NAV Holiday Gift Pick - Apple TV Holiday Priced

'Tis the season. If you planned to invest in Apple TV, now is the time. With streaming of movies and TV shows from iTunes and availability of content from Netflix and various online sources, the box is unassuming at its 4" square size. Control by remote, or by iPhone/iPad/iPod touch with app. At $99.00, this might challenge Roku as the set top box of choice.

Via Apple TV

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Apple TV 4.3 Update Out

A new update for second generation Apple TV has arrived. Owners can now purchase TV shows in glorious HD that can then be downloaded to other iOS devices. It will automatically show previous iTunes purchases and users can browse and watch videos from Vimeo. Hit the link to download the 4.3 update.

Via Apple

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Universal iPhone/touch Unity Remote

The UnityRemote from GEAR4 is a small cylinder with IR transmitter that can be used with your TV, Apple TV, game player or other electronics. Download its accompanying app and you get a universal remote for your iPhone/iPod touch. With 360º coverage, no dongle is required. The remote is available now for the economic price of $99.00

Via GEAR4

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aTV Flash for Apple TV and Windows

The aTV Flash is clever software from Firecore designed for the latest Apple TV and Windows. Their new beta version (black) 4.1 can play AVI, MP4, WMV and other files, lets you net surf, has simplified DVD viewing, can create play lists and access Last.fm. A free upgrade is available to those who already own aTV Flash and new users can now pre-order for the low price of $19.95 ($39.95 when it is out of beta.)

Via Firecore

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Apple TV Reinvents Itself, Has Lower Price

Apple TV didn't make much of a splash back in 2006, but the splatter should be a bit larger now with their new $99.00 version. The new palm-size box features HDMI, USB, Toslink and Ethernet connections. Wireless, the remote even resembles an older iPod. Movies will be offered at $4.99 while TV shows will be commercial-free and only $.99 apiece.

While there is no monthly fee involved beyond Netflix, you can also stream videos from your iPhone or iPad with its free app. This one isn't perfect either, as only 720p HD is supported as is limited network TV.

Via Apple Store

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Loop Your Presentation

Hillcrest Labs' Loop acts as a remote for your PC and is especially handy for those connected to a TV or projector. Plug the wireless receiver into your USB port, get a grip on the in-air mouse and click on objects onscreen, even across a room. The thumb has access to buttons that include "select" and "back" and a scroll wheel. The Loop can be used with PC, Mac, Windows Media Center, Apple TV and with PowerPoint presenters.

Via Hillcrest Lab Loop

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Apple TV 40GB Dropped, 160GB Model Price Lowered

If you were thinking of purchasing an Apple TV, note that the company has dropped their 40GB model completely and lowered the price on the high end 160GB device. The device has been marked down $100.00.

Via Apple TV

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Loop Pointer Now Available to Public

Hillcrest Labs has been working on its wireless Loop Mouse/Pointer for a couple of years and is finally selling it to the masses. With patented Freespace technology, you get precise in-air pointing. The circular device can be used with a media-center PC, a Sony Playstation 3 or an Apple TV, if a TV Flash from Fire Care is installed. In fact, any place you can use a wireless mouse, you can use the Loop.

Via Hillcrest Labs

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Apple TV Junkie - TV Listings and More

Apple TV Junkie is a handy site for those who have
one of the devices and iTunes. It lists AD and SD rental titles daily as they become available. They also list HD TV shows as well as Canadian and UK releases. And if you want a new way to hack using Boxee or aTV Flash or want to add tools like video encoding and backup software, then this is the place to be.

Via Apple Tv Junkie

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VUDU First to Sell On-Demand Movies in HD

VUDU has become the first on-demand service to offer HD movies for download to own. While users have only been able to rent about 1,400 of them, the company unveiled a collection of 50 independent movies available in both HD and HDX. Included are films from Independent Studios FirstLook, Kino and Magnolia's
"Man on Wire," the recent Academy Award Winner. Those that are purchased can be stored in the VUDU itself or in VUDU's Vault free online storage, which is certainly a plus considering that the company offers over 13,000 total movies and TV episodes. Each film is priced between $13.99 and $23.99. By the way, the company recently lowered the price of its player, no doubt to compete with
Apple TV and the Roku.

via PR Newswire

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Thumbs Up or Down For Apple TV?

While we don't get to review firsthand as many products as we would like, Dave Caolo received an Apple TV for Christmas and shares his thoughts about the first two months with the gadget. His positives includes the look of it, easy hook up and navigation and the HD content. His negatives? Mostly the charge for watching TV episodes and how he hasn't yet adapted to the way he receives his audio/video sources. Those who remember 45 records can surely see his point of view. Dave suggests that Apple come up with a subscription service. What do you guys think?

Via TUAW

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boxee Considers the Box

It may be that boxee is considering coming up with its own branded set-top box. At this point, you can only get their entertainment service by installing it on your Apple TV or TV-connected PC or Mac. The company wants to know what you think about it. Should they build a better box and put their service in it? By the way, they have released a new version for Mac and should come up with another for Apple TV soon, so check with the site to see if you need an update.

(Thanks, Darren)

Via engadget

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Turn Your BlackBerry Into a Universal Remote

How cool is the AV|Shadow? It turns your BlackBerry into a universal remote control. We are talking TV, DVD player, stereo system, settop and satellite boxes, TiVo, Apple TV, and your home theater system. Place the Bluetooth Shadow beside your other electronics, plug it in and set it up via your smartphone or on Unify4Life's site. Other members of your family with a BlackBerry can be added on as well. Use default or customize buttons, then simply search, put them on a calendar or add to your favorites list. The $99.99 price includes software, their SoundStreaming technology and 1 year of UnifyGuide.

Via Unify4Life

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Tutorial: Installing Boxee on your Apple TV

Last month we told you about Boxee, software for Apple TV that will allow you to stream Hulu content on your Apple TV.

If you've got an Apple TV, there's no reason not to have Boxee since it really opens up the availbility for lots of free streaming content. If you're ready to install Boxee, we found a great tutorial to help you get the most out of the software over at Gizmodo. The tutorial starts out:

What You'll Need:

• Apple TV with software version 2.0 or higher

• A USB flash drive 512MB or larger

• ATV USB Creator [download: 1.0.b7 version - Mac only, for now]

• An invite into Boxee's semi-public alpha (use this link especially for Giz readers to jump the line a bit)

Prepare Your USB Drive

Just like the iPhone, the Apple TV is basically an OS X computer (running a 1GHz Intel processor), so Boxee installs just like a regular desktop app in the Applications folder, which is hidden normally. Why Apple hasn't opened up the Apple TV to third party developers is anyone's guess, but thankfully, with a prepared USB stick it's all pretty painless.

So what's the future of Boxee? According to the tutorial:

Eventually, Boxee wants to be in set top boxes and on every platform (Windows is coming before the end of the year)--since it supports practically every audio and video codec known, it's aiming to be the Firefox of multi-platform connected AV setups, featuring plug-ins and add-ons of its own. It doesn't support DRM of any kind, so don't hold your breath for Boxee to be picked up by any of the majors. Fine with me.

At Gizmodo.com [image: Gizmodo]

Apple TV at Amazon

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