IntoNow app tunes you in to what's on your TV now

Early iPhone app Shazam was unmistakably cool. Hold a phone up while a song was playing in the background and Shazam could name that tune. Now there's a clever and free iPhone app called IntoNow that works similar magic with television. Tap a green button, and four to 12 seconds later IntoNow can figure out from the audio what you're watching. IntoNow can tell whether the show is live. It serves up a brief descriptor of the episode. Impressive stuff. Except, you're probably thinking, "OK, now what? How do you get beyond the high-tech equivalent of a Letterman Stupid Pet Trick?" Shazam makes sense, because you either don't know or forgot the name of a song you might want to buy. But you almost always know the name of the TV show you're watching. IntoNow's answer to the "now what?" question is to add a social element. What you're watching may be of interest to other people and, eventually, possibly advertisers. It makes it simple for you to bond with folks who love the same shows you do, many of whom are tweeting when the show is on. IntoNow CEO Adam Cahan says the app is a little bit like a mash-up of TiVo and Facebook. From within the app, you can share tagged shows on Facebook or Twitter. TV certainly is social. According to Nielsen, 60% of people watch TV while on the Web. Other iPhone apps such as Miso and GetGlue, which let you "check in" on favorite shows, tap into the social fabric of TV.