The Digital Lifestyle - Your Apple Authority Blog

First Look: Real Player SP with Media Converter

2010-02-08T13:44:55Z

A few weeks ago, I was contacted by the folks at Real, to get a sneak peek at their newest Mac player, Real Player SP. The first question from John Schussler, Real's Group Program Manager, was whether I had used the previous version. Frankly, I wasn't even sure if I had Real Player installed. I have a feeling I might not be alone in that sentiment. A new feature set might just make you take a second look at Real.

Real Player SP for Mac is being released in beta today, and as you would expect, it's a multi-format player. Unexpected, are new media conversion tools. With Real Player and Real Player converter running in your dock, when visiting a site with, Flash, for example, you can quickly download and save the file. This was once the turf of sketchy utilities from small developers. Additionally and most usefully, the program will also convert those files for a wide range of devices.

Visit a YouTube page for example, and the embedded video will show up in the file list within the Real Player Downloader window. You can then choose to download the file and convert it. The program uses a device model, where you pick the device you want to watch the video on, rather than changing a bunch of settings. You can also choose to convert only the audio, if you find a video podcast that you'd rather simply listen to than watch.

In our tests across three sites, four of five videos successfully encoded to either AppleTV or iPhone format, and all five downloaded successfully. (One clip created an error in the iPhone version, but encoded to AppleTV properly.) Conversion time took about 1.5 times the length of the original clip.

While there are plenty of device presets, and there is a custom option, this is an h.264/263 tool focused on media consumption, not creation: you cannot save the clips as DV, AVCHD, or other formats that would be conducive to editing into longer projects. Another minor issue: Embedded clips tend to be given the name of the site on which they appear, rather than the clip name, meaning it can get confusing to figure out which clip you wanted. Grabbing the video directly from YouTube or Blip for example, names the clip properly.

If you've been following Real for a long time, You might remember the paid "SuperPass" option for the player, and indeed that's the origin of the "SP" in the name. However, Schussler says these days those letters stand for social and portable, as you can take the content with you, and also share it immediately on facebook, twitter, etc. More importantly those features are now free.

You probably have a media player you're quite happy with, but if you want to save videos you find online for personal playback on your phone or other H.264/263 device, Real Player is a simple, unobstrusive way to do it, and it works across browsers.

Used Book Review: Inside Steve's Brain

2010-02-08T12:38:26Z

Inside Steve's Brain. It is perhaps the best titled Apple-related book ever. Leander Kahney's 2007 book takes us on a trip that rather than painting Steve solely as a maniacal, fearsome leader as we've seen in other books, Kahney paints a picture of a more rational, driven genius.

However for me, the most interesting part of the book has little to do with Jobs. It's Kahney's insight into the design process of Jonathan Ive. In fact the book could've been subtitled inside Ive's Brain. Without living in the same enigmatic cloud as Jobs, Ive emerges as an approachable, but intense perfection. Yin to Jobs' yang. The book is our best look yet into the post-iPod, pre-iPhone period at Apple, with a great deal of time spent on the development and refinement of OS X, including Jobs' involvement literally at the pixel level when it came to icon design.

Kahney summarizes each chapter with a lessons learned style bulleted list. Unfortunately, as most have discovered in chronicling Apple, there are so many exceptions and asterisks, it's hard to find many business truths that hold true over the long term.

If you're looking for a calmer, insightful look into the way Steve Jobs operates, this is your book. Kahney never absolves Jobs of many of the legends, but rather paints a more measured, analytical picture of a complex man, and might give us some clues as to where the company is headed next.

(Amazon Link)

Missing From the Super Bowl? Digital Media Ads

2010-02-08T03:14:04Z

There was something missing from this year's Super Bowl. No, it wasn't a Manning; there was one of those. It wasn't played out GoDaddy ads, there were more than enough of those. No, missing this year? Digital Media ads.

In the past we've seen Apple partner with Pepsi for music giveaways, buymusic.com take on Apple, and Microsoft's Zune. It would've been logical to expect Amazon to push the Kindle, or Barnes & Noble to promote the nook. No Droid ad, not even a hulu ad. What does it mean? Has Apple conquered digital media so thoroughly, and has the e-reader industry so frozen in their tracks, that no one bothered to compete?

With the exception of FLO tv which is only a competitor to Apple in a vague sense, and an ad for fifth/sixth place Boost mobile, (and we'll throw in the google search ad) it was the first Super Bowl in maybe ten years to not feature any direct competitor to Apple. Is it the biggest sign of Apple dominance, or merely the calm before the storm?

Macgirl's Media Pick of the Week: Puppy Bowl VI

2010-02-06T20:10:55Z

It's the puppy event of the year- PUPPY BOWL! I mostly look forward to the Super Bowl for the beer, yummy snack foods and (sometimes) clever commercials, but most of all I look forward to this half time event. I love that all of the puppies are shelter dogs, and are up for adoption on PetFinder.com I can get behind any event that helps stray animals find homes. Besides, it's crazy cute and funny to watch!

They are taking production up a notch this year- they have added a blimp with a "rogue hampster crew". And don't miss the super too-cute-to-be-true part: a halftime within the puppy bowl- Kitty Half-Time Show. So take a break from the Super Bowl action...you don't need to hear more commentary (those guys don't know what they're taking about!) Watch the Puppy Bowl. It's a great way to enjoy the super bowl with your Mrs.

Puppy Bowl VI

Airs this Sunday, February 7 from 3-5PM e/p on Animal Planet.

Star Trek Saturday, Episode Four - The Naked Time

2010-02-06T11:00:07Z

Welcome to the fourth installment of Star Trek Saturday. This episode starts uncharacteristically, with a shot of blue skies and mountains. If you know someone who doesn't care much for sci-fi, when you get right down to it, most episodes of Star Trek are really mysteries.

PBS' Frontline looks at the Digital_Nation. Watch it Here

2010-02-05T22:04:15Z

Kudos to Frontline for this look at our digital_nation. We wish they would've called it the Digital Lifestyle, but clearly that was for selfish reasons. At any rate, especially those of you snowed in on the east coast, why not settle in and enjoy some fine tech programming:

Behind The Apps, Episode 2

2010-02-05T19:18:46Z

This week, we bring together two developers at vastly different ends of the app developer spectrum: First, it's Jonathan Chang, who created the balloon/ball pop app, PopPopPop. And also joining us is Sam Feuer from MindSmack the multi-million dollar design firm behind Fastmall, a mall navigation and community app. (Disclosure: Fastmall has been a TDL sponsor.)

I think its interesting to hear the similarities in experiences, and the ongoing search to figure out just how to get your app seen above 140,000 other apps:

Pop Torrent, Episode 3

2010-02-04T21:09:02Z

Lots to talk about in the world of pop culture, on an equally slow week for tech news. In this week's show we look back at the Grammys, ahead to the Academy Award nominees, and sideways to the Razzies, along with the return of Lost. Oh, and some depressing (literally) info on internet use, and facebook dopplegangers.

Enjoy:

Comedian Dan Nainan's Adventure from Intel to Apple Ad

2010-02-04T14:10:47Z

For five years, Dan Nainan worked at Intel, doing tech demos for the highest ranks at the company, including Andy Grove and Paul Otellini. In fact over time, Dan developed a reputation for his Andy Grove impression, and the next thing you know, this silicon valley techy was hit with the performance bug. Fast forward a few years, and the one-time Intel demo guy finds himself face-to-face with John Hodgman and Justin Long as he appears in an Apple TV ad with "Mac and PC."

In this TDL Profile, Dan talks about his journey, and gives us the most info we'll probably ever know about the workings of an Apple ad shoot, as well as why he became a comedian, and how his tech know-how gives him a leg-up on other comedians:

Hallmark Augmented Reality Greeting Cards

2010-02-04T12:51:26Z

Augmented reality became quite the buzz this past year, but then again, many years ago, "virtual reality" had its largely uneventful day in the sun. If you're an iPhone user, you may have played with apps providing augmented reality, usually in the form of overlaying information onto an image from your iPhone camera.

Well Hallmark is trying to take augmented reality mainstream with a new line of greeting cards that have what they call "an online surprise." As you'll see in the video, it is pretty cool, but this might not be the best use of the technology. Plus, I'm not sure that the greeting card buying and receiving audiences are necessarily the most likely to even grasp that their card can do this. Here's a look: