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Finally! Our blog has moved to our homepage at www.TheDigitalLifestyle.tv. Please update your bookmarks to point there!

ABC News App For the iPhone and iPod Touch

There are plenty of ways to get local and national news on your iPhone. Kudos to ABC News for their ABC News iPhone App. Sure, it gives you headlines like most news/RSS sites, but the real advantage to this application is the video capability. Same day clips are available from several ABC shows, and I'm partial to the Tech Bytes segments.

The app also gives you local weather and news/emergency alerts. Take a look:

New Design / Blog Location Coming Soon

A quick note that things might get a little bumpy around here over the next 24 hours or so: We're migrating the site and the blog to a new location. We're looking forward to your feedback on the new look this week!

Apple doesn't make the Fortune 100 best companies to work for 2009 list

I'm not sure I agree with Fortune's list which can be found here. Having worked for the Cupertino company, I can say that in all categories judged by Fortune - Apple has strong marks. Employees, Apple has over 32,000 world wide. First place has 7,853. It doesn't look like Fortune uses a more is better formula for this statistic which brings into question why it's listed there.

Lets look at the 2nd stat. Job growth and applicants. There's no way to know about this, but I'm sure Apple has vastly more applicants than openings seeing it did make the Fortune most admired list ranking in first place.

The 3rd stat is pay. Again I can't speak with any certainty, but Apple was quite fair with it's salaries of corporate employees.

The 4th stat is benefits. Apple had pleanty. There was the subsidized gym, stock purchase plan, great healthcare options . . . everything you'd expect from an industry leader.

I guess the point I'm trying to make here is that Apple has all the right stuff based on the categories listed in the report so I have to assume Fortune is basing it's rankings off something else entirely. Unfortunately Fortune hasn't identified what that is. I wonder why they've left Apple off the list . . . again.

TDL Live This week: (1/26-2/6)

It was another raucous edition of TDL Live last night. We talked about breastfeeding photos, Palm Pre, femtocell, and of course all things Apple. First, a quick reminder, you can subscribe through iTunes to never miss an episode. Or you can hope its one of the weeks we remember to post it here in the blog. Don't risk it.

Hydro Tilt for iPhone and iPod Touch Review

I was always a big fan of Marble Madness in the arcade, and at first I thought Hydro Tilt was sort of a Marble Madness clone. I was wrong. It is far more focused on the puzzle aspect of getting your water drop (that can also turn to steam and ice, as needed) from point a to point b.

Essentially, you need to change form at the right time to cross certain bridges/shoots, etc, turn into the frozen cube, and get that cube back to a specific place on the game board. At first I was annoyed by the on-screen directions, but those are there in the first rounds to let you know what's going on. ( A great reason for directions, I suppose...)

Video Interview with Pandora Founder Tim Westergren

Last year, Pandora released it's iPhone app, and quite possibly changed internet "radio" forever. Suddenly personalized radio, previously only available to the masses on computers, was free from any Mac or PC, and in the wild.

I had a chance to talk to Tim Westergren, founder of Pandora, about the effect the iPhone app has had on the company (spoiler: it now accounts for 15% of daily listening) and the dark days last fall as internet broadcasters were facing a potentially game-ending music royalty hike.

Enjoy, and my apologies for the bad video quality. (That might be another blog post all in itself.) Also, to put this in context, the interview took place prior to the launch of the Palm Pre, another device aimed at massive adoption that sports a Pandora client.

Crazy Tanks for the iPhone and iPod Touch Review

If you remember the classic "Combat" game that shipped with millions of Atari 2600's, then you'll already know the basic idea behind Crazy Tanks. You pilot a tank, and have to shoot enemy tanks and gun positions. Tapping anywhere on the screen allows you to fire, while the radar in the bottom right corner shows the relative positions of enemies, as well as health bonuses, multi-shot upgrades, etc.

Unfortunately, you never see much of that battleground at any given time, and the lack of visibility makes the game more frustrating than it would be otherwise. There are worse ways to spend 99 cents in the app store, and with just a few tweaks, this could be a top game in my book. Don't take my word for it, try it for yourself.

CNN Celebrates The Birthday of the Mac

See Apple, it's okay to acknowledge your past. Today CNN's iReport section is askingfor photos of your vintage Mac. This Saturday marks the 25th anniversary of the launch of the Macintosh, and all indications are that Apple will let the milestone come and go without any fanfare. It's quite a difference compared to the Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh (which was released on the 20th anniversary of the company, not of the Mac.)

So send your Mac stories to CNN. And better yet, share them with the Mac community in the comments below as well.

Recession? What Recession? Apple Has Record Quarter

Apple's quarterly results are out, and they are staggering. Here's the full rundown, but the short story is, it was a record quarter for profit. A record quarter. Now. WOW!

Apple Tax Out of Control?

We saw this image over on Digg and thought it was worth a quick post. We haven't check these specs ourselves, but if true the so-called Apple tax is truly out of hand. With Q109 results due today, it will be interesting to see how the poor economy and Apple's unwillingness to budge on price effected their sales.

What happened to 'Mac and PC' ?

Maybe it's just my own TV viewing habits, but I can't help but notice our old friends Mac and PC have been MIA from tv since the holidays. Could it mean a change is in the works? Could it mean they're waiting for a new feature? Could it simply be that I've been watching the wrong channels? Make no mistake, I still see plenty of iPod Touch ads on a daily basis.

Have you seen Mac and PC on your television lately?

Jobs' Announcement May Explain Bland Keynote

We're all still digesting Steve Jobs' announcement that he will be taking a leave from Apple to care for his health issues that are, in his words, "more complex than I originally thought." First, it's worth noting that this was the suspicion of Jamie here at TDL from day one. I didn't believe it, and still don't want to. That said, this may explain why this year's keynote was so bland, and in a different way than you may have originally thought.

It is my belief that products like the iPhone nano, and the revamped Mac mini are ready, or nearly ready to debut. Apple may have taken a calculated risk: After all, if those new products were released, and Jobs left for an extended time, and Apple had nothing new to ship, what would people say? Apple can't make great products without Steve. Now, they can release these products over the next six months, and give the appearance (whether true or not) that the company can innovate perfectly fine with Jobs on the sidelines.

Commentary: Apple and AT&T Independent Resellers Unite!

There was a time, when buying a Mac meant a trip to your neighborhood independent Apple reseller. Just about the time Apple decided to take matters into their own hands and open their own stores, the cell phone industry exploded, thanks in no small part to the growth of independent cell phone providers. All of those kiosks in malls and standalone independent phone dealers add a substantial amount of revenue for AT&T each year. Many offer contracts with different carriers. What better way to get them to get more customers onto your service than to arm them with the most sought-after cell phone around?

Instead, these dealers are left with the unenviable task of talking down the benefits of the iPhone to get customers to purchase a different phone. Even though there are still no superior phones to the iPhone yet, more and more decent touchscreen competitors are springing up. And guess what? They aren't on AT&T's network. So in essence, you're making your own resellers push customers to competitors.

Let's go back to the Macintosh resellers for a moment. These are stores who have stuck through thick and thin with Apple for years and years. They did the heavy lifting for Apple, taking the time to fight the hard fight, to give the best, personalized service, and to evangelize, from the heart, about why the Mac was better. It could be argued that these days Apple gets far more revenue from their own stores than these resellers, so therefore they aren't important. Well, guess what? They are important. And the proof? Well, they're still standing. All those years of building customer relationships continues to pay off. Even as Apple continues to open more and more flashy stores, there is a base of customers who continue to buy products from their tried and true reseller. Maybe the local Apple Store is too far away. Maybe people don't want to brave a mall just to ask a computer question. Maybe the jig is up, and people realize that getting a knowledgeable genius in an Apple Store is really hit or miss these days. Whatever the reason, People still choose resellers.

There have been fundamental clashes before about how products were being distributed, with some feeling resellers were getting shut out. Eventually though, (some) product would arrive. It's a far different story with the iPhone.

I cut Apple some slack on this issue with the original release of the iPhone. After all, it was a new product, and a small(er), controlled rollout could be justified. We're over two years in now, and there's no justification beyond greed. We know the phones can be activated at home, why not allow more people to sell the phone. And with the announced deal to sell the iPhone in Wal Mart, doesn't that shoot the whole theory that this is about controlling the point-of-sale experience? We've visited two Wal Marts (and will continue to do so) and have yet to find a person who could tell us about the phone, or even a working demo model.

The Apple and AT&T resellers would both show far more passion and knowledge in selling the iPhone. It is inexplicable these two groups, who have shown their loyalty to their respective corporate gods, are unable to sell a product they want to sell and could sell with far better enthusiasm than Apple's current third-party iPhone providers. I hope Don Mayer at Small Dog Electronics is right. In his predictions for 2009, Don predicted that "Apple will allow its top independent resellers to sell the iPhone." It's the right thing to do, and way overdue.

Image: Movietonic.com

TDL Live and a Special Thanks

Here's this week's TDL Live. Originally airing before our "Welcome to Macintosh" documentary event, there's a live skype interview with the filmmakers in the second half of the show. We also cover the post-Macworld news. Enjoy, and don't forget, you can subscribe to the show as well:

Exclusive Online Screening of "Welcome To Macintosh" Documentary, Right Here

We're excited to let everyone know that on the heels of the wonderfully received debut of "Welcome to Macintosh" at Macworld, we will be presenting the film Monday night at 9:30 PM ET / 6:30 PM PT right after TDL Live. Rob Baca, and Josh Rizzo will chat with viewers throughout the film, and answer your questions.

If you're into such things, the full press release is below. Go forth and spread the word. Oh, and don't forget our channel is completely embeddable, so your site can have show the movie Monday night too!

Exclusive online screening of “Welcome to Macintosh” documentary on tDL

PHILADELPHIA - On the heels of its Macworld 2009 presentation in San Francisco, the new Apple centric documentary, "Welcome to Macintosh" will have a special one-time online screening, Monday, January 12th. At 9:30 PM ET on TheDigitalLifestyle.tv

Filmmakers Rob Baca and Josh Rizzo will participate in a live chat during
the screening where viewers can ask questions about it the movie, the people and the creation process.

"We are thrilled to bring this special screening to the Mac community," said
Ryan Ritchey, founder of TheDigitalLifestyle.tv. The film's Macworld
presentation drew and international crowd and included discussions with Apple legends Steve Wozniak, Guy Kawasaki, Ron Wayne, and others.

TheDigitalLifestyle.tv is an online video network dedicated to Apple news,
rumors, and has the largest collection of Apple-related videos in the world.

“With acceptance in five international film festivals, "Welcome to
Macintosh" is reaching its goal of bringing the story of Apple and the
Macintosh to the new generation of iPhone and iPod users around the world,” said Rob Baca, Co-director of the film.

The widescreen DVD is NTSC Region Free and includes over three hours of
extended interviews, a "making of" featurette, theatrical trailers, behind
the scenes photo journal, Mac symbiosis montage, interactive menus and
subtitles in English and Spanish. It is available today on FilmBaby, Amazon
and the films website welcometomacintosh.com.

"The DVD goes far beyond the movie, exploring in-depth the stories and
experiences that made the Macintosh what it is today" said Josh Rizzo,
co-director of the film. "There are so many great stories to hear, we are
very excited to have the opportunity to share them."

"When we set out to create an online video network dedicated to Apple and
its fans, this is just the kind of programming we wanted to find," says
Ritchey.

Robert Baca a & Joshua Rizzo are 2002 graduates of Ithaca College's Roy H.
Park School of Communications. Robert resides with his family in Columbus
Ohio where works as a producer of industrial and commercial videos. Joshua
currently resides in Los Angeles and works as a post production systems
engineer for TV and film. Welcome to Macintosh is the first feature-length
film they have directed.

Fake Calls for iPhone (and iPod Touch, Actually)

I suppose in an ideal world, we wouldn't need an app like Fake Calls. After all, what good can come from lying to others about getting a phone call. And if you're like me, you'll be so anxious to show your friends how it works, they'll never believe you really have a phone call in the future.

The premise is simple. You select a contact from your contacts list, or a phone number. Then select a time up to one hour in the future, and the ringtone you'd like to use for your "call." The ringtones include the iPhone standard rings (except for the alarm, which is one I actually use) which adds authenticity to the experience.

I've had the most fun having people call me while they're sitting in front of me. I sell it as a mind-over-matter exercise. Of course with this blog post, the jig will be up.

For $0.99, you could do worse as iPhone apps go, and it might just get you out of tight spot someday. Oh and a bonus for iPod Touch owners: I haven't tested it, but reports are it will work with the iPod Touch as well. Voila! an instant fake iPhone in your hand!

Did Jon Rubinstein Just Save Palm and Sprint

Apple Vet Jon Rubinstein landed at Palm awhile back. I believe the collective reaction was, "good luck with that." But today, Palm unveiled the fruits of Rubinstein's labor, the Palm Pre. The name is rough, and the design is quite thick, but when you look at the features, you see a device that does everything an iPhone does, but does it without coming off as mimicking the iPhone. And there are plenty of improvements many of would like to see in the iPhone already in the Pre.

Engadget did a thorough job of blogging the Pre unveiling. Click here for a look at what could become the biggest competitor to the iPhone. And it's from Palm. Who would've thought!?

photo: engadget

Platypus for iPhone and iPod Touch Review

So what does it take to bring new life to a side scrolling game on the iPhone? Well, a fun twist on a space shoot-em-up, and a retro soundtrack are a great start. Platypus for the iPhone and iPod gives you a modern-day Defender, but with a twist: All of the ships (and landscapes) are made of clay. It's amazing how much such a seemingly small change makes the game play more fun. Combined with a retro 8bit-ish soundtrack Platypus proves to be one of the most addictive iPhone games we've tried yet. Take a look, then give it a download.

Phil "The Thrill" Schiller T-Shirts Available

Whether you loved or hated this year's Macworld Keynote, hey, let's not blame Phil. Let's show Phil we know he's just the messenger... And what better way to do that (and support TDL at the same time, than with your very own Phil "The Thrill" t-shirt!