Smart Home Blog

TiVo Slide Remote control with QWERTY keyboard is available on TiVo website at $89.99. The keyboard doesn’t use RF as I expected. Except that it uses Bluetooth. The Slide Remote is compatible with TiVo Premier / Premier XL DVRs as well as with TiVo Series3, TiVo HD, TiVo HD XL units.

It’d be really nice to use such remote not only with TiVo products. But I’m afraid we have to wait QWERTY remote from Boxee Box.

UPDATE: according to Engadget review of the TiVo Slide Remote it works fine with any PC as ordinary Bluetooth keyboard.

Hillcrest Labs together with Sony and LG will show the next generation of TV remote control. The idea is to utilize motion instead of hard buttons and provide more convenient way then mouse and keyboard to access to online content directly from TV.

Sure there are already some remotes which use gyroscope – Gyration or Kymera Magic Wand, for example. But they can be used with HTPC and cannot control TV directly. Also Hillcrest Labs’ Freespace technology is more complicated then just simple motion processor. In any case, we’ll see soon it in the action with release LG’s first 3D, Internet-connected, LED LCD HDTVs which already available in the US.

Crestron is going to release a new touchscreen controller – UFO-4X. It looks like UFO. So, your home design will get a special appeal. The UFO-4X sports a 4.3″ active matrix color touchscreen display with resolution 800 x 480 and wide 160 degrees viewing angle. It offers a virtual keyboard which will be useful to type user’s credentials or searching media in the library. Additionally the touchscreen controller has buttons for navigation and controling playback.

The UFO-4X uses 2.4 GHz RF wireless technology to communicate with Crestron system and has range indoors up to 60 meters. It also supports roaming for extended RF coverage and can be wall mounted.

The UFO-4X should be available earlier 2011 with retail for about $2000. Sure it’s expensive as all other Crestron’s devices.

[via CEPro]

CEPro shows ten ways to turn iPhone into remote control. Another two-three are added in the comments. Personally I like two of them – solution with Global Cache iTach and XMBC Remote App.

Global Cache offers devices to control devices via IR, COM or relay by sending command via TPC/IP network. The GC100 is one of the popular Global Cache product. Now company offers a new line low-cost specialized devices iTach. For example, iTach on the picture can receive data via WiFi and transmit it via IR which allows to control IR equipment from iPhone.

XMBC Remote App will be useful for all XBMC users. It offers not only playback control of HTPC but additionally shows all information about movie, TV show or audio track. Also using that application it’s easy to navigate, play and pause music without turning on TV.

While Boxee delays its revolutionary remote control with QWERTY keyboard for its Boxee Box the Shenzhen Feishu Technology offers similar device called Fly Mouse. Fly Mouse sports navigation and media buttons as well as QWERTY keyboard and uses standard radio frequency 2.4GHz. Moreover, it has built-in gyration. So, it understands movement (like Wii controller) and allows to control HTPC by moving the remote in the air.

Fly Mouse uses three AAA batteries and it’s supported by Linux, Mac OSX and Windows. The price of that cool remote is about $47. It’s cheaper then Gyration remote ($99) and don’t forget about QWERTY keyboard.

[via Red Ferret]