Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Multimedia, Software, Apple, iPhone
AirRemote (and other remote possibilities) for the iPhone
Just the other day I was thinking about how it might be possible to do something like this app reader Jason kindly dropped us a tip about: AirRemote is an application, soon to be released on the App Store, that's supposed to turn your iPhone or iPod touch into a television remote control. The first catch is that the app costs $99, and the second catch is that you have to buy an extra box (for about $150) to actually the signals to the TV. That's the hardest part about this whole iPhone-as-remote thing -- it's super easy to program the iPhone to do what you want, but it's much harder to get the TV or entertainment center to understand it. Most televisions aren't equipped with Bluetooth or WiFi, and Apple neglected to include an IR transmitter even in the 3G.But surely it's got to be possible at some point, right? Apps like telekinesis easily let you do a little remote computing, so the real trick here is just getting the TV in on the communications. It's too bad Apple's own little set-top box doesn't make it too easy (though maybe the wifi might let hackers do something with a little tweaking), but then again, maybe they don't want any competition for their own remote.
Of course, buying an iPhone or iPod touch just to control your TV is a waste of money -- there are much cheaper remotes that will work much better. But in the interests of combining functions into one device, it sure would be useful to be able to do everything from one screen.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
shakdang said 7:44AM on 6-14-2008
$300 remote hahahah haha hahaha
and it's gone when the you take the phone with you ..
what idiots!
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mr. anyonmous said 7:47AM on 6-14-2008
"Apple neglected to include an IR transmitter even in the 3G." - I think that's going a little far. I wouldn't say it's a highly requested feature.
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labrats5 said 11:30AM on 6-14-2008
I'm very well aware I'm a minority here, but I've been requesting IR for months for pretty much exactly this reason. IR is dirt cheap, probably 50 cents per phone. a good universal remote can cost upwards of $500, so I don't see price as a big issue. The ability to download device controls over the air would be really cool.
The main reason why Apple might never allow this is simply the lawsuits. People don't understand just how big a weapon this could become. Universal remote functions+dedicated hacker community+OTA device drivers=prankster's paradise. I myself would probably rickroll every circuit city in New York if I had one of these.
SpinThis! said 5:27PM on 6-14-2008
I highly doubt it's as simple as that. Apple can't prevent every wacko from suing them—whether it's spelled out in the eula or not.
Ben McRedmond said 5:36PM on 6-14-2008
(I'm the original commenter)
You're right it would probably be easy to add in. But there're things which are a lot more important for us to get first. Eg. Cut and paste!
pauldy said 7:05PM on 6-26-2008
In addition if someone really want to turn their itouch or iphone into a universal remote then all you really need is a 4 wire 1/8" adapter and an IR led. Cobling together one to fit in the headphone jack should be relativley easy.
Chuck M. said 7:55AM on 6-14-2008
Can the iPhone broadcast, say, a bluetooth or wifi signal that would work the Playstation 3's DVD player?
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spyker said 11:44AM on 6-14-2008
This is a very expensive remote but the idea is great. The remote has so many cool little features and it seems like a great idea. For the PS3 I'm sure someone could program it to act like a bluetooth remote, I'm also hoping this happens I need one of those remotes ;).
Peter said 12:31AM on 6-15-2008
See this application that was featured on EngadgetHD a few months ago. Unfortunately, the videos EngadgetHD posted have now been deleted, so I have linked directly to the website developing this product.
http://www.netblender.com/technology/bdtouch_home.asp
Felipe Alfaro Solana said 8:01AM on 6-14-2008
Does the iPhone have an IR port?
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Steve Carl said 8:00AM on 6-14-2008
I'm not a developer by any means... but is it possible to create an application which flips the screen 180 degrees? If so, someone could potentially market an IR transmitter that plugs into the dock connector and you could simply use the device upside-down when acting as a remote.
It would be a much simpler solution ( and less expensive) than a Bluetooth or WiFi receiver with many IR extending dongles routing through your home entertainment system... and you'd be able to carry it with you to several locations.
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kaelb said 3:59PM on 6-14-2008
It is definetly possible to flip the screen 180 degrees, but interfacing with the dock connector is another story.
d said 8:20AM on 6-14-2008
htere's also remote buddy for comps
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Galley said 8:32AM on 6-14-2008
I could see it being used to control the PS3, but that's it (for now, at least).
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moo083 said 10:31AM on 6-14-2008
why can't someone make an I'd light linked to a minijack plug and send carefully crafted audio signals to the minijack port? It would be dirt cheap and that really should work.
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moo083 said 10:33AM on 6-14-2008
oops. Damn iPhone switched IR to I'd.
Confucious said 10:51AM on 6-14-2008
Take it one step further. Put an IR receiver on the same plug tied to the microphone input. Then you can record IR signals too.
kevin said 3:16PM on 6-14-2008
Actually I think I've seen something like that before. What you would do is play a loud "tone" through the headphone jack, which would provide power to the circuit. The frequency would be used to determine the IR pattern. I'm pretty sure you could do it...
Alex said 10:57AM on 6-14-2008
I use a Mini as a little media system at home with Remote Buddy running. This way I can use my iPhone as a remote, and I do
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punkassjim said 12:33PM on 6-14-2008
if your iPhone is jailbroken, you should also give TouchPad Pro a try. I've found the latency to be much better, and the whole user experience is just smoother.