Developer: Frequency
Price: Free
Version: 1.2.1
App Reviewed on: iPad 2
Frequency is a video aggregator for the iPad that combines thousands of online video sources into one location. Its main feature is the ability to add users’ personal and shared videos from their Facebook, Twitter and YouTube accounts.
When users launch and connect to the app for the first time, they can immediately begin scrolling through the seemingly endless list of channels and start following the ones that interest them the most. These channels range from National Geographic and The Onion to the Most Popular Videos on YouTube. Users can also search for videos by browsing the categories on the left side of the screen. After a video is selected, users can then add it to their favorites, forward it in an email, post it to Twitter or Facebook or even save it to watch later via the toolbar at the bottom. One neat aspect is that all videos may be viewed in full screen or streamed onto the TV through AirPlay.
Frequency’s main selling point is its impressive interface that lets users customize their video viewing experience. It is simple to use and the layout looks great in portrait and landscape modes. I enjoyed how the developers were able to pack so much content into the app without making it look cluttered thanks to the easy to navigate buttons located at the top of the screen. The three located on the top left corner allow users to toggle between what they are watching now, the stream of videos in the highlights section and the main channels screen with ease.
While Frequency is one of the better video aggregators when it comes to combining videos from websites and social feeds, there is some room for improvement to make it more enjoyable for users. For one, I didn’t like how the videos automatically played after selecting a channel or category of interest. This should be an optional feature.
The other is that there doesn’t appear to be an actual search button for users to type in key words to find videos of particular interest. While sorting through categories is nice, I’d really like to be able to search for specific videos. I’m not sure why this feature isn’t included, but it would greatly enhance the app’s functionality.
In conclusion, Frequency is a nice app to have around when you’re bored and looking for interesting videos to watch. The best part is that it is completely free to download and there are no hidden IAP or costs so it’s definitely worth exploring. Make sure you have plenty of extra time to kill because it will be hard to stop watching once you get started.