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Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Apple TV

The future of television is really the present

Editor's Note: There has been a lot of speculation around the future of Apple TV, even though Apple has called it a "hobby" for now. There has also been an extraordinary amount of speculation around an Apple-branded tablet device. Josh Doody has a background in technology, with undergraduate degrees in Computer and Electrical Engineering, experience in engineering, product management and development, and is currently an MBA candidate at the University of Florida. Here are his thoughts surrounding the Apple TV and a possible Apple tablet computer.

The future of television is really the present
By Josh Doody

In David Foster Wallace's "Infinite Jest," he frequently refers to a device called a "Teleputer" (television-computer) or "TP" for short. The TP is high-def, fancy, online and pretty much ubiquitous. Wallace's vision of a TP was probably influenced by that wonky invention called "WebTV," which supremely sucked and mostly served to frustrate people and make them wonder what good the Internet was anyway.

Wallace was essentially spot-on regarding the Teleputer, and several signs point to Apple gearing up for another foray into mainstream must-have technology that will flip the script on television as we know it. Many publications, bloggers and users continue to speculate about Apple's plans for the future. But Apple's foray into two technologies that have been languishing in technological purgatory is more than just coincidence. Taken individually, these technologies will build on the Apple empire, but together they will change the way people consume TV shows, movies and video games.

The Teleputer's older sibling -– Apple TV -– is starting to disappear without much explanation from Apple. However, Steve Jobs and company might be reinventing a new Apple TV (NATV) that is awesome and game-changing, even though it appears to be recycling decade-old ideas and assimilating other ideas old and new. The iPod re-imagined how we consume music. The iPhone re-imagined how we communicate and what it means to be "Online." The New Apple TV will re-imagine how we consume all media.

Continue readingThe future of television is really the present

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Hardware, iPhone

Guest post: Setting up an AT&T MicroCell with Murphy Mac

Editor's Note: We welcome guest poster Murphy Mac, a long-time friend of the site who shared with us his experience of setting up one of the new femtocell AT&T repeaters that promise to improve reception for well-heeled iPhone users... or will they?

Good times for Charlotte, North Carolina: First AT&T makes Charlotte one of six cities getting a 3G speed boost by the end of 2009. On the heels of that news comes the MicroCell, a device that facilitates AT&T 3G calls where coverage is weak or nonexistent.

How? The MicroCell acts like a miniature cell tower in your home or office. Your 3G phone connects to the MicroCell just like it's any other tower. Voice and messaging traffic is then relayed across your broadband Internet connection. Charlotte is the sole initial test market for AT&T's version of the device, though other carriers are distributing their femtocells more widely.

Here's the full breakdown on pricing:

Purchase Price: $150
Monthly Charge: None

Optional Unlimited Voice Minutes Plan while using MicroCell:

AT&T Customer with both AT&T landline and DSL: Free
Customers with AT&T Landline or DSL: $10 per month
All others: $20 per month

I installed a MicroCell for a friend the other day, and after one small hiccup it's running. But is it everything I hoped it would be?

Setup for the MicroCell is straightforward. Most users will probably connect it via Ethernet to their router, which is exactly what we did. Optionally, the device can be placed between the router and the modem, giving MicroCell traffic priority handling over other Internet connectivity. If you don't have a router, the MicroCell can be plugged directly into your broadband modem and your computer can be connected to the MicroCell.

Continue readingGuest post: Setting up an AT&T MicroCell with Murphy Mac

Tip of the Day

To get an instant map to any address, just go to your Address Book and right click on the address field of any one of your contacts and select "Map Of." The address will then be revealed in Google Maps on Safari. You can do the same if a data detector determines there is an address in an e-mail in Mail.


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