Product designer Radu Dutzan has come up with something all Apple TV users have been dreaming of for quite some time – a better way to navigate Apple TV menus. Apple has been relentlessly adding new channels once every couple of weeks and each of them comes packed with still another set of options. The number of remote clicks that stands between you and your favorite content is getting painfully high and that is where Dutzan’s concept comes in.

He completely re-imagines the Apple remote (image on top). In addition to the basic Play/Pause, Stop and Menu buttons, Radu’s remote comes with a built-in touch pad. It feels somewhat like the Magicpad and the swipes work like what we’re used to on our iPhones and iPads. A flick will send the menu for an inertial scrolling, while short swipes scroll the options one-by-one. You really need to see the below video to capture it.

Since it isn’t possible to physically create such a remote now, Dutzan has developed an iOS app which AirPlays to your Apple TV and gives you an idea on how this would work.

This is nothing like the official Remote app, if that’s what is going through your mind now. In fact, if you have a developer account with Apple, you can try it out for yourself. You’ll find the code here at Github.

Besides the new remote, Dutzan also conceives how the Apple TV interface could be redesigned to take full advantage of the new navigation system and still stick to its iOS 7 translucent behaviours (image above). And it looks awesome!

You can read Dutzan’s whole article on Medium.

So what do you think? Do let us know in the comments below.

Be sure to follow Apple TV Hacks on Twitter, Facebook or Google+ for all the latest Apple TV-related news.

The post Concept interface and remote for Apple TV shown off by developer appeared first on Apple TV Hacks.

After the release of iPad Air people began re-imagining iPhones to match the “Air” aesthetics. But what about the possibility of an Apple TV Air? Well, nobody was expecting that. Curved is behind this one too, after the wirelessly rechargeable touch-enabled Apple TV remote concept and the remote slash gamepad concepts, showed off in the last couple of weeks.

Unlike what you might think, the Apple TV Air is not an extremely slimmed down version of the current set-top box, instead, it is a whole new category of device. Similar to Google’s Chromecast and Roku Stick, the Apple TV Air is a HDMI dongle, which plugs directly into your HDTV and streams content from your iPhone or iPad.

According to Curved, the device could be just half the size of the current remote and will work over Bluetooth rather than IR (since it would always be hidden behind your TV). This reduction in size and the plastic used would cut down the price to about $49, which would be the cheapest way ever to AirPlay.

It consists of two parts: the HDMI ‘dongle’ (the actual Apple TV) and a small remote control, both sold together in one box for aprox. 49 $/EUR.

Cult Of Mac’s Buster Heine speculates that if Apple TV Air ever comes to life, it’ll not be an Apple TV replacement, instead a low cost alternative to the costly future powerhouse Apple TVs. Well, that makes some sense.

I know, it is a long shot to speculate based on just a concept, but do let us know what you guys think.

Be sure to follow Apple TV Hacks on Facebook, Twitter and Google+ for all the latest Apple TV-related news.

The post New Apple TV Air concept turns Apple TV into a Chromecast-like HDMI dongle appeared first on Apple TV Hacks.