Apple TV

Success and failure are relative, but if Apple wants to maintain its position of dominance at the top of the tech sector the company is going to have to have an ace up its sleeve. And I don't mean just developing a self-driving car or embracing artificial intelligence and virtual reality. Sure, these are noble, and necessary endeavors for Apple to embark upon, but other tech companies are already actively and fervently exploring these areas. In fact, it could be said that Apple may be lagging behind in these area, since it has been relying so heavily on the success of the iPhone and iPad lines for its prominence, popularity, and profit.

I switched to satellite-based DirecTV a while ago, when AT&T (owner of DirecTV) offered unlimited wireless data for DirecTV subscribers. It was a good deal, as we were anxious to leave Time Warner but not ready to cut the cable cord yet. But for those who prefer watching TV using apps, the company just announced DIRECTV NOW, an app-based streaming service that includes live TV as well as on-demand shows. It could be a bargain and it just got better.

It's almost October 23, the date The Walking Dead returns to the air with the highly anticipated seventh season. If you're one of the hordes of fans, then you already know that TWD is much more than just a zombie show. It strikes a delicate balance between a grotesque and violent thriller and a post apocalyptic Lord-of-the-Flies-style story where the zombies are bad, but the humans can be far worse. Season six ended at the height of an extremely tense and emotional juncture in the story and every one of us who loves this show has been waiting eagerly and not so patiently for season seven to begin, so that we can deal with the impending heartache of finding out which of our favorite characters loses his or her life to Lucille, the barbed-wire wrapped baseball bat belong to the newly introduced character, Negan.

It's 2016 and our world is in a tumultuous state. Same old story some would say; wars, famine, human strife, and suffering. Particularly here in America, it seems like society in general is on edge and dealing with serious issues of justice, intolerance, and discord. For me, one of my greatest solaces over the decades has been and still is the good ol' Grateful Dead. The experience of their music, live shows, and the collective optimism and enthusiasm of the "Deadhead" scene has been an anchor for me in the storm of life ever since I was in my late teens, which is when I first started seeing shows, back when de facto band leader, Jerry Garcia was still alive.

Next Wednesday, September 7, Apple will hold its fall keynote event and officially release the iPhone 7. You can easily watch the event on your device or Apple TV—we'll tell you how below. At the September event, we're certain the iPhone 7 will debut with redesigned antenna bands and no headphone jack. Beyond that, we may see the new Apple Watch 2 or a line-up of Macbook Pros. A lot has been kept secret this time around, so tune in and follow our coverage to stay up to date. See you on September 7; we’ll be covering the latest product launches while we stuff our face with pizza. Here’s how you can watch Apple's iPhone 7 September keynote event too.

It's that time again. From August 8–13 2016 all eyes in the world of eSports were on the KeyArena in Seattle. The annual DotA 2 championship cup isn't only of interest to eSport or MOBA enthusiasts though. Sport trend analysts and mobile game analysts alike were tuned in to this major event as an indicator of emerging markets and evolving trends in the video game business. In a nutshell, video games are a huge business and they are filling professional sports stadiums with spectators eager to watch these digital battles take place live and in-person. It's only a matter of time until a mobile game makes significant in-roads into this rapidly developing sector of the professional sporting world.

If you've got a subscription cable service or a TV package with your internet service provider, then watching the 2016 Olympics in Rio De Janeiro on your iPad or Apple TV will be a snap. The bulk of the Olympics will be broadcast on NBC, with other events being shown on NBC's affiliates, such as *Bravo, *MSNBC, *CNBC and USA Network. Viewing the games is as simple as tuning in, either on your television, or via the free NBC apps for Apple TV, iPad, or iPhone, all of which work in conjunction with your paid subscription service. You can also watch the Olympics at the NBC website; however, by necessity, you have to watch it in a browser, and again, log in to a subscription service is  required. But what about those of us who have happily cut the cord with traditional television providers? Read on to discover all of the alternatives that exist for viewing the 2016 Olympics sans TV subscription service.

One of Steve Jobs' last acts was to rename the company he co-founded from "Apple Computer, Inc." to "Apple Inc." It made sense, as Apple had been steadily transitioning from a computer manufacturer to a full-fledged consumer electronics provider. The iPod, Apple Watch, Beats headphones, and the Apple TV aren't exactly computers, after all. And if Apple ever builds an Apple Car, it wouldn't make sense to be called Apple Computer at that point. So it was logical to set the stage for this transition.

You can organize your apps on an iPhone, an iPad, and even an Apple Watch. It only makes sense that you’d be able to do so on the Apple TV too. This is specific to the 4th-generation Apple TV or later. All you need is your trackpad remote and a couple of minutes to organize the apps on your Apple TV however you’d like. Here’s how to move and organize your apps on the Apple TV.

I had a dose of healthy skepticism about Amazon Prime Day, given last year's showing, but it is here and some of the deals are indeed better than Black Friday. Understandably, the best deals are on Amazon's own products, as they can afford to drop the prices on such items, without cutting out some middle man.

I held out for the fourth-generation Apple TV for a long time. Three years passed between the third-generation Apple TV and the fourth generation, and despite my impatience, I kept hearing the rumors that encouraged me to wait for the latest and greatest iteration of Apple's acclaimed set-top box. As a lifetime gamer, I was especially excited to finally get to play App Store video games on the big screen.

The latest app-enabled Apple TV had great potential when it was released. But that potential hasn't been realized. Content makers haven't made their lineups available, leaving cord cutters wanting more. I haven't been able to completely cut the cord, because there hasn't been a great solution for live TV. Sure, with some apps like Hulu or CBS All Access, you can get the latest shows, but it's usually a day later, and often with a fee. That doesn't help you around the water cooler, when everyone's talking about last night's episode.

In a move that should be welcomed by both app developers and gamers, it appears that Apple has quietly removed the "on-again, off-again" restriction that required that tvOS games work with the Siri Remote. The voice activated remote is clever, small, and impressive, but it's less than ideal for true gaming. There's nothing like a comfortable, grippy game controller, with analog sticks, a D-pad, and buttons in the right place—plus no touchpad to throw things off. And if Apple wants the Apple TV to be considered a real gaming platform, this move was required.

While tvOS for the fourth-generation Apple TV didn't get a major update, it received some really welcome new features. Apple said there are now over 6,000 apps for the device, and announced some major new additions. Sling TV, the $20 per month streaming service that offers ESPN and about 20 other major channels, is now available for the Apple TV. Also coming is a sports app from Fox that lets you watch four screens at the same time.

Apple TV is striving to be your one-stop box for all things TV, movies, and video. But sometimes you may not wants the sound of your Apple TV to disturb the people around you (or a baby sleeping in the next room.) Luckily, with the 4th generation Apple TV, you can pair headphones with the device like you would any other Apple device. Here’s how to pair headphones with an Apple TV.

One of the missing features on the new Apple TV is an app for Amazon Video. Amazon Prime is a great value, for free shipping as well as music and more. But the library of video titles including Amazon original content is also quite compelling. However, with no Amazon Video on Apple TV, the experience isn't as robust as it could be. That's one of the reasons I bought a couple of Amazon Fire TV Sticks to plug in to extra HDMI ports on my TVs. But a single device plugged in to one HDMI port would be ideal.

The new Apple TV has a lot of promise, thanks to its ability to run third-party apps. As more developers wrap their heads around how to write (and play)Apple TV gaming apps, it could become a more compelling purchase. One such developer is Happy Labs, which makes a few such Apple TV apps, including Happy Swordplay ($2.99).

As Apple adds more app-enabled devices such as the Apple Watch and Apple TV, it becomes more and more of a challenge searching for apps that work on each device. You could use the Siri remote on your Apple TV to search for apps, but it's cumbersome, even with the new voice feature. The Apple Watch itself is hardly the platform for searching for apps, so it makes sense that those apps are found in iTunes and the iPhone App Store app, since an iPhone is required to pair with the Apple Watch. Still, Apple doesn't have a "filter" or tab specifically for Apple Watch apps or Apple TV apps, like it does for iPad. It has curated lists of some of its favorites, but that's hardly exhaustive.

My home is getting smarter all the time. When Apple first announced HomeKit, it was hard for me to imagine how it all worked. But now that I have several HomeKit-compatible devices installed, I'm starting to understand how it all works together. First up in my series of HomeKit devices was my introduction to HomeKit and review of iHome's smart plug. In this post I'll review the first of four devices that Elgato has given me to try: Eve Room.