Did you know that the print version of TV Guide still exists? When I was a child, this was one of those mythic publications that sat on grocery store checkout aisles next to the tabloids as a bastion of sanity. When I'd visit my grandparents, the weekly guide would be stuffed into my grandmother's chair in the pocket reserved usually only for crossword puzzles and word searches. Later on in my youth, the TV Guide channel's rolling parade of listings probably took a few hours of my time that could've been spent learning a foreign language. Though both of these institutional pillars still exist, the days of charts and grids are behind us, and the TV Guide has finally hit the 21st century.
While the necessity of yap.TV Guide is no longer immediately apparent in this age of cable-cutting, the features brought to the table can appeal even to those who subscribe to their seasons via iTunes. What the cable channel lost in its transition from print, was the content of interviews and images related to almost every show under the sun, as well as program summaries. yap.TV's got associated media in spades, from stills to video content, along with large high-quality images for each show's page within the app. There is also the ability to customize your own guide, where omitting horrendous reality shows on the fly can make you a better person instantaneously.
Where yap.TV really shines, however, is that they are the first app I've seen in a long time to actually get social media right. Every show has a "Tweets" section that scours twitter hashtags and replies to communicate what anyone in the world has to say about the program. The Facebook integration actually compiles the list of TV shows your friends are also a fan of, opening up avenues of discussion through existing mediums. It's a small step, but it shows what even just an iota of effort into social networking can accomplish. Sure, there's also the requisite Facebook and Tweet options that link to your account and give you a pre-assigned message such as, "I'm watching Archer," but that's as common as oxygen at this point.
Ultimately, there aren't horoscopes and the gossip may be lacking, but your television experience will be better if you put the time into getting the most out of yap.TV Guide. I'm not waiting for the Pay-Per-View section to scroll by ever again.
Click here to download yap.TV Guide on iTunes.
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