One such example comes from the labs of U.S. cable giant Comcast, which , an app that can be used to access and control the company's on-demand and TV-recording services.

Judging from the press release, "remote" may be a bit of a misnomer for this app, considering the slew of features it comes with. In addition to controlling your TV viewing experience, Xfinity allows you to share your favourite shows with your friends and invite them to watch them in real time, thus adding a whole new social dimension to your living room entertainment experience.

There's no word on when--or if--the Xfinity Remote will be available to consumers. In the meantime, Comcast Labs has  of a demo that was shown at this week's .