Hasta La Gadget!

Old iPhone docks are a depressing sight in this world of Lightning cables and connectors, sitting with their 30-pin connector exposed and lonely. There are a number of Bluetooth accessories that you can use with those devices, including one from accessory-maker Auris called the freeDa. But their latest project is a similar attachment that brings AirPlay and DLNA streaming to those docks.

The Auris Skye is currently seeking funding on Kickstarter, and connects via Wi-Fi instead of Bluetooth. It lets you stream music from your iPhone, iPad touch, Android or Windows Phone and Mac or PC on your local Wi-Fi network, using either Apple’s proprietary AirPlay streaming protocol or DLNA on Android and Windows. It’s also Wi-Fi Direct enabled, so that you don’t even need to have a Wi-Fi router or network available to use it.

Their are a few advantages to using AirPlay over Bluetooth. For one, if you have other AirPlay speakers and stereo equipment in your home, you can stream to the Skye and those simultaneously from a Mac or PC. Apple also has done its best to optimize the AirPlay streaming protocol for maximum quality, so you’ll get much better sound using it vs. Bluetooth, so long as the Skye works as advertised. Plus, there’s no need to pair; the Skye should just show up in your list of available streaming devices once set up on your network. Finally, Wi-Fi range is far greater than that of Bluetooth.

Skye also doesn’t need a separate power source, as it uses the power from the dock itself, which would normally be used to charge the iOS device sitting in the cradle. The Auris team says they’ve tested it with a range of speakers already, and so far haven’t found one that doesn’t work, and they offer a control app to get you set up.

Santa Clara-based Auris already makes and ships two audio accessories, so it knows how to build product. The company previously kickstarted its Bluetooth receiver, and raised $131,911 (exceeding its $40,000) goal. It’s worth noting that some backers complained about the quality of that device in the comments for that project, but Auris has redesigned the original product, and has already exceeded its $56,000 goal for the Skye, raising $72,197.

AirPlay can be tricky to get right, though the recent incarnations of the tech in consumer products have all performed reliably, so Auris has a lot to deliver with this project and a shipping timeline of December, 2013. Hopefully the company learned some lessons from its first go-around, however, because this is a very useful accessory to have.

There’s no doubt that Pandora is feeling the heat from iTunes Radio. The company isn’t letting its competitor’s launch go unanswered, however. It just unveiled a redesigned Pandora 5.0 app for iOS that gives iPad users several features that were previously iPhone-only, including deeper artist exploration, social music sharing and an option for more variety in stations. The release also makes better use of the big screen through a panel that helps listeners find related music without skipping a beat. Android tablets will get these perks later in the fall, Pandora says. The firm may still have a tough time luring iPad owners away from Apple’s streaming service, but the new Pandora app is free to use — it won’t hurt to tune in.

Filed under: Tablets, Internet, Mobile

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Via: CNET

Source: App Store, Pandora Blog

YouTube’s Android app added the ability to watch precached videos (while still online) last summer, but Google’s video streaming unit isn’t stopping there. A post tonight on its Partners & Creators informed video makers that viewing of stored videos with no internet connection is coming soon. According to the blog the feature is coming to its mobile apps — following up on the recent updates on Android and iOS — in November, and will let viewers store videos for disconnected viewing for a “short time.” We don’t know if that consists of minutes, hours or days at a time but we’ll keep an eye out for more details — perhaps this is what the team that used to work on video responses has been up to.

Filed under: Internet, Mobile, Google

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Source: YouTube Creators Blog

For the first time, the ironically-named live-streaming service TVCatchup is offering catch-up TV. From later today, the outfit will be baking-in links to the UK’s four major broadcasters’ on-demand platforms to its own service — giving you a choice between watching live TV and binge-watching old episodes of Only Connect. While access to BBC iPlayer, ITV Player, 4OD and Demand 5 is currently limited to the browser, the feature will be rolled out to TVC’s mobile apps in due course.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD

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Today, Rdio and Cumulus Media are slated to announce a partnership between the two companies, one slated to help boost the Internet radio service into more popular waters via, among other things, an advertisement-based free version in the U.S. Cumulus Media owns 525 radio stations, and will provide Rdio with access to its programming content. […]