i.TV
The i.TV entertainment listings app isn’t new, but the 1.3 update offers a new and visually appealing landscape grid guide (above) with pop-up show info “cards.” Previous functionality, such as TiVo scheduling and Netflix queue management, remains. And is joined by performance and stability improvements.

Roxio Streamer
Roxio Streamer is a brand new app that hooks into their OS X Toast 10 software ($80) to transcode and stream transferred TiVo video, EyeTV recordings, and a variety of other media from Mac to iPhone or iPod Touch over WiFi. Given Toast’s historic inconsistency in keeping transcoded TiVo audio and video synchronized, I’m still running version 8 and haven’t been able to do anything more than install the client.

DVR Remote Lite
DVR Remote isn’t new, but the “Lite” version is. Meaning you can test drive this app for free before deciding to pay $3 for the full version. It’s definitely worth checking out, and we’ve come a loooong way from my terminal-based remote control demo last spring. In addition to typical network remote control of your TiVo units, the developer included a clever series of keyboard macros to streamline the search experience. But wait, there’s more. He’s also tapped into the TiVo web server to display your Now Playing list. And as if that weren’t enough, there’s easy access to TiVo’s mobile web scheduling site from within the app.

A periodic roundup of relevant news… from our friends at Last100:

Spotify, a very compelling music streaming service
My music streaming weapon of choice used to be Pandora until it stopped being accessible from the UK a while back. Enter Spotify, a new music streaming service, which this week publicly launched in the UK. Since the service has licensing agreements with all four majors and a bunch of indies, one way to think of Spotify is as a massive jukebox in the sky.

A year after launch, free music service Qtrax has all four majors but questions remain
Twelve months ago, free ad-supported music download service Qtrax launched in a blaze of controversy, most notably claiming it had support from all four major record labels, which was news to them. Qtrax is going after the holy grail of music, free and legal downloads, and so it wasn’t surprising that the company faced a licensing uphill battle.

HD video coming to a Netbook near you
Intel has released a new version of its Netbook-friendly Atom chip, which although only bumps the speed up slightly, is being paired with the company’s new GN40 chipset, whose graphics capabilities includes hardware-based 720p HD video decoding.

Should Nokia get into bed with Facebook? Err, yes
Nokia is in protracted talks with Facebook about ways to further integrate the hugely popular social networking site into select handsets, reports WSJ. Although any partnership deal has yet to be struck, and may never be, according to the article, citing “a person familiar with the talks.”

I know we’ve gotten a bit Twitter crazy here on ZNF lately, so I promise this will be our last post… for a little awhile, at least. With that in mind, I cramming several Twitter topics into this one article: software, tools, and etiquette.

As a quick refresher: Twitter is a web service, born from a brainstorm, to provide and peruse real-time updates. How you use it is up to you. I’ve found it valuable as a “micro blogging” tool. 140 characters is often sufficient to issue a brief opinion and/or link to an interesting tech-related story. It’s also been handy as a means of communicating both privately and publicly with readers, blogging peers, and PR professionals. In fact, Twitter replaced SMS for me at CES this year. Twitter’s usage is rapidly accelerating and they’ve just landed $35 million in Series C financing.

Desktop Twitter Software
While Twitter may have humble beginnings as a simple web page, their open API has led to all sorts of clever clients and integration. What actually inspired this topic was Scoble’s Twhirl versus TweetDeck desktop application showdown. He prefers the screen-encompassing nature of TweetDeck to follow and interact with over 64,000 people. I don’t follow nearly as many and prefer something with a smaller visual footprint. For many like me, the IM-esque client Twhirl is the answer. But I’ve even found that to be inefficient and a distraction. I’ve pretty much settled on running Twitter.com in a dedicated Firefox tab when I want to fully engage, and use the TwitterFox Firefox plugin to check in while preoccupied with other tasks – it’s ever-present, yet remains inconspicuous until called.

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CES is a huge event, so it’s no surprise we might have overlooked a few hidden gems… such as the Mobile Manager for Netflix demo-ed at CntrStg. The Windows Mobile Team Blog announced the release of this Netflix queue management software a few days ago, which I’ve gone ahead and installed on my Blackjack 2.

As you might expect, given the app’s name, Mobile Manager for Netflix allows you to manage your queue(s) and see the discs you have at home. What I didn’t photograph is the ability to search for titles, that you can add to your queue. Although, the WinMo blog scenario ironically emphasizes Netflix’s STB streaming interface shortcoming – there’s no ability to peruse the movie library to add titles.

I don’t see this as the type of application I’d pull up on a daily basis, but what really caught my attention and motivated me to cover it are the streaming video previews available for many titles, which takes Mobile Manager for Netflix to another level. Plus, we know Netflix has leaned heavily on Microsoft tech, including WMV and Silverlight video with protection and Xbox integration. (In fact, it’s not clear which company produced this app containing “exclusive extensions” – Netflix or Microsoft?) Leading me to wonder if Netflix instant viewing might come to Windows Mobile devices at some point. Now that would be hot, indeed. (more…)

Earlier this week, I received Rogue Amoeba’s periodic email newsletter. Among other things, I learned they’re pretty far along on Pulsar – an OS X app that allows you to stream XM or Sirius online radio stations. (Assuming you’re a subscriber.) The software is available now as a free public beta and will run $15 at launch. However, if you happen to own any other Rogue Amoeba software (as I do) you probably qualify for a free license. This isn’t the first satellite radio app I’ve come across, but it’s certainly among the most polished and earns bonus points for supporting both services. And, like some of the others, it’s created from open source software (1, 2, 3). (more…)

TiVo Desktop 2.7 has hit the streets. This Windows software update packs several enhancements. On the TiVoToGo front, Desktop now functions more like TiVo itself by allowing you to specific the number of transferred shows that are kept on your PC. This long sought after feature is pretty critical if you have limited storage and a predilection for high def content. Another requested improvement has been partially implemented, by allowing you to browse previously transferred shows in folders back on the TiVo. For those who’ve paid for Plus ($25) functionality, the codec package appears to have been upgraded – additional file formats and containers (such as HD MKV) can be transcoded and transferred from PC to TiVo for playback. Although power users or those on a budget might prefer to continue using pyTiVo. (Thanks, Zeo!)

After months of testing, MediaMall’s PlayOn video streaming software has been released from beta. PlayOn pipes Hulu, Netflix CNN, ESPN and may other online content sources from a Windows PC to a Xbox 360, PS3, Popcorn Hour and many other DLNA or UPnP devices. I use it with the SageTV HD200, which isn’t officially supported by PlayOn, but does playback Hulu and some of the other sources, although not Netflix unfortunately. I’m not a huge fan of the interface you get with PlayOn, but if you need these video feeds on your hardware, it’s hard to argue against. Plus, they plan to add new features and Wii support in early 2009. PlayOn currently runs $30, but will increase to $40 on Feburary 8th. Download a free, 14 day trial at MediaMall.

Check out more of Brent’s reflections on tech, gadgets, software and media at Geek Tonic.