Earlier this month, German company Equinux unleashed its Tizi device, bringing live TV slap bang to your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch.  

Well, we say slap bang - it all depends on what sort of DVB-T/TNT/DTT Freeview reception you can pick up from its highly flexible, extendible antenna.

Sadly, when we took the Tizi for a spin we found it incredibly difficult to pick up some decent coverage. We tested it in two locations; the first being a notorious Freeview blackspot - where we weren't surprised to pick up zero channels, and one a decent Freeview location - where the result was still a disappointing lack of channels (around 25, with only half of these being stable enough for dedicated viewing).

But, if you can get a good enough reception, the Tizi does have all the ingredients to be a nice little iPhone or iPad TV companion.

And that's mainly down to the slick app, which is available for free in the App Store.

The App presents you with a nice UI, providing info on all of the channels that you can pick up, with programme information as to what is currently on, and what is coming up next. And with the recent 1.2 update, you can also record shows that are then stored within the app.

The app also supports multi-tasking but, as you need to connect to the Tizi's Wi-Fi network to access the Freeview stream, you won't be able to jump into any apps that require your broadband Wi-Fi connection. Although if you've got a 3G iPad, or you're using an iPhone this isn't an issue.

The device is powered by a 3.7V 1050 mAh removable Li-Ion, which should work for around 3.5 hours. We got 202 minutes out of our review sample on a full charge.

The Equinux Tizi is, in theory, a nifty little device. If you live in an area with a strong Freeview reception, and you want some live TV action on you iDevice then you may want to consider grabbing one. The app is very nicely presented, the device is lightweight enough to stick in your pocket, and there's enough battery life to watch even a Sergio Leone extra-long movie.

But, if your location doesn't guarantee a decent Freeview signal, then give it a miss, as you'll only be disappointed.

The Equinux Tizi is available now, priced at £149.95. You can pick one up from Apple Stores and direct from Tizi. From next month, it should be more widely available.