Netflix updated with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich support

Just in time for everyone in the US to start receiving their Galaxy Nexus phones running ICS, Netflix has updated today with full support for Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. The update has just hit the Android Market and it only shows a few small bug fixes and ICS support. This is just in time because I’m sure many are picking their Nexus up at this very moment.

Netflix was working it just had some major issues and wasn’t playing right with Ice Cream or the 1280x720p screen resolution on the Galaxy Nexus. We still don’t have an official tablet app for Honeycomb (and now ICS) from Netflix either. They’ve recently updated and released a nice tablet specific app for iOS so we should be seeing something similar land for Android very soon.
Now I’m sure everyone is reporting Galaxy Nexus news but with a phone this big, and important, finally available it is worth mentioning more than a few times. We’ve already received more than a few with our team here at Android Community and will be testing out the new Netflix app soon.
Netflix Market Link

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Netflix could get scooped up by Verizon for 4.6 Billion

Rumors suggest video streaming service, Netflix, could get purchased by Verizon Wireless for $4.6 Billion. The source also revealed Verizon has been currently looking for a way to minimize costs for video streaming, thus Netflix sounds like an excellent company to get involved with. Netflix is already available for practically every capable Android device, so syncing it within a service would be amazing.

However, we just heard yesterday Verizon was preparing a service with RedBox termed “Project Zeotrope”. This service would allow subscribers to pay for credits prior to a media purchase. Then of course, the media would be available for up to 24 hours after a rental. Could Veizon be dealing with both RedBox and Netflix? It seems like they would pick one of the two.
Verizon using Netflix technology to stream both movies and TV shows would practically eliminate the need for their Verizon Video application. Verizon Video already has a great selection with the latest TV episodes on many channels, and tied in with the vast Netflix library it couldn’t get much better. Of course, it helps to operate all of this over a WiFi connection – streaming video takes quite the toll on your allowed data usage.
[via TalkAndroid]

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Verizon and Redbox team up for movie streaming

The way this new service may work, termed “Project Zoetrope” for now, is you’ll pay for credits prior to purchase, and then use those credits to attain your desired content. My guess is, you’ll spend a credit on a streamable rental, and then have access to it for the next 24 hours. Below is a device compatibility chart that seems to confirm platforms and services offered. The most interesting feature, that Netflix doesn’t offer, is Live TV. It doesn’t seem like this project will launch with it, but definitely suggests it as a future possiblity.

It’s still too early to tell when we may see the actual app, or even if it will be exclusive to Verizon Wireless customers. Hopefully not, because limiting such a service will drastically minimize subscribers. I also don’t see the app as a feature worth jumping carriers for, especially when Netflix streams HD video to my devices already.
[via Phandroid]

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Netflix is down, users unable to log in for several hours

Netflix users who were planning to spend a Sunday evening watching a movie have had to make other plans today, as the service has been down for the past two hours, as it has itself acknowledged on its Twitter feed.
According to a Business Insider report, Netflix users found themselves logged out of the service this evening and have since been unable to log back in. Here’s Netflix’s official take on the matter:

For those of you having trouble signing into the website, we’re hard at work on that as well.

The website is still up, and we expect the service to get back on track pretty soon. With Netflix out of commission, you may want to consider streaming a few songs from Spotify instead, now that it is back up after suffering from downtime as well.
Netflix has had a pretty lacklustre past few months, with the company’s announcement of a 60% hike in prices of DVD rentals leading to mass outrage among its users and millions of subscription cancellations in September this year. The company also received a blow when Starz announced that it would not be renewing its contract with Netflix, which significantly cut down the size of the service’s streaming library.
Just when we thought it could not get any worse, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings announced in an apologetic blog post that Netflix had decided to spin off its DVD rental business into a separate company named Qwikster. The company then quickly backtracked on that decision after facing another round of devastatingly critical customer feedback.
The company has since regained some of its lost goodwill by confirming that it will officially come to Ireland and the UK early next year and adding all of CW’s shows to its streaming library. Perhaps the best move it pulled was to announce that it would be bringing back Arrested Development, the much-loved TV show that was cancelled by NBC after just three seasons.

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Netflix updates with new tablet-friendly UI

Netflix customers using an Android tablet got a surprise late last night, when a new version of the Android app sporting a completely revamped UI showed up in the Market. The new user interface appears to be contingent upon screen resolution, not operating system, so those of you rocking a Froyo or Gingerbread tablet can get in on the action as well. In a few days the new UI will be showing up on the Nook Tablet and Kindle Fire.

The layout mimics the one seen on the web version of Netflix, which has graced desktop browsers for the last few months. The sliding, scrolling list of panels allows users to swipe left or right to see more movies or TV shows, an innovation that Netflix says gets twice as many titles on-screen as before. Previously tablet users, no matter what their operating system, used the same list-based interface as everyone else, filling up relatively large screens with lots of wasted white space.
The fact that the interface works on older versions of Android is particularly exciting – CyanogenMod users on their hacked Nook Colors or HP TouchPads will surely appreciate it. As the Fire and Nook Tablet gain popularity this holiday season, expect to see more and more apps take this backwards-compatible approach to take advantage of these reader/tablets older versions of Android. The updated version is available in the Android Market right now.

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ASUS Transformer update rolling out now, Netflix included

All of you lucky ASUS Eee Pad Transformer owners should be happy to know an OTA update is hitting devices today. No, this is not Ice Cream Sandwich sadly but there are a few changes and improvements and so far we are hearing good things. The Transformer was updated to Android 3.2.1 Honeycomb late September, the latest version of Honeycomb and today that hasn’t changed but we do have build version 8.6.5.18 in a small incremental update.

So far ASUS has been mighty impressive with the amount of updates, and the speed at which they’ve brought them. According to sources the new update brings a slew of performance enhancements, bug fixes, and apparently a new app backup implementation. Apparently non ASUS apps can be backed up and restores to another ASUS tablet so users wont lose that all important game data and progress on Angry Birds, or anything else for that matter. Here is a list of updates according to the ASUS Facebook page.

Right at the top you’ll see the new App backup, and that the popular Netflix comes pre-installed. Sadly this is the recently updated version of Netflix only and we still don’t have an official Honeycomb tablet UI. There are some major improvements to battery consumption especially while using the dock, along with some Wi-Fi improvements. Then we have tons of applications that have been updated in this latest OTA update but all of that is listed above.
The new OTA update for the ASUS Transformer should be hitting devices over the next few days. As always, users can manually go into settings > about tablet > and check for updates themselves should they not want to wait for an OTA notification. Enjoy the latest update and feel free to let us know how things go in the comment section below. I can’t wait for the Transformer Prime myself, especially with the awesome update history ASUS has shown thus far.

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Netflix update officially supports Honeycomb tablets

Well, as if anyone didn’t expect that this was coming today Netflix has finally updated their app in the Android Market with “official” Android 3.0+ support. This isn’t anything new but at least now it’s official. The update back in June worked on most Honeycomb tablets already and last month it came to all 2.2 and 2.3 devices. Now Netflix officially supports Honeycomb.

Gone are the days of root methods and trickery to get Netflix on your Android 3.0 tablet, now all you need to do is get the official application right from the Android market and enjoy all the Daniel Tosh or TV shows your heart desires. Sadly, if you look at our picture below it shows that Netflix now supports Honeycomb, but in no way is designed for it.

The Netflix user interface hasn’t changed and is completely designed for smartphone users and not tablets. So while we have official support, me along with many others are still left hoping for an official Netflix tablet application. Maybe we’ll finally get one with Ice Cream Sandwich finally here. The main issue isn’t the UI, but the streaming is designed for a smaller display and not a 7 or 10″ 1280 x 800 display like we have with Honeycomb.
Either way it’s available so get it now!

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Fake Netflix app is an account-stealing Trojan

Unfortunately, Android users need to be increasingly vigilant when it comes to non-Market apps and hacks. Nowhere is this more true than unofficial versions of the Netflix app. Security firm Symantec has documented a fake version of the video streaming app that steals users’ log in data in a nasty Trojan exploit.


Netflix recently expanded its video streaming app to all Android devices from 2.2 Froyo and above. Unfortunately, that still leaves almost 15% of Android phones and tablets out of the loop, and various custom versions of the Netflix app have been circulating to try and circumvent the limitation. There’s also the apps for formerly unsupported devices that can be found on user forums all over the Internet. With all these app versions (not to mention unsatisfied Netflix customers) floating around,  it’s no surprise that an enterprising hacker has devised a new vector for password theft.

The app is a pretty good approximation of the Netflix log in screen – you can see the differences in Symantec’s illustration above. What’s even more dangerous is the fact that many people share log ins and  passwords across multiple sites, making this sort of scam a minefield for identity theft. (You don’t do that, right?) Remember: if your phone uses Android 2.2 or higher, there’s no reason NOT to download Netflix from the Android Market. And as always, never download and install an APK from a source that you don’t fully trust.
[via Cnet]

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Netflix for Android app gets updated, now plays on LG Thrill 4G and G2x

A couple of weeks ago, the Netflix Android application got updated to support most of the current handsets running on Android 2.2 and 2.3. While that sounded good to everyone, some devices such as the LG Thrill 4G and the T-Mobile’s G2x had an issue with the app which consisted of it not starting. Netflix just released a new minor update to address “minor bugs.” We can finally watch Netflix on the LG thrill and we also have reports that the G2x owners are also able to do the same. Use the links below or head to the market to take care of business.


(How to use QR codes)
Android Market Link

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Netflix app now supports all Android Froyo/Gingerbread devices

Netflix updated its Android application on Friday with support for any smartphone running Android 2.2 (Froyo) or Android 2.3 (Gingerbread). Netflix launched an Android app in May of this year, but it initially only supported a handful of high-end devices. Netflix slowly added support for a few more devices over the past couple of months, but anxious users were turning to leaked .APK files to try to get the service up and running on unsupported devices. Now, thankfully, getting the app on your Android phone won’t involve any tweaks. Netflix users should be sure to check the Android Market for the update if you have any long travel plans this weekend.
[Via DroidMatters]
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