Over the past couple of years the Fort Collins, Colo.-based whole-house audio company CasaTunes has developed and marketed a growing choice of competitively priced, full-feature multiroom audio servers that include app-based control capabilities. The company recently augmented the features and functionality of its Apple iOS app by improving the navigation and enhancing the system integration options.
Headlining the changes to the newly redesigned app is the addition of the company's new “Reveal Menu.” CasaTunes explains this feature takes several of the most commonly used tasks and packages them together in a new action menu for fast and easy access to these functions. Within the “Reveal Menu” homeowners can select the “Move Music” menu to move music from one room to another. The “Reveal Menu” also features a “Share Music” menu, and options to turn rooms off and “Wakeup to Music.”
Other features include a “Configure Rooms” option that offers the ability to rename rooms, change the picture of a room, set volume levels and the management of room groups.
Some of the usability upgrades the company made to the app include a minimized layout of the room controls at the top of the app that displays the progress bar, repeat and shuffle controls. CasaTunes explains that users that listen to music services that support positioning within a song can use its magnifying control that allows users to set a precise position within a song. Users can also create CasaTunes playlists that can be saved as favorites. Favorited playlists are displayed at the forefront of the Music Menu to enable users to easily play them back.
CasaTunes points out the new app no longer uses check marks when selecting music, and it says the app displays the “Play Options” alert when homeowners select songs or the “Play All” function. Digging into these functions CasaTunes notes the play icon in the “Play All” and playlist items is an optional feature that can be configured to bypass the “Play Options” alert.
Aiding custom electronics professionals during the installation process is CasaTunes' newly enhanced URL scheme that allows third-party apps to launch the CasaTune app. The URL scheme also allows dealers to setup the state of the app when the third-party app is opened. Dealers can utilize setup options such as the “Back to App” menu button with optional titles the dealer/customer supplies when the third-party app opens the CasaTunes app.
In addition, the CasaTunes app now includes a timeout option that automatically returns control back to the launching app, as well as a new playlist option that allows for the selection of a playlist by name, and it moved the “Back to App” feature to the “Reveal Menu.”
