Hasta La Gadget!

“Of course the new Apple TV gets a teardown, silly,” is what we would tell you should you have the audacity to question its inevitability. But alas, we’re too busy analyzing every photo of iFixit’s gallery to even dignify your raised eyebrow with an unprovoked response. The site gives it 8 out of 10 in its metric of repairability, opining it might be “the most eco-friendly set-top box of all time.” With that said, here are the big takeaways we’re seeing so far: 8GB of storage provided care of a Samsung K9LCG08U1M NAND Flash chip, and the same one found in the iPad. Speaking of which, there’s also the exact same markings on its Apple A4 processor as the iPad and new iPod touch, K4X2G643GE (not the same as the iPhone 4, as it turns out), the exact same Broadcom BCM4329XKUBG 802.11n WiFi / Bluetooth / FM chip as the iPad, and at 256MB, the same amount of RAM. Also interesting and of note are the solder pads near the side of the logic board, which look to be a perfect fit for an Apple dock connector. At any rate, with all that’s under the hood, we expect the jailbreak community to have an absolute field day.

Apple TV teardown reveals 8GB flash storage, 256MB RAM, leftover iPad parts originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Sep 2010 15:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You’ve been waiting, and it’s finally here: the Apple TV review. Months before Steve Jobs announced the new set top box at Apple’s annual fall event, we had been reporting on news that the company would strike out again into the TV market, offering a small, low-cost box that had more in common with the iPhone than the iMac. When those rumors came to fruition, we were presented with the completely revamped Apple TV — a tiny black puck of a device priced at a staggering $99, and centered around a handful of completely new ideas (for the folks in Cupertino at least) about getting content onto your TV screen. The first is a new rental system which allows you to nab brand new TV shows at $0.99 a rental, and HD movies for $4.99 a go (or $3.99 for older titles). And that includes new releases the same day DVDs hit shelves (or Netflix distribution centers). Speaking of Netflix, the new Apple TV also features the rental service’s “Watch Instantly” as a wholly integrated component of its offerings, alongside a new function the company calls AirPlay which will allow you to “push” video and audio content from your iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch with the tap of a button. On top of that, the new ATV streamlines sharing from your home computers or laptops, making getting content you own onto your TV dead simple. So, has Apple finally solved the “second box” problem, or are they still struggling to turn this hobby into a real business? Follow along after the break for those answers (and more) in our full review of the Apple TV!

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Apple TV review (2010) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Sep 2010 12:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Today, Apple updated its iOS Remote application to version 2.0. The free Remote app is now optimized for the iPad’s larger display and supports streaming from shared libraries over wireless networks with computers running iTunes and the new Apple TV using AirPlay.

But Apple’s vision of using your iPad — or iPhone — to play virtual DJ is just one of several competing ways of reinventing the remote control.

Earlier this week at CEDIA 2010, Sony showed off AV Receiver Remote, a similar (and similarly free) iOS universal remote application for its wide range of media appliances. While Apple’s Remote application allows you to queue up music from your library and control speaker volume, Sony’s allows you to do that and more: You can also control room lighting, and stream internet, satellite, or broadcast radio. Christopher MacManus was able to record a hands-on for Sony Insider:

Just as Apple’s remote application leverages its strength in high-end computers and media players, Sony’s app leverages its strength in home theater appliances. Apple can send a movie to your television, but it didn’t make your television (or the receiver your TV might be connected to).

And last week at IFA 2010, Samsung used its new Galaxy Tab to demonstrate its Home Watcher app for Android, which leverages the Korean tech maker’s even more ubiquitous position in home appliances.

As Vivian Kim observes, writing for Apartment Therapy Unpluggd, Samsung’s “washers and dryers, refrigerators, microwaves, ranges, and home entertainment devices” can allow them to position their phones and tablets not as Apple imitators, but as genuine home automation solutions.

You’ve never had a remote control for your refrigerator before, and maybe you didn’t even know you wanted one. But once it’s within the realm not just of the possible (it always has been, for high-end early-adopters) but reasonably attainable for Samsung’s global middle-class consumer base, something has changed.

How much will we want to do with a single remote when that remote is not an infrared box wrapped around two AA batteries, but a powerful computer with an intuitive interface?

In different ways, that’s the future towards which Apple, Sony, and Samsung are all pointing.

See Also:

• Apple Redefines Remote Control — Now, It’s Your Cellphone
• Sometimes the Remote Pushes Your Buttons, Too
• It’s Another QWERTY Keyboard, Now for TV
• IR Dongle Turns iPhone into Universal Remote
• How Google Instant Could Reinvent Channel Flipping
• Samsung Tablet to Debut on Big Four U.S. Carriers

With new offerings from Roku and Apple, and the grand impending entrance of Google TV, the crowd of little plastic boxes that all want to stream your video is getting packed. And confusing. But we’re here to help you compare. More »

A number of customers who ordered an Apple TV have bragged about receiving shipment notifications for their orders, despite last week’s rumors that the product might see delays.

Some Apple TV orders have been updated to read “Prepared for shipment” (meaning FedEx is packing the item into a box), so those who placed orders very early could get their new Apple TV as soon as this week.

Last week, some customers who requested expedited shipping received refunds from Apple, who cited a possible delay. It would appear that only new orders might take longer to ship, while the early batch of orders are on schedule for a late September delivery.

See Also:

• Hands-On With New $100 Apple TV
• How Apple Just Disrupted the Cable Guys

Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com