MLB and Apple TV get App Fixed for 2012 Season

Well it appears the MLB and Apple TV have got the MLBTV application fixed for the 2012 season.  Now we are able to watch spring training games.  The fix came in just a few days before the Apple TV software version was upgraded to 5.0.0.  Last night, I took in the Yankees spring training game against the Atlanta Braves, and all appears to be working as it should.

As for the update to the new software on the Apple TV, there does not appear to be anything earth shattering to talk about.  They just updated the interface and are using tiled icons to make menu selections.  Their also seem to be more audio adjustments to make, which I have not explored yet.  Otherwise, you get pretty much the same options.

Now if you do decide to splurge on a brand new Apple TV, then you get to upgrade to 1080p HD, and at $99 price point, that comes in as a pretty fair deal.  Waiting for the day when the NFL divorces itself from satellite TV providers and makes its games available via the Internet. If that happens, then I will dump cable altogether.

Apple TV Leaves MLB Subscribers Hanging on 2011 Season

Sure this is a blog about Ubuntu, but I also indulge in watching MLB on my Apple TV. So, you can imagine my chagrin when I turned on my magical little black rectangular box that would have allowed me to watch the first Yankee spring training game yesterday and found that the MLB TV Application on my Apple TV was still stuck on the 2011 season.  Yep, the MLB App was still showing last years World Series game and there is no sign of any spring training games anywhere on the interface.

After searching around the net, I found that this problem is also plaguing some Playstation subscribers to MLB TV.   We all paid for a subscription to MLB to the tune of $124.95 and are getting gyped out of watching MLB spring training games.

The latest word on when the 2012 season will start to be available from MLB is some time in early March.  Well folks, it is early March and spring traning has begun!  Lets get this taken care of!  If you want to stay up to date on discussions about the problem, you can check out this Apple Discusison Thread.

If you see any changes on your Apple TV, please do leave a comment here.   But please, spare me the "Yankees Suck..." comments.  They probably will have a hard time winning the AL East this year anyways...

Now a quick plug on Ubuntu for MLB subscribers.  Yes, you can watch MLB games from your MLB account on Ubuntu and Xubuntu.  However, the HD and DVR options do not work unless you have a Mac or Windows machine.  I was able to watch a MLB game on my Xubuntu 12.04 box without a hitch.

Next Generation Apple TV May Coming Soon. After Christmas?

I picked up an Apple TV about a year ago and have been pretty pleased with its performance. I do not use iTunes much though, just Netflix.

I am not much of an Apple Fanboy, and this being a blog mainly about Ubuntu Linux it may seem a bit of a digression to post about something that Apple makes.  But, Amazon and Best Buy lowered the price for Apple TV's down to $89.  This is likely to get more units sold for the holiday season and to clear out inventory to get ready for the next generation.

Internet rumors are flying that Apple is working on, or has already perfected some sort of magical television device that may be integrated with its Siri software.  It probably will not appear before Christmas, as the holiday shopping season has begun and the Black Friday sales advertisements have already hit the streets.  Perhaps we can look toward the first or second quarter 2012 for some kind of announcement from Apple.  But, I could be wrong?

Ubuntu Buttons: A Simple Solution

I did not press the update button the other day to download and upgrade to Ubuntu 10.04. I decided to wait a while before I do the big upgrade. I'll give it a few more weeks.

I also saw that the maximize, minimize, and close buttons have been shifted over to the left side in the latest release from some screenshots online. This is not a big deal for me. Some Ubuntu users, especially those who are Microsoft converts are complaining loudly about it. Mark Shuttleworth put his foot down and said that this is how it is going to be.

By the way, if you want to move your buttons back the other way, then type this command:

gconftool-2 --set /apps/metacity/general/button_layout --type string "menu:minimize,maximize,close"

Mac converts, what little of them there are to the Ubuntu ranks are probably quite happy. In KDE is it is not a big deal to switch buttons around, it is as easy as opening the preferences window and sliding them where you want them. You can also place them in different order.

For the next Ubuntu release, maybe they should just put the buttons smack dab in the middle. It will appease the Mac users, and the Windows users. Or maybe it will just piss everyone off?

Ubuntu 10.04 to Support iPhone and iPod

According to a couple of websites I have come across, Ubuntu 10.04 will support mounting of iPhone and iPod devices. You are able to browse the files on the device using either Nautilus or RhythmBox. However,

I am not sure if this will get many users flocking to use Ubuntu 10.04, but it is great news for the desktop operating system, and for Linux users, too. It will certainly give Ubuntu more leverage in the desktop market.

But, I have and iPod, but never really gave much thought to using it with my Linux box, mainly because it has such a seamless integration with the iTunes software.

The nagging question is: Will Apple allow this continue? Or will they issue a firmware "upgrade" to take care of this little problem.