BuzzVoice Launches On Android, Adds New Features [Free Copies]

BuzzVoice on AndroidIf you saw PC World’s exclusive pre-launch story on BuzzVoice for Android a few days ago, our announcement won’t surprise you.

For the past several weeks, we’ve been working on bringing our streaming audio news service to Google’s Android platform. And today, we’re excited to say that BuzzVoice just went live on The Android Market!

Be sure to checkout the video below to see BuzzVoice in the wild on Android, then download the app by tapping this link on your Android device.

If you’re not familiar with BuzzVoice, our service lets busy people *listen* to over 1,600 of the web’s top news and blogs on smartphones and other mobile devices. It’s sort of like “Pandora for news”, and it’s specifically designed to make it faster, safer and more fun to keep up with news on the go (The real sweet spot is in the car, train, gym, etc.). To date, people have streamed over 2 million stories via BuzzVoice.

BuzzVoice for Android includes the same great multimedia functionality of our iPhone, iPad and iPod touch application, PLUS 3 major new features for Android smartphone owners:

1. Background Audio Streaming: Listen to breaking stories while checking  Twitter, Facebook or email.

2. A Custom Android Widget, which allows you to control the BuzzVoice App right from your Android device’s homescreen

3. A New “Android Radio” Station, which continuously updates you on Android-related news from top blogs like Android Central, Phandroid, Android and Me, Android Guys, Android Police, Android Tapp, Androinica, Android Spin & more.

How To Win A Free Copy: We’re running some fun BuzzVoice App Giveaways with PC World/Computerworld, Android Central and possibly others, so keep your eyes open for a chance to win a free copy of BuzzVoice for Android.

We’d love to hear what you think in the comments below, or, feel free to email feedback@buzzvoice.com

>Get BuzzVoice by tapping here on your Android device, or scan the QR code below. Or, you can get BuzzVoice for your iPhone here.

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johnatkinson, August 27th 2010 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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News and Blog Experts Sound Off On BuzzVoice 3.0: Their Verdict?

BuzzVoice in the newsiPhone app review site, Just Another iPhone Blog, just wrote a great review of BuzzVoice 3.0, stating it’s “perfect for listening to blogs & news on the go.” So, on the heels of this review, we decided to round up some of the recent press coverage the new BuzzVoice 3.0 has received.  Check out what the experts are saying about BuzzVoice 3.0, and let us know what you think in the comments below.

What The Experts Are Saying About BuzzVoice 3.0

1) The Top Apps site asks, “What if you could have a Pandora of sorts, that played you the top news of the day so you could just listen to it?,” and goes on to say,“Well, this does exist and it is called BuzzVoice 3.0.”

2) TechRadar called BuzzVoice a “clever app” that “grabs news from your choice of more than 1,600 top blogs and news sources and converts them into audio files in real time.”

3) The Next Web states that “BuzzVoice is, in essence, like having your own passenger’s seat narrator for your favorite websites.”

4) MacNN likes the multimedia news functionality, citing that users “can listen to stories while viewing text, images, and video.”

5) The Gadgeteer spoke to the mobile benefits of BuzzVoice 3.0, pointing out that users can “keep current on their favorite topics and multitask in the car, at home, at the gym or anywhere.”

6) KillerStartups likes that BuzzVoice makes “for a hands-free listening experience,” which allows you to “maximize your time and be notably more productive.”

7) TechZulu’s review titled “BuzzVoice Puts Your Blogs on AutoPilot,” highlights the continuous play benefit of the “Auto-Stream” feature, saying that it “alone definitely makes the app worth having.” [Note: Auto-Stream is a BuzzVoice PRO feature ]

8) Bit Rebels called BuzzVoice 3.0 “brilliantly simple, and enhancing the way we receive our daily information.”

If you would like to try what SiliconAngle calls “the ‘Pandora’ of news,” which has “added more personalization, more hands free operation, more search tools, and more filters,” check out BuzzVoice 3.0 on The App Store today – it’s on sale for a limited time.

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johnatkinson, August 2nd 2010 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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The 5 Blogs iPhone Users Love [Win BuzzVoice 3.0 - Retweet this to Enter]

Top 5 BuzzVoice BlogsThanks to Apple featuring BuzzVoice 3 On The App Store, more and more people are listening to their favorite news and blogs in the car, on the train, in the gym.

Although users can stream stories from over 1,600 news sources through our cloud-based service, they hold a special place in their hearts for the following blogs…

The Top 5 Most Popular Blogs on BuzzVoice are:

1) Gizmodo brings BuzzVoice listeners up to date on the newest and most interesting gadgets.

2) TechCrunch highlights and reviews new Internet products and companies.

3) Mashable covers social media, technology, and web culture.

4) All Things Digital covers hot topics like Android, the iPad, cloud computing, and more.

5) Read Write Web keeps BuzzVoice users abreast of daily Internet industry news.

Want to listen to these and many other great sources while you bike, bake, mow,  jog or shop?

>Enter to Win a Free Copy of BuzzVoice 3.0 (A $4.99 Value)

To Enter to Win, Just Click Here To Retweet This Post On Twitter.  That’s it!

The contest ends midnight on Monday, 7/26/10, then we’ll select 3 winners. Good Luck!

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johnatkinson, July 23rd 2010 | Posted in Uncategorized

Email to Steve Jobs Puts Lucky Developer on Front Page of The App Store

BuzzVoice 3.0 on the front page of The App StoreWe’ve all seen the flurry of news stories about Steve Jobs responding directly to emails from regular people and developers. It’s become an Internet meme, with reputable sources like The New York Times, Wired , TechCrunch and others attesting to the authenticity of the emails.

Perhaps the most controversial [alleged] response from Jobs is the recent thread between Jobs and an irate iPhone 4 owner about the iPhone 4 antenna issue – an issue so hot that Apple is holding a press conference to address it [Read the thread on the iPhone 4 reception issues on The Boy Genius Report].

Since Jobs seems to read his own email and has expressed a passion for reinventing the news experience on Apple devices during his keynotes, we decided to take a chance and shoot him an email.

In our email titled “Pandora for news,” we explained how 26% of Americans now read news on mobile devices, and that for a nation of commuters, fitness fanatics and multitaskers, reading news on tiny screens is not only a bad user experience, but also a dangerous one. We added that 28 states have enacted distracted driving laws as counter measures. Then, we went on to explain how we used the iPhone SDK to create BuzzVoice, a “magical” new way to consume news on iPhones, iPads and iPod touch devices.

Steve Jobs on BuzzVoice 3.0We included a link to a fun video showing how our cloud-based streaming audio service lets people *listen* to over 1,600 of the web’s top news and blogs – making getting news on the go, easier, safer and more fun, and added a link to the new BuzzVoice 3.0 app On The App Store. Lastly, we asked him to feature BuzzVoice 3.0 on The App Store so that Apple device owners could benefit from using it in the car, train, gym, or wherever they happen to be.

We didn’t expect a response. In fact we haven’t received a direct response yet, however, we just noticed that BuzzVoice 3.0 is now featured on the front page of The App Store.

Thanks for listening Steve – we’re pinching ourselves.

PS: The screenshot we included about him being the “smartest CEO” may have done the trick.

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johnatkinson, July 16th 2010 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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BuzzVoice Selected to Attend MobileBeat 2010

The mobile industry is on the rise, and smartphones, tablets, and new operating systems are creating opportunities for entrepreneurs to get involved in the rapidly expanding industry.  MobileBeat wanted to bring heavy hitters from the mobile community together for two days to take a look at some of the most interesting innovations that are transforming the mobile industry.

The MobileBeat conference took place in San Francisco and ran from July 12-13.  We were thrilled when we received the opportunity to attend the conference free of charge due to our promising technology and activity in the mobile space.

There was a wide variety of companies represented at the conference.  High profile attendees included executives from HP, AT&T, Twitter, Google, Facebook, and Motorola.  The innovation presented by these organizations and the forward-looking startups that attended MobileBeat ensured that there was no lack of interesting information at the conference.

HP's Phil McKinney kicks off MobileBeat 2010: Photo Courtesy of Venture Beat

HP's Phil McKinney kicks off MobileBeat 2010: Photo Courtesy of Venture Beat

Obviously, current hot topics like Andriod and the iPhone 4 were discussed at the conference, but there were four major trends that surfaced throughout the two days of presentations.  It looks like the mobile industry is trending towards:

  • Location-based services- location-based services like Gowalla, Foursquare, or MobileBeat attendee MyTalk help mobile device users locate businesses, services, or people who are near them
  • Mobile security- services like a mobile lock box, a personal surveillance system, and secured mobile payments help keep your information safe
  • Educational tools- EduPath, an app for SAT test prep, won the consumer-facing app category of the MobileBeat startup competition
  • Mobile advertising- iAds and integrated text messaging is changing the face of mobile advertising

Another trending topic was the use of mobile devices in the car.  Since the car is one of the most popular places to use BuzzVoice 3.0, we enjoyed listening how other companies are incorporating apps into the driving experience.  Startup company Motolingo has an app that connects to your car and updates you on your fuel consumption, location, or why the check engine light is on.

We had a great time at MobileBeat 2010.  Check out this MobileBeat recap for a more in-depth look at the innovation presented at the conference.

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johnatkinson, July 14th 2010 | Posted in Uncategorized
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