A San Francisco-based tech company called doubleTwist is making a name for itself in a big way. The company’s founders, Monique Farantzos and Jon Lech Johansen, may seem unfamiliar to you, but it’s who’s backing their digital media company that’s impressive. Of course, that would be Index Ventures, who also helped little companies like Skype and Last.FM get off the ground and turn into multi-million dollar industries.
The makers of doubleTwist had a deceptively simple vision: to create a unifying media platform that connects consumers with all their media and all their devices, regardless of whether they are online or offline. This differs significantly from iTunes, which is more of a proprietary application.
When the doubleTwist player was first released in the summer of 2010, it quickly blew critics away, and for those who had Android devices, it was sort of a revelation. This is because around this time countless Android users were very vocal about their dislike of and unhappiness with the Android’s music and video synchronization options. Thankfully, T-Mobile was the first to choose the doubleTwist desktop app as their official Android syncing software. It quickly proved to be the right choice.
Shortly after, doubleTwist released their companion media player app, and it was quickly deemed superior to the less-than-ideal one that that came preloaded on all Android devices. DoubleTwist’s version was so versatile, in fact, that PC Magazine said that, when combined with the desktop version of doubleTwist, users would be able to “sync music, movies, podcasts, and even iTunes playlists and photos as seamlessly as any Apple device owner.”
From very early on, it seemed as if doubleTwist’s creators knew what they didn’t like about current devices and how they wanted to avoid the same problems. “We feel that just like you don't use a different browser for every web site you visit -- Firefox to read the NY Times, IE to stream Hulu, Chrome to browse YouTube, etc. -- you shouldn't have to use iTunes for Apple products, Nokia software for Nokia phones, Sony software for Sony products,” Johansen said. “Today, the typical household has too many devices and there is a need for simple and powerful software that connects them.”
Essentially, the doubleTwist app enables users to send photos and videos to others and sync their media library to a wide array of portable devices. It is doubleTwist’s AirSync app in particular that’s really getting the word out on this three-year-old company. Let’s find out more about AirSync and what we can expect from doubleTwist in the future
According to the doubleTwist site, AirSync enables a “life without wires” by allowing users to wirelessly sync their iTunes playlists, photos, and videos with their Android phone using their home Wi-Fi network. The app is only available on the Android Market, and it’s proving to be quite popular, despite having some tough competition from the get-go.
This is because AirSync was released at the same time Winamp released the latest version of their Android application, which also enables users to sync their music wirelessly with a Windows desktop. The folks over at doubleTwist aren’t afraid of sharing their opinion on the timely release of Winamp or the people who will use it. Shortly after the release of both apps, doubleTwist’s founders released a statement saying, “In general, we do not consider Winamp a competitor as they are geared towards a specific subcategory of users who don’t mind endless menus, preferences, and options. We are more focused on the mass market, average user who just wants to make the most out of their device without being overwhelmed by technology.”
Though reputable sources like TechCrunch are praising Winamp’s latest app incarnation as a “great feature,” it’s not enough to win the race to become what’s being referred to as the “iTunes of Android.” It seems as if AirSync is making doubleTwist the more likely contender for that title.
doubleTwist & Android
Through all of 2010 it was made clear that doubleTwist has a close affiliation with Android. For one, the company has a desktop media player that is strikingly similar to that of iTunes, but that doesn’t really come as a surprise, seeing as how doubleTwist has taken to marketing itself as the “iTunes for Android.” One only needs to check out their "cure for iPhone envy" campaign to know this to be true. There’s also the added support it offers for the Android App Store. Arguably, doubleTwist’s coolest feature is its new wireless syncing feature, AirSync, and it should come as no surprise that it comes in the form of an Android app.
It’s a surprisingly powerful feature, so some users might be surprised to find that it’s incredibly easy to set up. Users must only install the latest doubleTwist client on their Mac or PC, and then download the latest version of the Android app. Next, users must simply set their phone to connect to the same Wi-Fi network as their computer, open up the Android app, and hit the AirSync icon. Admittedly, even a technophobe would find it to be a piece of cake.
What happens afterwards is that the desktop app will detect the phone and ask the user to key in a passcode. From that point, users can then configure the app to sync their photos, music, and video.
The whole process should take no longer than around three minutes, but it’s the syncing that will really eat up time. Sometimes it’s surprisingly fast, but depending on a user’s Wi-Fi speed, it could take hours. No matter how long it takes you, there’s good news: doubleTwist’s Android application’s basic functionality is free. To upgrade and use AirSync, however, users must upgrade to a paid version. Just 99 cents will get the first 10,000 users an upgrade, but for those who didn’t make it quickly enough, it will cost $4.99.
Those who don’t like to fidget and fuss with programs will be happy to find out that one of the most appealing aspects of AirSync is that it requires very little, well, fidgeting and fussing. Pretty much after the initial setup, everything will work automatically. Whenever the user is within range of their wireless network, the doubleTwist desktop client will be able to detect any and all new content on the user’s phone, and in turn, it will be able to sync it back to their computer. If it’s preferable, users can also sync new content from their computer back to their device. Essentially, this means that a user can capture some new videos on their phone, and if they can avoid walking past their computer once at home, they can sit down at their desk and find that the videos are already waiting on them.
A Few Problems
It’s impossible not to be impressed by the AirSync app, but that’s not to say that it’s completely perfect -- at least not yet. Keep in mind that AirSync was only released this past November, so the app does have a few issues that doubleTwist will no doubt be working out over the next couple of months. For example, some users have complained that their phones become quite sluggish during syncs.
Also, the folks over at Engadget discovered that users will probably want to start fresh with syncing their collection. They made the mistake of trying to pick up where they left off and ended up accidentally wiping out all of the content stored on the test phone. Testers at Engadget also noticed issues with the application trying to sync or update the database while they were listening to music, which led to the playback abruptly being stopped on numerous occasions when the app was attempting to talk to the phone.
It goes without saying that they also ran into problems concerning speed when it came time to sync. Rather than blaming it on the speed of the Wi-Fi, however, Engadget said users with particularly big media collections will also run into the same problem. Users can only hope that these are some of the first issues Monique Farantzos and Jon Lech Johansen will attack once they begin perfecting the app and working out all of the kinks in the coming months.
As much as MAC fans may not want to admit it, Google is quickly becoming the standard, and applications like AirSync are the future as we know it. Any sane person will tell you that this is a step in the right direction, too. After all, is there anyone on the face of the planet who actually likes the endless amount of tethering between devices, programs, and products we’re forced to endure on a daily basis? It’s doubtful, which is why apps like AirSync are obviously the way things are headed from here on out. Obviously it’s not just AirSync that deserves recognition; it’s the apps maker, doubleTwist. They are truly the first company to offer such insightful and thoughtful integration, and chances are its popularity will only increase in 2011 and beyond.
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