On remotes and messages

The most interesting iPhone app I have seen so far is one that turns it into a remote for Apple TV. Judging by the activity from Apple and MS in this area both agree that integrating currently separate devices is they way forward. And what better way than to control your TV with your phone. I always wondered why I ended up with six different remotes.

The added benefit is that you can use the expanded functionality of a phone to integrate currently separate services. Euro 2008 has just finished, as England were not involved I watched a lot of the games at home alongside my laptop. I would watch the game and discuss it with my friends online and using texts. What struck me was that it would be much easier to have these comments streamed down the side of my TV screen rather than relegated to separate devices.

Mainstream twitter

And this is where the iPhone/Blackberry type remote comes in. It would allow me to add my comments quickly using the remote if it was designed like this. I think it favours a fixed keyboard rather than a touchscreen but it is Apple which has got there first. Admittedly there is no integrated Twitter like service for sports games at the moment but this is the most likely way for Twitter or an equivalent service to go mainstream.

The fact is that most people don’t want to let everyone know what they are doing all the time. There will be specific events like sports events or conferences where people want to use it but most of the time they won’t. Microblogging will change as its users change. In the early days the twitterholics twitter about everything but later adopters won’t do this. Watercooler moments will still happen, they’ll just be liberated from the watercooler.

Pic: Vincent Brown

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