We are so excited to finally release version 2.0 of the Juice for Roku app and channel.    This is a major release with tons of updates including:

• Brand new ICS style interface (but works on any 2.0 or higher device)
• Redesigned Juice channel on the Roku.  To see the updates, enter the Channel Store on the Roku, then exit to have the channel refreshed.
• New Videos tab to stream supported video files
• New Feeds tab for playing audio and video podcasts
• Enhanced Share functionality
• New shuffle and search features in Music view
• Fixed videos not playing on standard def TVs

Check it out in the Google Play Store.  To be released soon on the Amazon App Store as well

We are very excited to announce the release of Juice for Roku! Juice lets you send your photos and music directly from your phone to your Roku.  No need for a home media server or to upload your files somewhere.  Just a few clicks and you are showing the photos you just took on the big screen, or listening to an album on your phone through your home entertainment system.

Now available in the Android Market in both a paid and demo version.

Juice for Roku

Juice for Roku DEMO

We are getting very close to releasing a new Roku related app – hopefully in the next week or so.  We are very excited, and can’t wait to get it into everyone’s hands.   Check back here in the next week or so for the big announcement.

As a thank you to our existing Roku Remote users, we will be offering the app for half off  during the first few weeks.

You can also follow me on Twitter to keep up with the latest news at Jigawatt Labs.

A few weeks back, I released an initial version of an app called What To Watch on Netfix.   The app is designed to help you find the best movies and shows to watch on Netflix and provide ways to search the Netflix catalog that aren’t available through the Netflix web site.

After release, I found it was difficult to actually find the app by name in the Android Market.   Because of this, I’ve renamed the app Netflix Guide HD to make it easier to find and to give it a name that better reflects what it does.

This app is designed specifically for Android Honeycomb tablets to make searching and managing your queues quick and easy.  Here are some screen shots:

Roku Remote

I just released an updated version of Roku Remote with a couple of nice additions.  In this version, I added some additional button images that fit better on Android tablets.  I tested this on my Xoom and Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablets and used the emulator to make sure it will look OK on the Galaxy Tab (original) as well as on the Nook Color.

One of the common requests I’ve received over the past year is to allow the use of custom backgrounds.  I’ve been putting this off for a while, but it turned out to be pretty easy to implement.  To use your own custom image as a background skin, copy any image into the RokuRemote folder in your SD card.  The image name must be one of the following:  Custom1.jpg, Custom2.jpg or Custom3.jpg.  You can then select Custom1, Custom2 or Custom3 for your skin in Device Preferences.  For best results, use image sizes of 320 by 480, but any image should work and scale to fit the screen.

Finally, I’ve added a hi res launcher icon for those with higher resolution screens.

May 17, 2011: Well, it’s been a busy couple of months.  I’ve been spending a lot of time working on my next Android app “What To Watch On Netflix”.  It will be a Honeycomb tablet only app (at least at first).  I expect to release version 1 within the next two weeks.  You can find more info in the What To Watch page here:  http://www.jigawattlabs.com/whattowatch

Last week, I was at the Google IO 2011 conference.  Wow, just fantastic!  Great technical presentations, product announcements, discussions with other Android developers.  And getting the free Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, a ChromeBook and a Verizon wireless hotspot wasn’t too bad either!

We are excited to launch Jigawatt Labs, home of a number of great Android apps like Roku Remote and What To Watch On Netflix.  Browse the app specific pages for more information and troubleshooting tips.

Thanks for visiting!

Old News:

March 14, 2011: I’ve put out a few releases of the Roku Remote app since my last post. You can find the most recent version in the Android Market here: https://market.android.com/details?id=com.greggreno.rokuremoteThis version has a great new feature that lets you navigate directly to any Roku channel. Just press the Menu -> Go To Channel option and pick your channel. I’ve also made a number of changes to improve the reliability of the connection to the Roku player box.

January 4, 2011: It was great to have large blocks of time over the holidays to work on my apps. First up, a number of changes for Roku Remote:

• Bug fix (hopefully) to prevent locked up/down/left/right keys
• Option to lock screen orientation (see Device Preferences screen)
• Name of Roku displayed in title bar
• Access to hidden Bitrate and Secret screens (see new Extras menu option)

I also made major changes to Quick Poll Free and Quick Poll Pro:

• Improved Edit screen
• Shows vote details in the Results screen
• Free Only: increased number of poll options from two to three
• Pro Only: Support for unrestricted polls (vote for anything you want). See the new option in the Edit screen
• Pro Only: Send to either individuals or groups

Most of these changes came from great suggestions from users. Thanks to everyone who contributed suggestions, and keep them coming.

BTW, I’ve shut down the discussion board because I couldn’t find a way to keep spammers from flooding it with junk postings.

November 2, 2010: I’ve just released Roku Remote version 2.0 to the Android Market! This is a major release where I’ve re-writen nearly all the code. Here are the latest features:

• Fast auto-scan of wired Roku devices (New – wired devices only)
• Faster text entry on search screens
• Auto detect IP address changes (wired devices only)
• Multiple Skins
• Support for multiple Roku players
• Supports Android 1.5 through 2.2
• Landscape and portrait mode
• Home screen widget
• Layout changes to support Roku’s latest changes including new Back, Info and Replay buttons

Thanks to all the beta testers for the great feedback!

September 30, 2010: I’ve just released a new BETA version of Roku Remote version 2.0! This is a major update (basically a total rewrite). For more details, visit my Roku Remote discussion board on Google Groups. Details on how to download and install the new beta version are there. You can also find a screen shot here.

June 4, 2010: I’m happy to announce the release of the new Enter Text feature for the Roku Remote app. You know how painful it is to press a million arrow and enter buttons on the remote just to enter the title of a movie. The new Enter Text menu option significantly reduces the number of clicks. Just navigate to a Roku search screen, then press the “Enter Text” menu option. When done, just hit the back button to return to the main Roku Remote screen.

Note that this is a bit of a hack. The Roku player doesn’t actually support the entry of text. The only way around this is for the app to guess where the cursor is and do the arrow presses for you. If you find the app enters the wrong letter, click the Reset button to get it back in sync with the Roku box. See the Help screen for more details.

Please leave comment and/or suggestions on the discussion board or send an email to me at gregg@greggreno.com.

May 28, 2010: With the release of the new Roku software and the ability to search for movies from the Roku box (and not from a PC), people are going to be frustrated with how difficult it is to enter text into the search screens. So, I’m working on a new Search feature that will make text entry into the search screens easier. I’m still testing it, but I expect to release the update soon. Also, I cleaned up the launch icon a bit. It still isn’t hi-res though.

May 21, 2010: Well, I was looking through the Android Market page for developers, and came across a new feature called Bugs. Clicking on it shows what bugs people have been having. What I found was that a few people were having force closes when loading config files, even though nobody had sent me an email or left a message about it in the Android Market. I’ve fixed that and re-released the app with this minor change. But without Google’s update to the developer page, including a detail log file of the force close, I never would have found that bug. Thanks Google!

February 1, 2010: I’ve just released a big update for the Roku Remote. Included in this update are: redesigned graphics (thanks Trista Jansen!), ability to switch between multiple skins (gray and teal), and support for multiple Roku players through the use of the Load and Save Config options.

January 31, 2010: I’ve just released my first game called Concentration for Kids. It doesn’t seem like there are many kids games for Android right now, so I thought I’d try my hand at it. Even though it was originally inteded for kids, it’s a fun way to see how high a score you can get after going through the 10 levels. Adults can probably get through the game in about 10 minutes.

January 6, 2010: Just released Android 2.0 specific versions of Quick Poll Free and Quick Poll Pro. Unfortunatly, it isn’t possible to have the same code run on both the 2.0 and pre 2.0 versions of Android due to the way the SDK changed the way contact info is retrieved. So, I’m maintaining FOUR versions of this app now.

January 5, 2010: I have released an update to Roku Remote with two changes. First, I’ve added a “Scan network for Roku” menu option which will let you search your entire network for the Roku player. If it finds it, the app will use it’s IP address as the default in the preferences screen. With the scan function, you can now use the Roku Remote without having to bring up the on-screen Roku settings and hunt for the IP address.

Secondly, I’ve removed the code to automatically turn on WIFI as this isn’t supported in 1.6 and later. Instead, I bring up the system WIFI preference screen and let the user turn it on there. If anyone has a problem with this, please drop me a note at gregg@greggreno.com.

December 1, 2009: I have re-released Quick Poll to the Android Market. I had taken it off the market during the ADC2 since it wasn’t clear to me what the rules were around that. Anyway, I’ve put out two version of the app – a free version and a pro version. The free version has all the same functionality as the pro version, but is limited to 2 poll choices. The pro version allows up to 9 choices. You can find the app in the Android Market by searching for “Quick Poll”

September 15, 2009: Released my second Android app called Roku Remote. The name says it all – it works like your Roku remote control, but you can use it anywhere in your house that you WIFI access.

August 10, 2009: Released version 1 of my first Android app called Quick Poll! Not only is it my first app, but my first attempt at programming in Java. (Note: I have pulled this from the App Market during the Android Developer Challenge 2. It seems I can’t have the same app in the competition while it’s in the android market)