November 29, 2010
You can now rent TV episodes directly on your iPad for just 99¢ each. Use iTunes and simply tap a show's View button to see the Buy and Rent options. Tap Rent to start the download and the rental clock -- 30 days to start watching and 48 hours to finish once you start. Use the Video app to view downloaded episodes. And if you've upgraded your iPad to iOS 4.2.1 you can use AirPlay to stream episodes directly to other screens on the same wireless network via Apple TV.
November 22, 2010
With ITunes Allowances you can let your children manage their own iTunes Store purchases within a budget you control, and without giving them your credit card. To set up an allowance (from $10 to $50 a month), use the Buy iTunes Gifts link in the Quick Links section on the right side of the iTunes Store. Scroll down to the Allowances section (the piggy bank marks the spot), click "Set up an allowance now," and fill in the information requested. If the intended allowance recipient doesn't already have an Apple ID, you can create one for them with their email address. You can set the allowance to begin immediately or on the first of the coming month. Amounts not spent in one month roll over into the next, and you can close the account at any time, withdrawing any funds currently in it.
November 15, 2010
You can now automatically tweet your Ping activity to your Twitter followers, and easily discover which of them has also connected their Ping accounts to Twitter. If you're new to Ping, use the Connect to Twitter link that will appear when you create your Ping account. If you're already part of Ping, use the Twitter link in the Find People area on the right side of the main Ping page. In either case you'll have the opportunity to sign in with your Twitter account and begin automatically tweeting your Ping posts and activity to your followers for as long as you choose to keep the connection active.
November 8, 2010
iTunes Ping is a person-to-person network of connections centered around artists, the music they create, and fans' enthusiasm. Think of it as a giant floating music party where you can actually find the people you want to see, hear, and meet. iTunes Genius on the other hand creates a song-to-song network automatically from the data shared by the millions of iTunes customers who have turned it on for their libraries. You can think of it as a giant floating music party as well, but only the songs come, continually creating a record of who they're hanging out with which you can then take advantage of to find new music you might like.
The expanded iTunes Sidebar delivers information from both Ping and Genius as you move from song to song in your music library. The Ping section displays the latest activity of the song's artist if they have a Ping profile, plus the latest activity of people you're following -- paths you can follow to discover the songs and events your Ping network is into. The Genius section recommends related songs your own songs have been hanging out with at the Genius party. Two different guides into the worlds of music just beyond what you already know. You can hide and show the iTunes sidebar with the triangle control at the lower right of the iTunes window.
November 1, 2010
You can manage what children have access to in the iTunes Store by using the Parental tab in the iTunes Preferences panel (available via the iTunes menu on the Mac and the Edit menu in Windows). Select Parental to see a set of content restriction options for movies, TV shows, and apps that can be tuned (G, PG, PG-13, and more) and checked on and off. When you set Movies to PG-13, for instance, the purchase and trailer buttons for movies rated R will be inactive as well. Plus, you have the option to restrict all content identified as explicit. You can also disable access to the iTunes Store altogether as well as Podcasts, Radio, and Shared Libraries.
When you make changes to the settings, be sure to click the lock in the lower left of the panel before leaving it to ensure they can't changed again without your password.
