Viggle, a Foursquare for TV that rewards viewers with prizes for checking-in, lands in Google Play

There’s always some kind of app to check-in to some kind of activity, but what’s the payoff for all of these activities? Sure, it can be useful to alerting friends to what you’re doing or find out what’s popular, but there’s got to be something more to it all. In the case of Viggle, that something is a points system that rewards users for their frequent use of the app.

Viggle is an entertainment app in which users check in to reveal what they are watching on TV, as well as discover what is worth watching. To check in, users tap on a show and then Viggle begins listening to audio to validate that the viewer has selected the right show. Tell the app that you’re watching the MTV Movie Awards and it will award you 75 points. Take a 15 second, three-question survey about a brand and that

TiVo for Tablets comes to Android with remote control, guide, and recording manager built in

TiVo has finally made its way to Android tablets. Sure, the phone app released back in January was accessible on 7-inch tablets, but that was of little comfort to all of the people who wanted a tablet UI on their Xoom’s, Primes, and Tabs. Those users can officially join the party now.

TiVo for Tablets requires Android 2.2 or higher and does a better job of filling up the screen with content. The design has more in common with iOS than ICS, but there are at least a lot of features to help overlook that. TiVo has a programming guide to see what’s on, and it can be viewed by channel, date, or time. The guide also schedules recordings and starts playing shows if it’s currently broadcasting.

Search is another way to discover what movies and shows are playing – or at least when they play – and then perform the same tasks available from the guide.

Other features from TiVo include:

• Remote - the app features both a full-screen replica of the TiVo remote and a remote that relies on gestures.
• Info - find actor, show, cast, and crew details within the app. You can also see an actor’s filmography.
• My Shows – Maintain a list of your favorite shows to know when to watch and monitor how much storage is available on the TV for recordings.
• Season Pass Manager - Edit Season Pass recordings and queue order.
• Schedules – Browse or search TV listings and then trigger recordings even if you aren’t at home.

[Download from Google Play]

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SiriusXM satellite radio app gets a hefty update

Android's SiriusXM app (yes, some of us love and use satellite radio over streaming services) just got itself a fairly decent update in the Google Play store. On tap are "enhancements and fixes to the following core features:"

• Start Now – Go back in time up to 5 hours to hear previously aired programming on most channels
• TuneStart – Hear songs from the beginning when tuning to music channels
• Pause – Pause and resume live programming
• Fast Forward & Rewind – Skip forward and back on many channels
• Show Alerts – Reminders when your favorite shows begin
• Album Art & Artist Bios
• Improved reliability & sound quality

A decent update indeed. We've got a download link after the break should you need it.

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Android Apps Alert #97: Everything is Social Edition

Androinica.com recaps the new and interesting apps in the Google Play Store each week. We select these apps by weeding through the Play Store and trying to find things we think people might be interested in.

This week, the theme is “Everything is Social” because every app mentioned, save one, is built around the concept of connecting with others. Click on the install button to get download links.

QUICK HITS

• Safeway – U.S. grocery chain Safeway released its official Android app to help shoppers manage their weekly food shopping trips. The app can compose a shopping list, features the weekly advertisement/circular, has deals and coupons included, and locates the nearest Safeway.
• hi5 has finally released an official Android app for members of the social gaming network, used primarily in Latin America and some parts of Asia. The app lets members of the social gaming network view profiles, message or chat with friends, view photos, connect with others, and manage their Pets Profiles.
• someecards, the comical digital postcard website that has kept users laughing on the web, is now telling its jokes on Android. Download the app to see daily postcards organized by category or newest, a widget showing the latest entry, and the ability to forward cards to others.

Peel

Android 2.3.3+ required

Peel is no stranger to Android Apps Alert (this is the second or third time it’s been featured). The personalized TV guide app has returned this time because it has gone social. The latest version of Peel added a new Social TV feature that lets users to follow each other and check-in to declare their favorite shows or what they are watching. It also tracks Guilty Pleasures, recommends, Last 5 Shows Watched, and Most Watched Shows.

On the surface, this is Peel competing with the social TV apps like GetGlue and IntoNow. However, it’s also an important step to making Peel better at knowing what to recommend to its users. Peel previously made recommendations on what to watch based on what shows one person said he or she liked. But by combining the favorites from multiple users who decide to follow each other and might share similar interest, Peel has more data points to get sharper recommendations. They also provide more discovery options through connections, making this a much better app to have when watching television.

Roamz

Android 2.1+ required

Where are all the cool kids hanging out tonight? Where’s a good place to take the Mrs. for a night on the town? Anything interesting happening in my neighborhood this weekend? These are the types of questions that Roamz seeks to ask. The Android app selects places and activities to consider based on real-time activity. If you’re downtown leaving work, the app might recognize that there’s a popular bar having Happy Hour nearby. If a book signing or festival is happening nearby, you’ll be clued-in.

Roamz is an intelligent app that learns from a user habits, which eventually leads to more accurate and relevant recommendations. It works by pulling in data from Facebook, Foursquare, Instagram, and Twitter and “making sense” of those various data streams. The app looks for signals that determine where you might like to go, so it’s useful for people with time and no clue about what restaurant they want to try or how they want to spend the afternoon.

Everyme

Android 2.2+ required

The push towards better social managing has increased in popularity in recent years. The concept of limiting friends, promoting exclusivity, and having tools to better target certain groups has proven successful for Path, Pair, and Plus. Now it’s Everyme’s turn.

Everyme is designed to share “intimately” with others, but it’s not entirely a social network because it doesn’t require that everyone use the app to communicate. All it takes is for one EveryMe user to share a Story – photo, location, and/or text update – with a Circle. Anyone who is included in the private circle can then reply via email or phone. Everyme creates circles based on family, friends, coworkers, or knitting group, and then keeps sharing within that circle private. You may already get this from Path or Google+, but if you want to try a different approach, Everyme can create a private news feed for you and your social circle(s).

Samsung Cares

Android 2.1+ required

Samsung Cares

DirecTV Everywhere Android app now streams HBO, Starz, Showtime, and more

Here’s something you don’t see every day: a U.S. television provider recognizes that its paying customers would like to be able to access video on their mobile devices, and that company steps in to provide it. And as an added bonus, it’s available to Android users first.

DirecTV has updated its official Android application to support on-demand streaming to phones. The latest version allows users to view movies and original programming from HBO, Cinemax, Encore, Showtime, Starz and other popular destinations. The app works only in the United States and not all devices are supported, but as Engadget points out, this is one of the rare times when a media app is available on Android phones before it goes to iPhone. (And yes, the app supports some Android tablets.)

There’s no live streaming of DirecTV channels yet, but users can see plenty of their favorite shows at their convenience. The DirecTV Android app also supports browsing television listings by channel or broadcast time, and helps fans discover new content by seeing what’s trending. Once a user finds what he or she wants, the app can remotely set recordings through the DVR. It also sets parental controls from the device and includes account management tools.

DirecTV is available for download now in Google Play Device and version compatibility will vary.

New Mobile Nations video feeds, and introducing Stock Talk!

Previously on Mobile Nations, Kevin told you all about our new network brand, and I had the honor of introducing Mobile Nations Broadcasting and the new Girls Gone Gadgets show. We've also been hard at work behind the scenes as well.

We've now got Mobile Nations United feed for both audio and video so you can get all your favorite shows, all in one place. Speaking of video, we've set up RSS feeds for all the video versions — including Mobile Nations, Android Central, CrackBerry.com, Girls Gone Gadgets, iPad Live, iPhone Live, TiPb TV, and ZENandTECH — so you can subscribe now right in your favorite podcatcher.

You can also find all our shows, including the video versions, on iTunes. Just head on over to the Mobile Nations iTunes page and subscribe away! (Please leave a rating while you're at it — it helps encourage iTunes to feature us so more great people get to discover the shows). We'll be moving quickly to get them on all your other favorite platforms, services, and apps as well. If we're not yet where you want to watch or listen to us, let us know in the comments and we'll get there as quickly as possible!

But that's not all. Later today we're launching another all-new show — Mobile Nations Stock Talk with Chris Umiastowski and Edward Zabitsky. Combining rock solid technical knowledge with cutting edge analytical insight, Chris and Ed are going to break down what's happening — and why – in today's rapidly changing mobile market.

Mobile Nations Stock Talk premieres this afternoon at 1 p.m. EST at mobilenations.com/live. See you there!

Google TV 2.0 has finally arrived; brings new TV and Movies app along with Android Market

Well, that was quick. Google today on its GTV blog announced

Stitcher Radio introduces a new logo, visual design, and UI with their latest update

If listening to a lot of podcasts and internet radio is your thing but you've yet to check out Stitcher, now is as good a time as any. The latest update brings quite a few changes to the table — most importantly the UI as a whole has been revamped for a more fluid design. So what do you get from Stitcher? Check out the features below:

Features:

• Seamless listening: Hear the latest episodes of your favorite shows without the hassle of downloading and syncing
• Live radio: Listen to live streams from thousands of sources around the world
• Custom Stations: “Stitch” together your favorite shows to create your own customized station.
• Discovery: Discover new shows based on what other listeners of the same shows also like. Like Fresh Air on NPR? Discover what other listeners of the show also listen to.
• Sharing: Share interesting content easily with friends via Facebook, Twitter or email

There is a lot of podcast and live radio apps available on the Android Market and while Stitcher has always been fairly highly ranked among them – this update looks great and fixes some of the bugs from previous builds. Coupled with the UI update, it's certainly worth a look plus, the Android Central podcast is available on there. That alone makes it worth checking out, download link is past the break for you all.

Thanks, Lowtech80!

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