This week's App Smart column was about apps that can help you find your way to the right movie theater to see the film you want to see at a time you want to see it.
The Flixster app.Luckily there are a huge number of different apps that say they can help you find where to see a movie. One of the most popular is the Flixster app, free on both iOS and Android. Like its rival Fandango it tries to do almost everything to help you decide which movie to see and then to get you to a theater. This app can also sell you tickets to see movies at participating theaters, and packs in review data from Rotten Tomatoes. As a couple of bonus features it also lets you manage your Netflix queue and there's an option to stream and download some full-length movies to your device.
Despite Flixster's complex functionality, this app somehow still manages to preserve a relatively simple design. The app has also been regularly updated to keep it running smoothly and showing relevant dataâ€"most recently just a few weeks ago.
Also worth remembering is the fact that Apple is one of the better places online to find new movie trailers, and that for some time now Apple has offered the chance to find movie showtimes and theater info via its trailers Web page. Since this page is accessible by smartphone web browser it may be just as useful as a dedicated movie showtimes app. Plus it comes with Apple's clear and simple design.
The Landmark Theaters app.You can also search the app stores for an app that matches your favorite movie theater company, as many of these maintain their own apps. Landmark, which shows a lot of indie films, has its own free app. Some of these companies are also country-specific, and may be the best place to find local data when touring. Visiting Great Britain., for example, you could check out the Odeon app (free on iTunes), which even includes times for this brand's famous Leicester Square cinema. UCI's free iOS app would probably serve you well if you're in Italy, and so on.
Extra Quick Call
With the arrival of its new operating system Windows 8, Microsoft has updated its free Smartglass app with a list of new features. The app's designed to work as a second screen companion to your Xbox 360, showing data on your games and TV shows and also letting you control your Xbox. The app is one of the earliest Windows 8 apps out there.
