I spent most of last week laughing it up in Winnipeg with my fellow fuzzball's from Mobile Nations -- that'd be Phil Nickinson of Android Central, Daniel Rubino of WPCentral, and Kevin Michaluk from CrackBerry.com, in order. We spent a few days figuring out where the network was, and most importantly, where we're going through the rest of 2012 and into 2013. You'll be hearings -- and seeing -- a lot about that soon.

But let's jump back out of hyperspace for a moment and take a look at the week that was...

Stressing over Apple's new Genius ads

Apple aired three new ads during the Olympic Opening Ceremonies, and the first ads I'm aware of focusing on Apple Retail. Some folks didn't like them, some folks did. Whether or not we like something is different than whether or not that thing is good or bad. I dislike a great many things I'll happily admit are good or even brilliant.

Here are the only two questions that matter when it comes to the new Apple ads:

1. Who was the target?
2. Did Apple hit that target?

Far as I could tell, Apple was aiming squarely at people for whom computers and computing situations are stressful. People with no idea how to handle their digital photos, videos, presentations, or even purchases. People who want to make an anniversary video or photo book or just have their stuff work.

As much as iOS isn't for geeks, neither are these ads (and neither is Mountain Lion for that matter). They're for the mainstream. They were the Apple Store equivalent of the Midas Muffler guy commercial. And the message was simple -- don't stress over computers or computing tasks, just come to Apple and the Apple Store, and the Mac, and everything will be okay.

If you already know about Apple Stores, if you know the difference between a Genius and a Creative, if you couldn't care less about photo books and long ago set up your perfect Keynote deck, then these ads clearly weren't for you.

Apple already has you. They want everyone else.

Speaking of the Olympics

While NBC's Olympic coverage sounds like a bag of hurt, CTV (Canadian TV) is doing a bang up job, at least on the iPhone app. You can pick your events and stream them right to your iPhone, both live and previously recorded. There are a lot of events I want to watch that don't get a lot of TV coverage, like Judo and fencing. With the CTV Olympics app on iPhone, I simply pick Judo and watch, even on my TV. Yeah, there are ads I can't skip, but the app is free so that's no big deal.

There's no AirPlay in the app itself, but the main AirPlay controls in the Fast App Switcher aren't blocked, so they work, even if the picture is letter boxed and pillar boxed, making it needlessly small).

If NBC is really doing that bad a job, shame on them. Those that embrace the future will inherit it. Cheers to CTV for doing it better.

Now let's get it right.

Speaking of streaming

It's great that Apple's got iTunes in the Cloud music, movies, and TV shows in a lot more countries now. What's not so great is that, while I can stream all of the above to my Apple TV, I can't do the same on the iPhone, iPad, or Mac. I have to download them.

And that sucks, because typically I just want to watch something once, and right away, and not wait for a download and then delete it right after to save space.

Other than licensing restrictions and typical Hollywood myopia, why can't this just work across iOS and iTunes?

Back to business

Keeping it short this week so I can work on something big for tomorrow. And something small. Any guesses?

iTunes in the Cloud is part of iCloud, and lets you re-download or stream your previously purchased TV shows -- and music, movies, iBooks, and apps -- from your iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, Apple TV, or Windows or Mac PC. If you switch devices regularly, or don't want to take up space storing TV shows you watch infrequently, iTunes in the Cloud lets you keep everything you want to watch close by, and watch it whenever you want, wherever you want. You just have to make sure you're logged into your iTunes account, and you're good to go.

Here's how to access iTunes in the Cloud TV shows from your device.

Note: Only 10 devices can be authorized for iTunes in the Cloud at any one time. For more on authorizing, managing, and changing your iTunes in the Cloud devices, see:

• How to set up and use iTunes in the Cloud

How to purchase TV shows from iTunes

If you're new to iOS or iTunes, purchasing TV shows for your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple TV, and even your Mac or Windows PC is easy. And once you do, you can access them from any of your devices with just a few taps and clicks.

• How to purchase and download music, movies, and TV shows to your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

How to re-download purchased TV shows to your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

Once you've purchased a TV show from iTunes, you can re-download it at any time, from any iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad you own that's logged into your iTunes account.

1. Launch the iTunes app from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch
2. Tap on the Purchased tab along the bottom of the navigation menu. (If you don't see it on your iPhone or iPad touch, tap More first, then tap Purchased.)
3. Tap on the View button.
4. Select the TV Shows view.
5. Tap the TV Show series you want to choose from.
6. Tap the individual episode you want to to download.

You can sort by Seasons or Episodes, and view "Not on the iPhone/iPad" to help more easily find the exact show you're looking for.

Once your episode has downloaded, you'll be able to find it in the Videos app.

How to stream TV shows to your Apple TV

TV shows, as the name implies, were intended for televisions. If you're not away from home, and if your HDTV isn't otherwise occupied, there's no better way to watch them than on the big screen courtesy of your Apple TV. Because the Apple TV only has 8GB of on board storage, rather than downloading TV shows, it simply streams them directly from iCloud.

1. Using the Apple TV Remote, navigate to the TV Shows section.
2. Go to the Purchased section along the top.
3. Navigate to and click on any of the TV shows you see listed.
4. Navigate to and click on Play.

How to re-download TV shows to iTunes on Mac or Windows PC

If you've switched computers, added an additional computer, or simply lost a hard drive or corrupted an iTunes Library, there's no more need to panic about your TV shows. You can re-download them again and again.

1. Launch iTunes
2. Click on iTunes Store in the side bar on the left.
3. Click on TV Shows in the content bar at the top
4. Click on Purchased in the Quick Links column on the right.
5. Click the TV Show series you want to choose from.
6. Click the individual episode you want to to download.

You can sort by Seasons or Episodes, and view "Not on this computer" to help more easily find the exact show you're looking for.

Once your episode has downloaded, you'll be able to find it under TV Shows in the sidebar to the left.

How to get more help with iCloud

If you still need help with re-downloading apps, games, iBooks, music, TV shows, or music to your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad, or any other iCloud feature, head on over to our iCloud Forum and ask away!

• How to set up, back up, restore, and update using iCloud
• How to set up and use iCloud mail, contacts, and calendars
• How to set up and use iTunes Match
• How to set up and use Photo Stream
• How to set up and use Documents in the Cloud
• How to set up and use Find my iPhone
• How to set up and use Find my Friends

Take some of leaked parts, supposedly for Apple's next generation iPhone 5, assemble them together, and what do you get? A supposed iPhone 5! This time it's iLab Factory that have done the deed, and what they're showing off does indeed look a lot like one of the 4-inch prototypes Apple was rumored to be considering for the iPhone 5.

Easily visible is the miniaturized Dock connector, as well as the bottom mounted headset jack. Also impossible to miss is the metallic plate that covers the back of the iPhone from antenna break to antenna break, leaving only the top and bottom clear, glass, and presumably radio-fiendly. The Home button, Sleep/Wake button, and volume controls all look the same, though the front mounted FaceTime camera has been centered.

The 4-inch, 16:9 display will be the big story, though. It's the first screen size change since the original iPhone debuted in 2007.

It's tough to tell the real from the fake from the really fake, but these parts do match increasingly frequent rumors surrounding the iPhone 5, and it wouldn't be a huge surprise if it's fairly close.

One more photo below, and lots more via the source link below. Check them out and then let us know -- what do you think? Could this be what the iPhone 5 will look like come the fall? And if it is, what do you think of the design?

Source: iLab Factory

The MetaWatch Strata is currently looking for funding via the hugely popular Kickstarter program. The Project looks similar to the Pebble watch that took Kickstarter by storm earlier in the year and offers some very nice integration with your iPhone 4S.

Strata, is a smart sportwatch designed to complement your smartphone and give you Hands Freedom. With a Bluetooth 4.0 connection to your iPhone 4S or Android smartphone, you can check messages, see who's calling, control music, view weather, and more, all from your wrist.

"Hands Freedom" is how we describe the broad range of benefits MetaWatch Strata provides. A vibrating alert and a simple glance reveals everything you need to decide whether to act on a notification now or later. This saves time, conserves phone battery, and eliminates much of the 'friction' that comes with using smartphones.

The idea of a smart watch certainly seems to be one that captures the imagination. The previously mentioned Pebble attracted massive attention when it appeared on Kickstarter amassing over $10 million in pledges. The Pebble still hasn't been released as of yet and suffered another delay this week; it was previously slated for a September launch but not any longer and no further dates have been announced.

If you prefer the look of MetaWatch Strata, you can become an early adopter with a pledge of $159 or more to secure one should they make it into production. The watch currently has over $84,000 of pledges and it needs to hit over $100,000 to gain enough to be funded. As with all of these Kickstarter projects, just because a particular item reaches its funding total doesn't guarantee it will be made. I guess the saying goes; you pays your money and takes your choice!

I never wear a watch and always rely on my iPhone to tell me the time and all the other useful information that I need so wouldn't have any use for a smart watch. Could you see a usage case for this type of smart watch or is is strictly for the geeks amongst us?

Source: Kickstarter