HBO Goes Mobile, Intros iPhone App

Following on the heels of cable networks like Discovery, AMC and others, HBO launched its own iPhone app yesterday, with detailed program guides, scheduling, and social sharing features for some of its most popular shows.

The app has plenty of interactive features, including detailed information about shows like Big Love, Bored to Death, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Entourage and True Blood. This includes detailed show descriptions, episode guides, cast and character profiles, photos, and video clips from each of the programs, as well as trailers for featured movies that are available on the network.

The app also provides a schedule of upcoming movies and TV shows, as well as the ability to surf through on-demand titles that are available through the cable net’s VOD service. Users can send SMS message alerts to themselves to be notified when certain shows or movies are on, and they can also share information for shows they plan to watch with friends by email or through social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.

All in all, the HBO iPhone app has all the standard features one might want, but where it really excels is in the execution. Menus are easy to navigate, the quality of available video clips available is high, and social sharing features are easy to implement. But the best part? The app, which was designed by Canadian firm Atimi Software, is available for free from the Apple app store.