New AT&T U-Verse enabled apps are heading to your living room, and each and every one of them is designed to make your TV viewing experience more social and interactive. This isn't exactly uncharted territory, but a little extra interaction never hurt.
AT&T says that both apps, Twonky Beam and Pix & Flix, were both developed in the carrier's labs and tap into AT&T Foundry. By developing with AT&T's APIs, an app like Twonky Beam can easily send compatible Internet video clips from your smartphone to your U-verse receiver—all it takes is a simple swipe.
AT&T President of Content and Advertising, Jeff Weber, explained that the TV experience is transitioning to a more social one, which is why the company is focused on helping developer partners bring Twonky Beam and Pix & Flix to U-verse in the first place. "These apps make it easier than ever to share your favorite photos and videos on a screen that's easy for everyone to gather around and watch," Weber said.
Pix & Flix is designed to allow users to share photos—birthday, graduation, vacation—with friends and family right on your TV. That's perfect for embarrassing holiday photos. For what they do, these definitely aren't the worst apps in the world—AT&T is actively working to add value to the U-verse platform, and crossing the divide between mobile and your living room is a good way to do that.
In combination with AT&T's app announcement, the company also said that a new U-verse screen pack is available to customers for $5 a month. The new service, which can be previewed on Jan. 7 -13, gives subscribers unlimited access to AT&T's library of movies —so essentially it's a mini Netflix.
