Omio News Blog

Android Gets Its Very Own Sky+ App

Telly addicts with an Android Phone can rejoice as the platform gets its very own Sky+ application after the iPhone version attracted over a million downloads from the iTunes store.

The app allows owners of a Sky+ or Sky+ HD box to set recordings when out and about, a godsend if you’re the sort to suffer withdrawal symptoms if you miss your favourite programme.

The Sky+ app lets you browse through all the current SKy listings, select them through a genre-specific filter, or just search for a specific show. You can also set the box to record a single episode or series link the whole season.

This latest service marks a shift in Sky’s overall strategy for the mobile sector which has been decidedly iPhone centric. However, now that the success of the Sky+ app and Sky Sports Football Centre has confirmed the real demand for features such as Remote Record.

The new app is completely free to download but users must register for Remote Record before their phone will take to their Sky+ or Sky+HD box.

Source: Pocket Lint

Defence Firm Launches iPhone App For Missile Training

The Patriot anti-missile system now has its own iPhone app, devlooped by US Defence firm Raytheon.

Patriot Crew Drills is a simple multiple choice game, designed as a refresher tool for missile troops.

Don’t expect to see this in the App Store anytime soon however, the missile app will be kept away from the general public and is intended to help Patriot troops informed of new protocols when assigned to other duties.

Speaking to BBC News, Roopa Bhide, a spokesperson for Raytheon said that the app was made as a result of manpower shortages in the US military.

Raytheon also said that they would be developing other military apps.

The apps runs a soldier through the different steps necessary to assemble a Patriot anti-missile system, after which the soldier is presented with a scenario and 3 multiple-choice questions to answer.

Answer a question correctly and the app moves on to the next stage; fail and get a dressing down form a virtual Staff Sergeant.

Other military apps already developed include Bullet Flight, an app that helps snipers calculate the trajectory of bullets based on ammunition type, weather factors and other variables. The phone in this case is actually mounted on the side of the gun, enabling the shooter to see the target with one eye and the other on the app.

The firm added that future military-grade apps would include an app called One Force Tracker, which uses GPS to track the movements of friendly troops. The possibility of developing this to cover enemy movements and tracking them as targets is entirely possible, although it remains to be seen how this would be achieved.

WAR? It would appear there’s an app for that too!

Source: BBC News

Skype On iPhone Now Supports Multitasking Over 3G

After introducing an upgrade to their iPhone app back in May that allows users to make calls over 3G, Skype are now releasing a new version of the app that offers high quality sound and supports multi-tasking.

This means you can receive Skype calls while other apps are running, even when your iPhone is locked. During a call, you can keep the conversation going while you switch to another task, such as checking cinema timetables or reading a message. Skype have also updated the app’s graphics to make best use of the iPhone 4′s Retina display.

Download the new Skype for iPhone App to enjoy an enhance Skype experience!

Skype

New Social Music App Promises New Levels Of Fan Engagement

Today sees the launch of Mobile Backstage, a new socially-enabled music service and mobile app that lets artists and bands keep in touch with their fans.

On the surface, there’s nothing new about that, after all artists seem well versed at keeping us all informed of where they’re playing and what they’re thinking/drinking via Twitter and Facebook. However, Mobile Backstage boasts some pretty impressive levels of interaction, which it claims are in excess of those seen on Facebook or Myspace. Moreover it offers support for not only iPhone but cheaper Java-based handsets, which is a smart move, seeing as the target audience isn’t necessarily going to be of iPhone-owning age.

Dizzee Rascal has already given the app a field trial as have post-hardcore rockers Enter Shikari and emo outfit You Me At Six, who appear to be making good progress with the app already, so we decided to check what the fuss was about.

Mobile Backstage’s range of features include:

-  social interaction between fans and the ability for artists to share their experiences… for instance, moments on the tour-bus.

-  content management system for web and mobile that lets artists and labels to post band updates, images, video clips and tour dates

-  full integration of content from Facebook and Twitter

-  analytics & stats that provide insights into fans and fan behaviour

-  a Foursquare-esque feature which is enabled when fans ‘check-in’ using their phone’s GPS

-  iTunes Music Store integration.

The range of functions offered by Mobile Backstage are sure impressive and although it’s entirely possible that the higher interaction rates might simply be people exploring the new app’s functionality, Mobile Backstage offers do artists a neat one-stop shop for fan interaction and should be considered by anyone looking for an integrated solution for promoting a band / artist.

Stream Republic charges a one-off fee for the service, €990. For fans, the app is free to download.

7m Access BBC iPlayer Via Mobiles in June

The BBC has experienced a huge surge in mobile requests for the iPlayer this June, taking the total number of users to 7m.

This represents a 1m increase on the previous month, while total requests for the iPlayer across all platforms dropped to 117m, 13m less than the previous month.

The number of requests for the iPlayer via desktop computers fell from May to 86m, likely as a result of the summer sunshine though.

The boost in mobile requests might just have had something to do with the World Cup however and the by far the most popular live show was the England vs. Slovenia match, which attracted 317,000 requests across platforms.

Source: NMA

New Postcard App Lets You Send Printed Postcards From Your Phone

Honeymooners, backpackers and holidaymakers in general will all be thrilled to hear of a new app that let’s you send personalised postcards from anywhere in the world.

Smartphone photos taken anywhere in the world are sent to printers in deepest Dorset via FTP at 4pm daily and by 5.15pm they’re in the post. So whether you’re up a mountain, sat off around a pool or dangling your feet off the edge of a yacht, ecards allow you to rub it in the faces of those back home with startling immediacy. You can even input text to make a message to family and friends.

I suppose some of the charm of sending a postcard is the turning of the carousel, the rummaging around for foreign stamps, the search for a post office and all that. But as another option somewhere between sending a postcard and plastering up a picture to Facebook, ecards offer a great new service that let’s you send personalised messages, while allowing you to get on with enjoying your holiday. The Apple website already has it rated as in their top 30, so what’s to stop you from getting on board?

The app is free to download, First class pics cost £1.49 to send, while pictures sent 2nd class cost £0.99. All transactions are processed via PayPal. Currently the app is available on iPhone and Android.

The eCards app is available as a download from eCards Media.

Mobile Helps Spotify Past 500k Paying Subscribers

Music streaming service Spotify now has over 500,000 paying subscribers according to CEO Daniel Ek in a recent interview on Music Week.

The company’s £9.99 Premium service allows users to access unlimited music via the Spotify desktop client and a mobile app, which is currently available for Android, iPhone and Symbian.

“One of the unique assets and the reason why we have more than half a million people paying £9.99 a month for the [premium] service is because they actually use it as their primary media player,” said Ek, adding that Spotify’s aims to become “the music platform on the internet where you manage your music and then consume it on any device you want.”

The recent introduction of a £4.99 PC-only fee has actually driven people to the Premium tier due to its mobile element, said Ek.

Ek also confirmed that Spotify, which is live in seven European markets, plans to launch services in the US and Japan in the next few months. Licensing issues in Germany however mean that a Germany launch is some way off.

Source: Mobile-ent.biz

Orange Wednesdays App Available on Ovi Store

Orange’s famous 2-for-1 cinema tickets offer springs on over to yet another app platform, just as the summer blockbuster season is getting underway.

Nokia users can now make the best of the mid-week by downloading a new app from the Finnish manufacturer’s Ovi Store.

Last November, Orange launched the offer as an app for iPhone. Both apps now offer film reviews and trailers together with cinema listings and the ability to get 2 for 1 cinema vouchers.

Via: Mobile-Ent.biz

RIM Launches Blackberry Protect

RIM has unveiled a new security feature for Blackberry smartphones, called Blackberry Protect.

If you’re unfortunate enough to lose your beloved Blackberry, this app is essential for protecting anything sensitive or indeed, if you want to locate your handheld as the app allows remote access to your treasured gadget.

Lost your Blackberry? The app will use its GPS to show current location on a map. It won’t be precise enough to locate your phone if it’s lost in your house, but if you think it’s been misplaced elsewhere, you should get a rough idea of the location. Nevertheless there is a loud ring option, so if it is in the house, you’ll soon know where it is.

In the even that you can’t get to your phone’s location right away, a click of a button will remotely lock the handset, keeping any important or sensitive email and info from prying eyes. If you really can’t get to your phone, for instance if its been stolen as opposed to lost, then you can also wipe all your data. The best thing about this function though is that there’s an auto-backup, so any data isn’t lost forever, just until you get another Blackberry.

When can you get a copy of this app? Well, it’s on an invite-only basis for now, but after some fine-tuning it should be available for general release. Blackberry Apps don’t tend to hang around on Beta for long, so we expect soon!

Google App Inventor For Android

Ever wanted to make your own application, but been afraid to because you don’t speaker computer? Then this latest project from Google could make you very happy. App Inventor for Android allows you to build just about any app you can imagine and not just games: quiz apps for friends, study apps for students, you can even use Android’s text-to-speech capabilities to get the phone to ask you questions aloud.

App Inventor requires zero programming knowledge and rather than requiring written code, instead allows you to design applications using a lego-like visual system. The App Inventor authors have created blocks for just about everything you can do with an Android phone, as well as blocks for doing “programming like” stuff, for instance, block that store information, blocks for repeating actions, and blocks to perform actions under certain conditions.

App Inventor for Android was made possible by significant prior research in educational computing and work done by Google on online environments for development. The educational thrust of this research, and the App Inventor project holds that programming can be vehicle for engaging powerful ideas through active learning.