We review TV Schedules, an iPhone app that creates a custom Radio Times just for you, and plans out your TV viewing on a calendar automatically
TV guides aren’t at all uncommon on the iPhone, and that’s perfectly understandable given that they’re monumentally easier to use on a touchscreen with a search facility. Looking through an electronic program guide (EPG) even on an HD TV feels like squinting at the world through a letterbox, especially now that there are a gazillion different channels to scroll through.
TV Schedules isn’t your typical on-device EPG, however, as it puts the focus on the programs rather than the channels. This is a seemingly minor difference, but it turns out to be an incredibly important one.
Your first job in TV Schedules is to hunt down the series you’re interested in. The app allows you to enter a search string for the series you want to add to the list, and offers up a selection of possibilities. Even with a name as generic as “House” TV Schedules manages to find the show you’re looking for quickly and accurately, so populating the list isn’t much of a chore at all.
It even tracks down series that haven’t been on television for a long time, and while it might not offer much insight onto when they’re next showing, it’s nice to know this is an epic database it’s scraping info from.
Initially all it really provides is the time and date of the show’s next airing, which feels a little thin on the information front until you consider that there really isn’t much else to say on the topic. House is on again in six days and 13 hours is all you need to know about that particular series, and the app makes it hard to forget since it provides notifications as a reminder.
You can bring up a quantity of background data on each series, however, with synopses, actors, ratings and a host of other stats for the show. Previous airings are also quickly available through selection wheels for the series and episode number. A quick recap is provided for what happened that week, along with its original broadcast date.
The main page gives you a chronological list of the shows you’re tracking, displaying the next show at the top and displaying what’s coming up in the next week and month. Flipping the device on its side automatically switches the screen to a landscape calendar, with your monitored shows automatically entered so you can get a fast overview of the entire month, which is a great feature.
The app leans a little toward the US, but still manages to dig up relevant info for UK-centric programming, so it’s definitely worth a look for those who prefer Eastenders to Lie To Me. The app has been free since launch although it currently threatens to go paid soon, so grab this one while it’s hot.
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