New Gadget 2011

The plucky startup Peel, which recently launched an iPhone app to help you find things to watch on TV, is making a big step forward today by launching hardware that will turn its app into a powerful universal remote control.

Now not only will you be able to make sense of what’s on TV with Peel’s app, you’ll also be able to tune directly to a program from within the app.

But even with the addition of new hardware, Peel is still focused on TV discovery with its app. After downloading it from the iTunes Store, you simply need to provide the app with information on how you access TV. The app then begins to personalize your experience by having you order your favorite genres and sports, and it lets you delete items you’ll never watch.

Peel’s “Top Picks” section offers recommendations to you based on your preferences, and the app’s recommendation engine is updated as you ‘favorite’, share and hide shows. The company says that Peel is smart enough to determine what you like to watch at specific times of the day. The app also lets you see what TV shows, movies and sports are on the air, and it lets you search programming as well.

Peel’s universal remote control hardware consists of two parts: the Peel Cable that plugs into your router, and the Peel fruit, a citrusy looking device that sits within view of your entertainment system. Since hunting and pecking for buttons on a touchscreen isn’t ideal for TV watching, the company developed gesture methods for controlling aspects of your entertainment system like volume.

Peel says that the hardware can control thousands of models of TVs, DVD and Blu-ray players, cable and satellite boxes and more. It’s also compatible with web streaming devices like Roku’s set-top box, Apple TV and Google TV. The company hasn’t settled on a price for its universal remote hardware yet, so it’s letting would-be customers name their own price for device on its website.

The combination of a killer TV discovery engine with universal remote control capabilities makes Peel an app to keep an eye on. Google is currently trying its hand at TV discovery on Google TV, but it’s nowhere near as smart or attractive as Peel’s solution. I wouldn’t be surprised if Google ends up snapping up the company, as both its app discovery and remote technology would be a boon to Google TV.

Peel is based in Santa Clara, Calif., and has entered into first round funding with Redpoint Ventures. Harrison Metal has also invested in the company.

Adam Dachis — Camera Mic Snaps Pictures in iOS by Tapping the MicrophoneApple doesn't like apps repurposing buttons, so Camera Mic went ahead and did something creative: it turned your microphone into a button. All you need to do is run your finger across your iPhone's mic or headset mic to snap a picture.

It works very well, but the obvious downside is triggering a photo when you don't mean to. Loud noises can set off the shutter, but that only occurs when those noises are in close proximity to the mic. While the default settings are right where you want them, you can adjust the mic sensitivity in the app if you're having trouble.

There's a new update out for Skype on iOS devices today that which expands the new videocalling compatibility to "a wider selection of Skype clients and devices" by adding the h.264 compatibility necessary to chat with any Skype for TV clients.

That's available on certain LG, Panasonic and Samsung HDTVs right now, while Sony and Vizio have both announced it will be in some of their new HDTVs coming out later this year. The ability to call mobile devices seems to give a big edge to Skype over other living room videochat setups from Cisco, Logitech or Microsoft's Kinect, but even with a compatible (& pricey)camera in hand, good luck finding someone out enjoying the world who wants to chat while you're chilling on the couch.

As Erik Huggers announced at Mobile World Congress last year, apps are a big part of our plans to make BBC Online more easily accessible on mobile devices. The BBC News app has been a success for us since launching last year and BBC iPlayer will be next off the production line. These apps are coming at a time when we're really beginning to see massive growth of people using BBC iPlayer on mobile devices. Over Christmas, growth in mobile use of BBC iPlayer outpaced PC growth by more than 2-to-1, and BBC iPlayer growth on tablets outpaced PCs by more than 20-to-1. We're just applying the finishing touches to the apps as we speak, and all things being well we plan to have Android and iPad apps in stores by the end of the week.

Having stuck our toe in the water last year with the iPad (initially, we quickly repurposed our big screen version), this new native app is a significant improvement on the existing experience and it's great to be on the Android platform too. Our intention is to be on as many devices and platforms as possible.

Here are the key features on Android and iPad:

* Watch live TV and listen to radio (not previously widely available on mobile devices)
* Access the BBC's full catalogue of catch-up programmes; seven-days' TV and radio on demand as well as series stacking (as you get on the web)
* A simple and intuitive design with high picture quality and personalised favourites (making the most of the touch-screen UI, and a popular feature on the website)

So this is about getting the basics right, simple apps that makes best use of the portable touch-screen experience. We'll be looking to build in more features throughout the year.

For iPad it's straightforward, but for technical reasons we can't bring the app to every single Android device. To download and use the app you'll need a device that uses Android version 2.2 and has Adobe Flash 10.1 Player installed. Our Flash streams need a powerful mobile phone processor and a Wi-Fi connection to ensure a smooth viewing experience, which means that only newer, more powerful Android 2.2 devices connected via Wi-Fi can support the Flash 10.1 streaming experience.