Accessories makers embracing Bluetooth to side-step Lightning, AirPlay and Apple exclusivity

By Ed Sutherland on May 6, 2013

A growing trend by accessory makers to adopt wireless connections could disconnect Apple from a significant source of revenue. In a departure from the days of the iPod, where accessories such as speakers were designed with 30-pin connections fitting only Apple devices, add-on device manufacturers are have increasingly been turning to Bluetooth for some time to connect a growing number of mobile devices – many not made by Apple.

The reason for the transition includes the rise of Samsung, Amazon and other iPhone and iPad rivals, along with the feeling Apple kept secret from accessory makers its new Lightning connection. As a result, some of the largest accessory makers are turning to the wireless Bluetooth standard to avoid any more surprises from Apple, according to the New York Times… Read More

 

AirFloat turns any iOS device into an AirPlay receiver

By Mike Schnier on Feb 15, 2013

Not sure what to do with your old iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch? Instead of throwing it out or selling it for a fraction of its original value, what if you could get some more use out of the device by turning it into an AirPlay streaming box?

AirFloat is an open source tweak that’s been in development for a while, but hasn’t been released on Cydia until now. (It was actually removed from the iTunes store last year.) With AirFloat, you don’t need to buy an Apple TV or an AirPort Express to stream music through your house. All you need is Wi-Fi and a spare iOS device… Read More

 

HBO Go gains AirPlay streaming, Apple TV app due later this year

By Christian Zibreg on Feb 12, 2013

Good news, Apple TV users: later today, HBO will enable AirPlay streaming in its HBO Go iOS app. Speaking at The Wall Street Journal-sponsored D: Dive Into Media conference on Tuesday, HBO’s Eric Kessler said that “effective today, we will be enabling AirPlay” for HBO Go. Bloomberg last month reported that Apple and HBO are working on a content deal.

He also re-iterated that HBO Go will eventually land on the Apple TV later this yeare. Until the Apple TV app materializes, Time Warner Inc.’s HBO Go subscribers can use the existing iOS app to stream HBO shows from their iPhone or iPad to their Apple TV over AirPlay… Read More

 

Netflix and YouTube working on an open AirPlay alternative

By Christian Zibreg on Jan 23, 2013

AirPlay, a wireless media technology from Apple featured on the Apple TV, iPhones, iPads, iPods and newer Macs running OS X Mountain Lion, is a major selling point because it allows users to seamlessly beam their photos, music and video from their computer or iDevice to a TV set via an Apple TV set-top box. However, Netflix teamed up with Google’s YouTube on an AirPlay alternative and today the two have released official details.

DIAL, as it’s called (an acronym for DIscovery And Launch), is an open second screen protocol which automatically discovers compliant devices to stream media. The new standard has impressive support from key content owners and consumer electronics makers, including the likes of BBC, Sony, Hulu and of course Samsung… Read More

 

When AirPlay is too laggy for games, use DisplayOut with a wired AV adapter

By Mike Schnier on Jan 16, 2013

There is recent post on Reddit where a user was attempting to play classic NES games from an iPhone 4S, using a Wii remote for controls, with the whole thing mirrored to a TV through AirPlay. The redditor asked if there was any way to compensate for the 1 second lag he was experiencing through AirPlay, and I thought some of our readers might have come to the same question. Unfortunately, without resorting to time travel, it’s not possible to technologically compensate for latency in current version of AirPlay.

While wireless displays are now feasible for gaming, just ask anyone with a WiiU, AirPlay mirroring is not your best option for streaming fast-paced games. A better solution is to plug your phone directly into a TV… Read More

 

Student converts Raspberry Pi into a wireless AirPlay speaker

By Christian Zibreg on Dec 28, 2012

If you’re not familiar with the Raspberry Pi, it’s a mini computer which packs in a 700 MHz ARM 11 processor with 128MB of RAM that runs Debian Linux. In addition, a proof-of-concept hack turns the gizmo into an HDMI-enabled AirPlay video receiving machine. It’s so small you’ll almost forget it’s there and costs only $25.

That’s $75 cheaper than an Apple TV set-top box, the only official solution that provides wireless media streaming functionality from Mountain Lion Macs and iOS devices to a TV set.

Oliver told you in January that one of the Raspberry Pi developers had successfully created a hack that let him stream video from his iPad to a TV via the credit card-sized computer. And now, Cambridge engineering student Jordan Burgess has successfully converted the device into a wireless AirPlay-enabled audio receiver… Read More

 

YouTube app goes iPad, adds AirPlay, iPhone 5 support

By Christian Zibreg on Dec 4, 2012

Following up on its sweet Gmail refresh earlier today, Google’s just announced with a post over at the official YouTube blog a long-expected update to its nice YouTube iPhone app. For starters, the program finally runs on the iPad natively, which means you can now search for kitten videos using your beloved tablet and enjoy them in high-definition on that beautiful 9.7-inch Retina display.

The software also takes full advantage of the iPhone 5′s bigger display and lets you stream YouTube clips to your badass TV through the Apple TV hockey puck and using AirPlay, a wireless media streaming technology from Apple. Accessibility, video playback improvements and other perks come included with the package. But first things first… Read More

 

Google looking to take on Apple with AirPlay alternative

By Cody Lee on Nov 20, 2012

Despite the fact that Tim Cook continues to refer to it as a hobby, the Apple TV continues to sell fairly well thanks to its low price tag, access to services like Netflix and Hulu+, and most of all, its wireless AirPlay technology.

And it sounds like Google wants to replicate that success with Google TV. According to a new report, the tech giant is working on rolling out a new AirPlay-like open wireless technology for its TV and Android devices… Read More

 

Xiaomi Box, an Apple TV knockoff, does AirPlay at a very tempting price

By Christian Zibreg on Nov 16, 2012

Tempting ability to wirelessly beam whatever is displayed on your iPhone or iPad to a big-screen TV set has a major downer: it requires Apple’s $99 set-top box to decipher encrypted AirPlay streams and then feed video to your telly via HDMI. And for many, Apple TV is just not a very useful set-top box so parting with their hard-earned $99 just to get AirPlay is not an option.

But what if you could get AirPlay functionality at a very tempting price plus choice of other popular video formats and apps, none of which Apple’s device supports? That’s what Xiaomi Box does for you. Basically an Android set-top box, it’ll run you somewhere in the $60-ish. The thing’s compatible with DLNA, Miracast and Apple’s AirPlay, letting you wirelessly stream content from Apple’s iPhone and iPad, personal computer and Android phones with MIUI installed… Read More

 

Apple patents Airplay mirroring for touchscreens, putting Siri in context

By Ed Sutherland on Oct 18, 2012

Apple’s patent attorneys are busy again. The Cupertino, California company has filed two patent applications with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, related to extending AirPlay mirroring to iPads and iPhones, as well as describing how Siri scans through databases to match searches.

In the first application, entitled “Gesture Visualization and Sharing Between Electronic Devices and Remote Displays,” Apple talks of protecting technology allowing a touch screen device to share its screen with a second, larger display. Because the patent application mentions a touch interface, reports suggest the patent is limited to the iPhone and iPad… Read More

 

Apple to reportedly unveil new ‘AirPlay Direct’ feature next month

By Cody Lee on Aug 29, 2012

Citing sources familiar with Apple’s plans, a new report is out today claiming that the Cupertino company is looking to launch a new version of its popular AirPlay feature next month, called AirPlay Direct.

What’s the difference? Well, as it stands, the current version of AirPlay requires an active Wi-Fi network. But AirPlay Direct, however, allows for a direct connection to a device, without the need for Wi-Fi… Read More

 

New jailbreak tweak lets you watch restricted premium videos via AirPlay

By Jeff Benjamin on Aug 9, 2012

Doesn’t it get under your skin when you try to watch a video on the big screen via AirPlay, and at the most, all you get is sound? Sometimes companies decide to restrict users from using AirPlay or HDMI output, which results in the frustrating scenario just mentioned.

This prevents certain apps like Amazon Instant Video, HBOGO, and DirectTV from being enjoyed on your television set via AirPlay using an Apple TV.

It’s actually surprising that it took this long for a Cydia developer to come up with a fix for this, but it’s finally here. UnrestrictPremium is a tweak that allows you to watch video via AirPlay mirroring or HDMI output, even if the developer of the app restricts users from doing so. Want to see how it works? Then step inside and watch our hands-on video walkthrough… Read More

 

iOS 6 beta 3 brings new AirPlay feature to Apple TV

By Cody Lee on Jul 18, 2012

On Monday, Apple seeded the third beta of iOS 6 to developers. The update includes bug fixes, added stability and a handful of new features.

Apparently, among those additions is a new AirPlay feature for the Apple TV. In iOS 6, users will have the ability to stream audio from their set-top boxes to external AirPlay-enabled speakers… Read More

 

Brightcove outs SDK for dual-screen Apple TV apps as Google TV update looms

By Christian Zibreg on Jun 26, 2012

The epic battle for the living room is about to get a lot more interesting in a matter of days. Brightcove, a Cambridge, Massachusetts-headquartered online video platform provider, today released its App Cloud platform on an open-source basis. The SDK lets content owners create dual-screen apps that stream high-definition video to a television set through an Apple TV and AirPlay protocol.

While streaming, these apps can render a bunch of useful information on your iPhone or iPad, turning your iOS device into a glorified remote control of sorts. Meanwhile, Google is expected to issue a significant update to the Google TV platform at its upcoming developers conference tomorrow, said to give the Apple TV a run for its money… Read More

 

Airfoil Speakers Touch back in the App Store

By Cody Lee on Jun 6, 2012

Last month, the folks of Rogue Amoeba made headlines when they announced that their app, Airfoil Speakers Touch, was removed from the App Store. Apple pulled the app, after more than a month of support, without giving the team much of an explanation.

Speculation flew about regarding the mysterious removal, eventually settling on the idea that maybe Apple was looking to implement a major feature from the title in its upcoming iOS 6 release. But, as Rogue Amoeba tells it, that wasn’t the case at all… Read More

 

Microsoft launches SmartGlass wireless media streaming for iOS and Android

By Christian Zibreg on Jun 4, 2012

Electronic Entertainment Expo, the industry’s biggest interactive entertainment show, is underway in Los Angeles, California and Microsoft juts announced an interesting software solution for wireless media streaming to the Xbox 360 console from devices powered by Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android mobile operating system.

Called SmartGlass, the app lets you beam video from your iPhone, iPod touch, iPad or Android device to Xbox Live and Windows 8. Another cool feature: with SmartGlass installed, your mobile device becomes a complementary display in games and apps that support this functionality… Read More

 

An easy way to seamlessly play Safari videos in the background

By Jeff Benjamin on Jun 1, 2012

Web Background Video Playback is a relatively new tweak by iOS developer Steven Troughton-Smith. The aim of the tweak is to allow video content to continue playing in Safari while it is running in the background. This is especially helpful when you’re listening to video content, and seeing the video isn’t necessary; for example, when watching a music video, podcast, etc.

This tweak is also handy in the cases where you wish to send a quick tweet or text message, but don’t want to completely interrupt the video playback. I’ve noticed that it even plays nice with video that’s streaming to a television via AirPlay.

Take a look at our video demonstration of Web Background Video Playback for more details… Read More

 

New Party Doodles app shows the potential of Apple TV gaming

By Cody Lee on May 17, 2012

I’ve said before that I felt like AirPlay Mirroring was one of the most underrated features of iOS 5. The ability to wirelessly stream content from the device to a TV seemed like an open invitation for iOS developers to create console-esque games.

We’ve seen a couple of big name titles take advantage of this, but perhaps none of them showcases the feature’s potential better than Cerebral Gardens’ recently-released Party Doodles… Read More

 

Time Warner Cable CEO: “I’m not sure I know what AirPlay is”

By Christian Zibreg on May 14, 2012

This one made rounds on the web today. Apparently, head of Time Warner Cable is totally oblivious to the existence of AirPlay, a technology from Apple that beams photos, music and videos from iOS devices to your television through an Apple TV set-top box.

He also called the Apple TV a little hockey puck (we heard that one before) and expressed his dislike for set-top boxes per se due to the complexities they bring to the living room experience (hard to argue against that)… Read More

 

Kanex outs AirPlay mirroring adapter for legacy projectors lacking HDMI ports

By Christian Zibreg on May 2, 2012

AirPlay, a wireless content streaming technology from Apple, has become indispensable in my daily computing. Whenever I feel like watching movies, enjoying my photos, listening to some music and even playing certain games, I usually AirPlay whatever is currently displayed on my iPhone 4S or iPad 3 to my plasma TV, through the Apple TV.

But what about presenting in conference rooms equipped with old-school VGA projectors lacking HDMI port? Apple makes the $29 VGA adapter, but who wants to walk around the room holding an iPad hooked up to a projector via the cable?

Enter ATV Pro Adapter, a nice little dongle from Kanex that connects to your Apple TV’s HDMI port on one side, converting digital output to analogue signal fed to your legacy projectors’ VGA port… Read More

 
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