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Hulu launches new live TV guide and reintroduces 4K streaming
Hulu has launched a new Live Guide showing which live TV shows are available to watch on the streaming service right now and also what's coming up in the next two weeks.
TV Guide redesigns mobile app for Android, catches up with iOS version
Remember how TV Guide relaunched its mobile app for iOS last summer? Well the company's Android app, TV Guide Mobile, is finally catching up with the iOS version thanks to a complete redesign. The app includes TV Guide's popular Watchlist feature, a personalized profile which lets you find different ways to watch shows -- from sources like TV, on-demand, streaming and DVD. TV Guide Mobile automatically links to the HBO GO, Hulu Plus, The CW, MAX GO and Crackle apps, allowing you to access shows instantly. Another new feature, New Tonight Trending, provides a "social hot list" of what others are watching. But wait, there's more! The app gains a heavy dose of social networking integration plus content filtering, curated watchlists (including topics such as celebrities and sports) and original editorial content. Want to try it out? Follow the Play Store link below, then check out the PR after the break.
NextGuide iPad app continues its fight against boring grids, adds Amazon, gestures and more
There's more than a few apps (and even DVRs) that promise to help you find something to watch, but one of the more interesting efforts came from Dijit Media's NextGuide app for the iPad. It launched its assault on the old grid-style layout last month, and an update rolling out is adding listings for more content from Amazon VOD and Prime streaming, plus support for new gestures like two finger swipe between show cards, pinch to hide and more. The "Your Picks" algorithms that attempt to figure out what else you may like before you do have been tweaked, and it can also pull up more information about any show or movie with saved searches and Wikipedia bio lookups. Hit iTunes to give the free app a shot, and see if this is a push in the right direction for your TV watching experience.
BuddyTV Guide app adds Hulu Plus integration
Even when you're watching TV alone, you've always got a friend in BuddyTV Guide -- the personalized listings and remote control app. Now, in addition to content providers Netflix, iTunes and Amazon, it's inviting another player to the viewing party: Hulu Plus. Subscribers to the service will be able to see all associated video content in the BuddyTV Guide listings, and better yet, access it directly from within the app. Intrigued, Hulu Plus patrons? Head on down to the source link, grab the relevant app and let the New Girl marathon commence.
Cut The Rope, Beat The Traffic, Angry Birds Space and more updated today
We've already heard about some big updates on the App Store this week, but this regular Thursday is also full of them -- some of the App Store's biggest apps are getting big chunky updates to use or play with. Here's a rundown for you. Angry Birds Space has a Mars Curiosity rover-related update out, with 20 new levels on Mars, and a new astronaut pig. Sounds fun! Cut the Rope also has new content, with new Spooky Box levels, and a feature called superpowers, which have you chasing after a new star on all levels to date. Doodle Jump has gotten its "biggest update yet," featuring a new ninja theme to play with, as well as new objects to help you jump farther and faster than ever, and new mechanics and obstacles as well. As previously mentioned, Facebook finally got its upgrade to a full app instead of just an HTML 5 skin, and it's much faster than it used to be. ProCamera HD has launched, bringing the versatile and powerful camera app from iPhone to iPad. The ingenious little Mission Alarm Clock (that requires you to complete "missions" to turn off your alarm every morning) has updated with a new UI and a new mission to complete. Vintagio is an app that we recently posted about -- it's an update of MacPhun's Silent Movie Director. And of course the TV Guide app was updated with things like celebrity watchlists and curated channel listings. Finally, the bill management app Chronicle in the Mac App Store was updated for both Retina Display compatibility, as well as support for Mountain Lion, and a whole new, great looking interface. All great apps, all updated with even more great features. All of these updates are available for download for free in an App Store near you.
Updated TV Guide app includes celebrity watchlists and guest-curated channels
Last night the TV Guide app for iOS was updated to include a few new features, plus a few bugfixes and performance tweaks. I spoke to TVGuide.com's GM Christy Tanner about the update and learned a few interesting stats about the service itself. If you're already a fan of the app, this is a great update. If you haven't used TV Guide on your iPhone or iPad yet, now's a great time to try it. Here at TUAW we've absorbed a lot of rumors about the "next Apple TV," but the most salient points about this rumored product swirl around a better user experience when it comes to finding what you want to watch. Take The Office, a popular show on NBC for years, as one example. You might catch reruns on any number of channels, but also a stored catalog on Netflix or Hulu. These listings change all the time (certain shows disappear from Netflix based on contracts, for example). How do you keep track? TV Guide not only shows you what's playing on TV, but also what is available across a number of other services, including streaming sites like Hulu. In fact, the app will launch Hulu if that's where you find what you want to watch -- an extremely helpful feature. With over 1.5 million users for TV Guide, Tanner and the team decided to add some actual content to the app, and two new features will be fun for people who simply don't know what to watch. First up are guest-curated channels. A selection of videos from weekly guest curators. Friend of the blog and host of What's Trending, Shira Lazar, is up first. Second there are celebrity Watchlist videos, where famous folks share what they are watching. The folks at TVGuide.com who made the app feel that it is appropriate for those of us who watch hours of TV, and those who cut the cable and only watch on-demand items once in a while. I think with the variety of discovery options available, the app launching and improved performance, that the TV Guide app is worth a look.
TV Guide Mobile relaunches for iOS with a new look, links to streaming video and social networks
We've already seen many companion apps on mobile, but now TV Guide is diving in wholeheartedly with the next generation of its app for iOS devices. While the previous versions of TV Guide Mobile on iOS and Android let users create watchlists and get reminders, version 3.0 for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch is completely redesigned to make TV watching simpler with filtering for HD-only and favorite channels, links to streaming videos from sources like Hulu Plus, HBO Go, Crackle and iTunes -- Netflix and Amazon are not on the list, although additional video sources are promised in the coming weeks. Like any good companion app in 2012 it also brings social networking features with check-ins and Twitter / Facebook integration and a trending social hot list based on what other users search for. The downside compared to many of the apps from cable providers like Comcast or Time Warner, hardware manufacturers like TiVo or even other third parties like Dijit is the inability to use it to directly change the channel, but perhaps that's in the next version. There's more details in the press release after the break, and screens in the gallery below, if you're willing to give another contender a shot at assisting your TV watching habits, the free app is available in iTunes at the source link.%Gallery-163207%
Google TV's TV and Movies app gets to know you better with ratings, favorites and more
At the center of the revamped Google TV experience that rolled out last fall is its TV & Movies app, which is a blended guide of content currently airing live on TV and available for streaming from the popular internet services (Netflix, Amazon, HBO Go). As Product Manager Rishi Chandra mentioned when we caught up with him at CES, personalization is something Google will be focusing on going forward and that's shown in the updated app being pushed out today. When it's first opened, users will login and be asked to rate a few movies and shows so it can get a sense of their tastes to know what to present, Netflix-style. There's more information displayed up front too, with expanded descriptions, and details below each show so viewers can find out about the episode that's on more easily. For a few more details on what's new and refreshed, check after the break.
Ceton's Q DVR companion app for Windows Phone gets detailed tour (video)
You might recall Ceton's Q DVR making its debut at the start of the year and now the beans have been spilled on the multiroom recorder's companion app. The Windows Phone 7 version separates out into home, television and recent screens. The home section houses galleries and search, while television will display scheduled recordings, channel guides and management options for those upcoming shows. Finally, the recent screen keeps tabs on what you've been watching or recording last, all done in that inimitable metro style. There's no launch date yet, but Android and iOS versions are also being readied for release. You can take a video tour of the features right after the break.
Zero1 VooMote Zapper remote control for iOS hands-on (video)
Are you one of those old-school types who still watches TV programs on an actual television? Then you probably also own one or fifteen of those cordless channel changer contraptions -- you know, the kind that use AA batteries and magic beams of light to command station and volume adjustments. Well, set down the remote, lean back in that oversized plastic-covered velvet sofa, and get ready to toss out your last pair of alkalines. Zero1's new VooMote Zapper remote module has been making the rounds at IFA, letting you use any iOS device as a universal remote. Sure, the concept itself isn't new -- there have been other iOS-integrated remotes -- but the Zapper is small, relatively inexpensive, and interfaces quite nicely with your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. Your programmed selections are stored on the Zapper itself, so you can easily use it with multiple iOS devices. The $70 device can be matched with identically colored cases ($20 and up), and also includes rather comprehensive TV Guide functionality, enabling you to see local programming, watch previews of unfamiliar content, and send an infrared signal to your TV to launch a program -- during its scheduled airing time, of course. We took a look at the app / itsy bitsy hardware combo, and it seemed to work well, with an easy setup process (codes for nearly every device come preloaded) and fast response time. VooMote reps said the device has a range of 25 feet, which is more than plenty for our tiny apartment configs, but may not suffice in some stadium-style media rooms. At the end of the day, it's really just a (very) elegant touchscreen universal remote solution, so we'll leave it at that. Jump past the break to see the Zapper in action.%Gallery-132608%
Zero1.tv's Voomote Zapper brings remote-controlled universality to iOS users
Back in July, we caught a glimpse of the Voomote One -- Zero1.tv's universal remote adapter for iPhone and iPod Touch users. Now, the company has just announced a slimmer, iPad compatible successor to its bulky peripheral, with the Voomote Zapper. Slated to debut at IFA later today, this paperclip-sized dongle attaches to your iDevice's 30-pin connector, allowing you to remotely control any A / V gadget with the help of Zero1.tv's free and customizable iOS app. The Zapper's Room Control feature also lets you catalog all your infrared devices by location, while controlling multiple systems with a single button, thanks to its One View function. Its iPad-optimized TV Guide, meanwhile, allows you to fire up your favorite shows with even greater ease, using the app's graphically-displayed programming schedules. No word yet on pricing or availability, but you can zap your way past the break for the full press release.
TV Guide spins its own Android app
Having already taken on the iPhone last year, TV Guide has turned its attention to Android with a new mobile app developed in cooperation with software house Roundbox. By all accounts, it's your run-of-the-mill TV listing grid, though TV Guide injects some "breaking entertainment news, scoops, episode recaps and daily TV hot lists" just to spice things up a bit. We tried to put it through its paces on a Froyo-equipped Nexus One here but it just kept crashing once we selected our provider, so your mileage may vary. Follow the break for TV Guide's full press release.
Rovi TV Guide widget debuts on Samsung HDTVs
The agreement between Rovi (formerly Macrovision) and Samsung for EPG data has taken an odd turn with the debut of the TV Guide widget for Samsung's Yahoo! Widget enabled HDTVs. Check the pictures to get an idea of what it looks like, though with host of these televisions likely hooked up to satellite or cable boxes, the usability of these abbreviated "what's on" listings when another click of the remote would bring up a guide that will actually tune to those stations. Still, check the pics for an example of the flexibility of the widget platform, including the option to load up Daily Hotlists from Rovi's editors daily, complete with personal profiles but aren't exactly satiating the appetite we've developed for the Liquid guide demoed earlier this year.
Survey screens reveal potential new FiOS guide, 1080p VOD, HD purchases on the way?
We hope you weren't too attached to the old FiOS TV guide and video on-demand setup, as these screens would indicate an upgrade is on its way. Our tipster let us know these screens were a part of a survey that focused on which version of the guide was best (Verizon - we've got plenty of suggestions for you right here.) We like the widescreen layout they're indicating, and that 1080p notation underneath the Quantum of Solace box shown above isn't too shabby either. The price of $29.99 to buy an HD copy? Not so sweet. Check out the rest of the screens in the gallery and let us know if they pass the test.[Thanks, Matt!]
Macrovision pushes "Neon" TV Guide
For 2009 CES Macrovision's showing off its new project "Neon", embedded TV Guide software for CE manufacturers it's pushing as an all-in-one homepage for digital content. Not only ready to help users find and watch regular TV shows, it's built for pulling in content from the Internet or locally connected PCs. Of course, among the nice features like Smart Recommendations and rich program descriptors / cover art of TV shows are bits like space for ad graphics loaded at the whim of the manufacturer. Check out the gallery for a preview and hope that gray box on the side isn't too annoying.%Gallery-41404%
New i-Guide for Comcast, other cable ops, slated for second half of '09
StartOver, switched digital video support, TiVo-style searches and prompts to make sure you're really watching an HD channel are coming to Comcast and other services using the i-Guide software in the second half of '09, hopefully bringing the much-loathed Motorola set-top boxes (& tru2way HDTVs) up to par with other modern DVRs. Multichannel News reports SDV support was originally planned for this year, but got pushed back to the next major release due to glitches. If our early preview at CES '08 was any indication there's a lot to love in the new software, except for the wait until it's released.
Digeo settles with Gemstar, new Moxi DVR on the way
The continuing saga of Digeo and its now you see it / now you don't DVRs at CES has taken another step, first by the company resolving a lawsuit with Gemstar-TV Guide. Courtesy of a multiyear licensing agreement, any problems with its "too similar" guide software should be in the past; a good thing since Light Reading noticed the Moxi HD DVD 3012, set to debut at next month's Cable Show with dual tuners, increased hard drive and CableCARD support. We'll keep an eye out for more details on the new hardware hidden among all that tru2way equipment.[Via ZatznotFunny]
TV Guide moves to mobile, TV enthusiasts swoon
Gemstar-Tv Guide has launched a new web-enabled version of its source for all things telly related with M.TVGuide.com. The site offers a 14-day ahead look at all your favorite programming including episode guides, news, recaps, and likely anything else TV-related in the entertainment world -- if you're into that type of thing. If you choose to register with your mobile number, you can then opt in for series and show reminders via text message, and never miss Oprah again. All we need now is for it to talk to our Slingbox and sort out automatically recording anything we forgot to set up on the PVR.
Wii Warm Up: Getting your TV on
To our pleasant surprise, the Television no Tomo Channel G Guide turned out to be even more well-rounded and awesome than we first anticipated. This is cause for cheer, obviously, but also makes us wonder: will U.S. Wii owners ever get the chance to channel surf with their Wiimotes? There are no plans announced yet, but perhaps we need to demonstrate to Nintendo that we're interested! So people, who would use this if it ever came stateside?
Video demo of Wiimote and TV playing nice
With the TV Guide Channel releasing in Japan today, many wondered exactly how the Wiimote would be used as a remote for the television, as well. Thanks to the video above, this important new features needs not reside only in the darkest corners of your imagination. And ... uh, it works just like you would expect. It changes channels and works the volume. It even looks really fun.%Gallery-17533%
