View this article at: http://dev.macnn.com/articles/08/02/07/new.apple.tv.patent
Thursday, Feb 07, 2008 12:40pm

Live iChat, broadcast TV fo...

Apple has filed for a patent describing expanded Apple TV/Front Row functionality, including live iChat and broadcast TV programming as part of potential future Front Row features. The filing illustrates a process for associating widgets with content displayed by a multimedia center application, with one example revealing a yet unreleased version of Front Row and/or an Apple TV remote that includes a new set of Widget Keys.

Apple filed for another 46 patents alongside its new Apple TV/Front Row application. The highlighted patent describes the display of real-time information, live iChat session widgets, text messaging widgets, and more. The addition of such features would expand Apple TV's functionality to allow full communication right in the living room without the need to sit down at a computer.