GEAR4 (http://www.GEAR4.com), has announced the UnityRemote, which will be available in October. It will let you control all electronic devices directly from an iPhone, iPod touch or iPad.
Using the UnityRemote, iPhone, iPod touch and iPad owners can control everything from TVs to Hi-Fis, Blu-Ray players to digital TV boxes — anything that has an infrared receiver — using one single device, according to Tom Dudderidge, CEO of GEAR4.
The UnityRemote consists of two parts. The first is an app, which is downloaded for free from the Apple App Store. The second part is a sleek device that receives Bluetooth and transmits and receives infrared signals. iPhones, iPod touches and iPads can not currently send infrared signals, so this device receives a Bluetooth signal from the Apple device and then sends an infrared command in 360 degrees via 5 infrared transmitters to the device to be controlled.
After launching the app, users simply select the device to be controlled from a long list of manufacturers. If, for some reason, the device to control is not listed, UnityRemote can “learn” how to control the device.
Users can also set up “actions” for the UnityRemote to control multiple devices simultaneously. From one touch, users can turn on their TV, DVD player, digital TV box and their home cinema sound system. Users can adjust the remote layout so that one remote layout has the buttons for multiple devices on the same screen, like “play” from the DVD player and volumes for the surround system. T
The UnityRemote is compatible with iPhone 3G, 3GS, 4; iPod touch 2G, 3G and iPad. It will be available in October at a recommended retail price of US$99.