February 2nd, 2009 | Posted in Mobile, Net TV | Comments Off
Another remote control application has hit the the iPhone’s App store. This time, “Rowmote” emulates Apple’s own remote control, the Apple Remote, which used to ship for ‘free’ with the company’s consumer Macs but now has to be purchased separately at an additional cost of $19.
Rowmote (iTunes link) is compatible with the iPhone and iPod touch and works over WiFi to control any of Apple’s own apps that are currently supported by the Apple Remote: Front Row, Quicktime, DVD Player, iTunes and Keynote, although it also requires a small piece of software to be installed on the Mac itself. Aside from emulating the Apple Remote’s functionality, right down to the look and feel, Rowmote also features an application switcher of sorts, enabling users to bring to focus any of the supported apps, a feature that maybe worth paying the 99 cents download fee for alone.
However, for those simply wanting a remote control for iTunes (or the AppleTV), Apple’s own ‘Remote’ app — a free download from the App Store — is a much better solution as it includes the ability to visually browse your iTunes library on the iPhone or iPod touch itself.
Looking forward, the app’s developer, Evan Schoenberg, says that the next version of Rowmote will add support for media center software, Boxee, along with Microsoft’s Powerpoint presentation software.
January 14th, 2009 | Posted in Mobile | Comments Off
A report on Macrumors (my favourite Apple rumor site) observes that the company appears to have relaxed its iPhone App Store policy in relation to third-party web browsers. It was thought that, until now, competitors to Apple’s own Mobile Safari weren’t being approved on the basis that they “duplicate functionality” or compete with Apple’s own offering. That may no longer be the case.
“Over the past 24 hours, Apple has begun to approve 3rd party web browsing applications for the iPhone. A number of new web browsing apps have suddenly appeared with original submission dates ranging as far back as October”, writes Macrumors.
A partial list of these new applications include:
- Edge Browser (Free) – No loss of screen real estate to the address or navigation bars.
- Incognito ($1.99) – Now you can browse without leaving a history of any kind.
- WebMate:Tabbed Browser ($0.99) – Web Mate simplifies browsing by queuing up all the links you click on, then allowing you to view them one by one when you’re ready.
- Shaking Web ($1.99) – adds a sophisticated algorithm to compensate for small hand shaking to allow for easier reading.
This has led to many speculating that heavyweight competitors, such as Firefox, Opera or Google’s Chrome, could be next to land on the iPhone.
No more hesitation, I’m getting a SlingBox. That’s New Year’s resolution number one, especially now that we know that support for Sling Media’s ‘place shifting’ device will be coming to Apple’s iPhone and iPod touch within the next three months.
As Dave Zatz reminds us, it’s been a long time coming after the company demoed a proof-of-concept version of SlingPlayer running on a jailbroken iPhone last summer. Pricing for the app is yet to be confirmed, although it’s likely to cost less than existing mobile clients for Windows Mobile or Symbian if its to compete with the majority of apps available from the iPhone’s App Store. Whether or not the app will support 3G or be limited to WiFi also isn’t yet known.
For readers who aren’t familiar with the SlingBox, it enables you to stream (or ’sling’) content from your TV signal (cable box, digital tuner or PVR) over a home network or the Internet for remote viewing on a PC, mobile phone or the company’s own SlingCatcher set-top box.
December 12th, 2008 | Posted in Mobile, Net TV | Comments Off
VLC Remote, as the name suggests, is another remote control app for the iPhone and iPod touch, this time for the wildly popular VLC Media Player (Windows, Mac and Linux). It comes in both free and paid-for versions, available through the App Store, with the former offering basic remote features such as play, pause and skip, while the latter, costing 99 cents, adds play list access and the ability to browse your computer’s hard drive for any compatible media. Check out Life Hacker’s excellent guide for more details.
Livestation is currently in talks with Apple to bring a version of its Internet TV application to the iPhone and iPod Touch. A working prototype already exists (see video below) that delivers Livestation’s channel lineup of live television news stations on Apple’s device, although this is likely to be supported over WiFi only. “We’re not planning to have this available on 3G, simply because operators would not be too happy with people using this on a 3G connection”, says Livestation CEO Matteo Berlucchi. It’s also unclear when Livestation on iPhone and iPod touch will be made publicly available, although the company is delivering a live demonstration of the app on a dedicated Livestation channel tomorrow at 5pm GMT, including an interactive Q&A session with Berlucchi.
November 12th, 2008 | Posted in Mobile, Net TV | Comments Off
DVRPics is a new application for iPhone and iPod touch that enables you to stream photos to a networked TiVo so that they can be viewed on the TV.
Currently only one photo can be selected at a time — a limitation the app’s developer blames on Apple, since third-party developers aren’t given direct access to the iPhone’s photo library. However, a version of DVRPics that supports photo slide shows is next on the app’s road map. The app costs 99 cents from the iTunes AppStore (iTunes link).
Interestingly, DVRPics isn’t the only TiVo-related app for the iPhone. After a quick search I discovered an app called DVR Shows (iTunes link) that enables you to see what recordings are stored on your TiVo via an iPhone or iPod touch, including full program details. Unsurprisingly, you can’t actually stream those recordings to the iPhone or even use the iPhone as a TiVo remote a la iTunes or the recently released iPhone app for Sonos.
With the launch of the App Store next month, Apple will release free software that lets you control iTunes on your Mac (or PC, we presume) via an iPhone or iPod touch. MacRumors notes the discovery in a pre-release version of iTunes 7.7 seeded to developers last night. “In the Read Me of the iTunes installer is a hint at a previously unannounced iPhone/iPod Touch application”:
… the new Remote application for iPhone or iPod touch to control iTunes playback from anywhere in your home — a free download from the App Store.
I just got finished organizing a Home Screen on my iPhone with a whole new subject area — streaming content. It’s one that, until now, I have completely ignored because I didn’t think it was for me.
I was wrong.
Having FlyTunes, AccuRadio, Revision 3, and others on a Home Screen opens up even more possibility for the iPhone (or iPod touch). What if I want to catch up with “Tekzilla” or “The GigaOm Show” and I’ve not downloaded them via iTunes, or I’m not sitting in front of my computer or the AppleTV?
Easy. Tap the Revision 3 icon on the iPhone, tap All Shows, and scroll through a listing of programs. I expect this to come in handy when I’m out and about with the wife and kid and they’re trying on clothes for three hours.
Om Malik to the rescue.
So like a kid with a new toy, I surveyed streaming content for the iPhone and was pleasantly surprised by what I found. I assembled the following list based on stuff I like, so if you have other favorites, please let us know in the comments.
Soulseek, which was creted by former Napster programmer Nir Arbel and visibly resembles early versions of Napster, is not one of the most popular filesharing apps. It doesn’t have the mainstream appeal of Kazaa or Limewire, nor does it garner the press attention of BitTorrent. And that’s all probably fine with its users, who tend to gravitate toward more independent musical fare. But Soulseek has done something the others haven’t — made the jump to the iPhone.
Developer Errrick created iSlsk, a new filesharing client for jailbroken iPhones that works with the Soulseek network, by basing it on open source versions of the client for the Mac. “I saw all the capabilities this little gadget had and then thought ‘why didn’t someone already do something like this?’” he told TorrentFreak.
Another remote control application has hit the the iPhone’s App store. This time, “Rowmote” emulates Apple’s own remote control, the Apple Remote, which used to ship for ‘free’ with the company’s consumer Macs but now has to be purchased separately at an additional cost of $19.
A report on Macrumors (my favourite Apple rumor site) observes that the company appears to have relaxed its iPhone App Store policy in relation to third-party web browsers. It was thought that, until now, competitors to Apple’s own Mobile Safari weren’t being approved on the basis that they “duplicate functionality” or compete with Apple’s own offering. That may no longer be the case.
No more hesitation, I’m getting a SlingBox. That’s New Year’s resolution number one, especially now that we know that support for Sling Media’s ‘place shifting’ device will be coming to Apple’s iPhone and iPod touch within the next three months.
VLC Remote, as the name suggests, is another remote control app for the iPhone and iPod touch, this time for the wildly popular 
DVRPics is a new application for iPhone and iPod touch that enables you to stream photos to a networked TiVo so that they can be viewed on the TV.
This one is obvious but cool nonetheless.
I just got finished organizing a Home Screen on my iPhone with a whole new subject area — streaming content. It’s one that, until now, I have completely ignored because I didn’t think it was for me.
