While there are a growing number of iOS applications that enable users to locate videos on their recent generation iDevices and then stream them reliably onto an Apple TV via AirPlay Mirroring, a precious few accommodate multi-tasking.
Showyou, already our favorite app of the bunch, is pioneering this capability. A brand new update to the application, among other things, lets users call up videos on their AirPlay-enabled iOS device (iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPad 2, and new iPad) to their Apple TVs while simultaneously allowing them to engage in other applications, email or surf the web.
Other added features in the Showyou update include Retina Display support for the iPad, and the ability to send videos to friends via the iPad, and “Thank” other Showyou users for videos that they share. The Retina Display support has long been available for the iPhone, while the social features were unveiled last month when the company essentially recreated its iPhone offering.
Expect multi-tasking capabilities to become more commonplace as more users embrace AirPlay Mirroring and watch videos on their Apple TV served up by iOS applications.
Here is more information about the Showyou update, detailed in a company blog post:
Showyou + Apple TV Just Got Better
The new version of Showyou released today (v. 3.4 to be precise) includes a bunch of wonderful treats for those of you using Showyou on the iPad, including retina-display support (w00t!) and the inclusion of “Send to Friend” and “Thanks” (new social features we added to the iPhone and iPod Touch version of Showyou last month that we’ve now added to the iPad).
But the thing we’re probably most excited about is a subtle, and simple, change we’ve made — enabling you to multi-task when you beam a video to your Apple TV via Airplay with Showyou. What’s that mean? That you can Tweet and Instagram and check your email while you play a video from Showyou on your TV.
Now, before go getting all troll-y on us, we appreciate that Apple has supported multi-tasking with Airplay since iOS5 was introduced late last year. And of course Showyou was designed right from the start to take advantage of Airplay and has supported Airplay broadly, albeit without multi-tasking, since we launched our app in April 2011. Which might lead you to ask, “So why should I care that you’re launching this multi-tasking-thingy-on-Airplay now?”
Well, because these little touches combined with the bigger things add up to something special. Showyou on the iPad has always worked well with the Apple TV and Airplay (indeed, Showyou has been included in many best Airplay apps lists like this one). And the newest version of Showyou on the iPhone and iPod Touch makes it a great Airplay client, too.
With Showyou on your iPad (or iPhone or iPod Touch), tens of millions of great, hand-picked videos are a tap or two away, ready to be beamed to your TV. A video shared by a friend on Facebook, or someone you follow on Showyou. Or a video from a channel like The Daily Show or Funny or Die or The Verge or TED. Or one of the 60+ million videos in our search index.
The simple addition of multi-tasking makes using Showyou with your Apple TV a pure delight. Just tap a video to play it, beam it to your TV with another tap, and multi-task the night away. Check your email, check the weather, or play Fruit Ninja while you watch.
It might just be the best remote control you ever had.
