While the iPhone is specifically restricted from piloting the drones themselves, the team uses Mobile Safari on the iPhone to enter coordinates and select tasks for its airborne fleet. A web server then relays the tasks to the aircraft mid-flight.
The video shows, in real time, an exercise where a remote-controlled airplane is instructed to photograph a particular area underneath it. The photo is then transmitted wirelessly back to a workstation at ground control.
While not quite James Bond-level technology yet, it's certainly an extreme study in using the iPhone as a remote control.
We covered Signal when it first dropped in the middle of last year, and now Alloysoft has sent us a note that they've upgraded to version 1.1. The app turns your iPhone into an iTunes remote through a server connection, so you don't need to jailbreak or hack the phone at all -- just run the program on your Mac, and you can use your iPhone as a replacement for the Apple Remote. And Signal actually works in Windows as well, so you can use it to control WMP, or even use a Windows Mobile device as a control instead. No idea why you'd torment yourself with Windows Media, but that's your row to hoe.
Version 1.1 brings control for AirTunes, so now you can switch speakers directly from the iPhone, and there's a host of new features -- Webclip support, an Alphabetic library, and Landscape support. Nice little program that's available as a free demo or as a registered version for $24.95.
I recently obtained a Logitech Harmony universal IR remote control, and while the Harmony series is not that new, I thought it would be worth taking a look at here on TUAW. I haven't seen that much about using the Harmony with Macs, so in the following review I'll go over setting up a Logitech Harmony with the included Mac software.
One of the good things about the "very sweet solution" of iPhone development is that you don't need any special tools or too much knowhow to create neat applications-- if you know a little HTML, a little PHP, and have access to a text editor, you can come up with some pretty cool stuff. This tutorial from IBM's DeveloperWorks is about as simple as it gets, and yet it shows you how you can use your iPhone as a remote for iTunes, Keynote, or any other AppleScript-able applications on your Mac, with no jailbreakin' necessary.
Of course, as he mentions at the end, Telekinesis did most of this stuff early on, so if you've got something standard that you want to do (like control iTunes), you don't need to write the code yourself any more. But combine the tutorial with any other custom AppleScripts you've written (or might write), and a lot of possibilities open up in terms of what you can do with your computer, straight from your iPhone.
On that unboxing video we posted the other day (sorry about the ads-- point taken), it was noted that the Apple Remote no longer stuck to the side of the new iMac. Reader Sal emailed me this morning to point out that not only did his Remote not stick either, but apparently he rang up Apple, and the "product specialist" said the Remote should stick. I also called Apple, and they told me the Remote should stick as well.
But neither the Unboxing Remote or Sal's Remote actually stuck, so what's the deal? Our commenters have noted over the past few days that aluminum eats magnetic fields, so it could be that the aluminum makes sticking the Remote on a no go. I don't know exactly how it worked with the old iMac (whether there was just a magnet inside or in both the Remote and the iMac), but Sal points out his Remote won't stick to the fridge either. After he told Apple that, they even offered to send him a new Remote, so maybe the Remote he has is defective (which means this is the second new defective product we've heard about in the past few days). One more wrinkle-- other commenters have suggested that instead of the side, the Remote now sticks to the "chin" of the iMac, but Sal tried that and said it didn't work either.
At any rate, Apple says the Remote should stick, but everything we've seen says it doesn't. Which is it? Anyone have a new iMac and want to confirm that it sticks? It's not a big loss, of course, if it's really not sticking. But like the Open Apple button, that's another special Apple touch that's been lost on the new iMac. Update:This video, courtesy Rizza in the comments, shows the Remote stuck on the front right corner of the glass (which is one way to get around the aluminum, I guess). So looks like Apple moved the magnet there.
I have to say, as much as everyone whined about the lack of an iPhone SDK, I am nothing but impressed at how far people are bending over backwards to provide functionality to the iPhone. Yes it makes you wonder how much we could do if there was an SDK, but on the other hand, developers are really showing us just how much can be done with just a browser.
Take, for example, the Xbox Media Center iPhone Remote. If you're still using your old Xbox as a media center, Tom Robinson has devised a setup that will let you actually log in to your Xbox from your iPhone, essentially using the iPhone as a very expensive (but very functional) remote control. Basically, you FTP the code onto your Xbox (or just install it over the web), and then login to the Xbox's IP from MobileSafari, and you can use it to browse media, view information on playing media, and even use transport and audio controls. Wild.
My only question is how secure this is-- without having used it, it seems like all you need to get full access to the Xbox is the IP address. There may be something in the code that confines access to a local network, but if you can install this script from the web, it seems like you could also log in to control an Xbox from afar after it's been installed. At any rate, it's a really interesting idea, and just another example of how creative people are getting in developing functionality on the iPhone.
We've mentioned Remote Buddy quite a few times over the last year as what was originally just an Apple Remote utility seems to gain features at a steady pace. First they added Wiimote support and now maker IOSPIRIT has announced iPhone compatibility. In some ways it's similar to Telekinesis which we mentioned before, in that it's basically a mini-web server that runs on, and gives you control of, your Mac through iPhone Safari. It generates little iPhone optimized web pages which give you access to several modules:
Remote control (emulates Apple Remote to control Remote Buddy)
Trackpad
Keyboard
Menu (browse Remote Buddy's menu)
Music
Now playing (in iTunes)
Movies
EyeTV
Presumably, however, this "AJAX remote" would work with other web browsers as well. With these steady improvements Remote Buddy seems to set the standard for Apple Remote utilities.
Remote Buddy is €19.99 (~$28) and a demo is available.
All currently shipping Macs (with the exception of the Xserve) come with an Apple Remote free of charge! What a deal. As you know the tiny white Apple Remote lets you control Front Row, and when coupled with some third party apps lets you do even more.
Sik looked at the Apple Remote and thought, 'Sure that's cool, but what if you could store that remote in an ExpressCard slot, like those found on the MacBook Pro?' Hence the birth of Rex, a replacement for the Apple Remote that is capable of doing everything the Apple Remote does, and can be stowed in your MacBook Pro's ExpressCard slot.
I was rooting through a friend's treasure trove of iPod accessories yesterday when he whipped out his Radio Remote for the iPod. He then pointed out the striking similarity it has to the new iPod shuffle 2G he just picked up - and behold! They clearly must be related; possibly separated at birth - long lost siblings, happy to be reunited after many long quarters of product updates. Look! I think the shuffle is smiling!
"Gee, you've really let yourself go," said the Remote. "But who cares! C'mere, gimme a hug big guy!"
Ahhh... ain't a silly obsession with Apple products love grand?
I live something of a double life. By night I am a highly influential, and very sexy, Apple blogger/pundit but by day I am a highly skilled Windows System Administrator (though I'm still very sexy). Thanks to the confluence of a nice boss and Intel Macs I am able to do all my work on a shiny new MacBook Pro. However, there is one application that I find myself using, and cursing, on a daily basis: Microsoft's Remote Desktop Connection.
Don't get me wrong, I think it is fantastic that MS makes this program available for the Mac, but it just wasn't created for someone who needs to connect to multiple Windows machines in any way. I know that the MacBU is hard at work on a Universal version of Remote Desktop Connection, so I thought I would list my major gripes with the program to help them focus on what I want (and isn't that what they truly care about?):
No concurrent connections: Often, I need to log into more than one Windows machine at the same time. This is very easy to do within Windows itself, thanks to the magic of MMCs (that's Microsoft Management Consoles to you), but nearly impossible using RDC on the Mac. The client only supports one connection at a time, so you're out of luck if you are troubleshooting a cluster with 2 Windows nodes. The work around is to create a number of duplicates of the program itself, so you can have multiple copies of the app running. This is lame.
Disconnecting from a remote machine quits the app: This is the most annoying aspect of RDC. So, I can't connect to more than one machine at the same time, no big deal. I'll just connect to one after the other. Sadly, RDC quits the moment you disconnect from a remote machine. This means you need to relaunch the program to connect to another machine. This is stupid.
Other than those two major complaints, I am very happy with RDC and hope to see a number of improvements in the forthcoming update (No, I don't have any idea when it is coming out).
Jealous of the iMac's ability to magnetically store your Apple Remote for safe keeping? If you're a MacBook owner, a macosxhints reader discovered that you can toss that jealousy and join your iMac Remote-storin' brethren. Apparently, the top left of the MacBook's display is magnetic enough to support and hold an Apple Remote.
I haven't tried this myself as I forgot to bring my remote out with me today, but I own a MacBook Pro so I'm not even sure if these machines have been endowed with the same abilities. Any other MBP owners out there try this out?
Those searching for something a little more unique in realm of iPod accessories need look no further than the iBrella, certainly one of the most ingenious iPod remotes I've ever seen. With the power of an accelerometer, a hall-effect sensor, a gyroscope and a PIC microcontroller, this clever iPod hacker was able to turn his umbrella (in stylish white, of course) into an iPod controller, complete with movements for volume adjustment, track selection, play/pause and even a mode switch. I wonder if Griffin is trying to get in touch with this guy as you read this.
Check out Proto-typen.org for more details on the what and how.
It's nice to see more developers making use of the Apple Remote that comes with so many Macs these days, and Sofa Remote is a great example. This handy app from CASE Apps (whose tagline is 'Applications that should have been in the box' - nice) uses the power of AppleScript to allow you to control your Mac with your Apple Remote, providing a Front Row-esque file browsers as well as an application switcher. However, since this is all just AppleScript, Sofa Remote is very user-extensible, and CASE Apps has provided a script download page for users to exchange their scripts, as well as an RSS feed for the ultimate in notification convenience.
A demo of Sofa Remote is available that works for 30 minutes each time you start it up, while a 'lifetime license' costs $9.99 USD.
Honestly: I'm always down for some competition; it keeps (some) companies innovating and (hopefully) on their toes.
But wow... if you're going to openly take on a device like Apple's beautiful and simple 6-button Remote, it might be a good
idea to make sure you're firing on all cylinders.
Check out this video at CNET of Don McDonald, Intel's VP and general
manager of their digital home group, demoing a voice-activated remote for Windows Media Center. Mr. McDonald brags that
the remote has absolutely no buttons, but forgets to mention it has almost no functionality either. Watch, as he tries
not once, not twice, not thrice - but a whopping four times (with some serious lag on his last attempt) to ask the
remote "what time is Family Guy on TV." Also, note how much they trust the abilities of their 'zero button
remote'... with all the buttons it actually contains.
I'd say you and your team earned an A for effort Don,
but you might have to whip out those tablet PCs and get back to the drawing board on the voice-activation bit. Just be
careful the next time you try using it to dictate your product design notes.
So
the new Mac minis are cool, and Front Row leveraging Bonjour is just plain smart. But what about the rest of us who
can't afford to go out and buy yet another shiny new Apple product?
Behold: instructions for installing the latest version of Front Row (with Bonjour support) on
just about any Mac that can run 10.4.5 and iLife '06. A friend of mine turned me onto these instructions, and along
with his Salling Clicker-enabled mobile phone, he
has a pretty nice Front Row remote setup going on his 12" PowerBook. From the instructions it sounds like the
setup is pretty simple, but as usual: this isn't exactly supported or even condoned by Apple (and is illegal since
you're basically stealing Front Row and putting it on a non-Front Row Mac), so you're kinda on your own in case
something doesn't go as planned.
We 
I recently obtained a 
One of the good things about 
On 
I have to say, as much as everyone whined about the 
We've 
All currently shipping Macs (with the exception of the Xserve) come with an Apple Remote free of charge! What a deal. As you know the tiny white Apple Remote lets you control Front Row, and when coupled with some third party apps lets you do even more.
It's nice to see more developers making use of the Apple Remote that comes with so many Macs these days, and 
Honestly: I'm always down for some competition; it keeps (some) companies innovating and (hopefully) on their toes.
But wow... if you're going to openly take on a device like Apple's beautiful and simple 
So
the new Mac minis are cool, and Front Row leveraging Bonjour is just plain smart. But what about the rest of us who
can't afford to go out and buy yet another shiny new Apple product?
