Tag: IPAD

The last couple of days I have been trying a new video aggregator called Frequency, which is similar to Plizy and Showyou if you are familiar with those applications. It is available on the iPad and has a corresponding Web site.

You can sign up either using Facebook or through your email address. If you choose to sign up using Facebook it will automatically add the videos shared by the people you follow on Facebook to your grid. If you choose to sign up with your email address you can easily add your Facebook and Twitter account later.

When you sign in the first time you will see the category and channel grid. It is nicely laid out with the categories on the left , the channels in the middle and Frequency Top 25 on the right. At the top is a bar which lets you easily go from the channel and grid guide, to your personal guide or to your preferences. Once you have filled in your guide the channels will also show up across the top. You can easily go to the channel you want to watch by swiping across that bar and taping on the channel when you get to it. You can easily hide or show that bar by flipping the switch off or on in the icon that is on the right side of the bar. To check what channels are available in a category you simply tap on that category. You can then swipe down through the channels within that category. When you find a channel you want to add you simply tap on the follow button. Once you have added all the channels you are interested in you are ready to go into your guide.

The guide is set up beautifully with the videos from each channels in a column which you can easily swipe through. To watch a video you simply tap on it. You can either watch the video in a window or you have the option to go full screen. You can AirPlay to your Apple TV or through XMBC to your computer. You can favorite a video or save it for later. If you want to share a video to Twitter or Facebook you simply tap on the appropriate  icon which is at the bottom screen. You can also email a video to someone.

If you are like me you may have the tendency to add channels that you later realize you have no interest in. If you want to delete a channel  you simply hold your finger on the icon until the X appears and then clicking on the X.

I do like Frequency I think it has a beautiful UI, however there are somethings I don’t like about it. As a big Google Plus users I miss the ability to share to Google Plus. Also when you share to Twitter and Facebook there is no ability to add a comment. Once a video ends the next video will start, this can be both a good thing and a bad thing, there are times when I just want to watch the one video and then stop. I also wish you could add Web sites that aren’t in the Channel Guide directly on the iPad applications; right now the only way to do that is through the Web site, where you can add an RSS feed from a Web site. It will becoming unresponsive at times forcing me to restart it. The freezing problem got so bad that at one point I ended up deleting it and reinstalling it. The final negative thought I have is I am not sure what makes it stand out from the crowd other than the UI, of course for a lot of people that maybe enough. I have to admit the more I use it the more I like it

If you have an iPad and are looking for a beautifully designed video aggregator that lets you watch the videos your friends and followers are sharing on your social networks along with ones from your favorite Web sites then definitely take a look at Frequency. It is free and available through the iTunes store.