serviceability plenty: Week in review: Apple TV update, RSS after Google Reader, Insta-vine and more!

Monday, June 24, 2013

Week in review: Apple TV update, RSS after Google Reader, Insta-vine and more!

Things have started to settle back into some kind of normality following the intensity of WWDC week, but there has still been plenty going on to keep us all busy. This week we saw an Apple TV update that brought some additional channels to the set-top box, the RSS feed market opens up a little more just a week out from Google Reader's shutdown, and Instagram does Vine, and adds video (with filters) to their massive social photo sharing network. This is the week that was.

Facebook had a press event scheduled for this week -- just an hour before Samsung held their big Premiere 2013 event in London -- and for a while it was shrouded in mystery. The invites went out by regular 'snail mail' and didn't seem to hint at much. Then, right at the start of the week it was rumored that Instagram might be trying to out-do Vine by adding video. Come Thursday, that's just what we got. 15 second video clips, filters, and Instagram's massive network to share it on. Thankfully, the updated app also comes with a way to shut off auto-play.

Apple TV received a software update this week that added a selection of new channels, including ESPN and HBO:GO. Qello, Crunchyroll and Sky News rounded out the new channels, but what was received still comes as a disappointment to some. You have to be a HBO or ESPN subscriber to use their channels, Qello is also a subscription service, and in the UK at least, Sky News is a free-to-view television channel. But, any love for the Apple TV is better than no love at all.

Our own Peter Cohen also weighed in with some good thoughts on the state of the Apple TV following this latest update.

We're little over a week out from Google's scheduled shutdown of their Reader RSS service, and the race to to replace continues. This week saw the early favorite Feedly take the next step towards becoming an all out replacement service by launching Feedly Cloud, with Newsify becoming the first third-party app on iOS to use their API. AOL also quietly emerged as the latest contender in the space, with the news emerging that they will begin accepting invites for their own Reader service from Monday June 24.

We had a couple of big name game releases for iOS and Mac this week. First up XCOM: Energy Unknown saw it's iPad debut promising a full console port designed for the mobile environment. It isn't cheap, but it's definitely a premium title that we're excited to have on iOS.

Also this week Rockstar Games announced that Max Payne 3 would finally be coming to the Mac. Not a particularly new title, it's a case of better late than never for Max Payne 3 but is still a welcome addition to the Mac gaming stable.

Now we're clear of WWDC, the iMore team has begun dissecting all that we saw unveiled, starting with iOS 7. If you missed them the first time around, be sure to drop by and give the posts below a read.

And of course, this week was Apps week on Talk Mobile 2013. Some really great discussions came about from all the great readers across Mobile Nations, but if you missed any of it hit the Talk Mobile link at the top of any of the sites to recap on all the weeks great content.

That's it for another seven days. This was just a taster of the last weeks news, but be sure to drop into the comments and let us know what stood out for you!