Netflix updates Android app, expands device support
Tired of content providers bossing you around, telling you what you can do with your own phone? Good, because Netflix is sick of telling you kids to keep off its lawn. Following a recent update, the outfit's Android app now officially supports the LG Revolution, Motorola Droid, Casio G'zOne Commando C771, and any unsupported device that just happens to work on its own. In addition to adding official support for the aforementioned trio (and of course, some minor bug fixes), the stream king removed a device check that previously blocked unsupported handsets from attempting playback. Your mileage may vary, but the folks over at Droid Life are reporting success with both the Droid X and Droid X2, as well as the Xperia Play. That's no guarantee for you and your unsupported device, but at least you have the freedom to fail. That's nice, isn't it?
BBC announced the availability of its free mobile news application for Android on Wednesday. The application provides quick access to BBC’s top stories complete with pictures, videos, and the option to share stories on Facebook or via email. Other features include breaking news notifications, pre-cache viewing, background sync, and a compact widget for viewing headlines from your home screen. There’s even an option to stream live BBC News video content, provided you’re running a phone with Android 2.2 and Flash pre-installed. BBC News for Android is available for free in the Android Market now. Update: for now it’s only available to U.K. residents.
While you've no doubt got an "unlimited" data contract, sometimes it's faster/cheaper/easier to connect to Wi-Fi. Particularly if you're trying to download a new mega-app. Wi-Fi Analyzer is a free app which displays the strength of all Wi-Fi hotspots nearby. It's been out for a while now, however Recombu's review of it brought the app to my attention. Shown on a bar graph with varying colors, each Wi-Fi connection in the area is displayed along with the "channel rating," which will give you some idea of how many people are connected to that signal. In the picture shown, the green signal is the lowest of all—which means it's also the busiest. The red arc is the highest on the graph, which is the one you should be connecting to.
If there's one drawback with this app, it's that you can't connect to your chosen hotspot within the app itself. You'll have to nip into the Android's own Wi-Fi section, or download the Wi-Fi Connector Library app from the same developers, which will do the job for you. [Recombu]
T-Mobile and AT&T customers with Android phones can now finally download a Vonage VoIP app to their devices to make cheap international calls over Wi-Fi or 3G. They'll also get free domestic calls, but only over Wi-Fi.
Vonage Delivers Worldwide Calling Savings to T-Mobile and AT&T Android Users
HOLMDEL, N.J., April 9, 2010 /PRNewswire via COMTEX News Network/ — Vonage Holdings Corp. (NYSE: VG), a leading provider of high-quality voice and messaging services over broadband networks, today announced the expansion of its Vonage Mobile offerings to AT&T and T-Mobile devices that use the Android mobile operating system.
Vonage Mobile will be available to download for AT&T and T-Mobile Android devices at www.vonage.com later today and is already available for iPhone(R), BlackBerry(R) and iPod touch(R) devices. Vonage Mobile customers enjoy high-quality, outbound international calling over Wi-Fi and cellular networks as well as free domestic calls over Wi-Fi.
"We are focused on ensuring that our customers can enjoy all the benefits of their Vonage service from any location using any device that can access the Internet," said Michael Tempora, senior vice president of product management. "We will continue to expand our offerings in 2010 to include a robust set of voice and messaging services that utilize Wi-Fi and 3G wireless networks."
The Vonage Mobile application gives customers the flexibility to choose between Vonage World Mobile, which includes unlimited international calling to more than 60 countries, or Vonage Mobile Pay-Per-Use. Vonage Mobile Pay-Per-Use provides savings of more than 50% - compared to rates charged by wireless carriers - for calls to dozens of countries.
With Vonage Mobile, there are no access numbers or new phone numbers to give to friends and family. Customers simply enter an international number or select a contact from the existing contacts on a mobile device and hit send.
To follow Vonage on Twitter, please visit www.twitter.com/vonage_voice. To become a fan on Facebook, go to www.facebook.com/vonage.
*iPhone allows calls on both cellular and Wi-Fi networks. BlackBerry allows calls over cellular networks. iPod touch allows calls over Wi-Fi networks. Service subject to minimum monthly usage fee, taxes and certain other fees. Forfeiture rules apply. See Terms of Service for details. There are important 911 limitations when using Vonage for Mobile service. See vonagemobile.com/tos for details.
Belkin's new line of 802.11n wireless routers—the Surf, Share, Play, and Play Max—come with clever little apps to diagnose network problems, print wirelessly from networked computers, back up files, move music libraries, and create playlists.
The routers will be available in April for prices ranging between $50 and $130 with matching wireless USB adapters priced between $50 and $70.
Surf Wireless Router - $49.99
• Surf the Web, email, and instant message from anywhere in your home • 802.11n • 2.4GHz – Perfect for data and web traffic, and file- and picture-sharing • Dual-plane antenna positioning and unique implementation of MIMO technology provides three-dimensional coverage, which means consistent signal, even through walls and floors • Pre-configured wireless security • Wi-Fi Protected Setup - 256-bit WPA/WPA2 and 64/128 WEP encryption • VPN Support: PPTP and IPSec pass-through • Compatible with Mac OS X v10.6 and v10.5, and Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP
Share Wireless Router - $79.99
• Easily share and access documents, photos, and files from multiple computers • 802.11n • 2.4GHz – Perfect for data and web traffic, and file- and picture-sharing • Dual-plane antenna positioning and unique implementation of MIMO technology provides three-dimensional coverage, which means consistent signal, even through walls and floors • 1 USB port supports external USB hard drives or USB printers • Pre-configured wireless security • Wi-Fi Protected Setup - 256-bit WPA/WPA2 and 64/128 WEP encryption • VPN Support: PPTP and IPSec pass-through • Compatible with Mac OS X v10.6 and v10.5, and Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP
Play Wireless Router - $99.99
• Provides the fastest, most reliable speeds for streaming video, playing music, and online gaming • Simultaneous 802.11n Dual-Band for speeds of up to 300Mbps • 2.4GHz – Perfect for data and web traffic, and file- and picture-sharing • 5GHz – Perfect for streaming media and video games • Dual-plane antenna positioning and unique implementation of MIMO technology provides three-dimensional coverage, which means consistent signal, even through walls and floors • 1 USB port supports external USB hard drives or USB printers • Pre-configured wireless security • Wi-Fi Protected Setup - 256-bit WPA/WPA2 and 64/128 WEP encryption • VPN Support: PPTP and IPSec pass-through • Compatible with Mac OS X v10.6 and v10.5, and Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP
Play Max Wireless Router- $129.99
• Stream HD videos, play games online, and download large media files • Features high-speed Gigabit ports for media-intensive applications and simultaneous Dual-Band networks for maximum speed and coverage • Simultaneous 802.11n Dual-Band for speeds of up to 300Mbps • 2.4GHz – Perfect for data and web traffic, and file- and picture-sharing • 5GHz – Perfect for streaming media and video games • Dual-plane antenna positioning and unique implementation of MIMO technology provides three-dimensional coverage, which means consistent signal, even through walls and floors • 2 USB ports to support external USB hard drives and USB printers • UPnP server • Pre-configured wireless security • Wi-Fi Protected Setup™ - 256-bit WPA ® /WPA2 ® and 64/128 WEP encryption • VPN Support: PPTP and IPSec pass-through • Compatible with Mac OS ® X v10.6 and v10.5, and Windows ® 7, Windows Vista ® , and Windows XP
Play Wireless USB Adapter - $69.99 Surf & Share Wireless USB Adapter - $49.99
• Connects your desktop or notebook computer to a wireless network • Provides optimal range and distance when paired with an 802.11n router • WPS security with the push of a button
One of the great parts about these routers are, of course, the applications which make life—and basic media management tasks in particular—just a little bit simpler:
• Self Healing: Automatically detects and resolves network problems and runs routine maintenance scans to give you the clearest wireless channel. Available on Surf, Share, Play, and Play Max. • Memory Safe: Automatically backs up precious photos and important files to your external hard drive. Available on Share, Play, and Play Max. • Print Genie: Print wirelessly from any computer on the network from anywhere in your home. Available on Share, Play, and Play Max. • Music Mover: Play MP3s from your music library on your home stereo wirelessly. Connect your external hard drive on which you store your music to the router-and move music from your computer to your stereo through devices like Xbox 360 ® and PlayStation ® 3. Available on Play and Play Max. • Music Labeler: Automatically identifies and labels your track with the correct title, artist, and genre. Available on Play and Play Max. • Daily DJ: Get daily personalized playlists from your music library based on your mood. Available on Play and Play Max. • Torrent Genie: Downloads large media files like movies, music, and games, even when your computer isn't on. Available on Play Max. • Bit Boost™: Prioritizes traffic on your network for video, gaming, and VoIP, letting you easily select your most important data streams for seamless network traffic. Available on Play Max.
