iPad! The Ultimate Universal Remote
Stuck with a mess of remotes? Which remote is for your TV or is it for the DVD player? I know we all go through this nearly everyday. You are in luck if you have your equipment from one manufacturer, but then how many of us have all the our devices; TV, DVD, Music System etc. off one brand? As your grow your equipment, it becomes inevitable to look out for a Universal Remote. There are many devices, which work well. But as you already have an iPad, why not extend its capability and use it as a Universal Remote?
With other platforms, it much easier for manufacturers to develop extensions. With Apple and its proprietary dock connector, manufacturers have a much harder challenge to create add-on for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. One of the first extension for the iDevices is the Square payment platform through the headphone jack. Working on the same concepts, a little known company called ThinkFlood has developed Redeye mini. If you’re not familiar with RedEye, it’s a small dongle, which plugs into your iDevice’s headphone jack and when paired with the RedEye application, turns your iDevice into the ultimate universal remote control.
From Thinkflood website:
RedEye hardware adds infrared capability to your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad so that you can control thousands of devices, from TVs and cable boxes to lighting systems and air conditioners. Together with the RedEye application you have complete control over your home theater and many other devices that use infrared signals. Create custom activities around the things you do most — listening to music, watching movies, channel surfing — so you can spend more time doing and less time punching buttons.
How it works:
- You download the free App from the App Store
- Plug in the RedEye mini to your headphone jack.
- The application gives you the ability to setup rooms, select manufacturers and train the app for your devices. (45,000 plus). You can also manually train the app for your device.
- You can define activities, which are bundled tasks that would have required 3 different remotes to do the task
- The best part about the RedEye solution is the endless customization options to choose from different button styles, re-arrange the layout, and even combine the buttons from different devices, all on the same screen.
Where to Buy:
The RedEye comes in two models, you can read a comparison about the products here on ThinkFlood site.
RedEye is a USB solution which sells for $171. Buy RedEye now from Amazon
RedEye mini connects with your iDevice through the headphone jack and sells for $49. Buy RedEye mini now from Amazon
The RedEye products are welcoming addition to the iDevice platform. Looking forward to more cool devices coming up for the platform.
