entertainment

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Tomorrow the next generation of Xbox begins: here is what to expect

By Michael Archambault, Monday, May 20, 2013 at 7:54 pm

Tomorrow is the announcement for Microsoft’s next-generation console, the successor of the company’s world famous Xbox 360. The boys up in Redmond have been secretive about their new entertainment beast (most likely using the Cone of Silence in meetings), but a few rumors have slipped through allowing us to take a shot at what we might expect tomorrow on stage.

Series Fan for Windows Phone 8, keeping track of your favorite shows

Apps

By George Ponder, Monday, Apr 1, 2013 at 8:36 am

Need a little help keeping track of your favorite television shows? Series Fan for Windows Phone 8 will help you manage all the episodes in your favorite series by tracking what you've watched, when what you haven't might air, and give you quick overviews of the entire series.

Series Fan has Miso to let you see what your friends are watching, earn points and badges for checking in and share your check-ins on Facebook or Twitter. The app has potential but has a bit of room for improvement.

Movielator is now Pick My Movie with a refreshed look

Apps

By George Ponder, Thursday, Feb 21, 2013 at 12:15 pm

Movielator is a Windows Phone app that was designed to help you decide on finding a movie to watch. It was a decent movie finder of an app but needed a little fine tuning. Enter Pick My Movie.

The developer tweaked the appearance, interface, made a few under the hood adjustments and gave the app a more straight forward title. Pick My Movie breaks down the movie genre a little more and has more of a Metro or Modern UI appearance. It's a nice renovation and not a bad app for when you just can't decide on what movie you should watch.

Movielator makes finding movies a breeze on your Windows Phone

Apps

By George Ponder, Monday, Jan 21, 2013 at 10:47 am

If you're in the mood for watching a movie but can't decide what to watch, give Movielator a try. The Windows Phone app was recently released to the Store and will randomly pull up movie titles as suggestions on what to watch. The results are based on genre or you can just randomly generate recommendations across the board from all genres.

Movielator will generate a selection of twelve movie titles that you can read a short synopsis of to help you narrow down your search. The app reminds me of those food apps that generate random recipes or resturaunts when you just can't decide what you're in the mood for.

Microsoft announces new Xbox SmartGlass experiences and commences free streaming Xbox Music

Windows Phone News

By robert brand, Tuesday, Oct 23, 2012 at 2:13 am

We wrote yesterday about the things to watch out for with the launch of Windows 8. One of those things was SmartGlass and Microsoft have now revealed more ahead of the launch. They have updated the Windows 8 apps and free streaming is now available for Xbox Music.

As part of a broader roll out of better entertainment services, SmartGlass aims to improve the ability to use tablets and smartphones to better control the experience with the Xbox 360. The video goes on to show how internet sessions can be shared from Windows Phone 8 to the console, along with bouncing it back from the console to your tablet. It’s looking awesome, check out the video after the break.

Nokia releases Entrance by AOL for Lumia Windows Phones

Apps

By Daniel Rubino, Wednesday, Sep 5, 2012 at 10:50 am

It looks like Nokia still has a few more exclusive apps for their Lumia Windows Phones to release.

Entrance by AOL, the app appears to be an all-around media/pop-culture/movie/music app that even features augmented reality for finding movie theaters around you. In addition, you can watch movie trailers, listen to music (including full-length albums), stream more than 60K radio stations and you can evidently pin just about everything to your Start screen.

Microsoft News Roundup – Bing gets Penn, MS does well with Entertainment and Xbox gets serious about security

Windows Phone News

By Daniel Rubino, Thursday, Jul 19, 2012 at 7:09 pm

There’s been a lot of news today—both for Microsoft and Nokia—so we’re going to just touch on a bit of that and also mention some other Microsoft stories that you may have missed. So here’s your roundup:

Microsoft wants you take your Xbox security seriously and posts tips on how to do that
Mark Penn, former advisor to President Clinton, will be a VP at Microsoft where he hopes to make Bing cool
Microsoft may have lost money this quarter but their consumer division is actually doing well

So head on past the break for today’s wrap up...

Windows Phone App Review: WpFandora

Apps

By George Ponder, Saturday, Feb 18, 2012 at 8:49 am

WpFandora is a unofficial Pandora client for your Windows Phone. The app comes in two versions, a free ad-supported version and a $2.99 ad free version (WpFandora Pro). The music app is laid out nicely and as long as Pandora doesn't break their public API, the app ran smoothly.

I'm not a big Pandora user but WpFandora came across as a simple, easy way to channel your Pandora stations to your Windows Phone. WpFandora is definitely worth trying if you are looking for a Pandora client for your Windows Phone.

Nyan Cat strays into the Marketplace

Apps

By George Ponder, Thursday, Jul 28, 2011 at 10:34 pm

Nyan Cat has invaded Windows Phone with not only one app but two apps over at the Marketplace.

There is no telling how the cat got stuck in a pop-tart or how it found its way into outer space or why a rainbow is emanating from the cat's backside. Before today, I had never heard of Nyan Cat. Never realized there were websites devoted to this critter either. In some way, Phil over at Android Central is to blame for this enlightenment.

The video should say it all. Nyan! seems to run a little smoother and both play that catchy jingle. If you're a fan of Nyan Cat you can find Sugata's Nyan Cat here and Zozo's Nyan! here (both links open Zune) at the Marketplace. Luckily, both apps are free and you download at your own risk.

Oh and for an additional "once in a lifetime" experience or if you just can't get enough of Nyan Cat, point your web browser to http://nyan.cat.

TheChive comes to Windows Phone

Apps

By Daniel Rubino, Wednesday, Jul 27, 2011 at 9:58 am

We're not sure if this an officially endorsed TheChive app or not, but it's nice enough to pass along. TheChive is a pretty popular photo-entertainment/humor site (link) that has also pulled off some funny pranks/memes in the past.

Basically, it's a great time waster and the app by Full Revolution, Inc. is pretty minimalist but slick. As a result, the app is too the point and zippy for what it does: deliver the latest, greatest photos to your phone. It has all the major categories and even allows you to save the pics. There's no direct sharing option though nor search but ads are barely there (they show up only if you click a photo).

So if you like TheChive and/or like looking at interesting pics, here you go. Pick it up for free in the Marketplace here.

Cartoon TV is back!

Apps

By George Ponder, Thursday, Jul 14, 2011 at 7:09 pm

Just over a week ago, several apps were mysteriously pulled from the Marketplace. One of which was Cartoon TV. While MTV Newsm Colbert Report's The Word and Kayak.com are still missing, Cartoon TV has been re-released and is now available at the Marketplace.

Even better, Cartoon TV has returned as a free app. For those not familiar, Cartoon TV streams classic cartoons to your Windows Phone such as Betty Boop, Bugs Bunny, and The Flintstones.

No telling why it was pulled but it's nice to see it back. You can download your free copy of Cartoon TV here (opens Zune) at the Marketplace.

Thanks goes out to David for the tip!

Prime TV - Review

Apps

By George Ponder, Friday, May 20, 2011 at 5:41 pm

One of the benefits of a Windows Phone is the amount of information it can pull up. If you need to find out information on your favorite television shows, Prime TV is one resource that will bring plenty of television information to your Windows Phone.

Remember the TV Guides your mom used to buy in the grocery store checkout? Prime TV is a lot like TV Guide but on steroids. To find out all the information Prime TV will bring to your Windows Phone, slide on past the break.

Mini-Review: Flix (dedicated movie-showtimes)

By George Ponder, Monday, Mar 22, 2010 at 5:35 pm

Flix is a nice freeware app that has been around since mid-2009. Devoted only to movie theaters and showtimes, we hadn't reported on it before because, well to be honest, it had a lot of potential but also quite a few hiccups too.