iPod

DirecTV said Tuesday that its DirecTV DVR Scheduler app for iPhone/iPod touch has been downloaded by over a million users since launching last March. In 2009, the app, which is now also available on Android devices and on the Palm Pre and Pixi, was selected as one of forbes.com's Best Branded Mobile Apps, named Best Mobile Application by the Mobile Excellence Awards, and highlighted as one of Apple's Favorite Staff Picks, the satellite TV provider says.

AT&T has launched an interactive application, called Film Awards Interactive, for the iPhone/iPod touch and for its Microsoft Mediaroom-powered IPTV platform, U-verse TV. According to AT&T, among other things, the free app lets consumers use their remote control or their iPhone/iPod touch screen to:

Turner Classic Movies (TCM) last week announced the launch of a new mobile phone application that will initially be available for iPhone/iPod touch, BlackBerry and Android handheld devices, and that the company says will subsequently support "dozens" of additional handhelds. "The TCM mobile device application is the ultimate mobile experience for classic film fans and is an important part of our strategy to solidify TCM's position as a lifestyle brand," Dennis Adamovich, TCM's SVP of brand and digital activation, said in a prepared statement.

Fort Lauderdale-based L5 Technology on Monday launched a solution--comprised of a hardware accessory and a free software application--that it bills as transforming any iPhone/iPod touch into a universal remote, capable of controlling TV sets, DVD players, DVR's, cable set-top boxes, audio equipment, and most other products that come with an infrared remote (including, the company points out, ceiling fans and air conditioners).

Paris-based video-sharing site operator, Dailymotion, on Monday announced the launch in the Apple App Store of an iPhone/iPod touch app that incorporates both content channels and capabilities for creating and uploading videos. According to the company, the app allows users to search a library of over 12 million videos and to surf 14 themed channels, including Music, Film & TV, Funny, and Sports & Extreme, as well as lists of viral videos. It also lets users share videos with their friends, Dailymotion says, and access and manage their Dailymotion accounts. In addition, it allows iPhone 3GS users to record and upload videos straight from their handset to their accounts.

ThinkFlood--a Waltham, Massachusetts-based start-up that describes itself as designing and developing "hardware and software with a focus on making everyday tasks easier"--on Wednesday unveiled its first commercial product, the RedEye personal remote control for the iPhone and iPod touch. According to the company, RedEye, which has an MSRP of $188 and which uses WiFi to replace infrared-based remote control systems, is the only remote control system for the iPhone/iPod touch that allows users to control "virtually any" home entertainment device from any room in the home.

Here is a round-up of some other interactive TV-related stories we didn't have room for in this issue:

The [itvt] editorial team is currently traveling in the UK, and, because of time constraints, we are covering a number of this issue's news stories in round-up/summary form. We anticipate some additional interruption of our regular news publishing schedule in the coming days, so we apologize in advance for any inconvenience to our readers. Here is the round-up:

The PGA Tour and Turner Sports--which have been in a partnership to produce the PGAtour.com Web site since 2006--on Monday launched a free iPhone/iPod touch PGA Tour application. According to the partners, the new app will leverage PGAtour.com's live video streaming and live scoring capabilities to provide an "enhanced experience" to iPhone/iPod touch users for each of the four PGA Tour playoffs for the FedExCup tournaments, starting with The Barclays (August 27th-30th). Following the playoffs, the partners say, the app, which is sponsored by Nike Golf, will be available through the PGA Tour fall series and beyond.

Paris-based interactive TV games company, Visiware (note: the company's ITV games channels, which include Playin'TV, Playin'Casino and MiniKids TV, have been deployed on around 30 cable, satellite and IPTV networks around the world, including DISH Network, Bell TV, Wind, Videotron, Canalsat, TPS, Numericable, Sky Italia, UPC, Nova, Multichoice, Dish TV India, StarHub, True Visions, Austar, Foxtel and Sky New Zealand), continues its expansion into multi-device gaming (note: see, for example, the article published on itvt.com, May 8th, 2006): the company announced Monday that it has adapted its second game for the Apple iPhone and iPod touch devices: "A Tweezle

A developer called Albert Lee has built an iPhone/iPod touch application that provides all-in-one remote control, wireless keyboard and mouse/trackpad functionality for users who have hooked their TV up to a computer in order to access over-the-top-TV services such as Boxee. Dubbed the HippoRemote and available through the Apple App Store for $4.99, the device offers customized controls for Boxee, XBMC, Windows Media Center, iTunes "and all your favorite Web browsers, to name [but] a few," Lee writes on the app's dedicated Web site (hipporemote.com).

Universal Studios Home Entertainment announced Monday that it plans to provide an "extensive array" of iPhone and iPod touch-enabled features on its upcoming Blu-ray releases. The features will be accessed via companion applications that will be available through the Apple App Store, the company says.

Pioneering Arabic news network, Al Jazeera, has tapped broadband video specialist, Livestation, to develop AJE Live, an application that delivers its Al Jazeera English channel on the Apple iPhone and iPod touch devices. The application, which is available in the Apple App Store, is currently priced at $2.99 and delivers a live feed of the channel free-of-charge both on 3G and on WiFi networks (note: if used with a WiFi connection, the app supports HD video). "The Web 2.0 generation is online 24/7 and demands to be constantly updated on global news as it happens," Phil Lawrie, Al Jazeera's director of global distribution, said in a prepared statement.