computerwoche.de

Archiv

i.TV for iPhone

24.12.2008
If you’re trying to find a movie that’s worth your $11 at the local cineplex, the App Store has plenty of apps that help you track down what’s playing and when. (We’ve reviewed a pair in and .) If you’d rather just stay in and watch TV, the App Store has you covered there, too—programs such as and offer TV listings in the palm of your hand.

Turn On, Tune In: i.TV presents you TV listings with channels reflecting your cable provider or satellite service. Tap the top of the screen to jump to different times and sorting options.But what if you want to know about both the movie and TV options available to you and you don’t care to jump back and forth among apps? i.TV offers you a one-stop app for all the latest listings, up-to-date and searchable by everything from genre to channel and more. It may be the only entertainment app you’ll need to carry with you on your iPhone or iPod touch.

To get the most out of i.TV, you’ll need to set up an account with . Some may balk at that, but the process is easy and can be completed from your mobile device. You’re simply asked for your e-mail, user name, and actual name; you also move a slider to indicate that you’re older than 13. You’re given the option of opting out i.TV news updates, and the company lists its privacy policy within the Settings-> Accounts -> i.TV Account screen.

The recent 1.2 update to i.TV added a What’s Hot tab to the TV, Movies, and My Media buttons on the bottom of the screen. What’s Hot features entertainment news, TV show recaps, and previews of upcoming TV programs and movies. You can’t customize this information. The What’s Hot tab also knocked i.TV’s excellent Search tab off the main page and on to the More screen, which is unfortunate.

Still, you’ll spend most of your time with this app in the TV, Movies, and My Media tabs because that’s where i.TV’s power really lies.

Tap the TV tab and you’ll get a list of the show currently airing in your area. (You can set up i.TV to grab the listings of your cable provider or satellite service.) If you want to search for future programs, tapping the top of the screen takes you to a Display Options screen where you can search by time, jump to prime time listings, or sort listings by genre, category, title, ratings, and more.