As the mobile handset continues to move from being one of our many computing platforms to becoming our primary platform, we want to be able to do more and more with it. We want to send messages with it, carry music on it, record video with it, and use it as a remote control for our lives. It’s all about immediate gratification and the power to get things done wherever and whenever you have the ability to do so.
Kwiry – an SMS-based service designed to simplify mobile tasks – has just announced a feature that plays right into that mindset: allowing you to control your TiVo remotely via SMS.
If you’re a connoisseur of TiVo or DVR, you’ve no doubt experienced the forehead-slapping aggravation of forgetting to set the box to record a certain show. Or you’ve heard about something cool that you want to make sure you see. More often than not, those instances occur when you’re out and about.
To date, your best option was sprinting to the nearest laptop with wireless access to use the TiVo Web interface or using your mobile browser to hit the TiVo mobile site – if you had enough connectivity. But browsing the Web from even the best mobile device is relatively data-intensive – and therefore time-consuming – when compared to sending a text message.
With Kwiry, saving that show is as simple as sending a text. Once you’re signed up for Kwiry and configured the service, simply text the keyword “tivo” plus the name of the program – like, say, Flight of the Conchords – to 59479. That’s it. You’re done. Kwiry will add it to your TiVo shows. It’s hard to imagine controlling TiVo from afar could be any easier – save for an Internet Brain Implant.
Texting your TiVo is only one of the features of this release. The new version of Kwiry also introduces the ability to access Yelp reviews and send your virtual business card to an email contact, all using simple text messages. The service has also integrated Facebook Connect, enabling users to share Kwiry data with their friends on Facebook – and allowing new users to easily establish accounts using their Facebook credentials.
These new features join a gamut of functionality already available in the service. And they sit quite nicely alongside features like adding movies to your Netflix queue and products to your Amazon Wish List.
As someone who is often on the move and who has come to rely on Evernote as a second brain, I see this type of immediate access to – and control of – services from a mobile handset extremely appealing. Not to mention that, with the ever increasing speed of our lives, having the ability to get small things done when and where you can is often the key to remaining sane. Kwiry appears to be adding a number of features that promise that grasp on sanity will remain strong.
Kwiry is a free service, although your carrier’s typical SMS charges apply. To test drive the beta TiVo service or any of the other services offered, visit Kwiry.
