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Android Apps that will turn your Android into a TV

Catch up on your favorite shows any time, anywhere!
By
April 9, 2012
android tv apps

Television – you either love it or hate it. Or love-hate it? Anyway, we all have a deep, if sometimes ambivalent relationship with our TV sets. We use TV to relax, to get informed, to stay in touch, to learn things, to lose time, to forget about problems, and the list can go on and on. It’s no wonder that many have tried (and mostly failed) to offer a truly portable TV-watching device.

And then the smartphone came along, bringing the brains of silicon and the looks of hi-res screens to the mainstream consumer. The increasingly-large smartphones these days can double as TVs without problem, provided you have the right apps. So, for all of you TV maniacs, we bring you the best apps that will transform your Android device into a TV, so you can enjoy your favorite sitcom, ball game, or reality TV show wherever you are.

SPB TV is a multi-platform app that lets you watch live TV shows from around the world, for free. With over 120 channels to choose from, this app is one of the best apps out there for watching your favorite TV shows. Navigating through the channels is simple and you can adjust the quality of the streams from high to low. SPB TV is also great for watching video on-demand TV shows. Other notable features include a wide selection of public channels, quick channel previews, fast channel switching, integrated TV guide, picture in picture mode, and on-screen controls.

Another awesome Android app that will turn your Android into a TV is Crackle. Crackle – Movies & TV lets you watch full-length TV shows and movies on your Android smartphone and tablet for free. We love the fact that this app is capable of streaming high quality videos, with over 20 new TV episodes and movies added each month. And we are talking about unlimited on-demand videos across different genres. While some might complain about the occasional commercials, considering that it’s totally free, downloading the Crackle is well worth it. Crackle is currently available in the U.S., Canada, U.K., and Australia.

Did you know that you can actually watch any TV show on your Android device? Thanks to the In2Streams – Streaming TV app for Android, you can now gain access to all of your favorite TV shows in a snap. The app has over 5000 TV episodes ready for your viewing pleasure. The only downside is that you will be required to subscribe to In2Streams’ service. The app, however, is free to download. If you’ve already tried the service  on your computer, you’ll easily see the many advantages of utilizing this app.

You will love the cool TV.com app for Android. TV.com lets you access CBS TV channels like CNBC, CW, ET, CBS Showtime, CBS Sports, and CNET, without the painful subscription fees. The app essentially delivers the whole TV experience onto your Android smartphone or tablet. If you are looking for great shows including your favorite sitcoms, then the TV.com app is exactly what you need. The new version is now faster, with a newly improved layout design that provides easy access to a lot of your favorite TV episodes. And yes, the video quality is excellent as well. If you’ve got lots of time to kill, download the TV.com app for Android right now.

TV Listings for Android is a fast and easy app that will let you watch over 13,000 TV channels from the U.S. We love this app for its simple design and functionality. No complex UI here, only pure streaming. TV Listings for Android covers all types of shows – over the air, cable and satellite. Notable features include tabs, movie ratings, reminders, filtering, and searches. TV Listings for Android is a great app that will definitely turn your phone or tablet into a mobile TV.

Of course, we can’t forget about IMDb and its dedicated mobile app for Android. IMDb is the most reliable source of information when it comes to movies and TV shows. The IMDb Movies & TV  app for Android allows you to search over 2 million movies and TV titles, complete with helpful reviews and ratings, to help you stay away from those boring duds. We personally love IMDb’s high quality movie trailers and movie showtime schedules. You can also view TV listings for your own local time zone and watch recaps from previous shows. You can even search for DVD and Blu-Ray titles by scanning a barcode or by taking cover art pictures. Sounds good does it?

The World Streaming TV app is sitting at the top spot on Google Play for the Video and Media apps category. The new version  of the app has undergone multiple bug fixes and it should work smoothly on any Android smartphone and tablet. True to its name, the app has a huge list of channels for you to choose from, from more than 70 different countries. Now you can watch your favorite TV shows, matches, or world news, 24 hours a day. The user interface is simple enough to get used to in a matter of minutes. You can save your shows and channels by bookmarking them and you can also join the WSTV Community for suggestions and support.

Surely, you don’t want to miss a single episode of your favorite TV show. Whether it’s Game of Thrones or Big Bang Theory, you can keep up using your Android device and the ShowTimes app.  So what makes this app special? While it’s not really an app that will allow you to stream shows, it’s perfect for staying updated with the latest episodes released on TV. We just love the simplicity of the app. Navigation is easy and the relevant results are delivered blazing fast via the search feature. The ShowTimes app for Android also features a widget that will display your shows and add a reminder to your calendar. There’s also a backup option to save your shows to your SD card.

There you have it – our list of hand-picked best apps that let you enjoy TV on the go. Which one’s your favorite? Did we forget about a cool Android TV app?