Safari on AppleTV with iPhone as trackpad/keyboard?!

[nlivo]

I have been thinking about this for ages and with the new feature for the iPhone (or iPod touch) to act as a remote, it was one step closer to my idea...

Imagine your whole TV as just a safari viewer, the whole TV taken up by the web (It'd look amazing). You use your iPhone as a trackpad to scroll around the page and on your iPhone screen is an "un-rendered" version of the page (just a blurry version, if you will). You'd have something on the iPhone screen just so you can zoom into sections of the webpage just like you do on your mobile version of Safari. You'd be holding it in portrait mode and so whenever you need to use the keyboard, the virtual keyboard just pops up.

Imagine your whole family in the living room looking at a certain webpage (maybe one of your cousins have gone overseas and he has updated his iWeb webpage), all pointing and telling you to click on something. Or just scrolling through his blog with your finger as it appears on your nice, huge flat-screen TV.

You could make your own bookmarks for the AppleTV, or have them synced over from your computer, so when you add bookmarks at your AppleTV they are synced back to your computer immediately and show up in your desktop version of Safari.

My god the iPhone (or iPod touch) and the AppleTV together have sooo much potential.

What do you guys think?

 

[mac2thefuture]

Yep, sounds good to me

 

[bacaramac]

I have said it many times, I really want this feature. Others want full OSX, but I don't see that ever happening with the Mac Mini out there, just want a Safari option and I am happy.

 

[nlivo]

I have said it many times, I really want this feature. Others want full OSX, but I don't see that ever happening with the Mac Mini out there, just want a Safari option and I am happy.

Yeah, I've said a couple of times that I want AppleTV to have Safari and every reply I get says "Just get a MacMini. The AppleTV is a media device. You want a whole computer!". No I don't!!!

 

[coopermac]

Safari + activate the USB to take bluetooth dongle to allow use of the wireless keyboard and mouse. That would be awesome.

 

[26139]

no

haven't we tried webtv over and over? There's a reason it keeps failing...

 

[ViViDboarder]

A big use is watching flash movies on TV I have a Wii hooked up to my TV and my main screen is actually a computer monitor that I use as a head for my Xbox360's and my Mac w/EyeTV... So I get internet on it anyways.

 

[gcmexico]

Safari + activate the USB to take bluetooth dongle to allow use of the wireless keyboard and mouse. That would be awesome.

*
now that's a mac mini

 

[nlivo]

haven't we tried webtv over and over? There's a reason it keeps failing...

But I think there is a reason why people keep trying. And I think this might solve it, don't you?

 

[bacaramac]

haven't we tried webtv over and over? There's a reason it keeps failing...

I had WebTV and loved it (many years ago). The reason I got rid of it was due to monthly cost. If ATV offered this without subscription it would be perfect and my guess a lot higher quality then WebTV as it should use a real web interface.

Go Apple, get this to us. Even if this was a paid update, it would be worth a one time fee.

 

[26139]

no

But I think there is a reason why people keep trying. And I think this might solve it, don't you?

I think webTV failed because we interact with our computers at close range while leaning forward. We're more attached.

TV, however, we interact with at a distance while leaning back. We're more detached.

Two different philosophies...just don't think they mesh that well.

 

[nlivo]

I think webTV failed because we interact with our computers at close range while leaning forward. We're more attached.

TV, however, we interact with at a distance while leaning back. We're more detached.

Two different philosophies...just don't think they mesh that well.

Hmmm, I think it'll be the future. Internet will make it to our TV's (a web browser or not). Personally I think the web browser will also make it to the TV as-well.

 

[26139]

yes

Hmmm, I think it'll be the future. Internet will make it to our TV's (a web browser or not). Personally I think the web browser will also make it to the TV as-well.

I agree, but I think by then we will interact with our computers differently. The current model doesn't work. Screens would have to be huge, keyboards would have to be integrated into furniture and/or voice recognition would have to make great strides.

I think it's coming...but not in the way we have now.