boxee now in public alpha

So you know I’m the UX consultant for boxee, right? Well they’ve been in private, invite-only alpha since June, and already they have 200,000 users.

Today at CES they announced a new version available to the public. That means you no longer need an invite to get in. With the new version comes a bunch of bug fixes and great new content: the entire Joost library, MTV Music videos, and BBC iPlayer (for UK users only). I’ve been playing around with it since New Year’s Eve, and all I can say is WOW.

boxee is still in alpha, which means that you have to be patient and deal with a few kinks here and there. But trust me when I say that the app is so marvelous you’ll hardly notice. We’re currently working on getting to beta, making boxee accessible to a much wider audience and making sure we create the most pleasurable home entertainment experience possible. That’s what my whole project with them is about, and I’ll be keeping you posted as the process progresses.

If you join the alpha, be sure to add me as a friend using [email protected]. Any questions or thoughts you have can be directed to @boxee on Twitter, which is tended to by boxee CEO Avner Ronen, or right to me @whitneyhess. You can also post longer-form questions/comments/product ideas on boxee’s Get Satsifaction page.

I’m really excited about the paradigm shift that boxee can trigger in the way we consume digital media of all kinds. I’m thankful for such a devoted user base so early in the game, and look forward to helping boxee make people happy.

Now go try it out!

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