to invest in a new Apple TV or not, I wanted to share my thoughts on their new set top box. The best way to convey my thoughts is by way of a list of "likes" and "dislikes".
Summary of the September 09, 2015 Apple Event
Apple held their September media event today in the historical San Francisco Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, which seats an audience of around 7,000. Among other things, Tim Cook and company introduced the new iPhone. Below is a summary of the event.
7 Tips for Getting the Most Out of Your Apple TV
The Apple TV is an amazingly versatile device (see more on that here). It's very common for me to strongly recommend that people purchase an Apple TV for each TV in their home or business because the possibilities are limitless.
In order to get the most out of your Apple TV, there are some tricks you will want to know. In this post, I will tell you 7 of my favorite Apple TV tips.
Taking Advantage of the Weekly $0.99 iTunes Movie Rental
I don't know many people who don't like a good movie (at least once in a while). I also don't know many people who don't like a good deal on a movie, especially if you can watch it on demand.
Did you know that iTunes offers a weekly $0.99 movie rental via the iTunes Store? If you haven't stumbled across this feature yet, you've likely missed out on some great movies at great prices! Here's how it works and where to get it.
Notes From the WWDC 2015 Keynote
Apple officially only holds one public event (in the form of a conference) a year, so when WWDC (World-Wide Developer's Conference) rolls around each June, it's usually a big deal with lots of big announcements. Today's event, held at San Francisco's Moscone Center, is no different. There has been a lot of speculation that announcements at today's event will surround products like Apple TV, Apple Watch, various cloud-based services and more.
Although Apple has announced that they will be live-streaming the event from Apple.com as well as on Apple TV, we all know that these events can be lengthy (90 minutes or more). Here is a summary of the event.
AppleCare or No AppleCare... That is the Question
It's no secret that Apple makes some incredible products. Whether you're buying a MacBook Pro, iMac, iPhone or even the new Apple Watch, you're making a wise investment. Apple's products come with a limited warranty to cover issues with manufacturing defects, but there's also an option to purchase an extended warranty. Apple calls this AppleCare.
The question that I am often asked is this... "Do you recommend that I buy AppleCare with my new product?" While the answer to that question will vary depending on personal preference and circumstances, I do have some very definitive thoughts on the concept of AppleCare and extended warranties in general.
Using a 3rd-Party Remote with Your Apple TV
One of the things I love about the Apple TV is that it is simple to use. The initial setup is simple, the navigation is simple... even the small silver remote that comes with the Apple TV is simple. The problem with a small remote like that (especially with small children) is that it can also be simple to lose (and we all know that when we lose the Apple TV remote, life isn't so simple anymore).
So what do you do when you lose your Apple TV remote? Well, you can either stop using your Apple TV (not recommended), use the free iOS Remote app (which actually works really well) or use a 3rd-party remote to control your Apple TV. Wait, what? Yes, you can actually use your DVD player remote or even the remote that comes with your DirecTV or Comcast receiver to control your Apple TV. This is also great for those who simply want to reduce the number of remotes in their Family Room to control their multimedia experience. Here's how it works.
Recap of Today's Spring Forward Apple Event
Apple held their much-anticipated Spring Forward event this morning from San Francisco where they announced new products. Below is a brief summary of the event:
My Favorite Drawing/Doodling App Just Got Way Better
I love my iPad. It goes with me just about everywhere. Apps like Dropbox, Keynote, Pages, Netflix and GoToMeeting make it a killer road-warrior tool for me. Even with those amazing apps, there is one app that I can't imagine not having with my at all times.
The app that I'm thinking of isn't just a great drawing/doodling app, but it's a great whiteboard app as well. What do I mean by that? I can't tell you how many times I'm trying to explain how something works to someone, only to wish that I had a real whiteboard right there to draw a diagram to help make my point. In most cases, there is no whiteboard, but there is my iPad with Paper by FiftyThree.
How and Why to Show/Hide ALL Video Content Purchased via the iTunes Store
iTunes is a great place to download, store and access music, movies, TV shows, podcasts and much more. With the number of movies and TV shows that I have, however, I can’t possibly keep all of them on my MacBook Pro’s internal SSD. It’s just not big enough! By default, iTunes will show me all movies and TV shows that I have within my local library as well as those that I have previosuly purchased from the iTunes Store. This is a really cool feature when you have a fast connection and you want to stream content that was previously purchased but you don’t want to store locally. In some cases, I want to only see content that I have on my internal drive (when I have a slow connection, for example).
Fortunately, there’s an easy way to switch back and forth between these views. Here’s how.
'Tis the Season for a Digital Fireplace
This time of the year (at least for those of us living on the Northern hemisphere) is a wonderful time of the year to own a fireplace. They're great for snuggling up close to and warming up those cold feet and hands after shoveling some snow. A fireplace is also great for creating a warm atmosphere. Not just warm as in temperature, but it helps to create a peaceful ambiance in the room.
Unfortunately, not all of us have a fireplace in their home. This is where we can enlist the help of technology. Yup, you heard me... technology! Here's how to create your very own digital fireplace.
