Now that the Oscars have passed, there’s still a renewed interest in the film industry as we set out to watch the movies that were nominated and won awards. Mobile access to such movies has yet to become mainstream, but it’s on the way. Blockbuster has recently announced plans to launch movie rental downloads, which will be an on-demand mobile app for Android and Windows platforms.
The alternative to the iTunes App Store for mobile movies is just one of many that have already emerged and will continue to roll out as iPhone alternatives become more prevalent. Here are a few ways in which you can use your Android phone to get you the movies you want to watch.
Download and view movies
Movie Download lets you store movies from the Web onto your SD card in your Android device. YouTube videos, for instance, can be downloaded and viewed on your phone at a later date. The $3 Android app is a somewhat manual way to create an on-demand movie library, but this appeals to users relying on their phone for entertainment purposes, without the headaches of streaming content.
Torrent Droid Android app rides the legal fence, but it’s available nonetheless. For about $2, you can search and download movies from various torrents. A bar code scanner lets you search for movies just by taking a photo of the DVD case, adding another mobile component to its feature set.
For movies you already have saved or downloaded to your phone, the Cinema Android app can improve your viewing pleasure. The free video player lets you navigate the clips, saving spots and returning to the video where you left off. There are also a few basic search options to allow skipping through video content. Cinema does not work on all Android devices.
Movie rentals and information
Movies by Flixster won’t let you watch the movies, but you can find out information on films that are currently in theaters, as well as those that have moved on to the DVD shelves. Rotten Tomatoes reviews are included, as is a Netflix manager for queuing up your next round of movie night flicks.
PhoneFlicks offers another access point to your Netflix account, which may come in handy since Netflix has no Android presence. Free, PhoneFlicks lets you search titles and manage your queue. Filter by popular titles and new releases. Overall, the search and categories functions are still lacking, but it’s one of the most usable Android apps for managing Netflix.
As Redbox gains in popularity, finding a nearby kiosk may be just the thing to top off your evening errands. Create your own queue for Redbox movies and mark your favorite Redbox kiosk locations with the Redboxer Android app. Until Blockbuster launches a complete contending app, the free Redboxer is your best bet for location-based movie rentals.
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