tivo - ReadWriteWeb http://www.readwriteweb.com/feeds/tag/tivo en Copyright 2009 Richard MacManus readwriteweb@gmail.com Tue, 24 Nov 2009 09:04:58 -0800 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/?v=4.23-en http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss SMS to Kwiry: TiVo Flight of the Conchords kthxbai! KwiryAs the mobile handset continues to move from being one of our many computing platforms to becoming our primary platform, we want to be able to do more and more with it. We want to send messages with it, carry music on it, record video with it, and use it as a remote control for our lives. It's all about immediate gratification and the power to get things done wherever and whenever you have the ability to do so.

Kwiry - an SMS-based service designed to simplify mobile tasks - has just announced a feature that plays right into that mindset: allowing you to control your TiVo remotely via SMS.

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]]> If you're a connoisseur of TiVo or DVR, you've no doubt experienced the forehead-slapping aggravation of forgetting to set the box to record a certain show. Or you've heard about something cool that you want to make sure you see. More often than not, those instances occur when you're out and about.

To date, your best option was sprinting to the nearest laptop with wireless access to use the TiVo Web interface or using your mobile browser to hit the TiVo mobile site - if you had enough connectivity. But browsing the Web from even the best mobile device is relatively data-intensive - and therefore time-consuming - when compared to sending a text message.

imgKwiryTiVo.jpg

With Kwiry, saving that show is as simple as sending a text. Once you're signed up for Kwiry and configured the service, simply text the keyword "tivo" plus the name of the program - like, say, Flight of the Conchords - to 59479. That's it. You're done. Kwiry will add it to your TiVo shows. It's hard to imagine controlling TiVo from afar could be any easier - save for an Internet Brain Implant.

Texting your TiVo is only one of the features of this release. The new version of Kwiry also introduces the ability to access Yelp reviews and send your virtual business card to an email contact, all using simple text messages. The service has also integrated Facebook Connect, enabling users to share Kwiry data with their friends on Facebook - and allowing new users to easily establish accounts using their Facebook credentials.

These new features join a gamut of functionality already available in the service. And they sit quite nicely alongside features like adding movies to your Netflix queue and products to your Amazon Wish List.

As someone who is often on the move and who has come to rely on Evernote as a second brain, I see this type of immediate access to - and control of - services from a mobile handset extremely appealing. Not to mention that, with the ever increasing speed of our lives, having the ability to get small things done when and where you can is often the key to remaining sane. Kwiry appears to be adding a number of features that promise that grasp on sanity will remain strong.

Kwiry is a free service, although your carrier's typical SMS charges apply. To test drive the beta TiVo service or any of the other services offered, visit Kwiry.

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http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/kwiry_control_tivo_via_sms_kthxbai.php http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/kwiry_control_tivo_via_sms_kthxbai.php Mobile Services Wed, 14 Jan 2009 09:00:00 -0800 Rick Turoczy
Internet TV Update: Hulu, Joost, TiVo This week there's been a fair bit of action in the Internet TV sector, with announcements from Hulu, Joost and TiVo. Our network blog last100 has been covering the action.

This week Hulu - the online video project from Newscorp and NBC/Universal, with participation by Sony, MGM and others (our previous coverage) - launched to the general public in the United States. It's been in private beta nearly five months, wrote Dan Langendorf at last100.

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]]> The good news is that Hulu is free and offers legal content to viewers, albeit ad-supported. But it has its bad points, for example Hulu’s network lineup is missing a few big players - CBS and Walt Disney’s ABC, although both are rumored to be in negotiations with Hulu. Check out Dan's review for the full skinny.

Joost makes live-streaming video available, starting with March Madness

Joost, the Internet TV service, is making live-streaming video available through an update to its desktop client. Joost has landed a deal with one of its investors, CBS, to stream live and relatively ad-free NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship games. The new Joost client — for the PC and Intel Macs only — was made available for download this week and is needed to access live streaming. Joost began looking into adding “live television” back in October.

TiVo continues expansion, adds YouTube to “television services” lineup

It seems a bit late, but the important thing is that TiVo keeps improving its “television services” offering. This time, TiVo is adding YouTube to its ever-expanding lineup.

TiVo’s partnership with YouTube will deliver Web video directly to user’s televisions. The catch is to get YouTube content you must own the latest TiVo HD and TiVo Series3 models.

Check out more Internet TV news from last100, our digital lifestyle blog covering Internet TV, digital music, Mobile Web and more. You can subscribe to last100 here.

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http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/internet_tv_update_hulu_joost_tivo.php http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/internet_tv_update_hulu_joost_tivo.php Digital Lifestyle Fri, 14 Mar 2008 12:52:23 -0800 Richard MacManus
CES Highlights: PC-to-TV Devices, Internet-connected TVs CES: PC to TV devices, Internet-connected TVsOur digital lifestyle network blog last100 has a great round-up of the latest announcements at CES. Steve O'Hear is seeing a lot of products that bridge the gap between the PC and TV, or bring Internet content directly to a television. Highlights include the SlingCatcher (Sling Media), D-Link’s newly launched PC-on-TV Player, TiVo Desktop 2.6 (TiVo), and Internet-connected TVs from Sharp, Samsung and Panasonic.

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]]> SlingCatcherlast100: "the long-delayed SlingCatcher from Sling Media is being given its first public demo at CES. The device serves three purposes: getting content from a SlingBox (the company’s place-shifting device) onto a TV, playing back media stored on an attached USB hard drive on a TV, and viewing Internet content via a PC on a television. To achieve all of this, the SlingCatcher comes bundled with three applications. SlingPlayer for TV, SlingSync and SlingProjector."

Read about SlingCatcher and much more from CES at last100.

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http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/ces_highlights_pc-to-tv_device.php http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/ces_highlights_pc-to-tv_device.php CES 2008 Tue, 08 Jan 2008 20:59:11 -0800 Richard MacManus