Looking to take a break from the onslaught of next-generation iPhone rumors? Robert Scoble may have just the thing. The plugged-in blogger dropped a juicy tidbit on his Google+ page this morning regarding a secret Apple project.
Scoble is highly revered when it comes to insider information. Earlier today, he reported that Steve Jobs won’t be attending Apple’s iPhone event tomorrow, and it looks like that isn’t all that the blogger has been hearing out of Cupertino… Read More
We don’t usually cover non-Apple related news here on iDB, but this recent announcement from Netflix was too big to pass up. Netflix CEO Reed Hastings has publicly apologized for the way that the company handled its recent pricing restructures for streaming/DVD rentals, and has announced a total division of Netflix’s DVD and streaming divisions.
Many customers were outraged that Netflix essentially screwed subscribers of the DVD rental + streaming plan by raising prices, and Netflix has since rethought its approach to content distribution. The DVD rental service that made Netflix famous will be spinned off as “Qwikster,” while Netflix will be used for online streaming only… Read More
As a former film major, I love to get all the details on movies. Fortunately for me, the App Store is full of film-buff apps for the iPhone. Whether you love to watch, rent, buy, organize, or attend movies, there is an app for you.
Below I have compiled a list of my favorite apps with a few words on how they serve film buffs. Read on to see my favorites… Read More
The App Store has never been a very quiet place. 2010 was no exception; thousands upon thousands of new apps were submitted to the App Store. Most of them aren’t worth mentioning, but there have been some exceptional apps that have risen to the forefront of what the App Store has had to offer throughout the year 2010.
We’ve covered a lot of App Store apps this year on iDB, with the goal of keeping our readers in the know.
Now, we’d like to take some time to reflect on our favorite App Store apps of 2010. Being included on this list doesn’t necessarily mean the app was released in 2010, it just means that it was amongst our most utilized of this year. Drumroll, please…
I just had some strange error happening on my Apple TV while trying to stream Netflix. Actually the same issue has happened all day. Anytime I tried streaming anything from Netflix, it would give me the error 112, telling me it couldn’t reach Netflix.
At first I thought it was just Netflix being unavailable for a few minutes. I tried again hours later and I still got the same problem. The fix for this was pretty simple. I simply unplugged the power cable and put it back on. The Apple TV rebooted and I was able to stream Netflix again.
So now you know what to do if you ever get this error 112.
The latest update for the Netflix iPhone app just hit the App Store. It now boasts video-out capabilities for the iPhone 4 and iPod touch 4th generation. This update is huge for those of us who use out iDevice for everything.
I’m a little curious if this will make any difference in quality for those on the 3G/3GS using DisplayOut, TVOut2, or Resupported. Regardless, I’m excited to test out the new functionality, and may opt for some extension cables to make my iPhone AV cable reach the TV from the couch.
I might be late on that one but I just learned from my friend Guy about a website called Veetle.com that brings live broadcast to the iPhone via Safari. There isn’t much to watch yet, but South Park and Family Guy episodes are available, which really is all I need from my mobile video needs… Read More
A few weeks ago we learned how to watch Netflix on a jailbroken iPhone. Unfortunately this hack doesn’t work for the iPhone 4 but some smart guy over at ModMyI figured out how to tweak it so you can watch Netflix on an iPhone 4.
UPDATE: This post is outdated. Netflix now has its official iPhone app in the App Store. Click here for more info.
Step 1: Download the Netflix app for iPad to iTunes.
Step 2: Right click on the Netflix app you just downloaded and select ‘Show in Windows Explorer’ if you’re on a PC, or ‘Show in Finder’ if you’re on a Mac.
Step 3: Rename Netflix 1.0.4.ipa to Netflix 1.0.4.zip and extract the zip file to your desktop.
Step 4: Look for the Payload folder inside the extracted folder. In there you will find the Netflix.app folder.
Step 5: SSH into your iPhone and copy the Netflix.app folder to /private/var/stash/Applications/.
Step 6: Change the permission on the Netflix.app folder to 755.
Step 7: Reboot your iPhone.
Step 8: Now go to the App Store from your iPhone and download Perfect Browser. Open the app, go to the settings and select Safari iPad under Desktop Rendering.
Step 9: Still in Perfect Browser, navigate to Netflix.com, login, and find a movie to watch instantly. Perfect Browser will close and QuickTime will start playing your movie.
Done. That wasn’t too hard, was it?
[ModMyI]
Good news for Netflix customers. The Netflix app was previously available for iPad only, and even though a quick hack could get it to work on your iPhone too, that wasn’t really ideal.
Netflix CEO Reed Harding just announced on stage at Apple’s WWDC that the Netflix iPhone app would be available this summer.
I’m not sure what “this summer” means but I would assume it’s going to be in the next month or so. [Image gdgt]
Until now you could only play the Netflix application on the iPad but a smart MMI reader figured out a way to port the app to the iPhone.
Here are the instructions on how to set up Netflix on the iPhone:
Now, just copied over SSH (with permissions repair and a respring) this will show up on the phone. With Netflix though, it required the mediaplayer frameworks from the iPad.
Now the mediaplayer frameworks are in place, all that’s left is a manual install of the app.
These instructions were copied from MMI and slightly altered for reading purposes.
This great hack has some downsides. Apparently Netflix on the iPhone will drain your battery, crash repetitively and will be very slow on 3G, which is not very surprising. Maybe these reasons are why Netflix hasn’t released an official iPhone app yet.
I’m currently in France and I can’t get Netflix to work here but I’d love to hear your feedback if you try it on. [via MMI]
Even though Netflix CEO Reed Hastings told Reuters a few months ago that Netflix wasn’t going to work on an iPhone app for a while, it seems that Netflix has been feeling the water about it. A RWW article notes that:
Recently, Netflix sent out a survey to select subscribers in order to determine interest in an iPhone application for streaming movies via mobile phones. According to the survey’s wording, the proposed app would be Wi-Fi only and would offer the same content that the Netflix “Watch Instantly” service provides.
Hacking Netflix has the full text of the survey:
Imagine that Netflix offers its subscribers the ability to instantly watch movies & TV episodes on their iPhone. The selection availability to instantly watch includes some new releases, lots of classics and TV episodes. There are no advertisements or trailers, and movies start in as little as 30 seconds. You can fast-forward, rewind, and pause or watch again. The movies & TV episodes you instantly watch are included in your Netflix membership for no additional fee.
Whenever you want to instantly watch content on your iPhone, your iPhone must be connected to a Wi-Fi network (such as one you might have at home or at work, or in public places like coffee shops, book stores, hotels, airports, etc.)
If this functionality were available, how likely would you or someone in your household be to instantly watch movies & TV episodes on your iPhone via a Wi-Fi network?
As a long-time Netflix customer, I have to say that I’ve been waiting for an iPhone app pretty much since the iPhone came out. It does make sense for Netflix to be present on mobile devices, especially the iPhone.
Now there are two problems. First issue is technological. Flash is not going to happen, so what technology could Netflix use to make itself available on the iPhone? Well apparently, Microsoft has been working with Apple on porting Silverlight to the iPhone and it seems to be working well. That would be a solution. I personally think Netflix would develop its own format but it’s just a guess.
The second problem facing Netflix is… Apple itself. Would Apple allow video streaming when it has the same plans in mind for iTunes? While I doubt Apple will be particularly excited about having a Netflix app, I believe it will have to allow it in the App Store to avoid being taught a lesson by the FTC.
At any rates, I’m very excited about having Netflix on my iPhone. You know what? I’m even more excited about having Netflix on my iPad!
What say you?
