I still can't believe Apple (and, possibly, AT&T) approved it, but it's here - a video broadcasting app that lets you stream live feeds from your iPhone's camera to the web in real-time. Called the Ustream Live Broadcaster, it turns your smartphone into a veritable webcam that you can take anywhere in your pocket.
The App Store download is not the first video-streaming app for the iPhone, though. That honor belongs to Knocking Live, which debuted less than two weeks ago. However, that streaming pioneer only made feeds available to other iPhone users. Ustream's new service, on the other hand, lets everyone tune in - whether you're on an iPhone, a PC or some other internet-enabled device.
Effectively, the app turns the iPhone into a webcam, capturing video and sending it to viewing audiences (it supports both 3G and Wi-Fi) who can watch it through Ustream's site. It works with both the 3G and 3GS models, which is quite impressive, considering the 3G doesn't even have a video recording facility.
It's a feature-rich app, too. When a live connection isn't available, for instance, it gives the option of recording videos for later uploading. You can also choose whether to let everyone see the stream (public) or restrict it for pre-approved audiences (private). Other capabilities include creating on-the-fly polls for current viewers, social media integration (YouTube, Facebook and Twitter) and location-sharing.
Overall, it's very impressive stuff. You can download Ustream Live Broadcaster and give up your last remaining bits of privacy free of charge from the App Store.
UStream Live Broadcaster Lets You Use Your iPhone As A Webcam, Streams Real-Time Video To The Worldunratednoel2009-12-14 23:34:10
App Reviews,iPhone AppsUStream Live Broadcaster Lets You Use Your iPhone As A Webcam, Streams Real-Time Video To The World
Both the MLB and the NFL have entrenched themselves into mobile phones by way of various apps and services. With the 2010 NBA season having just commenced, pro basketball fans are getting in on the action too.
The National Basketball Association has released the NBA League Pass Mobile, a downloadable app available to all iPhone and Android users that somehow mirrors what's being offered with the league's NBA's League Pass TV package. It's also coming to Blackberry users before the end of the year.
What does it do? The app lets users watch up to 40 live games weekly directly on their mobile phones. Not all games will be available depending on your location, though, as local TV blackout rules will continue to be enforced (damn GPS on cellphones, right?). You can also watch the games on demand up to two days late, along with game alerts and live statistics.
Sounds awesome? Yep. Priced pretty steep, though, costing $39.99 for the duration of the season. If the price is a little too rich for your tastes, you can opt for Game Time Lite (available on all three platforms above), a free download that lets you read scores, stats, standings and team schedules. For a little more content, you can pay $9.99 for the full version, which offers some games on demand, highlights, live alerts and real-time updates via Twitter feed.
Too cheap for all that? Me too. I just wait till I get home and open up NBA.com on my browser. Works every time.
[via CNET]
NBA League Pass Mobile Streams Live Games On Android, iPhone And Blackberryunratednoel2009-10-30 23:05:29
Android Apps,App Reviews,iPhone AppsNBA League Pass Mobile Streams Live Games On Android, iPhone And Blackberry
Streaming radio is now spilling like torrential rain on the iPhone and it's making for a whole lot of fun. There's a swath of music-based apps, a couple of news-centric ones and now, with ESPN Radio, a full-fledged audio streamer for sports fans.
Delivering ESPN shows, podcasts and live play-by-play for various events, you get a wide range of content from 15 different stations, letting you get your fill of sports-related information wherever you are throughout the day. Even better, the app is so well done, it's a breeze to use.
It loads fast and runs fast, immediately tuning to one of the fifteen stations as soon as you launch it. UI is attractive and vibrant, with that familiar ESPN ticker panning along the bottom, showing headlines and scores for numerous events throughout the sporting world. Tap a headline and you can read it in full-screen right from the app, all while the current station continues to play.
Control panel offers several additional features, including SportsCenter (which displays the latest news in 20 minute intervals), PodCenter (which gives you access to over 35 podcasts) and a texting facility (which lets you send a free SMS to the station you're currently listening to). A cool little addition is the Background option, a workaround of sorts that launches ESPN Radio in Safari (right on the same content you're listening to) when you want it to keep playing while you run a different app in the foreground.
ESPN Radio may not be complete (there are no sports schedules and on-demand content, for instance), but it's a heck of an app, all the same. The sheer amount of options, coupled with a well-made UI, easily makes it worth the $2.99 asking price.
Photo Credit: iPodNN
ESPN Radio Brings Non-Stop Sports Content On Your iPhoneunratednoel2009-09-22 10:36:01
App Reviews,iPhone AppsESPN Radio Brings Non-Stop Sports Content On Your iPhone
Android users have been feeling a little neglected lately, what with all the developers flocking to the iPhone before even giving Google's mobile OS a little attention. The same has been true of Pandora's streaming music service, which has put out releases for a number of platforms already. Finally, they get around to supplying a version of their mobile software for the Android Market and, while late, the app is very polished and well-executed, making it worth the wait.
The app works much like any Pandora client on any device, allowing you to create free streaming radio stations over an internet connection. You can give a thumps-up or a thumbs-down to songs that play over your app, which the service will remember as it grows to recognize your musical tastes. It also integrates the facility to purchase songs and albums that you like directly from Amazon within the service.
You'll be greeted with a log-in screen the first time you use it (new users will need to sign up). If you've used Pandora before, your account will automatically be synced to your Android phone, allowing you to access all your previously created stations. From there, you can do what you normally do, searching for artists, songs and composers, letting Pandora build the streams based on that.
The interface is particularly good-looking, with the ability to display cover art, along with various artist, song and album information. You can rate songs, skip them, pause or simply ask for further information. Menu options allow you to share songs with friends, change audio settings and switch accounts. It also comes with a widget, which lets you access the current station from your homescreen, and a live folders feature that lets you scroll through your saved listings.
Overall, Pandora for Android is a great first effort. While there are many features on the desktop version that are absent, it fits in all the necessary niceties with a couple of extras specifically for the platform. You won't see me complaining about it anytime soon.
Via: Pandora Blog
Pandora Comes To Android With A Polished, Well-Done Appunratednoel2009-09-10 15:50:12
Android Apps,App ReviewsPandora Comes To Android With A Polished, Well-Done App
RealNetworks is making a play to directly challenge iTunes' 99-cent-per-song dominance on the iPhone. The company has submitted an app to allow the use of its Rhapsody subscription music service to Apple and are now awaiting approval.
Intended for availability as a free download, the app offers iPhone users music streaming on their handsets. That means all the songs you want at a fixed monthly price of $15 a month - a tempting offer that can potentially affect iTunes sales. Given all the heat that Apple is now getting for the App Store's approval process, Rhapsody for iPhone becomes an interesting case study as to how the company will handle potential competition looking to enter their smartphone platform.
Existing Rhapsody subscribers who are on $13/month accounts won't get in on the action, as iPhone support will only be available for the new $15 To Go package. Regardless, a library of over 8 million songs you can stream to your iPhone makes a good case for paying that extra $2, as well as attracting new subscribers.
According to Rhapsody, offline playback of songs is not currently available for the first version of the app, but will be added shortly thereafter. Streaming will be supported over all types of internet connection, including Wi-Fi, 3G and EDGE.
Whether Rhapsody gets approved or not will likely determine the eventual fate for Spotify, as well, who are now in the process of readying their own iPhone app. According to RealNetworks, the Rhapsody service will also be coming soon to other mobile platforms, including Android and Windows Mobile.
[via PC World]
Rhapsody Bringing Their Subscription Music Service To The iPhoneunratednoel2009-08-24 15:40:43
NewsRhapsody Bringing Their Subscription Music Service To The iPhone
