Xfinity Embracing Mobile Apps

There are a number of reasons to complain about Comcast, but their development effort for mobile devices isn't one of them. This week Xfinity announced its mobile app for iPod and iPad, Xfinity TV. The app allows you to interface with your digital box via wifi. Simply install the app from the iTunes store, enter your Comcast logon info, and in an instant you can view the TV listings in your area and manage recordings on your DVR. The app also turns your device into a remote. Simply scroll through or search your listings, tap the program that you wish to watch, and your cable box turns to that channel. Instead of viewing the program you can choose to record it. The app also lets you search On Demand programmming. Video streaming, additional remote features, and enhanced search are all promised for future releases. The app is free on iTunes.

Xfinity Mobile App for Android lets you view your inbox, manage Xfinity Voice, access your Universal Address Book, manage TV listings and your DVR, as well as explore On Demand content. Mobile apps for iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch are coming soon.

Comcast is also optimizing their customer portal, comcast.net to render on all mobile devices and provide access to all of the functionality found on the main site.

All in all, good job Comcast for a job well done in the mobile arena.

Update:

Comcast just updated their app to allow streaming of on demand content to the iPad. I tested it out watching the Vince Lombardi story on HBO Sports. Overall a nice experience. Playback stopped two times during my viewing but I think that was a function of my WiFi connection. I simply had to close the app, open it again, and hit the resume button. Playback picked up where it left off. In general a great feature and a nice option to have to watch your cable content.

Comments

[ROB!!!]

In the past, I've complained TONS about Comcast and their lack of Internet service providing, but since they rebranded as xfinity, they really have done something:

Connection Up Time :99 Day 0 Hour 42 Min 25 Sec

...and now that I've made this comment, it's SURE to go down :P

I still can't say much for their video quality, though. They still downconvert some channels that are HD over the air to not only standard definition, but cropped from 16:9 to 4:3. Other video issues aside (such as squeezing History channel OnDemand content from 16:9 to 2.4:1, sometimes creating 4.8:1 strips of video within a large screen of letter and pillarboxes), it is much easier to watch their OnDemand content with a computer or mobile device, I hope they can bring the remote control functionality to Android.

By the way, I didn't know you kept a tech blog 'til I saw your update. I'm gonna add it to my feed :)

Take it easy Don!