Verizon Releases Sniffer Apps – Locate Your Smartphone Anywhere Anytime

Verizon has followed the same old track as that of Apple’s iPhone. The carrier has launched its new application that helps you to track down your smartphone. I guess, thieves are going to have a hard time in trying to keep their new possessions a secret.

For now, the application is available for Blackberry and Android handsets in the market. It’s free and has some really nice packages. Of course, the company is charging a flat $10 on monthly basis because it is sort of a regular service. $10 per month is a pain in the A**, especially for those people, who don’t expect their smartphones to be stolen.

However, if you’re living somewhere remote, where the most threatening person is your next door creepy neighbor, then you better get this application. This app constantly runs in the background (nope, doesn’t slow down your cellphone’s processor) and monitors your activities. In case you’ve forgotten your smartphone or someone snatched it right off your tiny hands, then you can log on to Verizon’s website.

From here on, just send a remote lockdown command to your device and it will be a useless piece of plastic. You can also locate your device’s position through the GPRS tracker. Pretty cool huh?

Google TV to Reveal Its Partners

On Monday Google revealed its content partners for the latest television technology. But among those partners you will not be able to see the three major US networks, such as NBX, ANC and CBS.

With the help of the device, i.e. Google TV the company hopes to increase level of perfection in software and search. Users will be enabled with an opportunity to take advantage of their TV sets so as to watch and find online videos.

Google TV will come with Google’s Chrome browser which means that TV watchers will be able to surf the Internet by means of television screens.

Google signed an agreement with Turner Broadcasting in order users could view such channels as CNN, TNT, as well as Cartoon Network by means of Google TV. Moreover, Google TV will provide HBO programming and it will offer access to content libraries of such video companies as Netflix and Amazon.

The Google TV will be available this month. The announcement of Google came after Apple released it Apple TV device offered for $99. With the device users are able to download movies. In fact, the device offers less content compared to Google’s TV. It is explained by the fact that Apple demands high commissions from media companies.

Google TV: A Swiss-Army Approach to Internet TV

After I attended Cisco’s unveiling of its ūmi telepresence system this morning, I hopped in a cab and went to Logitech’s launch event forRevue, its Google TV box. It made for a fascinating comparison.

Cisco’s product, like Apple TV andRoku, is about doing one thing. All there devices compete with Revue, because it does many things:

• Like Roku and Apple TV, it’s a way to watch movies and listen to music;
• It supports not only services Google has partnered with, such as Netflix and Amazon Video on Demand, but just about any video on the Web;
• It attempts to meld Internet video, live broadcast video, and DVR video into one seamless entertainment extravaganza;
• It integrates with Dish Network boxes at a deeper level–it can control them and search recorded videos;
• It lets you browse Web sorts of all sorts using the built-in Chrome browser;
• It uses Logitech’s Harmony technology to let you control all your living-room gizmos;
• It offers iOS and Android apps that let you use your smartphone as a remote control;
• If you spend $150 for an optional Webcam, it provides ūmi-like HD videoconferencing (although at 720p rather than Cisco’s 1080p);
• It’ll let you download and install Android apps (but not until early 2011, when Google makes its TV Android Market available).

Whew. (I’m probably forgetting a capability or two.) Revue costs $299.99, which is 3X the price of Apple TV and 5X the cost of the cheapest Roku, but it does so many things that I think the price isn’t nutty–if it turns out that the many things it does are things people want to do on their TVs. (That’s not a given: In many ways, Revue is a modern take on the idea Microsoft tried to popularize as WebTV a decade and a half ago, and which has fizzled in one form or another ever since. I’m still unclear whether there’s a critical mass of real consumers who want to use the Web on their TVs.)

Revue’s pricetag is also explained in part by its remote control–which, from what I’ve seen so far, is one of my favorite things about the box so far. It’s a wireless, notebook-like keyboard with no-compromises QWERTY. After having experienced a couple of gazillion TV devices that force you to enter text using painful on-screen keyboards, I’m really happy to see Logitech give you the input device you really want as part of the package. (It’s also selling an optional mini-QWERTY keyboard.)

Logitech is releasing a Swiss Army Knife of a product into a market otherwise mostly populated by less versatile kitchen knives. (In the case of Apple TV, which doesn’t yet have a full slate of TV episodes and movies, its sort of a kitchen knife which can only slice cetain kinds of vegetables.) I’m reserving judgment until I get hands-on time with with one, but I like the fact that Revue is so very far from being an Apple TV wannabee–it’s a choice, not an echo, and it’s going to be fun to see which type of Internet TV box consumers gravitate towards. (And of course it’s still not clear whether teeming masses of them will gravitate towards any TV box at all.)

Logitech and Amazon are taking orders for Revue starting today; it’ll show up in stores in two or three weeks. Check out more details on Google TV, including a peek at the interface, at Google’s site.

Attack Of The Grey Buttons: Sony's Google TV remote spotted.. on TV

If you thought that Google TV would make watching the internet on your television as simple as clicking a button, you were half-right. It does involve a button. Actually, 81 of them

Sony's Google TV remote, as seen on ABC TV in the US. Screen capture by Engadget.

Oh, that? Sony's remote control for Google TV. Handy, isn't it?

Pardon? Yes, now that you point it out, it's true to say that all that's missing is the aerial sticking out of the top, and it really would look like a remote control. For a jumbo jet.

Well, don't say that you weren't warned. Google TV was shown off withhuge amounts of razzmatazz but worryingly little detail about how you'd actually operate it.

At the time we noted that

Google's approach does have potential. It has the backing of Sony, which will use Google's software in a new line of TV sets that will appear before Christmas, and users who don't want to buy a new TV will be able to get a Logitech set-top box instead. Also, it will have a head start in apps because it will run Android apps from Google's store and third-party marketplaces.

The problem with trying to do the internet from your television has always been the same one: TV sets have extremely low interaction needs. You have channels and you have sound. And a power button. OK, and often an input selection. If you start adjusting the colour balance and contrast, you are unusual, and you'll do it on average once in the lifetime of the set.

Computers, and the internet, require a lot of interaction. URLs don't type themselves. Many sites, including YouTube, will ask for a username and password, and those are a real pain to enter on any sort of non-QWERTY device. And how do you control a mouse on a screen that's ten feet away?

This seems to be Sony's answer. We count 81 buttons, not including the circular ones at the top and the central buttons. That is a hell of a lot of buttons. Ergonomics? No, next door down.

The URLs and interaction problem is why the documentation for Google TV admitted coyly that "all input devices for Google TV will have QWERTY keyboards" - as we pointed out last month - but also that that "users needs interactions that are fast and easy to do – at a distance, with one hand, in the dark."

Engadget managed to grab this telling picture of the Sony effort when Google TV was featured on ABC's Nightline. Though Engadget is excited about it: "everything you'd need to rock the web and video all at once", it enthuses.

Hmm, well, perhaps. By contrast, let's take a look at the the Sky+ remote, as it does everything - channels, volume, plus control of the hard drive recorder, and so must be the most complicated you can get:

Sky+ remote

Hmm, 36 buttons plus two rockers. There's the facility to do text entry (via SMS-style keys). More than that, it's got some real human factors design in it: it's a remote designed to be held and brandished at the TV.

Conclusion? This must be a first iteration. Things must surely get better. And also: has Sony completely lost it?

Google unveils partnerships for its TV service Amazon's Video ...

Google unveils partnerships for its TV service
Amazon's Video on Demand will provide movies and television shows for a fee and Netflix will offer streaming video to Google TV users. The Web-search giant and Hulu are also in content talks.

ctober 05, 2010|By Jessica Guynn, Los Angeles Times

Reporting from San Francisco — Google Inc. on Monday announced partnerships with media and Internet companies that will provide content for its new television service that debuts this month in devices made by Sony Corp. and Logitech International.

Amazon Inc.'s Video on Demand will give Google TV viewers instant access to more than 75,000 movies and TV shows for a fee and Netflix Inc. will make video streaming available.

"One of our goals with Google TV is to finally open up the living room and enable new innovation from content creators, programmers, developers and advertisers," Ambarish Kenghe, developer product manager for Google TV, said in a blog post.

The partnerships are the result of talks with the major TV networks and cable and satellite distributors. Noticeably absent from the Google announcement are ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox. Many media executives are concerned that Google would cannibalize their broadcast businesses.

But Google is forging media partnerships: NBC Universal has teamed with Google TV to create CNBC Real-Time, an application with which viewers can track their favorite stocks and access news feeds on the TV screen; HBO will have programming for subscribers on an enhanced website; and the NBA has built NBA Game Time, an application for viewers to follow game scores in real time and catch up on the latest highlights in high definition.

Google and Hulu confirmed Monday they are in talks to bring Hulu Plus to Google TV. The $9.99 monthly subscription service would enable viewers to watch current shows from ABC, NBC and Fox, whose parent companies all share a stake in Hulu. Hulu Plus also offers an extensive library of content that includes all past seasons of such popular shows as the "X-Files" and "Arrested Development."

Google's television software, which it first announced in May, is being built into new Sony high-definition televisions and Blu-ray players and into Logitech set-top boxes that can be used with television sets. Logitech is planning to discuss the device, called Revue, at a news conference this week in San Francisco.

Sony is expected to roll out its Google TV devices this month. Google has pledged to make the software available to other manufacturers. Analysts say pricing will be a key hurdle. It's not clear that consumers will be willing to pay for new devices in their already cluttered living rooms.

Google is banking that television will be a new venue for it to sell advertising. The company has been meeting with advertising executives to explore ways to sell ads through Google TV.

jessica.guynn@latimes.com

Apple TV review, with pics

Today's column is a review of Apple TV. Here's a version with a few pictures of the devices mentioned and their remote controls:

With the appropriate level of awe and reverence, I carefully removed Apple's latest magical product from its apple-sized box and marveled at its sleek design.

Within a few minutes, the Apple TV device - a $99 puck that wirelessly connects a TV to the Internet, and became available last week - was streaming video into my living room.

The Apple TV connected to the Wi-Fi network in my house, plugged into the TV with an HDMI cable and, voila, there was a virtual video store on the screen.

Had Apple done it again? Did it revolutionize TV and reveal the future of video entertainment?

No, not really.

Compared with the growing pile of gadgets that already connect TVs to the Internet, the Apple TV is fairly limited. It's the smallest and most stylish of the bunch, but like with a high-heeled shoe, you'll trade some capabilities for those looks.

Apple TV displays a nice interface on the screen. You can search and read about videos you can stream from Netflix (for $9 per month) or buy or rent from iTunes. Apple is trying to get more shows on iTunes, but for now its video selection is more like that of a convenience store than a Blockbuster.

The name is a little confusing. Apple TV isn't a TV at all. It's mostly a wireless adapter.

Unlike a PC - or the Google TV devices launching later this week - the Apple TV doesn't have a browser or the ability to surf and select content from across the Web. Apple TV connects only to a handful of preselected Web services, including YouTube and Flickr. But you'll mostly use it with iTunes and Netflix.

This is not Apple's version of the TiVo. There's no way to connect a TV cable or antenna and no program guide. Apple started down that path in 2007 with the first version of Apple TV, which didn't sell very well.

The new Apple TV is closer to AirTunes, Apple's system for streaming music from a computer to a stereo with a $99 AirPort Wi-Fi adapter. Like AirTunes, AppleTV is a decent solution if you're a heavy iTunes user and want an easy way to connect to your home-entertainment setup.

If you're looking mostly to stream Netflix, you'll want to also look at options such as TiVo, game consoles, Blu-ray players, Wi-Fi adapters or TVs with built-in Internet connections.

Most every "connected TV" device has a standard suite of services, including Netflix, and some let you load more services and applications. In comparison, Apple TV feels like a closed pipe, or a turnstile. It's an alternative to a trip to the video store, but it's nowhere near a replacement for cable or broadcast TV.

More people are getting TV content from the Web, but it's still not mainstream. During the past three months, about a fourth of U.S. consumers downloaded content, including 15 percent downloading to PCs, 6 percent to game consoles, 4 percent to phones and 2 percent to set-top devices such as Blu-ray players or Apple TV units, according to NPD research.

One reason Apple's content is limited is that networks have wised up and are selling first-tier content through their own premium channels. They started the Hulu streaming service, which is offering a $10 premium plan with first-run TV shows this fall, but not on Apple TV.

I'm not too concerned about the TV shows, but I do like being able to stream photos from a computer to the TV. This doesn't work very well on Apple TV, from my experience and that of a bunch of people on Apple's support forums.

I never could get Apple TV to display my photos, even after nearly two hours on the phone with Apple technical support. The device showed photos from Web services like Flickr just fine, but I wanted to see pictures stored on a PC across the room, not on a data center in Quincy.

The support call was escalated to a nice supervisor who had me using the Windows Command line and MSCONFIG to alter the Windows XP PC I was using and disable its anti-malware software.

When that didn't work, he noted he's not really that up on XP (the most widely used PC operating system in the world?) and suggested I disconnect it all and plug the Apple TV directly to my new 802.11n router in the basement with a cable.

He also said the Apple TV wouldn't stream content from the iTunes server on my home server, and only stream from a PC on the network.

After that, I plugged in a similar gadget Sony just released, its $130 Network Media Player. A few seconds after I entered my Wi-Fi password, it found and displayed the content on my server, along with Netflix, a bunch of other services and a "coming soon" spot for Hulu Plus.

Another company, Roku, loaned me one of its new wireless TV adapters, which range from $60 to $100. It's a slightly larger box that does most everything Apple TV does, except Roku doesn't even try to share content on the home network. It's mostly for Netflix.

The Sony and Roku boxes displayed full 1080p content, while Apple TV only does 720p.

But still, the main reason I wouldn't buy an Apple TV is because I can't stand its remote control. It's a 4-inch aluminum wafer with minimalist buttons. You could think of it as the sleek wing from a tiny airplane, but it made me think of a parsimonious slice of Brie, or a shim that fell off a Prius.

The remote doesn't feel nice enough to fondle and fiddle with while watching a show. It's too small to palm and is easy to lose between couch cushions. It's also delicate; within a day in my house it already had little dings marring its case.

But the Apple TV did a perfectly fine job playing a Disney show for my family. Just like the six other devices already connected to my TV.

Logitech's Google TV device: $299, out by Halloween

The first set-top box running Google's new TV software was unveiled today by Logitech, the Swiss peripherals company that also makes Harmony remote controls.

Logitech is taking pre-orders for a $299 kit that includes a wireless keyboard/remote control and a set-top box.

Google TV adds a search bar to the TV screen and a collection of applications through which videos and other content is distributed, similar to the applications available on newer TVs from Panasonic, Samsung, Vizio and others.

Google is working with content providers to develop custom applications for the platform, but what's most notable is that the Google TV software includes a browser for viewing Web pages directly, unlike most new connected TV devices, which funnel everything through applications.

Logitech is the first of several partners rolling out Google TV products. On Oct. 12, Sony will announce new Blu-ray players and TVs with Google TV software built in.

Don't look to Google TV to replace your cable TV service yet. The Logitech device requires you to also have a cable or satellite set-top box with an HDMI connection (or DirectTV service). It also requires a TV with an HDMI input to connect to the Logitech box.

Inside, the box has an Intel Atom processor designed especially for set-top boxes. In a way it's similar to the mininature Atom-powered Media Center PCs from Asus, Lenovo and others that are designed to be mounted on the back of a TV, but those are full-fledged computers that let you load, store and share content.

Logitech's "Revue" device has a USB port for connecting to external hard-drives and devices storing content, and it's DLNA compliant, meaning it should be able to stream music, photos and videos from DLNA media servers on a home network.

Google TV Arrives Via Logitech Revue

Dozens of journalists squeezed into a tiny space in Tribeca Wednesday to witness the launch of Google TV's first progeny: the Logitech Revue with Google TV.

The device aims to solve a difficult problem - bringing together all the content from the Web, local PCs, and TV on the home's biggest screen, the living room TV.

According to Junien Labrousse, executive vice president of products for Logitech, there has "never [been] one solution to bring this all together into one interface, because it's complicated."

Logitech's Google TV incarnation includes a set-top box, remote control/keyboard combination, and a variety of accessories, including a Webcam that'll enable video calling through the device. The keyboard remote control is roughly the size of a full-sized computer keyboard, but adds a touchpad and D-Pad, and fully integrates the Logitech harmony remote technology.

Logitech also unveiled a clamshell-style mini controller that fits in the palm of your hand. It also debuted free Android and iPhone apps that accept voice commands and can control the Revue box and share content directly from the phone to the Revue Google TV device.

Revue will, as promised by Google months ago, bring together the worlds of TV, the Web, and local content. The device is DLNA-compliant and can access music, photos, and videos stored on networked PCs. That content is also, as with everything else in the Google TV environment, searchable.

Perhaps the only surprise of the event was the introduction of video-calling through the Google TV-based device. Logitech has been in the Webcam market for decades and most recently delivered a variety of HD-quality Webcams for the PC.

Logitech Vid HD on Google TV comes pre-installed and works with an external 720p-capbablie Webcam that can be attached to the top of your HDTV. The Webcam also features a Carl Zeiss lens and two microphones. While Revue owners can call each other, any Mac or PC owner running the Logitech Vid HD app can also call Revue devices. Logitech execs said it's a "Plug and play solution." Revue owners can pan and zoom their own image via the remote control's D-Pad.

The Revue will ship with Flash 10.1 support, and version 5 of Google's Chrome browser. Chrome will update just like the dekstop-based browser. It doesn't include any special technology to, say, block pop-ups or protect the user beyond what you'll find in the current version of Chome. Google executives explained that the only difference between the Revue Google TV Chrome browser and the PC's Chrome is that there is less "Chrome" on the Revue browser.

The Revue will come pre-loaded with a variety of apps from, among others, Twitter, Netflix, and Pandora. No Hulu for now, though Logitech executives said Google and Hulu are in talks.

The Revue box and keyboard will list for $299.99. The keyboard alone will cost $99.99 and the mini remote will list for $129.99. The HDTV camera will go on sale for $149.99.

All devices are available for pre-order now on Amazon.com, BestBuy.com, and Logitech.com. Consumers who pre-order a Revue should receive it by month's end, executives said.

Meanwhile, partner Dish Networks, has built the Revue technology in its latest DVR so it can work with the Logitech Revue set-top box. It will not work with, say, a Sony Google TV. The Revue-ready Dish network DVR's ($179) should be ready by the end of this month. Current Dish boxes should be able to accept software upgrades that allow the same pairing.

Logitech confirms Google TV announcement

Give us the right date we deserve

THE MAKER OF SET TOP BOXES for Google's TV service, Logitech has confirmed it will be making an announcement later today.

The INQUIRER spoke to Logitech earlier today and the company confirmed speculation that it will be releasing a statement about Google TV.

While Google has been shouting to anyone willing to listen all about Google TV, its hardware partners have been relatively silent. Sony's Google TV remote got an unexpected outing in the US on ABC's Nightline programme, but the company hasn't made any announcements yet.

Logitech did tell The INQUIRER in May that Google's TV service was due to start slowly rolling out from January 2011 in the UK. It was widely rumoured that you'd be able to get your hands on a Logitech set top box this Autumn. Since then, Logitech has kept mum about when its set top box is coming out. At the time, Google also said you'd see Google TV gear at Best Buy stores in the US from September.

What is for sure is that all parties involved in Google TV are mentioning conflicting dates, especially Google, which can't seem to agree with itself.

The INQURIER reported in September that Google CEO Eric Schmidt said during his keynote speech to the IFA consumer electronics show that the US will get Google TV in October.

However, on the same day, Intel's CEO Paul Otellini pinned the Google TV release timeframe as September for the US.

So we hope Logitech can help clear up all this confusion and give us a definite date.

Logitech unveils its Google TV box

If Google’s TV talk is to be believed, then how we watch the box is going to change. But the box that we watch TV through is also going to change. Here’s the first one compatible with Google TV.

While Logitech couldn’t tell us when the device would be available in New Zealand (it’s due in the US later this year), the company has opened up on what the set-top box will be able to do.

“Revue comes with an easy to set up companion box and an intuitive companion keyboard controller,” says Logitech. “Simply connect your TV, cable or satellite set-top box, and your Internet connection to the Logitech Revue, and you’ve got Google TV. As long as your TV has an HDMI port, you are ready for Google TV.”

Revue is described as a companion to your TV and not a TV itself, so it’ll work with any TV and any HDTV you get in the future with a HDMI port.

The included keyboard is used to find shows, surf the web or turn up the volume. “By combining a compact keyboard, a touchpad, and a remote in a sleek, living room-worthy design, Revue gives you full wireless control over all your entertainment without leaving the couch,” adds Logitech.

You’ll also be able to control Revue with your iPhone or Android smartphone via a software download.

In the US the Revue comes with a choice of fast 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi or Ethernet connectivity, offering high-quality audio and video whether you’re connecting to the internet wirelessly or through a cable.

Hit this link to find out more. We’ll let you know when New Zealand plans for the device are firmed up.

Google TV Highlighted on Logitech's New Companion Box

Logitech on Wednesday took the wraps off a set-top box called Revue, which will be the first device to bring the highly anticipated Google TV platform to television sets.

The device is a "companion" box, and brings programming and movies from multiple sources including the Internet, broadcast providers, PCs and mobile devices to the large-screen TV, said Junien Labrousse, executive vice president of products at Logitech, during a product launch event in New York.

It comes with Google TV software, which is designed to blend Internet surfing with TV programming. Google announced the Google TV platform to much fanfare in May along with partners Intel, Sony and Logitech. Google at the time said the platform would revolutionize the way people watched television by merging the Internet and TV into a single interface.

Logitech's Revue provides a glimpse into Google TV's capabilities and its promise.

Consumers have access to a vast amount of content including videos, pictures and games from various sources using the box. Google's search capabilities will make it easier to find the right programs from the TV, Internet, digital video recorder or PC. For example, a search for a particular program could render listings from TV channels, YouTube or DVRs.

The device will also run specific applications to stream movies and TV shows from websites like Netflix or Amazon, or to access other Internet services like Twitter. Applications will also allow users to listen to radio from sites like Pandora, check stock prices or read newspapers and magazines from the Internet.

Google earlier this week announced content distribution partners for Google TV, including The New York Times, USA Today, Turner Broadcasting, HBO and the NBA.

Applications from the Android Market will become available next year, opening up the device to many more games, content and applications, Labrousse said.

Users can also watch TV and run an application simultaneously. For example, users will be able to check Twitter messages or sports statistics while watching a TV program. Users also can use the Chrome browser provided within the software to surf the Web.

The home screen provides quick access to applications, podcasts, videos, spotlighted programs and programs currently playing. Within the interface, programming and applications are broken down by category.

An application called Logitech Media Player also allows playback of video or music from home PCs. The device connects to a PC over a Wi-Fi network or Ethernet.

The companion box connects to a TV set or DVR boxes using an HDMI (high-definition multimedia interface) port. The device also ships with a controller that functions as both a remote and keyboard. A smartphone application from Logitech can also convert an iPhone or Android handset into a remote control.

The device also comes with Logitech's Harmony Link technology, allowing the box to talk with and take commands from multiple devices such as home theater systems using infrared technology.

The device will ship for US$299.99, which includes the controller. The device is available for preorder starting on Wednesday, and will start shipping by the end of this month, Labrousse said. It will be available in the U.S. in retail stores like Best Buy and online retailers like Amazon. The company did not immediately comment on worldwide availability.

Logitech is also selling a number of accessories to complement Revue. An optional $149.99 high-definition video camera allows for videoconferencing at a 720p resolution with friends through the TV. The company is also selling a smaller controller for $129.99.

With Revue, Logitech will compete with the likes of Apple, which makes the Apple TV, and Roku, which offers a digital video player that streams content from the Internet to TVs. A number of TV companies such as Samsung also have their eyes set on using the Internet to stream movies and TV shows. Sony has already said it would provide HDTVs and Blu-ray players with Intel's chips and Google TV software built in.

However, the device won't be able to download movies from the Apple TV service. It is also missing support from popular video sites like Hulu.

iOS 4.2 Beta Reveals Apple TV Runs iOS

Apple's new-look Apple TV is running the same iOS as the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) reports a tipster sent the website details of the USB device configuration list in the new iOS 4.2 beta, which reveals the Apple TV is indeed an iOS device.

Apple made no mention of the change, when Steve Jobs unveiled the cheaper Apple TV on 1 September.

"An entry in iOS 3.2 was referred to as iProd2,1, and we suspected that it was likely an early prototype of a next-gen iPad," Ars Technica's Chris Foresman notes.

"However, an updated configuration file in iOS 4.2b1 reveals the same numeric product ID is attached to an entry for AppleTV2,1, referring to the second major hardware revision of the Apple TV."

Both TUAW and Ars Technica doubt we'll see iPhone style apps running on the new Apple TV anytime soon, due to the lack of onboard storage capacity.

However, being based on iOS, the Apple TV will likely be a target for the jailbreak community, offering potential enhancements and modifications. "If hackers are able to jailbreak the device, there may not be enough room to run custom apps, nor is it clear how those applications would interact with the Apple Remote," TUAW's Steven Sande adds.

Why Apple TV Will Eat Google TV's Lunch

Forget about Google TV. Apple's got five secret weapons that will help it pull the plug on Google TV.

Perhaps you were disappointed with the new look Apple TV when it was introduced one month ago; perhaps you expected more from Steve Jobs' hobby; perhaps you think itseems a little puny in comparison to the Google TV solutions we're hearing so much more about this week. Look a little deeper though and it seems pretty clear Apple's quietly putting together the pieces it needs to outmaneuver its Android enemy. Here's five clues:

1/ Apple TV can run apps
We're definite on this now. Not only has the new product already been jailbroken in order that it can run independently-produced software from jailbreaker developers, but it's possible to install iOS apps on the device -- no jailbreak required.

Developer Steven Troughton-Smith has discovered that apps can be installed, it isn't possible to run them on an Apple TV just yet, as the operating system inside doesn't yet offer a launcher to enable apps to run.

[This story is from Computerworld's Apple Holic blog. Follow on Twitter or subscribe via RSS to make sure you don't miss a beat.]

Could this debut in a future software update? I don't know for sure, but it seems an obvious strategy.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs has hinted that an App Store for the Apple TV could appear one day, as Business Week puts it:

What Jobs didn't say is that Apple wants to become king of the living room. He tells Bloomberg Businessweek that when the time is right, Apple could open an App Store for the TV that could do for television sets what all those apps have done for the iPhone.

Google TV already offers several integrated apps and the promise of support for many Android early next year.

2/ TV isn't TV anymore
Steve Jobs is honest. He just isn't always easy to understand. Recall when he said he didn't think people really wanted to watch TV on a small iPod screen? Or when he said he wasn't sure of the eBook business? Or when he revealed that Mac OS X ran on Intel machines for five years before the Intel switch was revealed. What was his throwaway comment on television following launch of the new Apple TV?

He told BusinessWeek: "Asked if the iPad could evolve into the TV of tomorrow, Jobs shrugs and says, "That's how I do most of my TV watching today."

Now imagine for a moment that Jobs is using an iPad that's perhaps a little more beta than anybody else. Imagine for example he's actually streaming TV of various kinds to his television from his iPad.

3/ When video out goes wireless
AirPlay is great. When products licensing the technology reach market we'll be looking at a beautifully-connected end-to-end vision for a powerfully-featured digital home at a much lower cost of entry than ever before.

You'll be able to beam music from any iOS device to any AirPlay device (and via an AirPort Express also -- anyone noticed the huge discount on these at Amazon at the moment?)

Recently some clever Apple-watchers claim you can also stream video from an iOS device running AirPlay to the Apple TV. If true, this could be why Mr Jobs is watching his TV using his iPad.

4/ Why Apple TV loves 720p
Many complain the Apple TV won't output video in true high-res video format, its supported resolution is 1,280-x-720, or 720p. Why? Take it to Troughton-Smith once again. He's noticed that the Cocoa-like UIKit development kit already lets developers create apps with 720p video output. It has done so since iOS 4.2. And who uses it? "Mainly those creating TV-out UIs in iPad apps."

"Developers have already started crafting ten-foot-UI experiences in existing iOS apps, so it would be a no-brainer for that to translate over to AppleTV wholesale."

Oh -- one more thing: Apple has already added remote control support into iOS, making it possible to create remote-control driven iOS apps. In other words, apps which run on your TV, controlled by a remote, or (potentially) by an existing iOS device.

5/ Look inside
Inside the Apple TV you'll find 8GB of flash storage, 256MB or RAM and an A4 processor -- the same processor as you'll find inside an iPad, iPhone 4 or iPod touch. Indeed, it's the same amount of RAM as you'll find inside the iPod touch or iPad.

Why is all that power there just to drive Apple's 'Lowtide' Apple TV software?

Apple's made the news today with its decision to pay $1.7 million to a couple for a small house standing in one acre of land, a house that's situated right beside its new billion dollar data center.

That Apple is prepared to pay that much cash just for an acre of land should be enough to convince anybody that the company is engaged in a serious strategic play.

We're looking at big moves into the cloud in Cupertino once that data center is completed at the end of the year. This will likely include progression in Apple's plan for iTunes in the cloud.

Summing up
Turner Broadcasting, NBC Universal and HBO have all developed applications for the Google TV. These networks say they don't want to climb aboard the iTunes bandwagon. But now Apple supports Netflix on Apple TV, it is only a question of time before perhaps it allows broadcasters to offer and profit from their own Apps. Perhaps.