WATCHING MOVIES ON APPLE’S UPCOMING TV SET: A HANDS-OFF JOB

Adding to recent speculation that Apple is developing its own branded television set that would respond to voice commands, the Wall Street Journal reported today (Monday) that the company is also looking to include technology that would respond to “movements.” The newspaper, which said that Apple has been meeting with media executives at several large companies, did not specify how the technology would work. Meanwhile, Santa Clara, CA-based Zappo TV announced today (Monday) the availability of a free app that effectively turns an iOS device like the iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch into a remote control that will allow users to watch on their TV sets content, including movies, TV shows, personal videos, and photographs, stored on the device itself or on any number of settop boxes and the Internet. In a statement, Jan van Ottele, CEO of ZappoTV, said, “Consumers have media all over the place, on phones, servers, and the web, because we have so many devices and places where we share our content. ZappoTV was designed to help people enjoy and manage all their media from one place — their mobile device — and finally enjoy it on the big screen.”