Invention Idea: Interactive TV

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tv, cable, interactive, television, interactive tv, interactive television, broadcast, broadcasting, comcast, cable, high speed, high definition, HDTV, remote, control, live, tv, at&t u-verse, uverse, at&t, attMaybe it already exists. I have AT&T U-verse, and it doesn't. When I'm watching TV, an advertisement comes on for another show that looks interesting - something I'd like to see. It could be expanded to cover a lot of different things - a movie promo, a concert, an event, a company, anything like that - but I want to limit this idea to additional TV programming because I think it would be really easy to implement.

When an ad comes on to promote another TV show that is coming up, I'd like to be able to press a menu button on my remote and pause the current programming. Open up the DVR programming and schedule and let me see when the show is on, add it to my DVR queue, or receive an alert when it is on.

You could expand this idea, too. If an ad comes on for a movie, let me press the same menu button and see current showtimes. A product? Go to the website or Amazon.com to order. Concert or event? Ticketmaster.com. This isn't a big stretch - nearly all of the cable providers are also internet providers. The TV box can have an internet browser built in that enables this.

I think this is would be a terrific idea for U-Verse or Comcast to implement into their service. If either company wants to hire me as a consultant, let me know!

Keynote Remote App - No WiFi

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iphone, ipod touch, ipod, touch, ipad, keynote, remote, keynote app, keynote on ipod touch, keynote on ipad, keynote on iphone, mac, macbook, macbook pro, OS X, sync, wireless, wifi, pair, pairing, no wifi, pairing without wifi, ad hoc network, ad hoc, networkI know this is online on some other blogs that are sure to demand more traffic than mine, but I thought I'd share the tips, nonetheless. I taught a Bible Study at a Youth Service in Lafayette the other day, and I made a Keynote presentation for the lesson. Apple has released a Keynote Remote app (for $0.99 in the app store - seems high) for the iPhone/iPod Touch that connects with the Mac/MacBook over WiFi. It works amazingly well, showing the slide, presenter notes, and the time all in the app. One problem, though - the room I was speaking in doesn't have WiFi (Why Apple didn't include Bluetooth support, I'll never know).

Some quick searching on the web showed me how to make an Ad-Hoc network. Basically, you use your Mac to create a WiFi network that your iPhone (or any WiFi device) can connect to. I don't know all of the functionality for this, but for me, it was perfect.

To set up an AdHoc network, click on the WiFi icon at the top of the screen and select 'Create Network'. A new window pops up, and you can name the network whatever you like; the default is the computer name. If you want, it even allows you to set a password for the network. On your iPhone (or iPod Touch), turn on the WiFi and select the network. Enter the password (if necessary) and you are linked! You can now launch the Keynote app and control the presentation.

It worked great for me, and I plan on using this option many times in the future.