One of my favorite apps for the iPhone and iPad is Zecter’s ZumoCast, which lets you stream music, images, and video to your iOS device from your home computer—we even included ZumoCast in our App Gem awards for 2010 as the best multimedia streaming app. So you can imagine my raised eyebrow of surprise when reader Rod e-mailed to say that the program wasn’t available in the App Store.
Sure enough, ZumoCast has vanished from the store, though Zecter’s other app, ZumoDrive, is still present. ZumoCast’s site says that downloads of the software have been “temporarily suspended” while the company makes unspecified enhancements. Existing users, however, can still continue to stream their media and access all the features of the app; those who want to be alerted when the app is available again can enter their e-mail address at the company’s site.
I got in touch with CEO David Zhao, who confirmed reports that Zecter had been acquired by Motorola last December. According to Zhao, Motorola required that they made certain software changes, which are currently in progress. Zhao estimates that completing the updates will take 1 to 2 months, but reiterates that the transition is temporary.
“It’s unfortunate that we had to take down the distribution of ZumoCast,” Zhao told me via e-mail. “We are huge fans of Mac and iOS products and fully intend to support them going forward.” That may help alleviate fears that Motorola’s acquisition would lead to ZumoCast going Android-only.
While it’s good news that ZumoCast is due to return, its absence is no doubt a disappointment for those looking for a great streaming app. In the meantime, check out App Gem honorable mention Air Video for video streaming and Audiogalaxy Mobile for your music streaming needs.