Love it or loath it, the X Factor is here to stay, and if you fall into the former camp there's now a great app for your Nokia. We've been checking it out over the past week, and it has everything you need to keep up to date when you're away from your TV. Is that enough? Join us after the break to find out how it gets on in our review...
Run the X Factor app, and the first thing you'll need to do is select your internet connection. Once you've done this, you'll be taken to the main menu – a gaudy page which is split into colourful sections.
It's difficult to see where one ends and the next begins, but the bulk of the main screen is made up by the 'Editor's Picks' section – news, features and interviews from the show itself. Under that, you'll find the 'Latest' section, which also offers Videos, News and Photos.
At the very top of the app, you'll find a small button marked 'Menu' – click it and you'll get offered a similar set of options, including 'Highest Rated', 'Editor's Picks', 'Most Read Recently' and 'All'. Again, these are made up of videos, photos and news, but with varying content. You'll also be able to save your favourites.
The interviews section of the site works incredibly well, giving film clips that feel just like the X Factor itself – with interviews from both the stars and the hosts, with soundbites and videos from Danny, Cheryl, Louie and Simon. Oddly, however, we couldn't control the volume using the volume rockers on our Nokia N97 Mini – having to resort to the onscreen buttons instead.
Once you've checked out content – be it pics or videos – the X Factor app also has social networking neatly integrated. You'll be able to access Facebook and Twitter from within the app, rating the content and letting your mates know exactly what you think. The latter is something we particularly like, and it's a feature that's well implemented.
Unfortunately, the one thing that would make this app well worth having seems to be missing. While there are tons of video clips of the stars being interviewed, backstage interviews and more, the app is completely lacking when it comes to music. Want to check out the stars actually in action? Tough, you can't!
Overall, then, the X Factor app is a bit of a mixed bag. We like the 'access all areas' approach it offers, with interviews and backstage pics, but the lack of music content is a real downer. It's also an unintuitive app to use - sure, there are loads of menu options, but all seem to lead to the same thing: snaps, vids and news. All of which are great, but it would be nice if they were properly segregated.
Details
Price: Free
Size: 4.67MB
Check out our X Factor app review photo gallery below:
