Dave got the update back at CES that Slacker would soon be offering wireless caching for its Android, Blackberry, and iPhone apps. For Android and Blackberry device owners, that day is here. The good folks at Slacker confirmed the news for us when the updates dropped tonight, and I headed straight over to the Android app market to update my mobile Slacker software.

As I write this, six stations are caching wirelessly on my Android phone for any-time playback. While I still have my dedicated Slacker hardware (good for saving songs via my premium subscription), I have to admit that my phone is with me more often than the little music player. Sample use case? I’ve started plugging my phone into my car speakers for Slacker tunes on the road. The mobile connection sometimes causes a station to stutter, but the offline function will now help me avoid that problem altogether.

Other tidbits from the latest Slacker update:

• The caching feature requires a Radio Plus subscription ($4.99/mo or $47.88/yr)
• Users without Radio Plus can access a free 14-day trial of the caching function
• The Slacker app can be set for manual or automatic station refreshes
• Cached stations are stored directly on Android smartphones or on a memory card in Blackberry devices

UPDATE: I tried the app out on a cross-country flight yesterday and was sadly disappointed. It crashed. A lot. And instead of just quitting the app and re-starting, I had to power down and then power up the phone to get my cached stations to play again. Very frustrating. After multiple restarts, I did manage to get the app working for one long stretch. When it worked, it was fantastic.

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While TiVo employees program automated laundry machine tweets, TiVo customers continue to give their DVR a Twitter voice. About a year ago, we first saw TwiVo – which tweets newly completed TiVo recordings and was hacked together in PHP, primarily for the author’s own usage. However, this weekend, the new and far more sophisticated TweeVo has been released to the masses by Brian Peek.

Like TwiVo, TweeVo periodically polls your TiVo’s Now Playing list (via embedded web server) to determine and then broadcast new recordings on Twitter. But TweeVo also provides a GUI for easy and smart customization (above left), when the Windows system tray app isn’t running in the background. (.NET 3.5 SP1 required.) Additionally, TweeVo mates your recordings to Zap2it show information so followers can optionally learn more.

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HBO Go finally made it out of beta this week. And like EpixHD, the online video service requires a television subscription in order to access their web-based content. And FiOS customers with HBO are up first. Both EngadgetHD and NewTeeVee have taken HBO Go for a spin and came away relatively pleased with the Flash video quality. However, the movie selection (as opposed to original television programming) appears lacking. However, I’d much rather have fewer good, current selections than tons of mediocre, older flicks. But there’s a reason why we don’t see much of that from services like Netflix instant streaming… $$$.

So while I doubt we’ll see a large library of all-you-can-eat blockbuster films anytime soon, what I’d like out of Netflix is a weekly feature. Just ONE tent pole flick a week added to their instant streaming package that we can schedule movie night around. Of course, they don’t necessarily need to stop there… and are hopefully considering several new releases as part of a premium streaming tier to take HBO (and my cable provider) out altogether. As I doubt HBO will embrace the new reality and allow purely web-based video subscriptions.

Having piloted their “personal TV service” in Los Angeles since November, Sezmi is formally launching into the LA market today via local Best Buy outposts.

Last month at CES, I finally got a look at their product… which pulls together local other-the-air (OTA) programming, premium programming (such as CNN and SyFy) simulcast OTA in select markets, and Internet-sourced content including CinemaNow VOD and YouTube. Their vision is solid, and more holistic than most, likely embodying the future of home entertainment by aggregating multiple content sources within a personalized presentation for each family member (or housemate).

But, based on several beta testimonials, Sezmi’s initial implementation appeared somewhat lacking — typical of many new products. Fortunately, as co-founder and president Phil Wiser shared with ZNF, “We learned a great deal from our pilot customers and rapidly incorporated a variety of changes as a result. We improved the performance of the user interface, included a full screen live TV guide and added in significant reception and signal quality improvements.” He also mentioned the great success of user self installation during the pilot, in terms of ease and efficiency. Something I can definitely get behind after a number of inefficient and frustrating CableCARD install experiences.

The Sezmi package, which consists of a media reciever/DVR, smart array antenna, and remote, runs $300. But a service subscription is also required. $5/month gets you guide data for the locals, access to online content, and the like. Whereas Sezmi Select Plus provides access to the OTA “cable” programming, along with the base service, for $20/mo. Obviously Los Angeles is the first market lit up with premium over-the-air content, via locally licensed spectrum. However, those living on the bleeding edge could possibly order Sezmi online from Best Buy now and activate the lower service tier anywhere else in the US. Until Sezmi officially rolls out nationwide late this spring.

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The US patent office must have unpaused their hard drives because, hot on the heels of winning a patent related to closed captions on a DVR, TiVo has been awarded another patent at the heart of the DVR experience. With the application having been originally filed in October of 1999, it took the USPTO over ten years to review and finally approve their ultimate request… And on February 16th, TiVo was given the legal exclusive on what looks like “season pass” prioritization, conflict resolution, and recording.

For those unfamiliar with how a DVR works, part of their magic is the ability to you record shows in the future without having to worry about when they’er on. Back in the ole VCR days, we’d manually instruct our gadget the time and channel we wanted to record. But TiVo and other DVRs automagically keep track of this information and records our programs whenever they’re scheduled to run. Because the TV studios tend to schedule all of their good programming at the same time (I’m looking at you Thursday night), there are often conflicts between what you’d like to record and the number of TV tuners available to do it.

To resolve, or at least reduce, these issues, TiVo created their Season Pass manager to prioritize which shows get recorded and which ones don’t. This helps to make sure that I always get to watch Survivor and CSI, even if it means that I sometimes have to skip Community.

From patent 7,665,111,

The invention correlates an input schedule that tracks the free and occupied time slots for each input source with a space schedule that tracks all currently recorded programs and the programs that have been scheduled to be recorded in the future, to schedule new programs to record and resolve recording conflicts. A program is recorded if at all times between when the recording would be initiated and when it expires, sufficient space is available to hold it. Programs scheduled for recording based on inferred preferences automatically lose all conflict decisions. All scheduling conflicts are resolved as early as possible. Schedule conflicts resulting from the recording of aggregate objects are resolved using the preference weighting of the programs involved. A background scheduler attempts to schedule each preferred program in turn until the list of preferred programs is exhausted or no further opportunity to record is available. A preferred program is scheduled if and only if there are no conflicts with other scheduled programs.

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As the bastard child of EchoStar, Sling Media no longer enjoys the same sort of blog love seen in years past. So while many learned that the 3G iPhone Slingbox client ($30) was finally approved over the weekend, you may have missed a few other nuggets of Sling goodness…

Bell TV is the first licensee, beyond the obvious DISH Network, to implement Sling Guide services. Re-branded as the more clear “Remote PVR” for Canada, Bell customers now receive:

• Personalized and integrated view of everything there is to schedule or record in a simple visual interface on a PC, Mac or compatible smartphone.
• Ability to search, browse and schedule new programming from anywhere you have an Internet connection.
• One click recording.
• Full control of the DVR and television using a computer or mobile phone.

But customers worldwide can appreciate Sling’s continued its march into the browser. Not only have they started to de-emphasize (hide) computer SlingPlayer software in favor of their evolving web player(s), they’ve unveiled a web-based remote control learning widget. (PC-only, for now.) Anyone who’s struggled with IR control of their STB will appreciate this tool to customize/create a virtual remote control by mapping IR signals from unsupported hardware:

Welcome to the Slingbox Remote Control Manager. We’ll help you set up your remote control, change it, or create a new custom one.

Back when I was employed by Sling, staying current with remotes was one of the causes I championed. And why not? The hardware supported it. I’m only bummed it’s taken Sling this long to get to a beta release.

Hellblazer: Pandemonium

Writer: Jamie Delano
Artist: Jock
Letterer: Clem Robins

Apparently, all DC had to do to ensure a runaway success was put Jamie Delano back on Hellblazer. Our regular shop sold out of Pandemonium by the time we got there last Wednesday night. While out and about yesterday, we wound up calling six different shops, which only netted us one copy, Meltdown’s last. We had them hold it just in case. The effort was well worth it, though. There’s not many combinations of writer, artist, and subject that will make us drop $25 on a thin-ish hardcover sight unseen.

I cut my adult comic teeth on Hellblazer. While the first issue someone handed to me with the timeless order of “Read this” was written by Neil Gaiman, it was Jamie Delano that really drew me in to the character and his dysfunctional world. Hellblazer remains the only comic I hunted through back-issue bins for in the days before reliable trade publication, a fact I’m glad about now given the holes in the series’ republication.

While it takes place in the here and now, Hellblazer: Pandemonium feels like it fits perfectly into Delano’s run on the series. This is John as I remember him best: stumbling into trouble, shrugging his shoulders at it, and then meandering out again at his own pace. He certainly tries to do the most good on his way out, but does so with his usual charm- or lack thereof. Only John Constantine could lose himself to the wicked joy of sating his gambling addiction in a game of poker where the chips are human souls and not come out tainted on the other side.

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