June 25 - 10:10am EDT   (Updated with feature information) Apple is now distributing an update to the Remote iPhone app, bringing it to version 1.3. The app lets users control music playback on a computer or Apple TV, whether through basic play, pause, skip and shuffle commands, or the creation of custom playlists. Users can additionally control speakers connected through AirTunes. [full story]

June 18 - 12:10pm EDT   Apple has invested serious attention in the possibility of a 3D motion-control remote for the Apple TV, a newly-published patent application reveals. Backing up a later filing, the application once again describes a remote which would let users navigate an interface by pointing to objects, as well as making specific gestures. The remote would communicate with an Apple TV using IR, Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. [full story]

June 16 - 4:20pm EDT   Life Core has announced aTV Flash 3.6, the latest version of it Apple TV enhancement software. aTV Flash adds a series of features, including video playlists, additional file formats, and the ability to drag-and-drop media. Among the supported file formats are DivX, XviD, AVI, WMV and VIDEO TS. Further tweaks allow the use of an external USB hard drive. [full story]

May 29 - 6:25pm EDT   In brief: Tekkeon has released a new iPhone case which also integrates a built-in battery. The battery is said to double the life of the iPhone and is directly integrated into the leather exterior of the case. Craneballs studios has announced that its new iPhone game, Blimp: The Flying Adventures, should be available next week. The game takes players on a journey where they must protect their planet from an invasion. Meanwhile, Citrix has posted a new video which briefly outlines how to use an Apple TV to remotely access a computer. The video is fairly brief but shows the basic functionality of an Apple TV running XenDesktop such as running PowerPoint and Windows Media ... [full story]

May 21 - 4:15pm EDT   Apple has been considering voice recognition as an option for future TV remotes, most likely for the Apple TV set-top, a newly-published patent application hints. Titled Context-aware unit selection, the filing describes a "pointing device" associated with a computer, dubbed a "Web TV" system. Embedded in the remote would be a microphone, capable of accepting commands such as "open iTunes." [full story]

May 13 - 2:15pm EDT   VUDU today signaled a partial change in direction with word that it will start offering ad-supported music and video through its service. Once limited to renting as well as selling movies and TV shows, the company is tapping Brightcove to provide ads for a free Sony music video service. It also plans to expand this to include other services but hasn't set out its plans to date, including whether or not it may extend this to TV and other long-form content. [full story]

April 28 - 4:20pm EDT   Right now Apple.com has a variety of refurbished Apple products at reduced prices. Apple TV is available in both 40GB and 160GB configurations for $199 and $279. Accessories include the wireless keyboard for $69, the AirPort Express Base station for $85 and refurb. Time Capsules in both 500GB and 1TB options for $239 and $399 respectively. Recently the iPod nano in both 8GB and 16GB configurations were reduced to $99 and $149 correspondingly. Unibody MacBooks are also offered starting as low as $1099 for the 2.0GHz model with 2GB of memory and 160GB hard drive. A selection of MacBook Air models are being featured as well with prices ranging from $999 to $2149. [full story]

April 7 - 10:35pm EDT   Acer tonight launched a slew of systems that include the first desktop based on NVIDIA's Ion graphics and system controller platform. The AspireRevo is based on a low-performance, low-cost 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor but draws on the 9400M-based graphics to run apps and content that are ordinarily impossible on Intel's reference hardware. Built-in decoding lets it play 1080p video at a full frame rate and even play some modern games at reasonable performance, such as Call of Duty 4 or SimCity 4. [full story]

April 7 - 9:05am EDT   Blockbuster yesterday submitted a US Securities and Exchange Commission filing that reveals the company doesn't believe it can continue business. The video store is no longer certain that it can remain a "going concern" and may have to stop operations and close its doors if its financial situation doesn't improve in the near future. The warning comes in spite of a $250 million refinancing loan having been put in place just last week; Blockbuster now says there is "no assurance" that it can meet the requirements of the transaction before it's completed on May 11th. [full story]

April 2 - 7:10pm EDT   The first hints of Microsoft making good on its promise of bringing the Zune platform to other devices than the current portable media players have come in the form of two job postings discovered today. The first is seeking a software development engineer for the Zune team to help deliver digital entertainment into the living room, while the other is hinting at the Zune service and Zune Marketplace extending globally. [full story]

March 25 - 7:45am EDT   Blockbuster today said it would start delivering movies and TV shows over TiVo's DVRs. The tie-in will give users about 10,000 combined movies and TV shows that can be purchased or rented from any Series 2, Series 3 or HD series device. The company is offering movie rentals for between $2 and $4 and permanent movie purchases between $15 and $20. As part of the deal, Blockbuster says it will also start selling TiVo units in its retail stores. [full story]

March 23 - 4:45pm EDT   Vuze has released an update to its BitTorrent client and media player. Version 4.2 can now be used to automatically convert videos to formats required for the iPhone, iPods, Apple TV, PS3 and Xbox 360. iTunes, PS3 and Xbox 360 are each auto-detected, showing up under a list of devices in a new sidebar. Video files can then be dragged and dropped from the library or desktop and onto the appropriate device. [full story]

March 19 - 5:30pm EDT   Following the release of iTunes 8.1, Apple has announced that it will allow customers to download HD-quality movies. The content will be available to download or rent within 30 days after release. Users can view the movies on Mac or PC systems, televisions, Apple TV and in standard-definition on the iPhone or iPods with video support. [full story]

March 19 - 4:10pm EDT   Elgato on Thursday announced it has added 1080p compatibility to its original Turbo.264 USB video conversion dongle, resulting in the Turbo.264 HD. The new product is now much faster than its predecessor, and still allows users to convert videos into the H.264 format that is compatible with portable electronics such as iPods, iPhones, the Apple TV and Sony's PSP and similar devices. Besides resolution, it also adds support for HD camcorder formats such as AVCHD as well as MPEG-2- and MPEG-4-encoded HD content. The Turbo.264 HD automatically detects AVCHD camcorders and moves the recordings in standard- or high-definition to selected source devices. [full story]

March 12 - 12:40pm EDT   Apple may have much more complex interactions in mind for future versions of the Apple TV remote, a new patent application suggests. While the current remote is no different from the models used to control Front Row on Macs, a future version may function similarly to the controllers for Nintendo's Wii console, which allow precise pointing and motion-sensing actions. The Apple hardware would rely on IR sensors and/or an accelerometer or gyroscope. [full story]