When Apple first announced the Apple TV a few months ago, I seriously thought about ordering one. I’ve tried other media streamers, and none of them really did it for me, so I was hoping Apple’s offering would provide the ideal combination of ease-of-use and useful features. Unfortunately, as most reviewers have pointed out, it’s hobbled by poor video quality, a limited content selection and a small hard drive. However, now that hackers have stepped in, it may be just a matter of time until the machine is refitted to live up to its full potential. And that makes it a lot more attractive. But, tempted as I am to pick one up and explore its innards, I’m even more tempted by other alternatives. After all, for about the same price as an Apple TV, you can pick up a Dell refurb running Media Center 2005, with a more powerful processor and much more memory than the Apple’s measly 1GHz and 256MB. So, as much as I want Apple TV to become a hacktastic platform, I’ll probably be putting in my order for that Dell, rather than ripping the case off of Apple’s box.

As far as Google April Fool’s Day gags go, Gmail Paper may not be as laugh-out-loud funny as classics like PigeonRank, but like the best April Fool’s jokes, it’s got that almost-real feel to it, forcing a double-take or a quick glance at the calendar to confirm that it’s fake. After all, in the early days of email, services like CompuServe offered an email-to-paper service, and email-to-fax gateways exist to this very day. And HP recently introduced a dial-up connected printer designed to allow technophobes to, yes, receive their email on paper. So, Gmail Paper may not be quite real, but it’s not entirely foolish either (and you gotta love the “user” comments, like the “armchair futurist” who opines: “what will Google think of next? Cardboard?”).

Oh, and as long as we’re talking April Fool’s, total props to Ryan for his “real interview with fake Steve Jobs.” Hope you break all his fingers, dude.