The Roku apps: For when finding the remote control takes way too much energy.

I love developments like the Roku apps which turn your Android or iOS devices into remote controls for your TV. We always joke about the old days when we actually had to get up to change a channel. Now that we're too lazy to even find the remote control, our phones (always by our sides, right?) can serve that purpose. And I'm not complaining. I am completely addicted to watching shows and movies with my Roku 3, and cannot believe how well the app works on my iPhone. The remote works just like uh, a remote, while it's also easy to search the store for new channels as you would ordinarily. I installed Crackle via the app just to see how it works and it took under 5 seconds, seriously. (It will probably take longer to find a movie I actually want to watch on Crackle; although I hear great things about Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee.) And it supports pretty much every Roku device there is, so no worries about compatibility with older devices. It does take a second to tether the app with your Roku; you may have to type in the Roku IP manually. (Home > Settings > About) Plus you do lose the excellent headphone jack which is one thing I like about the remote, but otherwise the app is a nice back-up plan for those of us always misplacing our remotes or discovering them nestled in our children's dollhouses for some reason. Now if the Comcast Time-Warner merger means I won't be able to get HBO GO on my Roku, then we're going to have way bigger problems.  But we'll cross that media bridge when we come to it. Download the Roku app for Android or Roku app for iOS for free.