The Galaxy S4 is certainly a more convenient web browsing and video-watching device than the iPhone 5.
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But one key unresolved question for the category is a whole is what will be worth watching on such a device.
Users who are shopping on the couch while watching TV, the device most close at hand is probably going to be that.
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What if they're watching Netflix on one device and browsing on another?
But they say the app also will recognize TV shows or movies you were watching through an Xbox device and automatically serve up that content without you having to look for it.
Over the past months, Shazam has been seeing triple-digit growth in the number of downloads of the iPad version of its app, particularly for use as a second-screen companion device while watching television.
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Business-ready models worth watching in this leaner mobile device market will be the new Nokia Lumia 800.
TVSync responds to the strongest trends hitting the broadcast industry: nearly 80% of younger viewers, for example, currently use a second device (typically a mobile device) while watching television.
ENGADGET: TVSync API unveiled, helps devs build second-screen and smart TV apps
Acorn Chief Executive Richard Lunsford says the company might eventually need a marketing partner, and the giants in the device field will be watching closely.
Both drug and device makers will be watching for key data out of the meeting--and most of the news for both is expected to be bad for companies.
When you look at statistics that show how many have their mobile device with them while watching TV, and think about having a quarter of a billion users, it just makes sense.
It is easy for a brand to step away from such a big spend by citing the distraction of the second screen, which is a valid concern should the brand not commit itself to recognize that the person watching the Super Bowl has a device (cell phone, tablet, etc.) in his or her hand.
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Sling Media, for instance, has come out with Slingplayer Media for the BlackBerry, giving BlackBerry users the option of watching their favorite television shows on their device.
Most tend to think of the iPad as a great device for content consumption, be it reading or watching video.
Since the app works in tandem with what you are watching, iPad is now the ultimate remote control and companion device for TiVo Premiere users.
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The company, for example, has discussed new ways they could stream media companies' content, allowing a user to watch a video on a TV set, then pick up another device, such as a smartphone, and keep watching the video while on the move, one of the people familiar with the matter said.
Viewers have up to 30 days to begin watching a downloaded programme, so you can even fill up your device and take the BBC with you on holiday.
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Or, you could instruct the device to record all new episodes of a show, without leaving the program you are currently watching.
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Someone watching a cable series at a friend's house can finish the program at home or on their mobile device, schedule their DVR to record an episode, even record the full season, just by sampling the screen for a second or two.
ENGADGET: TVSync API unveiled, helps devs build second-screen and smart TV apps
For example, if someone is watching a pizza commercial, the app could offer a coupon for the pizza shop on the user's smart device.
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