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Amazon's Fling is its version of AirPlay and Google Cast
If you've been hoping for an AirPlay or Cast-like tool to beam content to your Amazon streaming gadgets, you'll soon be in luck. The company revealed its Fling feature this week, a tool that will allow developers to include a way to control media from a mobile device on your Fire TV. Right now, the software will let you send video, audio and still images from an Android or iOS device to the set-top box (or dongle, we'd surmise) for viewing. Devs can also employ "two-way communication" between the Fire TV and a phone or tablet to "engaging second screen experiences."
This app will send your photos to 50 people you've never met
I couldn't be less interested in the phrase "photo messaging app." There are a million, and they all do pretty much the same thing -- snap a photo, send it to whoever you want, and maybe put a timer on it. But Fling has found a way to be unique by not sending it to the people you want. Wait, what? That's right, once you snap a photo with Fling, the app sends it to as many as 50 other Fling users at random. People you've never met in countries you've never visited could be staring at your smiling mug in a matter of seconds, and there's nothing they can do about it -- well, except delete the app, I suppose. When you receive a Fling message you can choose to reply privately to that person, which adds another layer of awkward to the equation. I've yet to have anyone reply to the obnoxious photos of me sipping my morning coffee, but you might have better luck. TechCrunch reports that Fling, which was initially a small pet project of social startup Unii, is being broken off from the main company in order to allow for funding aimed exclusively at the photo app.
Chromecast update breaks local media streaming in third-party apps (updated)
We hope you aren't depending on your Chromecast for local media playback. If you are, the device has just become a paperweight -- temporarily, at least. Google's most recent Chromecast update disables playback from external video sources, breaking third-party apps like AllCast and Fling that use the code for local-only streaming. Developer Leon Nicholls is hopeful that functionality will return when the official Cast SDK is ready for public apps, although we wouldn't count on it. As Android Central notes, Google isn't promising local media support on the Chromecast; for now, it's focused on the cloud. Update: In a statement mentioned by dnengel84 in the comments and posted by The Verge, Google says that it's willing to support local content; these are "early days" for the SDK, and the feature set is likely to change. Read the full statement after the break.
Ten One Design premieres Pogo Sketch Plus and Magnus iPad stand at CES
It's always great to see the guys from Ten One Design at various trade shows and conventions we cover here at TUAW and seeing them again at CES was no exception. This time around, in addition to displaying the popular Fling joystick for iPhone and iPad, Ten One had two new products on display. The first as the Pogo Sketch Plus stylus, which is an updating version of the popular Pogo Sketch featuring an all-new tip. Personally, I'm not a huge stylus fan (I agree with Steve Sande: "If you see a stylus, they blew it"), but I do agree that the Plus is more accurate and a little smoother than the previous version. I don't know that it'll convince you to use a stylus on the iPhone or iPad when you don't already, but if you use another stylus or the standard Pogo Sketch, the new version is worth checking out. Ten One was also showing off the Magnus, a new iPad stand they're making. iPad stands are so CES 2011, but this one is actually pretty innovative: It includes a strong metal base outfitted with a magnet, so the iPad not only stands in place, but is held there with a magnetic charge (on the same edge that Apple's Smart Cover uses to stay on. The design of the Magnus is really impressive -- the iPad would fall over without that magnet, so the whole thing looks quite magical. The Pogo Sketch Plus is available for $14.95, and the Magnus is available for $49.95. Of course, it only works with the iPad 2 and its embedded magnet. Ten One also says the Fling continues to sell well. There are a few other joysticks out there, but Ten One says that no other competitors have borrowed the Fling's patented twisty design yet. They did say that a few "counterfeit" copies have appeared, but not enough to cause issue with Ten One's sales. We asked if there have been any major customer complaints yet, or any big improvements in the product customers have asked for, but they say that customers have been happy overall with the Fling. The only real issue so far? "It's kid-proof, but not dog-proof," says Ten One.
Ten One Design's Fling mini now delivering tactile control to touchscreen gamers
Improved gaming controls or a full-screen view? That's the conundrum you'll soon be able to face if you pre-ordered Ten One Design's Fling mini, which is now shipping. To refresh your memory, the $25 pair of springy capacitive joysticks for mobile devices -- specifically iPhone and iPod Touch -- cling onto your device's touchscreen, and aim to add tactile feel and added precision. We've used the larger iPad variant in the past and found it worked pretty well, but we're certainly wary about how much space the mini looks to hog up in comparison. There's more info in the PR past the break if you're still thinking about giving these some thumbs-on time.
WWDC Interview: Ten One Design
We got a look at the Fling from Ten One Design at Macworld, and here we are to take a look at their smaller version for the iPhone. The Fling is designed to give you a thumbstick on your iPad, and we found it works better than all the rest (certainly better than the Joystick-IT from ThinkGeek). In this interview we talk about WWDC announcements and their new product. TUAW and MacTech Magazine teamed up to speak to developers at WWDC 2011 about the keynote and how Apple's new technologies will help them and their customers. Over the next couple of weeks, we'll bring you those videos here, MacTech.com and MacNews.com. Also, check out the free trial subscription offer for MacTech Magazine here.
Ten One Design's iPad joysticks set to have a mini Fling with your smartphone
Need more stuff to attach to your smartphone? Good news: Ten One Design managed to shrink down those stick-on iPad joysticks we played with back at CES, bringing the Fling's screen-cluttering gaming action to the iPhone, iPod touch, and Android devices. The new Fling Mini monopolizes a good deal of its designated phone's display real estate -- and then some -- pushing its way well into the bezel of many handsets. You can pre-order the suction cup controllers now at $24.95 for a pack of two -- five bucks less than their older siblings. They're set to start shipping next month and will no doubt get some good, slightly-obscured face time at E3.
Ten One Design introduces the Fling mini joystick for iPhone
You have probably seen Fling, the joystick put together by Ten One Design that sticks right onto your iPad. And now the company has introduced a new version called the Fling mini, available for preorder right now. As you can imagine, the Fling mini is smaller than the iPad version, but Ten1 says it still feels like an analog stick and works just fine on the iPhone's haptic touchscreen. I was very impressed with the Fling joystick when I tried it at Macworld earlier this year, and while it's tough to see how Ten One could replicate that same balance and feel in a smaller model, I have no doubt the company was able to do it. As you can see above, the designers had to compromise a bit and add those little arms that sit out on the non-screen part of the iPhone. But while it does cover up the screen quite a bit (maybe too much for some games), this thing is more about the feel of the joystick and getting that just right. The full Fling sells for US$29.95 in a two-pack, and the Fling mini will be $5 less -- $24.95 for a dual pack. We're told they'll start arriving in mid-July, and we'll get our hands on one to try out as soon as possible. [via Touch Arcade] %Gallery-125276%
ThinkGeek's Joystick-It offers a more traditional arcade joystick for your iPad's screen
You've probably seen the Fling, which is TenOne's stick-on joystick for the iPad. Now, ThinkGeek has introduced a competitor -- the Joystick-It is another stick-on joystick for the iPad's touchscreen, this time styled a little more closely to an actual arcade controller. The bottom of the stick has what looks like a suction cup that attaches to the device, and then you can move the stick around to control a capacitive widget on the bottom that acts as your finger normally would on the touchscreen. I haven't gotten to play with it, but I can't imagine that it offers as big a range of movement as the Fling does. Then again, the Fling is more of a controller-style joystick, while the Joystick-It looks like a full arcade stick, and it has a smaller footprint on the screen. The Joystick-It is more expensive than the Fling, too, at one for US$25, or two for $40 plus shipping from ThinkGeek. We'll have to try one out soon and let you know what we think.
Fling iPad joystick thumbs-on
Ask any real gamer about gaming on a touchscreen, and the first thing you'll hear is he or she lamenting over the lack of physical buttons. Ten One Design aims to remedy this legitimate complaint with its Fling joystick add-ons for the iPad. The product is simple enough, a twisted piece of plastic with capacitive contact points in the center and suction cups to stick it to the screen. They feel quite like the joysticks on a PSP, and make gaming on the device seriously more enjoyable -- not to mention natural feeling -- and other than that there's not much else to say. Oh wait, did we mention they cost $25... each? Yeah, total buzzkill. %Gallery-113114%
Stick an analog stick to your iPad
First there were the Tactile+ Plus stickers. Now, there's an exciting new development in the field of fake buttons for touchscreens! The Fling is an analog stick designed to be placed on an iPad's screen, over the virtual joystick. Unlike the Tactile+ Plus, there's no adhesive to apply to your screen -- it uses suction cups. The transparent design (with a small accent in your choice of three colors) is designed not to obscure too much of the view, and it comes with a lovely pouch for storage when you aren't playing a game with virtual controls or don't want to be seen with some thing stuck to the screen. If you're desperate enough to be playing games with virtual controls on an iPad, then you're probably at the point where you're willing to try crazy stuff like this. You can pre-order it for $24.95.
Fling joystick lets you get physical with Super Megaworm on the iPad
You know, some people take gaming very seriously, and there's no doubt that a good portion of them will be picking up this new peripheral from Ten One Design. For $24.95, the Fling tactile game controller promises to enhance some iPad games by overlaying their virtual D-pad with a physical mini joystick. And that's not it -- the funky spiral mechanism also provides resistance to simulate force feedback, meaning your thumb will always know its boundaries. Check out the video demo after the break. %Gallery-112504%
