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DT Daily: Qmote remote, Dish’s Sling TV, Fantastic 4 reboot first look

Today on DT Daily: a remote control for your smartphone, Dish looks to crack cable’s iron grip, and we get a first look at the new Fantastic 4 movie.

We all know that our smart phones can work as remote controls for an unlimited number of devices, but what about a device that works as a remote for your smartphone?

That would be Qmote. It’s a small, guitar-pick shaped remote with just one button, but it can do a lot of things. You can program 11 different functions into Qmote, including one that helps find your lost smartphone. Just use the app to program a certain number of clicks to activate certain phone functions, including Siri or, navigation. It can also control smart home appliances like Nest. Qmote is water resistant and the little battery lasts for a year.

Qmote was looking to raise $20,000 on Kickstarter and they’ve done it! You can order your Qmote for just $19.

People have been complaining about cable TV service probably since, well, cable TV got started. You pay for a few hundred channels but what do you really watch? Lifetime and ESPN, right? Us too, so it would be nice if we only had to pay a little for THOSE kinds of channels, right?

Well, Dish Network, the satellite TV folks, recently debuted Sling TV – yes, they bought Slingbox a while back – and they’ve put together a tempting package of channels for just 20 bucks a month. You get TNT, TBS, Comedy Central, HGTV and most importantly, ESPN. You can also get $5 add-on packs and get Disney channels, Bloomberg TV, DIY, HLN and much more.

Sling TV rolls out today for some invite-only folks, and in two weeks for everyone else. We got a sneak peek of the service from Dish and AV editor Caleb Denison has a full review, so go here for all the details.

The original Fantastic Four movie from 2005, was, OK, sorta entertaining, but after seeing the trailer for the new reboot, we’re hoping this version hits a little harder.

The new film takes a darker tone and has Josh Trank at the helm; he headed up Chronicle previously. The story goes for more of an origin angle as it shows the future fantastic four as youngsters who eventually take part in an experiment involving travel to an alternate universe, where they are given their respective superpowers, of course. Upon return, they march off to face a mounting threat from a blogger, apparently.

Not sure how that’s going to work out. Typing contests, maybe? Anyway, the movie hits theaters this August and you can see the trailer here. Enjoy!

Your host today is Holly Resnick. Miss a day? Watch all the episodes of DT Daily right here. And be sure to catch our latest podcast.

Bill Roberson
Former Digital Trends Contributor
I focus on producing Digital Trends' 'DT Daily' video news program along with photographing items we get in for review. I…
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