Time Warner Cable’s New...

Time Warner Cable is today launching a new iPhone application that allows customers to watch live television from their iPhone or iPod Touch device as well as control, manage and program their DVR. With the new app, users can browse the TV guide, favorite channels and search for programs by title or episode name. There is a small catch to all this live TV-viewing, of course: it only works within the home. The app joins TWC’s iPad app, released back in March 2011 and the Android app launched last month. The new iPhone version is actually a universal app , meaning one download now supports both the phone and tablet platforms. As you may expect, you can’t watch live TV just anywhere – the iOS device has to be connected to the home’s Wi-Fi network in order to function. It also offers a number of features typical for TV provider mobile apps, including a remote control functionality, the ability to program your DVR (this feature also works remotely), and the ability to configure parental controls, among other things. The app is fairly backward-compatible, however, as it works on iPhone 3GS and up, iPod Touch (3rd or 4th gen) and any iPad, all of which have to run at least iOS 4.3. Customers will also have to have the Navigator set-top box or a DVR in their home, as other models may not function properly. TWC isn’t the first to add mobile phone support for its TV service. Comcast’s app arrived on the scene in May 2011, Cablevision launched on iOS in August and  Verizon FiOS has FlexView , which works on the iPad and Android (but not iPhone). TWC TV for iOS is available here on iTunes.

Daily Crunch: Showtime

Here are some highlights from yesterday’s post on TechCrunch Gadgets: Live Coverage of CES 2012 Eyes On: The Delightfully Retro Samsung DA-E75 Speaker Dock New Pocket Projectors From 3M Pump Up The Lumens MakerBot Announces Their Latest 3D Printer, The Replicator Vizio Breaks Into PC Market With Five New Models Monster Wins CES With Feathers And Spikes

Stop! It’s A Really Bad...

Did you know that your brain releases dopamine when it processes something new? At least that’s what the Internet told me . Apparently dopamine is key in establishing a craving, which could be why ever-updating sites like blogs or Reddit are so popular. There is always something new. It could also be why some people always crave more gadgets. You’re bored with your Galaxy SII and hope the Galaxy Nexus will satisfy that burning desire, which it probably will ( unless you’re MG ). But don’t do it — at least not now. We’re officially in a holding pattern. It’s a really bad time to buy most consumer electronic products. This happens several times a year. I know there are some tempting post-holiday offers out there. But don’t do it. Wait a few weeks. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. There are big things on tap the first part of 2012. CES officially kicks off next week, but products will start hitting the wire this week. Then, come February, countless Ice Cream Sandwich phones and tablets will likely drop at Mobile World Congress. Apple generally announces something big in both January and February/early March, too. Last year it was the Verizon iPhone, the iPad 2 and a MacBook Pro spec refresh. Seriously, just take a step back, take a deep breath, and wait for the next generation of product. Even Amazon is said to have a new Fire on tap. CES 2012 is set to be a huge show . Intel will have a large showing as nearly every computer company will debut several ultrabooks built on Intel’s latest platform. Expect at least some of these Wintel MacBook Air clones to hit within the next month or so. Most of these models will be built on Intel’s Ivory Bridge platform, which features a more effeicent battery management than the current ultrabooks. Plus, the new models will be less expensive and there will be more to choose from. Next week’s massive trade show will no doubt play host to several Android tablet announcement. These models will feature quad-core CPUs that will run circles around the current tablet processors. Hopefully the new models will also ship with Android 4.0 although, if these do not, expect the models announced at MWC in late February to feature Ice Cream Sandwich. Mobile World Congress has turned into the mobile industry’s CES. It’s massive. Last year Samsung announced the Galaxy S2 at the show. Nvidia took the wraps off of the Tegra 3 platform. LG debuted the Optimus 3D and Optimus Pad . However, the trick with MWC is that many of the phones announced at the European trade show will not hit the states for months. Amazon set the tablet market ablaze with the Kindle Fire. But it’s been said since almost the beginning that there will be two models. It’s doubtful that they will replace or even drop the price on the 7-inch Fire, but there’s a strong possibility that a larger screen model will hit in early 2012. The main exceptions to this rule involve HDTVs. Now is the perfect time to buy an HDTV as long as you’re not interested in the smart TV nonsense (you shouldn’t be). Retailers are looking to offload 2011 models and most stores will have stellar deals as the Super Bowl nears. Keep in mind, in most cases, an HDTV is simply a monitor for a cable or satellite box. Don’t be swayed by a fancy Smart TV demo. If you want Netflix and YouTube on your HDTV, buy a $200 Boxee Box or a $100 Roku. Waiting is hard. Hell, it sucks. But right now there isn’t anything new. Cell phones and tablets are rocking hardware available from the beginning of 2011. The current ultrabooks are pricey and limited compared to models set to hit as early as this week. There will always be something better on the horizon. That’s the problem with this game. However, when you turn around and look at what’s currently available, it’s best to set your sights ahead. There really is something better down the road this time. [image credit: flickr/ thecrazyfilmgirl ]

Samsung And Google Stil...

Uh-oh. Samsung and Google are still in talks regarding its upcoming Google TV offering. Reuters is reporting that Samsung’s president indicated that the two companies are in “late-stage talks” and that Samsung’s devices will launch in early 2012, just not at CES like it was previously thought. Google has been working with Samsung for sometime now. In fact Samsung demonstrated a Google TV companion device at last year’s CES. Here’s a demo and the press release . But here we are, almost a full year later and Samsung has still yet to release a model, which in retrospect, was probably for the best. Isn’t that right, Logitech ? Reuters also reports that Sammy’s models will be different from the “those of competitors.” This begs a question, though: How will it be different? There are currently three mainstream Google TV products available: the Logitech Revue, the Sony Internet TV Blu-ray Player and the Sony Internet TV. The Logitech is a simple set-top box with a full size QWERTY keyboard. The keyboard is great for serious typing. I wrote the majority of TechCrunch’s original Google TV review directly on the device. Sony took a different route. Both of its models use a Playstation-style controller. One version is a Blu-ray Player while the other is a HDTV with Google TV directly baked in. The three models seem to cover all the hardware variations available. The only logical difference could be in a custom user interface. Google TV is essentially Honeycomb reskinned for a larger screen. If Samsung wants their models to stand out — and they usually do — perhaps they turned to the same engineers that designed its current line of Internet TVs. Samsung’s Smart TVs have been doing the app dance for several years now. The platform already has a modest app development community and the amount of downloaded apps surpassed 2 million last January . Samsung isn’t likely to abandon one already seemingly successful platform for a struggling one. But the talks aren’t done yet. Something could fall through. Samsung clearly doesn’t mind waiting until the time is right. Google TV needs Samsung more than Samsung needs Google TV.

HP Shifts Consumer Note...

Back in June, HP announced something very unusual: a plan to shift production of business notebooks for the Japanese market from China to Japan . The company then actually started manufacturing these devices in its plant in Akishima near Tokyo, in August . It appears the US company is seeing some potential in the move, as now Japan’s biggest business daily The Nikkei is reporting that HP will bring the production of notebooks for the consumer market in the country from China to Japan, too. The goal is to reduce delivery time, use the “made-in-Japan” moniker in marketing, and simplify logistics. One of the models that will be produced in Japan soon is the 15.6-inch Pavilion dv6-6b00 , for example. HP says that with the move, notebooks can be shipped to customers in just five days after an order comes in, significantly less than the 14 days it takes from plants in China. HP plans, by February next year, to manufacture a total of 500,000 notebooks yearly in Japan. The company also produces all desktop PCs sold in the country in its plant in Akishima.