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(More customer reviews)Companies have been coming up with new and innovative ways to use the iPhone ever since the iPhone was available and particularly since the App Store opened. ThinkFlood has introduced their own creative use for the iPhone called RedEye, a hardware and app solution that turns your iPhone into a remote control for, well, pretty much darn near anything that uses an infrared (IR) remote signal.
Because the iPhone is not an IR transmitter, it cannot work directly as a remote for devices that use IR technology for remote control. The hardware portion of the RedEye solution is a small box, slightly larger than Apple's docking station, that also doubles as a charging station.
I'm a sucker for good packaging and ThinkFlood did a nice job with the RedEye. In the box are the RedEye station, the power cord, and inserts that make the various versions of the iPhone or iPod Touch fit snugly in the station. I have a thick skin on my iPhone and was able to use one of the inserts with my iPhone without removing the stick-on skin. One thing that would have been nice is if each insert has some sort of labeling to indicate which version of the iPhone or iPod Touch it was for.
Once plugged in, the unit emits a blue light to indicate it has power. To use the RedEye, the RedEye app (free from the iTunes App Store) must be installed on the iPhone or iPod Touch. When you first launch the RedEye app, a tutorial video launches explaining how the unit works and how to set it up. This was very nice as there are some tricks to setting the unit up that wouldn't be intuitive to the beginner. I did not have any difficulty setting the unit up other than getting the network setup, which was fully explained in the tutorial had I watched that in full first. And once you set up your first device, the rest come naturally.
Once I was correctly networked, the rest was a breeze. You start by configuring what ThinkFlood calls "Rooms." In my case I set up a room called "Basement." Within that room, you can have any number of activities, for example "Watch TV" or "Watch DVD" or even customized activities. You are only limited by what devices you have that accept an IR signal. Configuring which devices to control couldn't be easier. Simply select the manufacturer from the list in the App, send some test signals to the device, and select the signal that works.
Once you are fully configured, your iPhone works exactly as a stock remote would, perhaps better. The screen on your iPhone looks just like a remote. You can also use multi-touch gestures for commands to your device. For the advanced and not so common commands (for example, adjusting aspect ratio), there is a separate command screen that appears to cover any command that your device is capable of accepting. It was quite simple to set up the devices I tested and I was pleasantly surprised how all-encompassing the list of devices is. I tested televisions and stereos from 3 to 10 years old from various manufacturers and had no problems.
ThinkFlood provides wonderful support for their RedEye product. On their website you can find FAQs, video tutorials, the manual and email support. The video tutorials are particularly useful for setup. As a consumer, I appreciate companies that provide thorough support as ThinkFlood does.
At $188, the RedEye is a bit pricey. However, if you compare what this unit can do to something like the Harmony universal remotes, the price is definitely in the ballpark. One drawback is that, although you can configure several rooms, activities and devices, you would need a RedEye base station in each room assuming your rooms are physically outside the IR range of 35 feet or so. On the flip side, you get an extension of sorts because your signal to the Redeye is WiFi, which has a much farther range depending on your wireless setup. So you could centrally locate your RedEye unit between rooms to maximize the IR + WiFi range.
For someone looking for a remote control solution without having to have a dongle or device attached to the iPhone, this is the answer. The device is unobtrusive, only requires one cable for power and is simple to use.
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RedEye Universal Remote System for iPhone, iPod touch and iPadWith the RedEye system you can use your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad to control your TV, stereo, cable box, DVD player, and many other devices that receive standard (infrared) signals. In other words, no more hunting through your sofa cushions for all those different remotes - all the control you need is right in your pocket.
Click here for more information about RedEye Universal Remote System for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad
