News / Media

Lutron Electronics announced the release of the Lutron Home Application for the iPhone and iPod Touch. The app provides control for the RadioRA 2 total light control system.

The app is available free of charge from the iTunes store.

By Nick Mokey

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http://www.digitaltrends.com/home-theater/apple-tv-vs-google-tv-how-do-they-differ/

The smartphone brawl between Apple and Google just crashed through a fence and onto your television set. But is Apple TV vs. Google TV a fair fight? Here’s why Apple TV and Google TV are significantly different approaches to digital entertainment.

The surging interest set-top media boxes such as Roku, Apple TV and the Boxee Box is starting to look a lot like the sudden buzz around tablets: Microsoft was puttering around with the same concepts ages ago, but nobody really cared. Now that Apple and Google have focused their laser-like engineering teams on the problem, years of antiquated GUI design are searing off in months as both companies work their magic on the long-neglected “ten-foot interface.”

While Apple TV has kicked around in various iterations since 2007 and Google TV hasn’t even hit the market officially, enquiring TV addicts want to know: Which will you be kicking back and watching this fall? In truth, despite the similar names and cutthroat competitors, they’re two different beasts entirely. Here’s how Google TV is different from Apple TV.

Apple TV is one box, Google TV is an ecosystem.

Google and Apple have both carried their smartphone strategies directly over to the television: Apple won’t let anybody else touch its proprietary Apple TV interface, and Google wants to staple Google TV onto as many boxes as it can. Google TV will be built right in to new TVs from Sony, available on separate set-top boxes from Logitech, and those are just launch partners, with many more to come. Just as it does with smartphones, this rainbow of vendors will translate to more choice for Google TV users, while Apple TV users have one box to do it all.Need composite video outputs, 1080p decoding or some other, yet unknown feature on Apple TV? Tough luck, wait for next year. Need it on Google TV? Just wait for some manufacturer to pump out a deluxe box.

Google TV has more power.

Apple recently redesigned the Apple TV to run on the same A4 processor powering the iPhone and iPad. Essentially, it’s a smartphone, without a screen, in a box. While that will make it a quiet, ultra-efficient power miser, it doesn’t leave much headroom for upgrades, either. By contrast, Google TV will run on Intel’s Atom processor – the same chip powering virtually every netbook on the market. Besides giving it the additional horsepower to pump up full 1080p video, rather than 720p as the Apple TV caps out at, it should leave room for additional upgrades, and maybe even the possibility of hacking hardware to run other desktop software. MythTV or Boxee, anyone?

Apple TV acts as a storefront.

Apple makes a killing off of iTunes. Conveniently, Apple TV conveniently plants a storefront for iTunes in the middle of your living room, allowing you to buy Apple content from Apple. Besides the existing option to purchase both TV shows and movies through iTunes, Apple has also introduced 99-cent TV show rentals with the latest iteration. Google, meanwhile, has said nothing of opening a store for content. Every source will either come for free through the Web, from a cable box, or third-party providers. This might make the selection of popular shows smaller out of the box, but we wouldn’t be surprised to see providers like Amazon on Demand, Vudu and Hulu Plus lining up to hop aboard Google TV, broadening its appeal past what Apple alone can deliver.



Google TV has a Web browser.

Not everything you want to put on the big screen comes wrapped up as a movie. Sometimes, you want to show off photos from a Picasa gallery. Sometimes, you want to give directions to a friend on Google Maps. Sometimes, you just want to read your favorite site without squinting. Google TV will integrate a browser based on Chrome to do all the above – plus play all of your favorite Web-based videos. Apple only offers YouTube and Flickr.



Google TV has apps.

Ironically, Apple TV lacks the holy grail of expandability that rocketed the iPhone to success, while Google managed to cram it in. Google TV runs on Android , and it will run Android apps. Details remain somewhat scarce on Google TV’s app support, but Google claims that existing Android apps should eventually be able to run on Google TV, as long as they don’t use smartphone-only features (a labyrinth game that relies on tilt sensors, for instance, wouldn’t make much sense on your TV). More importantly, developers will be able to code Google TV specific apps after an SDK comes out, so anything a developer dreams up should – theoretically – become possible….

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<strong><a href="http://www.digitaltrends.com/home-theater/apple-tv-vs-google-tv-how-do-they-differ/" target="_blank">http://www.digitaltrends.com/home-theater/apple-tv-vs-google-tv-how-do-they-differ/</a></strong></p>

Crestron brings out 13-button iPanel, which snaps over the iPad and communicates via the multipin connector.

By Julie Jacobson September 16, 2010

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http://www.cepro.com/article/exclusive_crestron_brings_hard_buttons_to_ipad/

A total of 13 buttons grace the left and right sides of the iPanel:

- VOLUME UP/DOWN

- MUTE

- LIGHTS

- HOME

- GUIDE

- INFO

- EXIT

- LEFT, RIGHT, UP, DOWN, SELECT

The buttons look like the ones on Crestron’s flagship TPS-6X wireless touchpanel, and they function similarly.

Power and communications occur through the the iPad’s multipin connector. The buttons tap into the iPad’s WiFi capabilities, communicating with a Crestron controller just like the TPS-6X or any other WiFi-enabled Crestron touchpanel. The screen does not have to be docked for the hard buttons to work. That’s because the case itself contains a multipin connector. When you dock the unit, you’re basically stacking connectors. Engraving of the buttons is still being finalized and more details are to follow if the hard buttons can be used for instant access to the Crestron app.

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<strong><a href="http://www.cepro.com/article/exclusive_crestron_brings_hard_buttons_to_ipad/" target="_blank">http://www.cepro.com/article/exclusive_crestron_brings_hard_buttons_to_ipad/</a></strong></p>

iPhone App From NuVo!

NuVo has introduced their own iPhone App to control the Renovia, Concerto and Essentia systems. Download the FREE Lite version from the Apple App store to try the app in one zone of your home. If you like it, you can download the complete NuVo App and control all zones of your home.

Control4 My House App

Turn up the music (or the TV or the radiator…). The Control4 My House app gives you one-tap access to your Control4 home automation system so you can manage everything from your HVAC system to your audio and video devices. Now you can adjust the temperature in your home or change the volume on your living room stereo using just your iPhone.

DirecTV App

Never miss a show. If you’re a DIRECTV subscriber, the DIRECTV app lets you set your home DVR to record your favorite shows from anywhere. Or you can access the entire program schedule for a quick search or browse by channel, date, or time.

Crestron App

Crestron is the leader of home automation, controlling entertainment and environmental systems from touchpanels, keypads, remotes and Web-enabled devices such as iPhone. What’s New In Version 2.00.09 Rotation support for both portrait and landscape modes, gestured lists, ability to disable project updates, iOS 4 multi-tasking, page transitions, and updated built-in graphics to reduce project sizes

A look at the new streaming-only Apple TV, iOS 4.2 for the iPad, and Apple’s new iPod lineup.

By Steve Crowe September 01, 2010

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http://www.electronichouse.com/article/apple_streaming_apple_tv_itunes_10_ipods/

After days of rumors, we now know what Apple had up its sleeve for its event at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater in San Francisco. Steve Jobs was on hand unveiling the new Apple TV, iTunes 10 with social networking, iOS 4.1, a sneek peak at iOS 4.2 and new iPod Shuffles, Nanos, and Touches.



Apple TV

Jobs showed the new version of Apple TV, a box that is about one-fourth the size of the previous version. There will be no more content purchases, only rentals, to avoid storage management. It will stream video directly from iTunes or your computer. Apple is offering $0.99 rentals from ABC and Fox and full streaming support for Netflix and YouTube. First-run HD movies are $4.99. The new version will also feature built-in power supply, HDMI, Ethernet, and 802.11n wireless. The new Apple TV will cost $99, which is $129 less than the old Apple TV. It is available in four weeks and can be preordered now.

iTunes 10 is About Social Networking

Jobs also introduced iTunes 10, which adds a social music network called Ping. Jobs says Ping, which is built right into iTunes, allows you to follow your artists and friends, discover what they’re talking about, listening to, and downloading. Jobs says Ping is for “social music discovery”. Artists will set up their own pages, and you can set up a circle of friends. Jobs says Ping, which is open to 160 million iTunes users, is “not Facebook, not Twitter, it’s something new.” Ping is available for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

iOS 4.1 for iPhone, iPod Touch

Jobs first announced iOS 4.1, which will be available next week as a free download for the iPhone and iPod Touch. He says it will fix a lot of bugs with the iPhone and the proximity sensor issues. It also adds High Dynamic Range (HDR) photo capture and support for Game Center. HDR takes three separates photos of the same image: one regular exposure, one under exposed shot, and one over exposed shot. It keeps the normal photo and the HDR photo, which is combined from all 3 exposures. Game Center is a social platform for those who want to play games in iOS devices. Epic Games president Mike Capps gave a quick demo of Project Sword, a HD 3D game that will be available for the iPhone this holiday season.

iOS 4.2 for iPad

Jobs says iOS 4.2, which will be available in November as a free download, is all about the iPad. It will bring all the features of iOS 4.1, multitasking, wireless printing and a new version of AirTunes that is called AirPlay. They changed the name because the feature will, in addition to music, now stream videos and photos over WiFi. The iOS 4.2 upgrade will also be for iPhones and iPod Touches…

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<strong><a href="http://www.electronichouse.com/article/apple_streaming_apple_tv_itunes_10_ipods/" target="_blank">http://www.electronichouse.com/article/apple_streaming_apple_tv_itunes_10_ipods/</a></strong></p>

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http://kevinrose.com/blogg/2010/8/21/why-apples-itv-will-change-everything.html

The rumor: Apple will be releasing a revamped/renamed version of their ‘Apple TV’ set-top box, called ‘iTV’. The box will run the Apple iOS (same as the iPhone/iPad), and be priced around $99.

Why will this change everything?

iOS TV Applications: Expect to see an iPhone/Pad like marketplace for television applications. Video sharing/streaming/recording apps, interactive news apps, and of course games.

a la carte (app) stations: With Apple’s iAds, content producers (eg. ABC/NBC/etc.) can directly monetize and distribute their content. This will eventually destroy the television side of the cable and satellite industry, as your only requirement to access these on-demand stations will be an internet connection. Say goodbye to your monthly cable bill.

MobileMe Picture/Video sharing: At $99 your parents, grandparents, and friends will have an iTV. Sharing pictures/videos from your iPhone will happen with the push of a button. Imagine getting a notification of new family videos the next time you turn on your TV.

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<strong><a href="http://kevinrose.com/blogg/2010/8/21/why-apples-itv-will-change-everything.html" target="_blank">http://kevinrose.com/blogg/2010/8/21/why-apples-itv-will-change-everything.html</a></strong></p>

By Kevin Rose - Founder of Digg