Geek Chic: The Best Video On Your Smartphone
By Dan Rowinski (from Read Write Web) on June 7, 2011
Smartphones and tablets are everywhere. Just mention the hottest new mobile device and people get a tingling sense of euphoria. The problem a lot of people have when getting the newest device though is, "Wow, this thing is sleek... what do I do with it?"The best way to test out the capabilities of your device and impress your friends is to watch movies, shows or short videos on the device. YouTube comes pre-loaded with almost any smartphone or tablet on the market but there are lots of other great options to look into. Netflix and Hulu Plus
No discussion of video on mobile would be complete without these two killer applications. Movie streaming from Netflix costs $7.99 a month and is available for iPhone, iPad, Windows Phone and a limited amount of Android devices with more being added by the week. If you have one application on any of your devices, Netflix should be it. Hulu Plus is also $7.99 a month and allows users to watch television shows from the major networks the day after they are. Want to catch with episodes season of Chuck? Hulu Plus is the answer.ABC Player for iPad
ABC has the only app of all the major networks that its primetime TV schedule from a mobile device. ABC is also a partner in Hulu and some of its shows are available there, but if you are looking for all the episodes of Cougar Town, ABC Player is your best bet.MLB At Bat 2011
Sports nut? Love you some baseball? What if you moved away from your hometown and miss seeing your favorite team on TV every night? MLB At Bat is available for iOS devices and Android and shows out-of-market baseball games live from your device along with news, scores, stats and more. The app is $14.99, which comes with the ability to listen to any game you want from anywhere. To watch games you will need an MLB.TV subscription, which runs $89.99 for the basic package. Seems steep, but well worth it for devout baseball nerds.ShowYou for iPad
Like to troll YouTube looking for those random jewels or the latest news? ShowYou is a new iPad app that users your social feeds -- Facebook and Twitter -- to inform what videos it presents. In terms of serendipitous discovery of video content on a mobile device, not much is cooler out there than ShowYou.Newsy
Prefer to watch your news than read it? Newsy is available for iOS devices and Android and presents short video clips on news that interests you. Search through news stories from entertainment, technology, politics and more and build playlists that will help you catch up on what matters to you.
Did we miss a great way to watch video on your mobile device? Let us know in the comments. ===================================================================
ReadWriteWeb is a popular weblog that provides web technology news, reviews and analysis. One of the world's top 20 blogs, ReadWriteWeb speaks to an intelligent audience of web enthusiasts, early adopters and innovators. ReadWriteWeb is currently syndicated by the New York Times. Dan Rowinski is a Writer for ReadWriteWeb, joining the team in April, 2011. Chef turned journalist turned tech geek, he is always willing to talk anything culinary or the intricacies of the newest smartphone. He has a BA in English from Virginia Commonwealth University and a Master's degree in Journalism from Boston University. When not traversing for bleeding edge web trends, Dan is a sports writer who can often be found haunting the ballparks and arenas of Washington, D.C. Contact Dan on Twitter @Dan_Rowinski or email at dan@readwriteweb.com.
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