Pioneer has shipped out some brand new 3D Blu-ray players just in time to catch the tail-end of the holiday season (maybe they're hoping people making returns after Christmas will pick these up instead of whatever else they got). The players are actually pretty awesome, if indeed a Blu-ray player is what you want in this age of Netflix and Hulu. There's an Ethernet jack to watch those services, and of course they spit out the highest quality audio and video, with DTS-HD and Dolby TrueHD surround, along with 1080p video upscaling.

So why are we mentioning these players here on TUAW? Because Pioneer has also released an app on Apple's App Store called iControlAV, designed specifically to control these devices. The app connects up over the network connection, so there's no actual IR device needed. Unfortunately, according to the iTunes reviews, that comes with its own set of problems -- you can't use the app to power on the devices, and while the app does receive information from the player (like custom labeling of input names), it's pretty limited in terms of what it can send back -- basically just adjust volume and balance controls. Not an all-in-one at all, it sounds like.

When you look at the prices on these players, from $299 to the basic model up to $499 for the best version, the app isn't much more than a novelty. Not that I'd refuse one found underneath my Christmas tree this weekend (and if you want a Blu-ray player, I'm sure it's a nice one), but I think there are probably better and cheaper solutions for home video around these days.

Pioneer releases 3D Blu-ray players controlled by iOS app originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 22 Dec 2010 22:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We let you know yesterday that Camera+ was coming back to the App Store with a host of changes. The development team has given us the heads-up that Camera+ 2.0 ($1.99) is now available in the App Store, and the changes are amazing.

The team at tap tap tap obviously listened to feedback from customers and reviewers. The SLR screen that made the app so unique was also a bit of a UI hindrance, so it's been removed. The entire user interface was reworked to make it much more intuitive and unified.

As part of the UI changes, Touch Focus and Touch Exposure were improved to make them much more usable. When these features were added to Camera+ early in its life, I found them to be extremely powerful, but quite tricky to use. Menus are now larger, and included on both the camera screen and the Lightbox.

The app also used to be slow in launching, which was irritating when you wanted to get a quick shot of something. The developers significantly improved the start-up time so it's not so slow. You'll probably remember my comments in the original review about the somewhat freaky image stabilization feature, which didn't work too well. Never fear, it's been fixed.

Continue reading Camera+ 2.0 is in the App Store, contains 328% more wow

Camera+ 2.0 is in the App Store, contains 328% more wow originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 21 Dec 2010 19:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Roku is a brand of digital video players, a member of the growing category of consumer electronics known as internet television. These devices access video and media content on the internet and stream that content directly to your living room. Internet television content includes services like Netflix, Hulu, and YouTube. The Apple TV is the 800-lb gorilla of that market.

The introduction of the Apple TV has been an immense boon for the entire market, according to Anthony Wood, the CEO of Roku. This is because Apple's digital video player, the Apple TV, has raised consumer awareness of the video product. People who were never aware of such a thing called "internet television" are now looking into the market and buying this new type of product.

Some new customers buy the Apple TV, of course, but some new buyers go to Roku. Since the Apple TV was released, Roku sales have doubled. As a result, Apple's entry in the market has been great for everyone involved. Check out a video introduction to Roku on the next page.

[Via 9 to 5 Mac]

Continue reading Apple TV doubles Roku sales

Apple TV doubles Roku sales originally appeared on TUAW on Mon, 20 Dec 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The holidays are all about being together, and in this case we want to put you together with a special giveaway: we've got two MoGo Talk XD Bluetooth headset/iPhone 4 case combinations to give away to two lucky readers.

The US$99 MoGo Talk XD is a slim-profile Bluetooth headset that actually folds flat to snap into the back of the paired iPhone case -- you're not likely to forget your headset again if it's always with your phone. The product has a few drawbacks (for one thing, you have to charge the headset with its own USB connector, rather than piggybacking on the iPhone cable), but for convenience on the go it can't be beat. The case doesn't add as much bulk as you'd think, and it does a nice job of protecting both the phone and the headset.

To win one of the two available headsets, just leave a comment on this post; we'll select the two winners at random. Good luck!

• Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older.
• To enter leave a comment on this post.
• The comment must be left before Wednesday, December 22, 2010, 11:59PM Eastern Daylight Time.
• You may enter only once.
• Two winners will be selected in a random drawing.
• Prize: MoGo Talk XD headset/case (Value: US$99)
• Click Here for complete Official Rules.

Holiday giveaway: MoGo Talk XD for iPhone 4 originally appeared on TUAW on Mon, 20 Dec 2010 01:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Elgato has been in the Mac video market for quite some time, developing and marketing such popular products as the Turbo.264 HD USB video compression device and various varieties of EyeTV, a tuner and digital video recorder for Mac.

Eariler this year, TUAW reviewed the EyeTV Hybrid, a US$149.95 USB dongle that serves as a tuner and recorder for over-the-air digital TV. Since that time, Elgato has released the EyeTV HD ($199.95 and available for less through online outlets), which the company touts as "the ultimate DVR for HD cable and satellite TV."

Both devices work with Elgato's EyeTV software for Mac, which features a program guide, smart guides for recording a season of any show to your Mac or an external disk automatically, easy export of video to iTunes for syncing to iDevices, and even streaming to the EyeTV iOS app. The big difference? EyeTV HD works with the HD cable or satellite boxes that many people use to pump that high-quality digital signal to their HDTVs. Click the Read More link below for a full review of this unique video hardware.

Continue reading Elgato EyeTV HD: A review of the Mac DVR for cable and satellite HDTV

Elgato EyeTV HD: A review of the Mac DVR for cable and satellite HDTV originally appeared on TUAW on Sat, 18 Dec 2010 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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According to 9to5 Mac, retail copies of iWork '09 are running low at Apple Retail Stores. As one Apple retail employee told 9to5, "There is no iWork on the shelves, no iWork in stock and none on the way." That alone is a pretty good sign Apple's office suite is about to be updated, but there's even more. As you can see from the image to the right, type in "iWork" in the search field on Apple.com and the site will autocomplete "iWork '11." Signs really don't get clearer than that.

So why January 6th? Because that's the official launch date of the Mac App Store and it's unlikely that Apple would launch a Mac App Store without having a few new, shiny Apple-branded apps that appeal to a lot of people to kick things off. Plus ever since Apple previewed the Mac App Store back in October, the iWork apps have featured in all the official mock-ups of the store front.

iWork '09, the latest version of the software suite, was released on January 6, 2009. Nice coincidence, huh?

All signs point to January 6th launch of iWork '11 originally appeared on TUAW on Fri, 17 Dec 2010 22:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We've heard several reports of people having various problems trying to stream movies and music to their AppleTV via AirPlay using Time Capsules and AirPort Base Stations. Hopefully for those experiencing problems, your solution is just a download away. Apple has just released AirPort Base Station and Time Capsule Firmware Update 7.5.2. The update "fixes some issues with AirPlay streaming." Additionally it provides:

• General fixes to Wi-Fi base station stability
• General fixes with USB interoperability including connection to external storage devices
• Fixes some issues with NAT port mapping settings
• Disables TKIP security with 802.11n rates per the Wi-Fi Alliance specifications

The firmare update is for all 802.11n capable AirPort base stations and Time Capsules and requires Mac OS X 10.5.7 or later, Windows XP SP3 or later, Windows Vista SP1 or later, or Windows 7.

Apple releases Time Capsule and AirPort Base Station firmware update to fix AirPlay issues originally appeared on TUAW on Thu, 16 Dec 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TechCrunch reports that payment processor Visa has released an iPhone app in the US* that gives shoppers access to some 50 merchants. Visa's new app comes with two services you can use, Offers and Locator.

Visa releases iPhone app with discounts, merchant directory originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 15 Dec 2010 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple Store burglars have struck again, this time in Greenwich, Connecticut. Police say that at least five suspects, seen in the surveillance photo to the right, broke through the front door and helped themselves to a whole bunch of Apple products valued in the tens of thousands of dollars. The store obviously had security cameras in place to record the break-in when it happened, but I wonder if any employees also got to watch the robbery in real-time like this guy who watched on his iPhone as thieves robbed his house.

So if you happen to live near Greenwich and receive an Apple product as a holiday present without a gift receipt, you may want to inquire as to where the generous gift-giver was on the morning of December 14. Most of these Apple Store robberies actually turn out well for the stores, since the police usually do a nice job finding the crooks. We'll have to see if the cops in Greenwich are able to catch the parties responsible here and recover any of the stolen merchandise.

Five men rob Apple Store in Greenwich, CT originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 14 Dec 2010 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Let's say straight out, this is just the opinion of one analyst, and the opinion is based on sales data assumptions that might or might not be accurate. Still, it's an interesting report, and it might help explain why Verizon, which originally rejected the iPhone, wants it back.

Horace Dedlu over at Asymco says basically that Verizon is having a rough time with smartphones. He cites three issues that is making life difficult for the big V.

• The iPhone has stolen its growth
• It's facing the prospect of a single OS platform supplier
• Android is not competitive vs. iOS

The report, citing sales estimates, says while Verizon has been growing sales of smartphones, AT&T has been outpacing Verizon by significant numbers. While Verizon increased sales from 2.7 million units in Q1, the iPhone at AT&T went from 2.7 million to 5.7 units in the same time period.

Continue reading Analyst report: Why Verizon wants to sell the iPhone

Analyst report: Why Verizon wants to sell the iPhone originally appeared on TUAW on Mon, 13 Dec 2010 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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