For the Couch Potato on the Go

[Tycho Morgan]

<a href="http://reviews.pocketnow.com/content.cgi?db=reviews&id=226">http://reviews.pocketnow.com/content.cgi?db=reviews&id=226</a><br /><br />Pocket Now is running an article about <a href="http://www.handango.com/PlatformProductDetail.jsp?siteId=311&platformId=2&productType=2&catalog=0&amp;amp;amp;sectionId=0&productId=23811">Pocket TV Browser</a>, a TV listing guide for your Pocket PC. The article takes an in-depth look at all aspects of this program, providing a comprehensive review of for all who are interested. <br /><br />I concur with the title: mobility doesn’t really go hand in hand with TV watching; however, I suppose that there are people who would be interested in this. I also suppose that there are people who need 14 stopwatch programs, but thats another stab for another time. <br /><br />“With the abundance of TV channels made available by cable TV and satellite TV, sometimes it can be just too difficult to find the programs and movies you want to watch. There has to be a better way to handle TV listings than magazines and newspaper inserts. For people who take their television viewing seriously, Pocket TV Browser may be the couch potato's ultimate resource.”

[James]

I haven't looked at it yet, but I've often thought it would be nice if someone would provide a way to drop show times onto my calendar.

[emmfan]

How would this program compare with Pocket TV Listings (http://ptvl.thumbsupsoft.com/)?

[asatyss]

PTVL is by far better than this program. I would suggest going with that over this new program. PTVL has been around much longer, and is bug free.

[bargle]

PTVL is by far better than this program. I would suggest going with that over this new program. PTVL has been around much longer, and is bug free.


Now only if it had a sceduil feature. Otherwise Im split. PTVL looks soo much better of a product :?

[ironguy]

The beta of the next version of PTVL is very cool. You can display listings in a number of ways now. Also, I very much like the autorun feature. I set weblink (the download component of PTVL) to autorun at 2 am every 5 days. This keeps my listing current with no effort. Be aware though that if you select 14 days worth of data, 24 hours a day with full detail, you're going to have one whopping big file to transfer.

As for Sam's comment about TV listings on a mobile device...Many times at work, someone will ask, "Hey, is Enterprise new this week?" or "What time are the Olympics today?". Whip out the Jornada and wow 'em! PDAs are partly about instant information access.

Oh, and I really could use 14 stopwatches, especially if they can be tied together. In my satellite systems test job, we need to time events that happen. Currently we use the GPS clock on the wall... I want to be able to have timers that I can set so when one ends another one or two start. I use Jonathan Sachs' StopTime, but it only has 4. I could use 16!

Point...Counterpoint!

[Jeff Rutledge]

Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that I can use either of these programs. I checked out tvguide.com and their listings don't add up. I'm in Calgary, AB (Canada) and we only have one cable company: Shaw Cable. However, the tvguide.com listings for Calgary offers two options, neither of them are Shaw. I've actually looked over a few of the selections and none of them have a channel lineup that matches what I get.

Too bad. I would really like something like this.

[Jason Dunn]

Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that I can use either of these programs. I checked out tvguide.com and their listings don't add up. I'm in Calgary, AB (Canada) and we only have one cable company: Shaw Cable.


As a fellow Calgarian, I feel your pain. :-) I've talked to the developer about this, but ultimately it ended up not being a priority for him. :cry:

[Jeff Rutledge]

Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that I can use either of these programs. I checked out tvguide.com and their listings don't add up. I'm in Calgary, AB (Canada) and we only have one cable company: Shaw Cable.


As a fellow Calgarian, I feel your pain. :-) I've talked to the developer about this, but ultimately it ended up not being a priority for him. :cry:


You don't know the developer of PTVL do you? They've been around longer. Maybe they have more connections at tvguide.com (that's assuming they care what happens north of the border -- big assumption).

Either way, I could find no way to contact TV Guide directly.

Too bad... :cry:

[st63z]

I didn't know these two companies actually got authorization/license from TVGuide? I thought they just figured out the tvguide.com database listing format to be able to download and decode it (not sure if tvguide.com allows such public access or if they frown upon this usage). In fact over the months I remember tvguide.com changed their format a little bit from time to time and the PTVL author had to patch his app appropriately every time... In regards to a comparison, I agree that the current PTVL 2.0 beta seems to have a lot of new features (and seems to lack only a couple of things that Pocket TV Browser has)...

Anyways, check out the screen shots from this pocketnow review. Why do all of us Pocket PC aficionados always seem to be fixated on (and only on) Enterprise? :D


(Yeah, I know why... :wink: )

[doublebit]

As the author of Pocket TV Browser, I wanted to make a few additional points that I think have been overlooked:

1. PTVB is smaller and faster than PTVL in almost every measurable way (PTVB's databases are smaller, it doesn't create and leave large "cache" data files on your device, and its "instant searching" is much easier to use and much faster at finding results than PTVL).

2. Yes, it's true that PTVL has been around longer and may even be bug free. However, PTVB was in development and testing long before its release last month, so I believe PTVB to be every bit as bug-free (but for the record, I don't really believe there *is* such a thing as bug-free software ;-) ).

3. If you look closely at PTVL's new beta, almost every single feature on its list appears to have been "inspired" by PTVB (which was released the month before). However, I don't think there's much benefit in comparing the sheer weight of one set of features against another. The question is, how well do they fit together, and how well does the program do what you want? We think PTVB is a better fit for the average user. We spent a lot of time designing its "browser-like" interface, which is distinctly different (and, hopefully, simpler) than PTVL. I have no illusions about dissuading users from something they already like, I would just encourage you to give PTVB a try before deciding.

4. PTVB is already moving beyond the arena of "electronic TV guide". Our newest release can integrate more web listing services (like DirecTV.com), and contrary to other comments here, we ARE looking at providing coverage for other services/areas (such as tvguidelive/canada). And now we offer the ability to seamlessly integrate movie reviews into your listings.

Just some more food for your "Pocket PC Thoughts". ;-)
-Jeff

[Doug Raeburn]

I wrote the review on pocketnow, and I have to state once again how impressed I am with Pocket TV Browser. Its browser metaphor makes searching so simple and instantly accessible that I find myself looking through the listings in ways that would be difficult to impossible with PTVL or any magazine. IMO, PTVB has rewritten the book on interfaces for products of this type.

Another of PTVB's big draws is its powerful filters. Creating, saving and applying these filters is so easy that I find myself using them all the time.

In my opinion, PTVB's browser interface really leverages the power of having the listing information on the Pocket PC, in a way that goes beyond the scope of an "electronic magazine", a term which I think aptly describes PTVL. Don't get me wrong, PTVL is a fine product... I've owned and used it for over a year. But PTVB makes the listings so much more accessible and useful. It's the next logical step in the evolution of this category of product.

Congrats, Jeff, on a job well done! :)

[st63z]

Hmm, you guys do make PTVB sound very interesting, I may just have to check this out :)

[doublebit]

I've added support for Canadian listings from TV Guide Live (http://www.tvguidelive.com) in Pocket TV Browser "test" version 1.03, which is now available for download at http://www.pimcity.com. I'd be interested in any feedback, if you're willing to give it a try. Our goal is to go beyond being the smallest, fastest, and simplest TV listing browser, to also have the broadest listing support.
Thanks,
Jeff