I love Android devices, and all the new ways of media consumption that they—and the mobile community as a whole—have come up with. The HDMI out port has been one of my favorite features of my Android devices so far. In fact, I refuse to buy a device without one. Now, that port has gotten even more exciting. XBMC has just announced that not only is it working on an Android port, it already has a working prototype, and public beta testing should start soon. XBMC on a 10-inch Android tablet? I would have to say heck yes!
The news gets better, with XBMC announcing that this isn’t just a gimmicky remote control, but the real McCoy. “Today we announce XBMC for Android. Not a remote, not a thin client; the real deal. No root or jailbreak required. XBMC can be launched as an application on your set-top-box, tablet, phone, or wherever else Android may be found. The feature-set on Android is the same that you have come to expect from XBMC, no different from its cousin on the desktop.”
For those of you unfamiliar with XBMC—originally Xbox Media Center—it is a media player and entertainment hub along the lines of Windows Media Center, except for the part where it’s compatible with Windows, OSX, Linux, and soon Android. I am always a fan off cross-platform programs, and when you throw in it being open-source, free, extremely easy to use, and with DVD and network playback capabilities, well I’m just in heaven.
No release date has been given yet, but it is promised to be “soon,” with beta versions for the more adventurous even sooner. And of course, being open-source and all, the source code will also be available very soon. Hit the YouTube source to check out a proof of function video—albeit low quality—to tide you over until the app comes out.
