airportexpress
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Apple AirPlay private key exposed, released
Enterprising software developer James Laird was looking to stream music without AirPlay. Since an appropriate AirPort Express emulator did not exist, Laird reverse-engineered the Airport Express private key and published an open source AirPort Express emulator called ShairPort as a result. What does that mean? A commenter on Hacker News spells it out clearly: Previously you could do this: iTunes -- stream to --> Apple Airport Express 3rd party software -- stream to --> Apple Airport Express Now you can do this: iTunes -- stream to --> 3rd party software/hardware Laird has thrown the door open for software solutions. Now, you can stream music between Macs, to appropriately-configured consoles (like an Xbox), etc. ShairPort is built in Perl and C. Have fun, folks. [Via MacRumors]
Quick tip: AirPlay with unsupported apps
Back in January, we reported that Apple had begun approving third-party apps that support AirPlay, Apple's new wireless audio streaming protocol for listening to iPhone or iPad music over a speaker system hooked up to a compatible Apple networked device, such as an Apple TV or an Airport Express. But few applications so far have released updates to take advantage of that capability. However, you can easily trick your iDevice to stream audio from an unsupported application to your stereo. All you have to do is go into your iPod app, start a song and choose your AirPlay speakers. Then return to your home screen and boot up the app that has the audio you want to hear. Your iDevice should automatically switch audio source from iPod to the app, because most apps, when booted, retain the current state for audio output, which in this case is AirPlay. Bingo. AirPlay on apps like Hulu, or Pandora! Note that this only supports audio, not video. Apple has also announced some updates to AirPlay in iOS 4.3, coming next week.
iPhone 3G excluded from AirPlay support
Support for Apple's new AirPlay is supposedly excluded from the iPhone 3G, reports 9to5Mac. Designed to let users stream their iTunes library anywhere in their house via WiFi or an Ethernet connection, AirPlay technology will be found in all manner of audio/video equipment in the coming months, including the AirPort Express and Apple TV. However, it looks like it's only going to be for mobile users with the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4, not those still using 3Gs. While Apple's own website states that "AirPlay is coming soon and will be available on all iOS 4 devices," which one would imagine includes the 3G iPhone, it looks like it is not meant to be. Even though Apple is currently dealing with a class-action lawsuit regarding the performance of 3G iPhones after installing iOS 4, seems that they have decided that the iPhone 3G just isn't capable of working properly with AirPlay. Personally, I have been using the iTunes Remote app, multiple AirPort Express units, two Tivoli radio units, and Rogue Amoeba's Airfoil software to stream my music library, so I am looking forward to trying out AirPlay here at home to see how it compares. That is, when I finally get around to downloading iTunes 10.1 with AirPlay support, which was made available earlier today.
Directly connecting and syncing content between your Mac and Apple TV
After many years together, my Linksys WRT54G and I have parted ways. In its place, I'm now using an 802.11g-based Apple AirPort Express with AirTunes that was passed along to me. Besides not wanting to fork out the extra beans (c'mon, who here isn't saving up money for an iPad) for a shiny new 802.11n Airport Express, the devices living in my current wireless ecosystem are more g-leaning. That, and I don't really need the speed of 802.11n or the ethernet cable connection afforded to me by the WRT54G. Or so I thought.
Five Gifts for the Mac AV Geek
'Tis the season to be buying. But what do you get for that special geek in your life? I can't speak for your geek, but I know what I'm asking Santa for this year – I just hope he's a TUAW reader. Whether he is or not, maybe going through my list will give you an idea on how to max out your credit card spread some holiday cheer this year. Dear Santa, I've been a good boy this year. I've cut back on the booze, and they don't greet me by name at the strip club anymore. So instead of a stocking full of coal, could you find it in your heart to bring me one or more of the following items on the night before Christmas? I know it's a long flight to New Zealand from the North Pole, but you've got to admit, at least the weather down here is waaaay better than in Cleveland this time of year. First of all, I'd like a shiny new 802.11n Airport Express. I like my Time Capsule (when it's not being a recalcitrant piece of junk), but the 5GHz wireless signal doesn't reach from my living room all the way back to my office. With an Airport Express, I'd be able to extend the wireless signal from my Time Capsule to the other side of the house and geek away in privacy. That way my wife won't have to grit her teeth every five minutes when the theme from Metroid goes off at 80 decibels and tells me I got a new e-mail. And since the Airport Express is 802.11n-enabled, I'd still be able to back up my data to the Time Capsule at a brisk pace. I'd also like these Shure SE115m+ earphones. I've been using a set of Shure E2cs for about three years now, and I love them, but the one big advantage the SE115m+ has is the controls built into the cord that would allow me to pause, play, and skip through tracks on my iPhone. I'd also be able to take calls, and it even has a built-in microphone. Santa, if I had these earphones I'd be able to put those white earbuds that came with my iPhone into a drawer and never look at them again, and that would make me a very happy boy indeed. You know how I like to shoot HD video, right Santa? But not those kinds of videos, because that would get me on the naughty list. My MacBook Pro does a good job of encoding video – it works pretty close to real-time – but if I had an Elgato Turbo.264 HD Video Encoder, it would go so much faster. Like 3-4 times faster. That way I could spend less time waiting for videos to encode and more time drinking helping old ladies across the street. If I'd been a really good boy this year, like if I'd won the Nobel Peace Prize or employee of the month at TUAW, I'd ask for a bona fide guitar amplifier. But since I haven't been that good, I'd settle for a Zoom G2.1U Guitar Effects Pedal with USB interface. This thing will simulate all kinds of guitar effects for me, and it'll plug right into my MacBook Pro. So far playing my guitar through Garageband has been an acceptable substitute for a real, live amplifier, but the one thing I definitely miss is all my effects pedals. Garageband includes lots of neat software effects that simulate pedals, but you can't stomp on them to switch them on and off. I know – I've tried. Last thing, Santa: if none of those other things will fit in your bag, could you just get me a big, fat iTunes gift card? I've got nearly US$120 worth of songs I want to upgrade to iTunes Plus so I can stop worrying about DRM nonsense on my previous purchases and get higher-quality music in the process. Thanks Santa. Next year I promise to be more helpful and honest and say fewer naughty words about New Zealand's telecommunications companies.
iTunes 9 breaking AirTunes connections?
Apple breaking support for third-party devices in iTunes may not have been all that unexpected, but you'd think it'd have support for its own products lined up before pushing a major update out the door -- especially something that it had already broken with the last major iTunes update. AirTunes users apparently aren't that lucky, however, as reports are now cropping up that iTunes 9 is breaking connections with the home audio streaming service left and right -- although at least a few people seem to be reporting only intermittent problems. No word from Apple itself just yet but, if the last go 'round is any indication, it should have a fix for the problem sooner or later. In the meantime, feel free to relay your tales of AirTunes woe in the comments.[Thanks, Sami K]
Which peripherals are covered under AppleCare?
In the wake of our earlier post on possibly time-bombed Time Capsules, there was some confusion as to whether or not the Time Capsule would be covered under any AppleCare Protection Plan you might have. The suggestion was made in the comments to Mel's post that extended coverage would apply, but we decided to double-check. In short, it's true. if you have an AppleCare Protection Plan that is currently in-force for a Mac that you own, your Time Capsule is covered under that agreement. In fact, there is no need for the Time Capsule to be on the same receipt as the computer you purchased. As long as the Time Capsule is owned by you and "in use" along with the covered Mac system, it is covered along with the product for which you have an existing AppleCare Protection Plan. Of course, this does not cover any damage you inflict on the Time Capsule, and it must not be hacked or used in any way other than it was intended. In other words, don't use your Time Capsule as a doorstop and expect to get AppleCare coverage on it when it breaks. In addition to the Time Capsule, this "in use" coverage extends to the following products: AirPort Extreme Card AirPort Express AirPort Extreme Base Station Apple-branded DVI to ADC display adapter Apple RAM modules MacBook Air SuperDrive And, naturally, while coverage does not extend to products that are subject to their own AppleCare Protection Plans (such as an iPhone, iPod, or, of course, another computer) it does extend to a single Apple-branded display if the display was purchased at the same time as the computer you're using it with. Otherwise you need to purchase a separate AppleCare Protection Plan for the display. Clear as mud? All of the above is contained within the terms and conditions of the AppleCare Protection Plan for North America. In addition to those actual terms, an Apple Genius I spoke with said that coverage also typically extends to Apple-branded hardware on the same receipt as the covered computer purchase, and in general he and his colleagues endeavor to extend the best courtesy they can to their customers when the situation permits. So you may, in fact, receive coverage better than the terms within the agreement itself if you are pleasant, don't yell at the nice Geniuses and say "pretty please." Complimenting their shoes is always a nice touch. They also like chocolate. If you'd like to check to see what agreements are current, you can click here to check them out, see when they expire, and read the terms and conditions yourself. If your agreement is not registered or is not listed under your Apple ID, you can check by agreement number and computer serial number. Also, if you are not in North America, you can read the terms specific to your agreement here -- many European countries have stronger consumer protections than the US does, and longer warranties may be standard where you live.
Ask TUAW: AirPort Extreme bridge, iTunes smart playlists, USB drive backup, and more
Welcome back to Ask TUAW, our weekly Mac troubleshooting Q&A column! This time we've got questions on using an AirPort Extreme as a wireless to ethernet bridge, automatically backing up a USB flash drive, building smart playlists in iTunes, migrating an iTunes Library and more. As always, your suggestions and questions are welcome. Questions for next week should be left in the comments. When asking a question please include which machine you're running and which version of Mac OS X (we'll assume you're running Leopard on an Intel Mac if you don't specify). And now, on to the questions.
Keepin' it real fake, part CLXIII: AirPort Express gets expressly aped
Listen up, KIRF fans. We've got a real unique one on our hands today, as this critter copies not one, but two entities in a single fell swoop. For starters, the company is named CNet Technology -- we'll let you do the math there -- and secondly, this thing looks just about exactly like Apple's own AirPort Express. Sure, there are a few extra LEDs on there to really ugly it up, but only someone in serious denial would ever say this thing didn't get its inspiration from Cupertino. Officially dubbed the CWR-635M, this portable router / WAP simply plugs into one's wall socket and provides a pair of Ethernet jacks and two USB ports locally for even more networking fun. There's no telling if this copycat will ever be released on US soil, but given that made it into the FCC's database, we reckon anything is possible.
iTunes 8 kills AirTunes, iPod touch causing BSOD
We were all excited to stream Genius-generated playlists from iTunes 8 to our Airport Express last night when -- poof -- "-3256 Unknown Error Occurred." This cryptic error, along with another under the equally descriptive name "-15000," has been keeping iTunes 8 upgraders from using their Airtunes on remote speakers. Turns out the issue is one of Firewalls and Firmware. The solutions come from users at Apple's discussion boards. Basically, you need to either turn off your Firewall and / or allow iTunes to accept incoming requests or update your Airport Express to the latest (7.3.2 as of this post) firmware version via AirPort Utility 6.3. Meanwhile, Windows-based iPod touch users are seeing Blue Screens of Death when plugging in their players due to some other undocumented problem. The solution there looks to be a reboot with the touch plugged in to force the system to recognize the device, run a sync, and turn off photo syncing (not the most elegant solution, clearly). Let's hope Apple at least updates this with something more descriptive than "-3256" in the future. Customer service reps at Apple say they're aware of the problems and are working on a fix.Read - iTunes 8 & Airtunes/Airport Express Read - blue screen comes up when plugging in ipod[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Airfoil 3.2 adds basic remote support
Rogue Amoeba has announced Airfoil 3.2, the latest release of their audio utility which allows you to play any Mac audio over your Apple TV, AirPort Express, or other Macs. In addition to improving support for the latest generation Expresses ("including full password support and better synchronization"), the big addition with version 3.2 is remote control support. With either the Apple Remote on the Apple TV or the Keyspan Express Remote for an Express, Airfoil now allows you to play/pause and move forward/back on tracks playing through either iTunes or QuickTime Player.The upgrade is free for registered users, while new copies of Airfoil for Mac are $25; a demo is available.
802.11n AirPort Express hands-on
Well, what can we say? The new 802.11n AirPort Express looks exactly like the 802.11g AirPort Express we've been using to stream iTunes and wirelessly print to an el-cheapo USB laser printer since 2004. In fact, if not for the different model numbers (A1264 now, instead of A1084) and the fact that our old unit has some random battle scars, we would have found it almost impossible to tell them apart. Check the gallery for the hot side-by-side action. %Gallery-18601%
802.11n Airport Express is now on sale
Some people may not believe that a leak on the Swiss Apple Store is an indication of actual product coming down the mountain. "The Swiss don't make mistakes like that," they say. Well, fair enough, but we now have the real deal: the Airport Express with 802.11n is on sale in the US Apple Store.Our retail channel sources told us that the AE would be available by 3/23 or sooner, so looks like "sooner" wins. $99, supports up to 10 connected machines, AirTunes and printer sharing: works for me.Thanks Mr. X & everyone who sent this in
Apple launches 802.11n Airport Express right on cue
What's this? New Product from Apple on a Monday? Why, yes, yes it is. The 802.11n Airport Express rumored over the weekend just became official. $99 takes the little iTunes streaming, pocket base station home to a draft-n network near you. Yes, today.
Swiss Apple Store page tips the 802.11n Airport Express
It's easy to envy the Swiss, what with the fine chocolate and the neutrality and such. Now, another reason to long for the refined air of the Alps: the Swiss version of the Apple Store website is indicating availability on the supercharged 802.11n version of the Airport Express, as yet unnannounced in the US of A (translation here). With the domestic Apple Store showing 1-2 week ship times for the AE, we might well expect to see the new device next week, possibly on, I dunno, Tuesday.An Apple-branded 802.11n router that supports AirTunes and printer sharing, all for $99? Sounds good to me. Hopefully, not too good to be true.(Just noticing that Apple's press photo of the AE, reproduced here, shows it plugged into the top outlet -- blocking the lower socket completely. Aesthetics over functionality, anyone?)Update 11:30 pm ET: Looks like someone got threatened with a Swiss Army knife, as the Swiss store has been normalized back to the current model of the Airport Express. You can see the translated page screenshot, as it was a few hours ago, after the break.Thanks Thomas and James![via MacGeneration / Macrumors]
AirPort Base Station Update 2007-002 for Mac
Do you have an AirPort Base Station? Do you enjoy applying updates? Well then, buster, today is your lucky day. Apple has just released an update by the name AirPort Base Station Update 2007-002 for Mac. You'll need any flavor of OS X 10.4 to get this update, as well as an AirPort Extreme or Express. This update, 'includes general fixes and compatibility updates for the following applications: AirPort Utility, AirPort Disk Utility, AirPort Base Station Agent.'I know our very own David Chartier has encountered many issues with AirPort Disk, so here's hoping this update fixes it.
Mac mini, Airport Extreme photos
Curious to see what a Mac mini and an Airport Extreme look like side-by-side? Me, too. Luckily, the folks at iLounge have put up a gallery of just such a comparison. They note that the footprint and shape of both devices is exactly the same, while the mini is slightly taller. While not in the gallery, iLounge notes that the Apple TV is a bit larger all around. They even go so far as to compare the devices' power bricks (if such a thing interests you), as well as the Apple TV setup.A nice job by the people at iLounge. The only thing I dislike about galleries like this is they make me want to buy new hardware.
Apple drops Airport Express price to $99
Hot on the heels of announcing a new Airport Extreme base station Apple has dropped the price on the existing Airport Express to $99. This is a great deal for those of you interesting in streaming audio only from iTunes to your home theater, as well as folks that don't have an 802.11n ready Mac.I've had an Airport Express for well over a year now, and I am very happy with it though I might be soon phasing it out in favor of the Apple TV/Airport Extreme pairing (isn't it nice that you can stack on top of the other?).
Another potential fix for Intel Mac + Airport station problems
If you're using an Intel Mac with any of Apple's AirPort base stations, you might have noticed some 'less than stellar' performance after updating to 10.4.8, as well as wonky connection problems that Apple tried issuing a support doc for. As an owner of both a MacBook and an Intel Core 2 Duo iMac, I can personally vouch that Apple's doc has a ways to go before it solves this most frustrating of wireless problems.While troubleshooting this issue over the weekend, I came across a few new threads at Apple's discussion forums for AirPort and, more specific to my setup, the AirPort Express. In particular, this AirPort Express-related thread contains some theories and potential solutions from other users in a similar boat. Being that it is now Wednesday, I'm happy to say one of them seems to be working well for me so far, though your mileage may obviously vary. Here's a rundown of my personal setup and the remedy that's bringing some sanity back to my wireless world: typically, I roll with WPA2 Personal security, and since these sketchy connection issues began I've been playing with settings like Interference Robustness and adjusting my APE's (AirPort Express) channel, etc., but to no avail. As it turns out, users in these forums are beginning to suspect wireless security (at least WPA, not sure about WEP, which seems to be making the ill-advised list these days anyway) as part of the problem, so I simply reset my station with no security. For the past three days, this setup has been working like a charm, though it's understandable if no security simply isn't an option for some users. To help keep our network to ourselves, I turned on 'Create a closed network' in the AirPort tab of the AirPort Admin Utility (that's Apple-speak for "hide SSID"), which simply meant I had to type in my network's name manually from the AirPort menubar item - but you should only have to do this once.Again, YMMV, but there are a few potential solutions in Apple's discussion forums for these increasingly frustrating AirPort connectivity issues. Let's hope we don't have to keep jury-rigging our base stations for long, and Apple can issue a fix so the "it just works" reputation can actually apply to these things again.
TUAW Poll: Which new product would you most likely buy?
Ok, folks, it's wild speculation time. The rumors are flying around Apple's upcoming press event. Let's take a detour into fantasy land for just a moment and pretend that all of the supposed goodies come to pass: The new 23 inch iMac, the video-streaming Airport Express and the nanos with iPod mini-like enclosures. Cost aside, which tickles your fancy the most? Would you snap up one of those nanos and say, "Scratches be damned!" I, for one, would pounce on that Airport Express. What's your choice? Vote in our poll and check back tomorrow for the results. Which are you most likely to buy? 23" iMac New nano Video Airport Enough with the rumors! Free polls from Pollhost.com
