Free TiVo BlackBerry App Offers Remote DVR Features

Thanks to the new, free TiVo DVR Scheduler BlackBerry application, RIM smartphone users with TiVo boxes can now easily browse and program home television-content via BlackBerry while on the go.

By Al Sacco
Wed, September 30, 2009

CIO — Ever been away from home and remembered at the last minute that you didn't set the TiVo to record the new episode of your favorite TV show? Or been running late and wanted to program the digital video recorder (DVR) from afar so you wouldn't miss the start of your ball game? If so, and you own a BlackBerry smartphone, you're in luck.

TiVo DVR Scheduler for BlackBerry

BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion (RIM) and TiVo just released the brand new TiVo DVR Scheduler BlackBerry smartphone application. The free app is available for download now on BlackBerry App World and BlackBerry.com/TiVo. The software gives BlackBerry owners with TiVo DVRs convenient and quick access to TiVo's program guide, and you can remotely schedule recordings on TiVo boxes from BlackBerrys.

RIM and TiVo announced a partnership a year ago, and the companies said that such an application was in the works, but this is the first I've heard since September 2008.

From RIM:

"TiVo customers can use their BlackBerry smartphones to browse by category, view the most popular shows or daily picks and see the programming details, such as title, description, runtime, and airdate and time. Additionally, the BlackBerry device can easily be used to set a TiVo to record shows."

Of course, you need to be a TiVo customer for the app do more than take up space on your BlackBerry. And anyone with an Internet-connected mobile device can log into their TiVo account and perform most of the same features--though the BlackBerry app's presumably faster than surfing the Web with a more functional interface.

I don't own a TiVo DVR, so I wasn't able to put TiVo DVR Scheduler for BlackBerry through the paces. (I did download it to confirm availability and grab a screenshot.) But you can pop on over to RIM's official blog, Inside BlackBerry, where I'm told you'll soon be able to find a quick walkthrough of the app.

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