IMDb If you're a fan of the movies then this app should be right up your aisle. Not only can IMDb tell you just about everything you could ever wish to know about just about every film ever made, but it has all the information you need to plan your movie-going night out too. Film opening dates, show times, the location and contact …
I seem to remember having an offline copy of the imdb way back when. I'm sure it may of even been on a couple of floppy disks or something.
And in other news...
What I want from an app like this is a Soundhound/Shazam type feature that listens to the movie audio or even takes a short movie segment via the camera, profiles it, and tells you what the film is. Mainly because Im a feckless boorish oaf, but also because I like reading some of the more technical detail around the film, seeing what else the actors have been in, the mistakes etc.
I seem to remember having an offline copy of the imdb way back when.
You still can.
As I seem to be getting quite a few e-mails about app permissions recently, this is what IMDb asks for.
YOUR LOCATION
COARSE (NETWORK-BASED) LOCATION
Access coarse location sources such as the cellular network database to determine an approximate tablet location, where available. Malicious apps may use this to determine approximately where you are. Access coarse location sources such as the cellular network database to determine an approximate phone location, where available. Malicious apps may use this to determine approximately where you are.
NETWORK COMMUNICATION
FULL INTERNET ACCESS
Allows the app to create network sockets.
SYSTEM TOOLS
PREVENT TABLET FROM SLEEPING PREVENT PHONE FROM SLEEPING
Allows the app to prevent the tablet from going to sleep. Allows the app to prevent the phone from going to sleep.
HARDWARE CONTROLS
CONTROL VIBRATOR
Allows the app to control the vibrator.
NETWORK COMMUNICATION
VIEW NETWORK STATE
Allows the app to view the state of all networks.
RECEIVE DATA FROM INTERNET
Allows apps to accept cloud to device messages sent by the app's service. Using this service will incur data usage. Malicious apps could cause excess data usage.
Seems all clear and above board, clearly it wants to know where you are, and you need data connectivity, and you don't want the screen turning off whilst watching a movie trailer.
The only weird one is the vibrator, I doubt it would be malicious, only pleasurable if they take advantage of that and give me a party in my pocket...
YOUR LOCATION > COARSE (NETWORK-BASED) LOCATION Well, it needs that for "Here's what's playing near you", obviously.
NETWORK COMMUNICATION > FULL INTERNET ACCESS
NETWORK COMMUNICATION > VIEW NETWORK STATE
NETWORK COMMUNICATION > RECEIVE DATA FROM INTERNET Makes sense for an internet app...
SYSTEM TOOLS >PREVENT TABLET/PHONE FROM SLEEPING Huh? Anyone got a good rationale for it needing this?
HARDWARE CONTROLS > CONTROL VIBRATOR Pull the other one.
Though I do wonder whether this review was of the app or more the reviewer trying to impress us with how 'art-house' he is when it comes to movies? So you've a few black and white flicks, we get it, you're a movie buff...
Had this running on my iPhone f'rages and constantly use it when watching movies. Hopefully it's as slick and easy to use on the Android platform too.
Firstly, I love IMDB. Its one of my most visited sites (after El Reg natch...) and was really keen on the idea of the mobile app for my droid.
And so it was lovely.... for a few months and then they changed it to a bloated POS that became more and more intrusive and less and less useful.
The author of this article only had to read the marketplace (sorry "play") reviews to see everyone saying the same thing.
Nope, this one is staying firmly uninstalled.
The problem is not one of the "problems" mentioned after the last update has manifested itself on my Desire HD or on any of the Android phones I've tested recently (it's one of the dozen or so apps I always download just to see how it runs on any phone I'm reviewing).
Scanning back over the first half dozen or so pages of user reviews the ratings still look pretty consistently 4 and 5 star to me.
Now, I can't comment on the Android version but the authors are apparently well aware of what's going on in the market and also provided a version for the Windows Phone, and it is indeed quite cool. Not too intrusive, all the info you want and very clear warnings when you're about to enter a part which contains spoilers.
What I also consider very cool is that they managed to maintain the looks and feel of the original program (as can be seen in the screenshots in this article) and basically converted it into the style for the "other" platform.
Writing a program for one platform is one thing. Believing in it and trying to make it available on /all/ platforms, that deserves some respect too IMO.
.. not.
OK, I'm in a charity shop and I see a copy of Capricorn One on DVD. Great film, but wait! It's a 4:3 picture on the disc. I don't think that's how it was released, let's look it up on the IMDb application...
First it wastes my bandwidth by downloading some crap I am not going to want to look at, but doing a search comes up with Capricorn One. Go to the listing.,, Title, rating, length, plot summary, release date, genre, some of the cast, some of the crew, links to reviews, trivia, quotes and goofs. But not the aspect ratio.
OK, tap on 'view on uk.IMDb.com'. More of my bandwidth limit goes. Less info, but I can now enable Facebook sharing, so that people I don't care about can know I am interested in this film.
In fact, I need to get the phone's browser pointing to IMDb, then tell it I want to see the desktop version of the site (more bandwidth goes) and only then can I see it was indeed originally in widescreen.
The other critical bit of info neither the application or mobile site tell you is about the existence of any alternative (i.e. usually censored but sometimes extended) versions.
Put DVD back on the shelf and uninstall the IMDb app.
True story, unlike Fargo :)
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