If one of your New Year resolutions included increasing the number of ways in which you can watch live television throughout your house, you’re probably going to want to check out Rogers recently released Live TV App.

What Works: As the title suggests, Rogers Live TV App gives customers who subscribe to the company’s Hi-Speed Internet (Lite tier and above) and Rogers Digital TV (excluding Digital TV Starter Pack) the ability to stream live TV directly to their iPad. Also working in the App’s favor is the quality of the stream which is almost as impressive as the no hassle process that allows one to be up and streaming in seconds after simply logging on using ones My Rogers account.

What Doesn’t: Unfortunately for Rogers Communications, a whole heck of a lot. And while the inexplicably poor selection of channels that has the App arbitrarily capped out at 20, occasional loss of sound and lack of Airplay functionality is at the top of our list of gripes, they pale in comparison to the single biggest issue with the Rogers Live TV App (An issue so big that it actually forced us to remove the App from our iPad following testing). Simply put: Watching television on the Rogers Live TV App counts against our increasingly insufficient monthly data cap. Which means, despite the fact that we pay our cable/internet/cell phone provider a very hefty chunk of change each and every month, we still run the risk of possibly paying even more by using this App courtesy of the almost inevitable bandwidth overage charges (According to Rogers an hour of video approx. 600MB/hr of data).

Bottom Line: While we appreciate Rogers continued attempt to expand their digital offerings, this latest bandwidth-usage-heavy-effort comes across as more of a tricky trojan horse to make even more money rather than a much-deserved value add for their increasingly frustrated and cost conscious customer base.

ROGERS LIVE TV is available as a free download on iTunes.

In need of yet another way to procrastinate from doing actual work? Love the likes of KIDNAPPED, NEWSRADIO and SEINFELD? Well, then you’re definitely going to want to check out Sony’s Pictures Entertainment’s just released Crackle App available as a universal download for your iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.

What Works: As advertised, Crackle takes the Crackle.com viewing experience and puts it in the palm of your hands, giving iDevice owners the opportunity to enjoy a handful of TV Addict favorites completely free of charge via 3G or Wi-Fi. What’s more, the device will remember where you left off should your viewing experience be interrupted by a pesky phone call, tedious text message or disappointing alert notifying you that your nemesis (Yes, you know who you are) in “Words with Friends” just racked up a massive triple word score (D’oh). Oh, and did we mention that, unlike Hulu Plus, Crackle doesn’t cost a thing?!

What Doesn’t: Well, aside from the fact that having free episodes of NEWSRADIO at our fingertips is pretty much the last thing those of us plagued with a ridiculously short attention span need, we can’t help but feel somewhat disappointed by the selection. Despite a handful of obvious gems (Note to movie addicts, the App also features full-length films like Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Karate Kid and a Few Good Men, to name a few) Crackle is a subsidiary of Sony Pictures Television. Translation: Entertainment options are limited to the studios’ library. Also limited, depending on where you live of course, is the content. Which is to say, “No SEINFELD for you” if you happen to be situated, like us, outside of the good ol’ US of A. And while we’re on the subject of limitations, Airplay functionality — which gives users the opportunity to stream videos on their big screen TV via Apple TV — would have been nice.

Bottom Line: Minor quibbles aside, do you really think we’d have anything negative to about one of thew Apps on iTunes that delivers high quality Hollywood content at absolutely no cost to the user?

CRACKLE is available as a free download on iTunes.

Are you suffering from summer rerun-itis? Already jonesing for your weekly dose of HOUSE? The TV Addict prescribes 3 cc’s 1 download of FOX’s InHouse App available on the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch

What Works: Complete with exclusive video from both the cast and creative team, fascinating behind-the-scenes photos, and “Nurse Jeffrey,” a weekly 3 minute “Appisode” written by HOUSE staff writers that tells the story of a disgruntled nurse (played by Patrick Price) at Princeton Plainsboro who is intent on bringing the not-so-good doctor House down, InHouse sets a new standard for extending one’s show brand to the iPhone. Or would have, except for…

What Doesn’t Work: Which is to say, you only get one chance to make a first impression. And what should have been a fantastic user experience is unfortunately hampered by poorly thought out user interface design. Particularly when it comes the the App’s home screen. Rather than a set of clearly defined menu choices pulsating to the show’s now iconic theme music, users are introduced to the App via a collection of confusing options, with some (like “Houseisms,” “Appisodes” and “Music Room”) far more self-explanatory than others (see: the ambiguously titled “Free Clinic,” “Writers Room,” and “Media Room.”) Not to mention, for a show that basically boils down to one immensely watchable actor, InHouse is surprisingly (albeit not so much when budgetary reasons are taken into account) Hugh Laurie free. Seriously. Would it have really broken the bank to include video clip versions of House’s “Houseisms” as opposed to the far less interesting words written on a whiteboard? Which brings us to the…

Bottom Line: An admirable first start. But if six seasons of HOUSE has taught us anything, it’s that the initial solution is more often than not only the beginning. Which is why — following a trip back to the drawing board — we anxiously await version 2.0.

inHouse is available on iTunes as a free download.

Are you itching to share your shower rendition of “Somebody to Love” with fellow GLEEKS from around the world? Think the only thing New Directions is missing on their road to sectionals is you? Well, thanks to GLEE’s first official iPhone/iPad app, now is your chance to prove it.

What Works: Beautifully designed by the geniuses behind Magic Piano and I Am T-Pain, the official GLEE App gives anyone with an iPhone, iPod Touch and/or iPad the opportunity to sing along with the cast of GLEE. Complete with lyrics, professionally mastered tracks from the show and a design so simple fellow Glee-clubber Brittany could figure out what to do, you too will be sounding like Cory Monteith mere moments after downloading. Especially thanks to the magical auto-tune technology that perfects your pitch and enhances your voice as you sing.

Oh, and the coolness factor doesn’t stop there. In addition to the ability to record and share yours song with your friends via facebook, myspace and twitter, the App allows you to listen in on fellow Gleeks from around the world as they butcher perform songs from the show. With added functionality that enables one to find friends and add your own vocals to their song creating a virtual Glee club of sorts.

What doesn’t: Aside from the fact that listening to our own voice back through our earphones left us with the distinct impression that we’re not quite ready for our AMERICAN IDOL audition just yet, we can’t help but feel cheated by the cost structure associated with this App. While we certainly don’t begrudge $2.99 for an App of this quality, it only comes with 3 songs: “Rehab”, “Somebody to Love”, and “You Keep Me Hanging On.” Additional songs such as “Can’t Fight This Feeling”, “Imagine”, “I’ll Stand By You”, “Lean On Me”, and “No Air” (with additional songs promised to be added soon) are each available at a cost of .99 cents per song. A cost which normally wouldn’t be so irksome, until one realizes that we’re being asked to re-purchase songs that we’ve already shelled out our hard-earned money for to legally purchase on iTunes.

Bottom Line: From both a design and functionality standpoint, GLEE for iPhone hits all the right notes. Unfortunately, there is a bit of a sour one left by the additional costs associated with it.

GLEE is available on iTunes for $2.99

Looking to ensure that your not-so-favorite network on the verge of canceling your oh-so-favorite show thinks twice? Wish you had a quick, painless and non-violent way to let @joshschwartz76 know that the latest plot development between your favorite fictional couple has you this close to CHUCKing your remote? Introducing RANSOM LETTERS, the must-own App for those TV Addicts who simply must be heard.

What Works: Forget those messy scissors and glue, stack of print magazines (remember those?) and countless hours it used to take to craft that perfect ransom note. Seriously. Thanks to this handy little App that includes over 500 unique letters, numbers and punctuation cut out of magazines by hand, ransom notes have never looked this good, not to mention, been this easy to create. With a simple swipe or two of your finger, RANSOM NOTES gives fans the ability to design that perfect eye-catching message guaranteed to strike fear in the hearts of your favorite showrunner or network exec. If that is, they know what’s good for them!

What Doesn’t: Aside from the fact that it wasn’t around during our failed effort to Save EVERWOOD (Yup, still bitter), the only frustrating aspects about RANSOM LETTERS involve the inability to resize individual words and the lack of punctuation such as commas and period. After-all, if there is one thing we at theTVaddict.com pride ourselves on… it’s proper grammar!

The Bottom Line: Sorry Dawn Ostroff, ‘Save our Show’ campaigns just got taken to the next level. And by that we mean, they may be slightly more annoying! (See samples below.)

RANSOM LETTERS is available on iTunes for $0.99.

Whether you’ve been too busy watching Letterman and Conan rip Jay Leno a new one, or simply getting too old to stay up past THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART, Comedy Central has now made the best part of THE COLBERT REPORT available at your fingertips with their handy little iPhone App THE WØRD.

What Works: In a word, everything. Thanks to the ability to search for ‘Wørds’ by air date, popularity, or alphabetically and stream them over both Wi-Fi and/or 3G networks at the touch of a finger, fans can now enjoy Stephen Colbert’s THE WØRD when they want where they want it. Which means that your lineup at the grocery store, coffee shop or DMV just got a helluva lot more bearable courtesy of a countless number of four-to-seven minute ‘Wørds’ (updated weekly) nestled squarely in the palm of your hand. Plus, unlike the FAMILY GUY App, the ‘Wørds’ stream commercial free (Although we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention that unobtrusive banner ads do appear at the bottom of your screen while you search through clips.)

What Doesn’t: In all truthiness, not only is there quite a bit of room for improvement with regards to the choppy and blocky video playback when watching video over 3G, playback can at times be about as reliable as FOX NEWS with clips on more than one occasion failing to appear, or worse, crashing the program entirely.

The Bottom Line: At less than the price of a cup of coffee, THE WØRD is a must own for card-carrying members of Colbert Nation.

Stephen Colbert’s THE WØRD is available on iTunes for $0.99 cents.

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Review: DEXTER: THE VIDEO GAME

After months of hype following Marc Ecko’s Comic Con announcement to a roomful of eager fanboys (and girls), DEXTER: THE VIDEO GAME has finally arrived on the iPhone and iPod Touch. Unfortunately, much like his ubiquitous clothing line, the game itself is all style and very little substance.

What Works: DEXTER: THE VIDEO GAME is visually stunning (ranking right up there with the best looking games in the App Store), fantastic sounding (courtesy of a soundtrack ripped directly from the Showtime series), and affordably priced at $3.99 (also known as far less than our daily Starbucks addiction). Regrettably, the positives end there.

What Doesn’t Our biggest problem with the game lies with the fact that the entire adventure (or lack-their of) is a carbon copy of the first season’s story-line. Getting the opportunity to play America’s favorite serial killer Dexter Morgan, as he tries to balance his day job as a mild-mannered blood splatter analyst with his extra curricular activities that involve avenging some of the city’s most gruesome criminals and hunting down the elusive Ice Truck Killer is all well and good if you’re a DEXTER neophyte. But if you’ve seen the series (and odds are if you’re visiting this site you have), the game is nothing more than a glorified rerun.

Added to the monotony is a mixed bag of missions which try far too hard to utilize the touch screen controls on your iPhone/iPod Touch. Unlocking doors, digging graves, jumping, and hacking all by swiping your hand across the screen gets old, and fast. What’s worse, the stealth missions that have you stalking your prey are far more frustrating than fun thanks to a control scheme that is virtually unusable. While mini-games that challenge you to analyze evidence, compare DNA, pick locks and analyze blood will have your very-own dark passenger boiling.

The Bottom Line: As the evidence suggests (see: unoriginal story, poor controls and tedious gameplay) DEXTER: THE VIDEO GAME is most definitely not the killer game fans deserve. 

DEXTER: THE VIDEO GAME is available on iTunes for $3.99.

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Review: A FAMILY GUY iPhone App #Fail

In a nutshell, FAMILY GUY’s iPhone App gives Stewie Griffin addicts the ability to watch clips (optimized for WiFi, but also works on 3G), toss Peter, create a Stewie pin-up and mix your own FAMILY GUY video mashup.

What Works: Updated with a fresh crop of surprisingly lengthy video clips on a daily basis (or at least since the day this App was purchased, which for the record was Friday June 20, 2009) FAMILY GUY’s iPhone App has been a surprisingly good tool in this TV Addict’s continued effort to procrastinate from doing actual work. And, since FAMILY GUY episodes at their best, are essentially uneven mixes of pop culture references, sight gags, and random bursts of violent (albeit hilarious) physical humor stitched together around a very loose and usually pointless plot, the App’s ability to play clip after clip of some of the show’s most memorable moments provides for some surprisingly solid breaks from the real world.

What Doesn’t: In short, the rest of the App. Sure clips are great, but the reality is that the FAMILY GUY App is nothing more than a glorified advertisement for the show. Which normally we’d be fine with, except that at $1.99 this app quickly goes from its “freakin’ sweet” tag-line, to “are you freakin’ kidding me that I just spent $1.99 to be advertised to!” Not only are the incessant reminders that come at the end of EVERY SINGLE video clip that “Full episodes of FAMILY GUY are available on iTunes” completely reduntant and unnecessary after the fifth or sixth time, really, message received. The so-called ‘games’ which allows for users to ‘flick’ Peter around the screen or dress Stewie in different outfits hold about five seconds of entertainment value. Which is about two more seconds than the App’s other big feature which gives users the ability to create their very own FAMILY GUY mix, which may-or-may-not be posted on familyguy.com, where FOX will undoubtedly reap the benefit of more money via the ad revenue that comes with page-views.

The Bottom Line: If this App were free we wouldn’t be complaining. But since the only one who is laughing here is FOX… all the way to the bank, we would like to suggest something that may smooth things over. Why not include a free episode of FAMILY GUY that is updated weekly within the App? Heck, include commercials if you must. But if you ask us, there is nothing freakin’ sweet about leaving your most dedicated and passionate fans feeling freakin’ ripped off.

FAMILY GUY is available on iTunes for $1.99.