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Ohio State coverage is officially over until late August (with a possible return for March Madness, but don't count on it), and we hereby resume posting about random junk....
Apple Computer CEO Steve Jobs on Tuesday unveiled a new mobile phone that downloads and plays music as well as a set-top box that allows people to stream video from their computers to their televisions.
Forget the phone, let's talk about AppleTV:

....the company will begin taking orders Tuesday for $299 video box, called Apple TV. It will be available in February.

The gadget is designed to bridge computers and television sets so users can more easily watch their downloaded movies on a big screen. A prototype of the gadget was displayed by Jobs in September when Apple announced it would sell TV shows and movies through its iTunes online store.

The product could be as revolutionary to digital movies as Apple's iPod music player was to digital music. Both devices liberate media from the computer, allowing people to enjoy digital files without being chained to a desktop or laptop.

"It's really, really easy to use," Jobs told the crowd at San Francisco's Moscone Center before demonstrating the system with a video clip of "The Good Shepherd." "It's got the processing horsepower to do the kinds of things we like to do."

Apple TV will come with a 40-gigabyte hard drive that stores up to 50 hours of video. It features an Intel Corp. microprocessor and can handle videos, photos and music streamed from up to five computers within the wireless range.

Specs include:

• USB 2, Ethernet, WiFi, HDMI, component, audio, and optical out.
• 20p high def video
• 40GB hard drive
• 802.11b/g/n
• Intel processor

The media hub will stream content from up to 5 computers around your home.

I'm not the only one excited. MSNBC reports that Apple shares jumped 5 percent on the announcements.