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Tron: Legacy Blu-ray gets a release date, supports Disney's Second Screen iPad app
Amazon already revealed the three different Tron: Legacy Blu-ray & Blu-ray 3D combo packs on the way, from the 2-disc standard edition to the two movie, 5-disc Identity Disc-packaged limited edition but now we know the release date (4/5/11) and info about the extras. On the disc, Blu-ray-only exclusives include the Daft Punk music video for their song Derezzed, plus Launching the Legacy, Disc Roars and The Next Day: Flynn Lives Revealed features (Tron: The Original Classic Special Edition saves a Photo Tronology just for Blu-ray watchers.) If you have an iPad, the Disney Second Screen app that will make its debut alongside Bambi March 1 adds to the action with 360-degree views of the Tron vehicles, interactive progression reels and other information all synced to the movie by the audio track. There's more details including MSRPs ($40 - $80) and the press release after the break.
Fox launches iPad companion app for Bones starting with tonight's episode
Grey's Anatomy isn't the only Thursday night show with a companion app for iPad, now that Fox has launched one for Bones. Starting with tonight's episode, it will play along with the show (synced by time if you're watching live or just by pressing play whenever you start watching later) with a countdown clock until the show starts, translator for the character's medical jargon, Sweets' Final Thoughts and more. Hit up iTunes to download the app now or check out a few of the screens in our gallery. %Gallery-116285%
Live from The Daily launch event, with Apple's Eddy Cue
Is the future of media an iPad-exclusive daily newspaper that's delivered automatically overnight using a new subscription service? We're here at the Guggenheim Museum in New York for the launch of News Corp's The Daily to find out -- and Apple's VP of internet services Eddy Cue is scheduled to join Rupert Murdoch on stage, so things could get interesting. Join us, won't you?
ABC's Sync iPad app is getting revived for Grey's Anatomy (update)
Reincarnation may not be part of everyone's belief system, but ABC has apparently embraced the concept for its eavesdropping Sync iPad app, which blipped in and out of existence after My Generation failed spectacularly last fall. At least that's what Rick Mandler, vice president of digital media at ABC, shared at Hill Holiday's TVnext conference, stating, "we went back and said, let's try this again with a show that we know is going to be around for a while." Now, the app is being called away from the pearly gates to serve as an iPad companion for Grey's Anatomy and presumably will operate much like the original, by providing synced polls, quizzes, and social media ties-in -- you know, playing into that whole three screens trend. There's also no word on whether the app will receive a makeover befitting of its new McSteamy / Dreamy subject matter, or when this revival will actually take place. If ABC really wants this new media interaction experiment to go differently this time, though, we expect to learn more from an intense voice talking over flashes of frantic gurney races and risque locker room encounters sometime soon. Update: Disney / ABC Television group has now made an official announcement about the application. Apparently, the latest iteration will launch with this Thursday's episode and includes new features such behind-the-scenes extras as well as the ability to "check-in" to special environments shown in the episode. In other words, our dreams of hopping on the same elevator with McDreamy can come true virtually -- and best of all, we can let the world know through Facebook. To see what we mean check out the video after the break.
iOS 4.3-ready apps begin turning up in the App Store
Apple still isn't offering much of a hint about an iOS 4.3 release date -- other than a busier than usual beta schedule -- but it looks like we could now be one step closer to a general roll out. What appears to be the first app that takes advantage of some iOS 4.3-specific features has now garnered Apple's approval and turned up in the App Store, which would seem to suggest that there's no more major changes or bugs that need to be ironed out (though that can certainly always change). The app itself is Matthew Gallagher's StreamToMe, which runs $2.99 and now incorporates the AirPlay video support that has come to apps in the a latest revision of the OS -- hit up the source link below to check it out for yourself.
Griffin StompBox pedal board brings authenticity to iPad rocking
Users of the iShred Live iOS app (no relation to this thing) now have a pedal board to do the job of, well, a pedal board. Up until recently, the app allowed players to connect their electric guitars to an iPhone or iPad, and use said device as an amplifier, with a near endless array of pedal effects at their fingertips. Looking for a way to make the experience more authentic, Griffin teamed with the folks at Frontier Design Group to create the StompBox, which, according to Griffin's website, "effectively recreates the experience of an actual pedal board." It features four separate foot switches, which can be assigned particular effects by the user, and connects to the iPad or iPhone with a 1-meter-long dock connector cable -- guitar connection cables are sold separately. Now the future Peter Framptons of the world can scale back on setup time and concentrate on making their guitars talk.
Griffin Beacon universal remote control system hands-on
We visited Griffin's CES booth to check out the Beacon universal remote control expecting yet another Redeye clone, but instead wound up walking away impressed. Two notable features of the prototype Bluetooth to IR converter device are that it's battery powered and includes a 360 degree IR blaster. These are key since they give users the freedom to place the transmitter almost anywhere around an entertainment center. The free iPhone remote app built by Dijit was the real highlight though. The UI and functionality was incredibly intuitive, and we especially liked that the setup process doesn't require inputting device model numbers. Instead, users just pick the brand and then test a series of code cycles to see if their components respond. The TV guide and Netflix integration are also points of distinction over competitors -- since you can select shows or movies to watch directly from the app. Last but not least, your remote settings can be saved and downloaded to as many devices as you like. To give you a feel for the system, we've included plenty of shots of the app's UI in the gallery below along with more photos the device. %Gallery-113456% %Gallery-113458%
AT&T demos U-verse / smartphone integration, ComplemenTV iPad app at CES
Looks like AT&T will be pushing out more than just a dozen Android phones here at CES. During the outfit's Developer Summit, Peter Hill, VP of ecosystem and innovation, demonstrated how U-verse Mobile Application Development Technology can effectively enable a mobile device to interactively share media, content and apps with the TV. In theory, this could lead to the creation of apps that will enable AT&T customers to control more of the U-verse TV experience with their handsets, and possibly vice-versa. In his words, the tech "can easily connect mobile devices to set-top boxes via WiFi," and it'll complement DLNA with authentication. At the Summit, a brief demo saw an iPad app schedule a show and control the U-verse DVR, and a brand new option -- dubbed ComplemenTV -- took center stage. Essentially, the iPad was able to look at what channel was being viewed and then delivered relevant extra content on the iPad. Sounds more like an advertiser's dream than anything else, but we're holding out hope for more enticing uses in the near future. Unfortunately, no dates were given as to when this stuff would be rolled out, but the future's looking bright, anyway.
Withings fittingly debuts iPhone-connected blood pressure monitor at CES
Trust us -- no one on the Engadget staff wants to know what their blood pressure is right about now. For those trapped in the hurricane that is CES, there's probably no better product to have laying around than this... but only if you're looking to confirm your suspicions about being in a high-stress career. Withings, the company best known for its connected scales, has just revealed the planet's first iPhone-connected blood pressure monitor, with an aim to make measuring vitals as easy as pie for iOS users. The idea is fairly simple: just plug the arm band into your iPad, iPod touch or iPhone, dial up the gratis app and start the process. All of the data is logged on the user's secure online space, and there's even a secure sharing feature that'll beam your abnormally high rates right to your frightened physician. It'll go on sale tomorrow around the globe, with the asking price set at $129 / €129. Update: Looks like iHealth beat these guys by a dozen hours or so. Splitting hairs, but there it is. %Gallery-112205%
VerbalVictor app gives voice to disabled
With iTunes overrun with apps that do little more than find creative ways to promote products or otherwise suck time, it's nice to see mobile technology doing something that's, well, not so trivial. VerbalVictor, a $10 program, which should be available in the App Store next week, uses iPhone and iPad touch screens to allow people with disabilities to communicate with the outside world. Paul Pauca -- whose son suffers from Pitt Hopkins Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that causes delays in cognitive development, motor skills, and verbal communication -- developed the app as an affordable alternative to non-verbal communication devices. It touts functionality similar to the device used by Steven Hawking, but is far more accessible than the professor's $8,200 setup. VerbalVictor allows parents and caregivers to take pictures and record accompanying audio; the entries are then turned into buttons, which the user presses when they want to communicate -- sort of like a very advanced and customizable See N' Say. The device can be used for simple expressions, like an image of a dog that speaks "dog" when pressed, or for recording commonly used phrases and complete sentences. It may never reach the popularity of, say iFart, but it's sure to win some dedicated users.
Verizon FiOS Mobile app hits iPad, a virtual remote with no streaming in sight
You know that Verizon FiOS iPad app we spied back in August, the one that streamed TV and VOD content? Nope, still not here -- check back 2011. Want to use your Apple slate as a giant remote for your (HD) set-top box, browsing TV / VOD listings and remotely programming DVRs? Set parental controls and bookmarks, even update your STB names? Look no further than the iTunes store; all it's gonna cost you is 3MB of space.
Engadget for iPad now available!
Do you love Engadget? Do you love your iPad? Have you been longing for a day when the two would finally be together? Well guess what? That day has come. Yes, it's true, the Engadget iPad app is now live in the App Store and waiting for installation on every single iPad in existence. Like our previous iOS apps, you'll get a ton of the great features of the site formatted perfectly for mobile devices, but we think we've taken things a lot further on the Apple tablet, providing tons of new browsing, reading, and exploratory options which should keep you enraptured even if terrible things like a nuclear attack or zombie invasion start happening. All of your news-reading, podcasting-listening, video-watching, comment-posting, Engadget-tipping fantasies are about to become reality, and the application supports sharing via Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, and email, while also allowing you to save articles to the iPad (in-app), Instapaper, Read It Later, and Evernote. Quite frankly, it's awesome. The iOS 4-compatible app is available right now in the App Store, so don't wait one more second... go get it! And before you ask -- yes, updates are coming for all of our other apps as well, including a new iPhone app with iOS 4 support, a BlackBerry update with OS 6 support, and for all you Windows Phone fans... a WP7 app for your new phone!
Chrome Web Store, HTML5 and the iPad: symbiosis at its best
It's all coming together, folks. It doesn't take much of a gander at the Chrome Web Store to notice a trend: some of the flashiest, most mature "apps" are actually just in-browser versions of iPad apps. And you know what else? Most of these "apps" actually run fine in Safari on the iPad. We're not sure how long Google gave developers to port their experiences over, but it seems like most of the best work had already been done in the form of HTML5 apps that were merely wrapped in app form for App Store delivery. Google's just taking things to the next logical step. Continue after the break as we expand this thesis paragraph into a number of supporting blocks of text, a few jazzy pictorial examples, and a stunning closer.
ThinkFlood's RedEye universal remote control becomes web compatible, leaves past woes in the dust
After going through some rough times with its RedEye mini dongle and doing right by replacing them, ThinkFlood appears to be running full beam ahead once more. Specifically, the company has announced that RedEye owners will soon have the ability to setup and control their remote systems straight from their PC or mobile browser. On the mobile front, apparently the web app will even work on Android and BlackBerry devices, despite being optimized for Safari on iOS -- hinting that non iPhone owners could possibly let their phones control more than their social lives soon. Setup wise, the web version also allows users to automatically align and move multiple buttons at once, plus assign commands to over 70+ keyboard shortcuts. Combined with the ability to make adjustments using a mouse on a computer's larger screen, tweaking custom RedEye remote layouts just got infinitely easier -- you hear that Harmony? The iOS app 2.0 update is also now available as a free 'Plus' download in the iTunes store, and finally supports the iPad's lovely screen in either orientation. In a sense, it's further substantiating the tablet's new career path as a jumbo-buttoned geezer remote of the future, but hey -- no gripes here.
Dish Network launches Remote Access app, brings live TV and scheduling to iPad
See, that wasn't so bad, now was it? If you're befuddled, we're simply referring to the week that iPad owners have had to listen to their Android-lovin' brethren gloat about having Dish Network's Remote Access app. As of today, that same piece of software is available in the App Store, enabling iPad owners to watch live and recorded programs so long as they've a broadband-connected, Sling-enabled device like the Sling Adapter. It'll also allow iPad owners to browse and search up to nine days of programming, schedule DVR recordings, manage conflicts, delete shows on multiple receivers, and use their tablet as a fully functional remote, but much to our dismay, it doesn't have the power to make Heroes a show worth watching again.
Virgin officially announces Project magazine for iPad (and iPhone soon)
We're here at Virgin's press event for Project magazine, which Sir Richard Branson just called the "first all-digital magazine." It's launching on iPad first, then on the iPhone, but we also snuck a peek at the app last night and noticed a line about Android tablet support coming soon. Branson says the content will change constantly -- there'll even be comments, and sharing features are said to be "coming soon." Mapping features will be introduced in the iPhone version, which the Project editor-in-chief describes only as "all the coolest places in the world mapped by our users." Pricing for the iPad version is set at $2.99 per month, with the app updating throughout the period with new content and features. When asked about Rupert Murdoch's The Daily, Branson responded that "this is not a battle, not a war, but the future of publishing," while his chief editor had this to say: "We're not similar ... they're a daily newspaper, we're a monthly style magazine ... we wish them nothing but luck."
Richard Branson's iPad-only Project magazine to debut Tuesday
Mega entrepreneur Richard Branson is set to release his iPad-only magazine, Project, tomorrow. That's Jeff Bridges on the cover, no doubt talking Tron inside. This issue seems to focus on pop culture, with articles about a French record label and a new super car from Jaguar teased on the front cover. Plus, the official blog has stories about gadgets, clothing, internet culture and movies. That's about all we know, really. There's no word on pricing, navigation, business model, etc. We'll find out soon enough. One can only assume that the super-competitive Branson is thrilled to have delivered an iPad-only publication before Rupert Murdoch. You can watch a brief (and we mean brief) teaser video after the break. [Via 9to5Mac]
SlingPlayer Mobile app hits the iPad (update: only works with SOLO and PRO-HD)
SlingPlayer Mobile for iPad was looking pretty slick when we saw a preview a couple weeks ago, and now, just like that, it's arrived at the App Store. Folks who already invested in the iPhone app might be a bit disappointed to find they need to fork out another $30 for the iPad version -- although they can keep using the iPhone app in "Compatibility Mode" if they'd like -- but Sling is touting new video quality levels for the iPad, that your iPhone can only dream of, to sweeten the deal. There's also a new program guide UI and other iPad-friendly tweaks. Check out that video preview after the break to learn more, or just hit up your local App Store and start downloading (it's rolling out in typical App Store fashion, which means it might take a few minutes to pop up in your particular iTunes). Update: We were having trouble getting our Slingbox PRO to work with the app, but it turns out that's on purpose: it doesn't work. That's right, Sling just pulled a Sling and has made obsolete another set of its own hardware. The only iPad compatible Slingboxes are the Slingbox SOLO and the PRO-HD, which is a bit confusing given that the iPhone app has a wider compatibility list. Sling says Apple wanted them to stick with a higher resolution than some of their older hardware could support, but it seems pretty lame that they can't just upsample the video as a fallback. There's a $50 voucher that will apparently be offered for Slingbox owners who want to upgrade, which will help them buy expensive hardware that will no doubt be obsolete by the time Sling decides to support a new piece of Apple hardware. Not that we're bitter or anything...
Dish Network remote access app comes to Android, your Harmony groans
Dish Network took another step towards its ambitious TV Everywhere plans -- not to be confused with Comcast's and Time Warner's TV Everywhere partnership -- by releasing the Android version of its Dish remote access app late last week. This nicely completes the provider's suite of mobile offerings, which have already been available on the iPhone, iPad and certain BlackBerry phones. The catch is that to take advantage of the app, Android users must own a Sling-enabled Dish device like the ViP 722 / 722k HD DVRs or the recently released Sling adapter. With the necessary hardware though, the app turns smartphones into a control freak's best friend, working as a remote control, a DVR manager, and a Sling-powered media streamer to view recorded or live programming over Wi-Fi or 3G. That's a pretty nifty feature set considering it costs a lovely low price of free, and it's certainly more robust than mobile offerings from Comcast, Time Warner, or DirecTV. In other words, when it comes to getting the most from your paid TV service while on the go, it appears the underdog satellite company can certainly dish it out.
Netflix CEO says consumers just aren't interested in long-form video on portable devices
We were undeniably excited about Netflix coming to the iPhone and iPad, but according to CEO Reed Hastings -- who spoke on the subject during a Web 2.0 Summit panel discussion -- that move has actually had little impact on the company's business. In his mind, these results indicate that consumers just aren't interested in streaming long-form video on mobile devices and instead prefer the experience on bigger screens. To support his conclusion, Hastings cited how Netflix integration on the Xbox 360, PS3, and Mac significantly grew its subscriber base. While we personally disagree with his judgment on mobile and grant him honorary captain obvious credentials for his bigger screen preference remarks, we'll still entertain the possibility that Hastings may know somethings we don't. That's not to say the phrase correlation does not imply causation isn't tickling the back our throat though. But what about you, reader? Are you taking advantage of the little red app on your Apple portable devices or even on your new Windows Phone 7 handset? Hit the poll on the next page to tell us what's up.
