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Phone can be a remote
Feb 22, 2010 (Tampa Tribune - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
Lost the TV remote, but have your cell phone?
Fear not. New cell phone apps are coming on the market that turn your phone into a TV remote control. At least if you have the right phone, and the right cable TV company.
Verizon introduced one of the first versions of these apps this week for customers who use a Motorola Droid or HTC Imagio phone and use a FiOS HD set-top box. The system can change the channel, adjust the volume and transfer photos from the phone to the TV screen.
The free app uses the phone's display to mimic the buttons on a remote control, and automatically mutes the TV when a call comes to the phone.
This follows AT&T, which two years ago started a service called "Homezone" that lets customers of its TV service use their cell phone to program to delete recordings or schedule programs on their set-top boxes from anywhere.
Such apps are part of a broad trend in television to blur the lines between TV, computer and cell phone.
Apple offers several cell phone programs through its app store to control an Apple TV or computer streaming video or music.
Bright House, Verizon, DirecTV and DishNetwork all have some form of online viewing of select programs.
HBO last week announced it would put 600 hours of select programs on Verizon's online system through a project called HBO GO. That includes episodes of "The Wire" and other HBO signature shows.
DishNetwork and other TV providers have launched phone apps that let customers program their DVRs remotely. If they forgot to set the DVR to record "Lost" or the Olympics, they can bring up a Web page or cell phone app, scan through TV programs coming up soon, and remotely instruct their DVR to record the program.
Reporter Richard Mullins can be reached at (813) 259-7919.
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