This year one exciting new change with the CBS coverage is there streaming Internet video will be available not only on your computer, but also on your iPad through the NCAA March Madness On Demand app.

The universal app also works on the iPhone and iPod touch and will offer the following:

• FREE live video of every game from the new First Round to the Championship game (requires sign-in with a valid email address)
• LIVE video of the bracket selection show on Sunday, MARCH 13
• My Channels – plug in your zip code and TV provider and you’ll see where each game is on across all four networks – TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV
• Official NCAA.com March Madness Bracket Challenge – manage your bracket game from the app. Access your picks and track your progress. Make sure to sign up at ncaa.com/bracket.
• Game Center for iPad – use the app to see in-game highlights, live box scores and team leaders in a single screen. Perfect as a companion to watching the game.
• Comment on the games live with Facebook and Twitter (log-in to your account required)
• Alerts for your favorite teams, tip-off, halftime and more…
• Real-time bracket with match-ups, regions, and scores, plus breaking news coverage

The NCAA Men’s Basketball March Madness Facebook page has links to information, news and games schedules.

The above app offers access to the official NCAA March Madness Bracket Challenge, a fun game where you try to predict who will win each game in the tournament. This is part of what makes the tournament fun. After this Sunday the brackets will be populated with the actual teams. But get the app now to be read to watch the selection show and put your choices into the app to see if you have a future as a college basketball prognosticator.

Below is this year’s highlights video to get you all juiced up for the coming action:

How To Watch March Madness Basketball on the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch is a post by Kevin Purcell from Notebooks.com.

148Apps – all free

• Shadow Era – card game like Chaotic or Pokemon
• Nachos Maker – virtual nacho bar where you make chips
• Stripe Physics – a physics puzzle game
• Frog Toss – throw a frog onto lily pads like in a carnival

Gameloft

Everything goes for $.99 with other apps being slightly more. Here are a few of the best $.99 games. Hit the link above for the others.

• Asphalt 5 – racing sim (see video above)
• Assasin’s Creed: Altair Chronicles HD – RPG game from the popular franchise
• Driver – another driving game where you run from cops and run into stuff
• Let’s Golf – golfing sim
• NFL 2010 and 2011 HD – play football
• NOVA and NOVA 2 HD – first person shooters in space
• Tom Clancy’s HAWX – aerial dog-fighting

There are lots of others from Gameloft.

Other Cheap or Free iOS Games

A game like Fruit Ninja where you cut things to advance is iSlash. It’s free too.

Spirits is a puzzle game where you direct your spirit through the hand-drawn levels. It’s only $.99. The iPad version is also $.99.

The last game is Grokion, an apocalyptic game where you try to save the remaining survivors who are traveling to the moon on a ship called 144K. Borrowing names from biblical end times prophecy, this action game might even teach you something for free – but not much.

A Couple iOS Utilities

FX Photo Studio is a nice photo app where you can apply filters and do some iOS editing. It is also just $.99.

If you are doing any traveling or come across people who speak other languages, Translation Fire could help for free.

One Mac App Store Deal

For those who like a no-frills writing app that lets you focus on the text alone, try out WriteRoom for just $4.99 this weekend. This one is in the Mac App Store.

For great iOS app deals any time, be sure to check out App Shopper. They show new apps and you can filter the lists by price drops too.

App Store Weekend Sales – Feb 25th is a post by Kevin Purcell from Notebooks.com.

1. Words with Friends Free – Words with Friends is a fun multiplayer scrabble game. It’s recently gone cross-platform to Android so you can play with even more friends than ever before. The best part is that it’s turn based, so you don’t need to be constantly playing. Just make your move, close the app, and you’ll be notified when your opponent moves. Games commonly occur over a few days, so it’s perfect for playing when you’ve got a few idle minutes to make a move, without having to pay constant attention to your phone. There’s also a pass-and-play option if you just want to play with a friend in the same room.

2. Cube Runner – This ancient game pre-dates the App Store itself but is still a joy to play. Cube Runner was originally a game for hacked devices only, back before Apple even created the App Store. Since then it’s been made officially available through the App Store but still maintains it’s ease of use. You are a simple triangular ship in a world of cubes. Tilt left and right to dodge cubes and rack up points for as long as you can stay alive. Better yet, find a friend with an iPhone and compete for high scores. Cube Runner also has two surprisingly great tracks if you enjoy yourself some techno.

3. Papi Jump – A classic Papi game where you try to set the high score by jumping higher and higher.

Platforms become more sparse as you ascend, making it more difficult to continue onward.

Don’t forget that you can teleport from one side to the other, Pac Man style, to reach a platform. Also has online leaderboards to rank you with the best of the best. Easy to pick up, surprisingly hard to put down.

4. Space Deadbeef – The name will never make sense to us, but the gameplay is great. This is a sidescroller where you’re flying a ship that can fire 10x it’s own mass in missiles.

Targeting is intuitive: just slide your finger over targets to fire chains of missiles. This game came out ages ago and has been begging for more content ever since.

Unfortunately we haven’t seen any additional content, but what’s there is absolutely fun to play. Levels get harder as you repeat them.

5. Paper Toss – Another ultra simple but super fun game. Paper Toss emulates a classic boring work environment in which you’ve got nothing to do but toss a ball of paper into the trash can.

Depending upon how you swipe the screen, the ball of paper will curve to one side or the other. A fan is introduced to change the wind speed and how hard you need to fling it to either side. Score is kept by how many continuous shots you can make. This is another game where you can pick up and play for just 5 minutes, but you’ll have plenty of fun in that short amount of time.

6. Shotgun Free – Surprisingly more of a game than you’d think. Shotgun Free tasks you with moving your iPhone or iPod as if you are cocking a pump-action shotgun, then quickly pulling it back like a recoiling gun. Satisfying cocking and firing sounds ensue, but it’s there’s actually more to it. If you want to unlock different sounding weapons you’ve got to accomplish some sort of task. Perhaps that’s 100 fires, or 10 in-game achievements, such as a particularly fast firing time, or firing 10 shots in a short period of time. It’s actually rather addicting to try to get the motion just right for a split-second shot!

7. Jelly Car – This great game looks like it was drawn with crayons and has completely human made sound effects that will make you smile even if you don’t want to.

Drive your Jelly car around the jelly world and try to complete stages in as little time as possible. Need to cross a big gap? Tab your car to grow to several times it’s normal size, but be quick, this ability only lasts for a short time!

Jelly Car is a favorite for iPhone owners of all ages.

8. MazeFinger – This is one of those games that feels like it was meant to be played on an iPhone or iPod Touch. The goal is to simply guide your finger through the maze as quickly as possible, but it gets harder.

You’ll have to avoid skulls that will take one of your lives, and have to time the blockers just right to get through. You get rated at the end of each level and each set of levels. You have a set amount of time to complete a level set, so if you do poorly on the first level of the set, you’re going to pay for it in the subsequent levels!This is a fast paced game with great feedback.

9. rRootage Online – If you’re a fan of the “shmup” or “bullet hell” genre of top down arcade game, you’ll love rRootage. It might not have the fancy art of some of the established titles, but it’s free and has four game modes which all play somewhat differently.

Definitely read the help menu to understand the different modes if you’re a newbie, or jump right in to the wireframe gameplay and play through 160 stages of increasing difficulty.

Good luck, you’ll need it!

10. Lightsaber Unleashed – And I have to leave you with this one for number ten. Who hasn’t wanted a Lightsaber at some point in their life? Well, this is about as close as your going to get. If you’re not too embarrassed to wave your iPhone around like you’re crazy, or have a suitably private place to pretend that you’re a Jedi, then you’ll love this app. Better yet, find a friend and duel them, it’ll bring you’re childhood back in a rush of lightsabery glory. Be an ultra-nerd and customize your own lightsaber by choosing the color and hilt.

I hope you’ve enjoyed these ten free iphone gaming gems. If you’re looking to drop a bucks on some premium content, check out Kevin’s guide to 12 great paid iphone games.

10 Excellent Free Games for the iPhone and iPod Touch is a post by Ben from Notebooks.com.

Black Friday is in full swing and we want to hear about your experience- good, bad and ugly. One lucky reader will win a brand new 32GB iPod Touch. Read on for details!

The new Appel iPod Touch is one of the most wished for item this holiday season. Many call the iPod Touch the ‘iPhone without the phone,’ which is largely an accurate statement. The iPod Touch comes loaded with iOS4.2, the same software that runs the iPhone 4. The iPod Touch can run virtually all of the same apps as the iPhone and now features Facetime, allowing for free video calling to others with iOS4 devices or Macs with Facetime Beta installed.

If you’ve read this far, you probably know what the iPod Touch is and you probably want one for yourself or a loved one. The 8GB iPod Touch starts at $229, but is on sale for a few bucks less on Black Friday.  But we want you to be able to stretch out a bit and record and download a bunch of HD video. That’s why we’re offering up a 32GB iPod Touch, which retails for $299.

Here’s how to win the 32GB iPod Touch Black Friday Giveaway:

To be honest, we’d rather keep the iPod Touch for ourselves. But since we’re pretty lucky and have a ton of gadgets at our disposal, we figured we might as well get in the holiday spirit and give it to one of you.

All you have to do to win this deal is leave a comment and/or tell your friends about the giveaway on Twitter and Facebook.

Each legit entry will be assigned a number and we’ll choose one via Random.org.

Each participant has three chances to enter and will receive one entry number for each section they complete below:

1) Simply leave a comment in the comments section below and tell us about your Black Friday shopping experience.

-Did you buy any gadgets on Black Friday? Which ones and from where?

-Few people have enough cash these days to buy all the gadgets they want. What are the top three items Black Friday deals you wish you could’ve taken advantage of? Be specific and include a link to the Black Friday deal description on Notebooks.com or the retailer’s site. If you need ideas, visit our Black Friday page or hover over the green Black Friday tab at the top-left of this page.

-Did you buy online or go shopping at a retail store? Which store(s) or site(s)?

2) Tell your friends about this giveaway on Twitter. Simply click on the Twiitter logo on the upper-left hand side of this page, visit Twitter.com or use your favorite twitter app. Send out the following message and we’ll see it automatically:

“I just entered to win an iPod Touch from @notebookscom at http://notebooks.com/winipodbf to celebrate Black Friday #nbbfipod”

We’d love to have you follow us at @notebookscom on Twitter.

3) For a third entry, Like Notebooks.com on Facebook. If you already follow Notebooks.com you’ll automatically be entered to win the iPod touch.

We’ll pick a winner on Friday, Dec. 3 and notify the winner by email and/or via the method of entry, so keep an eye on your DM’s, Facebook inbox and the below comments section. You must be 18 or older to enter and we will not accept entries from where it’s prohibited by law. This giveaway is only open to U.S. residents.

Update: Thank you for entering. The winner has been notified via email.

Giveaway: Win an Apple iPod Touch from Notebooks.com! is a post by Xavier Lanier from Notebooks.com.

The model being discounted is latest generation 8GB model recently released in September. It brought a number of new features that make this a big upgrade, including a front and rear facing camera so that users can take pictures, video and make FaceTime calls with friends using Wi-Fi and their email address as an identifier. In fact with the new features, the iPod Touch is potentially a good replacement for an iPhone so long as you have frequent access to a Wi-Fi network. We wrote a How To outlining some of the strategies for doing so.

The display uses the new higher resolution display that was introduced with the iPhone 4. And it is actually thinner.

Before you jump on this deal, realize that an 8GB iPhone will mean the user will have to make some compromises regarding what to load on the device. Music and Video fill up 8GB quickly. And while apps are not that large in general, if this is being purchased for a serious iPod Touch gamer, those tend to be larger than ordinary apps. Add pictures and videos, and this little device can get cramped.

Apple is not the only store with Black Friday deals on the iPod Touch. There are a few from other retailers at our Apple Black Friday Deals page. You can score a $30, $40 or $50 Best Buy gift card with the purchase of an iPod Touch from BestBuy.com.

Here is CNet’s look at the new iPod Touch:

Black Friday Deals: Apple iPod Touch for $21 Off is a post by Kevin Purcell from Notebooks.com.

The one that works on the iPad is called FilmOn ,a web service that delivers local broadcast TV channels, mostly from the Los Angeles television market, streamed to the iPad through a web app or through a downloadable client to your computer. It also works on a other Blackberry, Android and other iOS devices. Our friend Warner Crocker at Gottabemobile tested the site out on his iPad using his Mifi and said it worked well with just a few hiccups. We tried it on the iPad through a home cable Internet connection and it worked well. Only half of the channels actually delivered anything – mostly the local TV stations. So it is a little inconsistent. Also, the web app crashed the iPad forcing it to spontaneously restart. Be warned; there is adult content, but only as part of the paid service once this gets up and fully running.

More of the channels work through the computer version of the app. It also offers the ability to record the TV channels. It will be interesting to see how well it works during live sports broadcasts. Testing the DVR functionality caused it to stutter, more so than when it was just streaming. Playing back of the same live recording had the same stalls at the same points.

UPDATE: During Sunday Night football on NBC, the iPad version did not function well at all with a lot of stutters and crashes.

The other service is called ivi.TV. It promises the same kind of functionality but offers programming from more than just the LA market instead offering Seattle TV channels and according to All Things Digital, they will be offering channels from New York City, LA, and potentially Chicago and Philadelphia. Right now their service is computer only, but they do plan to add streaming for the iPad for an extra $4.95/month. Right now you can get a 30 day trial and it will be free for some over the air channels without DVR, $4.95/month for the Seattle TV channels streamed to a PC client which runs on Mac, Linux and Windows, and an extra $.99 for DVR functionality.

The free trail does require a credit card up front, so we were unwilling to test it not knowing how reputable the company is. We will leave that up to you if you wish to try it out. If you do, let us know how good the service is.

How long will this last? All Things Digital reports that both services are already facing a lawsuit from the networks. The response from both services is that they are not doing anything illegal since the FCC rules say that over the air broadcasts can be retransmitted, according to one interpretation of the rules. So, until the FCC chimes in or the lawsuit is settled or a judge enjoins either service from operating, enjoy.

How To Watch Network TV on Your iPad Now is a post by Kevin Purcell from Notebooks.com.

PlayOn TV helps you get Internet streaming content on a TV. There have been an explosion of dedicated set-top boxes for this recently, like the Roku Box, Boxee Box, AppleTV and now Google TV. All of those require the consumer to buy another box and hook it up to the TV and Internet. Since the major networks are blocking their content from Google TV, PlayOn TV may be a better solution

PlayOn TV will stream TV from sources like Netflix, hulu PLUS, Major League Baseball, Amazon On Demand and even the TV networks web sites to your TV. The only thing you need is a Windows computer on a high-speed network and a networked media device like a gaming system, which  many people already have. I tested it using my Wii and my DirecTV HR20 DVR.

First, download the software. It is free to use for 14 days after which it is $39.99 for the first year and $19.99 thereafter. If you like, you could instead pay a one-time charge $79.99. There is a free version but it only plays music from Pandora or your own content in a folder that you point the software to on the My Media tab (see image to the right).

The software runs in the background on your Windows computer. On Windows 7 it just shows up in the lower right corner (system tray). Double click it and the configuration screen is displayed.

It is a good idea to read the User Guide to figure out what you will have to do to configure things. But for the most part it should run out of the box. Make sure that you select all the check boxes on the General Settings Screen (except for the Parent Control boxes, unless you feel the need to filter adult content from young people. If the box in the upper right is green and says running, that means everything is working and should function as planned. To double-check, click on the System Check tab and be sure all four boxes are green.

The next step is add content. You do this by installing Plugins. The easiest way is to install the supported plugins from PlayOn TV. Some are already installed for you. You may need to add your login information for premium services like Netflix and hulu PLUS. Revision3, the great tech Internet channel, has a plugin as does NBC, CBS, NFL, Food Network, SyFy and more. If you are inclined you can create a plugin. There is info about that on the plugin page.

Once you have some plug-ins installed and your information is added for logging in, now you have to configure your device. For most, this doesn’t require anything. My DirecTV HR20 DVR was working right away without any configuration. The only requirement is the device must be on the same network. The list of supported devices is at PlayOn.TV.

In addition to devices hooked up to a TV, PlayOn has an iOS app that runs natively on the iPhone and iPod Touch. It also works adequately on the iPad. Until then, the iPhone app works well and the videos themselves actually run at the iPad screen resolution when played on an iPad. When I asked Quinn Wageman, a spokesperson for PlayOn TV about this he said:

…streaming quality is also optimized for the larger iPad screen over Wi-Fi (3G doesn’t support due to limited bandwidth). There is no sacrifice in streaming quality with the iPhone app on the iPad.”

Wageman also informed us that there is an update to the app that is coming soon which will make it a universal app working on both the iPad and iPhone/iPod Touch at each devices native resolution. If that is not sufficient, iPad users can use the mobile access site which will play video at the native resolution of the device. See below for my experience on the mobile access site.

An Android app should be out early next year. Also compatibility of the mobile access web site for Android will be added then. Other mobile device apps are not in the works at this time.

If the device you are wishing to watch is supported and works, then all you have to do is go into the interface and begin watching. Here are some demos from the company for various devices.

Playstation 3

Here are some screen shots:

XBOX

Here are some screen shots:

Wii

DirecTV and iPad

In my video review I show it on the DirecTV HR20 DVR and on the iPad.

Mobile Access

There is still one more way to watch PlayOn TV content. It is called Mobile Access. If configured properly on the Mobile Access tab, the service will stream content when a user goes to http://m.playon.tv. Your network router will have to support Universal Plug and Play, a feature that allows devices and services like PlayOn TV to poke a hole through the router’s security just for this service. If it doesn’t work automatically, you may need to manually configure it to work. I had to do this by forwarding port 57331 to my PC’s IP address. If that all sounds like Greek to you, then it would be best to get a friend who understands such things to set it up for you because it is different on every network router.

Conclusion

The issue of having to manually configure port forwarding shows that PlayOn TV can be a great alternative to watching streaming video from the Internet on a computer, but also can be a maddening service that only Geeks or someone who has access to a Geek can set up. It solves the problem of how to get content from the Internet to the TV. And it also solves the problem of how to get Flash video onto an iOS device. But it is not perfect.

In my tests I had some problems with content not streaming when I wanted it to. Initially I had difficulty configuring it to work on my network. And the Mobile Access service didn’t work for me out of the box so I had to manually configure it, a task that is not something the average user will be able to do. If you have problems like I did, be sure to visit the support page or the user forums. Or just click the support link on the first tab inside the PlayOn TV configuration software.

The good thing is you get 14 days to test things before you have to pay. A little effort on the part of a tech savvy user can result in Internet streaming video on all of the TVs in your house. If you have more than one TV then you can get service similar to a Roku Box or a Google TV without having to buy more than one of those devices. And you can watch Flash video on your iOS device from sources that don’t want to play nice with the likes of hulu or Netflix.

Pros:

• Streams content you can’t find on hulu
• Once configured it is simple to use
• Supports a lot of devices
• Streams content to many devices so you don’t need a separate set-top box for each TV
• Works on iOS devices well

Cons:

• Takes some configuring at the start
• More expensive than just using a computer on the Internet
• Poor video quality a little sometimes
• Requires always on PC
• Devices must be on the same network
• Mobile Access failed in my test
• Only iOS devices supported
• Android app not coming till 2011

PlayOn TV: Internet Video on a TV and Flash on Your iOS Device is a post by Kevin Purcell from Notebooks.com.

The 18 initial titles include some enjoyable games. So what is available?

• Adrenaline Golf Online mini golf in interesting environments for $4.99 (3 1/2 stars)
• Canon Challenge 2 a war game with tanks for $2.99 (unrated)
• Cocoto Magic Circus port of a Wii shooter game for $3.99 (4 stars)
• Cro-Mag Rally prehistoric racing game for $2.99 (3 1/2 stars)
• Enigma 2 space puzzle game for $2.99 (3 1/2 stars)
• Field Runners the Tetris and Bejeweled of the Tower Defense genre” for $2.99 (4 stars)
• Farmville grow virtual crops for Free (3 stars)
• Flight Control land your plans without running into one another for $.99 (4 stars)
• GraalOnline Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing game with a retro look for $1.99 (4 stars)
• Isaac Newton’s Gravity a puzzle game with gravity as the enemy for $2.99 (3 1/2 stars)
• Megaplex Madness Now Playing Run your own movie theater in this sim game for $2.99 (unrated)
• Nanosaur 2 fly your dinosaur around and shoot things in a 3D environment for $3.99 (3 1/2 stars)
• Pac-Man the classic arcade game for $4.99 (3 1/2 stars)
• Real Racing an auto racing game for $4.99 (4 stars)
• Touchgrind ride your skateboard with your fingers for $4.99 (4 1/2 stars)
• WordsWorth a word puzzle game for $1.99 (3 1/2 stars)
• Worldy Wings fly around different worlds exploring and fighting off bad guys for $1.99 (4 1/2 stars)
• Zen Bound 2 Universal this puzzle game helps you get your zen on for $2.99 (3 1/2 stars)

These are mostly casual games and none are rated below 3 1/2 stars nor are they over $5. The apps that are unrated do not have enough App store ratings to come up with a dependable average.

iOS 4.1 Game Center Opens with 18 Titles is a post by Kevin Purcell from Notebooks.com.

The new iPod Touch closes the gap between itself and the iPhone 4. With the inclusion of Apple’s Retina Display, a front and rear-facing camera, FaceTime, and now this vibrating feature, one of the few things that separates the two devices is phone capability. However, another report claims that the iPod Touch will have phone capabilities in the form of emergency 911 calls using VOIP.

The Evidence of Vibration on the New iPod Touch:

Posted on Apple’s own website

One of the FCC’s pictures

What does the vibrate motor mean for iPod Touch users? It is very possible that the functionality will go beyond Facetime notifications. Apps that support push and other notifications may actually vibrate to notify you, just like the iPhone 4. Vibration in gaming is also another likely possibility.

The new iPod Touch is currently available from Apple with prices starting at $229 with free shipping.

Via 9to5 Mac, iPod Touch Fans

New iPod Touch Vibrates is a post by Carter Sprunger from Notebooks.com.

Both the iPod Touch and the Apple TV are now an even better value to college students. Let’s talk about why:

iPod Touch

The iPod Touch has become increasingly popular with students thanks to its great battery life and other features borrowed from the iPhone. Apple has offered back-to-school specials which afford students a free iPod Touch with the purchase of a new Macbook. With the proliferation of WiFi in schools, it’s not uncommon to see students using their iPod Touch for music all around campus and quickly checking emails and Facebook between classes.

Apple’s latest iPod Touch adds some features that will certainly be appreciated by users, such as increased performance with the Apple A4 chip, and a great new high resolution display. However, I’m willing to bet that the most useful new feature for most students will be the front and rear cameras.

Better display:

Apple has bumped the iPod Touch’s resolution up from a measly 320×480 to four times that at a whopping 960×640. The new screens (same resolution and technology as the iPhone 4) look incredibly crisp and make it much easier to see detail in games and other apps. This new display also makes reading on the iPod Touch a new experience.

Cameras:

Apple has added a 0.9MP rear-facing camera to the iPod Touch which is capable of recording 720p HD video great for capturing campus events or for remembering what happens during wild parties. Some film students will appreciate the HD capability as an upgrade over outdated campus provided video cameras! The rear camera also takes photos which will see plenty of use (especially with the popularity of Facebook among college-aged students). Sadly, the rear camera only snaps photos at a paltry 960×720 resolution (much smaller than the iPhone 4′s photos), but the photos will likely be better quality than most cell phone cameras out there and definitely better than that crappy point-and-shoot that you never have with you when you need it!

FaceTime:

And let’s not forget the front-facing camera for it’s FaceTime use. That’s right, the iPod Touch is Face Time enabled which will absolutely change the way that students conduct their inter-campus communication and even the way that they stay in touch with extra-campus friends and family.

Faster processor:

The new iPod Touch now uses Apple’s A4 chip, the same powerful processor that’s found in the iPad and the iPhone 4. This puts the iPod Touch on par with Apple’s fastest mobile devices and makes it compatible with the very latest demanding games.

No contract (like iPhone):

The newest iPod Touch is the closet thing you can get to owning an iPhone without actually paying for a massive monthly contract. You’ve got access to most of the great features like Facetime, the Retina Display, the App Store, and HD video recording. What is the iPod Touch missing out on that the iPhone 4 has? GPS, compass and high-resolution rear camera, however, most of the awesome stuff is still there.

An easy to use, personal web browsing, video conferencing, social networking device right in your pocket? The new iPod Touch is an absolute must-have college companion.

And probably best of all, the iPod Touch remains reasonably priced at $229, $299, or $399 for 8/32/64GB storage respectively. The iPod Touch is going to be at the top of many Christmas wish lists this year.

Apple TV

It’s very common to find students with 22” 32” HDTVs in their dorm rooms and apartments. And now, thanks to the Apple TV, students have a very affordable and simple way to get great HD content to their HDTVs.

The new Apple TV is small enough to fit in the hand, and setup couldn’t be easier. It uses an HDMI port which means just one single plug will hook up your audio and HD video. And trust me… for my friends who can’t even figure out the old color coded plugs, this single cable setup will be much appreciated.

On top of it being simple to set up, the Apple TV is simple to use. New movies can be rented in HD for $4.99 and HD TV shows are just $0.99 per episode! Everything is streamed right to the Apple TV, so you’ll need a sufficient internet connection. Renting an HD movie for $4.99 from the seat of your couch and being able to start the movie in mere seconds absolutely beats the pants off of finding your way to the nearest movie rental store with no car and paying $8 for a non-HD movie rental!

The folks back home might have a Netflix subscription, but you can’t get those movies delivered to your door when you are away at school. Fortunately, you can use the Apple TV to stream movies and TV shows from Netflix’s Play Instantly” collection which will even stream in HD! And if you are an advanced user, you can stream photos, videos, and music from your own computer.

And let’s not forget YouTube. YouTube might not be very old, but for college students, there is a definite group of YouTube classics” that result in seemingly endless laughter. Apple TV will bring classics such as N64 kid” to the big screen in front of the comfy couch, which is a great alternative to having everyone crowd around the tiny computer screen without chairs! I’m certain students will waste away hours sharing their favorite videos (when they should probably be studying).

Can you name two other gadgets that will get you: HD video recording, FaceTime video chatting, a 960×480 screen, access to 250,000 apps in the App Store, in your pocket, and Instant on-demand HD entertainment right to your HDTV starting at just $328? I doubt it!

Apple’s New iPod Touch and Apple TV Are a Great Value to College Students is a post by Ben from Notebooks.com.