Software Archives - Page 28 of 53

Netflix Queue Manager for Windows Mobile

CES is a huge event, so it’s no surprise we might have overlooked a few hidden gems… such as the Mobile Manager for Netflix demo-ed at CntrStg. The Windows Mobile Team Blog announced the release of this Netflix queue management software a few days ago, which I’ve gone ahead and installed on my Blackjack 2.

As you might expect, given the app’s name, Mobile Manager for Netflix allows you to manage your queue(s) and see the discs you have at home. What I didn’t photograph is the ability to search for titles, that you can add to your queue. Although, the WinMo blog scenario ironically emphasizes Netflix’s STB streaming interface shortcoming – there’s no ability to peruse the movie library to add titles.

I don’t see this as the type of application I’d pull up on a daily basis, but what really caught my attention and motivated me to cover it are the streaming video previews available for many titles, which takes Mobile Manager for Netflix to another level. Plus, we know Netflix has leaned heavily on Microsoft tech, including WMV and Silverlight video with protection and Xbox integration. (In fact, it’s not clear which company produced this app containing “exclusive extensions” – Netflix or Microsoft?) Leading me to wonder if Netflix instant viewing might come to Windows Mobile devices at some point. Now that would be hot, indeed.

Pulsar, Satellite Radio on OS X

Earlier this week, I received Rogue Amoeba‘s periodic email newsletter. Among other things, I learned they’re pretty far along on Pulsar – an OS X app that allows you to stream XM or Sirius online radio stations. (Assuming you’re a subscriber.) The software is available now as a free public beta and will run $15 at launch. However, if you happen to own any other Rogue Amoeba software (as I do) you probably qualify for a free license. This isn’t the first satellite radio app I’ve come across, but it’s certainly among the most polished and earns bonus points for supporting both services. And, like some of the others, it’s created from open source software (1, 2, 3).

TiVo Desktop 2.7 Released

TiVo Desktop 2.7 has hit the streets. This Windows software update packs several enhancements. On the TiVoToGo front, Desktop now functions more like TiVo itself by allowing you to specific the number of transferred shows that are kept on your PC. This long sought after feature is pretty critical if you have limited storage and … Read more

PlayOn Released – Netflix & Hulu Streaming

After months of testing, MediaMall’s PlayOn video streaming software has been released from beta. PlayOn pipes Hulu, Netflix CNN, ESPN and may other online content sources from a Windows PC to a Xbox 360, PS3, Popcorn Hour and many other DLNA or UPnP devices. I use it with the SageTV HD200, which isn’t officially supported … Read more

The 1yr Slacker Radio Plus Subscription Giveaway

To celebrate Slacker’s updated Blackberry software, which brings support to the Verizon Storm, we’re giving away one year of Slacker Radio Plus. Like Pandora, Slacker offers free Internet music streaming to both desktop browser and mobile clients. However, a Radio Plus subscription ($3.99/mo) does away with all graphical and audio ads, plus it enables unlimited … Read more

The Future of SlingPlayer Mobile

While I’m not quite ready to speculate on Sling Media’s future retail presence and hardware initiatives, in light of recent defections, we do have a few clues as to their current mobile strategy.

SlingPlayer Mobile (SPM), which enables you to watch your home television programming on the go currently supports numerous devices, including many running Windows Mobile, PalmOS, and Symbian, for a $30 one time fee. Their Blackberry client is currently available as a public beta. Unfortunately, for some, only GSM handsets are supported at the moment. But I believe Sling will also get software running acceptably on the Storm. We also know Sling hopes to submit the frequently-requested iPhone app (above) to Apple for approval early this year (Q1). Of course, there’s no guarantee Apple will permit 3G streaming – they’ve been inconsistent in how they’ve handled other video apps – and we don’t yet know Sling’s pricing strategy given Apple’s hefty 30% cut.

So, what’s next for SlingPlayer Mobile? Megazone, who heads up some of Sling’s beta programs, recently provided a few clues on the Sling Community forum:

As has been pointed out, the actual development information hasn’t been released yet so it is premature to be talking about development. From what we have seen it looks like webOS is an all-new environment, so it would need an all-new SPM which would not be a small task. At this time we’re taking a wait and see approach to webOS. When it ships we’ll watch the adoption rate and decide if it warrants developing SPM for webOS or not. Keep in mind it has currently been announced for one device (the Pre) on one carrier (#3 and currently falling) so it remains to be seen if and when it appears on additional devices and carriers for the worldwide market and achieves a significant market share.

In the past Sling Media and Palm have worked closely. In fact, back in my Sling days I attended a few events with Palm and SPM was featured on their website. I understand the business case MZ is making, but it’s also critical to look ahead and predict a successful platform… and region. (ie: The dev cycles spent producing UIQ support probably hasn’t paid off.) While there’s no guarantee Palm will succeed with WebOS, they’ve got a ton of buzz, a ton of investment, and a positive track record in this space. If I were Sling, I’d be banging down Palm’s doors for an opportunity to collaborate.

Will Your TiVo Tweet?

TiVo programmer Ryan Rose has hacked his washing machine to send text message notifications over Twitter when his clothes are done. He did this for a practical reason, to prevent forgetting about his laundry which might sit in the damp washer and mildew. You can follow the washing machine’s activity on Twitter (412 people, including myself, already do) to be instantly informed when Mr. Rose’s laundry is done. Why would you want to? More on that later… Here’s video of “PiMPY” in action:

I’m a big fan of Activity Streams such as Twitter and FriendFeed. Once current user contributions across all the social web sites are freely distributed, with an emphasis on privacy, a new web era will arrive. My vision originates from Professor David Gelernter‘s “Life Streams” as defined in his 1993 book Mirror Worlds: The Day Software Puts the Universe in a Shoebox – How It Will Happen and What It Will Mean.

Apparently I am not alone in my opinion that Activity Streams are the next big thing. Some of the most influential people in social media (MySpace, Google, Plaxo, Comcast, Nokia just to name a few) recently attended a DiSo meeting to discuss the future of how their user’s activity will be published. (Ian Kennedy, formerly of Yahoo and now head of Nokia’s Ovi service, kindly recorded the DiSo meeting using his phone.) One of the points discussed during the event was that activity streams are not just generated by people but that machines, like PiMPY, can also broadcast what they’re doing. Mr. Rose’s place of employment is noteworthy, and it got me thinking about the possibilities of machines with their own activity streams – particularly TiVo.

ZNF ‘Round The Web

Leaving comments across the blogosphere… Which HD video Web service is the best? Still shots seem kind of irrelevant when talking video. But another good measure might be to test different source HD formats and see how these sites do reencoding them. Upload limits are also an important consideration. But possibly most important, to me … Read more