Get Comcast services on your iPhone

The Comcast Mobile App offers a lot of what users have been clamoring for from the popular cable service, but falls just short of being great. You'll now be able to access Comcast e-mails and digital voice mails right from your iPhone, using a touch interface much like Apple's e-mail and voice mail experience, but in a unified in-box for both. An intuitive, tabbed interface lets you quickly switch between new e-mail and voice messages. A separate Digital Voice section offers more options, listing missed calls, outgoing calls, and voice mail. There is also an included address book that lets you consolidate your contacts between your iPhone and Comcast SmartZone address book (including Plaxo contacts)--a great addition that eliminates the confusion of having separate address books and no way of knowing which has all the contacts you need.

Two sections of the Comcast Mobile App home page are devoted to the cable service, but we think there should be one more. The Guide lets you load up your local Comcast cable guide, making it easy to check what's on TV at a glance--great if you want to know when the game is on later or have a specific show you want to watch. The On Demand section is also useful, letting you browse through available shows you can watch, and you can watch movie trailers if you're having trouble deciding. The big omission, however, is the capability to set your DVR on the fly--an oft-requested feature that would be perfect for those moments when you remember a show is on, but are not at home to watch. Comcast says it will include DVR controls in a future release, but that's the killer feature most people are looking for--making it a glaring omission. Still, even without DVR controls, the Comcast Mobile App offers much more than the previously released Comcast TV Listings app, and as a free app is a no-brainer for Comcast customers.