iOS

Dijit's universal remote control app is now a universal iOS app. Dijit started dropping hints about the new iPad-friendly interface for their app about a month ago and it is now available. As expected, the updated app takes advantage of the extra screen real estate to make more information visible at one time, including TV listings, social recommendations, and on-screen remote control. It's probably still not enough to make up for the limitations of the battery-powered Griffin Beacon that Dijit's universal remote control functionality is tied to, but it is a step in the right direction for iPad fans.

Viewers will be able access their local TV listings, get recommendations from their Facebook friends, and gather more information about the cast and crew of the shows they’re watching. The app includes Wikipedia and YouTube integration to highlight additional content online.

GigaOm

Western Digital has pushed out a new update for the WD TV Live and WD TV Live Hub, adding a number of new services and providing support for the newly released WD TV Remote App. The new remote control app is currently only available for iOS devices, but there is an Android version  in the works. The app provides gestural controls, direct access to the WD TV Live's services, and  a QWERTY keyboard for text input.

As to the new services, the update brings six new services to the streamers:

• Watch Mojo
• Comedy Time
• SEC Digital Network
• XOS College Sports
• SnagFilms
• VUDU

WD TV customers now have access to VUDU's large HD library of movies and TV titles instantly on their home entertainment systems. WD supports the HDX™ video format that features 1080p Full HD video and rich Dolby Digital Plus 7.1 audio, allowing users to enjoy a cinema-like experience at home with the hottest new releases available on-demand without any subscription fees or late fees. 

Wetern Digital

Roku released Update 4.2 for the Roku family of streamers just a couple of days which, among other things, reportedly prepped the systems for incoming iOS and Android remote control apps. Well, the iOS app is now available for free from the App Store. The app allows for full control of the streamer with swipe and touch gestures and allows for adding, removing, and even launching channels directly. The best part is that it evidently is not limited just to the newest Roku boxes. The app reportedly works on all Roku devices and can even support multiple devices on the same network, though no word if it will work with third-party branded Roku devices such as the ones that Netgear was selling for a while. Hopefully future extensions of the app will allow for direct control of the channels as it would provide an excellent way of accessing music related channels without turning on the television.

Directly on the heels of an update for its newest media streamers, Roku has released its official iPhone remote app. Apparently "inspired by user feedback", it allows users to launch or rate channels, control the box with touches and swipes, and add or remove channels from their box directly from the app itself. 

Engadget

Everyone got excited last week when Apple hosted an unusually intimate press conference to announce the iPhone 4S, but today is when the fireworks really started to fly. Apple released a metric software ton of updates today to a variety of different products. The two updates that will generate the most interest are the release of iOS 5 and iCloud. iOS 5 will be more immediately important for Apple product users with the list of features and enhancements helping the iPhone keep pace with the steady march of progress being set by Android. Personally, I am particularly excited about the new Reminders app and the off-line synching and updating as I generally cannot abide the iTunes software. Looking forward, iCloud may be remembered as one of the most important Apple products ever as it looks likely to be the most recognizable example of what cloud computing "means" for many people. Whether the perception created by iCloud serves to expand the horizons of what is possible with cloud computing or limit its scope in the public imagination remains to be seen.

For many Missing Remote readers, the 4.4 update to Apple TV will be today's most exciting release. The addition of AirPlay mirroring allows you to stream content you are viewing on your iOS device simultaneously to your Apple TV2. There are two new streaming apps from the NHL and the Wall Street Journal. The Wall Street Journal app gives access the Journal's collection of news videos. The NHL Game Center Live app provides access to the NHL's subscription game streaming service. The 4.4 update also gives the Apple TV its first taste of iCloud integration with access to Photo Stream, Apples new iCloud service that collects pictures taken on iOS devices and makes them available on other linked devices for browsing or to be viewed as a slide show.

iOS 5 and iCloud are both out now, but that's only the beginning of all the ground Apple just covered. The deluge is more about extending Apple's platform as a whole, not just with a specific app or upgrade, and updates and new features abounded.

Gizmodo