Wednesday, February 3, 2010

iPhone: Your Universal Remote

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Perhaps the most memorable tag line since the iPhone’s unveiling of the App Store, which now hosts over 100,000 third-party applications and over 3 billion downloads. Whether they be free or costly, it seems iPhone users are addicted to apps. The versatility of the iPhone and its technology leaves room for impressive applications, more specifically: Remotes. These applications allow users to remote control their iTunes or a presentation while others act as a wireless mouse with impressive capabilities. Here is a short list of some remote apps that are worthy of any app collection.

Remote [iTunes Link]: Arguably the most popular remote app that not only allows users to control their iTunes library or Apple TV from the iPhone, it is also free! This app provides easy navigation through your iTunes library and Apple TV with options to control volume output, edit playlists and even update your Genius results right from your phone. The layout looks similar to the built in iPod function on the iPhone with familiar controls at the bottom and album artwork on display. Since it costs nothing, this app is a must have.

Air Mouse Pro [iTunes Link]: More complex than the Remote app but far more versatile. Turn your iPhone into a wireless mouse that does it all: touch pad or accelerometer based navigation, full keyboard (normal and landscape), numeric keyboard, web remote, music remote and much more. Cycle through applications on your computer or even shut it down. The price is only $1.99 and requires a free software download from the server website that must be installed before using. With it’s capabilities and low-price, this app is a no brainer.

Keynote Remote [iTunes Link]: A solid remote app worth the $0.99 that allows you to control your slide presentation through your iPhone. A simple finger swipe on the screen and up comes your next slide. The app also boasts some solid features such as being able to see your personal presentation notes or seeing a preview of your next slide all on your iPhone.

These and most other remote apps work only through WIFI connectivity but create a remote control for just about anything. Other worthy remote apps like Simplify Music [iTunes Link] allow you to access your entire iTunes library over 3G, thus saving space on your iPhone. Whatever you want to control, the iPhone allows it to happen so start downloading!