Comments on: I Refuse to Use A Smartphone or Tablet As A Remote

By: Steve Edwards

Steve Edwards — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 05:54:00 +0000

So by sitting in front of the TV and playing with electronics when I was little, I am screwed up? I am far more articulate than many people I know that have never had a television and refuse to use more than a land line as their means of communication. I’m fairly sure that any words I may have lost were ones I never would have used anyway. And what’s a milestone I could have missed? Give me an example of a normal childhood milestone that I should have had, and I’ll confirm I’ve had it for you.

Neither of these contributes to development in a negative way. Parents raise a screw up, and need an excuse rather than taking the blame for the faults of their child that occurred due to poor parenting. Along with excuses for that, people need a name for an imaginary disease to explain common “problems” with people, they need pills for these fake problems, and they need a support group to make them feel good about being a screw up.

So, my point is: Shut up and quit whining about what’s right or wrong for a child (or anybody really). If the parent raises them poorly (or somebody foes something wrong), that’s their problem. Quit preaching this crap about your opinions and mind your own business.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 13:25:00 +0000

Oh baloney. Link to the peer-reviewed study.

By: Rowan Leach

Rowan Leach — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 06:29:00 +0000

If you have an htpc and use win media centre you can already use hipporemote for iPhone :)

By: Rowan Leach

Rowan Leach — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 06:29:00 +0000

If you have an htpc and use win media centre you can already use hipporemote for iPhone :)

By: Ernst

Ernst — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 03:55:00 +0000

Logitech Harmony remote for the living room home theater setup, iPhone for bedroom Sony / Apple TV rig.

Works for me….

By: Spartin789

Spartin789 — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 03:05:00 +0000

I have IR on my Palm T/X! ”Call me old-fashioned” but the device is a PDA that is before an antennas were added and along with a phone contract. Anyway I have some software that uses the IR for more than beaming your business card at the office. The software allows me to use my PDA as a master remote using the IR port like most home electronics use already-IR for the signal. Even though I know where my remotes are I like being able to use my PDA as a master remote if I felt like it, “but I think I’m getting the best experience by doing that” and my “old-fashioned” PDA isn’t that old afterall.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 23:53:00 +0000

I’m the opposite – one remote is best. Reduces clutter, for one. Mine switches devices faster and easier than picking up a different remote (push one button for each device to switch). For setup or advanced features, I sometimes have to fish out the old remotes, but day-to-day stuff is much easier with the universal. Volume, change channel, power, etc all in the same place regardless of device, making it far easier to let someone else use the remote & watch TV (though my dad still can’t figure it out haha).

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 23:53:00 +0000

By: Carito3030

Carito3030 — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 23:43:00 +0000

No estoy de acuerdo con Don Reisinger. El usar un solo dispositivo para todo ayuda a no tener tantos aparatos o controles regados por la casa, basta con uno solo que pueda hacerlo todo. Es una muy buena comodidad para el usuario, claro que como todas las cosas no son hechas para toda la gente y hay a algunos que les gusta y a otros que no.

By: Franklin Stone

Franklin Stone — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 23:08:00 +0000

Niels do you realize how detrimental to your child’s development that much screen time is. Kids lose words and miss major milestones because their parents put them in front of TV’s and phones. Stop it now before it’s too late.

By: niels niels

niels niels — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 22:46:00 +0000

I really like playing music from my phone over DLNA. Phone is great to take to the bedroom, set sleep timer and alarm too.

doesn’t quite qualify for using it as a remote, since its playing the music and DLNA is just the virtual speaker cable…

By: niels niels

niels niels — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 22:42:00 +0000

lol you’re doing it backwards!

Put toddlerlock on your phone and give it to your baby. It’ll be one helluva happy baby!

then use your remote for the TV

By: niels niels

niels niels — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 22:39:00 +0000

I’m with you…

I don’t want to control anything from a device that only has a touch screen. too annoying.
fumble fumble, wipe wipe

Give me a wireless keyboard for my tv/stereo/refrigerator/whatever and i’ll be happy.

Second best would be any other device with buttons arranged in a way so I don’t have to look at it to push the right one. like uhhh, like a remote control! pretty decent compromise if you can’t have a regular keyboard.

By: Resistanceisfutile

Resistanceisfutile — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 21:00:00 +0000

resistance is futile

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 20:38:00 +0000

Do you have kids? Nothing like taking the batteries out of the real remote and letting the baby play with it while we control the show uninterrupted.

By: blue_solace

blue_solace — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 20:38:00 +0000

I can control my PS3 (and a slew of other BT products) with my N900. In addition to that, I can control the VLC on my computer (which streams to the TV as well.) I can even program numerous remote protocols with the qtirreco program. Basically it is a universal remote.

Honestly, it hasn’t replaced my remotes but it definitely is a nice alternative sometimes. For instance, when going to sleep, it is easier to take my phone to my bed and use it rather than have a few remotes with me. I’m already gonna check email and all that with it already so why not?

By: Franklin Stone

Franklin Stone — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 20:23:00 +0000

I have an app on my Galaxy Tab that lets me control my computer which is hooked into my 46″ HDTV. The app is Unified Remote and I love it’s features. It’s not as good as the remote that came with my TV (which can control my Blu-ray player through its HDMI-CEC connection so I don’t need a universal remote, I agree universal remotes aren’t really a good solution). I think the main problem with the Tablet controller is that you don’t have the tactile experience of a dedicated remote. I can hold my TV remote in my hand and without looking at it hit the volume buttons or play/pause. I can do it all by feel, but with a touch screen you have to look down at the screen to touch the right control, yes it’s more versatile, but it’s not as satisfying. I keep my TV remote on the coffee table and the few times I actually need the Blu-ray remote I can take it out of the drawer. HDMI-CEC is a much better system than a universal remote, just control everything through the TV and use the TV remote.

By: Aaron Hurt

Aaron Hurt — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 20:16:00 +0000

As long as there is another remote to use, I don’t see any problem with using the tablet. Great example: Roku

We use the Roku all of the time and sometimes I can’t remember where I put the remote. If that happens, I turn on my Roku remote app on my smartphone and use that until I find the physical remote. Perfect use of technology.

This is the logical extension of technology… as long as the original sticks around.