I’m getting a McWonderful, Disneyesque feeling!

Tuesday, according to Apple is the day!  I have no idea WHAT that exactly means, but Stevie J. obviously has another iMagical day planned for us. There are a couple of rumors floating around, but nothing really set in stone.  Earlier today (Monday 15-Nov-10), Apple published a teaser on its website, indicating that an exciting iTunes announcement is coming at 7 a.m. Pacific, 10 a.m. Eastern on Tuesday, 16-Nov-10.

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Wednesday 10-Nov-10, Apple released Mac OS X 10.6.5, their latest security and maintenance update for Snow Leopard.  However, documentation accompanying the release made no mention of AirPrint, an expected and highly anticipated ingredient.

Apple’s official documentation on the OS update documents a number of enhancements, but the latest version of Snow Leopard was also supposed to enable AirPrint, a wireless printer sharing service for devices running iOS 4.2; but rumors of a delay started hitting the blogosphere last week as well.  Windows users were supposed to get AirPrint as part of iTunes 10.1.

Apple OSX 10.6.5 Snow Leopard is 680.1MB in size; and is available via Software Update. It is recommended for all Snow Leopard users, and includes a number of security fixes.   The full list of goodies includes:

• Improves reliability with Microsoft Exchange servers.
• Addresses performance of some image-processing operations in iPhoto and Aperture.
• Addresses stability and performance of graphics applications and games.
• Resolves a delay between print jobs.
• Addresses a printing issue for some HP printers connected to an AirPort Extreme.
• Resolves an issue when dragging contacts from Address Book to iCal.
• Addresses an issue in which dragging an item from a stack causes the Dock to not automatically hide.
• Resolves an issue in which Wikipedia information may not display correctly in Dictionary.
• Improves performance of MainStage on certain Macs.
• Resolves spacing issues with OpenType fonts.
• Improves reliability with some Bluetooth braille displays.
• Resolves a VoiceOver issue when browsing some websites with Safari 5.
• Improves Bluetooth pairing with Magic Trackpad.
• Resolves performance issues with third-party displays that use InstaPort technology.
• Add SSL support for transferring files with iDisk.
• Resolves an issue when opening 4-up Photo Booth pictures in Preview.
• Addresses keyboard responsiveness issues in the Dock when Spaces is turned on.
• Resolves an issue syncing Address Book with Google.
• Fixes an issue when replying to a Mail message sent by a person whose name contains certain characters such as é or ü.
• Improves performance for users bound to an Active Directory domain.
• Improves reliability of Ethernet connections.
• Systems with a Mac Pro RAID Card (Early 2009) installed can now be put to sleep.
• Improves reliability of fiber channel connections, resolving a potential Xsan volume availability issue.
• Adds RAW image compatibility for additional digital cameras.

I have often wondered what viewers in the late 1920’s must have thought when their audio only radio shows suddenly became visual.  Sure, only a handful of viewers actually saw those early broadcasts, and sure they consisted of little more than people sitting in chairs talking or smoking cigarettes.  Looking back, one has to wonder whether those early viewers recognized the importance of what they were viewing.  Not some old dude sitting in a chair, smoking, but rather the dawn of a new age in communication. 

Looking back on those early days of television, has caused me to opine about whether we might see a similar dawning of a new age in communication and entertainment.  Truly, video killed the radio star.  Sure, the television has undergone significant makeovers over the course of the last century.  It has grown significantly, shifted from black and white to color, become digital and high definition, and now even 3-D.  In the end, though, none of these really transforms the way in which we communicate or interact with the television.  It all amounts to simply providing improved means by which to passively sit on the couch and watch the television.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, as they say, another revolution was coming to fruition as the information age was dawning in an entirely different room.  Over there in your home office, what has once been a standalone computer was becoming a portal to other worlds of interactivity.  The information and Internet age brought us all closer to our entertainment and communication than we could ever have imagined…without ever leaving the comfort of your own home.

The problem has always been that until recently, these two forms of communication and entertainment have remained entirely mutually exclusive.  The computer reigned supreme in the home office, while the television ruled the living room.  Moving content between the two, however, was a challenge…to say the least.

Today, all of that changed when Logitech officially announced the Logitech Revue, a small set-top box, which is the first device to bring Google’s new Google TV directly into your living room.  To understand the significance of this device, however, we need to take a step backwards and look at exactly what Google TV entails.  For that, we can take a quick visit to www.google.com/tv.

In a nutshell, Google TV takes your Internet, television, and smartphone, and rolls them into one tiny box, which is just chock full of advanced, interactive features.  You could call it smart, interactive TV, though I prefer gTV…Still, yu have to wonder what those early 1927 viewers would make of this one.  Google TV includes:

• Google Chrome complete with Adobe Flash 10.1 for full access to the Internet
• Apps, apps, apps.  If they work on your Android phone, they are likely going to be available on Google TV.  Some early entries include Netflix, Pandora, NBA Basketball, Amazon On Demand Video, YouTube, and Napster.  There are a few notable omissions, however, including the lack of a Hulu app, NFL Football, and MLB Baseball.  At this point, however, we can only assume that these and dozens of other apps are on their way.
• Your phone is the remote.  A free app can be downloaded to your Android phone or iPhone, allowing it to control your television experience.
• Fling.  OK, I know this is a bit of a ripoff of an Apple TV feature…but I really do not care.  Surf the web on your phone, find something you like, and with the press of a button, it is displayed on television screen. 
• Did I mention complete access to Netflix?  Not to mention Amazon On Demand?  No Hulu as of yet, but hopefully that will be coming soon.
• A homescreen for your television.  You can store all of your favorite channels, apps, websites, podcasts, and any other content on your homescreen.  No need to channel surf or web surf again, just go straight to your television home screen and access all of your favorites at once.
• Streaming photos from Picasa and Flickr for an incredible, larger than life, photo slideshow
• Universal search.  A single search will reveal all of the content on the web, television, apps, allowing you to access it all from one convenient location.

Of course, this all raises the obvious question, how do you get all of these features on your television.  For that, unfortunately, you are going to need some new hardware.  For now, that means the just-announced Logitech Revue (though Sony will soon be releasing a television with Google TV functionality built-in.

Logitech describes the Revue as, “a compact, plug-and-play companion box with its Logitech® Keyboard Controller, which together provide seamless control over the Google TV experience and home-entertainment devices. The company’s portfolio of products for Google TV also includes the Logitech® TV Cam and Vid™ HD service for HD video calling from the comfort of one’s sofa. In addition, Logitech is offering the Logitech® Mini Controller for Logitech Revue as well as other applications designed for the Google TV platform.”

In addition to the main Revue unit, which includes a wireless keyboard, Logitech also announced several accessories (below).  First is a high definition camera, called the TV Cam, which allows you to make and receive video calls, directly from your TV.  Imagine making those Skype calls to Grandma in 60 inch high def…on second thought…better hope Grandma is wearing some make up. In addition, they have also announced the Mini Controller, a small touchpad remote which serves as the mouse when surfing through Google TV.

The Revue and accessories are available for preorder now, and are expected to be fully available at Logitech, Amazon, and Best Buy by the end of the month.

The Revue unit along with the keyboard is expected to be priced at $299.99.  The Mini Controller is $129.99, and the TV Cam is $149.99.

I have to say, I am pretty impressed by what I have seen so far.  If this is the Google TV equivelant of a man sitting in a chair smoking a cigarette, you can only imagine what possibilities might be unlocked 15 years from now, or 25, 50, and even 100 years down the road.  Video may have killed the radio star, but Google TV is out to kill the video star.

Add another big name in the tablet war: RIM has announced its first tablet ever, the BlackBerry PlayBook!

Presented at this year BlackBerry DevCon event, this new tablet shows guts:

• 7″ LCD, 1024 x 600, WSVGA, capacitive touch screen with full multi-touch and gesture support
• BlackBerry Tablet OS with support for symmetric multiprocessing
• 1 GHz dual-core processor
• 1 GB RAM
• Dual HD cameras (3 MP front facing, 5 MP rear facing), supports 1080p HD video recording
• Video playback: 1080p HD Video, H.264, MPEG, DivX, WMV
• Audio playback: MP3, AAC, WMA
• HDMI video output
• Wi-Fi – 802.11 a/b/g/n
• Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
• Connectors: microHDMI, microUSB, charging contacts
• Open, flexible application platform with support for WebKit/HTML-5, Adobe Flash Player 10.1, Adobe Mobile AIR, Adobe Reader, POSIX, OpenGL, Java
• Ultra thin and portable:
  • Measures 5.1″x7.6″x0.4″ (130mm x 193mm x 10mm)
  • Weighs less than a pound (approximately 0.9 lb or 400g)
• Additional features and specifications of the BlackBerry PlayBook will be shared on or before the date this product is launched in retail outlets.

The device has been presented by RIM’s Founder and Co-CEO Mike Lazaridis as a BlackBerry companion aimed at the business user, with some eye blinking to consumers and BlackBerry wannabes (HDMI, 1080p playback and dual cameras). It is not equipped with phone connection and is thought to be used together with the BlackBerry.

Amazon.com has already promised Kindle support for the PlayBook… Any thoughts?

Meanwhile give a look to the video presentation below.

Via: CrackBerry

I’ve been waiting for this for over a year… Its awesome; and finally here!

eWallet for Mac OSX, the WHOLE sha-bang, including all of eWallet’s security, convenience and customization has been released and is available for purchase and download.

eWallet for MacOS!

Features of the app include, but are not limited to

• Sync fast and keep your info up to date: Using Ilium’s included SyncPro(r) technology, eWallet for Mac OS X easily and safely syncs your info with your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch via WiFi. You can also sync with other computers on the same network, and external storage devices like USB thumb drives.
• Same great features, brand new version: Many of the features you know and trust from eWallet for Windows have been included in eWallet for Mac OS X, but with a unique interface just for Mac owners.

Another great aspect of eWallet for Mac is that it doesn’t require an additional purchase. When customers buy eWallet from Ilium Software for $19.95, they’ll get full support for Mac OS X along with support for Windows PC, BlackBerry, our free eWallet Viewer for Android, and Windows Mobile. And customers who already own eWallet 7 for Windows PC get full Mac support at no additional cost!

Users can also add eWallet for their iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch by purchasing the iOS version of eWallet through the iTunes App Store.

This is an incredible value, and a wonderful way to protect your identity and sensitive information while carrying it with you.  A review is pending, and should be up in a couple of weeks or so. Stay tuned!