Last week Netflix officially launched its application for the Android smartphone platform. While it is currently only available on a relatively brief list of Android handsets, Google’s Nexus S happens to be supported, providing me with the ability to test the service out.
For anyone who has used Netflix streaming on a Tivo, or even on an Apple iOS or Microsoft Windows Phone 7 device, the new Android flavor of Netflix will be familiar. Users are provided with a simple login screen the first time the app is loaded, and from that point on they get to navigate through a clean, tabbed view of the application.
The initial home tab provides quick resume access to the most recently watched movie or TV program, as well as listing recommended and featured movies below. Oddly enough, there is no way to get to the sign out function of the app without scrolling all the way to the bottom of the home view. In fact, the Android menu button is completely ignored by the application.
Other tabs let you browse by genre, search, or access your personal Instant Queue. When browsing or searching, it is easy enough to get to the info page for a movie or program (or series), but watching the video is never more than a single tap away. When viewing the info page for a video, users get access to a longer description, a play button, as well as a button for adding the title to their Instant Queue for later viewing. Related or similar movies are also listed, for convenience.
When it comes to actually watching content, the experience is top notch. Buffering takes little time, and users can jump around within a program very, very quickly. Streaming video can be watched over both 3G and Wi-Fi connections, but a fast Wi-Fi connection certainly allows things to run more smoothly.
Netflix offers streaming-only video plans that start at $8 per month. The Netflix for Android app itself is available free of charge.
