By Andrew Liszewski
Many years ago Casio had a line of watches that doubled as fairly capable universal remotes, but oddly enough it’s taken 3 iterations for the iPhone, a device considerably more capable, to gain such functionality. On one hand the R? from NewKinetix is a little cumbersome since the NK100 IR dongle attaches to the bottom of your iPhone or iPod Touch, meaning you have to use it upside down, but on the other hand the touch-screen display means the remote can be easily configured any way you want it.
Everything is powered by the R? Universal Remote Control App which is of course available as a free download from the iTunes App Store, and even though it comes with an extensive and updateable IR database for almost every remote on the planet, it’s also able to learn commands from that obscure device you picked up the last time you were wandering through the Akihabara district. And since memory isn’t an issue, you’re also able to program an unlimited number of macros or favorite channel lists, even on a room to room basis. With a price tag of $69.95 there are still cheaper universal remotes on the market, even with learning capabilities, but if a large touchscreen is on your feature list this is a no-brainer if you’ve already got an iPhone or iPod Touch.
This is pretty awesome. But I wish there was a way to turn the iPhone into a remote without the unsightly add-on. :oP
I think it needs to be larger… like half the size of the iPhone. And it needs to be 3x as thick… </sarcasm>
I mean, come on… has anyone seen the size of the Apple remote? Can't they make an attachment that actually looks like something nice instead of something a quarter the size of the iPhone?
It does look pretty ugly. I don't need to turn my $200 phone into a remote.
It does look pretty ugly. I don't need to turn my $200 phone into a remote.