Apple TV: Losing the tiny remote can be a big headache
We love the Apple TV's incredibly small and sleek design, but it's worth remembering that Apple's minimalist design ethos has its trade-offs. A friend recently e-mailed about her ordeal after losing her Apple TV's remote:My problem with my Apple TV was seemingly simple--I lost the remote and I couldn't get the Remote App to sync my Apple TV with my iPhone. But why couldn't I get my Remote App to sync? Because I had to change settings on my Apple TV...that I could only switch VIA REMOTE. See the problem? This brain twister challenged two customer support people on the phone and my Mac Genius at the store. I don't think it was an issue with their competence, at all, but rather a flaw in the Apple TV design.We're always quick to point out that the Apple TV can be controlled with other iOS devices, but if the remote goes missing and you haven't turned on Home Sharing yet, you're out of luck. (In fact, if you have an Apple TV, it's a good idea to make sure you turn on Home Sharing now, before your remote goes missing.) Also, the Remote app workaround isn't really a suitable backup plan, since not every Apple TV owner necessarily owns an iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch that can be used when you can't find the included remote.A quality universal remote like a Harmony would also do the trick, but not everyone has one of those, either. (Those cheap remotes you can pick up at the drugstore may have codes for old Sylvania VCRs, but they probably don't have them for Apple products.)While my friend previously loved the Apple TV's sleek look, her struggle had her reconsidering how she thought it should be designed:My recommendations for the third generation of Apple TVs:1. I know it's not chic like a plain black box, but small buttons on the Apple TV would be helpful so the product can still be used if there's an issue with the remote and/or the owners' iPhone or iPad.2. It would also be nice if there was a way to control the Apple TV via iTunes.That would eliminate the ugly button issue.3. If the product is only going to be functional with a remote, please manufacture a remote that is bigger.The remote, while very pretty, slipped somewhere into my couch, never to be found again (I think it actually slipped into the bones of the sofa).4. My eyeballs and the eyeballs of the Mac Genius almost broke because the serial number is in a very tiny, metallic font on the bottom of the AppleTV.It is hard to read small numbers and letters when they are reflecting light.It is pretty, I KNOW, but still.Personally, I think the ability to navigate the Apple TV via iTunes would mostly eliminate the problem. (I like the tiny remote.) And because the Apple TV's menu system is already designed with the basic remote in mind, all you'd need it is a simple onscreen remote with a directional pad, and OK, menu, and play/pause buttons.Though it's easy to focus on the shortcomings of the Apple TV, you'd run into similar problems with essentially all of the Apple TV's competitors. The Roku XDS, Boxee Box, and Sony SMP-N100 all lack navigation controls on the device. You can get smartphone control working on a Roku XDS without the original remote, but you need the Roku's IP address to set it up. And the easiest way to find its IP address is...using the original remote to browse to the "info" screen in the Settings menu.Luckily my friend's story had a happy ending: the "Mac Genius" wound up giving her a new Apple TV remote for free. (A generous concession, since a replacement remote normally costs $19.) But even though things eventually worked out, she seemed less enthusiastic about her Apple TV and modern gadgets in general.I know this info makes me sound like a 80-year-old woman who yearns for the days of VCRs and is primarily interested in large-font crossword puzzles, but I am a tech-savvy lady in her twenties who owns a slew of Apple products. The Apple TV is great and I loved it but I shouldn't have to dedicate 4-5 hours of troubleshooting because I lost my remote. If I had that problem in 1990, I would just work my TV manually until I was at CVS and could pick up a $10 universal remote. With the Remote app and all this modern technology, I should not be wishing for the ease of VCR days.It's a point worth remembering. Old tech may look hopelessly clunky by today's standards, but it almost always had basic controls on it. I still prefer my gadgets will fewer buttons rather than more, but manufacturers need to realize that losing a remote is common and there needs to be a backup plan.
Molecules app picks up where The Elements left off
Molecules app picks up where The Elements left off
When it comes to learning about the building blocks of our universe, Theodore Gray's The Elements for iPad is the perfect gateway. It's comprehensive, covering every known element; each of which has its own entry, including applications, detailed properties, and interactive images and videos to explore.It's sort of a must-have for any suite of educational apps, or for anyone with even the vaguest interest in science -- and now it has its very own companion app, picking up where it left off. Theodore Gray has taken The Elements and extended it with the logical next step: Molecules.Related articlesBeautiful macro photgraphy catalogues the elementsNew iPad app brings the periodic table to lifeChemistry in Ultra HD shows science like you've never seen itThe iPad app (also available as a physical book, only without all the interactive bits) is, to be fair, a little less comprehensive; after all, when you have some 118 identified chemical elements, the number of combinations is astronomical."There is no catalog of all the molecules in the universe, and there can't be," Gray explains in the introduction to the app. "There may only be six different chess pieces, but it's out of the question to list all the ways of arranging them on a chess board."Instead, Molecules provides an overview: Gray has chosen to write about the molecules he finds the most interesting, and that demonstrate deeper and broader connections binding them. It is not, he clarifies, a chemistry textbook, and you won't find inside a catalogue of compounds. Rather, it's a primer, an overview."It's a little of everything, put together not to be complete, but to be interesting," Gray wrote. "It will teach you something about how the world of chemistry works, and give you a sense of the scope of the subject."The book is divided into chapters, each of which deals with a particular topic, such as types of molecules, or molecules that people hate for various reasons, or molecules that halt pain. And, like The Elements, it also includes interactive features.These aren't just animations that you can move around and interact with, although there are plenty of those: there is also a gallery of 348 molecules, which you can stretch and manipulate with multi-touch gestures in 3D space, experimenting with their motion -- which is explained in a special chapter written especially for the app.And, of course, it's every bit as beautiful as its predecessor. You can grab it from the iTunes app store for iPhone and iPad for $13.99 (AU$17.99 | £9.99), or the print edition from the Black Dog and Leventhal website.
When it comes to learning about the building blocks of our universe, Theodore Gray's The Elements for iPad is the perfect gateway. It's comprehensive, covering every known element; each of which has its own entry, including applications, detailed properties, and interactive images and videos to explore.It's sort of a must-have for any suite of educational apps, or for anyone with even the vaguest interest in science -- and now it has its very own companion app, picking up where it left off. Theodore Gray has taken The Elements and extended it with the logical next step: Molecules.Related articlesBeautiful macro photgraphy catalogues the elementsNew iPad app brings the periodic table to lifeChemistry in Ultra HD shows science like you've never seen itThe iPad app (also available as a physical book, only without all the interactive bits) is, to be fair, a little less comprehensive; after all, when you have some 118 identified chemical elements, the number of combinations is astronomical."There is no catalog of all the molecules in the universe, and there can't be," Gray explains in the introduction to the app. "There may only be six different chess pieces, but it's out of the question to list all the ways of arranging them on a chess board."Instead, Molecules provides an overview: Gray has chosen to write about the molecules he finds the most interesting, and that demonstrate deeper and broader connections binding them. It is not, he clarifies, a chemistry textbook, and you won't find inside a catalogue of compounds. Rather, it's a primer, an overview."It's a little of everything, put together not to be complete, but to be interesting," Gray wrote. "It will teach you something about how the world of chemistry works, and give you a sense of the scope of the subject."The book is divided into chapters, each of which deals with a particular topic, such as types of molecules, or molecules that people hate for various reasons, or molecules that halt pain. And, like The Elements, it also includes interactive features.These aren't just animations that you can move around and interact with, although there are plenty of those: there is also a gallery of 348 molecules, which you can stretch and manipulate with multi-touch gestures in 3D space, experimenting with their motion -- which is explained in a special chapter written especially for the app.And, of course, it's every bit as beautiful as its predecessor. You can grab it from the iTunes app store for iPhone and iPad for $13.99 (AU$17.99 | £9.99), or the print edition from the Black Dog and Leventhal website.
Might & Magic- Clash of Heroes lands on iOS
Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes lands on iOS
When it comes to RPG titles, Might & Magic, with its first title hitting consoles in 1986, is one of those mainstays that helped define the genre in video games. The most recent title in the series â€" 2009's Clash of Heroes by Capybara Games (which you might know from Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP) turned the title into a turn-based puzzle game, with strategic colour matching.It's a style of gameplay that works particularly well on touch-based devices.Story-wise, it's about what you might expect from a fantasy RPG. There is evil threatening the world, and it's up to your band of intrepid heroes to lay the demon smackdown. As demons start to take over the world, they start popping up on the map; when you move to a position inhabited by demons, it's battle on.The battlefield is divided into a grid; your forces on the bottom half and enemy forces on the top. To attack, you have to line up at least three troops of the same colour vertically; to damage your enemy, your attack has to hit the back wall, so it pays to line them up where there are gaps in your enemy's troops. Other strategies involve lining up troops horizontally to create a wall, or skipping moves in order to build up to a stronger attack.It makes for an engrossing turn-based battle system supplemented by some lush, cartoon-style graphics. One caveat is that the screen size of the iPhone and iPod Touch is a little small for the battlefield, so it's hard to accurately tap your units. A pinch-zoom feature applies a fix, but then you can't see the entire field and will have to zoom back out again to access all your control buttons. It is, however, a minor irritation.As you move through the world, with regions inhabited by various races â€" elves, humans, wizards and necromancers â€" you build on your armies, level up and progress through the storylines, which are quite dramatic and engrossing, a nice supplement to the gameplay. However, if the story is getting in your way, there is a battle mode that allows you to skip the talking and get right to the fighting.And for the iOS version, a few new great features have been added: online multiplayer, where you can test your skills against other players; and cloud backup, so you never have to lose your game, even when switching devices.Capybara and Ubisoft have done a very capable job of the port, and it's a worthwhile addition to your RPG stable.Might & Magic Clash of Heroes is out now on the iTunes app store (AU$5.49).
When it comes to RPG titles, Might & Magic, with its first title hitting consoles in 1986, is one of those mainstays that helped define the genre in video games. The most recent title in the series â€" 2009's Clash of Heroes by Capybara Games (which you might know from Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP) turned the title into a turn-based puzzle game, with strategic colour matching.It's a style of gameplay that works particularly well on touch-based devices.Story-wise, it's about what you might expect from a fantasy RPG. There is evil threatening the world, and it's up to your band of intrepid heroes to lay the demon smackdown. As demons start to take over the world, they start popping up on the map; when you move to a position inhabited by demons, it's battle on.The battlefield is divided into a grid; your forces on the bottom half and enemy forces on the top. To attack, you have to line up at least three troops of the same colour vertically; to damage your enemy, your attack has to hit the back wall, so it pays to line them up where there are gaps in your enemy's troops. Other strategies involve lining up troops horizontally to create a wall, or skipping moves in order to build up to a stronger attack.It makes for an engrossing turn-based battle system supplemented by some lush, cartoon-style graphics. One caveat is that the screen size of the iPhone and iPod Touch is a little small for the battlefield, so it's hard to accurately tap your units. A pinch-zoom feature applies a fix, but then you can't see the entire field and will have to zoom back out again to access all your control buttons. It is, however, a minor irritation.As you move through the world, with regions inhabited by various races â€" elves, humans, wizards and necromancers â€" you build on your armies, level up and progress through the storylines, which are quite dramatic and engrossing, a nice supplement to the gameplay. However, if the story is getting in your way, there is a battle mode that allows you to skip the talking and get right to the fighting.And for the iOS version, a few new great features have been added: online multiplayer, where you can test your skills against other players; and cloud backup, so you never have to lose your game, even when switching devices.Capybara and Ubisoft have done a very capable job of the port, and it's a worthwhile addition to your RPG stable.Might & Magic Clash of Heroes is out now on the iTunes app store (AU$5.49).
Are you suffering from smartphone fatigue- (Poll)
Are you suffering from smartphone fatigue? (Poll)
There are days when it's so challenging to be a technology writer, I can only imagine what it's like to be a technology consumer.For example, and I'm just ballparking here, there are some 37,000 smartphones you can buy today. Whoops, hang on, just got a press release from HTC; make that 37,001. Oh, and here comes Android 4.3 -- wonder when I'll be able to load that on my S3. Hey, Best Buy took $50 off the iPhone last weekend. Must mean Apple's announcing a new model at next month's WWDC, right? Certainly we'll be getting iOS 7 before long. Of course, Samsung's new Galaxy S4 has the better camera anyway, so Apple better step it up.Exhausting, right? It can be a full-time job keeping up on all this stuff, though obviously we in the tech-journalism field are employed to do exactly that. Still, I can't help wondering if the average smartphone user feels similarly overwhelmed by all the options and updates and choices -- many of which seem to change almost daily.Truly, living the smartphone life can be daunting. 3G, 4G, LTE, GSM, HSPA+. NFC, GPS, PPI. Dual-core, quad-core. Five megapixels, eight megapixels. Android 4.1, Android 4.2. iOS 6, iOS 7. Q10, Z10. Google Play, iTunes, iCloud. Windows Phone 8 (or is it Windows 8 Phone?). BlackBerry (they're back!). iPhone 5, iPhone 5S. Samsung Galaxy S3, Samsung Galaxy S4. HTC One. Nexus 4.Smartphone fatigueDo you eat, sleep, and breathe smartphones, or is your head swimming from the onslaught of options?And I didn't even mention carriers. I'm with AT&T right now, but my two-year contract ends soon. Because I'm a cheapskate (not to mention The Cheapskate), there's no way I'm going to continue paying $80 monthly to keep using my iPhone 4S.That means I'm in the market for an MNVO, a mobile network virtual operator that will sell me service at a much lower rate -- and without a contract. But where do I take it? Walmart's Straight Talk? I've heard iffy things about their terms of service. There's Solavei, which offers a flat rate of $49 per month -- but its T-Mobile-powered 4G coverage doesn't yet reach my slice of suburbia.I could also sell my 4S on Ebay to cover a good chunk of the costs of a prepaid iPhone 5, which is now available from no-contract carriers including Boost Mobile, Cricket, Virgin Mobile, and, most recently, T-Mobile. Ah, but do they really afford the same level of coverage as AT&T?If I'm willing to switch to Android, I can save even more money by going to an upstart carrier like Republic Wireless, Ting, or Zact Mobile. But I won't be able to get the latest and greatest handsets, and I might miss out on some OS updates.Like I said: exhausting. Make no mistake, I love all this stuff. But sometimes the relentless onslaught of smartphone news and options fries my brain. Do you ever feel the same way?
There are days when it's so challenging to be a technology writer, I can only imagine what it's like to be a technology consumer.For example, and I'm just ballparking here, there are some 37,000 smartphones you can buy today. Whoops, hang on, just got a press release from HTC; make that 37,001. Oh, and here comes Android 4.3 -- wonder when I'll be able to load that on my S3. Hey, Best Buy took $50 off the iPhone last weekend. Must mean Apple's announcing a new model at next month's WWDC, right? Certainly we'll be getting iOS 7 before long. Of course, Samsung's new Galaxy S4 has the better camera anyway, so Apple better step it up.Exhausting, right? It can be a full-time job keeping up on all this stuff, though obviously we in the tech-journalism field are employed to do exactly that. Still, I can't help wondering if the average smartphone user feels similarly overwhelmed by all the options and updates and choices -- many of which seem to change almost daily.Truly, living the smartphone life can be daunting. 3G, 4G, LTE, GSM, HSPA+. NFC, GPS, PPI. Dual-core, quad-core. Five megapixels, eight megapixels. Android 4.1, Android 4.2. iOS 6, iOS 7. Q10, Z10. Google Play, iTunes, iCloud. Windows Phone 8 (or is it Windows 8 Phone?). BlackBerry (they're back!). iPhone 5, iPhone 5S. Samsung Galaxy S3, Samsung Galaxy S4. HTC One. Nexus 4.Smartphone fatigueDo you eat, sleep, and breathe smartphones, or is your head swimming from the onslaught of options?And I didn't even mention carriers. I'm with AT&T right now, but my two-year contract ends soon. Because I'm a cheapskate (not to mention The Cheapskate), there's no way I'm going to continue paying $80 monthly to keep using my iPhone 4S.That means I'm in the market for an MNVO, a mobile network virtual operator that will sell me service at a much lower rate -- and without a contract. But where do I take it? Walmart's Straight Talk? I've heard iffy things about their terms of service. There's Solavei, which offers a flat rate of $49 per month -- but its T-Mobile-powered 4G coverage doesn't yet reach my slice of suburbia.I could also sell my 4S on Ebay to cover a good chunk of the costs of a prepaid iPhone 5, which is now available from no-contract carriers including Boost Mobile, Cricket, Virgin Mobile, and, most recently, T-Mobile. Ah, but do they really afford the same level of coverage as AT&T?If I'm willing to switch to Android, I can save even more money by going to an upstart carrier like Republic Wireless, Ting, or Zact Mobile. But I won't be able to get the latest and greatest handsets, and I might miss out on some OS updates.Like I said: exhausting. Make no mistake, I love all this stuff. But sometimes the relentless onslaught of smartphone news and options fries my brain. Do you ever feel the same way?
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