Ever lose your remote control?
Did you misplace it for hours or even days and have to manually change the station?
Wouldn’t it be nice if you could use your iPhone as a remote control? You can!
Here are some of the neat things you can use your iPhone as a remote control for…
DVR: I am sure you have all seen the commercials: a guy is locked in the bank during a bank robbery and has a moment to grab his phone. You think he is going to call the police, but instead he is now DVR-ing his new favorite show for the night.
AT&T makes this available as an iPhone app that you can get for FREE from the iPhone App Store. 
So you no longer have to call home to get your wife or husband to DVR the show for you. You no longer have to miss your favorite shows and having to watch them streamed on the web. Simply record your shows on the go!
TiVo: I love my TiVO. It’s so awesome. No more commercials, no more missed shows. It’s TiVo. And now, there’s a free app to control your TiVo too!
With TiVoRemote, your phone will be able to detect a TiVo nearby and then download the Now Playing data from it. After that, you can browse your recordings and start playing your programs from it.
iTunes Library: Now you can remotely control your iTunes library from your iPhone or iPod Touch. This free app uses a Wi-Fi connection to allow you to perform the basic functions on iTunes library without ever touching the computer. You can play or stop the music, make new playlists, and search throught your library.
Apple TV: This app works off the same free download. It allows you to flip through the Apple TV channels right from your iPhone. You can use all of the same basic functions, search, play and volume right from your iPhone.
The best part is you can put in a secure password so one of your friends can’t take control of the remote and automatically use their iPhone to start messing around with what you’re watching. Both of these uses require you must be within Wi-Fi range!
WebCam: Okay. So I know this one isn’t a remote, but this app lets you view any webcam remotely and monitor what is going on. iCam is an app that allows you to stream video and optional audio from anywhere in the world to your iPhone or iPod Touch.
This can work great as a nanny cam because you have the ability to turn it on whenever you want and view what is going on directly from your phone. It costs only $4.99 and can be bought directly from the Apple Store.
iWork Suite: This app, Keynote Remote, will cost you a mere 99 cents and allows you to control all of your presentations on the iWork suite.
PowerPoint: i-Clickr allows you to click through your PowerPoint presentation like a pro… you can view your notes and the slides on your iPhone as your present. It even has some additional cool features like a silent buzzer before your time is about to run out.
This app requires two downloads, one for free from your computer and then one onto your iPod Touch or iPhone for $9.99. The best part about it is for those of you that are stuck in the dark ages and are still using a PC, this app is compatible with Microsoft as well!
XBMC: For those of you that do not know, XBMC media center app for Linux, Mac OS X, Windows and XBox. XBMC Remote lets you control anything playing on XBMC from your iPhone or iPod Touch for $4.99 with a simple visit to the App Store. You can play, stop, rewind, skip and browse through your media to find stuff to play.
Universal Remote Control: This device called RedEye remotely controls most home entertainment devices with infrared capabilities, probably where the name RedEye comes from. It uses a Wi-Fi network with an internet connection and was made specifically for the iPhone, iPhone 3G, or iPod touch with firmware update 2.1 or later.
You first must download the free software from the iPhone app store, but then you still must buy the parts for it:
- a Wi-Fi to infrared bridge
- AC power adapter
- and universal dock adapters.
This device is far in price from the other previous free apps I mentioned. In total it will cost you $119.
MainLobby Remote: It may be a little more pricy, at $99, but is WELL worth it. With everything that it works with, I probably would pay more. The MainLobby Remote allows you to control lighting, heating, TV and more! The only downside is that it is a web service app and you must first access Safari on your phone to use it.
There has even been rumors of an app that may come out that will allow you to control the functions on your car from your phone:
- unlocking
- starting
- air
- and windows.
While I don’t necessarily know if or when this will ever come out, it is amazing to see the truly ENDLESS possibilities there are with an iPhone.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Have a look at mobileairmouse http://www.mobileairmouse.com/. Control your mac (or PC) with ease. With special menus for iTunes, DVD player, FrontRow. And you can pop up a keyboard as well. Definitely one of the most usefull apps on my iPod Touch!
There’s also the RemotePal app to control a Freecom MusicPal device. Costs 3$ and is really great!