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Looks like Time Warner is getting set to release their official Android app for smartphones and tablets. Back in March, TW released their TWCable TV iPad app and customers just about went ape-nuts. Even for people like me who own neither an iPad or Time Warner service, I was left wondering 1. When will this hit Android and 2. why isn’t this available for my cable company? Well, I have some good news and not-so-good news.
Let’s start with the good: Time Warner has announced that the TWCable TV app for Android is indeed in the works and coming soon and will allow for live TV streaming to connected devices. The bad news? You’re going to have to wait and have a device compatible with Ice Cream Sandwich before you can get your hands on it. Here’s what Android TV lovers can look forward to:
- Interactive Program Guide (IPG) – a complete IPG experience, with 7 days of program listings including full program description
- Remote Control of STB –the ability to use the Android tablet as a set-top box remote control, choosing a program from the grid guide and tuning the MDN or ODN STB to the selected channel.
- DVR Manager – the ability to remotely program MDN or ODN DVRs with capabilities similar to the current web & mobile Remote DVR Manager product
If you’re rocking an Android tablet, chances are you’ll see a speedy Ice Cream Sandwich update well before smartphone users do. Now I’m just waiting for other cable companies to follow Time Warner’s lead.
[Via TWCableUntangled]
OK, here’s my rage;
Time Warner can suck it big time for offering a service that’s only accessible by some of their customers. AND they can eat their own shit for blocking me from accessing HBO GO!!!
And I’m jacked for not having any other viable option in my area for high-speed internet.
Disclaimer: I also own an iPad and outside of development, this dumb-tablet doesn’t get used, so there was no way I was going to use it as my remote.
I’d be more impressed if we could get a DVR that actually works. (We just picked up #3 two weeks ago, and it randomly decides to not record things… Like anything starting with the letters “CSI” or “Psych”…)
I would agree, they should get their existing technologies to function reliably before moving on to developing new ones. I wish I didn’t need a new cable box every couple of weeks. I’m not sure if the equipment is faulty or the people that do the maintenance on it are……
Guess it doesn’t like your taste in TV shows.
I believe this is a bug in their User Interface, “Miestro”. Some programs seem to be ineligible for DVR but these is no indication of this in the interface. For example, my wife had Glee in our “Record Series” list. Mysteriously, they stopped being recorded even though it was still in the schedule. What did happen is that the show became available through the On-Demand UI, but only a limited history and only most episodes.
Conclusion, TW is once again exercising their control of what you’re allowed to watch and when. Though this is only one example, I’ve seen this pattern repeated in every DVR problem we’ve encountered.
It’s not a matter of DVR being broken, it’s working as designed. The problem is that the design is crappy, controlling, manipulative, and deceptive. If TWC were a used car dealership, the state would shut them down and prosecute for deceptive advertising.
For what it’s worth, I couldn’t get the Time Warner app to work well on my iPad 2. Not sure if it was the wifi or something.
When is Insight CC getting some love?
Nothing that my Slingbox doesn’t already do, and I don’t have to pay for a service or have TW.
I live in a pretty crowded neighborhood, but TWC has been rock-solid so far. The app for ipad2 works flawlessly and in the 8 months I’ve been using TWC – I’ve had just 1 outage. The only thing that doesn’t work out ‘that’ well is their slow upload sppeds- but I can shire live with that :)