RemoteInteractive
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Onkyo DS-A5 grafts AirPlay on to existing home stereos, docks older iOS gear
Embracing AirPlay has usually involved a wholesale switch in hardware: years of speaker investment go out the window for the sake of skipping a wire. Onkyo doesn't have a problem if you bring your own equipment to the fray. Its new DS-A5 docking station brings Apple's WiFi media streaming to many home stereos, including those of rivals, as long as there's a wired or 802.11g-capable wireless router to feed the connection. Naturally, there's perks if you do live in an Onkyo universe -- any link using its Remote Interactive cable can both wake the stereo through AirPlay as well as control the dock from a traditional remote. About the only oddities are the vintage composite video output and a 30-pin dock for charging iPads, iPhones and iPods, neither of which will be much help if you live on the cutting edge. Onkyo brings the DS-A5 to American shores in October for $199; that's a lot to pay for playing songs from the couch, but it's a sight more affordable than replacing home audio equipment costing multiple times that amount.
Apptwee Ri universal remote for iOS is inexpensive and tiny
With the success of all handheld iOS devices -- iPhone, iPod touch and iPad -- it's not surprising that manufacturers want to turn them into universal remote controls. Some manufacturers are going the more expensive route, like Peel with their $99 remote that features a pear-shaped transmitter that sits between your iOS box and your A/V equipment. On the other end of the spectrum is a company called Apptwee, which has come out with the Ri, a tiny remote control unit that plugs into the headphone port of your device (see image at right). The US$19.99 Ri is a bit smaller than the Square card reader, and when coupled with the free Ri app, it transforms your device into an infrared universal remote. Ri is short for Remote Interactive, and it currently supports over 72 different device types and over 845 devices. It's not a learning remote, meaning that it can't be "taught" commands by your IR-controlled devices, but the company is adding new devices on a regular basis. We're hoping to get a Ri for a review in the near future. In the meantime, you can order one of the devices directly from the Apptwee website, or watch their short getting acquainted video on the next page.
