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April Fools' day is almost upon us, but each year at least a few companies are unable to restrain themselves, pushing out their pranks early as the remainder dribble out over the day itself. Google's various divisions do some decent work each year—last year's Google Gnome was itpretty good, and the Maps team's 2014 Pokemon prank was memorable. OnePlus even has a history of pulling off a decent prank. But, there are a ton of individual companies and gags to follow.
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Kodi, perhaps better known by its former name XBMC, is one of the most popular media centers around. It's open source, cross-platform, and is endlessly extendable - what's not to love? Now Kodi 17, codenamed 'Krypton,' is live on the Play Store with thousands of new features and bug fixes.
Kodi version 17 is bringing a new look to the app that turns your Android device into a media center. Some of you may still recall the open source project by its old name, XBMC. Either way, the upcoming release has reached beta status. That makes now a good time to dive in if you can't wait to get what's coming next.
Bugs happen. As a result, bugfix updates also happen. Kodi 15.2 is the second such release since version 15.0 of the app formerly known as XBMC went stable, and it tackles quite a list of issues. Head's up—all of them are very specific.
Kodi, formerly XBMC, has been available on Android in its revamped form since early April. But if you wanted to get your hands on it, you had to join either the alpha or beta groups on Google+, then register on the Play Store as a tester. Not so today: it looks like the developers have opened up the beta Play Store listing for one and all, and you can download it directly to your phone, tablet, or Android TV set-top box.
Once upon a time, Kodi was known as XBMC, and it was developed for hacked Xboxes. This open source media hub went on to run on PCs and mobile devices, but it hasn't been deployed in the Play Store until now. There are some not-so-secret Google+ communities for beta and alpha versions of Kodi, and you can join them right now.
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- And now Yatse's back in the Play Store where it belongs. The takedown apparently had to do with the use of copyrighted images (such as TV shows) in screenshots. The developer asserts that this was not the case. You can read his account of the experience over on Google+.
Last year the XBMC project changed its name to Kodi, giving the media manager a much-needed fresh start considering how it has long since expanded past its original Xbox roots. Yatse is a popular remote app for use with the platform that recently got a spiffy material redesign.Fast forward several months, and Yatse has disappeared from the Play Store (though you can still find the unlocker and several plugins).
Perhaps you're wondering what this Kodi thing is... well, it's XBMC. They just don't call it XBMC anymore. The latest version of this all-in-wonder media player and content organizer has been released, and you can get it on your Android device right now for zero dollars.
Kodi (formerly the Xbox Media Center) isn't the only piece of software attempting to find a new image. One of the most popular Android remote control apps for the media manager, Yatse, is getting a major visual overhaul. Version 5.0, now available in a Google+ beta, is showing off a shiny new interface that takes more than a few pages out of the Material Design playbook. Check out some comparison shots below.
Writing about the XBMC media center software almost always takes a little explanation. The open-source XBMC was formerly known as the "Xbox Media Center," because its first release way back in 2003 was based on the "Xbox Media Player" and intended to run on modified Xbox game consoles. Because the software no longer officially runs on the Xbox, and has never run on newer consoles like the Xbox 360, and in fact runs on a heck of a lot of hardware that bears no X at all, the creators have renamed the software "Kodi."
XBMC started life as a hack for the original Xbox game console, but it has since evolved into a much-beloved open source home theater system on a number of platforms. After months of release candidates and betas, XBMC 13.0 (codename Gotham) is ready to download on Android (and other stuff).
If Yatse is your go-to XBMC remote on Android, this weekend's update should be a nice surprise. If you're still looking for a good remote solution, now may be the time to check this one out.
Roughly a year has gone by since XBMC 12 hit metaphorical store shelves, and the time has apparently been well-spent. The upcoming version introduces hardware decoding, so your device can actually utilize more of its power to push those pixels. The beta has has been streamlined enough to run on a Raspberry Pi, so you know you can expect a zippier experience on a more powerful gadget.
When last we left our heroes XBMC for Android, the group behind the open source multimedia manager had announced that it would be bringing support to the platform soon. Of course "soon" isn't a word that tweakers like to hear, so some enterprising fellows compiled the source code into an APK for your testing pleasure, with all the disclaimers that entails. Today, however, a more official app is being distributed by the team with a hefty 'beta' tag attached.
Pre-Built XBMC Apk Is Available, Here's What It Looks Like Running On A Nexus Q
Earlier this week, we mentioned that the amazing folks behind the XBMC project are bringing the app to Android. Well, it's still very early, but would
Earlier this week, we mentioned that the amazing folks behind the XBMC project are bringing the app to Android. Well, it's still very early, but would you like to see what it's gonna be like? Of course you do. If you've got a Nexus Q or an Android-compatible set top box, you can download the apk from our mirrors below. For the rest of you, here's what it looks like running on a lovingly hacked Nexus Q, courtesy of Cyanogenmod developer Jason Parker:
Streaming Legend XBMC Bringing Full-Featured App To Android
If you've never heard of the Xbox Media Center (XBMC), you can turn in one of your geek cards right now. The open-source streaming media platform is
If you've never heard of the Xbox Media Center (XBMC), you can turn in one of your geek cards right now. The open-source streaming media platform is legendary among tinkerers and DIY types, with its long list of features and insane customizations being its major draws. After nearly ten years of active development, the creators are preparing a full Android version complete with video/audio streaming and all the other goodies. Not to be confused with the current remote app (or any of the third-party alternatives) the upcoming XBMC for Android will have almost the full set of functions found in its desktop and stand-alone counterparts.