I have to admit I’m still using Netflix to watch TV shows and movies on my iPhone, iPad and Apple TV, though the recent news has gotten me looking into alternatives. I just finished the first season of Damages and really liked it, and Sherlock was cool, but there’s a lot of choices out there now. Both Netflix and Crackle have a few old Anime shows I like, and several TV stations and cable and satellite companies have apps so if I miss an episode of the new fall premiers I can probably — hopefully — catch it later on my mobile device. But not always. For example, the HBO stuff is awesome and I loved Game of Thrones but it’s not available in my area… so what do I do? There’s always iTunes but buying is too expensive when I’m only ever going to watch something once. Which brings me to my main point.

Why is this still so hard? I have money. I want to give a reasonable amount of this money to Hollywood so I can watch their TV shows. They’ve pretty much figured this out for cable and satellite, but I don’t have either of those anymore. Why can’t they figure out the same type of thing for internet TV? Just let me pay a few dozen dollars a month and give me all the same TV everyone else gets in the old traditional way, along with the commercials if they really have to, and the goofy catalog channels that go with him. Just let me do it on demand.

But they won’t, so like I said I’m still with Netflix and all the other apps right now, scattered and fragmented across my poor iPhone and iPod. Unless anyone has any better ideas on how to watch TV shows on iPhone or iPad these days? Any apps you prefer? Anything besides bootleg internet downloads streamed from a PC via AirPlay…?

HBO Go is now available as a universal application for iPhone and iPad. If you’re an existing HBO subscriber, you will have access to over 1,400 HBO shows include HBO original programming, hit movies, sports an comedy.

• Keep up with your favorites. Watch everything you love about HBO, including HBO original programming, hit movies, sports, comedy and every episode of the best HBO shows, including True Blood®, Game of Thrones, Boardwalk Empire®, Entourage®, The Sopranos®, Curb Your Enthusiasm®, Sex and the City®, The Wire® and more. Plus, get bonus features and special behind-the-scenes extras!

• Take it with you. Get instant access to HBO GO whenever you want, wherever you are—and never miss a moment of your favorite HBO shows.

• Make it your own. Create a customized Watchlist to catch up on all your favorite HBO shows and hit movies at your convenience. Plus, set a Series Pass® to automatically load your list with all the HBO Original Series you love.

• Enjoy more HBO. Get even more of your favorite HBO programming with HBO GO—FREE with your HBO subscription through participating television providers.

Any HBO subscribers out there excited about this? If you pick it up, let us know what you think!

[Free, with HBO subscription through participating television providers - iTunes link]

After years of rumors it looks like HBO is finally ready to throw their hat — and programing content like Game of Thrones and Sopranos — into the iPad and iPhone ring with HBO Go. It looks like it will have all their original hit shows and some movies as well, and work over Wi-Fi and 3G.

HBO Go will come via “participating TV providers” — whatever that means — perhaps as early as May 2. You’ll have to be an HBO subscriber to use it. No word yet on whether it will be available internationally — but we can dream, right?

Video after the break.

[YouTube via Engadget]

GetGlue for iPhone and iPad [iTunes Link] are social networking sites where you can let your friends know what you’re watching, reading, playing, or thinking about.  Similar to FourSquare and Gowalla, you check in to show your friends what you’re up to.  You can also leave reviews on pretty much everything and people can then like your comments or let you know if they find them helpful.  As you check into things, you can earn stickers for your favorite items. You can also choose to have those stickers mailed to you once you collect 7. Click through for more screenshots and another video featuring the iPad version!

When signing up for GetGlue, you can choose two ways. You can either create a GetGlue account or just simply connect with FaceBook. After that, you can immediately start checking in and subscribing to other people’s feeds. GetGlue recently released an iPad app in addition to their iPhone app. They also have a GetGlue app for Android users as well. The general feel of GetGlue somewhat reminds me of Netflix, which isn’t a bad thing. Instead of NetFlix offering you suggestions simply based on your ratings and previous watched, your friends and followers can too. As you rate different movies, games, tv shows, and topics – you’ll collect more stickers and see more recommendations tailored to your personal tastes.

I’ve been using GetGlue for a little over a month now and I really enjoy the service. I’ve found some interesting movies and shows through the app and through comments other users have left for me. GetGlue has also recently announced their partnerships with such networks like Fox, Showtime, PBS, HBO, and Universal. You can now collect exclusive stickers for shows such as The Big C, Dexter, Glee, and several others. Aside from checking in and viewing your subscriber feed from your iPhone or iPad, you can also log into GetGlue on your computer at GetGlue.com. GetGlue is free in the app store. If you’ve already checked it out, let us know what you think in the comments!

Pros

• Learn about new movies, music, and shows through your friends and subscriptions

• Easy sign-up with FaceBook connect

• View trailers directly from movies or show pages

• Wealth of info available for several titles

Cons

• No retina display support for iPhone 4 (yet)

• Multi-tasking doesn’t appear to be present yet

• Subscriber counts is off at times (probably a bug that can be easily addressed)

YouTube Link

Great news for HBO fans! In an interview with Mossberg, HBO Co-President Eric Kessler said that HBO subscribers will be seeing HBO Go on their iPad’s soon.

In six months, HBO Go will be available to the channel’s paying subscribers at no additional cost through all major cable systems, on Apple Inc.’s iPad, on mobile devices and elsewhere.

In addition to this great news, Kessler also delivered the disappointing report that HBO and Netflix will likely not be making a deal, so don’t expect to see HBO shows on Netflix for iPad anytime soon.

If you’re an HBO subscriber, how excited are you to have access with your iPad? If you’re not a subscriber, will this additional feature entice you to sign up?

[Bloomberg via Engadget]

Yeah, Chrisey, hang on a minute, I’m conferencing in our mutual friend from Cupertino…

Hello? (Manage, this thing is easy to use!) Hello Stevie? Whoa, there he is… Stevie, It’s me Tony. So what do I gotta do to get on this computer thing… this iTunes Chrisey here keeps telling me about?

No, me, I don’t know nothing from nothing about it, but Chrisey tells me it’s, you know, the next big deal, and we want our taste.

Yeah, I’m using one of your — what do you call them — iPhones right now. Never mind how I got it, fell off the back of a truck with 10,000 of its little friends we’ve already shipped to China, capiche? Let’s talk content.

What’s that? Childlike sense of –? Listen hippie, we want flexible pricing and a bigger cut off the back end. We’re not those ***** from NBC you’re used to ******* dealing with, you hear me?

Simplicity? Zen? (Did he just tell say “boom”?!)

Okay. Calm down. Calm down. The suits from Time Warner are handled. Those ******* ********, they’ve blown it in the past, we all know that, but what’s done is done and this deal is good for them, good for us, good for you — good for everybody but those clowns up in Redmond, huh?

Yeah, okay, forgetaboutit. This time tomorrow you’ll be watching those foul-mouthed ***** on Deadwood and that crazy ***** Dexter or whatever right there on your little iPhone, okay? So why don’t you take one of your little barefoot walks down to Whole Foods and get one of those fruity drinks you like so much, and me and Chrisey will figure out the details, okay?

We good? HBO on iTunes now? Good.

Yeah, okay. Namaste to you to. Whatever. (Madone, you believe this guy?!)

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