Control Your TV From Your Couch With The Xoom 2 And Dijit

We knew that at least one of the new Xooms would be able to double as a (rather large) remote control, but Motorola surprised us yesterday when they revealed that both of the Xoom 2 models feature IR transmitters. With their new tablets, it looks like Motorola may be looking to wage a war for control of your couch.

Having an IR blaster is great and all, but it’s worthless without some software to control the thing. That’s where the pre-loaded Dijit app comes into play. Dijit has enjoyed a bit of notoriety with its iOS app, and an Android version comes preloaded on both versions of the Xoom 2.

The setup seems harmless enough: just enter your zip code so the app can pull down the correct channel guide information, and select your television from the included list. Once the app’s “learning” process is over, you’ll be able to control your television in between reading pages of Tolstoy.

Dijit’s other main focus is on creating social experience around watching television. If you’re, say, watching a riveting episode of Top Gear, you can tie your Facebook and Twitter accounts into Dijit to share details or recommend episodes to other users. It’s sort of like GetGlue, but geared specifically toward television: Dijit takes your media-related conversations, and connects them with the very act of using your TV.

Folding a remote control into something as cumbersome as a tablet seems counter-intuitive, and it isn’t even a new concept — the 8-inch Vizio tablet managed a similar feat. Still, the notion of having one device eventually being able to control everything around me (even the the blinds) is undeniably cool, even if the desire for one does paint me as being a bit lazy.