TV guide apps are aplenty on the Play Store, and trust me I’ve tried many eventually settling on Series Guide. But two days ago solo Android developer Nadav Fima quietly announced the release of Cliffhanger, an app he says is “designed especially for TV fans, with specific attention to simplicity and a user-friendly design”.

I’d like to place emphasis on the “user-friendly design” bit. Cliffhanger has one the nicest user interfaces you’re likely to see on any Android app. It’s incredibly well polished, very responsive and most importantly user friendly. It’s beyond the usual level of quality you’d expect coming from a solo developer, and I don’t mind saying there are some companies with large budgets who haven’t managed to produce an app that looks this good.

Anyone who knows me also knows I’m a stickler when it comes to UI paradigms, and I’m not easily impressed with some of the attempts that have appeared in recent times (I’m looking at you both Flipboard and Pulse). But Cliffhanger nails the user experience. It’s excellent.

The app itself is similar to other TV guide apps in that it allows you to add your TV shows and keep track of upcoming air times (among other features), but Cliffhanger also displays recently aired shows which is very useful in letting you know what you’ve missed so you can play catch-up, a feature I pined for but was sadly lacking in other TV show apps.

Other cool features include cast profiles pulled in directly from IMDB, a nicely laid out “Discovery” screen, a real-time countdown to next episodes, and integration with Android sharing options.

Coming from someone who watches his fair share of television shows, I can testify you couldn’t ask for anything more from such an app – except maybe video streaming – but I’m being unrealistic now.

As mentioned earlier what really makes this app shine is the usability of the gorgeous user interface (see the gallery at the end of this review). It’s very easy to pick up and learn everything about it within a minute or two.

Top marks.

Guess what? We’ve got an interview with the developer coming up any day now, who among other things will discuss the Cliffhanger app and the challenges faced with being a one man team. Stay tuned.