Verizon launches FiOS Mobile Remote app for Droid and Imagio

Controlling your TV from your phone isn't a new concept, but Verizon just made it a bit sexier. Verizon FiOS owners this week can nab a new FiOS Mobile Remote app for their Motorola Droid or HTC Imagio. The application emulates regular remote buttons, but also tosses in an icon-based favorites view of channels, in addition to an ability to sling photos from the phone to the big screen. The phone hooks into your FiOS box over your local WiFi, and requires you to download a widget for the set top box as well to get everything synced up. We're not exactly sure why this is limited to the Droid and Imagio right now -- we're sure the Droid Eris could handle the workload, for instance -- but Verizon does say that it's working on making additional handsets compatible in the future. Check out a video demo of the functionality after the break.

[Wikimon Posted Feb 18th 2010 12:31PM]

so i'm in the can and my family is wondering why their thanksgiving dinner TV special has been replaced by DVDA slideshow...

[sethmo Posted Feb 18th 2010 12:31PM]

**Insert spam here**

Wish you could schedule DVR events from outside your network.

[N8theGr8 Posted Feb 18th 2010 12:41PM]

@sethmo You can, just download FiOS Remote DVR. It's been in the Android Market for about a month or 2 and on the rest of the phones for at least a year now.

[HurricaneDC Posted Feb 18th 2010 12:35PM]

Does anyone own an Imagio?

[DaHarder Posted Feb 18th 2010 12:40PM]

@HurricaneDC

I once did, and found it quite pleasant with one of the best 'resistive' touch screens I've ever had the pleasure of using, but...

Man! Was It Slow... Painfully Slow, so much so that the day the DROID was released, I gave it to my nephew (who loves the Verizon Live TV feature).

As for this FiOS Mobile Remote app - I just installed it, and it's very nice and FREE!

Thanks Engadget!

[JDubbs115 Posted Feb 18th 2010 1:13PM]

@HurricaneDC

I do, it's about time Verizon showed the Imagio some love. It's one of their best WinMo phones!

This is hella cool. The future is here!

[Punchdrunkbrian Posted Feb 18th 2010 12:38PM]

This is pretty cool, it makes me wish even more that I was in a fios capable area!

[OneHungFeller Posted Feb 18th 2010 12:38PM]

Yeah, i don't get it either. Shouldn't it just be a VZW/FIOS/Android app? Why only specific phones? I keep seeing a lot of Android apps released for specific Android handsets.
Confused... lost... scared.

[WC066 Posted Feb 18th 2010 12:46PM]

Auh, why do I want to use my phone as a remote? I already have one. What will come next, remote toilet flushing?

[bull3964 Posted Feb 18th 2010 1:00PM]

@WC066

In my case, I have the output of my DVR piped to several TVs around the house since I don't use them enough to justify renting a box for them. Since I don't have an RF remote, it makes using those TVs much more convenient since I'll be able to do stuff stuff like change channels or skip commercials anywhere in the house.

[prometheusDC Posted Feb 18th 2010 1:57PM]

@bull3964
Hey, bull. I'm going to be switching to FiOS soon and wanted to be able to do the same thing (output to multiple TVs). Is it HD output that you're routing or just SD? Did you use any special hardware or just connect up to the old coax?

Thanks for any insights!

Kory...

[bull3964 Posted Feb 18th 2010 2:41PM]

@prometheusDC

I'm just doing SD as these were all old TV's i'm feeding to. I have an RF modulator connected to the composite outputs of the HD-DVR (my model doesn't have coax outs of it's own so I needed that, some do.) It's surprisingly good picture quality split between 3 different TVs.

[bull3964 Posted Feb 18th 2010 12:49PM]

My guess would be that the application requires something in the 2.0 or 2.0.1 API which is why it's not available right now to Eris owners.

I'm betting it would work on the N1, but if it's not released into the general marketplace they won't be able to download it. It'll probably not be too long though until the application is ripped and made available to N1 owners though.

I can't wait to try this out on my Droid.

[Gadget Lover Posted Feb 18th 2010 12:54PM]

Now if only they'd make their Remote DVR app for the BlackBerry Storm more appealing...

[Bizam Posted Feb 18th 2010 1:46PM]

@Gadget Lover
Let's try just releasing the app for the Bold, that would be nice.

[DoctarPeppar Posted Feb 18th 2010 12:55PM]

Cool, hopefully this works on the Omnia 2?
I'll give it a try when I get home.

[rchives Posted Feb 18th 2010 12:56PM]

All 7 people that can get Fios at their house will probably be excited.

[Fanfoot Posted Feb 18th 2010 12:57PM]

Sounds like a great feature, and yes I would be VERY suprised if the cable guys can match this. I supposed in theory the whole tru2way thing (which will never roll out) could run some kind of application which could do some of this (can it access the local wifi network?) but it seems unlikely. Probably a bit of a niche application though.

But hey, Tivo, are you listening? I want this sort of capability! From an iPhone or iPad!

[xirian Posted Feb 18th 2010 8:47PM]

@Fanfoot Tivo has had this forever. Grab the I.tv app.

[JSM Posted Feb 18th 2010 1:22PM]

yes, I know the iphone isn't on verizon, and yes, I'll switch to a wvga phone once the LTE phones are out, but in the meantime why the heck don't they have this for the iphone as well. It has nothing to do with their wireless division (which is only half owned by verizon anyway) and would reach another who crowd of people. Typically half a$$ed like every other FIOS "feature" (whole house dvr that works for 30% of users, on demand freezing, dvrs requiring resets that erase content) - heck my RCN service, with a support budget that would fit in a Verizon executives pocket, worked better than this.

[gadgetfan Posted Feb 18th 2010 3:02PM]

@JSM there is an iphone app on the way.

[PeterJames Posted Feb 18th 2010 1:23PM]

That's really nice... I have a Droid and I live in a Verizon area but I don't think we will be seeing FiOS anytime soon. Stuck with TimeWarner still.

[Vonbane Posted Feb 18th 2010 1:29PM]

I have a Droid, I have a FiOS set top box, and so far the app can't find the set top box even though the device is properly registered and I have a strong WiFi signal. Hope this gets fixed soon, it will be nice to have once it works.

[ChrisStall Posted Feb 18th 2010 4:49PM]

@Vonbane
I have also faced the same problem .. i restarted the router and re-registered the mobile number and evrything worked fine.

I love the app now !!!!!!

[vgrfx Posted Feb 18th 2010 1:36PM]

If anyone could post a link to the app. I would love to try it on another android device. Come on let the experimenting begin.

[HTCguy Posted Feb 18th 2010 5:42PM]

@vgrfx http://m.verizon.com/tv/mobileremote

[vgrfx Posted Feb 18th 2010 8:42PM]

@HTCguy Thanks for the assist I'll give it a shot and report back.

[intaminfan08 Posted Feb 18th 2010 2:10PM]

Why no love for the eris. I am a fios tv/internet/phone subscriber and would love this feature on my eris the remote DVR available from the marketplace right now only lets you record shows to your DVR and view whats on tv. Come on verizon..release this for all verizon android devices!

[ango Posted Feb 18th 2010 2:29PM]

sony, samsung, LG and other please come on, with apps like that one
IR it's history
WiFi with protection it's maybe next gen

[ericg1840 Posted Feb 18th 2010 2:53PM]

I need an DVR scheduling app for my iPhone I don't really need the remote feature but would
love to have a dedicated app to schedule my dvr recordings

[SITony Posted Feb 19th 2010 12:25PM]

@ericg1840 use the mobile site. Works well on my iPhone.

[malexandria1 Posted Feb 18th 2010 3:29PM]

Too bad I can't use any of Fios new toys because their HD DVR was so god awful buggy that I had to get a TivoHD Box and CableCard for my service.

[iPaul Posted Feb 18th 2010 4:52PM]

My winmo phone did this 7 years ago.i can program it to control "ANY" IR device.

[HTCguy Posted Feb 18th 2010 5:44PM]

Using this on my HTC Touch Pro2 right now... It's pretty awesome!

[obobo Posted Feb 18th 2010 6:02PM]

just think..
maybe someday there will be a new windows phone
maybe someday there will be an app like this for it
then again..
why wait.. it could be a loooooong wait
...and then they'll probly change their mind and junk it all and start over again