Re universal remote dongle for iPhone now available
By Joseph L. Flatley 
posted March 24th 2010 6:06PM
posted March 24th 2010 6:06PM
Most of prefer to keep our eyes on the TV when in couch potato mode -- which kind of makes the smooth glass interface of a touchscreen remote out of the question. But who knows? Maybe you're some sort of Alpha control freak who needs to be able control damn near every A/V and/or home automation devices in your stifling McMansion. In that case, you're in luck -- the Re IR dongle for iPhone / iPod touch is now available -- officially and internationally. The App is free but the hardware will cost you a cool $70 -- hit the source link to get started. PR after the break.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Official World-Wide Release Of Rē™ Universal Remote Control For iPhone Or iPod touch
The Rē is a full-featured, activity based IR remote for the iPhone with built-in upgradable IR database support for nearly all AV devices designed to meet and exceed the performance of high-end traditional remotes.
Portland, OR, (March 21, 2010)- iPhone users can check one more item off the wish list. NewKinetix LLC, of Portland, Oregon, today officially announced the release of their Rē plug-in accessory and Rē Universal Remote Control App, previously demonstrated at the 2010 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. The Rē accessory is now available for purchase at www.newkinetix.com and www.amazon.com for an MSRP of $69.95; and the required Re Universal Remote Control App is available as a free download on the App Store.
A full-featured iPhone and iPod touch universal remote, the Rē can create remotes for your entertainment devices in any number of rooms or locations. NewKinetix head of engineering and operations, John Miller, highlights the Rē's unique IR database as one of the main features that sets the Rē apart from other iPhone universal remotes, "The Rē has a fully populated IR code database chip for instant support of nearly all AV entertainment and home automation devices."
Specifically, the Rē comes with 415 brand codes that support thousands of TV model numbers and hundreds more brand codes for dozens of other device types including Cable and Satellite boxes, DVD, Blu-ray, and HD Radio. For the user, this database means you rarely need to learn a device remote into the Rē. This also assures 100% portability since you don't need WiFi to download codes or the old remote to copy, continues Miller, "While others are catching up, NewKinetix will continue to expand its feature lead with regular updates of the Rē App."
The Rē pairs with a free iPhone App to personalize and organize all your devices by room, activities, and favorites. Users can create activities and one touch sequences to "Watch TV" or "Listen to HD Radio." All remotes can be designed and edited to your preferences along with favorites lists to simplify and enhance your entertainment experience.
With high demand for an iPhone based IR universal remote, competition has been heating up. When asked about recent announcements of competitive products, Barry Baril, marketing spokesman for NewKinetix, was confident in his product, which is one of the first to the contested market, "Competition legitimizes the market. I'm confident that consumers and analysts will recognize the superior value of the Rē. Every other iPhone remote available lacks at least one critical universal remote feature available in the Rē today."
The Rē sets the performance bar by providing complete portability, an integrated IR database, Device Remotes, Activity Remotes, unlimited Rooms, unlimited Macros, learning, unlimited Favorites Lists for each Activity, and fully customizable remote screen layout.
In addition to the database chip and control processor, Rē Accessory houses a full-power, wide beam, high-quality IR transmitter so that your A/V equipment will respond quickly and correctly every time at distances up to 40 feet. The accessory positions the IR transmitter at the optimum angle for holding and viewing your iPhone and can be used with most accessory cases.
The Rē is completely manufactured in the USA and is now available for sale and shipment world-wide. For availability in your country and more information on the Rē, you can check out the Rē web site, or download and see the features of the Rē Universal Remote Control App free from the App Store.
Official World-Wide Release Of Rē™ Universal Remote Control For iPhone Or iPod touch
The Rē is a full-featured, activity based IR remote for the iPhone with built-in upgradable IR database support for nearly all AV devices designed to meet and exceed the performance of high-end traditional remotes.
Portland, OR, (March 21, 2010)- iPhone users can check one more item off the wish list. NewKinetix LLC, of Portland, Oregon, today officially announced the release of their Rē plug-in accessory and Rē Universal Remote Control App, previously demonstrated at the 2010 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. The Rē accessory is now available for purchase at www.newkinetix.com and www.amazon.com for an MSRP of $69.95; and the required Re Universal Remote Control App is available as a free download on the App Store.
A full-featured iPhone and iPod touch universal remote, the Rē can create remotes for your entertainment devices in any number of rooms or locations. NewKinetix head of engineering and operations, John Miller, highlights the Rē's unique IR database as one of the main features that sets the Rē apart from other iPhone universal remotes, "The Rē has a fully populated IR code database chip for instant support of nearly all AV entertainment and home automation devices."
Specifically, the Rē comes with 415 brand codes that support thousands of TV model numbers and hundreds more brand codes for dozens of other device types including Cable and Satellite boxes, DVD, Blu-ray, and HD Radio. For the user, this database means you rarely need to learn a device remote into the Rē. This also assures 100% portability since you don't need WiFi to download codes or the old remote to copy, continues Miller, "While others are catching up, NewKinetix will continue to expand its feature lead with regular updates of the Rē App."
The Rē pairs with a free iPhone App to personalize and organize all your devices by room, activities, and favorites. Users can create activities and one touch sequences to "Watch TV" or "Listen to HD Radio." All remotes can be designed and edited to your preferences along with favorites lists to simplify and enhance your entertainment experience.
With high demand for an iPhone based IR universal remote, competition has been heating up. When asked about recent announcements of competitive products, Barry Baril, marketing spokesman for NewKinetix, was confident in his product, which is one of the first to the contested market, "Competition legitimizes the market. I'm confident that consumers and analysts will recognize the superior value of the Rē. Every other iPhone remote available lacks at least one critical universal remote feature available in the Rē today."
The Rē sets the performance bar by providing complete portability, an integrated IR database, Device Remotes, Activity Remotes, unlimited Rooms, unlimited Macros, learning, unlimited Favorites Lists for each Activity, and fully customizable remote screen layout.
In addition to the database chip and control processor, Rē Accessory houses a full-power, wide beam, high-quality IR transmitter so that your A/V equipment will respond quickly and correctly every time at distances up to 40 feet. The accessory positions the IR transmitter at the optimum angle for holding and viewing your iPhone and can be used with most accessory cases.
The Rē is completely manufactured in the USA and is now available for sale and shipment world-wide. For availability in your country and more information on the Rē, you can check out the Rē web site, or download and see the features of the Rē Universal Remote Control App free from the App Store.
FINALLY...
i guess i won't be losing the remote anymore. :-)
@samin100 Indeed. Now you will be loosing your IR dongle!!!
All of this could've been avoided if Apple had included an IR transmitter on the iPhone in the first place...
@samin100 That would be true if there were another one that could track the location of this one. Of course that one would need to be plugged into a different iPhone.
Or you could just pay for the find my iPhone service at $X per month. Course that will only tell you that your iPhone is somewhere in the neighborhood of your house...
@samin100
yes FINALLY, something to rely on in case i lose my other 10 iphone IR remotes.
@Drago
If it was like every other phone IR-transmitter ever made, it'd be so weak that you had to stand 3 feet from the TV to get it to register. And with the thickness of the iPhone, it'd probable need to be even less powerful.
All this is stupid anyway. For $70, you could most likely throw a Wi-Fi chip into an IR repeater setup and have yourself a dongle-less, RF remote. If you bought multiples for multiple rooms, it could even detect which was closest and reconfigure the iPhone with the correct set of screens to control that entertainment stack.
Come on folks, how about some creativity?
@PaulY I'm pretty sure there's an arduino project for that
@samin100
It is interesting how after the first one of these things was shown awhile ago all sorts of different companies are putting them out now.
@samin100 I love my iTouch (yeah, I know calling it an iTouch will get me buried but I really don't care) but C'mon my Palm Zire 72 was working as a remote 5 years ago and without a dongle to.
@Drago In the past, most IR on PDAs and Phones were primarily intended for communications, via IRDA. The IR transmitters were super weak, so you couldn't use them for remotes at any distance greater than about 5 feet. Sony put in amped up IR transmitters into some of their Clie PDAs for the express purpose of making the devices decent universal remotes. AFAIK, nobody else ever did anything like that. As I recall, the company that was making the universal remote software came out with a high power IR dongle like this one. It sold for about the same price.
@samin100
Nope. Just the dongle to your remote.
@PaulY So for $70 per room several hundred hours of software development and I can have a $540 cludge remote solution for my 5 room house. Or I can buy 5 harmony one remotes for about $1000. Woops, I'd like to to use this at my Beach house. Shell out some more cash.
I think the iPhone and especially the iPod touch is a great host for a universal remote.
So basically this is Harmony for iPhone.... And cheaper I guess
@Shakeandblake Not really. There is a $60 Harmony remote out soon. Tactile buttons that other people can use. Either everyone in your home has to have one of these and an iPod Touch or iPhone...or they're out of luck. Unless you have an extra iPod Touch just laying around for people to use. In that case it would make it a $250 device or something around that.
I think its cool but I'll stick with the Harmony 600.
@Shakeandblake
I don't see this replacing any remote. To me, a quintessential part of a good TV remote is excellent tactile feedback and button layout. The entire function of a TV remote requires this so you can actually use all the functions without having to look at it. On a well designed remote, you should be able to change channels by direct number input, control volume, switch devices, access and manipulate menus, ALL without looking down at it once.
Try that with an iPhone remote. I do not want to be hunting and pecking and looking down at it everytime I want to do something.
@Shakeandblake
What makes a Harmony different than all the other competitors is the set-up and device database. Without that Harmony's are just another fancy remote.
I seriously cannot see why a single person would buy this. I've picked up 2 880's for about this same price. The experience with the 880's vs this is night and day.
@Shakeandblake: I hate IR dongles.
It's not much cheaper, unless you buy one of the high end Harmonys. Besides, a clunky dongle that requires you to either hold it upside down (or maybe put a mirror behind you for better bouncing of the IR signal) doesn't seem so elegant.
Maybe it's okay if you live alone, but really, it's kinda stupid. IR applications were better when phones had IR built into them. :)
This thing looks like a piece of shit.
@BoozeRob
It IS a POS !
cant i just buy an actual remote for 70 dollars?
That thing is CRAP CRAP CRAP CRAP !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Honestly this is the kind of stuff that goes on TUAW. Can't you guys just keep the major Apple stuff for engadget? Why do we need to hear about every spare app that comes along?
@sweet greggo
If it was just an app there would be millions more of them and a lot better ones than there are.
Its the hardware mainly thats of interest, IR tx as well as "learning" feature. But I half agree with you, its much more at home for EGHD, where I spend most of my hours :P
@sweet greggo +100 If I were a writer for TUAW, I would head over to the Engadget HQ and break some heads. Anything related to Apple is gold here to the writers.
$70 ? These folks must really think iPhone users are idiots !
@jds4000
o wait...
@jds4000 Universal remotes are $150 and more. Top ones with touch screen start from $350. So people are not idiots.
@alex904
no, you can very much buy a good universal remote for 70 dollars, and if you are going to complain about quality, then you have no business using this piece of shit.
@jds4000
I got a good universal remote (one that works with my receiver) for $25-35. Cheap ones that only need to work with your TV/cable box cost even less.
Wouldn't get this unless you could change setups with one button and use it in every room.
@BrianH $70 will give you a dumb universal control. None of them will be customizable. RIght, you can teach some of them, but you can't move buttons around or make complex macros/actions/activities. Cheapest fully customizable remote control with touch screen is Logitech Harmony 1100. And it costs $350.
@alex904
you never even read my post did you?
you can't complain about quality in a 70$ remote, and then buy this, it's just hypocritical.
@zangetsu2 You can have setups for every room or any location you want.
Doesn't N900 have like built-in this kind of thing?
iPhoners get raped yet again.
Back to cave continue laughing-->
@Paullll Yeah I've really regretted owning an iPhone after realising it didn't have IR on it. God knows how much I've needed it.
TTTT, why would you need something like this? I wouldn't want to damage my iPhone and keep on touching the screen by using it as a remote!
@amesshawn
yea, those touchscreens and all, definitely not meant for touching or anything like that.
Wow, if you look at the Related Posts on this page, you will see that there are now 4 different IR type devices for the iPhone/iPod Touch. I wish that someone will eventually start reviewing them so we can buy only 1 good choice (if that exists)....
Yeah!!! Another useless thing for iPhone. How is it at making calls?
@Bobula
You mean you make phone calls with your phone. Are you still stuck in the 14th century or something. Anyway the iPhone is way better than whatever you are using.
Uglyyyyyyy
Umm, what happens when you leave the house? Great, my wife just took the remote with her...dumb biatcch......
@FCUK YOUR COLORING BOOK
your name is the best.
That logo looks familiar...
@Arkv2
you mean a green e in cursive with the little waves over it, instead of the blue t with it?
i don't see any similarities.
@Arkv2 lawsuit in 3, 2, 1....
@BrianH
Engadget sometimes uses a shortened "e" logo for things. Which looks quite similar, too similar, to the one on the device.
@BrianH
:)
http://www.engadget.com/2005/08/15/enter-the-engadget-t-shirt-design-contest-and-win-a-sony/
I wish these companies would design their accessories to be more form fitting, like integrated into your iphone cover, and all phone covers for that matter.
@foxinsocks Look up for Fastmac IV Plus then. It's a case with extra batteries and IR control. Very good and clean concept than this thing.
Wow - what is really sad is that the maker - NewKinetix bet the farm on this one product.
Requiring a dongle just makes this pointless. When do you attach it? When do you put it back on. How do you dock to charge your phone. I would put money that any use of these types of devices will drop to near zero after the first month or so of ownership. Assuming that you still know where the dongle is.
Having had a similar app on a Sony variation of the Palm PDA (with strong _built_in_ IR) I used it occasionally but not often. The App was 10 bucks, and I had the PDA with me all the time - still it was easier to grab a real (tactile) remote. And I never had to worry about the dongle.
@scobb Actually it's not too sad to see Darwin's magic hand at work.
About 2 years ago (EE here) I thought about doing something like this for myself, and then maybe productizing it. It's very simple electronics & it would be fun to do. Plus it would have been a good excuse to write an iPhone app. Then I realized:
- you'd be able to get a real remote with a hu-frigging' mungous database and real buttons for about the same price I could do the product
- the touch screen is inferior to tactile buttons for most things
- having a large tumor hanging off my iPhone would suck
- how does person "X" in the house use this cute little toy when I'm at work with my iPhone? Nice $70 paperweight ya got there.
- how do you mute the TV during a phone call, etc.?
- sucks the battery life out of your phone - I'd rather save the battery for talking. My Harmony One lasts about 10 days with normal usage on a single 1-hr charge. Can my iPhone do that?
Anyway, I made a business decision to pass on the product development, which obviously at least 4 other guys/firms didn't. We'll see if they're laughing all the way to the bank, or if they're in Darwin's waiting room.
To paraphrase Chris Rock, just because you *can* do something, that doesn't mean it's to be done. (Just ask Mr. Hands).