i-Got-Control IRB1 dongle gives your iPhone / iPod touch universal remote functionality
By Darren Murph 
posted March 18th 2010 4:21PM
posted March 18th 2010 4:21PM
posted March 18th 2010 4:21PM
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"Crap. I can't find my IR Dongle..."
@Ryan Deen
I see what you did there.
Why the fugly pea green interface?
@DrTrent
Seconded. Not that I'm thinking of buying it, but a nicer UI would be nice.
@DrTrent I wouldn't expect much design polish from a company that apparently can't even figure out the difference between "Flip Vertical" and "Rotate Clockwise", based on the upside-down iPhone image they're using.
Does it control UHF remote devices well? How about the new ZigBee RF4CE? Just wondering.
For the price of an iPod and the crappy plastic dongle you could buy a nice Logitech Harmony Remote.
@Jaylittles531 Precisely what I was going to say.
@Kunta Kinte Precisely what I was going to say
@Kunta Kinte How is this better than a Harmony?
You still have this dongle you need to keep on the coffee table. And you can't operate your TV with your iPhone sitting on the charger. And what if your girlfriend or kid wants to watch TV while you and your iPhone are not at home? Plus this has no physical buttons.
A Harmony remote seems superior in every way, and you can easily find one on eBay for less than this costs.
@to86
you're is the word you were looking for. How does that feel?
@Jaylittles531 : Heck, for less than the dongle itself you can get a Sony RM-VL610 that is a million times better.
@Kunta Kinte
I have an iPod Touch and wouldn't touch this with a ten-foot pole. My Harmony remote is cheaper than this dongle alone, probably works better, and I can leave it in my tv room so that I don't have to run around the house looking for it the next time I want to watch tv.
@Jaylittles531
yes. but not everybody wants a remote that looks like pads with wings.
the logitech looks god awful.
@dark star
Pad with Wings? What the hell Logitech Remote have you been looking at? Mine looks like a Black Square. (Harmony 1100)
@dark star
By the way, even though you dont know what your talking about at all. Its not always looks that matter, its functionality.
@Jaylittles531
your Harmony 1100 looks awesome! thats what remotes should look like! the other harmony remotes look like maxipads. not sure what im talking about? ask your gf
@Jaylittles531 - I'm gonna pee in the wind here, but I bought a Harmony remote and thought it sucked. The programming interface was awful and slow and I never could get to do what I wanted reliably. This function is screaming for some decent UI. An iPod touch is cheaper than many over-priced high-end remotes, and with the right software, it would clean their clock. I don't know if this particular item is any good, but the concept has the potential to eat Harmony. In fact, Logitech should be making one of these.
@Jaylittles531
Better still, spend a little more when you buy your receiver, and make it a Network Receiver. What Yamaha did with their network receivers is the way i would go.
Because it's Wi-Fi or 3G, you can use the App anywhere, inside or out.
I like it cause you can control your outdoor speakers with it...who brings a remote outside?
And the App is Free. Yippy.
It is minimal in it's control but its all you really need. I'm sure they'll improve that App as they go...
http://www.yamaha.ca/av/Receivers/control_app.jsp
Now all i need is an iPhone :(
I realize the screen rotates, but still, using the iPod/iPhone upside down is a major bummer.
Lazy marketers use flipping instead of rotating. :)
(Note the mirrored 6 in the date.)
why cant you just get those $15 univeral remotes :/
@commenter7 We're not all cheap bastards. I'm going to stick with my $99 Harmony.
I just want to know when one of these companies is going to add RF functionality to the mix? Or how about Wifi control of a IR blaster inside your AV rack?
Maybe instead of copying each other one of these firms should come up with a product that actually differentiates itself...
@ASkoreyko There already is a WiFi to IR Blaster for the iPhone. The RedEye Mini is their second product. The RedEye (sans Mini) is a WiFi to IR Blaster that's available for sale already.
Here's the Engadget article:
http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/02/redeye-turns-your-iphone-and-ipod-touch-into-bona-fide-universal/
How about it automatically switches to BT to control my PS3?
I actually expected this functionality to be built into the iPad - it actually has a pretty good size for a comprehensive universal remote.
Don't really see this taking off..
The whole iphone-as-remote idea is a clever one, but is it practical? I don't want to unlock my phone and launch an app every time I need to adjust the volume or FF past some commercials.
@Kunta Kinte Which version 1.8, 1.9, 2.0, 2.1 and then which phone/brand/port? This is the only thing that I can see that sucks about this platform, no consistency.
$69.95!!!! Wow.
I can can get a 4-n-1 multi-remote from Radio Shacks discount bins for under $10. A good universal remote might could run $20.
If this thing was $19.97 and at Wal-mart I might buy it.
Huge butt ugly remote dongles, even butt uglier UI's
Like 1,000,000 ugly winamp / WMP skins
Everybody that thinks Logitech Harmony is better, have you tried configuring stuff for it? It's ridiculous. If you're lucky, Logitech would have your devices with the correct configuration, lucky being the keyword. Logitech for whatever reason thinks my Samsung LCD TV as a monitor, and does not allow me to use it to change channels. I ended up having to configure things manually, which is tedious and ridiculous. Even then, my Harmony can never switch inputs on my TV correctly, regardless of how many things I tried. The advertised one-button-play turns into multiple "next" button pushes, trying to find the proper function. I ended up using my original remotes back. The idea of using an iPod Touch would be a streamlined virtual buttons instead of trying to guess which button does what, plus the fact that iPhone/iPod Touch are wifi capable, thus I can also use it to control my HTPC. I just hope configuring devices on the software side won't be as tedious as the Harmony software.
I remember when all the WinMo phones had IR ports allowing for these apps to crop up (only they were mostly free). Of course the range was lousy, but if I recall correctly the was an iPAQ model that had a beefier IR emitter built-in specifically so you could use it as a universal remote.
Thank's but I'll stick with my Harmony, and then my family memebrs can use it too without needing my phone.
useless piece of crap. what will they invent next, laser pointer dongle for the iphone? ugh.
@robott Laser pointer dongle's were created a lonnngg time ago. Hahahah
I'm sorry, but an advert? In something that costs $70? Let me spell out what I think about that:
N O.
@WilliamTM : Holy crap, you're right! It shows ads at the top. Un-effin-believable...
@WilliamTM : yeah that's the first thing I saw in that picture - iGot is no longer in my book (if they ever were...)
this is really great idea. now i can lose my phone in the couch
Wow, you have to admit that's pretty overpriced for an IR transmitter. Do not want. I prefer to use my iPhone as a media device and my universal remote as a universal remote.
Uh, so this is just an overpriced addition to the device cause Apple wasn't willing to put it on the device in the first place. It isn't that innovative i have seen pda's do this as far back as 2006 do this
What! $69.95 is way too much for a small IR dongle. Bring it down to 30-40dollars and i might consider it.
need to look at the remote to use every function... sorry.
Pfft... My tmobile MDA had an IR port built into it and I had a program that i could scan for the tvs remote code and use it. Sure i had to be within about 15 feet of the thing but it still served its purpose a time or two.
@Kunta Kinte @bullshitexpresscom My point exactly, that fragmentation will eventually kill the platform.
Now to the post, I have been using Air Mouse with my iPhone for quite some time to control the movies / tv series I watch on my mac (connected to a projector) And there is just something that still bothers me about having a remote in a capacitive touch screen-> Developers have not yet fund an effective way to prevent unintended touches.
Let's say you're in your bed or couch and grab the iphone to change the channel, you'll most likely press something while grabbing it that is if you're like me you'll leave the iphone unlocked in order to have the remote ready at all times.
I'd like to see a device like this paired with an app from DirecTV or a cable company.
I'm thinking of program listings, channel previews, and easy DVR setting on an iPad screen.
It will be the perfect resting place for a 1st gen iPad when I've moved on to something new and shiny. Plus the derelict iPad would still do all the other couch potato functions it was designed for.
Connect this thing to an iPad and it will look like one of those novelty, over-sized remotes for old people.
Cool idea, though. I'd buy one.
I have trained a working elephant to move tree trunks based upon receiving minute electrical signals on its left ear.
I also have written an app which allows me to control those electrical signals with my iphone.
That's right !
I have a tree removal app for my iphone!
Any time I come across a tree fallen in my path - Boom!
Moved!
Done!
I can even help out in emergencies as I come across them...
I just need to keep the elephant with me.
ok, maybe the backlight glows in the IR region? I wonder if the screen was flashed in red .. or actually white (why not .. some of the IR could be getting through the other filters too) ... anyway .. if you flickered the screen at the right rate .. maybe it's possible to flip the channels .. the only problem is that would assume a 30-ish Hertz data rate at most .. i know that woulda been enough for older remotes .. but I dunno.