Livestand and IntoNow: A Couple of Interesting iOS Apps From Yahoo

Who’d a thunk that we’d see a couple of interesting iOS Apps from Yahoo? Both Livestand and IntoNow are just that. I don’t think either App will light a huge fire, but they both offer some interesting user opportunities in the ever evolving App world.

Livestand from Yahoo is an iPad only App and essentially it curates some magazine content, (obviously some of this is from Yahoo properties but there is other content there as well) under one roof. The App allows for a nice touch tablet like browsing experience through the content. Think of it in the category of Flipboard or Zite, if you’re familiar with those kind of content reading Apps.

There is content available once you sign in with either your Yahoo or Facebook ID, and you can browse categories to add your own into what’s called your Personal Mix. You’ll recognize many of the titles that are available. I haven’t gotten into the App much but from what I’m seeing it is nicely done, reasonably intuitive, and if you’re one of those folks who still uses Yahoo’s many content services it might be worth a look.

Think of IntoNow as Shazam for your TV watching. It’s been around for awhile but has recently undergone a revamp to make it universal and available for the iPad. If you’re not familiar with Shazam it’s an App that allows you to listen to a song and it returns info on the song and the artist. IntoNow does the same kind of discovery while you’re watching the TV. You hit a button to start the listening process and it returns you info on the show. This makes conceptual sense in the context that many see iPads (and other Tablets) as coffee table devices that accompany your entertainment viewing. If you want to look up some quick info on a show, then this might be just your ticket. IntoNow says it has info on all programming in the last five years and what is currently on the tube. It worked well with a couple of quick tests in my living room and also at my desk viewing a show via Slingbox. The “magic” behind IntoNow is from Soundprint, that analyzes the ambient audio and compares it against a database to return the info to your device.

IntoNow’s  social and sharing component allows you to tell the world what you’re watching and connect with your friends who might be watching the same show or something else entirely and obviously this is probably where the App developers see its future.