Apple Mac HQ

I was recently on a business trip and one of my coworkers decided to buy an iPod Classic while we were at the Birmingham Apple Store. The next day he was looking to put some content on his iPod. In addition to a few songs on his laptop, he also had some videos he converted to avi files some time ago. He didn’t know how to get those videos on his iPod though. That’s when I thought of iSquint.

iSquint is a simple tool for converting videos to an iPod compatible format. As the screenshot below shows, it’s very easy to start converting video. Just drag a file into the application window, choose your optimization format and quality, and click start. If you selected the “Add to iTunes” checkbox, your video will be added to iTunes when it’s done converting. Sync your iPod and it will be transferred to it. It really is that simple. If you’re looking to put video on your iPod, iSquint is a great tool.

iSquint is available free of charge from Techspansion. iSquint is the little brother of VisualHub, the fantastic video conversion tool that I frequently use to add content to my Apple TV.

Popularity: 36% [?]

If you have the need to convert video formats or own an Apple TV then I’ll assume you have heard of VisualHub. For the uninitiated, it’s basically the swiss army knife of video conversion for the Mac. VisualHub features fast conversions from nearly every video format to a plethora of formats in a quick three step process (shot of the UI below). I just finished converting some video for my Apple TV and it worked flawlessly and quickly.

I’ve been pondering buying VisualHub for a week or so and finally went to pull the trigger last night when I noticed that in addition to buying VisualHub for the low cost of $23.32 USD, there was an option to get it for free. So what’s the catch you’re saying? Well basically you buy something else and get VisualHub for free through a service called TrialPay.

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Popularity: 38% [?]

About a month ago iTunes introduced a movie rental special to go along with the AppleTV software update. Each week, iTunes will feature a special movie that will cost just $.99 to rent. You get the same rental privileges with this $.99 movie as you do with any other movie on iTunes. A movie rental for less than a buck is a pretty good deal if you ask me.

The only problem with renting these cheap movies is actually finding them. I spent a good 5 or 10 minutes clicking around in iTunes and for the life of me I couldn’t see any place where you could actually find the special movie rental of the week. Search no more. Wake Interactive has created a website that lists the movie special along with a brief description of the movie and a direct iTunes link to the rental. 99Rental.com also features an RSS feed so you can get the latest movie rental special straight in your RSS reader. If you have an AppleTV or watch movies on your computer, 99Rental.com is a great resource.

[Via TUAW]

Popularity: 50% [?]

With the release of version 2.0 of the AppleTV software today, AppleTV has become a nice addition to any digital living room. The ability to rent and purchase movies straight from the device and the elimination of the need for a computer have gone a long way to making the AppleTV a more desirable product. I took the time tonight to upgrade my AppleTV and installing the new software was a breeze. Here are the steps to installing the new software:

1) I’m not sure that it matters, but I made sure that iTunes on my MBP, the AppleTV syncing machine, was closed. I didn’t want the software update and a sync to be going on at the same time.
2) Go into the Settings menu and choose Update Software
3) Your AppleTV will check to see if a new software version is available. The previous version is 1.1 while the new version is 2.0.
4) Once it finds that a new version is available, it will ask if you want to download it now or later. Choose Download Now.
5) Downloading the software on my 802.11n network took about 5 minutes.
6) Once the download is finished, it will ask if you want to update the software now or later. Choose Update Now.
7) You’ll see a note that the AppleTV will reboot itself and may reboot several times during the entire update process. It also warns you not to unplug the AppleTV during the update process.
8) After rebooting several times and displaying an Apple logo with a progress bar several times, the update will finally finish and show a short AppleTV intro video. The update process takes about 10 minutes.
9) You’re done!

The entire update process took slightly longer than 15 minutes and was pretty painless. I tested downloading a podcast directly from the AppleTV and it was very easy. The search feature narrows results as you type so finding the podcast I was looking for was very quick.

With the updated AppleTV software, it looks like iTunes added a new option in the Summary tab. The screen below could have been there before but I don’t think so. I’m really digging the updated software. Now when I’m laying down to go to bed I can get content directly and find something to put me to sleep. Where are those educational podcasts again?

Popularity: 34% [?]

If you’re looking for some HD content to display on your new, or maybe not so new TV, look no further than iTunes. I recently came across a new HD podcast that will look great on my TV once I get my AppleTV in a few weeks. I thought some of you might be interested in the podcast too.

If you love to travel and enjoy the outdoors, check out Beautiful Places. The podcast (iTunes link), features Tony Farley as he visits beautiful places around the US. Many of the early podcasts feature California locations like Yosemite, Point Reyes National Seashore, and more.

The podcast features Tony hiking around the various locations with his camera and filming the natural beauty that he encounters. Along with the video, the podcast features quotes and descriptions by Tony along with just enough silence to really take in what he has captured. Watching this podcast really inspires me to hit the trails.

Popularity: 10% [?]

The Macworld Keynote is in the books. Steve Jobs announced some pretty good stuff, some of which will cause my credit card to get some action in the coming weeks. Want to know what went down at the Keynote but don’t care to read a liveblog post or 10 different posts? I’ve created a cheat sheet of sorts for the 2008 Macworld Keynote. Here’s the lowdown:

OS X
-5 million copies of Leopard have been delivered. This is likely a combination of new Mac sales and Leopard boxed copies (no definitive word given).

Time Capsule
-Time Capsule is a companion product for Leopard’s Time Machine. Time Capsule is a combination Airport Extreme Base Station with a server grade hard drive. It’s a “backup appliance”.
-500GB and 1TB storage for $299 and $499 respectively.
-Backup multiple Macs to the same Time Capsule.
-No word on if this feature will be available for USB drives connected to the current Airport Extreme Base Stations.

iPhone
-4 million iPhone sold to date.
-It’s first quarter shipping it garnered 19% of the smart phone market share.
-1.1.3 iPhone software upgrade released: SMS to multiple people, current position locator in maps, customizable home screen, and more.

iPod Touch
-Mail, maps, stocks, notes, and weather coming to the Touch.
-The cost of those applications is $20 for current Touch owners and will be built in to new ones.

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Popularity: 34% [?]

If you’ve got a Wii and a Mac, then Wii Transfer might be what you’re looking for. Wii Transfer turns your Wii into something similar to an AppleTV. “Wii Transfer can share your movies, music, and pictures directly to your Nintendo Wii using the Internet Channel. Browse iTunes playlists and iPhoto albums on your television. Convert your movies to formats the Wii understands, either streaming directly from your Mac or for playback in the Wii’s Photo Channel.” Wii Transfer is available today only for $9 from MacZOT.

Popularity: 8% [?]