1. Sky+
Price: Free.
Phone: Apple, Android.
Tablet: Apple, Android
On phones Sky+ is a great way to check
what’s on and remotely record TV, but the iPad app takes things up a notch:
it’s now a full remote control for your Sky box. The interactive channel
listings show full programme information along with Sky’s highlights, and when
you click Watch, your TV responds instantly. You can then flip to the live
gesture interface and rewind what you’re watching with a simple swipe. Sky has
said the remote control feature will also be coming to phones “very soon”.
An
update to the Sky+ app lets Sky viewers use their Apple devices
to change channels, as well as play, pause and rewind TV with just a swipe or
tap of the finger on screen.
2. Sky Sports for iPad
Price: Free.
Tablet: Apple
The dedicated Sky Sports iPad app is
another that keeps improving. While it performs the staple duties of EPG and
live player for your subscribed sport channels, it’s even better as a
second-screen viewing companion. The Premier League Match Centre keeps you up
to date on a Saturday, with a Champions League alternative for midweek. The
Formula 1 Race Control has (not quite) live timing updates and video feeds, and
Sky added a great live scorecard and feeds in time for the recent Ryder Cup.
3. Zeebox
Price: Free.
Phone: Apple, Android.
Tablet: Apple, Android
There’s no denying zeebox’s popularity, but
whether it’s for you will largely depend on your opinion of tapping away at a
tablet during Game of Thrones. People of, ahem, a certain age may find the idea
of “second-screen viewing” as horrific as those odd people on book but if
you’re up to it, few apps integrate TV and social networking with such panache.
4. BBC iPlayer
Price: Free.
Phone: Apple, Android, Windows.
Tablet: Apple, Android
Mobile iPlayer has been around since 2008,
but this year’s update was big. You still get the majority of the BBC’s output,
including plenty of sport and film, but the update allows you to download video
to your device. Not only does this make you less reliant on battery killing 3G,
but it also means that you can stock up with a few episodes of QI before
you head abroad. The feature is iOS only for now, but an Android update is due
soon.
5. Netflix
Price: From $8.99/mth
Phone: Apple, Android.
Tablet: Apple, Android
Although we could just as easily have gone
for Lovefilm Instant and your choice may come down to the differing content in
the services’ listings Netflix is much better designed. Categories drill down
into subcategories with a more creativity, and the scrollable cover flow layout
makes spotting your favourites much simpler. Whichever you prefer, both tablet
services are a good complement to the existing set top box and console plugins.
6. Spondle
Price: Free.
Phone: Apple, Android, Window.
Tablet: Apple, Android
With the exception of the more stylish iPad
app, Spondle’s results pages have the unattractive multicoloured look of an
early HTML experiment, but there’s something lovely about a location app that
pushes people towards local theatres and exhibitions rather than chain
restaurants. Spondle uses your GPS to tell you what entertainment is going on
around your location, so the phone apps are great for a weekend break in an
unfamiliar part of the UK.
7. SoundCloud
Price: Free.
Phone: Apple, Android.
Tablet: Apple, Android
SoundCloud members can record and upload their
own music, DJ mixes, sound effects or audio recordings and share them with as
many, or as few, people as they care to – which also makes it an invaluable
resource for global collaboration. It’s taken the place of Myspace for many
professional musicians, artists, record labels and DJs, who regularly share
exclusive tracks fresh from the studio, upload DJ mixes from recent events, or
demo their latest releases.
8. Plex
Price: From $4.5.
Phone: Apple, Android, Window.
Tablet: Apple, Android
Streaming audio to mobile devices is made
easy by Plex, which works on most phones and tablets including Windows Phone as
of this year. Set up the client on your home PC and you’ll be able to access
its content on the move, as well as taking advantage of a wide range of
internet channels. Just watch your 3G data usage if you’re not on an unlimited
contract.
The
main menu of Plex as well as a list of movies on a standard Android phone
9. Xbox SmartGlass
Price: Free
SmartGlass turns a Windows 8 tablet into a
touchscreen Xbox controller, allowing you to access the non-gaming aspects of
Microsoft’s console. The interface includes tiles for the apps such as BBC
iPlayer, Lovefilm, Sky and so on that you’ve installed on your Xbox, although
navigating through them can be tough. Swiping around the home screen is
intuitive, though, and it’s a godsend when your Xbox controller batteries die.
10. Amazon Cloud Player
Price: free.
Phone: Apple, Android
Transferring music to your smartphone can
be a pain, but store your music in the cloud and you can listen wherever you
are, on whatever device you want. Amazon’s Cloud Player app, which recently
went live in the UK, lets you stream or download tracks, provides unlimited
storage for music bought via Amazon’s MP3 store, plus storage for up to 250 of
your own tracks for free, and up to 250,000 songs for an annual fee of $32.99.
