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Great news, Netflix/Android phone owners!
Netflix, which has fought to navigate the rough waters of security and digital rights management to put its service on more Android phones, upgraded its app to support content playback on all Android 2.2 and 2.3 devices.
That means Netflix users who use “Froyo”- or “Gingerbread”-based phones can get their TV and movie content from their handsets, enjoying content on the go. Froyo and Gingerbread currently comprise about 80 percent of Android phones on the market.
Netflix is pumped about it being on the Android Market, where users may download the app to their phones:
I tested the app on the Motorola Droid Bionic test unit Verizon Wireless sent me last week.
Not only does the content stream quickly thanks to 4G LTE network access and dual-core processor, but the qHD screen displays content with vivid colors and no pixels fluttering around the screen.
The app itself adequately replicates the Netflix functionality I have enjoyed on my PCs, as well as the the Netflix app I use on my Google TV.
But I also tried the app on my personal Motorola Droid X, running Gingerbread (Android 2.3.3), and it choked several times. My guess is it has everything to do with Verizon’s pedestrian 3G network and single-core chip on the phone.
While I was impressed with how smooth Netflix ran on the Bionic, I’m not terribly excited about being able to access Netflix from my Android handset.
I’ll be more pleased when the app supports Android “Honeycomb” for tablets. I can’t wait to use Netflix on my Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1.
I’m taking an informal poll of people who have tried Netflix from their Android phones. What phone(s) did you access the app on and how did it fare?