Before you scream at me, this is not because I love Apple and I want to die for it, neither is this my attempt at compensate for the horribly boring keynote at Macworld Expo, but I will write a review of an iPhone/iPod touch application. The reasons are as follows:
I’m an iPod touch user. I periodically cruise app store on iTunes, which is organized just so that you don’t find the thing you might be looking for for half an hour and while cruising around spend approximately £15 on apps you didn’t think you want.
I got to use iPhone for 2 weeks recently and it won me over. I still wouldn’t pay £300 for it, mainly because I don’t remember ever having 300 pounds at my disposal. The applications don’t work in the background, which is a serious flow for compulsive multitasker like myself (at the minute: writing this, watching Have I got news for you, talking to friends, smoking, drinking and reading 3 articles at once). Other than that it’s near perfect. The touch screen is sensational.
I do think both devices are sweet and usable. And I think iTunes app store sucks. I also love film and I’ve fallen in love with this little thing.
Enter Showtimes.
Just don’t read the desription in the app store (talking about going out to the movies with your girlfriend: ‘you pull out your iPhone and pull her close. “Ah” she sighs with amazement as you do nothing more than tap once on Showtimes icon’. I mean… seriously?). It is indeed brilliant for ocassions when you feel like going to see a movie, but you don’t exactly know which one. Also brilliant when you know which one – search will give you an overwiev, link to the website, in most cases link to the trailer (amazing for trailer junkies, who, as it happes, should also subscribe to filmtrailer.com videocast) and links to internet movie data base entry and the official site. And, of curse, listings, who are accurate also in London. Once you chose the cinema you can hop straight to google apps, which will show you directions.
Must have for cinema goers.