AirPlay

Microsoft launches SmartGlass wireless media streaming for iOS and Android

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 27, 2017

Electronic Entertainment Expo, the industry's biggest interactive entertainment show, is underway in Los Angeles, California and Microsoft juts announced an interesting software solution for wireless media streaming to the Xbox 360 console from devices powered by Apple's iOS and Google's Android mobile operating system.

Called SmartGlass, the app lets you beam video from your iPhone, iPod touch, iPad or Android device to Xbox Live and Windows 8. Another cool feature: with SmartGlass installed, your mobile device becomes a complementary display in games and apps that support this functionality...

An easy way to seamlessly play Safari videos in the background

Jeff Benjamin ∙ June 1, 2012

Web Background Video Playback is a relatively new tweak by iOS developer Steven Troughton-Smith. The aim of the tweak is to allow video content to continue playing in Safari while it is running in the background. This is especially helpful when you're listening to video content, and seeing the video isn't necessary; for example, when watching a music video, podcast, etc.

This tweak is also handy in the cases where you wish to send a quick tweet or text message, but don't want to completely interrupt the video playback. I've noticed that it even plays nice with video that's streaming to a television via AirPlay.

Take a look at our video demonstration of Web Background Video Playback for more details...

New Party Doodles app shows the potential of Apple TV gaming

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

I've said before that I felt like AirPlay Mirroring was one of the most underrated features of iOS 5. The ability to wirelessly stream content from the device to a TV seemed like an open invitation for iOS developers to create console-esque games.

We've seen a couple of big name titles take advantage of this, but perhaps none of them showcases the feature's potential better than Cerebral Gardens' recently-released Party Doodles...

Time Warner Cable CEO: “I’m not sure I know what AirPlay is”

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 25, 2016

This one made rounds on the web today. Apparently, head of Time Warner Cable is totally oblivious to the existence of AirPlay, a technology from Apple that beams photos, music and videos from iOS devices to your television through an Apple TV set-top box.

He also called the Apple TV a little hockey puck (we heard that one before) and expressed his dislike for set-top boxes per se due to the complexities they bring to the living room experience (hard to argue against that)...

Kanex outs AirPlay mirroring adapter for legacy projectors lacking HDMI ports

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 27, 2016

AirPlay, a wireless content streaming technology from Apple, has become indispensable in my daily computing. Whenever I feel like watching movies, enjoying my photos, listening to some music and even playing certain games, I usually AirPlay whatever is currently displayed on my iPhone 4S or iPad 3 to my plasma TV, through the Apple TV.

But what about presenting in conference rooms equipped with old-school VGA projectors lacking HDMI port? Apple makes the $29 VGA adapter, but who wants to walk around the room holding an iPad hooked up to a projector via the cable?

Enter ATV Pro Adapter, a nice little dongle from Kanex that connects to your Apple TV's HDMI port on one side, converting digital output to analogue signal fed to your legacy projectors' VGA port...

How to enable AirPlay Mirroring on your Mac with ‘Reflection’

Jeff Benjamin ∙ February 29, 2012

It's one of those feature that seem so painfully obvious, but no one took advantage of the opportunity until now.

Reflection is an app for the Mac that allows you to use AirPlay Mirroring from your iPhone 4S or your iPad 2 directly to your Mac.

In times past, the only way to perform mirroring was via an Apple TV set-top box device. No longer.

OS X Mountain Lion AirPlay Mirroring hands on

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated March 2, 2012

So I finally got some time to take OS X Mountain Lion's new AirPlay Mirroring functionality for a spin, and what I found was just what you would expect.

AirPlay Mirroring is a fairly seamless affair for Apple TV owners, and it works remarkably well — even in its current beta form.

Check out our hands-on experience with OS X Mountain Lion's AirPlay Mirroring on video inside...

Add AirPlay to any TV with a $35 Mini Computer

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

AirPlay is possibly one of the unsung heroes of the iOS world, and if you own an iOS device and an Apple TV, then you really should be taking advantage of it. If you don't have an Apple TV then there may just be another option on the table.

Using a Raspberry Pi computer, it is actually possible to create your very own HDMI-enabled AirPlay-receiving machine which is so small you'll almost forget it's there.

Did we mention the whole thing costs just $35? Oh, that too...

How to Stream Media From Your iPhone to Your PS3 Without Jailbreaking

Cody Lee ∙ Updated October 10, 2018

Between its AirPlay feature and the Apple TV, Apple has made streaming media content from your iPhone to your TV extremely simple. But those that don't own an Apple TV will find the task a bit more complicated.

Luckily, it's not too difficult for folks with a Sony PS3 system. Last year, we showed you how to stream media from your iPhone to your PS3 using a jailbreak app. And now we're going to show you how to do it without jailbreaking.

SwitcherLoader: Rearrange Your iDevice’s App Switcher

Jeff Benjamin ∙ December 12, 2011

Interested in customizing your App Switcher? What about completely removing certain stock features, like AirPlay and music controls?

With SwitcherLoader — a new jailbreak tweak available on Cydia — it's all possible, and then some.

SwitcherLoader is a free tweak available for iOS 4.2 devices and above. Check inside for a full video explanation of what this tweak brings to the table.