Sirius Satellite 2.0 to include DVR-like features, personalized stations?

The problem with Sirius Satellite Radio? You can listen to hundreds of stations, but only if you tune in live. As it stands, licensing restrictions make it impossible to record Howard Stern asking intrusive questions about people’s sex lives. But that could change with version 2.0 of the platform, which is rumored to be on track for a fall release. According to a CNET report citing the good ole’ “source close to the company,” select programs will be available for on-demand listening for a limited period after their original airing. And, this source says, the new platform could take a cue from Pandora and Slacker with personalized stations that let you skip songs, flag your favorites, and ban the ones that drive you insane. If true, listeners would get a whole lot more value out of that $13 monthly subscription — and SiriusXM might have a greater chance of beating Pandora in the battle for your in-car attention. Until then, you’ll just have to keep listening to Tiger Blood Radio live.

Sirius Satellite 2.0 to include DVR-like features, personalized stations? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Apr 2011 12:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HBO Go hits iOS and Android, free for subscribers

Don’t ditch that premium cable subscription just yet. The long-anticipated HBO Go app just hit the iOS App Store and Android Market, bringing original HBO series and a variety of blockbuster films to your mobile device. You’ll need an HBO subscription with your cable provider to get past the login screen, but unlocking all that the service has to offer using our Verizon FiOS account took just a second, and we were off and running with Avatar less than a minute after launching the app. We’ll have a full hands-on later today, but if you’re an HBO subscriber with an iOS or Android slab, head over to your device’s respective store to download the free app.

[Thanks, Jason]

HBO Go hits iOS and Android, free for subscribers originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Apr 2011 11:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tune It Up Yourself with Bike Repair [Video]

I love my single-track bike in large part for its nominal maintenance requirements—there’re only so many parts that can actually break—but it’s still a good idea to know what exactly what I’m ripping apart before I start. Bike Repair from Atomic Softwares is like an anatomy book for bikes. More »

Panasonic Viera AR Setup Simulator app augments the reality of your TV dream (video)

A cardboard cut-out, really? You pasted a 50-inch rectangle of stiffened paper to the wall in order to preview the flatscreen of your dreams within your new Vitsoe shelving system? For shame. A true nerd, nay, a real man would have cast aside those arts and crafts for Panasonic’s new Viera AR Setup Simulator app. Just grab the wall or pedestal AR marker from the printer and place it wherever you hope to showcase that new Panny. Then watch the app augment your reality through the iPhone’s camera. Don’t cost nothin’ but your time, starting with the 60 second video embedded after the break.

Continue reading Panasonic Viera AR Setup Simulator app augments the reality of your TV dream (video)

Panasonic Viera AR Setup Simulator app augments the reality of your TV dream (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Apr 2011 08:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Shocker! Free Android apps outnumber free iPhone apps

Good news for Android users who hate paying for stuff: according to new numbers from Netherlands-based mobile analytics group Distimo, there are now more free apps available for Google’s mobile OS than the iPhone, at 134,342 to 121,845. There are a few things to consider here: first, when one adds free iPad-only apps, the total number of gratis iOS apps increases to a more competitive 132,239. And then there’s Apple’s sometimes rigorous vetting process, which has probably played a role in its numeric slippage — after all, this report doesn’t highlight things like legality, repetition, or the overall number of apps dedicated to making farting noises. Also, Apple has a lot more premium apps, giving it the overall lead at 333,124 to 206,143 — but between Android’s rapid growth and what the report terms iOS’s relative stagnation, Distimo expects Google to take the top spot in five months’ time, outnumbering iPhone and iPad apps combined — a rough scenario for Cupertino to stomach, no doubt, but at least the company will still have Windows Phone to kick around a while longer. [Source link requires registration]

Shocker! Free Android apps outnumber free iPhone apps originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Apr 2011 22:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Army app store advances, tries to break through bureaucracy’s defenses

Army Marketplace

The Army Marketplace may be mired in bureaucratic muck, but the depot for mobile military apps isn’t simply stagnating in a stack of paperwork somewhere. Developers and commanders are still pushing forward with the project and hoping for the best. There are already 17 apps for Android and 16 for iPhones, created as part of the Apps for the Army contest last year, and designers have whipped up prototypes for the homepage (above) and personalized user pages (after the break) where soldiers can post ideas for apps, request features from devs, and write reviews. The chief of the Army’s Mobile Applications Branch, Lt. Col. Gregory Motes, hopes the Marketplace will make its debut at LandWarNet in August, even if there won’t be any approved smartphones to access it for several months after that. At least the military claim one victory, when its app store launches it’ll already have more titles than TegraZone.

Continue reading Army app store advances, tries to break through bureaucracy’s defenses

Army app store advances, tries to break through bureaucracy’s defenses originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Apr 2011 12:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google Docs Android App Creates E-Text From Photos

The Google Docs Android App gives users the ability to access and edit documents, spreadsheets, and more. Photo courtesy of Google

Smartphone users have had Google Docs on their devices for quite a while now, as long as they accessed it through their browser.

Today, Google introduced the Google Docs app for Android, finally providing a native environment for the service, as well as some convenient new features.

The app lets you create, edit, upload, and share documents from your phone, and allows for near real-time collaboration.

You can also take a photo of an actual, physical text document and convert it into a Google doc, without the need for a third-party app. This feature should be handy for keeping track of receipts on trips (expense reports, anyone?) or quickly sharing other important textual information with your phone’s contacts.

From what I could tell, the Google Docs app works swimmingly, though the app experience isn’t quite as fluid as on the PC. In the Docs app, for example, you have to click a button in the upper right to enter editing mode and then save your changes. It’s a minor quibble, but the app is otherwise great for accessing and changing any of your documents on the go.

Google Docs App [Android Market via Android Community]


Google Docs gets an Android app, we go hands-on with tiny spreadsheets (video)

Staring at spreadsheets crushed down to unreadable sizes on a 4-inch phone screen is far from pleasurable but, clearly there is a demand. In fact, we’ve been clamoring for a proper Google Docs app for ages, even though sometimes we’re not entirely sure why. It was only a matter of time before Google finally got around to appeasing us mobile workaholics and put an official app in the Android Market. Well, our masochistic prayers were answered — the Mighty Goog unleashed the new, native Google Docs for Android app and we rushed on over to the Market, clicked the install button, and gave it a whirl.

Continue reading Google Docs gets an Android app, we go hands-on with tiny spreadsheets (video)

Google Docs gets an Android app, we go hands-on with tiny spreadsheets (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Apr 2011 18:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Epix brings its thousands of movies to Google TV; apps for Android, Roku and Playbook on the way

While some video providers are moving away from Google TV, Roku and the Playbook, and Netflix still has yet to officially release its movie streaming app on any Android devices, the Epix channel is going all in. Following its “Big on Any Screen” slogan, it will roll out apps on a slew of devices over the second quarter beyond its current Flash player. The Google TV portal is already up and running as seen above and apps are on the way for “Android tablets and phones from HTC, LG and Motorola” — we’ve pinged to see if this will be device exclusive but haven’t received a response yet — the BlackBerry Playbook, Samsung TVs and Blu-ray players and Roku streaming players. Not listed in the press release is anything iOS, but Epix confirmed it is working on an app that is waiting for Apple’s approval. Not familiar with the channel? It has over 3,000 movies from Paramount, Lionsgate and MGM plus original programs and live events that is available via your cable or satellite TV provider and launched with an HBO Go-style online component. Verizon FiOS is apparently on deck to help push the new apps, check out the rest of the details in the press release after the break.

Continue reading Epix brings its thousands of movies to Google TV; apps for Android, Roku and Playbook on the way

Epix brings its thousands of movies to Google TV; apps for Android, Roku and Playbook on the way originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Apr 2011 13:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google Docs gets an Android app, lets you capture text with your phone’s camera

Google’s had a mobile-friendly version of Google Docs available for some time now, but it’s now finally gone the extra step and released a dedicated Android app. That will of course let you access and edit your documents on your smartphone, but the real standout feature is the ability to capture text with your phone’s camera and have it instantly made editable thanks to some optical character recognition. Google notes that won’t work with handwriting or some fonts, but it promises it will get better over time. Hit up Android Market to try it out for yourself.

Google Docs gets an Android app, lets you capture text with your phone’s camera originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Apr 2011 13:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceAndroid Market, Google Mobile Blog  | Email this | Comments