I have a feeling that this is going to be the Christmas many of us discover the joys of AirPlay.
What is AirPlay you ask? Well, I am glad you are interested, and you can thank me later!
AirPlay is a feature built into iOS5 for the Apple crowd, it allows you to send whatever you are listening to or watching to any AirPlay enabled device. It is very simple, but does take a bit of getting your head around.
For example: You are listening to music on your iPod, while walking the dog, you are really enjoying the tunes, you get home, and don't really want to stop the music. Of course, you could keep your earphones in, but that is rather anti-social at home. Instead, you can simply select to send the music via AirPlay to your home theatre sound system, or a boom-box, or your cool new clock radio or even just a simple set of AirPlay enabled speakers. All that is needed is those devices need to be AirPlay compatible. And there are a lot of AirPlay compatible products out there. In the case of that home theatre system, if you have Apple TV connected, bam . . . you have AirPlay!
Apple TV may be the bargain of the year at $119 - worth the investment alone for AirPlay as it doesn't just work with music but video as well. I am not sure about your home, but our home has kids and adults constantly asking each other if we have seen this or that video online. With AirPlay if you find a gem, you can share it with the whole family on the big screen instead of your little iPhone screen.
The products that really have caught my attention this season are the AirPlay compatible systems. These systems connect to your inhome WiFi network, (although many can use BlueTooth as well). Once they are registered on the network, all you have to do is select them from AirPlay on your iPad, or iPod, or Mac or iPhone, and send your music to the system. No more plugging into a dock, and the cumbersome navigation on screen while the iPod is in the dock. You have control over the music in your hands, it makes it far easier to DJ those family gatherings!
Steve's top AirPlay devices:
- Apple TV (www.apple.ca): the most common way to use AirPlay, sending videos and music to your home theatre system, with expanded options this year.
- iHome iW1 AirPlay Wireless Speaker (www.ihomeaudio. com): the simplest of systems, wireless speakers, portable (internal rechargeable battery makes it ideal for taking onto the deck on warm summer evenings (remember those?).
- Pioneer XSCM3 AirPlay Music Station (www. pioneerelectronics.com): This is my favourite system because it includes a funky video screen that displays all your coverflow data and other graphics from your iPod. Also has a built-in FM tuner, and can act as a clock radio.
- JBL On Air Wireless AirPlay Speaker Dock: Easily the coolest looking player on the planet, the JBL also has a LDC screen, FM tuner and alarm clock mode.
Steve Dotto is host of Dotto Tech on AM650. Visit him online at www.dottotech.com.
