Posted Tue Nov 17, 2009 at 07:00 AM PST by Mike Attebery
With the release of movies like 'Bruno,' 'Funny People' and 'Inglourious Basterds,' Universal has announced the integration of several new applications for PC and iPhone.
The pocket BLU app from Universal Studios Home Entertainment will debut this holiday season in time for the release of 'Bruno' on November 17th. Using the WiFi connection present on the iPhone and iPod Touch, pocket BLU is able to act as remote control for Blu-ray players viewing compatible titles. pocket BLU also simplifies the fast forward and seek features by letting users tilt their device sideways to select from a full timeline of the film.
pocket BLU will be compatible with 'Bruno,' 'Funny People,' 'Public Enemies,' 'Inglourious Basterds,' 'American Pie Presents: The Book of Love,' and '9.'
The release of 'American Pie Presents: The Book of Love' will also mark the introduction of social BLU. This application will allow users to access their Facebook and Twitter accounts, presumably to talk about the film. In future releases, says Universal, users will be able to share film-related content on their Facebook page.
Those who pick up a copy of 'Funny People' will get a look at the newly redesigned BD-Live Center. Users will be able to get a look at films coming to Blu-ray and to theaters. The BD-Live Center will automatically select previews that it believes the user will like, and bring updated content to the viewer.
It seems a bit farfetched to think that a user with an iPhone would want to log in to Universal’s application in order to access their Twitter or Facebook account, rather than just using an app that they’ve undoubtedly installed on their phone already. Using an iPhone or iPod Touch as a sort of advanced remote control though, could certainly have some potential.
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