TiVo has just refreshed its line of Android apps, with the highlight being Jellybean (4.2) support. Unfortunately, TiVo Stream capabilities remain MIA… despite Android representing greater than 50% of US smartphones and presumably frustrated MSO partners.
The complete rundown:
- Additional Away Mode functionality so that users can manage their Season Passes and ToDo Lists while on the go!
- The new TiVo tablet Browse experience
- Support for Jelly Bean (Android 4.2)
- General Bug Fixing
Meanwhile, we expect TiVo’s iPhone and iPad app to receive an update in the near future that further expands upon that “Browse experience” with “What to Watch” — However, we also anticipate TiVo app development will slow given the company they outsource the work to has been acquired by PayPal.
Hey, I was just going to post on how suddenly there were these relevant ads on your site–a big Roku ad on the right, an HTC One ad below that, but of course when I go to comment what I see directly above here is a Maybelline ad for Eyestudio Master Duo. Oh well, win one, lose one.
For the most part, our ads are sourced and sold via a few third party entities. So, other than commissioned affiliate links, we have very little direct involvement in what shows. And even many of those affiliate links are randomly inserted by a third party. Regardless of the ad content, our primary goal is minimal clutter and I think we do well compared to most other tech blogs we’ve come across. Although, Mari and I now live in cardboard boxes and eat ramen. ;)
“of course when I go to comment what I see directly above here is a Maybelline ad for Eyestudio Master Duo”
A product which also has Jelly Bean support without having Stream support. The ad-serving AI is getting better all the time.
“Although, Mari and I now live in cardboard boxes and eat ramen.”
Living in cardboard boxes and eating ramen is expected to gain Android support in v5.0. No word on Stream support, however.
While I’m disappointed that there’s no stream support, I’m quite happy with the JellyBean 4.2 support. My Galaxy Nexus just updated to 4.2 last week… and my Nexus 7 already is at 4.2…
TiVo keeps getting stuck in having to be overly sensitive to security concerns given its 3rd party retail channel and access to content that is not its own (recorded shows from broadcasters). It sucks since this content is generally not even in pay per view window anymore and you can just go to say ABC.com and see the darn content with no fuss or even broadcasters subscription.
*grumble*
There are some of cheap Android set top boxes. It might hurt sales of the Tivo Mini, if the android app supported the Tivo Stream.
The TiVo app on my iPad mini is good (though I’d do some things differently). A long time ago, I tried to use it on my HP TouchPad running Android 4.0 ICS and only the phone version would download from the Google Play store. I had to find some APK file of “TiVo for Tablets” and download / install it. It just wouldn’t work right. Crashing and crashing and crashing without connecting to the TiVo. Then, somehow, it would finally connect and the UI elements were all over the place…mis-shapen, over-lapping, and unresponsive. Same thing for Words with Friends.
The HP TouchPad’s screen resolution is 1024×768 and the aspect ratio is 4:3, just like iPad 1, 2, and iPad mini. I’ve noticed that many Android apps just don’t work correctly with that resolution, even native apps. Many devices sold with Android use the same resolution, so I don’t understand why it’s so problematic for app developers to support it…especially when the same apps work fine with the same resolution on iOS.
TiVo is losing a customer. My Series 3 DVR is dying. I was excited about replacing it with a new TiVo until I found out that they provide absolutely NO support for the most prevalent OS in the US. I don’t know why they are so intent on snubbing almost 70% of the population. But, I have no plans to ditch my Transformer for an iPad with no removeable storage, USB or HDMI connectivity, or my Droid for an iPhone with no removable storage, user-replaceable batteries, or HDMI connectivity. So, I’m looking at the new Comcast DVR with multi-room capabilities. It has a lot of the same featurs as a TiVo including wireless capabilities. But, its not quite as nice. I’ll miss Tivo but somebody in product development probably needs to go.
Which all begs the question why Droid wasnt the natural platform for them to support in the first place. When I travel with the kids, I download movies to my phone and take along a micro HDMI cable. I can show HD movies on a hotel TV with my cell phone. The best I’ve found for iOS is a composite connector, which many hotel TVs don’t support.