Zatz Not Funny!

Seeding the Cloud with iTunes Match

Amongst Apple’s announcements this week was an unveiling of the long rumored iCloud. And it looks to be a pretty massive multitiered synchronization and storage service, that’s scheduled for a full release this fall. iCloud’s evolved MobileMe elements, such as calendar and contact sync amongst ones various devices, don’t interest me the way Apple’s photo and music cumulus pipelines and locker do. Today, we’ll focus on the audio…

In addition to the obvious and long overdue ability to re-download purchased iTunes, onto any of your gear, iCloud will provide an online digital locker – unlike any other studio-blessed solution. “iTunes Match” lets you:

store your entire collection, including music you’ve ripped from CDs or purchased somewhere other than iTunes. For just $24.99 a year. iTunes determines which songs in your collection are available in the iTunes Store. Any music with a match is automatically added to your iCloud library for you to listen to anytime, on any device. Since there are more than 18 million songs in the iTunes Store, most of your music is probably already in iCloud. All you have to upload is what iTunes can’t match. And all the music iTunes matches plays back at 256-Kbps iTunes Plus quality — even if your original copy was of lower quality.

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Roku Joins The People of Walmart

Without any fanfare, Roku landed on Walmart’s virtual shelves last month. Specifically the Roku XD ($78) and Roku XDS ($98) models. Given the forum chatter, associated retail brick & mortar placement appears imminent. And, speaking of that forum, I share the same suspicious as TheEndless… that Netgear-branded Roku devices, and their associated retail exposure, are no … Read more

Redesigning Apple’s iOS 5 Notification Center

Apple, including Steve Jobs himself, unleashed all sorts of upcoming services and software updates at their annual developer conference Monday. In fact, the amount of news is so staggering, I’m still mulling over various elements. But I thought we’d start with a discussion of the dramatically revamped and expanded notification system destined for iPhones come this fall.

Just about anyone coming from pretty much all other smartphone platforms has found Apple’s iPhone alerts a nuisance. They pop up dead center in the screen and must be acted upon before doing anything else. Get a text message or low battery notification while on a call? You need to clear it before you can end the conversation, activate the speakerphone, punch numbers for a phone tree, etc. And it’s probably even more of a disruption while gaming or watching video.

Enter iOS 5 notifications. The new system is composed of three elements, including a new in-app notification banner itself, lock screen alerts, and the Notification Center that aggregates it all. Both graphically and spatially, I’m satisfied with the new banners (above center) that are displayed at the top of display and fade out after a period of time. Likewise, I’m mostly satisfied with the Lock Screen alerts (above left) that present more than just information… but also allow you to take action. Of course, you have to trade a little privacy for convenience by enabling these notifications. But I’ve got no issues in that regard (having fewer online girlfriends than Representative Weiner). Now the Notification Center itself needs a whole lot of work prior to release.

Microsoft’s Slow Road to TV Land

There was a lot of hype leading up to Microsoft’s keynote at the E3 conference earlier this week, with huge speculation that the company would launch a new live TV service on the Xbox. The announcement itself, however, was a bit of a let-down, at least for those of us in the US. After years … Read more

Watching HBO GO On The Big Screen

Coincidentally, last week, both Blake Krikorian and I worked out methods to move compelling HBO GO content from smartphone to television. Blake, who you might recognize as the inventor of the Slingbox and champion of the Crestron Android app, ultimately got it done via his Motorola Atrix… in conjunction with the multimedia dock. Like the … Read more

The $0 TiVo Premiere Returns

Last fall, we briefly saw TiVo experiment with a zero down Premiere. But that $20/month two year commitment, was ultimately superseded by the current $99 hardware fee that comes mated to a 1 year commitment (or optional Lifetime Service plan). But, TiVo’s giving it another shot this week via a Father’s Day promotion. At first blush, … Read more

20 Minutes With The Nook Touch & Review Roundup

Barnes & Noble may have slated June 10th for Nook Touch availability, yet shipments have arrived decidedly early — hitting both pre-orderers and retail outlets starting about the 3rd. I’m not sure why the $139 e-Reader has me so fired up, but it does. Perhaps it’s the vacuum of gadget news ahead of the E3 gaming convention and Apple’s World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC). Regardless of reason, I’ve made several trips to the B&N with the sole purpose of checking out the 6″ Nook Touch.

First off, the (infrared) touch screen technology performs much better than expected and is surprisingly usable. Combined with B&N’s superior interface, the Nook Touch outperforms the similarly equipped Sony Readers. It should also come as no surprise that the touchscreen UI surpasses Amazon’s Kindle physical 5-way rocker, Menu, and Back buttons. In fact, the virtual keyboard is even an improvement. Without a cover, the new Nook feels great in the hand. The contoured soft touch rear and super light weight make it very comfortable to hold with one hand, and page turning can be accomplished via screen taps, swipes, or the narrow, elongated bezel buttons. Although the lightweight plastic also gives the Nook something of a cheapie feel compared to say Sony’s metal enclosure.

As far as rendering goes

Sonos Readies Nightstand Speaker System

Why thank you, FCC. Looks like Sonos is making good on their foreshadowing survey of last spring and intends to introduce a smaller, less expensive networked speaker system.

As regulars know, we’re big fans of the dead simple yet high quality Sonos whole-home music streaming solution. And what they’re calling the Play:3 looks like it could be a solid addition to my bedroom nightstand. The Sonos S5 houses five speakers and clocks in at about 9lbs, $400. If branding is a reliable indicator of speaker count, versus model generation or something else entirely, the Play:3 might include three audio drivers. More certain would be a lighter weight and lower price tag. Also, based on the dual labels, one can assume the Play:3 will be offered in white and black finishes. Additionally, like the S5, both wired and wireless connections (via a ZoneBridge) are covered.