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So you bought an iPhone 4, synced with iTunes, customized your wallpaper, and flipped through your free copy of Winnie-the-Pooh more times than you care to admit. Now it’s time to see what this thing can really do.
Anyone who’s owned an iPod nano or classic knows how well Apple’s mobile devices handle videos--but iOS has taken that stripped-down-silver-screen experience a step further. The App Store has let developers in on the act and opened the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch to a wide variety of players able to receive video over the air. Check out these best bets:
Happy, happy, joy, joy!
If you’ve saved enough clips on your Mac to open your own streaming video site, Air Video needs a permanent spot on your iPhone. With an ability to handle a wide variety of formats not supported by Apple--including RealVideo and Windows Media Video--and remote access to your Mac library over Wi-Fi and 3G, Air Video not only frees up a ton of space on your iPhone, it actually increases its synergy with the Mac, which makes us all giddy inside.
Netflix and Futurama, perfect together.
With the new iPhone app killing our productivity, we’ve been big fans of Netflix on the iPad since Day 1. High-quality, lag-free, scrubbable movies and TV shows, and a commercial-free library 10 times that of Hulu without adding a premium to our monthly subscription rate? So what if the first season of Roswell is marked as a new release? Where else can we watch the uncensored Comedy Central Roast of Bob Sagat on the go?
Finally, we're no longer at the mercy of the Family Guy app.
Already one of the most popular streaming sites on the Mac, Hulu is a natural fit for Apple’s family of iOS devices. Behind its exclusive curtain lies an embarrassment of riches--thousands of current series and dozens of full seasons you can’t find on Netflix--all for less than the cost of two Subway foot-longs. Check out our review of Hulu +.
Anything Hulu can do, our DVR can do better.
While all of these options promise endless hours of entertainment, if you’re looking for a true replacement for the living-room experience, only one app will suffice. Used in conjunction with its line of set-top box-streaming Slingboxes, it’s not exactly the cheapest solution in the App Store, but if you want instant access to the shows everyone’s talking about around the water cooler, accept no substitute.
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