One of the the great things about this week’s Google I/O was the chance we had to meet app developers and also to see what new things they have planned for the near future. BuddyTV is one that stood out for a number of reasons (and we’ll get into them all), but there was one thing we thought the readers of this site would truly appreciate. There is a very familiar name working on the project whom you may know from that custom recovery that’s probably powering your device. Yes, I’m talking about Koush. When Mr. Clockwork himself asked that we check out an upcoming TV-ish app that he was working on, we couldn’t turn it down.
So what is BuddyTV?
It’s an app that has two major uses, but those uses are made up from a bunch of awesome little uses. First, it acts as a replacement to your lineup of TV remotes. Once you give it permission, the BuddyTV app can control everything from your Dish DVR to your Tivo box to your basic cable. Cool, right? Don’t worry though, it doesn’t stop there and goes well beyond just being a universal remote.
The most important part of BuddyTV is the fact that it’s smart enough to tell you what you should be watching and when it’ll be on. It grabs all of your media channels, looks into what you are/were watching, and then starts pumping out ideas of things that you might also enjoy. As you can see in the screenshot up top, the app is pulling from a Netflix account, Dish DVR, and also telling you what’s on in HD that might interest you.
So instead of sifting through your Netflix queue and then jumping back to your entire list of 500+ HD channels to find something to watch, it’s already telling you that your favorite things are ready by putting them right in front of your face. The big idea here, is to save you from having to channel surf for 20 minutes to find something that looks interesting. No one wants to be overwhelmed with all these media channels, so that’s what BuddyTV is trying to eliminate.
Oh, and I should point out that it can also recommend new shows and other gems to you to watch based upon the rest of your TV lineup. So let’s say you are like our very own Timotato and love having pajama marathons of Gossip Girl on Sundays – it might recommend that you give 16 and Pregnant a shot later that night. (Hah)
It’s really a fantastic concept and I can’t wait for it to hit the Android Market in June.
If you are interested though and want to be on their early notification list, check out the BuddyTV site and then come back and watch the video preview of it below.
And some shots of the mobile version:
This post was last modified on January 10, 2020 9:41 am