I downloaded the PlayOn media server two days ago and have been playing around with their fully functional demo. I have to say it simply works as advertised and took no more than 2 minutes to set up. In a matter of minutes I was streaming Hulu and Netflix shows right to my TV via my iMac and it works GREAT!

It works so well as a matter of fact that I purchased a lifetime license for the software. If you are interested in grabbing your own copy hurry because they are offering a special discount… The normal price is $39.99 but if you buy it before this Sunday you can get it for only $19.99! That really is a sweet deal. If you want to quickly try before you buy you can download the demo and give it a good test drive.

Hulu users especially know that they make it very difficult to watch network TV shows on an actual TV as they try to keep you limited to watching in your PC’s or Mac’s browser or the Hulu desktop client. I’d much rather watch shows on a 50″ Plasma and I’m sure you would as well… With PlayOn this is no longer a problem and I’ve yet to find an easier solution.

PC users can just install the software/set up your account logins for Hulu, Netflix, etc. and you are done. Mac users like myself have to take a few extra steps but it is extremely simple to set up. Here is a link that will guide OS X users through the basic setup/install (some of the screen shots are a bit outdated but you will still be able to follow the set up very easily).

What you will need to run the PlayOn media server:

• PC running Windows OS
• Mac (OS X) running windows via Virtualization software such as Parallels Desktop, VMware Fusion, or even apple’s boot camp.
• 512 MB RAM
• 100MB of available hard drive space for the install
• A networked PS3, Xbox 360, Wii or DLNA compliant device

I tested PlayOn on an HP Desktop PC / 24″ iMac 2.8Ghz extreme and a macbook. The PC was running Win XP pro and I tested XP pro and Win 7 on my iMac and macbook. It worked seamlessly on all three setups with no snags at all. Depending on the speed of your ISP you may need to tweak your streaming settings (or you can just choose auto).

The bottom line is I’ve played around with various media servers on my Mac and this by far is the simplest and easiest to set up solution I’ve found. It was a good deal at $39.99 but it truly is a steal at $19.99! Give it a go and enjoy all the perks of streaming to your actual TV

You can view the full size image here that shows all of the different pre-configured styles.

INFO:
19 highly detailed, layered and fully editable Chrome text and graphic styles (including the ability to tweak all layer style effects). Tested on Mac (CS4) “and” PC (CS).

Pre-configured Chrome Text / Rough Chrome Text / Color Tinted Chrome Text / Color Tinted Rough Chrome Text as well as pre-configured round images that are great to use for buttons or misc. graphics for your work . The image layer style will also work great with many shapes and sizes.

- All of these items are on their own editable layers and are very organized so you can easily work with the file.

INCLUDES :
• 1024×1200 .psd that you can easily change text and effects.
• .asl file including 15 different pre-configured effects.
• very clean design and easy to follow layer organization.
• very detailed readme file with screen shots to guide you.

I really want to sincerely thank Ben and the support staff over at Graphicriver for really excellent support. Very fast and more important very good support! Let me know what you think about the Chrome text Photoshop style I added for sale….

I’ve been using virusbarrier from intego.com for years and truly love the software. I’m currently running X5 and when I saw the updated X6 release my first thought was to just do the normal thing for me and update my software to the latest version. I’m glad I didn’t just jump in like normal and decided to do a little research first. What I discovered that this is expire-ware, meaning that after 1 year the software itself will no longer function. No, not just your virus definitions will expire but the software itself will simply cease to run. This is a horrible marketing change in my opinion and is the “only” reason I will not be upgrading to virusbarrier X6. I’ll just keep my old X5 running and I still have 271 days of virus definition updates. Not to mention when my definition updates do actually expire my old software will still continue to function.

You can easily do some searching for yourself and see that this is their new way to market/sell their software. It is also included in their notes: on the purchase page.
Screenshot: from the bottom of this page

Their excuse for this is that people do not normally keep their virus definitions up to date and thus put themselves at risk so they have taken that risk away. Personally I’d rather make that decision for myself rather than purchasing software that will completely be useless in 1 year unless I re-purchase again. Not to mention that their suite also includes their firewall software. So does that mean that not only your virus software will no longer work after 1 year but also your firewall software will go down as well? From all the reading I’ve done this appears to be the case as well.

As a company I have supported in the past I truly hope they see the error in judgment and listen to their customers concerns. At this point I’m going to assume that many people will be in for a nasty surprise in 1 year since in my opinion intego goes out of their way to “NOT” reveal this on their site. “IF” they are going to choose to do this it needs to be in black and white and VERY clear before any unsuspecting customer purchases their software.

Who knows, maybe they will re-think this or maybe not. Maybe I will no longer be able to purchase virus definitions only for my X5 version and if that is the case it may be time to look into clamxav.

I just downloaded the wordpress app and I have to say it seems very easy to use and has a lot of built in features.

I am posting this entire entry (took screen shot from my phone / and added picture using the app) from my iPhone using nothing more than the wordpress app and my phones built in features.

As I post this the one thing I see I would really miss is a full featured editor to make posts in. Now if I want to post a direct link to a specific word I’ll have to use raw HTML, so I’ll just paste the link to the app at the end of the story.

I also can’t add custom field data (other than the apps built in geo tagging) like an image field to use screenshots for my showcase scroller you see at the top of the page here.

All and all though for basic quick blog posting on the fly I see no reason to look any further than the “free” wordpress app

http://iphone.wordpress.org/

The “only” thing I actually plan to edit via my computer is the custom image field addition for my scroller.

How is this not just an over-sized iPod touch? You really cannot call it a computer (no usb, firewire, etc. ports) can you? I can’t install software on it or multitask nor even do a video chat, unless something comes out as a surprise when it is released in a couple of days. You will be able to purchase tons of app’s from the app store and many of those I’m sure will be very good, but it’s just not the same freedom I have on my Macbook.

To me that is the question… How does the iPad bridge that gap between my iPhone and and my Macbook? To me it doesn’t make that leap, at least not with the version one product. Do I want one? Sure, it would be a great little toy to have and millions of people will find a use for it or it will bridge that gap for them.

I also found this article to a PC magazine review of the iPad. So for all the Apple haters here is an unbiased raving review from a ‘non’ apple base So please don’t take this post the wrong way, I love apple and their products. I was just really hoping this would be more of an actual netbook competitor and not a slick looking toy.

http://www.tuaw.com/ – Great Apple Blog
http://www.macrumors.com/ – One of the busiest Apple forums and a great resource site. Be sure to check out their buyers guide if you are looking to purchase a new apple product. They break down the refresh cycles and let you know if it is a good time to buy or to wait.
http://www.maclife.com/ – Good site/forum and I also subscribe to their magazine
http://www.macworld.com/- Another very good site/forum and I subscribe to their magazine as well.

There are many more but these are on my daily hit list.