It’s easy to dream about the potential uses for the Apple iPad, especially when it comes to television and video. These current iPhone apps would work just a bit better in the tablet’s large-screen format.
TV.com (free) offers video from CBS, the CW and Showtime. Full episodes are available for shows such as Accidentally on Purpose, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CSI: Miami, CSI: NY, NCIS and Late Show with David Letterman. You can also catch up on television classics, such as Family Ties, Beverly Hills, 90210 and Dynasty. TV.com relies mostly on Wi-Fi for most of its content to play, but that shouldn’t be an issue for the Tablet.
For sports fans, MLB.com At Bat (free in the off-season; $9.99 in-season) offers video and live audio, and once baseball starts up in the spring, the iPhone app will stream a few games every day. MLB TV subscribers can also watch any game live. NBA League Pass Mobile ($19.99) is the official iPhone app for the NBA and offers 40 live games per week, along with full replays for up to 48 hours afterward.
Current Slingbox users can download the SlingPlayer Mobile ($29.99) iPhone app to connect their iPhone or iPod Touch to their home television screen. The iPhone app can change channels with a swipe, control the DVR and play live television over Wi-Fi (3G works with jailbroken phones and 3G Unrestrictor). Video already streams in 16×9 widescreen, so image what it could look like on a 10-inch screen.
Finally, the aptly named Television ($2.99) iPhone app offers pre-recorded content from 42 channels from the U.S., UK, France and Germany. Again, this iPhone app only works over Wi-Fi, but the video quality is outstanding. While the iPhone app does crash on occasion, it updates with new content daily and includes podcasts, clips and full episodes. Available channels include CNN, NBC, CBS, Fox News, ESPN, Onion News Network, Diggnation and Sky News to name just a few.
