remote control

The Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3, is underway in Los Angeles, and despite the convention's video gaming focus, there is more home theater and media news to be found there each year. This year is going to be no different, and Nintendo was the first to let slip an interesting tidbit. Nintendo isn't scheduled to take the stage at the Stapley Center until June 5th, but the company sought to get the jump on the show by posting a YouTube video over the weekend detailing some of the features of the Wii U that is scheduled to launch later this year. Part of the video was devoted to the updated and refined Wii U GamePad, the touchscreen LCD=equipped controller that the company showed for the first time at last year's E3. In addition to new analog sticks, the controller will also include a TV control button to allow the GamePad to control the user's TV via IR. The video also shows the GamePad touchscreen being used to change channels and navigate an onscreen TV guide. It might not be a replacement for a good universal remote control in the living room, but it might serve nicely in a secondary room in conjunction with the console's expected streaming media services.

Nintendo realizes that to play video games, consumers need to turn on their TV set. Currently, this is performed by pressing a button/soft-key on the TV itself or with the TV's own remote. The TV Control button on the Wii U GamePad is able to replace these by giving the user one device to turn on both the Wii U and the TV. Not only that, but using basic infrared technology, users can actually use the GamePad to browse their TV guide and change channels.

Examiner.com

When Roku updated their iOS remote control app a couple of weeks ago, the company also promised that they were still working on a version for Android. Sure enough, Roku has released the Android version of their remote control app to the Android Marketplace. The new Android app includes all of the features of the iOS version, including the latest in D-pad style control schemes, although interestingly enough it appears that the channel shortcuts have been moved to the bottom of the new layout. As with the iOS app, the Android app is free.

Roku owners who walk on the Android side of the aisle have reason to celebrate: the company has released a version of its remote control app for Google's mobile platform. The app will work with any Roku box and any Android device running version 2.1 or higher, as long as they're both on the same Wi-Fi network. 

The Verge

Logitech's Harmony remotes can control just about any device because they are programmed by communicating with the Harmony servers via MyHarmony.com, synching the remote and its functions to the gigantic database of devices and IR codes that the company has compiled. The Harmony Link takes the concept of the Harmony remote a step further by ditching the physical remote in favor of an iOS or Android app that communicates to a Wi-Fi bridge cum IR blaster. Unfortunately, the Harmony Link appears to differ in one other key way. The Harmony Link requires a daily check-in with the Harmony servers, which have been experiencing outages, rendering the Harmony Link inoperable. Based on the discussions in the Logitech support forums, this has been an intermittent issue for a while now. While requiring an Internet connection for setup would seem to be a given for such a device, the lack of an off-line mode after being setup seems like a inexcusable oversight.

You see while typical Harmony remote are only programmed via MyHarmony.com, the Harmony Link apparently requires a quick phone home to work at all. That's according to a number of users at Logitech's forums starting yesterday morning claiming their Harmony Link is now a "very nice and sleek paperweight," only showing an error when they try to turn on the TV for their not-so-super Super Bowl party tonight.

EngadgetHD

Dijit's universal remote control app is now a universal iOS app. Dijit started dropping hints about the new iPad-friendly interface for their app about a month ago and it is now available. As expected, the updated app takes advantage of the extra screen real estate to make more information visible at one time, including TV listings, social recommendations, and on-screen remote control. It's probably still not enough to make up for the limitations of the battery-powered Griffin Beacon that Dijit's universal remote control functionality is tied to, but it is a step in the right direction for iPad fans.

Viewers will be able access their local TV listings, get recommendations from their Facebook friends, and gather more information about the cast and crew of the shows they’re watching. The app includes Wikipedia and YouTube integration to highlight additional content online.

GigaOm