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GetGlue and i.TV combine to create tvtag for iPhone, focus on real-time updates about live TV
After powering second-screen, connected-TV experiences for other companies including DirecTV and Nintendo's TVii app, i.tv acquired TV check-in service GetGlue last year to pull those experiences together. Now, GetGlue is relaunching as tvtag, an advertising-supported, one-stop information and social network centered around television watching, full of information from broadcast partners, augmented in real time by a team of live curators and TV viewers. At launch, the reworked app is available only on the iPhone, but CEO Brad Pelo tells us a version for Android is due in a few days, with a web experience and iPad-ready version launching shortly after that. The i.TV app is sticking around for now, but will be updated in the future, while DirecTV and Nintendo are already lined up for integration with the new platform. The check-in and sharing features -- and built-in user base -- from GetGlue remain, but it's the curated info that the company expects will separate it from other services. The "taglines" are built by more than 50 employees creating high-level tags for live TV (covering the majority of what viewers are watching, on any channel), which users then fill in with additional captures, comments and reactions. It's also why tvtag thinks users will choose to open this app over Twitter and Facebook while they're watching TV, with the ability to search info from sources like IMDb and Google, or add to the tagline with their own notes and doodles. Those taglines are available for browsing later for DVR viewing, but this experience is about live TV. For events like last weekend's Grammys or Pro Bowl, and the upcoming Super Bowl, it can push play-by-play updates, as well as constantly refreshed stats and field positions. Other than the big social networks, competition to provide synced TV info on other screens like your phone, tablet or PC is fierce, with everyone from Google Now, Dijit's recent acquisition Miso and Yahoo's IntoNow offering similar features. IntoNow is one of the most similar, adding the ability to ID TV content via audio and a complete feed of images from live TV channels to the mix. tvtag is more than an app however, and since it can open up access as an SDK or API, we may see its features and content pop up in other apps and on other devices soon. Still, given the following GetGlue has been able to attract we expect to see plenty of tvtag shares popping up in our timelines -- we'll see if its exclusive information and tight TV-focused environment are enough to keep its audience coming back.
i.TV acquires GetGlue to boost its stake in second screen viewing
We may be witnessing the creation of a rare giant among second screen apps. Online guide producer i.TV has just acquired GetGlue, giving it control of one of the largest TV check-in services. The two aren't revealing the terms of the deal, but GetGlue will keep running; i.TV plans to integrate its services over time. Just what that means isn't clear at this stage, although the expanded company will say more early next year. Suffice it to say that the deal is promising. When i.TV and GetGlue have previously teamed up with big names like Nintendo and Sony, we'd expect the combined entity to have an even greater impact on our TV viewing habits.
GetGlue's Android app adds redesigned TV guide with streaming video listings
GetGlue reworked its iPhone app recently to feature not only a new design, but also add more content sources, and now those features are also available on Android devices. The service is moving beyond check-ins of what users are watching and now provides personalized advice on what to watch. Those recommendations blend currently airing broadcast TV with commonly used online services like Netflix, Amazon and Hulu, among others. There are also curated lists of suggestions and the newly refreshed show pages along with the ability for users to post their own memes, videos and news. The only feature that didn't make the jump from the iPhone is the ability to link up with DirecTV satellite receivers for remote control, but otherwise it's all here.
GetGlue for iPhone's redesigned TV guide adds VOD and streaming video listings
GetGlue is continuously massaging its socially connected app for TV watchers, and the latest update reflects some of the ways TV viewership is changing. Like Foursquare's recent changes, after an initial focus on check-ins and sharing, the new updates are all about helping users figure out what they're doing / watching next. There's a redesigned guide (again) in v5.0, now offering a personalized view at not only what's on right now via traditional broadcast networks, but also video on-demand and internet services like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, iTunes, HBO Go and more than a dozen others. With the rise of on demand viewing from a number of sources, it will be interesting to see if GetGlue can fill in some of those viewership statistics companies like Netflix have kept private. There's also a new "Search & Discover" feature to find programs with browsing by genre or curated lists from GetGlue staff. Reworked show pages feature more social tie-ins, and the app also lets users directly add images, videos or news articles to their posts for some IntoNow-style meme creation and spreading. Finally, DirecTV customers can connect the app to their satellite boxes and change the channel directly from GetGlue's guide. The new app is rolling out today, let us know if its social networking focus is helping you finding new shows to watch or if it's just another source of oversharing on Twitter and Facebook.
GetGlue for Android update brings personal guides, second screen sharing
GetGlue's recently expanded social efforts on mobile platforms have been available solely to iOS users so far; today, it's their Android friends' turn. A fresh update to the check-in app brings Android users the personalized guide for movies, sports and TV shows. The second screen presentation receives a similar overhaul: it's easier to tag friends or chat with them, and individual shows now have a slew of news and media on offer. While the new version unfortunately drops books and other content, those who regularly watch TV with smartphone in hand will want to grab the new GetGlue build at the source link.
GetGlue update brings personalized guides, feeds and new ads to iPhone
Conspicuously timed just after a Super Bowl dubbed by some (mostly marketing types) as the "most social ever", GetGlue has pushed a new version of its app for iPhones. Version 4.0 for Apple's smaller iOS devices brings many of the social features recently added to the iPad app, as the guides gain personalized recommendations of shows you might enjoy. The main feed brings in even more information about shows being watched by your friends plus a way to easily chat with them within the app. Also improved is the amount of background info available for each show, and reminders for major events, premieres and finales -- similar upgrades are listed as coming soon for Android and its mobile website. Like Foursquare and other location services have shifted focus towards discovery, GetGlue (among others) is doing the same for TV while also improving its profile for businesses. In a move it unveiled with Pepsi during the big game last Sunday, it offers advertisers the opportunity for promoted tied to a particular brand or show, that may pop into your feed if your friends like them. With Twitter itself making a major move into TV experiences it will be interesting how the recently downsized pool of social TV competitors reacts, and who comes out on top. According to GetGlue, 15 percent of all tweets about Pepsi during the Super Bowl came from its app. You can find out if these additions are good ones -- your friends wouldn't share any particularly annoying ads, would they? -- by snagging the new update from iTunes.
Sony Xperia Tablet S hands-on (video)
Sony officially launched its new tablet here at IFA -- and it's keeping that folded-over profile. Happily, it's running Android ICS. We've just spent some time with the Xperia Tablet S here in Berlin and it's looking like Sony wants this to be the center of your media-consuming world. The new tablet pals up with the company's range of phones, bearing that familiar Xperia branding on a freshly hewn metal slab. Yes, the new tablet sidesteps the plastic build of Sony's last two tablets going for a solid metal build. Fortunately, it feels just as light in the hand, while that folded design also remains well-balanced. We're particularly pleased with the tactile finish on the folded-over surface of the tablet -- it's very grippable. Internally, we're dealing with a quad-core Tegra 3 processor, while a 10-inch 1,280 x 800 IPS display will be showing off all that media and gaming content. Browse our gallery of images below and check out our hands-on video and first impressions after the break. %Gallery-163657%
Sony Xperia Tablet S official: slimmed-down design, Tegra 3, IR remote and Android 4.0, starts at $400
Looks like those leaked slides showing Sony's Xperia-branded tablet were right about pretty much everything. (Well, everything except the price, anyway). The company just formally announced the Xperia Tablet S and, as rumored, it features a Tegra 3 chip, Android 4.0 and up to 64GB of built-in storage. Like last year's Tablet S, it has that distinctive folded-over magazine shape, except this go-round it's made of metal, and measures between .35 and .47 inches thick (the weight, too, has dropped to 1.26 pounds, down from 1.31). Sony also kept the Tablet S' IR emitter, which allows the tablet to double as a universal remote, and this time you can program shortcuts to do things like watch sports. Rounding out the spec sheet, there's a full-size SD slot, a 9.4-inch (1,280 x 800) IPS screen and a 6,000mAh battery promising 10 hours of runtime. As we mentioned, the tablet will ship with Ice Cream Sandwich, but Sony is promising an upgrade to Jelly Bean as soon as it can optimize all its custom apps. And indeed, there are quite a few specialized applications here. For starters, there's a new Watch Now app that allows for live TV-viewing (cable subscription required), with the option to "check into" shows and share comments on Facebook and Twitter. Meanwhile, Sony added a Guest Mode that lets you create custom user profiles, forbidding the use of certain apps -- a handy parental control tool, we say. Naturally, Sony also threw in Music and Video Unlimited, where you can buy content from Sony's vast movie and song catalogs. Finally, the tablet comes with 5GB of space in PlayMemories, Sony's new cloud storage service. The tablet will be available September 7th, though Sony is accepting pre-orders starting today. It will start at $400 for the 16GB model, with the 32GB going for $500 and the 64GB for $600. And yes, as those leaked slides indicated, there will most certainly be accessories. For starters, there's that optional Surface-like keyboard we heard about, priced at $100. There's also a three-position stand, with HDMI output and a USB adapter for a charging. That, too, costs $100. Sony is also selling a charging cradle ($40), a plain-Jane stand ($25), a dock speaker ($130) and a carrying case, priced at either $51 or $80, depending on whether or not you get it in leather. We very much expect to get some hands-on time at IFA, so stay tuned for first-hand impressions.
Syfy for iPad app adds Sync feature, second screen content launches Tuesday with Face Off (video)
We're still not sure about the Sci Fi / Syfy Network name switch, but whatever you call it the network is the latest to jump on the trend of second screen features. Currently available on the latest version of its iPad app (and listed as "coming soon" for Android tablets on the official page an in the demo video embedded after the break), Syfy Sync will work with certain shows to pull up interactive content on your mobile device along with whatever is playing on TV. The first show to get the treatment is the season premiere of Face Off airing August 21st. Naturally, there's a social media element as well, with sharing to Facebook and Twitter, as well as integrated GetGlue check-ins. Whether or not you dig the second screen aspects or are just waiting for some better shows to come on, there are other upgrades with a new UI as, show related photo galleries and support for AirPlay to play the app's video clips on your TV. Syfy for iPad 2.0 with sync is available for free in iTunes, we'll let you know when the Android version is upgraded and if similar features head to any other mobile platforms soon.
GetGlue for iPad hits version 3.0: adds personalized guides, show recommendations and alerts
GetGlue's been giving social TV watchers a hub they can count on within Cupertino's tablet for a good while now. Today, however, the application's reached version three-dot-oh, which means there's a slew of new goodies in tow. Among some of the fresh features is an all-new guide for television shows, movies and sports that's solely based on personal preferences, while recommendations, clips and related articles have also been added in this new version. That's not it, though, GetGlue now lets folks set alerts for upcoming events, as well as earn "stickers" for watching their favorite content -- think badges on FourSquare. Best of all, the iPad app's still free of charge, so anyone interested in v3.0 can give the App Store link below a quick tap to get on with the gratis download.
Daily Update for August 16, 2012
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
GetGlue app gets update, has millions of users
GetGlue has been around for about two years; it was the first social networking app that let you check in and review TV shows, movies, and books. In that time, the app has captured a community of 3 million fans who have contributed over 500 million checkins and reviews. Now GetGlue is announcing a big update called GetGlue HD (free), available now for iPad. The big change is a new guide, which presents each GetGlue user with a personalized list of shows, movies and sports that they like to watch. Live shows and new episodes are always at the top of the list, while reruns are further down. Users can also see what shows their friends are watching, as well as recommendations that match their tastes. If you're a fan of certain sports teams, their schedules, stats and live scores appear in the grid. Not only is GetGlue HD's guide showing what's on TV, but it also helps users see what's available on streaming services like Netflix, Amazon, and iTunes. While the new version is available only for iPad at this time, expect to see it move to the iPhone, Android devices, and the GetGlue.com sites in the fall.
Poll: How social is your TV watching?
Twitter and Facebook are common enough that even your grandmother probably knows what they are by now and studies have confirmed that watching TV with laptop, tablet or phone nearby is an increasingly common experience. Over the last year or so startups like GetGlue, Tunerfish, Miso, Philo and IntoNow have all tried to make checking in and other social media standbys a part of TV, while Boxee has arguably lead the way in social video sharing on connected TV platforms. So if you've added TV checkins to the Foursquare, Farmville and other data you're bombarding followers and friends with or just see them as another thing to filter out of your timeline, let us know how it's going below. %Poll-61890%
GetGlue goes iPad
GetGlue users who have iPads have a reason to get happy today -- there's an official GetGlue iPad app available in the App Store. We talked about the Glue social network and iPhone app when it debuted a few months ago, and Glue is now quite popular. It's great to see the GetGlue app on the big screen now, and you can even get a special "iPader" sticker (one of the common bonuses for achievements in GetGlue) for using your iPad to check in. The free app does an outstanding job of utilizing the extra real estate on the iPad display, and makes it much easier to follow what your friends are watching, reading, or thinking about. As noted in a phone call about GetGlue that I participated in yesterday, the new app allows for a more immersive conversation with friends. In other GetGlue news, the company has reward partnerships in place with FOX, HBO, Showtime, PBS and Universal Pictures. The FOX deal is brand new, and there will be special rewards for fans of the popular Glee and Bones series. Later in the month, GetGlue and FOX will be providing incentives for fans to watch two new series premieres for Raising Hope and Lone Star. HBO has placed a lot of special GetGlue posts on their website, and fans can get exclusive stickers for influencing friends or dropping comments. The network is planning on special incentives for the new Boardwalk Empire and Eastbound and Down series, encouraging users to get stickers for watching the trailers and checking in during each episode. PBS is planning on joining in on the fun when they provide special rewards to viewers of new mini-series this year who check in while watching the shows live. It should be a fun fall TV season, and GetGlue is there to add to your enjoyment.
