President Obama has admitted that he isn’t allowed to have an iPhone, due to security concerns. Instead, the president uses a BlackBerry outfitted with secret encryption devices. President Obama was famously a BlackBerry fanatic when elected in 2008, and had to fight with the Secret Service to keep it.

Cloud backup service Backblaze has conducted another study of hard drive reliability, this time pitting consumer-grade hard drives against the more expensive enterprise-level disks. Over the span of three years, 4.2 percent of the consumer drives failed, while the enterprise drives suffered a 4.6 percent failure rate. The caveats are that Backblaze tested 14,719 consumer-grade drives against 368 enterprise drives, and the two sets were used for different purposes. While more data is needed to compare longer-term reliability, Backblaze noted that longer warranties are the one clear advantage of enterprise drives.

In Esquire, Google Glass Explorer A. J. Jacobs describes his mission to do everything with Google Glass that his Google handlers told him not to do. He used the controversial wearable to read Moby Dick, cheat at poker (he gave the money back), and help a friend talk to the opposite sex.

The pseudonymous Apple Genius “J. K. Appleseed” returns to McSweeney’s with stories submitted by fellow Apple Geniuses. This brief anthology includes a hotshot “pickup artist,” a visit from a homeless man on New Year’s Eve, a song trapped in a USB cable, and how sensationalist Apple stories can be harmful.

With AirPlay, you can play audio and video content from your Mac or iOS device on your Apple TV. You can also mirror your entire screen to the Apple TV, so whatever you see and hear on your device, you also see and hear through the Apple TV. And, in 10.9 Mavericks you can turn the TV attached to your Apple TV into another display for your Mac, just like any other external display. Read on to learn more, including how to prevent your prankster neighbors from playing video on your Apple TV without your permission.

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the British sci-fi series “Doctor Who,” Google has created an elaborate “doodle” that is actually a retro-style Doctor Who game. Play as any one of the 11 Doctors, dodging Daleks, Cybermen, and Weeping Angels, as you travel through time and space. One particularly nice touch: if your Doctor dies, he regenerates into his next incarnation.

With the release of an iPhone client, Google Play Music has become a compelling option for Apple users who want an alternative to iTunes Match, Rdio, or Spotify.

Our own Joe Kissell, donning his foodie hat as author of “Take Control of Thanksgiving Dinner,” joined host Benjamin Alexander and the co-hosts of the Food Safety Talk podcast — Ben Chapman and Don Schaffner — on the Panel podcast to discuss Thanksgiving dinner. Topics included the best thermometers for the bird, a vigorous debate over food safety, and whether pumpkin pie can kill you.

Apple’s Reuse and Recycling Program will now give you an Apple Store gift card in exchange for a water-damaged device. Previously, Apple’s trade-in program wouldn’t accept soggy iPhones, iPads, or Macs. Now, according to CNET, Apple will offer $235 for a water-damaged iPhone 32 GB Verizon iPhone 5 that still works, as opposed to $265 for a non-damaged model. A non-functional device will score you $35 at most, but it’s better than nothing.

The Apple TV’s lineup expands with PBS and Yahoo Screen. And for you “Downton Abbey” fans, Josh Centers has the inside scoop on what’s available.

Although iTunes content is front and center in the Apple TV’s interface, Apple offers lots to watch from numerous other sources as well, some of which may be a better deal than renting or buying from the iTunes Store. In this chapter, Josh Centers gives capsule descriptions of each of the Apple TV’s current “apps,” which provide movies, TV shows, sporting events, concerts, music videos, news, weather, and even your home movies. It’s not all video, though, since you can listen to your music from iTunes via the Apple TV, plus enjoy iTunes Radio and podcasts. And if you want something showing on screen while you’re rocking out, or just want to share your vacation pictures with friends, the Apple TV can access your photos from iCloud and Flickr.

“Take Control of iBooks” author Sharon Zardetto joined MacVoices host Chuck Joiner to discuss her new book, iBooks for the Mac, and where paper books fit in a digital world.

If you use Facebook, you’ve probably seen Bitstrips cartoons plastered all over your news feed. Where the heck are they coming from, and how can you block them out? Josh Centers investigates.

Tags in OS X 10.9 Mavericks is one of the new operating system’s most touted, but least-discussed new features. Josh Centers shows you how to use tags, and what they’re useful for.

Apple has updated both iOS 7 and iOS 6 (on the fourth-generation iPod touch) to address issues with FaceTime calls.