Many attempts have been made to blend the electronic “hearth” of most living rooms – the television – with the computer, and Saturday’s release of the iPad may have brought us one step closer to a child-hybrid of these two lifestye home-bases.

With the massive iPad release, developers at every level of the iPhone app hierarchy are vying for ways to capitalize on the new gadget and its market share, with some speculating on how it will change the game for social TV.

MTV networks is working on branded applications that will “capture the social-media chatter around TV and awards shows and apps for video on the go,” according to AdAge.

The apps will also allow users to log on to a forum while watching the same show. MTV is hoping the iPad’s lightweight size and mobility will make it easier to access than a laptop, and allow for more flexibility and visual display than a smart phone.

"People will be more receptive to typing. It’s early, but you’re going to see in the next 12 to 18 months a series of start-ups experimenting in new ways to layer digital on the TV experience," said Somrat Niyosi, CEO at the app developer Bazaar Labs, in his interview with AdAge.

Of course, other attempts at creating a catch-all media center have been in the works for quite awhile. This year, voice and chat giant Skye, which is already edging out the need for LAN line telephones, will launch Skype-enabled televisions, which will allow you to type, talk and video conference right on your TV.

Despite most cable providers and even gaming consoles allowing ways to access the internet (or parts of it), it seems the efforts to ad comprehensive computer and web tools to television is a slow-moving field.

Advances such as the iPad, the TVChatter App for iPhone, and streaming options from major networks and Netflix, indicate the computer world is likely to overthrow its wall-mounted media opponent, unless the two can parent a functional combination that works for all.