SurplusHP wrote:This is a stupid idea that might sell.


A better idea that definitely WOULD sell: a remote that sits on your table and connects via bluetooth to your Apple or Android device, and the Apple or Android device runs your remote control app.

That would be a good idea.

I have apps that control my TiVo and my Roku, but they are separate and use wifi.

ksmingler wrote:The real question is! I have a Sony Internet Tv. To type in names of youtubes clips…facebook comments. Movie titles etc I have to do the whole 1=Abc press 1 three times for c. Would this thing give me a qwerty keyboard???

There is an Android app for some Sony TVs and probably an iOS one. I don't know what features it provides, since I don't have a Sony TV.

oops, did i see 30 pins. do we get the L5 for iphone5 for free.
Talk about dumping a soon to be useless product

zolttt wrote:Micro usb does not handle all the things the apple connection does, no video, no changing songs, no remote control. If micro usb did more than charge n transfer files it would be wonderful

I could be mistaken, but I believe the only reason it doesn't do that, is because nobody has made it. They have cables now that send your video from micro-USB to HDMI. I think that we'll start seeing more and more micro-USB accessories as time goes on.

Hum, my Samsung phone's micro USB can do video out with a hdmi converter cable. My Bluetooth headset works great for changing songs. But alas I cannot control my ir devices with my android phone.

I do however use the L5 with my old iPod touch. Enjoy that you can easily download profiles that others have built without having to learn the functions from my old failing/lost remotes.

zolttt wrote:Micro usb does not handle all the things the apple connection does, no video, no changing songs, no remote control. If micro usb did more than charge n transfer files it would be wonderful

In my top 5 - 10 must have items. I've ordered a few of these for friends and such. I'm ordering an extra for myself today, just in case I lose it. I try to always have this sucker with me. Anytime I'm at a restaurant, they have a TV on, and the volume is off (or music is on), and I want to see what the discussion is, I can slip this on, download the TV or various "box" remote (if I haven't already) and Close Caption it. I've never understood why bar areas don't do that anyway to encourage conversation. Recently, we asked for a channel to be changed to a game, since it was on fishing (and it was clear no one was watching that). They said "no problem". Several minutes later, it was clear they had forgotten. Not a big deal. Download the Dish remote (I had DirecTV already, but not Dish) and channel changed. Sports bar accidentally has two TVs next to each other with the same game on... fixed. Can't find my remote... fixed. Stupid hotel remote doesn't work... fixed.

You update it initially, then it's good to go. If you can't find a remote, I've figured out that instead of going to that particular item (TV, Radio, etc), just don't pick an item, do a general search for the brand name, and you'll find what you're looking for.

Again, this thing is an awesome must have (for me at least).

One more thing: I've accidentally left this thing in my pocket on a few occasions where it found it's way to the washing machine. DOH! But, amazingly, the cap that it comes with is obviously superb at keeping it protected, because it always works afterwards. Not that I want to keep testing that out, but very nice to know. (And, the reason I'm getting an extra... just in case it doesn't work one day or I lose it.)

robertemoghene wrote:oops, did i see 30 pins. do we get the L5 for iphone5 for free.
Talk about dumping a soon to be useless product

There will be adapters for the new iPhone (which I plan on ordering soon). Shouldn't be much of an issue as long as the adapters aren't ridiculously large.

A note to keep in mind:

I bought one of these to go on my iPhone 3GS quite some time ago. It fit fine, even with a case on the phone.

However, when I upgraded to an iPhone 4S, I discovered it is the same thickness as the phone, and I haven't found a phone case that I can use at the same time as the L5. This is a show stopper for me, I'm not going to peel off the case every time I want to use the remote.

I remember back in the day when this feature came stock... in my pda.

robertemoghene wrote:oops, did i see 30 pins. do we get the L5 for iphone5 for free.
Talk about dumping a soon to be useless product

Why does everyone assume that since the iPhone 5 came out that their iPhone 3, 3G, 3GS, 4, and 4G phones stop working. They will continue to work exactly as they have in the past.

Obviously if you bought an iPhone 5, this device will not work for you unless you have an adapter. This does not make the device useless for those of us with the previous model iPhone.

Also, if you do a count of all iPhone users out there, what percentage of them do you think have the iPhone 5 compared to all the other iPhones?

awesomenesser wrote:I remember back in the day when this feature came stock... in my pda.

That's because your PDA probably didn't have Wifi and Bluetooth capabilities so that was the only way to wirelessly transfer data from one PDA to another PDA.

Works as described, but is cumbersome as you do need to attach the device every time.

I got this a while ago. I use it only at the Gym to change the channel on the TV and volume. (It is a small apartment complex Gym and the remote is missing.)

cengland0 wrote:That's because your PDA probably didn't have Wifi and Bluetooth capabilities so that was the only way to wirelessly transfer data from one PDA to another PDA.

I installed an app for my Palm Pilot to allow it to use its IR capability to control the TV. It was fun for a few minutes... then I got tired of standing by the TV, because the device's LED only had enough power to be "seen" from a few feet away. At that distance, I may as well push the Play button on the VCR myself.

I got one of these the last time they were available on Woot! It works just fine, it's fairly easy to set up your screens once you get the hang of it. Especially nice to be able to put the volume, mute, etc on multiple screens.

The downside was that I didn't use it very much because it's for your iPhone, which I'm guessing most people want to use for lots of things besides a remote while watching TV.

So, if you just bought an iPhone 5 but kept your older phone to use with your older accessories (or just have an extra iPhone laying around that you aren't using much), I highly recommend it. But if you only have one phone, think carefully before you buy this. It works great, but will you actually use it?

joshthegeek wrote:Ever lost a remote and been frustrated with how hard it is to find it? Now imagine that scenario, but with a remote 1/20th the size. That's what will happen with this little adapter.

I'd guess people like you shouldn't get one of these. I have a couple of these type IR remote connectors, I use them and put them up when I am done. I also have a Square payment dongle, I use it and put it up. I have 4 kids in the house and wife that likes to move stuff, so I make sure I put my things up that I don't want to lose.

I have 2 dongles for IR remotes that both go into the headphone jack. The tempting thing for this is that it provides learning capability

Program your remotes by transferring signals "nose-to-nose" from the original remote, or download by selecting from the library of devices

I have Insight cable in Northern Kentucky and they just went to some stupid little digital box for every tv, and you have to use their remotes, because they say there is no universal code for it. If one breaks or you lose it, you are SOL. To have a remote learned onto my phone would be awesome. I use my Roku App on my phone, this could be another nice one to have.

I got one of these when woot had them before and I call it "the best $20 ever spent". It can learn any IR remote you have. You can download remotes other people have made. You can even create macros to turn on several devices, etc. It's really good.

Like others have said, though, if you're planning on using it on your phone that you actually use for phone things a lot and take out in public, you're probably not going to want to leave this thing plugged into it, and you may lose it. Or you might get tired of taking it off and putting it back on.

However, if you've just gotten an iPhone 5 and you still have your old iPhone laying around... this thing makes your old iPhone totally worthwhile. It can be your remote for everything. iTunes, your TV, stereo, Apple TV (if you have one), literally everything. You can just leave this plugged in and between this thing and bluetooth and wifi, you're totally covered. You can use your new iphone 5 outside and to play games or whatever else you might use it for and let it charge while you use your old iPhone for this kind of stuff.

does it Roku?

Can this control a garage door &/or ceiling fan?

For those who already own this product......

Can I take this to my favorite sports bar and take control of the TVs there?

This just might be a worthy purchase.

If this opened garage doors I would get it. I know... different frequency.

I got one of these a few months ago, and it's great as a backup for when you loose your regular TV or DVD remote. Now i can change channels while i'm hunting in the couch cushions!

porlob wrote:I loved mine for a few days, and then just stopped using it.

It's really a great product: fully programmable even for remotes not in the database. And the ability to make your own layouts with buttons for multiple devices is awesome.

But the fact of the matter is that remotes are tactile things. You don't realize how much you'll miss physical buttons until you don't have them.

Have to agree after my experience using the product, which I stopped using after a couple days. Personally I found opening the app (which I thought was slow) and using the product was more tedious than just picking up the remote...

I have a nice home theater system and a small system in the bedroom. I bought this because I thought it would be cool to use my iPad as a giant remote and use my iPhone sometimes too. It works fine, software took a bit to set up but it wasn't too bad. It's great and works well, I like that it copies any IR code like my harmony. The cons-wont fit in an Otterbox case and super easy to use when disconnected. Also since its IR it need to be pointed directly at the device. Otherwise well worth the money, just don't lose it!

neveraging wrote:does it Roku?

There's already an app for that.

mfragalenc wrote:
However, if you've just gotten an iPhone 5 and you still have your old iPhone laying around... this thing makes your old iPhone totally worthwhile. It can be your remote for everything. iTunes, your TV, stereo, Apple TV (if you have one), literally everything. You can just leave this plugged in and between this thing and bluetooth and wifi, you're totally covered. You can use your new iphone 5 outside and to play games or whatever else you might use it for and let it charge while you use your old iPhone for this kind of stuff.

That's exactly how I use mine, using my old iPhone 3G with the thing plugged in all the time, but unless you use the old handsets on a regular basis they start losing their charge. So for me this added an extra step of charging my old phone every day so I could use it with the remote, whereas my old-school remotes could run on a single battery for months or years...

uhclem wrote:If this opened garage doors I would get it. I know... different frequency.

Different technology. Garage doors use RF (radio waves). This uses IR (infrared light).

mschauber wrote:Ummm, hello, USB! Only apple insists on screwing their cult members, all other manufacturers have had a universal connector since day 1.


Woots new motto: "Fanboys welcome, all others........"

Yeah, you can see how that has made ALL the difference and how everyone craves, buys and talks about android... products... uhm yeah, never mind.

curtise wrote:This could be an excellent way to make use of my older iPod touch that is currently gathering dust... As a dedicated device, it should be a pretty darned convenient remote control.

However, my biggest concern would be misplacing the transmitter whilst the iPod is charging, as the transmitter and the charger both use the same single dock connector. Is there a way to attach the transmitter to the back of the iPod touch temporarily whenever charging?

-=C=-

Ooooh... I've been looking for a dusty iPod Touch! PM me ...

cengland0 wrote:Why does everyone assume that since the iPhone 5 came out that their iPhone 3, 3G, 3GS, 4, and 4G phones stop working. They will continue to work exactly as they have in the past.

etc.

These people aren't assuming that, they're just trying to be the first "cool kid in the thread" to point out that "(fill in the blank) won't work with the iphone 5, curses on apple and their stupid fanboy consumers, I can SSH on my android POS and play cooler video games than you in my mom's basement" etc. etc. etc.

It's just frustrated wannabe tech nerds trying to out-cool everyone. And failing. I'm only surprised that the apple-bashing wasn't the first or second post, usually these people have nothing better to do than "First!" everything they see.

Seems cool since I've got an iPod touch going unused in the house, but if I've already got Harmony remotes (love my 880's!) is there any real reason to use this in place of the advanced Harmony universals? Seems it does the same stuff, just wondering if it does it *better*. Think I might miss having physical buttons that I can press without even looking at the remote though.

If I had a iDevice, I might get this. It would come in really handy when the bar starts showing some pirateic politician, instead of the game!

MrUnderdog wrote:....Anytime I'm at a restaurant, they have a TV on, and the volume is off (or music is on), and I want to see what the discussion is, I can slip this on, download the TV or various "box" remote (if I haven't already) and Close Caption it. ... Recently, we asked for a channel to be changed to a game, since it was on fishing (and it was clear no one was watching that). They said "no problem". Several minutes later, it was clear they had forgotten. Not a big deal. Download the Dish remote (I had DirecTV already, but not Dish) and channel changed. Sports bar accidentally has two TVs next to each other with the same game on... fixed. Can't find my remote... fixed. Stupid hotel remote doesn't work... fixed.

Well, this post has me seriously thinking about it. Just think of all the fun at that bar... someones just demanded that the home baseball game be changed to some marooned Monday night football game that no one cares about. Nice... wait 5 minutes and change it back. LOL!

rettm wrote:Can this control a garage door &/or ceiling fan?

But this is an excelent question! Let me start by saying that I know nothing about frequencies or remote technology. If this is a dumb question, please just move along, move along, nothing to see here... I have a ceiling fan that the FAN part is controlled 100% by remote (no pull chain). I lost the remote. So, I can turn the light on, but no fan. Can this thing work on my ceiling fan?

RobertB wrote:I installed an app for my Palm Pilot to allow it to use its IR capability to control the TV. It was fun for a few minutes... then I got tired of standing by the TV, because the device's LED only had enough power to be "seen" from a few feet away. At that distance, I may as well push the Play button on the VCR myself.

What's a VCR?

mschauber wrote:Really? Guess you forget that phones were all tactile devices since there were invented in 1876. But along came jobs who sucked people into his cult and took their memories and sense of reality. So glass is OK for phones but not remotes? Reality check time!

I think the idea is that you don't want to look at a remote everytime you hit a button, you want to look at the screen. On the smart phones the screen is the button so you don't need any tactile feedback but I don't want to look between remote and tv everytime I want to change something. Its a small bother but one that over time I could see getting annoying. Same reason I try not to use my phone as the remote for the google tv or roku players and get annoyed when I have to because the small roku remote is stolen by the one year old again and cannot be found.

Ok, I'm in for one. I have a 3GS that doesn't do anything unless we have friends over for a party, at which point it becomes my Songza streamer for the downstairs stereo. Gonna start using that as the remote for my Yamaha receiver, since the original remote has been increasingly squirrely of late and this dongle is cheaper than buying a replacement remote!

Plus this is guaranteed to not fit your next iPhone! Hooray!

mschauber wrote:Really? Guess you forget that phones were all tactile devices since there were invented in 1876. But along came jobs who sucked people into his cult and took their memories and sense of reality. So glass is OK for phones but not remotes? Reality check time!

LOLOLOL Speaking of cults, your knee-jerk hatred of apple products has clouded your ability to actually think clearly.

To wit: Smart phones require tremendous amounts of interaction between your eyes and the device itself. Texting, games, email, web surfing, all these things require that you look AT the device. Since you're looking directly at the device as you input data and commands the necessity for tactile feedback is rendered more or less irrelevant.

Remotes are exactly the opposite; When you use a remote you are looking at the TV, not the remote. The best remotes are intuitive to the fingers, not the eyes, making it so you can perform actions without ever looking at the device itself. Tactile feedback is tremendously important in this situation.

So, despite your vitriolic and poorly considered hatred of Apple, the *fact* is... smart phones require less tactile feedback, remotes require more.

But anyways, enjoy your free Nokia with the stunning 1" black and white display ;)

hmmmmmmmmmm, it might be worth it just to see my husband's face when I actually have my own remote to over-ride him on his program choices!