When I first heard about HBO GO -- the premium cable network's mobile service -- I was very interested to try it out. Although it debuted in February 2010, I wasn't aware of it until an iPad app offering the service was released last year.

I eagerly downloaded it, only to find that I could not use it. Why? Because I am a Time Warner Cable customer.

Sure, it must seem shocking that a cable provider that couldn't come to a financial agreement with the NFL to carry the NFL Network (not that that still makes me so angry that I want to hurl a football through a window or anything) also couldn't come to an arrangement with HBO to allow its paying customers to use the service, but that was in fact the deal. So when I launched the app, I learned that, as a TWC customer, I was out of luck.

Actually, it didn't bother me much at first. Really, I figured, how much was I going to watch HBO content away from home? And at home, HBO's on-demand offerings on TWC are fairly robust, so it wasn't like I was starving for more HBO content. Lastly, I guessed, HBO GO would offer the same content found on demand through my cable box, little more.

Wrong. Wrong. And drop-dead, Tony Soprano-in-a-sundress wrong.

Not long ago, TWC and HBO finally got together, and I have been happily GO-ing ever since.



HBO GO is simply packed with content. Yes, there's a selection of movies showing on the network. More importantly, though, there's a ton of HBO's original content -- documentary films, comedy and sports specials, drama and comedy series and more.

It's the availability of the series that thrills me, because, as far as I can tell, you can watch every episode of all the series made available through the service. (Using HBO On Demand through your cable box, you might get the most recent season of a show or, say, six old episodes of "The Sopranos," but not everything.)

Every episode of "The Sopranos"? Check. Of "Six Feet Under"? check.

"Entourage"? "Deadwood"? "The Wire"? Check. Check. Check.

Me? I'm waaaaay, deeeeeep back into "The Wire," arguably -- and I will argue it -- one of the greatest shows of all time. The engrossing drama examining various facets of urban life, all against the backdrop of the drug trade in Baltimore, is proving just as and maybe even more engrossing the second time through.

 These are screenshots from the HBO GO app on the iPad.

And while I use HBO GO on my iPad, primarily at a desk next to a computer, you can also use the service within a web browser or on an iPhone or Android device. It is also on its way to your big screen via Xbox Live and Roku devices, if it isn't already there.

HBO has always been that service you think about canceling when you look at your obscene cable bill. But then you think of all the content the network provides, and you decide you can find those 15 bucks or so by turning your heat further down. And now, with HBO GO, it will be nearly impossible to go away from HBO.

Thank heavens it's been a warmer winter here in Northeast Ohio.

-- Mark Meszoros | Entertainment@News-Herald.com | @nhfeatures

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I took a brief spin with the iCookbook app ($4.99 in the ITunes app store) last weekend, installing it on both my iPhone 4 and iPad 2 -- its one of those apps you buy once and can put on multiple devices linked to the same Apple iTunes account.

I really liked the app, which sets itself apart by offering voice commands. The idea is the cook, while preparing a dish, can speak instructions such as "next," to move to the next step in the process, and "back," to move to the previous one. While this is a neat trick, it's not enough reason alone to recommend the app. I do recommend it, however, because it's very user-friendly and offers a ton of recipes, along with easy ways to store them for access later. I also liked that you can write and save notes within a recipe.

Check out a couple of screenshots from the Mama's Beer Chili recipe -- I used Great Lakes Christmas Ale as the beer, giving me an excuse to have a few sips of the brilliant concoction before noon -- along with a couple of photos of the finished product. After that you'll see my video review. Please not that I refer to the app as "iCooking" in the video, which is incorrect.

-- Mark Meszoros | Entertainment@News-Herald.com | @nhfeatures

Around Thanksgiving I was introduced to the iPhone/iPod app Words With Friends (and by introduced, I mean my boyfriend downloaded it on my iPod when he wanted to play more matches). Since then I've gotten fairly ... addicted? obsessed? compulsive? I get excited when I pull in my driveway and my iPod catches the wireless signal and chimes, signaling it's my turn in a game. I would be lying if I said part of Christmas at my parents' house didn't involve six people in the same room with their iPods and iPhones playing Words With Friends matches with each other.

The game is essentially Scrabble, but with different point values assigned to the letters and different doubling and tripling squares on the board. You get seven letters to form words off of letters that have already been played, and you can swap tiles or skip a turn if you don't have anything to play (or are holding out for better options). The game ends when one of the players runs out of tiles, and the winner is determined by who has the most points. If you are left with tiles, the total value of those is subtracted from your total and added to your opponent's.

You can download a version of the app for free, which will mean you get an advertisement after every word you play. But right now the app is on sale for 99 cents, and I would recommend spending the dollar to go ad-free.

Within the newsroom, I've beat Executive Editor Tricia Ambrose and narrowly lost to Business Editor Brandon Baker (because my last letters were Q and V! Ain't no way out of that one!). I've beat Entertainment Editor Mark Meszoros once, but he has beat me several times -- and by a lot.

Feel free to challenge cherylgames to a match. Don't be intimidated by the fact that my job is with words -- usually reading them, sometimes writing them, always paying attention to them. I'm looking forward to fresh competition.


-- Cheryl Sadler
CSadler@News-Herald.com