The return of Cartoon HD has been expected for a long time now, but while many were expecting that the app would come back to app stores with a changed name and perhaps a revised “business” model, the reality is a bit different. Now, Cartoon HD is based on a website, CartoonHD.is, where users can access the same functionality that the original app offered.
The website has been designed with simplicity and elegance in mind, and it doesn’t use any annoying distracting graphics, or confusing design elements. The whole approach to design is very simple, streamlined and intuitive, and everything is easily accessible with just a few clicks. Content is categorized, thumbnails show dynamic live previews of their content, and the site of course supports a full-featured search engine. Upon opening the main page, users are presented with a list of popular films and shows that they might want to check out.
And while this might be a bit disappointing to those who were waiting for the original Cartoon HD to hit the app stores, this is definitely better than nothing, and it should still work quite well, considering most smartphones nowadays are perfectly capable of browsing rich Web content with their built-in browsers. The website seems to function quite well on most mobile devices, so users who’re missing the classic Cartoon HD experience should check it out and see if it can fill those cravings nicely enough.
And while most users seem to be happy with the way Cartoon HD has been transferred to website form, there are also some less than positive opinions going around. Most of the criticism is aimed at the amount of advertising displayed on the new website, although this is something that can be circumvented by simply signing up for a free account with the service. This causes all ads to be hidden, and it’s actually not a bad model – the only downside is that users have to submit their e-mail address in order to register, and this could potentially lead to some unwanted messages.
It seems that, for the time being, Cartoon HD isn’t coming back to any app store, at least not in its original form. The app might see some changes that will make it more suitable for a re-release later on, but at this point, the website version is all users have. As we said above, it’s definitely better than nothing though, and so far it’s shaping up to be a very solid replacement for Cartoon HD while the original is missing from the scene. Whether or not the new website will remain active for long, it’s difficult to say – it depends on where it’s hosted and how the content is managed, though it certainly stands a better chance than the original app.