Crackle, a digital network and studio, has released an official app for Windows Phone. The service offers commercially supported streaming of video content in Flash format. Owned by Sony Pictures, its primary collection is Sony's library of films and television shows. Crackle (crackle.com) provides its content through a web syndication network, which includes YouTube, Huhu, AOL, MySpace, and mobile service providers.
Without requiring to signup and register an account, Crackle enables Windows Phone owners to enjoy content for free from its expansive collection. According to the company, twenty new movies and television episodes are added monthly. Genres include the likes of action, comedy, crime, horror, thriller, sci-fi, and anime. There's bound to be a title for everyone.
Unlimited viewing is boasted in the app's description, which will interest many. High quality streaming is supported via both WiFi and mobile connectivity (be sure to watch out for excessive usage on tight plans). As mentioned above, the collection includes content from Sony Pictures, but as well as its owner's media, Crackle also sports movies and television series from Columbia Pictures, Tri-Star, Screen Gems, and more.
The app is very well designed and looks great on a Windows Phone. A neat feature that many will overlook is the parental controls in the settings. Parents can set a 4-character passcode to prevent the little ones watching someone's head being blown off. Should you decide to login and connect to your Crackle account, you'll be able to make use of watchlists that are supported in the app. These enable users to keep up-to-date with the latest content in specific categories.
As with all gold releases, there'll be some issues with lack of functionality or with bugs, but these will surely be addressed in future updates.
You can download Crackle from the Marketplace for free. The app is reportedly limited to the US, UK, Canada, and Australia. Thanks, Anna, for the tip!
