Hasta La Gadget!

Remember how TV Guide relaunched its mobile app for iOS last summer? Well the company’s Android app, One-Stop TV, 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. One-Stop TV 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.

Filed under: Software, HD, Mobile, Google

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Source: Business Wire, Play Store

After a debut this summer, YouTube’s visual refresh hasn’t rolled out to all of its users, but the folks at OMG! Chrome! have stumbled upon a way for you to get in on the action a little early. Simply point Chrome or Firefox to YouTube, open up the browser’s console, enter a line that’ll fiddle with a cookie and you’ll be able to cruise Google’s video service with its fresh coat of paint. To open up your console in Firefox, just punch Control+Shift+K on Windows or Command+Alt+K on a Mac. For Chrome, hit Control+Shift+J on a PC or Alt+Command+J on machines running OS X. Can’t wait to take the new look, which gives Google+ a nod, for a spin? Hit the source link below for the code snippet to get started.

Filed under: Internet, Google

Snag YouTube’s redesign early with a quick browser cookie change originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Oct 2012 20:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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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.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Tablets, HD

NextGuide iPad app continues its fight against boring grids, adds Amazon, gestures and more originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Oct 2012 18:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The last concrete details we’d heard about Redbox Instant was that it was entering internal alpha testing, but now Verizon exec Eric Bruno has revealed more background information. Previous info indicated the service would focus more heavily on movies than the back catalog of TV shows that is a part of Netflix Watch Instantly and Amazon Prime Instant Video, and Bloomberg reports Redbox will break with their models by paying its content providers per subscriber cable TV-style, instead of a flat rate decided up front. What customers will get is a monthly subscription and allotment of disc rentals from Redbox’s kiosks, as well as access to VOD movie rentals and downloadable purchases through the service. The alpha test is currently in the hands of about 500 Verizon employees, with plans for a short public test before launching in a late November / mid-December time frame. The main unanswered question however is how much it will all cost, but knowing what we do now — how much are you willing to pay?

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

Redbox Instant targets launch by year-end, blends subscription streaming and DVD rentals with VOD originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Sep 2012 03:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve been waiting for Roku to release its miniaturized dongle since CES, and now we finally know the flash drive-sized Streaming Stick will be available next month for $99. Priced the same as as the Roku 2 XS set-top box, it brings the same feature set but in a smaller package designed to work directly with your HDTV, thanks to power, remote control and data signals fed through an MHL-compatible HDMI port. While it will work with other MHL-ready host devices, manufacturers with Roku Ready stamped and certified HDTVs on shelves this fall will include Apex, Insignia and Hitachi — Onkyo plans to ship receivers early next year. If you pick up an otherwise dumb flat-panel with the stick bundled along with it the price is set by that manufacturer, but the standalone plan means buyers savings are focused on the two cables they won’t be needing, and simplified remote capability since their TV remote can talk to the Stick directly. Like the Roku 2 XS, the Streaming Stick also includes the motion control capable game remote.

A separate move will benefit many existing Roku owners, as it is also announcing that Walmart-owned Vudu is launching on the platform today. You will need a Roku HD (2500), LT or Roku 2 box (or the Streaming Stick, once it launches) to take advantage of the Vudu app and its streams that bring quality of up to 1080p and 7.1 surround sound. That also means access to Vudu-compatible UltraViolet movie titles on yet another set-top box, if that’s a consideration, and users score a $5.99 credit with Vudu just for linking the account to their boxes. All the details are in the press release after the break, and on the Roku blog.

Continue reading Roku Streaming Stick launches in October for $99, Vudu comes to the Roku platform today

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

Roku Streaming Stick launches in October for $99, Vudu comes to the Roku platform today originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Sep 2012 03:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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