this may not be the best implementation, but I like the idea.

A better idea is the RedEye, a Wi-Fi to IR adapter that just sits on your network, so the iPhone works with no additional anything. Except the free software.

The best use for this sort of thing is not on your primary device, but a re-purposed one. How many people have an old 2G iPhone sitting around when they upgraded to 3G? Or the 3G to 3GS? How many 8GB iPod touch's were put in a drawer when the owner upgraded to an iPhone or 64GB touch? There are tons of old iThings sitting around not being used. But lose the dongle! It's not a friggin' Handspring!

And, yes. I practice what I preach. My old 2G iPhone sits in a dock by the couch ready to control my Apple TV, Boxee/Plex, and an HTPC.

@(Unverified) Actually, if your local print shop is doing this, they are violating several laws forbidding complete digital reproductions of copyrighted work. A book is not a CD, and even if you own the book, you don't have the right (under current law) to reproduce it in any way. There's no "fair use" clause for printed work.

I really hope Bing is the default search engine for Bada.

@politicalslug i'm not really in the market for this either, but I see the draw. The Roku box is very popular, and started as a little box that didi nothing but stream Netflix.

People like simple things. Some people don't want to learn the ins-and-outs of an XBOX or PS3 with a complicated remote or using a game controller to watch TV. The one-box-one-cable solution Roku and now, Boxee, are offering to get IPTV in your house for a couple hundred bucks can be enticing.

@surfernerd6987 I think you run just as much risk giving your credit card to the 16 year old working for $2.85 an hour plus tips at Applebees. Except there, the kid goes into the back room and can get all the info, including the 3 digit number on the back. Oh, and assume you have a drink and they ID you, they have your address, too.

It pays to be careful, but you can't go through life being worried all the time! Remember when everyone was afraid to give their credit card over the internet? New things scare people, and in a couple years, this will be commonplace.

@Fanfoot Whoa. Let's take this step by step.
"I'd rather hide this in the cabinet and have it output its IR signal through a repeater"

I have a repeater with 8 IR eyes and one receiving eye. It was over $100 from a discount place. Best Buy would have been almost $300.

"Second, I don't know this company from Adam. " True. It's a new company, and they're technically not even open yet, which explains the lack of user forums. The software is up, but there are a limited number of docks available, and they're doing a public beta. Unfortunately because of Apple, there's no way to do a widespread private beta, since everything goes thru iTunes.

As to the third point, I'm sure there is a mechanism to back up the settings. If there isn't, there will be in an update.

For the 4th point, I agree. I'd like to plug this into a network rather than set up the wireless. I question the need for RF remotes if there is WiFi. I've never seen a component that is ONLY RF, with no IR option. And the PS3 is a lost cause, I have one. The best thing to do is buy a IR receiver that plugs into the USB port. It really is the best way.

Agreed on the dongle. I'd rather see an emitter that plugs into the dock connector, then you could just flip the screen upside down to work it.

@sitruc I have gone thru every palm out there, from my old Pilot to the III, V, Handspring Treo, and Palm Treos up through the 650. I can say without exception, the built-in ports are terrible. I loved Novi remote, and used it regularly, but the only hardware that had an IR port that could shoot 25 feet was the Handspring, and that was with the extra Springboard IR Module.

I'd much rather see Logitech come out with an app/IR-WiFi adapter. I've used Harmony remotes for years and like the interface. Considering the cost of real universal remotes ($100-500 for decent Harmony remotes, and thousands for other Touch Screen options) $190 isn't bad to be able to control anything from anywhere. You can't change tracks from the back deck with IR!

Awesome! Windows CE! Only 12 taps to start a video! Sign me up!

Now that the snarkiness is out of the way, it does look pretty usable. Seems like Windows Mobile 6.5 with a custom skin would be a better choice. Trying to hit buttons and icons made for a mouse with a finger is troublesome. WinMo also has more current apps than Windows CE, if I'm not mistaken...
I hate to say it, but Apple did the right thing with the iPhone. It has OSX guts, but doesn't look or act like a Mac. It is a new interface built for fingers. This tablet would rock with big, finger-friendly controls!

Glad to hear the keyboard is better. My buddy has a Pre, and I hate, hate, hate the mushy, plastic-y keyboard. Better tactile and higher keys will be a welcome change. He's buying a Pixi for his wife, hopefully he won't want to trade!

maybe because Cupertino* crams more cells into less space. Not saying that's a good thing, but that's what they do. They sacrifice a small measure of reliability in order to get more battery life in a slimmer package. If even a hundred batteries explode a year, that's a tiny percentage of the millions of laptops they churn out each year.

*batteries don't come out of Cupertino. They come from at least 3 different manufacturers in China and Taiwan. In the same factories that make batteries for other consumer electronics devices.