Virgin Media has launched its first smartphone app, TV Guide for Android. The app provides Virgin Media customers who have the new TiVo set top boxes with access to the TV Guide and other features from their mobile phones.
TV Guide for Android is free in the Market as of today with an iPhone version expected to land in the App Store shortly. We’ve already seen a sneaky screenshot of this app on the iPad just a few weeks back.
Open up the app and you’ll be presented with a 7 day guide to your Virgin Media TiVo service. You’ll be able to view a detailed synopsis of individual programs and also create a favourites list of your most watched telly. The app will also feature remote recording, meaning you’ll be able to tell your TiVo box back at home what to record even when you’re out! Simply open the app and choose the program or series that you want to record and send your request.
Virgin has included sharing options so you can tell your friends and family what you’re watching by text or email. Though not present now, we’d imagine social networking (Facebook, Twitter etc) will be included in future updates.
Alex Green, executive director of commercial TV & online at Virgin Media, said: “We think Virgin Media’s TiVo Service is the best way to watch TV and our new mobile app enhances that experience by ensuring you’ll never miss recording a programme whilst out and about. Our TiVo service already offers the most flexible and comprehensive recording options and features, which this new service complements.”
If you’ve got an Android smartphone with Android version 2.1, 2.2 or 2.3 then you can download the app for free now from the Market. Simply open Market on your phone and search for ‘Virgin Media TV Guide’ and it should be the first app to appear.
Virgin’s press release says that the version for Apple products will work as long as you’ve got iOS 4 software installed, but we’ll bring you all the info on that as soon as we get it.
Using your smartphone to tell your Virgin Media box to record a program while you’re out sounds great to us and extremely handy! Will you be downloading the app? Let us know by adding a comment below.
Learn more about Virgin Media’s TiVo set top boxes here.