airsync
Latest
DoubleTwist upgrade features AirPlay support for more Apple / Android miscegenation
Add another notch to DoubleTwist's Apple ecosystem integration belt, now that its Android app has added AirPlay streaming to the list of features. As of version 1.4 it will stream music, videos or pictures to the Apple TV or other compatible devices while also claiming beta support for Sonos hardware. The DoubleTwist player is free, but using AirPlay means purchasing the $4.99 AirSync add-on that also enables wireless sync with your media library (iTunes) and streaming to DLNA or uPnP compatible devices. Twonky Mobile is a free alternative that's also AirPlay-compatible but without the tight iTunes integration; you can check them both out in the market.
Samsung Galaxy S 4G review
It's only been six months since Samsung launched its highly successful Galaxy S assault upon the US market with a series of carrier customized phones: the Vibrant and Captivate GSM twins for T-Mobile and AT&T, the WiMAX-rocking Epic 4G for Sprint and the Fascinate for Verizon. More derivatives arrived later, with the Mesmerize, Continuum, Nexus S, and LTE-equipped Galaxy Indulge. Still the Vibrant was the first, and the closest in appearance to the original Galaxy S, losing the front-facing camera, but gaining a search button. Unfortunately, Samsung was slow to upgrade early devices like the Vibrant beyond Eclair, and to fix the well-documented AGPS problems. As such, the release of the Samsung Galaxy S 4G for T-Mobile -- basically an updated Vibrant with HSPA+, a front-facing camera, a bronze battery cover, Froyo out of the gate, but no dedicated internal flash storage -- is bittersweet. While beneficial to those who waited, it's a slap in the face to those who purchased the Vibrant. But is it a worthy upgrade? How does it fit into T-Mobile's high-end Android lineup? Read on for our full review after the break. %Gallery-118786%
DoubleTwist for Android adds AirTwist, streams media to Xbox 360, PS3 and more
Building on its Airsync feature that lets users wirelessly keep their media (pictures, music, movies) library synced between computer and mobile device, DoubleTwist's new AirTwist feature lets your Android powered phone stream them to any Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3. Assuming you've already paid for the $4.99 AirSync add-on, all users need to do is get the most recent version of the app from the Android market, join the same network as one of the consoles wirelessly and authorize it within the app. While PS3 and Xbox 360 are the only devices officially listed, we didn't have any problem pulling in a few songs on a connected Google TV device since it's built on DLNA and should work with any device using the standard. Of course, Skifta does pretty much the same thing (with the exception of streaming to the Xbox 360) and it's free, so choose carefully.
AirSync for doubleTwist brings wireless syncing to Android phones
Been looking for the perfect thing to boast to your iPhone-owning friends about? Well brace yourself, because doubleTwist has just gone wireless with its latest update, introducing a feature called AirSync which allows Android users to keep their media collection simpatico sans cabling. The new app for PC and Mac boxes couples with its Android counterpart (along with a new AirSync component) and lets you do most of your management without needing a wire between your phone and computer. The desktop application and DoubleTwist player for phones won't cost you a thing, though AirSync itself is $0.99 on the phone for the first 10,000 buyers, and then jumps to $4.99 a shot. Setup is relatively painless, requiring just a passcode from your phone which is input on the PC side. From then on, whenever you've got the app open and your device in range, the content stored on the phone will appear in your DoubleTwist list just as if you'd plugged the phone in (similar to the Windows Phone 7 / Zune wireless sync). We took AirSync for a ride with our Mac and Droid Incredible, and everything seemed to work fine, though we did notice a few bugs (one that was pretty major) that need worked out. Firstly, you'll probably want to just start fresh with syncing your collection -- we made the mistake of trying to pick up where we'd left off and accidentally wiped the content stored on the phone. We also noticed issues with the application trying to sync or update your database while listening to music; more than once our playback abruptly stopped when the app was attempting to talk to the phone. Syncing can also be pretty slow depending on your connection -- really slow if you've got a big collection. Despite those complaints, AirSync (and both the doubleTwist Android app and desktop client) are incredibly slick solutions to a problem plaguing lots of smartphone users. The company obviously has just begun its work with the app -- and it's clear that there are kinks to work out -- but the dream of a wireless future for Android users just got a lot closer to reality.
LG Air Sync hands-on
We got a peek today at the new "3-way" synchronization service from LG that the company is calling Air Sync; it's only available on the GD880 Mini right now in the UK, but they're looking to expand it across Europe and Asia before too long and -- if we're lucky -- North America eventually. So what is it, exactly? Basically, it's a synchronization service for text clipping, photos, videos, contacts, and the like that integrates with your PC using a downloadable client. After it's installed, you get a few new context menu items that let you fast-track content to your phone via the cloud, and we were pretty amazed at just how quickly the transfers consistently happened -- within a few seconds, a dialog pops up on LG's demo Mini notifying you that the goods have been received. It sounds like LG will be looking at deploying this with a subscription model in most markets, so don't expect gratis awesomeness -- but if you transfer tons of pictures from your desktop to your mobile, this might be the way to go. Follow the break for video. %Gallery-89050%
LG Mini GD880 finally gets a full on announcement at MWC
Hey there, Mini GD880 -- we've seen plenty of you around here lately -- but we were beginning to wonder if you'd ever get totally, completely, 100 percent official. Well, here we are, day two of MWC, and it was definitely worth the wait. LG's latest featurephone packs a 5 megapixel cam, WiFi, 7.2Mbps HSDPA, and integrated FM radio into a frame that's just 10.6mm in depth and weighs just 99 grams -- about as thin and light as it gets. It also boasts continual over-the-air syncing via LG's new Air Sync service, making it a pretty smart phone -- for a featurephone. The Mini GD880 will be available throughout Europe beginning in March, for an as yet undetermined amount of cash money. The full press release is after the break, but if your heart is filled with desire for this beast, you can hit up the hands-on and impressions in the more coverage link for more photos.
