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Bucks 'n Bytes
Marc Saltzman is a personal technology evangelist who enjoys helping people save money and simplify their lives. He will be writing about smart technology shopping.
Why Apple TV is worth it
Steve Jobs' "hobby" has undergone a major redesign – Apple TV ($119) is a great little gadget for those who spend time in their home theatre – but it's a supplement, rather than a replacement, to traditional television.
Well, at least at this point in time.
About the size of a deck of cards, the new Apple TV is a small black box you connect to your television via an HDMI cable (not included), and once you join it to your wireless network (or use a wired Ethernet cable instead), you can do one of three things: rent HD movies from iTunes (for $6 a pop), access various online video services (some for free, like YouTube, and others, paid services, such as Netflix); or you can wirelessly stream media from your home computer -- such as videos, photos and music -- as long as it's in iTunes.
This second-generation product – which is 90 percent smaller than its white predecessor and does away with the hard drive as you're only streaming, not saving, content -- works like a charm. The video quality is excellent (720p HD for rented movies), speeds are fast (with movies starting mere seconds after clicking on it), and the menu is very intuitive to navigate through via the bundled remote.
While the movie selection is quite good, Apple TV is lacking support for rented TV shows, which is now available in the U.S. for $99 cents each. Hopefully this will come to the Great White North soon, and the selection will be decent. Another minor niggle is you need a HDMI connection to connect this thingamajig to a TV -- which should be fine for most users – but others might prefer to have a choice of other connection types.
Overall, Apple TV is a relatively inexpensive and intuitive way to access a world of online video and liberate all the media stored on your computer's hard drive -- even in another room. Even with its current limitations, Apple TV is a delicious pick for entertainment lovers.
Executive fired for dishonesty gets $364,661 bonus
Eye on Benefits
By Sheryl Smolkin
A senior executive fired for misappropriating company funds was still awarded a six-figure bonus.
Reducing the cost of appliances on standby
Bucks 'n Bytes
By Marc Saltzman
The average household has 40 items drawing power at any one time, even when not in use. Reduce your energy consumption with these tips.
What to look for in an e-reader
20-Something & Change
By Krystal Yee
Whether an e-reader makes financial sense will depend on a few things. Here are some to consider.
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