The Digital Lifestyle - Your Apple Authority Bloghttp://thedigitallifestyle.tv/home/Your Apple Authority for News and Lifestyleen-US2010-09-02T20:07:08ZSquarespace Site Server v5.11.5 (http://www.squarespace.com/)Apple's Hobby Now a Smaller, Quieter Hobbyhttp://thedigitallifestyle.tv/home/2010/9/1/apples-hobby-now-a-smaller-quieter-hobby.htmlryanrit2010-09-01T18:53:54ZApple TV announcements Apple event.Let's take a look at the last piece of today's Apple event first: Apple TV. Before today, the Apple TV box was a smallish device to play videos and music from your local network (after syncing), or  to purchase shows and movies online.

Now, the box is one-fourth of the size, and allows you to rent, rather than buy movies and television shows. There are two ways to look at this product: It is an incremental upgrade for those who are seeking the same functionality the last version of Apple TV provided. If you live in a home without a Wii, Xbox, or PS3, then the Netflix streaming makes the box attractive. If you already have one of those devices though, or you're fine with hooking you laptop up to the TV to watch hulu/Netflix, the value of the box becomes cloudy.

Apple would do best to focus on creating a box that can be THE box that gets attached to your TV. Apple TV doesn't even have an HDMI pass through (unlike the future Google TV offerings) so you will need to flip sources between this box and your cable box. Not a huge deal, in a perfect Apple world, one would expect just one box to be connected to the TV. 

Again, as an upgrade to the existing hardware, the new Apple TV looks like a winner. Is it the death knell for the cable companies some had hoped/predicted? No, not by a long shot. Not yet, at least.

]]>Welcome to World of Livestreaming, Applehttp://thedigitallifestyle.tv/home/2010/9/1/welcome-to-world-of-livestreaming-apple.htmlryanrit2010-09-01T10:00:13ZApple keynote streamingFor almost three years, we've been bringing you video of everything Apple, including our own brand of live coverage of Apple events. Well Apple is finally doing what we've advocated to them publically and privately for quite some time: they will be livestreaming today's press event. 

Years ago, Apple was WAY ahead of the curve, making most of their keynotes available live, in an age before most people had access to a high-speed internet connection. Now they're back. Is it just a coincidence that they are choosing this event to stream? Does it perhaps tie into a video streaming-related announcement? The next Apple TV, perhaps?

]]>Website of the Week: Educator's Reference Deskhttp://thedigitallifestyle.tv/home/2010/9/1/website-of-the-week-educators-reference-desk.htmlryanrit2010-09-01T07:00:28ZWebsite of the Week education websiteI know, I know... The teachers out there are already tired of thinking of the busy school year ahead. But this week's website might make things a little easier. The Educator's Reference Desk, as the name implies, pulls together information on resources for educators across several disciplines. If you're stuck for a lesson plan, there are plenty to borrow from on the site.

Parents, especially those who are homeschooling their children, might also be interested in the information. For example, you can search for academic competition information, and get your child into things like the National Geography Bee. And I know first-hand that a Geography Bee win today, means you can be a tech blogger in the future!

]]>Retro Tech Tuesday: Roger Ebert Plays Videogameshttp://thedigitallifestyle.tv/home/2010/8/31/retro-tech-tuesday-roger-ebert-plays-videogames.htmlryanrit2010-08-31T11:11:22ZRetro Tech activator ring ebert sega siskel videogamesEarlier this year, Roger Ebert caused a bit of a stir by stating he didn't think videogames could be considered art. Considering the swift reaction from the internet, I will keep my own thoughts on that matter to myself. However, you may have thought Ebert was speaking without any firsthand knowledge of gaming. You would be mistaken, as the late, great Gene Siskel mentions in this clip, A videogame was always a staple of the year-end episode of "Siskel & Ebert." Here the guys have a boxing duel through the magic of SEGA's activator ring. And here you thought the Kinect controller scheme was a new idea:

]]>Website of the Week: Einzstein Knowledge Networkhttp://thedigitallifestyle.tv/home/2010/8/25/website-of-the-week-einzstein-knowledge-network.htmlryanrit2010-08-25T11:02:32ZWebsite of the Week education einztein itunesu websiteHaving the ability to take classes on just about any subject should make learning online quick and easy. Why then, do you have to go from site to site, trying to figure which courses are offered by any particular organization? Enter the Einztein Knowledge Network. The site brings together course offerings from around the world in a simple interface.

While some of the features are in a closed beta, you can still go to the site, browse by topic, or do a search. You can then filter by university. It's a great way to find educational content, especially content outside of the iTunesU universe.

]]>Retro Tech Tuesday: A TV: With Remote!http://thedigitallifestyle.tv/home/2010/8/24/retro-tech-tuesday-a-tv-with-remote.htmlryanrit2010-08-24T11:12:40ZRetro Tech remote control retro televisionImagine being able to change channels on your television, from the couch! Ok, ok, a few generations have been able to enjoy this breakthrough. But today we take you back to the 1960's, in which one manufacturer managed to create an early wireless remote. It is noteworthy as remotes for many TVs were tethered for years afterwards.

It's also interesting that beyond basic channel changing, you could also make several picture adjustments from your favorite Barcalounger:

]]>Website of the Week: M.I.C. Gadgethttp://thedigitallifestyle.tv/home/2010/8/18/website-of-the-week-mic-gadget.htmlryanrit2010-08-18T11:03:19ZChina Website of the Week made in china websiteSure here in the U.S., we'll occasionally see a story about an iPhone knockoff, or a fake Vaio computer surfacing. If you want to be where the real (well, fake) action is, you have to be in China. Unfortunately, our tdl expense cards don't allow for such extravagant travel.

We're in luck though, thanks to M.I.C. Gadget, the made in China website that keeps tabs on all the tech goings ons in the country. They had a great album of photos for Apple's Shanghai store opening, and they always seem to find the most ridiculous fake versions of products. They don't just find them though, they review them as well.

]]>Retro Tech Tuesday: Radio Shack Cell Phonehttp://thedigitallifestyle.tv/home/2010/8/17/retro-tech-tuesday-radio-shack-cell-phone.htmlryanrit2010-08-17T11:08:37ZRadio Shack Retro Tech retroAnd you thought bluetooth headsets were annoying! Here's a look at perhaps the most annoying guy at the golf course and restaurant in the 1980's: Yes, the guy with the "portable" phone from Radio Shack:

]]>TDL Live This Week: (8/10 - 8/17)http://thedigitallifestyle.tv/home/2010/8/12/tdl-live-this-week-810-817.htmlryanrit2010-08-12T11:57:49ZApple TDL Live TDL Live news weekly newsIt's time for TDL Live, our weekly look back at the last week in tech news. In this week's show, we talk about AT&T downplaying possibly losing their iPhone exclusivity, whether the Verizon iPhone is already too late, and Apple's growing dominance of the education market. 

Also, I reveal a story from my Apple past. Enjoy!

]]>Website of the Week: 8-Bit Cityhttp://thedigitallifestyle.tv/home/2010/8/11/website-of-the-week-8-bit-city.htmlryanrit2010-08-11T10:42:31Z8-bit NYC Website of the Week map websiteBrett Camper, 8BitCity.comEver since google maps (well, we'll give Microsoft some credit for Terraserver back in the day) we've been able to get incredibly detailed satellite imagery of just about everywhere. However, more data doesn't always translate into easier to follow navigation. 

Taking that concept and a bit of whimsy, Brett Camper has created 8bitcity.com. Essentially, in this first of several maps planned, Camper applied some whiz-bang effects and off-the-shelf mapping data to create a map more similar to Zelda than Mapquest. There's something about the simplified and engaging map that makes it easier to visualize the relative locations of New York City's major neighborhoods. You won't be using it for turn-by-turn directions anytime soon, but if you're looking for a more humanized look (ironic given that it's actually more pixels than pictures) at how and where different parts of the city fit, then check out 8bitcity.com

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