"There's an entire industry to create, from distributing interactive ads to billing to getting product to the people who point and click on cubic-zirconium jewelry they've got to have, " he says, referring to the burgeoning TV home-shopping industry.

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It's a good bet, however, that the smartphone (or tablet) will continue to replace "unnecessary" interfaces and buttons cluttering up your home, whether that's through a WiFi-connected TV remote, on-screen home energy management, shopping list reminders through a hooked-up refrigerator or possibly even a dishwasher with remote activation.

ENGADGET: blogger-avatar

Others say fixed-line operators, especially those that have a strong fiber optic backbone in place, are better bets because they are players in the broadband services game -- offering pay TV, video-on-demand, home shopping and banking as well high-speed Internet access.

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Their brand, Living Proof, launched in Sephora and on the home-shopping TV network QVC in 2009.

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